episode_0102

Winter was in full swing.

Winter is a metaphor generally used to express the final stage of life.

For example, the pure white hair of the elderly symbolizes snow, and their thin limbs are reminiscent of fallen leaves and branches exposed by the wind.

But those are just metaphors. At best, it is nothing more than a metaphor for appearance.

“Jimmy Ramirez, Gideon Gray, Han Sejun, Jang Ahyun forward.”

One winter, with flurries of snow, many people on Ellada’s campus were standing up and paying attention to me as I stood on the platform of the large playground.

This winter was unusually cold. Therefore, the faces of each person standing on campus were not bright at all, which added to the irony of the blowing snow.

An event was being held in Ellada. Hunter promotion ceremony.

Hunters who prevented the conspiracy of the Ring Bridge and the direct invasion of demons were judged to have been sufficiently recognized for their contribution, and were given a grade increase in rank.

Although it was an honorable work that was recognized globally, people’s faces were not bright. The number of reporters who came to cover it was very small.

Compared to Elada’s first entrance ceremony just a year ago, it was truly a world away.

It is due to the worldwide disaster caused by the Corruptor just recently. The Corruptor was eradicated by Yoon Shia and I, and the symptoms related to mental infection were relieved, but there were many people who had not yet returned to their previous state.

Should I say that people have become a little more cynical after this incident, which dealt a devastating blow to human society rather than a direct invasion by monsters?

It was inevitable. There is no way I could live the same life as before even after going through such a situation.

The named people come up one by one to the podium.

They were looking at me with a subtle expression that was a mix of a little discomfort and pride.

” Since you have made a contribution to stopping the invasion of monsters of a higher rank or higher and repelling them, we determine that you have achieved sufficient results and raise your grade by one level. ”

Helen, who was standing next to me, opened the luxurious case towards me and I reached over, took out the badges labeled A and carefully attached them to each of them one by one.

“Everyone did a great job. Your efforts have been reborn as a visual achievement. Thank you for your dedication to human society.”

“Yes, thank you, Dean. It’s all thanks to the Dean.”

“Thank you. I will try harder.”

After attaching badges to each person, I lightly shook their hands.

Soon after, a photo was taken to preserve those times in memory, and then a light encouragement was given.

Suddenly, it seemed like a girl was looking this way from a building quite far away.

When I turn my gaze in that direction, I see a faint outline of a person and then it disappears immediately.

I can’t believe they don’t even show up for the promotion ceremony where all students must participate. I had a vague idea of who it was, but it wasn’t something I wanted to talk about right now.

It must be the girl named Li who used to go around with Li Jiyuan.

When I thought about that, I clicked my tongue in sadness.

The goal of the Circular Bridge was to cause the Corruptor Incident, cause confusion throughout the world, and spread Elada’s supernatural abilities throughout the world, then intercepting each of them with the demons sent in.

As a result, although I failed because of my character, not all of them failed, and many people with special abilities passed away and never came back.

Among them, Li Jiyuan was also like that. It was my first time losing a student I had chosen, so I was also very sad.

It also suffered a huge blow to its image globally. Whatever it is, the initial value of the name is great, and China was on the verge of sending out an official expression of regret upon his death.

To be precise, it was reported that he was not dead, but was captured and taken by demons.

Since I had a rough idea of what they were going to do, I couldn’t help but feel even more discouraged.

“Next, Adele Krause, Bill Routt, Luke Palmore, Tania Grayson, Muriel Müller, Yue Nakajima, please come up to the podium.”

But with this, you will be able to take a breather for now.

Whether or not what the devil said was sincere, based on his story, it would be more likely that he had already given up on trying to physically overthrow the Earth.

‘Africa.’

Since we were left with the final battle, I clicked my tongue.

The last remaining dark continent on this planet. He said he would wait in a place where the entire continent was covered in dark fog.

‘Now that I think about it, it’s ridiculous.’

Isn’t it a bit funny to ask people to come in with such a tiger’s mouth after the final battle is over?

When you just hear it, the nuance is that you should discuss your diary honestly.

Anyway, since we are entering the final boss’s lair, there is no need to rush out right away.

Because you will have to go in fully prepared, with as much strength as possible.

I felt like I needed some time.

“… thank you I will work harder.”

“I’m sorry. hmm… Thank you.”

After awarding them badges and giving them a brief well-wishes, he looked down the podium.

Before, they still seemed somewhat uneasy and tense, but after receiving something, each person has changed in some way.

Some have smiles on their faces and are caressing badges symbolizing their grades.

‘Now that I think about it, new students are coming in again after a while.’

Even though it’s winter, it doesn’t mean it’s forever. The reality is that winter is just one season of the year when you have to feel alive.

So winter is not a negative symbol that symbolizes death. Winter is just one of the seasons that inevitably comes.

‘I hope a child with recovery abilities comes into the new semester.’

Now that I think about it, I was a little surprised that there were no students with recovery abilities. In this harsh world, wouldn’t this ability related to recovery be quite common?

I couldn’t help but feel heavy because I thought that Li Jiyuan’s unfortunate situation was probably due to his physical limitations.

‘Let’s contact the organization and get information about prospective students.’

With that thought in mind, I glanced at Helen behind me.

*

“Winter vacation?”

An unexpected official notice was posted to Elada.

It was an official notice announcing winter vacation.

“Yes, it was longer than I thought. It was almost a month-long vacation.”

“Huh? Is this okay? What should I do if monsters appear?”

“Of course, it’s not just that. It seems like it was decided to split the event into half crew rotation format.”

“Umm… .”

Sejun heard the unexpected story from Jang Ah-hyun and stared at her with a dumb expression.

The woman with dark brown short hair who was receiving his gaze stretched a little, as if she felt a little stiff.

Even though she rubbed her eyes and blinked a few times, her eyes were blurry, as if she was half asleep.

“Hey~ Our leader has become a princess now, so it looks like you couldn’t sleep at night due to the pressure of your responsibilities?”

Hearing that, the woman with brown short hair narrowed her blurry eyes and glared at her.

Muriel may be joking, but it’s actually hard to just laugh it off now.

Actually, isn’t that so? It was just a figurative expression, Taeseong Republic, Taeseong Republic, but now it has literally become Taeseong Republic.

Therefore, the group’s successor, Jang Ah-hyun, was called more often by the ridiculous name Princess than by the nickname Gwangtan.

Of course, hearing someone call you a princess when you’re older is something that will make you blush, but the facts are true so there’s nothing to say. All you have to do is shoot laser beams from your eyes like you do now.

“Ahaha, okay, okay, I just tried it. Don’t be too angry.”

“And it’s not just a pure vacation. Because it is a vacation given in the form of self-development.”

“Um.”

Sejun scratched his head slightly after hearing that story and looked down at the cell phone photo that Jang Ah-hyun had taken and sent to everyone.

In fact, the nominal purpose of the vacation was to go out into society, show some face, and reassure anxious citizens rather than to recharge.

There was also a condition that a certain amount of time must be spent on community service activities, so the purpose must be clear.

“But wouldn’t it be a bit dangerous to take the academy students out now? Think about what we went through not long ago.”

“Sejun, since when did you become such a man of upright living? Hmm.”

Sejun put down the milkshake he was drinking and glared at Jang Ah-hyun, ignoring the words of the Hime-cut girl who looked at him with round rabbit eyes and asked.

However, it is dangerous to withdraw troops now. Isn’t it suicidal to do this unless you have at least some certainty?

“The professor probably has his own thoughts. You must be confident that the monsters will not open the gate for the time being and will use their power to conserve power.”

“No, you really… .”

Sejun, who was about to say something, shrugged his shoulders and said, “Hmm, I guess,” and reached for the plum juice that was placed in front of his table.

I don’t know what the Dean’s purpose is, but he definitely has a plan. He just didn’t feel any reason to share it with us.

Didn’t Northmund say that demons, too, all have their own personal goals? Then it would be right for them to believe in Him.

“Now that I think about it, it’s been almost a year since I haven’t seen my father’s face. It might not be a bad idea to visit once… .”

We talked on the phone occasionally, but it’s been over a year since we’ve seen each other in person.

There.

‘… ‘Adramalek.’

The words that the devil said to him when he transformed into his father.

If that is correct, his father was also a person who lived a fairly unhappy life.

When Jang A-hyeon chuckled at Se-jun, whose attitude was quickly changing, Se-jun frowned a little when he saw her clear face.

This woman is like this. When I first saw her at the entrance ceremony, she was a woman who gave off an indescribable aura, almost like a statue, as if she were made of ice.

And as a result of going through hardships and ups and downs with her, I found out that she was a grayer person on the inside than I thought, unlike what I first felt.

It is basic to let go of an easily understandable expression and interpret its meaning in a strange way, and the true meaning is so twisted that it is not even predictable at first glance.

In some ways, Sejun thought she was the most suspicious woman in the world.

“I also wanted to visit my parents’ house this time. that… Phew. Anyway, as you all know, I have a lot of business to attend to.”

“Yes, I should go back to my hometown sometime. Wouldn’t it be nice to see your mom’s face and see how our band members live? Are you living your life properly?”

“Me too. I’m not very attached to my parents, but I still want to see the faces of my hometown friends.”

Anyway, looking at each person saying something, it seemed like this long vacation was being welcomed by everyone.

Come to think of it, everyone said a line, but Sejun looked at the short girl who had yet to say anything and made a puzzled expression.

Yum.

There was a sound of something delicious being eaten.

The reason is that the place where Sejun’s group is now was the rooftop cafeteria that he always liked to visit.

Since it was lunch time, we also ordered some quick meals.

Still, the diet was simple, not because the owner, Jang A-hyeon, was particularly stingy with money, but because she did not want everyone to have a big meal while sniffling in the cold weather.

However, not everyone is like that, and this Himecut girl in front of him was chewing the rooftop special sandwich.

“… Is that delicious?”

“Mmm… yes? Is this the most famous menu item at this cafe? Mmmmm. This is a popular menu item that sells out immediately if you don’t come early during lunch time.”

“Hmm, I see.”

Looking at the ingredients, there was plenty of meat, plenty of vegetables, and a yellowish sauce that looked quite tasty, although I couldn’t tell what kind of sauce it was.

Well, I guess that’s why I can stick to my sandwich on a cold day like this even though my nose is turning red.

“Still, it looks quite greasy. It looks like each one will gain about 1 kilo.”

“Eh, well, ku, clack, clack! Woo wow!”

“Aaaah! Yue, here’s a tissue!”

“Aaaah!”

It didn’t take long for Sejun to realize that opening his mouth in his own stream of consciousness was a mistake.

As soon as she heard that, the girl in Himecut was shocked and started spitting out everything in her mouth at him.

“Jun! Why are you staying still? Bring more tissues!”

“I’m sorry!”

Some time later, after the commotion had calmed down.

It would be an aside to say that the situation was able to calm down to some extent only after Sejun begged her to become his hands and feet.

Still, he sighs and looks at Sejun with sharp eyes, wondering if he’s completely resolved.

Perhaps because he had lost all appetite, the half sandwich left was cold on the table, and he was just sipping his share of milkshake.

“Anyway, that’s the way it is, so prepare yourself. Vacation starts this Friday. If you don’t know what to do for volunteer work, please contact me and I can help.”

Jang Ah-hyeon sighed and said that while covering her throbbing head.

Sejun also felt the same way. When I come to this cafe, nothing good always happens.

Fortunately, though, the good-natured cafe owner saw her spitting out her sandwich and handed her a freshly made sandwich.

Sejun quickly headed to the dormitory to pack his bags as he continued to see many people staring at his back.