Ch.138Let’s Talk – 3

“Chairman? Please explain yourself properly.

What were you thinking teaching me that without any warnings!

When you first taught me, you definitely didn’t say ‘you’re also within range.’

“I almost died before Sujin Hyun while using that.”

“Well… wind is naturally like that, isn’t it? How can it distinguish between friend and foe?”

“That’s right. But you should have at least given me some hint.”

“I thought you would overcome even that wind. Hahaha.”

What nonsense is this old man talking about? Is calculating the wind the same as overcoming it?

And that was just a ‘wind,’ not a ‘storm.’

I almost grabbed my own lifeline and cut it while trying to catch Sujin Hyun.

“Don’t take it too hard. It means I believed in you that much!”

Trust someone like that twice and I’ll disappear without a trace.

I thought it was just called a storm, but who knew I’d actually get caught in one?

In comics, they talk about magical power having some kind of protection for the caster.

“But you survived in the end! You’ve grown even more because of it! Hahaha!”

“…You still haven’t grown up.”

Hakjun Ma, who had been quietly listening to our conversation, clicks his tongue in disapproval.

Taking it a step further, he even smacks Minseong Kang on the back of the head on my behalf.

“Ugh! Hey! That hurts!”

“I’m glad you can feel pain. But don’t you feel any shame?”

“I have legitimate grievances about this one!”

Legitimate grievances? What nonsense is this now?

Hakjun Ma frowns, apparently feeling the same way I do.

He gestures as if to say, “Let’s hear these legitimate grievances of yours.”

“You see, I naturally thought that Arbiter Seojin Baek, this fellow, would keep wandering around and eventually grasp a clue and come back again. It would take some time, but he’s a genius after all!”

“And?”

“So when Arbiter Baek came back, I was planning to show him again, more delicately this time, and warn him to be careful as a bonus! How could I have known he would reach perfection so soon!”

“…You fool. What a ridiculous excuse! You should have told him from the beginning!”

He says I could have been caught up in this mess because of you.

Hakjun Ma was now scolding Minseong Kang.

As expected of the Academy Director. Nothing better than looking after Academy people!

I pledge my loyalty to the Academy from now on! Loyalty, loyalty!

“Excuse me? Isn’t that not the important point right now?”

Jiyoon Han says this while looking at me with an incredulous expression.

“The point is that he actually succeeded in creating a ‘storm.’ Even Chairman Minseong Kang’s disciples and children eventually gave up because they couldn’t implement some of the incantations properly, that ultimate technique!”

“…Hmm. Now that you mention it, that’s true. I forgot about that.”

“That’s what I was saying! I didn’t expect him to master the incantation so quickly, and perfectly at that! I was planning to give him warnings later, but who knew it would happen so fast!”

The gazes of the three people conversing suddenly fix on me simultaneously.

…Well. I admit what I did must seem strange.

For some, it’s truly their ultimate technique developed over a long time.

For others, it’s a technique so complex they can’t figure out how to approach it no matter how hard they try.

And here I am, just casually pulling it off with a “yep.”

What should I say? Should I just claim I gritted my teeth and worked hard?

No, that’s not it. Even I think that’s too insincere an answer.

No matter how much effort I put in, how could that make sense?

It wasn’t years of training, just a few months at most.

Others have been struggling for years, no, decades.

To have done it in a couple of months is honestly way beyond crossing a line.

Should I pretend to be crazy and say, “Actually, am I just an insanely great genius?”

That might be the best option in this situation…

*Clunk*

“Huh? What’s this? What are you old men doing here? This isn’t a senior center. And why is Jiyoon unnie here too?”

“Hey! Where do you think you’re going as a patient! Shouldn’t you be lying down quietly?!”

“Sorry, but this super-powerful Rina isn’t deteriorating like unnie! Just a few days of rest and boom! I’m perfectly fine!”

Nice timing, Rina. You’re helpful at times like this.

Rina, who boldly provoked them with comments about senior centers and deteriorating bodies.

Thanks to her, all the aggro that was on me shifted to her.

“Hey, didn’t I tell you not to talk about age when there’s barely any difference between us?”

“But you are my unnie! Someone older than me!”

“Damn it! Come here. Patient or not, I’m going to punch you in the stomach.”

“Waaah! An S-rank is beating people up here!”

I’m realizing again that her energy level is truly insane.

If it were me, I’d be quiet because I’m sick or a patient.

It takes talent to provoke everyone who came to visit like that.

…But why don’t I see Soohyun?

She didn’t bury her on the rooftop, did she?

“Please be quiet. This isn’t a private room just for Rina.”

Fortunately, I didn’t have to go looking for her on the rooftop.

Soohyun, who entered the room, scolds Rina.

Of course, Rina ignores her and continues bickering with Jiyoon Han.

“Soohyun! I was surprised when you weren’t in the room. Where did you go?”

“I had something to talk about with Rina. We just had a quick chat.”

“She didn’t hit you, did she?”

I’m curious about that too. I wonder if Rina gave her a knock on the head.

It’s entirely possible since Soohyun kept getting under her skin.

“No, Elder Kang! What am I, some thug? I don’t pick on chicks!”

“Chick! This is Minseong Kang’s granddaughter, you rascal!”

“A chick is still a chick! Or should I say, a small-chested chick?!”

“Shut up!”

Soohyun bursts into anger at Rina’s “small-chested” comment.

Conversely, Rina is giggling, so it seems this has become a regular weak point.

But… no matter how I look at it, Soohyun is definitely not small?

I know from when we went to the villa and she was in a swimsuit.

If that’s considered small, wouldn’t other women beat her up?

To be honest, rather than Soohyun, it’s more like Jiyoon Han is…

“That’s right! I’m definitely not talking about Jiyoon unnie, so no need to feel called out.”

“Hey, you brat! Didn’t I tell you not to talk about chests?!”

Jiyoon Han is strangling Rina in anger.

It seems she’s also suffered a lot because of Rina without realizing it.

*

My body has healed cleanly. Only a few faint scars remain.

However, the effects of magical power and the formal damage remain.

So the doctors concluded that I need to rest in the hospital for at least a few more days.

‘Damn it.’

As soon as I heard that conclusion, I grabbed every doctor and nurse and asked.

If I could possibly change rooms. I’d pay any amount for a private room.

If that’s not possible, at least move me to a different room.

But the answer was always “impossible.”

There were security issues and other reasons that were difficult to explain.

The hospital staff firmly rejected all my requests and pleas.

“…”

As I trudged back to the room dejectedly, I could feel Rina staring at me.

Am I imagining the “where do you think you’re going” feeling in that gaze? Damn it.

The good part is that now that visitors are allowed, Soohyun comes every day.

She rushes over right after her lectures and keeps me company for hours.

Thanks to her, I don’t need to be in Rina-alert mode all day like before.

Of course, when evening came and Soohyun had to leave, there was no mercy.

“Tomorrow I have a group project, so it’ll be difficult. But don’t worry, Hana unnie said she’ll come instead! Dasom Yoo senior and your Bronze comrade, Hyunwoo Lee, said they’d come too!”

Soohyun seems to have figured out my situation.

That’s why she’s sending replacement visitors when she can’t come.

In any case, she’s definitely a reliable ally.

“We’re here, Arbiter! How are you feeling?”

“Let me see. Should I cast healing on you again?”

Somehow, I’ve got reinforcements deployed to the Soohyun versus Rina front line.

Hana Kang and Dasom Yoo entered the room and asked about my condition.

And the guy who came with the two women…

“Arbiter. You look like you’ve recovered, how are you? Secretly in the hospital…”

You bastard, be honest. Do you really not know your trait?

Otherwise, there’s no reason to be so obsessed with the assessment.

Do you also have something like The Third Eye?

“Dasom. Grab the junior’s lips.”

“Yes, unnie! Junior! I told you earlier, right? What happens if you even mention the ‘s’ of ‘assessment’!”

“Mmph! Iwasn’tgoingtosayassessment!”

“This is a hospital, junior. I know you’re an assessment ghost, but please tone it down!”

Says Dasom Yoo as she releases Hyunwoo Lee’s lips.

Every time I see him, I can only think how amazing he is. The protagonist really can’t be sane.

“Who are they?”

Rina, who was lying in bed absorbed in TV, shows a slight interest.

“They’re my team members I mentioned before. Say hello. This is Hana Kang from the Magic Class. Next to her is Dasom Yoo from the Support Class. And the guy touching his lips is Hyunwoo Lee from the Weaponry Class.”

“Ah. So that’s the Magic Tower boss’s daughter? And next to her is Director Yoo’s granddaughter.”

While others would react with “Oh my!” to the Magic Tower Clan Master or future corporate director,

Rina talks about them like they’re neighborhood uncles and grandfathers.

And to top it off, neither Hana Kang nor Dasom Yoo seemed particularly bothered.

“Our oppa Seojin is popular. People keep coming to visit every day.”

This is all because of you. Soohyun is in extreme vigilance mode.

I wanted to say that but held back with superhuman patience.

Even if I said it, she’d probably respond with “So what? What do you want me to do about it?”

“We’re getting discharged the day after tomorrow, right?”

“Yes, the day after tomorrow.”

The day after tomorrow, I’ll finally escape this hellish hospital.

All I want now is one thing: to sleep peacefully at night.

How long do I have to see Rina’s eyes glinting through the darkness from the opposite bed!

“That’s good. They said they’re coming tomorrow.”

“Who?”

“Who else? My mom and dad.”