Ch.187Welcome, Stranger! – 1

Two things I learned from the sudden visit of these guests.

The development of simultaneous interpretation devices is truly remarkable. And that Hakjun Ma is fluent in English.

‘What’s this? Why is his English so good?’

Maybe it was because the blonde, blue-eyed woman was speaking Korean with an awkward accent.

Hakjun Ma started conversing in fluent English.

Thanks to that, I couldn’t understand a word since I had no particular interest in English conversation.

…What on earth are they saying?

“Ah, Arbiter Seojin Baek. This must be your first time. Let me introduce you. The guest you brought is Emily Shaw from England. Emily? This man here is Seojin Baek. The S-rank who captured the Spear Wraith.”

“As I thought. I had a feeling when I heard the surname ‘Baek’.”

I wonder if I’ve become some kind of international celebrity without knowing it.

Well, besides Rina, no one has ever defeated an Elder alone.

It does seem absurd that I managed to defeat an Elder before even reaching S-rank.

“Pleased to meet you. I’m Emily Shaw, an A-rank ability user.”

When she offered her handshake, I reflexively took her hand—

“Emily Shaw? Could you be…?”

“Your assumption is correct.”

Bernard Shaw, an S-rank ability user from England. Killed by a coordinated attack from Elders.

Because of that, a hole opened in England’s defenses, leading to an extremely difficult time from what I heard.

Things must have been dire for the British Empire to swallow its pride and officially request assistance.

Looking at her now, this foreign woman called Emily doesn’t look well at all.

She’s smiling, but beyond that I can sense fatigue she hasn’t managed to hide, and something else.

– Activating The Third Eye –

◎ Emily Shaw

: Revenge and Duty

◎ Details

: She is conflicted between revenge and duty.

Her abilities are temporarily diminished until this conflict is resolved.

She is gradually becoming unstable due to various issues.

As expected, Emily’s condition wasn’t good when examined with The Third Eye.

She seems to feel tremendous anger about her father being murdered by villains.

But being an ability user herself, she can’t focus solely on revenge.

She’s conflicted between the two, and that conflict isn’t helping her abilities.

She doesn’t seem very old, but being A-rank puts her at an impressive level.

If Bernard Shaw hadn’t died, she might have grown steadily to become the next S-rank.

I don’t have the luxury to worry about another country’s combat strength, but it’s still unfortunate.

“Pleased to meet you, Ms. Emily. I’m Seojin Baek.”

“I’ve heard a lot about you. They say you’re the first ability user to defeat an Elder alone since Rina Lee from Korea.”

“I was just lucky. Hyuk Kwak was already injured, which gave me an advantage.”

“Even if you say that, other S-ranks find it extremely difficult.”

After exchanging appropriate greetings and some pleasantries.

After finishing that brief conversation, Emily resumed talking with Hakjun Ma.

Fortunately, this time they both spoke Korean.

“I’m truly sorry about your father. Please accept my condolences.”

“Thank you. If my father knew that his good teacher and friend hadn’t forgotten him, he would surely be smiling.”

“Ahem. By the way, I heard you were coming to Korea, but I didn’t expect you so soon.”

My thoughts exactly. The Allied Academy isn’t even close to completion yet.

Why would they come so early? From what I saw earlier, those people looked like students.

“Actually, we’re late. It took a long time to select personnel from the Royal Academy to send to the Allied Academy, and the situation in our country isn’t very good either.”

“Were you trying to arrive before our school break?”

“Yes. We wanted the students who will attend the Allied Academy to interact with Korean students where the academy will be located.”

The Royal Academy refers to England’s ability user academy.

They’ve already selected students and sent them to Korea in advance.

Isn’t it too early when the Allied Academy hasn’t even been built yet?

“Seems too early.”

Hakjun Ma tilts his head, apparently sharing my thoughts.

“The purpose is for them to adapt to Korea in advance. While students from all over the world will gather at the Allied Academy, the academy itself is located in ‘South Korea’.”

That’s true. She has a point.

“Even though they can return home immediately through portals, they’ll still be spending their school terms here in Korea. Isn’t it better to adapt in advance when staying in a distant foreign country?”

“…You have a point.”

Hakjun Ma strokes his chin briefly before nodding toward the door.

“Then those young people who were behind you earlier—”

“That’s right. They’re the British students who will be entering the Allied Academy.”

“Are they really okay with staying in a distant foreign country so early?”

“If they stay in one place, they’ll become frogs in a well. We need to bring them out before that happens.”

No wonder the energy from those students following behind seemed impressive.

They must be carefully selected and prepared talents. Determined not to fall behind.

“And I have personal business as well. I’d like to meet my father’s acquaintances in Korea.”

That’s something Hakjun Ma can’t argue with.

What can you say when someone wants to meet their deceased parent’s acquaintances?

“Have you arranged accommodations for the British students?”

“Yes. The embassy helped us find suitable places.”

“Then you can handle them as you see fit. By the way, I’ll personally inform Minseong Kang. He’ll be quite pleased to hear that Bernard’s daughter has arrived.”

Our Chairman Kang, they say he has wide connections, but he even knew Bernard Shaw?

Hakjun Ma always says he lacks common sense, but maybe he’s actually an extreme social butterfly?

“Thank you.”

After saying that, Emily suddenly turns to look at me.

Why so suddenly? Oh, please don’t use English. You were speaking Korean decently, so please stick with Korean.

“I’m very curious about you, Baek…”

“Seojin. Seo. Jin. Anyway, about me?”

“Yes. I heard you’ve faced Elders multiple times even before being recognized as S-rank. Is that true?”

That’s not a good thing. I really don’t want to remember those times.

It felt like being a country dog thrown in front of a dog butcher.

Thanks to my ability, I somehow made it this far, but without it… well, let’s not go there.

Anyway, since it’s true, I nod, and Emily continues.

“That’s amazing. My legs tremble just thinking about such situations.”

“It’s strange to hear that from someone who seems brave enough to face them.”

“You work at the academy, I see. Is that right?”

That’s right. Though I didn’t expect to work during the vacation.

“So you’re a full professor at this academy?”

Full professor? Like Jiyoon Han? No?

“No? Then a senior instructor?”

Not that either.

“Neither?”

After I shake my head repeatedly, Emily looks dumbfounded.

She mutters that an S-rank working at an academy should be one of those two.

“The Seojin Baek standing there is literally an ‘arbiter’.”

“The highest rank. So you identify students with S-rank potential?”

“No. He’s a Silver Arbiter. That means… he evaluates students around D-rank to C-rank level.”

It’s only natural that Emily’s expression becomes strangely contorted at Hakjun Ma’s words.

It’s like having top-tier talent wasted in an insignificant position.

It’s a perfectly understandable reaction if she finds it hard to believe.

“I understand your confusion. To answer that, our friend Seojin Baek isn’t working for the exceptional one, but for the ordinary ten. He’s an arbiter who shows even struggling students the path forward with his best effort—you could say he fulfills the roles of both professor and instructor.”

When you put it that way, it sounds really impressive, Principal.

Not for the exceptional one, but for the ordinary ten.

It started as just blocking Bronze students for my ability’s sake.

“You’re an interesting person.”

You can honestly say it’s strange. I completely understand.

After that, Emily asked several more questions.

Whether I was satisfied with being an arbiter, and about taking care of others.

Then she broached a request.

“Um, Mr. Seojin Baek? If it’s not too presumptuous, I’d like to request a light sparring match.”

“…A sparring match, you say?”

What’s this? Asking for a match right after meeting. Are you perhaps classmates with Hyunwoo Lee?

Look at her trying to fight right away, just like someone who knows Minseong Kang.

Hakjun Ma seems equally taken aback.

“Emily. I think that’s exactly what we’d call presumptuous.”

“I apologize. You’re such a famous person these days, I couldn’t help myself.”

“I see. What do you say, Arbiter Seojin Baek? That friend has been influenced by Minseong Kang, so she has some impulsive tendencies.”

Honestly, there’s nothing difficult about this decision. I have nothing to lose.

In fact, I might learn something from watching how this Emily person fights.

Her father was Bernard, an S-rank from England, after all.

Still, since I’m the one being imposed upon, I should at least pretend to consider it for a few seconds—

“…Well, it’s not a difficult request. Let’s not drag this out and head to the training ground.”

I’ll give you a grand welcome to the land of the calm morning, master of the art of war.