Ch.225Episode 42. The Correctness of Education (4)

A single draw of the sword.

Just one stroke that traced a trajectory through the air.

Then a dragon-shaped energy appeared, carving the ground as it rushed fiercely toward Yeonmuhui.

She stared directly at it, gripping her sword tightly. She had no intention of dodging.

‘I might need to block this one…’

Yujin was ready to intervene with a technique to neutralize the attack at any moment. He thought this technique might be too much for Yeonmuhui to block head-on.

But Yeonmuhui felt differently. She judged that she could block this technique.

Her head was dizzy from blood loss, her joints creaked, and she was acutely aware of how serious the strain on her body was. But the sword energy rushing toward her remained clearly visible.

Yeonmuhui raised her sword high.

“Yeonhwa Style—”

She shouted as she swung her sword with all her might.

“「Chamseum」!”

The most basic form in the Yeonhwa Style, but an attack containing a single strike more powerful than any other technique.

A massive sword energy as large as the dragon form flew out and collided, but it wasn’t enough to block the Yeonhwa Dragon’s technique.

‘If one strike isn’t enough, then two…!’

She swung her sword again, expelling all her energy. It still wasn’t enough to block.

‘If two strikes won’t do, then three!’

This time too, she couldn’t block it.

But Yeonmuhui didn’t give up and kept swinging. As the number of Chamseum strikes increased, the power of Myeolseum visibly decreased, and then—

“Yeonhwa Style— 「Yeonchamseum」!”

KWAAANG!

The Yeonhwa Dragon’s powerful sword energy exploded right in front of Yeonmuhui. The training ground floor was torn apart by his sword energy, but Yeonmuhui remained unharmed.

‘Did she neutralize Myeolseum…? How?’

He wondered about the strength that allowed Yeonmuhui to neutralize his ultimate technique, but seeing her stagger, he thought the match was decided.

“Hwa…! Haa…!”

Indeed, Yeonmuhui was staggering as if she might faint at any moment, having squeezed out every last bit of energy from her body.

“Impressive. But…”

The Yeonhwa Dragon placed his hand on his sword again.

“With your energy so depleted, how do you plan to block my technique?”

「Sword Fire Style – Nanseum」.

Watching the Yeonhwa Dragon draw his sword, Yeonmuhui stomped the ground.

Yeonmuhui had been trained by Yujin to use techniques repeatedly even in extreme situations.

She had endured brutal days of vomiting and collapsing countless times, which is why she could now act as if she were simply “practicing” one more time.

Yeonhwa Style Ultimate Technique——

“…?”

‘Did I lose track of Yeonmuhui…?’

The Yeonhwa Dragon urgently searched for Yeonmuhui who had disappeared from his sight. Finally, he turned at the sound of a voice from behind.

“Who said… I was depleted?”

Yeonmuhui was standing quietly with her back to him, her sword half-sheathed.

‘Even I couldn’t react to that speed. How on earth…?’

“You must be wondering. How I did it, I mean.”

“…”

He maintained silence, as if affirming her words.

“This is my own finishing move that I learned from Yujin. Something you could never teach me.”

The Yeonhwa Dragon tried to draw his sword, seizing the opportunity while Yeonmuhui was speaking.

“It’s over, Father.”

But before he could, Yeonmuhui smiled and fully sheathed her sword.

——「Yeonhwaseum」.

Slash!

“KHAAK!!”

The sword energy released while using Yeonhwaseum neutralized Nanseum, and the final strike cut across his chest.

Everyone focused on the match witnessed the fountain of blood spurting into the air. He fell to his knees, clutching his chest as he coughed up blood.

“Keurgh!”

The Yeonhwa Dragon kept coughing and spitting up blood. Yet he still looked up at Yeonmuhui.

He glared at her with eyes full of anger and inferiority. His face showed he couldn’t accept his defeat.

“I won. Accept it now. Accept that your teaching methods were wrong.”

Kuluk!

When the Yeonhwa Dragon removed his hand from his chest, blood gushed out once more.

He picked up his sword with his blood-stained hand. Seeing him stubbornly acting as if the match wasn’t over, Yujin intervened.

“That’s enough.”

* * *

At my signal, paramedics came onto the training ground. The Yeonhwa Dragon tried to refuse their treatment, pushing them away, but I quickly subdued him, forcing him to receive treatment.

“…I wouldn’t mind dying like this.”

“Don’t say such nonsense.”

I scolded her after overhearing Yeonmuhui’s muttering.

“You’ll regret saying that.”

Right now, all her emotions might be buried under excitement and anger, but things would be different once she calmed down.

No matter how much she resented the Yeonhwa Dragon, if she killed him herself, she would inevitably carry the guilt.

Killing one’s family, for whatever reason, is never a forgivable act.

“Hmph. What regret?”

Yeonmuhui snorted disapprovingly and turned her head away sharply. A paramedic attended to her, spraying potion on her wounds and using abilities to erase her cuts one by one.

Although I couldn’t help but see her bare skin during the treatment, Yeonmuhui didn’t seem to mind, perhaps thinking we had already seen everything there was to see of each other.

I turned my head to look toward the spectator seats.

Those who had been watching the match from the stands were getting up. They seemed to be coming this way now that the match was over.

Soon, the special class students, along with Jin Subin and the Elder, came onto the training ground.

Jin Subin, horrified at the blood-splattered floor, approached Yeonmuhui. Yeonmuhui had received treatment from the paramedics and was fixing her clothes.

The Yeonhwa Dragon was still being treated, as Yeonmuhui’s sword must have gone quite deep. Well, if he was coughing up blood, the sword must have reached his lungs.

Eventually, the paramedics brought a stretcher and carried the Yeonhwa Dragon away. They determined he couldn’t be fully treated here.

Jin Subin looked at the Yeonhwa Dragon with a troubled expression, her lips sealed.

No matter how much she hated him, he was once her husband.

Though they didn’t spend their entire lives together, he was someone she once loved, so she must be experiencing mixed emotions.

“Muhui… are you okay?”

“I’m fine. I don’t hurt at all.”

Even though she had received treatment, there was no way she wasn’t in pain.

She was just enduring it in front of her mother. Yeonmuhui had developed a habit of hiding her pain since childhood.

“By the way, beating the 3rd ranked! Senior Muhui, you’re amazing!”

Starting with Gu Yeonhwa, the special class students surrounded Yeonmuhui and spoke. Only Yu Ari stood beside me, listening to their conversation.

“I don’t know why you fought your father, but you’re definitely different from a year ago.”

“Fight me too!”

Jeong Iyeon boldly shouted, challenging Yeonmuhui to a match.

“Hey, hey, she just finished a match, what are you talking about?”

“I’m fine. It wouldn’t be bad to see who’s getting closest to Yujin’s level.”

“Oho?! That sounds fun!”

“I won’t lose.”

Yu Ari, who had been quietly listening, also declared her participation, and the four future heroes’ eyes gleamed.

“Oppa! Be our referee! Today we need to establish the hierarchy once and for all!”

“Just what I was hoping for.”

And watching them, I couldn’t help but laugh.

The conclusion was as special as the special class itself.

* * *

“What’s going on?”

Past midnight.

Yeonmuhui called me out in front of the dormitory. She was still staying in the dorm, not having moved her belongings yet.

“Well… I just couldn’t sleep.”

She smiled awkwardly at me.

“Really? Still feeling dazed about beating the Yeonhwa Dragon?”

I said, standing next to her. Yeonmuhui looked at the garden in front of the dormitory with a sour expression.

I thought she had relaxed after sparring with the special class kids, but apparently not.

“Maybe? Is it because I achieved what I’ve been aiming for all this time?”

She had never put down her sword, driven by the single desire to defeat the Yeonhwa Dragon, so it made sense.

“You might feel a bit empty now that you’ve achieved your goal.”

“Yeah. I think that might be it…”

Yeonmuhui, who had been looking at the garden, turned her head to agree with me but then hesitated. She bit her lip and seemed to organize her thoughts, mumbling a few times.

“More precisely… I thought something would change if I beat him… But Mom is still suffering, and I still get angry when I think about those times. I clearly won, but it feels like nothing has changed.”

She snorted bitterly.

“Will he… admit that his teaching methods were wrong? Will his thinking change even a little?”

“I doubt it. It won’t change easily. After all, you only beat him once. If one match could change the thinking of someone who’s lived that way for decades, there wouldn’t be any villains in this world.”

“I guess so?”

“That’s right. But if you had lost… truly nothing would have changed.”

Of course, it wasn’t a perfect victory.

If the Yeonhwa Dragon had fought with full power from the beginning, prepared to kill Yeonmuhui, the result would have been quite different.

“I should have won more overwhelmingly, more decisively.”

“…Yeah. I’m sorry.”

“What?”

Yeonmuhui’s head turned sharply at my apology. She looked at me with a puzzled face.

“Why is Yujin apologizing?”

“I confidently said you’d be able to beat the Yeonhwa Dragon by graduation.”

“But I did win.”

I couldn’t completely deny Yeonmuhui’s words. After all, I also thought she had won.

But I couldn’t help feeling regret.

I had confidently said she could beat the Yeonhwa Dragon by graduation. It’s a bit embarrassing.

Was it my excessive ambition?

“I should have taught you better.”

“How could you have taught me any better? I made many mistakes in this match. I should have assessed the situation more calmly, but I didn’t.”

Yeonmuhui evaluated her own performance dispassionately.

“If anyone should be blamed for the result of this match, it’s me, not you.”

“Are you trying to comfort me now?”

I deliberately grinned as I asked.

If we continued this conversation, it seemed like it would turn into self-criticism rather than reflection.

“What? No… not particularly…”

The tsundere aspect, I should say.

I think I’m starting to understand why people are so enthusiastic about tsunderes.

“I like you.”

“What?! No. Th-that’s out of context!”

Yeonmuhui reacted as if shocked. Seeing her reaction, her face flushed as she shouted, made me want to tease her more.

“I’m just saying I like you because I like you. What else should I say?”

“Even so…”

“If you don’t like it, I’ll take it back.”

“Why would you take that back…!”

Wanting to be loved, but embarrassed when openly loved…

When will she get used to it?

Now that we’ve graduated from the academy. It would be good to find a direction for improvement as we live together in my house.

“Kuk kuk. Then I won’t take it back.”

“Of course not.”

She answered curtly, clenching her fist.

“…Next time I fight that man, I’ll win even more overwhelmingly. I absolutely won’t lose.”

I patted her shoulder as she quietly revealed her fighting spirit and determination.

“Right.”

Afterward, we continued with meaningless small talk, and after quite some time, we kissed lightly before returning to our respective dormitories.