Chapter 123: The truth is revealed

Magic Bullet.

A spell that condenses and fires the user’s mana. Generally, only mages are capable of using it. Magic bullets are divided into various tiers, ranging from basic to high-ranking. The denser the mana packed into the bullet, the higher the tier and the greater its destructive power.

Naturally, high-ranking magic bullets are on an entirely different level compared to ordinary ones. They can instantly melt an average person the moment they make contact.

Kim Heera thought with disbelief.

‘She said she saw me use a high-ranking magic bullet…? When the hell was that?’

Back when Kim Heera used the magic bullet on Lee Hyun-seung, she had made absolutely sure to check her surroundings. There wasn’t a single high-ranking figure present—no Academy president, no instructors, no one in a major position. Only Broad Academy students had been nearby.

Because of that, she had disabled all nearby phones, electronic devices, and even tampered with CCTV systems to erase the footage. As long as she did that, all evidence would be wiped clean, and the students could be silenced with money and power into giving false testimonies. Or so she thought.

That plan had just crumbled completely.

Baek Soyoon cried out furiously.

“I told you I saw it! Why aren’t you saying anything? You’re the one who attacked Lee Hyun-seung first with a high-ranking magic bullet while he wasn’t even resisting!”

The hostility in her voice was undeniable.

Kim Heera couldn’t comprehend it. Why the hell was this crazy woman siding with Lee Hyun-seung? And at that time, in that place—why was she even near Broad Academy?

‘Wait, did she actually see it with her own eyes? Or is she just saying this based on something Lee Hyun-seung told her? And if that’s the case, why would she do that?’

Where, how, and why—nothing about Baek Soyoon’s behavior made sense to Kim Heera. That was why she decided to press harder.

“You say you saw it yourself? Can you take responsibility for those words? If you’re doing this because you heard some false story from Lee Hyun-seung, Elder Baek Soyoon, you’re not going to be able to handle the consequences.”

Baek Soyoon laughed as if she’d just stumbled upon something hilarious.

But the other Elders no longer tried to stop her.

They knew her well. Baek Soyoon might do crazy things, but she would never lie at someone else’s request. She was the kind of person who openly declared that she’d kill anyone she didn’t like. The kind of person who had once told Guildmaster Yoo Han-beom to his face that she’d kill him someday.

For someone like her to make a false testimony at someone else’s behest? Impossible.

Naturally, the Elders’ stance began to shift toward Baek Soyoon.

The face of the Second Elder, Hwang Moon-hyuk, gradually hardened.

“Lady Kim Heera. I’m just asking to be sure—are you absolutely certain you’re not lying? If it turns out you fabricated this, then it means you summoned the Elders under false pretenses and attempted to abuse your authority. You know how sensitive we are when it comes to the Purge. You wouldn’t be trying to fabricate a traitor, would you?”

Hwang Moon-hyuk, who was normally the calm one, questioned Kim Heera gently, but his expression was far from pleasant.

Nam Tae-hwan outright turned his head away in frustration, as if he might lash out at Kim Heera with harsh words at any moment.

To the Elders, the word ‘treason’ evoked memories of the Purge—the day they had nearly died at Yoo Han-beom’s hands, when they were powerless before his strength and had to kneel to beg for their lives. It was a loaded, dangerous word.

So their hypersensitivity was understandable.

If they punished someone based on false testimony and it turned out that person hadn’t committed treason, the blame would fall squarely on them. And worse, the man in question—Lee Hyun-seung—was someone Yoo Han-beom had taken a keen interest in. If they punished him without solid justification, and it turned out he’d been falsely accused, Yoo Han-beom would never let them get away with it.

“….”

Seeing the Elders’ reaction, Kim Heera faltered and stepped back.

“You’re all saying… you don’t believe me?”

But of course, the Elders didn’t believe her.

They had never placed much faith in Kim Heera’s abilities to begin with.

“Haa….”

The Fifth Elder let out a quiet sigh from behind. Then, he walked toward the door.

Creak

The door opened, and the Fourth Elder followed behind him.

“Wh-Where are you going? You’re not coming back?”

Kim Heera shouted, but they didn’t return. Shortly after, the Second and Third Elders also walked out the door.

The Third Elder, Nam Taehwan, clicked his tongue in annoyance as he exited, and following him, the Second Elder, Hwang Moonhyuk, calmly approached Kim Heera and spoke quietly.

“Madam. We won’t be reporting this incident to the Guild Leader. We don’t want to complicate things unnecessarily either. But next time, you would do well not to act this way. The Elders are not tools you can use whenever you please. The only one who can treat us like tools and not make us feel offended is none other than Guild Leader Yoo Hanbeom, who has the rightful ability to do so.”

Hwang Moonhyuk, usually calm by nature, unexpectedly scolded Kim Heera rather firmly. Considering the other Elders had walked out without saying a word, this was surprising.

“Wh-What did you just say?!”

Kim Heera shouted something in response, but Hwang Moonhyuk simply closed the door behind him and walked out.

In the perfectly sealed room, only Kim Heera and Baek Soyeon remained. Baek Soyeon began to walk toward her, step by step.

Flinch

Kim Heera stepped back, speaking as she did.

“Wh-What are you doing?”

“Hmm…”

Baek Soyeon glanced at the closed door and responded.

“You said Lee Hyun-seung committed insubordination, right? But insubordination isn’t something someone as calculating as him would do.”

Shing

Baek Soyeon drew a dagger from her waist.

“W-Wait… Are you insane? D-Do you really think you’ll get away with this? F-Fine. I won’t hide it anymore since you claim you saw it. It was a lie. Lee Hyun-seung didn’t commit treason. But that doesn’t mean you can justify trying to kill me, does it?”

Radiating unmistakable killing intent, Baek Soyeon replied coldly as she walked toward her.

“Haa… How about you quit provoking me? I’m holding back a lot, you know. Ugh… Even speaking to you politely is disgusting. Watching someone with no skill swagger around just because they wear a fancy title is revolting. And now you’re lying to manipulate others and abuse authority because you can’t handle things on your own? Of course I’m angry.”

Insubordination. What Baek Soyeon was doing now was clearly that. It wouldn’t even be a stretch to call it rebellion.

Kim Heera began speaking in formal tone.

“Elder Baek Soyeon. You will be punished for doing this. P-Please calm down. If you cause a scene here, you’ll get into trouble too.”

Baek Soyeon cackled as she continued.

“You think someone will come to save you if I kill you here? This Elder Council chamber is completely sealed for security reasons. No video or audio recording devices can function in here. Even mana detection is thoroughly blocked. So you think someone will come running because you scream or convulse? Ha… Maybe someone will find out later, but by then, you’ll already be a corpse.”

Then, Baek Soyeon licked her dagger and whispered.

“Do you know why the other Elders left without saying a word? They left the judgment to me. For the sh*t you pulled, they’re saying they won’t take part in it and dumped you on me. You think they didn’t know I’d react like this? No. They knew.”

Baek Soyeon had always been known for following her emotions. The other Elders often worried about her causing trouble. And now, they had thrown Kim Heera into a completely sealed room with someone openly showing hostility. It was no different from tossing a rabbit into a lion’s den.

They had shifted the responsibility and passively allowed it to happen. Even if problems arose later, they could simply place all the blame on Baek Soyeon.

Sssss

Baek Soyeon pressed the dagger right next to Kim Heera’s neck and spoke quietly.

“Watch yourself. You just got marked by the other Elders. And with me, you nearly died. If you pull that sh*t again, you really will die next time.”

Baek Soyeon withdrew the dagger and walked toward the door.

Thud

Kim Heera collapsed to the ground, frozen in place. Her hands trembled violently as she stared at Baek Soyeon’s retreating figure.

Creak

As the door to the Elder Council chamber opened—

“Oh my?”

Standing outside, Yoo Hanbeom looked in with a blank expression.

Baek Soyeon smiled and spoke.

“Are you going to kill me? Or can I go?”

Yoo Hanbeom simply looked forward and replied.

“Go.”

From behind, Kim Heera shouted.

“Honey! Th-That fcking btch just tried to kill me! You can’t let her go! Kill her right now!”

But Yoo Hanbeom closed the door to the Elder Council chamber.

Creak
Slam!

Then he spoke.

“I know.”

“Th-Then why are you just letting her go? You should be punishing her immediately! That b*tch committed treason! That was rebellion!”

“If she truly intended to kill you, then yes, it would’ve been treason. But Baek Soyeon had no such intent.”

“H-How would you know that? She put a knife to my neck! To someone completely innocent…!”

In the dark space, Yoo Hanbeom’s face twisted unnaturally as he struggled to suppress the fury welling up inside him.

“Don’t explain anything. I saw and heard everything from start to finish. Including what you said about Lee Hyun-seung.”