Correcting the Villainess of the Academy – Chapter 54

Chapter 54

Dream’s Boundary (9)

After parting ways with Yeon Minha, I headed to Professor Kwon Chanyul’s office. Since it wasn’t the weekend, I needed the professor’s permission to leave the Cradle.

“Here it is. No matter how late, remember to return through the main gate of the Cradle before midnight. Even if you are a recommended student, there are no exceptions.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

He didn’t even glance at the reason I wrote for leaving. With a look of annoyance, he quickly signed his name in the blank space and handed the paper back to me. His bearded face still bore clear signs of exhaustion.

“Sorry for the trouble. I have a meeting with a company representative today.”

“Ah, I see. I was wondering what it was. Is it S&C since you’re a recommended student from Heukryeon?”

“Yes, you know them well…?”

“Of course. I had a sponsorship contract with S&C during my student days. Thanks to Jaehyuk, I got a generous deal.”

Amid his half-asleep rambling, one name caught my attention and stuck in my mind.

“Are you talking about the same person I know?”

“Ah.”

As soon as he heard my question, the professor’s eyes regained their sharpness. He let out a small sigh.

“Jaehyuk and I are classmates from the Cradle. Don’t tell anyone else. I don’t want to be accused of favoritism.”

That was unexpected. Now that I think about it, they do seem to be of a similar age.

Uncovering this unexpected fact sparked my curiosity.

“How was he as a student?”

“He was extraordinary. In both good and bad ways.”

“What do you mean…”

“Let’s stop here. You should ask him directly. I need to get some sleep. Go handle your business.”

-Bang!

I was abruptly kicked out of the office and found myself standing dazed in the hallway.

As I walked downstairs, I reflected on my conversation with Professor Kwon.

Most people I’ve met at the Cradle consider the captain to be a complete scoundrel.

The terms associated with him are all negative: thug, delinquent, trash, womanizer.

But some, like the principal and Professor Kwon, don’t seem to have a bad impression of him. They even seem to respect or pity him a bit.

My thoughts aren’t much different from theirs.

His old-man-like personality and grumbling could be annoying, but that’s not enough to label someone a villain. If he were, he wouldn’t have taken me in.

Initially, I wasn’t interested in the captain’s past, but now I’m a bit curious.

-Click!

“Huh?”

As I was descending the stairs, lost in thought, I heard a doorknob turning from a nearby corridor.

I instinctively turned my head, spotting a familiar brown-haired girl closing the office door and stepping into the hallway.

“Yena?”

“Hyun…Hyunah?”

Hearing her name, Ha Yena turned her head in surprise, as if she hadn’t expected to see me there.

She didn’t look well. Her round eyes were bloodshot and watery, as if she’d been crying.

“Wh-what are you doing here…”

Perhaps feeling embarrassed, Yena turned her head away as I approached.

“I was getting permission to go out. What about you?”

“Really… I see…”

I glanced at the office Yena had just exited. The nameplate above the door read ‘No Jongha, Magical Chemistry and Pharmacology’.

I recalled the image of a middle-aged professor with a mustache and a pompous demeanor. His notoriety was well-known even to me.

He was known to subtly discriminate against students from humble backgrounds while being overly kind to those from prestigious families.

He was a nasty character, always skirting the edge of the rules to avoid getting caught for discrimination.

I didn’t like him either. He subtly showed his displeasure towards me, and I later learned he was openly supported by the Paechun Baek family.

And as far as I know, Yena doesn’t have the background that would make her a favorite of his.

“Why do your eyes look like that? Did he scold you? If he was picking on you for no reason, we can tell the principal…”

The principal’s office was on the top floor of this building. If Yena had suffered injustice, she had the right to report it.

“What? Oh, no. I just didn’t sleep well last night. It’s embarrassing…”

Yena quickly blocked my way as I turned to head upstairs.

She explained that she’d been studying magical chemistry all night and hadn’t slept well. She had visited the office to ask about something she didn’t understand in her studies.

Indeed, she was holding a hefty introductory book on magical chemistry. Seeing the troubled look on her face, I decided to let it go.

We descended the stairs of the professor’s building together.

With Yena, who usually chatted lively, also being silent, the atmosphere felt awkward.

“…The second assignment is coming up. Are you prepared?”

Yena spoke again only after we had exited the professor’s building.

“More or less. Where is your group going?”

“We’re assisting with patrols on the outskirts of the capital. They say they’re short on manpower and need all the help they can get… It doesn’t seem bad…”

Yena nodded lightly. It seemed like a decent assignment.

Given her timid nature and the way she reacted to the first assignment, she seemed more afraid of dealing with monsters than criminals or mutants.

“What about you…?”

“We’re on an escort mission. Heading down to the southern agricultural district…”

-Thud!

I had to stop speaking because of a sudden noise.

Looking to the side, I saw that the thick introductory book Yena had been holding had fallen to the ground. She was staring at me, her face pale.

“The south…?”

“…? Yes, the south. It will take some time, so we’ll be going this week and probably return next week at the earliest…”

“No, no…!”

Yena suddenly shouted. Her extreme reaction caught me off guard.

“Yena?”

“No…! The south is dangerous… Cough! Cough!!”

Yena suddenly started coughing violently, as if her insides were being wrenched out.

“Cough! Cough!! Hic…! Cough…! Hah…”

“Are you okay? You seem off today. Let’s go to the infirmary. I’ll take you…”

“No, it’s just a bit of a choke…”

“That’s more than a choke…”

“I’m really fine… But the south…”

After a few minutes, Yena finally stopped coughing. She mumbled as if in a daze, then looked at me with pleading eyes.

“Hyunah, can’t you not go…? Or change the assignment…?”

“This is much more important than the first assignment. And our mentor already submitted the assignment. Once it’s approved, we can’t change it. You know that.”

“No… no…”

“Why are you so worried?”

“It’s just… it’s too dangerous there… it’s far… there are monsters… and the south was the base of the rebels…”

It seemed her usual anxious nature was acting up again. But today, her worry seemed excessive.

She was acting like she was trying to stop someone from going to war, and her unwell appearance only made the situation feel more off.

“You know my skills. Ordinary monsters aren’t a problem. And the rebels were crushed, so they’ve lost most of their power.”

“But still…”

“It’ll be fine.”

“Ugh…”

Yena looked like she was about to cry.

“Can you make me one promise…?”

“What is it?”

“Promise you won’t push yourself no matter what happens. Don’t go off on your own, like during the practical…”

It seemed the memory of me acting alone during the practical still lingered in her mind. She had worriedly pretended to be upset then, and it seemed she hadn’t forgotten.

But I couldn’t outright promise that. Despite the assurance of safety, there’s always a chance something could go wrong. If that happened, I’d end up breaking my promise.

“…I can’t guarantee that…”

“…”

Yena fell silent at my hesitant answer. She gave a resigned smile, looking somewhat lonely.

“I figured you’d say that… given your personality…”

“Don’t worry. Nothing will happen.”

“…I hope so. Hyunah, I need to get to my next lecture. See you later…?”

Yena nodded slightly. Checking the time on the clock tower, she waved to me and walked away in the opposite direction. Her steps seemed heavy and sluggish.

***

I arrived at the cafe about fifteen minutes before the scheduled time, but a woman was already there waiting for me.

She had her long hair tied back neatly, looking just a bit older than me. Dressed in a tidy, high-quality suit, she gave the impression of someone who worked in a prestigious job.

As the doorbell chimed, she turned her gaze towards me and immediately stood up, bowing deeply.

“Nice to meet you, young master. I’m Myo Sanga from the VIP department of S&C Defense. It’s an honor to meet you…”

“…”

Her fluent introduction abruptly stopped as she bit her tongue. An awkward silence filled the air.

End of Chapter