episode_0013

– Knock, knock, knock!

In the early evening when darkness had already settled, in Sa Jaehyuk’s office at the front-line base in the northeast.

At the sound of something tapping on the window, Sa Jaehyuk, who was sitting at his desk organizing documents, turned his head.

Soon, through the small entrance next to the window, something flew into the office. It was a familiar-looking crow with white feathers on its head.

– Caw!

The crow chirped shortly as if greeting Sa Jaehyuk, then used its beak to untie a note attached to its leg and handed it over. It continued to stare at Sa Jaehyuk as if expecting something.

Seeing the look in its eyes, Sa Jaehyuk took out a small box and threw a couple of dried caterpillars that were inside. The crow seemed satisfied, grabbing the caterpillar in its beak and flying out through the entrance again.

Sa Jaehyuk paused his work for a moment, went to the sofa, and untied the bundle of notes to check the contents.

– No updates on the boy’s information.

“Tsk.”

Sa Jaehyuk clicked his tongue as if displeased. Once again, the content was far from what he had hoped for.

Although he hadn’t told Lee Hyun, Sa Jaehyuk had been investigating various aspects related to him.

Fortunately, Lee Hyun’s identity had been thoroughly verified.

His testimony and remaining records matched, and thanks to occasional visits to the vicinity for errands, residents in other areas also remembered him.

They couldn’t hide their sorrow at the fact that the always cheerful boy had fallen victim to an unjust attack.

Sa Jaehyuk had also used a health check-up as an excuse to examine Lee Hyun’s body. It was a very precise type of examination, including verification of bodily composition, with a particular focus on the brain.

However, despite several tests, he had never found any conclusive evidence that Lee Hyun was a witch.

He only confirmed that he had a completely unresponsive body, as he had claimed.

But the fact that Lee Hyun undeniably possessed the abilities of a witch, and that he was still manifesting some of the characteristics of a witch, continued to trouble Sa Jaehyuk.

He had also conducted an investigation into the attack on Lee Hyun’s village, but this only deepened the suspicion without revealing anything concrete.

According to the records, the nearby city’s garrison troops had eliminated the remnants of the demons after hearing the alarm and had discovered Lee Hyun, the sole survivor, whom they had transported to the hospital.

However, Sa Jaehyuk’s on-site investigation differed from the records. First, he confirmed the traces of particles left at the scene.

Although some time had passed since the incident, the traces left in nature could last a long time, allowing one to infer the situation at the scene.

If the garrison troops had eliminated the demons, there should have been various types of traces left at the scene.

Since the garrison troops were all composed of magic users, they wouldn’t have engaged in hand-to-hand combat with the demons unless they were trying to commit suicide.

However, what Sa Jaehyuk could find was only the traces of one person’s particles.

The traces formed a fan shape spreading out from the point where Lee Hyun was found. The scale of it was astonishingly large.

But it was highly unlikely that among the garrison troops in this peripheral city, there was a skilled individual capable of using such a large-scale magic alone. He even confirmed the list of names.

After confirming this, the conclusion he reached was only one. There was a third party present at the scene who was not part of the garrison troops.

However, the investigation hit a dead end there.

As mentioned earlier, the military records had already been tampered with by someone.

Even the doctor at the hospital where Lee Hyun had been admitted, who seemed to know something, had disappeared without a trace, making it impossible to find any clues.

Traces of a powerful magician clearly left at the scene.

Records of the military that do not match at all.

The disappearance of the officials.

Even the mastermind behind the attempt to kill Lee Hyun, the leader of the theater troupe.

Despite receiving help from the Information Bureau, the series of events did not seem to continue as expected.

It seemed like a case of paranoia, but now even the attack by the remnants of the demons in the village seemed suspicious for no reason.

Although there was speculation that his abilities might be the reason for the attack, at the moment, the likelihood seemed very low.

Those who directly confronted the witches 15 years ago had long since disappeared. The only survivors were himself and his comrades.

Sajaehyeok still vividly remembered the terrifying and eerie abilities displayed by the witches at that time.

It was his instinctive recognition when he saw Lee Hyun, but if others had seen Lee Hyun, they would have thought that the machine had malfunctioned, like Yejin.

There may be records of the witches in a secret vault somewhere in the Republic, but it was almost impossible to associate such writings with Lee Hyun and witches.

Furthermore, he had even been declared an insensible person by an official inspector.

“…Ugh.”

-Pewwww…

Lost in thought, Sajaehyeok grimaced. Suddenly, a sharp sensation struck his heart. Rain was drizzling outside the window.

Sajaehyeok only now realized that the seasons had come full circle.

“It’s already March…”

Sajaehyeok lit a cigarette.

Suddenly, he remembered the recent contact from his former mentor.

She was currently serving as the head of Yoram, the best wizard academy in South Korea.

Spring was also the season when a new semester began at Yoram.

Surely, the founding purpose of Yoram was to provide proper education to young wizards and help them become respectable wizards… or was it.

“It’s not even funny.”

Sajaehyeok twisted his mouth as if to mock. He didn’t deny the fact that Yoram provided quality education, but it was more like a miniature political stage than a place of education.

According to his teacher, last year was the peak. The reason was two noble young ladies who entered the same class.

Baek Paecheon and Yeon Jeokhwa.

When two noble ladies from rival families entered at the same time, competition naturally flared up.

Moreover, both of them had impeccable skills and personalities that were remarkably contrasting.

Gathering such individuals in one place made the academy almost a battlefield.

Apparently… the number of incidents that occurred last year was greater than all the incidents that had occurred at Yoram in the past five years.

Of course, most of the incidents were caused by the overheated competition of their followers, but the direct cause could not be denied to be the individuals themselves.

“…”

Sajaehyeok naturally thought of Lee Hyun.

Perhaps he was at an age where he needed proper education as well.

“He’s already eighteen…”

Sajaehyeok recalled the events of that time.

Of course, there was a hint of resentment.

But the main reason he took him in was the danger.

It was not a task to leave someone with witch abilities free.

If any suspicious signs were found, he was already considering disposing of him before he became a threat to others.

But it had been about two years since they had been together.

He still didn’t know the source of his abilities, but he was certain of one thing.

There was no hostility or danger towards humanity in Lee Hyun.

“…”

Sajaehyeok thought.

If Lee Hyun was just a poor boy who happened to absorb the witch’s abilities, then he could no longer be with them.

He had to leave for the place where he rightfully belonged. He needed to learn the etiquette and knowledge of a wizard and socialize with his peers.

Of course, being a wizard and the battlefield were inseparable, but everything had to proceed in due time. Even if his true identity was that of a misplaced witch, it was better that way.

And there was no better place to learn such things than here.

Even the political games among the students were necessary experiences for him now.

Perhaps the entrance exams for this term had ended, but there was still time for recommended admissions.

The timing was perfect. The Northeast Flattening Operation had officially ended a few days ago, and he was starting to think about moving to investigate other incidents.

His safety was not a big issue at the moment. Whoever had targeted him back then wouldn’t recognize the current him.

Furthermore, Hyun was now living with a completely new identity that he had created for him.

What they found that day was just traces of a burnt-down house.

They succeeded in eliminating the culprits, but unfortunately, they couldn’t prevent the death of the poor boy.

At the very least, the report had been filed, and now only he and his team members knew the truth.

“…”

Lost in thought, Sajaehyeok continued to read the contents of the note.

The note listed bizarre and inexplicable rumors that had occurred nationwide.

For example, a talking frog appearing, residents of a certain residence disappearing overnight, or high-ranking wizards flying madly out of their territories, and so on.

When Hyun first appeared, it seemed like a sign of something, and his current trip to the Northeast was also part of investigating such signs.

Based on past experiences, bizarre and surreal events occurring on the outskirts and borders were often precursors of witches.

However, so far, they hadn’t found any decisive clues. Most were just rumors or happenings misread as natural phenomena.

Just when it seemed like this time would be filled with such baseless rumors again, the content written at the bottom of the note suddenly caught his attention.

– Numerous eyewitness accounts of a resurrected corpse at C23-A Frontier Development Site in the East.

“…A ghoul outbreak already, and it’s not even the rainy season?”

Sajaehyeok muttered with a furrowed brow. Were there cases of ghoul outbreaks in spring? It had been about ten years since he last studied basic wizardry. The memories beneath the surface didn’t seem to resurface, causing him great frustration.

Reports of misunderstandings related to corpses were more common than he thought. People often mistook traces of wizards digging up graves or mistakenly saw bat-like humanoid wizards.

He thought it might be the case this time as well, but a lingering uneasy feeling continued to grip Sajaehyeok.

“…Hm.”

He pondered for a moment, but soon came to a conclusion. At times like this, there was no choice but to confirm it firsthand.

However, this time, they would go alone.

Hyun had something else to do.

-Tap, tap, tap.

After organizing his thoughts, Sajaehyeok tapped the desk three times with his hand.

Shortly after, something flew back in through the window entrance from earlier.

It was Sajaehyeok’s crow, with a completely white body and red eyes.

“Go gather the kids. Sehwa, Jin, Chaewon, and Hyeon too.”

-Caw!

As if responding, the crow cawed once and then flew out the window again.

Silence returned to the study.

Only the sound of rain falling outside served as a gentle background.

Sajaehyeok opened the silver locket hanging around his neck and looked at the photo inside.

A female student with clear blue eyes was smiling directly at the camera.

“…I have to let go. Both you and those kids…”

Sajaehyuk muttered as he looked at the photo.

This upcoming trip to the East was going to be his last journey.

***

“Oh, Hyun’s here?”

“Hello~”

“Hyun, come here! I made something delicious!”

A lively voice could be heard from outside the noisy office.

The members, who were busy setting up the table, turned their heads and greeted Hyun with familiarity.

“…I’m here.”

A shadow of someone was cast on the doorway. Due to the mask covering the upper half of his face, his appearance seemed quite eerie at first glance.

However, none of the members pointed out his strangeness. They all welcomed him with familiar faces.

“You’re getting lost in your thoughts. Why are you so late?”

Sajaehyuk scolded Hyun with a displeased tone.

“…I was patrolling outside the borders. That’s why…”

Hyun replied in a blunt voice. Sajaehyuk still frowned as if something didn’t sit right with him.

“I told you not to do unnecessary things. Why do things I didn’t ask you to do? Just finish your work and relax quietly afterward.”

“…But…”

“Hey, kid! And I told you not to use that when we’re together! Did you think I made that for you to use?”

“Yeah! I also wanted to see Hyun after a long time~”

“Right! We might forget how handsome Hyun is~”

“…”

Normally, the members would have embraced Hyun, but this time, they rarely agreed with Sajaehyuk’s words.

Under Sajaehyuk and the members’ continued urging, Hyun finally, as if unable to resist, brought his hand to the mask.

With a soft click, the mask fell off, revealing his face.

Traces of a mischievous boy still lingered, but now, the sharp edges gave him a more mature look.

His unique gloomy expression and the scar under his left eye added to his decadent charm.

Even his voice resonating from his throat had become thicker and more solid.

This change in Hyun was evidence of the explosive growth he had undergone in the past two years.

It was as if he had been suppressed by something all this time, and now he was growing at an incredible speed.

With a balanced military diet and regular training added to that, the once petite boy now had a muscular physique almost similar to Sajaehyuk’s.

“Tsk tsk. Just by showing that face, you could have a line of girls chasing after you. Why do you act like that? Huh?”

“…Mind your own business. If you’re going to be like that, just take it back.”

Unable to bear Sajaehyuk’s taunts any longer, Hyun responded curtly.

“Hey! What do you mean, ‘what girls’! Does our Hyun seem like someone like you?”

“Right. There’s something I need to tell the kid…”

“…Let’s talk about it…”

Sajaehyuk gestured to the chattering members to be quiet.

As Hyun had mentioned, the mask was actually a piece of equipment that Sajaehyuk had personally made.

While it served as a slight form of protection, it was primarily a measure taken by Sajaehyuk upon learning about Hyun’s trauma.

Hyun had not been able to see his reflection in a mirror, let alone his own reflection in a window or a puddle of water. If a woman’s hand accidentally touched him, he would tremble like a leaf.

Fortunately, wearing the mask had resolved most of the issues in his daily life.

Over the past two years, he had successfully built a level of trust with Sajaehyuk and the members.

However, the reason for such trauma remained unknown. Hyun had shared everything but firmly kept his lips sealed on that particular matter.

And Sajaehyuk, considering it a personal matter, did not delve further into it.

“So, why did you call me here? I don’t think you called me to set up the table.”

Yoon Chaewon, who had been making a lot of noise, changed the subject. Thinking that the atmosphere had settled down a bit, Sajaehyeok finally brought up the main topic.

“I called everyone here to announce something. Now that the Northeast Flattening Operation has officially ended, we are planning to move to a different location.”

“What? That’s it? That’s all it was about…”

“However, only we will be moving. Ihyeon, you will be given a new task.”

“A new task…?”

Ihyeon looked puzzled upon hearing Sajaehyeok’s words. Sajaehyeok continued speaking with a calm expression.

“Don’t worry too much. It’s not something difficult.”

“What exactly is it…?”

Now, even the members were waiting for Sajaehyeok’s words. After a brief pause, Sajaehyeok spoke again.

“Ihyeon, you will be leaving for the cradle.”