episode_0084

Ryu Seeun had lived for 20 years without knowing the answer to that question. In fact, she hadn’t even been curious. For her, memories of being loved had stopped over a decade ago, ever since her family was entirely wiped out by a horde of monsters. What about her adoptive father, Ryu Jinseong? Ryu Seeun smiled faintly and shook her head. Well, he clearly cared for her, but that emotion probably wasn’t the love given by family. More like affection? If asked if it was the same thing, she would have struggled to answer… but at least to Ryu Seeun, there was a clear difference between the two. In short, the feelings Ryu Seeun herself felt for Ryu Jinseong were not love. They were merely gratitude, respect, and a sense of endearment accumulated over ten years. Thus, Ryu Seeun didn’t know love. In some ways, it might seem like cringeworthy adolescent musings, but she was genuinely serious in her own way. Would a day come when she too would find love? A day when she would fall in love, like the princesses in the fairy tales she read as a child…? …Until she began trying to seduce Lee Hyunjin at Ryu Jinseong’s command, her thought of ‘that probably won’t happen’ hadn’t changed. No, perhaps even until she started seducing him and then was seduced in return— She still hadn’t directly experienced the emotion of love. Her feelings for Lee Hyunjin were probably just simple interest. At least, Ryu Seeun herself thought so and was confident of it, though she had no basis for it.

“…” When did her thoughts change? It was… She questioned herself, but she already knew the exact trigger and turning point. She remembered it clearly. It was definitely around the first day of Cheongsongje. Lee Hyunjin had gotten angry at the Archmage for ‘Ryu Seeun,’ he had thrown a punch, and furthermore, he had expressed his emotions without holding back. It must have been an action taken purely for Ryu Seeun, for his junior. That was truly touching. No, what should she call it? Perhaps it was an emotion beyond that. A feeling of profound emotion beyond gratitude. The first time her heart pounded was after experiencing that feeling beyond profound emotion. Could it be love? ‘…Probably so, right?’ Even though it was an emotion she’d never felt before, it wasn’t hard to guess its true nature. It might not be a grand level of love, but it was definitely love. In other words, romantic affection. She wanted to move beyond a simple relationship with Lee Hyunjin, one that, like now, was unnaturally focused solely on physical enjoyment, to a deeper and more intense connection. Even a ‘something’ relationship was fine. Being lovers would be even better. She was just a little worried about the crackling female senior, one year above him, who was currently the top student of the second year, who was always by his side. Aside from that final boss (?), there was nothing psychologically holding her back.

Coincidentally, today was also the day of her semi-final match against Lee Hyunjin. She had easily defeated the second-highest student in her year and advanced to the semifinals. Lee Hyunjin was the same. Conversely, his match had been very tough, but he had still secured a clean victory and reached the semifinals… Yes. It was *that* semi-final match, the one where he would face none other than Ryu Seeun. *Gulp.* Ryu Seeun swallowed dryly, calming her tingling heart. She curled her fingers and casually loosened her shoulders. ‘My heart is pounding.’ The two of them had faced each other with magic once before. But that was literally just a brief, unrecorded skirmish. This was truly the first time they would test their skills in an official setting.

[Second-year second highest student Lee Hyunjin, first-year top student Ryu Seeun. One minute remaining.] At that moment, a mechanical voice echoed throughout the waiting room. It was almost time for the start. Ryu Seeun exited the waiting room with a pounding deep breath and ascended the stairs. With each step, an invisible tension seemed to envelop her entire body, but she didn’t want to retreat. Above all, she was a mage, and at the same time, a young woman. Why would she feel reluctant to test the results of her efforts against others? Rather, she only wished to clash more splendidly and achieve a more dazzling victory. Beyond the top of the stairs, the stadium lights seeped in. Ryu Seeun finally managed to compose herself and steady her heart. Now, the moment she stepped out there, the rookie ice mage Lee Hyunjin would be waiting for her with a relaxed expression…

Ryu Seeun stepped onto the stadium stage. Cheers loudly rang in her ears. And then, she saw it. “Huh?” Somehow, a flushed expression, a reddened face, disheveled clothes, and very rough breathing. Moreover, exuding a subtly strange and suggestive aura that she instinctively felt. …It was Lee Hyunjin.

“…” Ryu Seeun’s eyes lost their light. Though she had no basis or proof, she instinctively knew. Ah, this senior. He must have just ‘rolled around’ with someone again. *Grind!* She gritted her teeth. She didn’t know why, but seeing him in such a state made the thoughts of ‘love’ she had harbored just moments ago feel utterly worthless. ‘That, that, he’s like a senior in heat, seriously.’ Who was it this time? Of course, she already knew he was a terrifying (?) young man with many potential partners besides herself. Even so, what she disliked, she disliked. She felt intensely displeased. Suddenly, she felt all the surrounding sounds, including the cheers, mute themselves. And only Lee Hyunjin’s figure was visible before her eyes. Soon, the only sound that briefly reached her was one thing: The sound of the whistle signaling the start of the match. *Buzzzzz!* “Die, womanizer.” Ryu Seeun stomped on the ground, and immediately, tree branches shot up, transforming into fierce spears and swords that began to shoot towards Lee Hyunjin. “…??” And Lee Hyunjin was flustered. No, he… Why was she so aggressive already?

*****

‘No, why is she like this, seriously?’ It was an unanswerable question as to why this junior of mine was being so aggressive and hostile towards me. Even so, I felt relieved. Of course, I arrived well before being late. I almost truly was late, so… wasn’t it encouraging news that I had stably started the match like this? *Crackle!* I turned the incoming barrage of tree branches into ice chunks, calmly moving my feet to dodge the attacks. Regardless, as I mentioned once before, Ryu Seeun was not an easy opponent. She was a genius in her own right, and also a disciple of the same Archmage as me. Moreover, nature-type magic was the most troublesome category to face, regardless of elemental compatibility, so I had to put in my full effort. I stepped on tree branches, blasted away the sprouting thorns with a chilling storm. I approached Ryu Seeun as closely as possible. Meanwhile, the problem wasn’t something else. ‘Of all things, she’s also really angry at me…’ Usually, excitement was a sin for mages, but heightened emotions in a fight couldn’t be entirely unhelpful. Even if the precision of attacks vanished, the momentum became sharper, and the offense transformed into an aggressive assault. For me, needing to approach and strike Ryu Seeun’s main body, it meant that the battle would inevitably be a difficult one. It wasn’t that I had no means, but I wasn’t good at range combat. It was a different kind of difficulty compared to Cheon Soyul. At least she allowed for a head-on collision. Mages with Ryu Seeun’s nature are quite frustrating. They consistently build ‘houses,’ so to speak. It’s like watching cunning animals digging tunnels and hiding. Like badgers or burrowing rabbits. But now, they’re truly aggressive.

My approach was completely blocked, and she continued to guard herself from afar using only the tree branches she shot out. At this point, it was beyond troublesome and just annoying. I let out a wry laugh even as I calmly began to scatter chilling air in all directions. When facing mages like her, it was necessary to first control the space. *Whoosh…* The chilling air that flowed out slowly but surely, without Ryu Seeun immediately noticing, began to turn the surrounding space to my advantage. I continued this monotonous task. Parrying, blocking, and dodging attacks. I calmly waited until the gap, the opportunity that would surely come soon, appeared. Setting aside skill, at least in terms of magic combat experience, I seemed to have the upper hand over her. Slowly, I advanced step by step, clearing a path around me. The tree branches that filled the surroundings like a spiderweb, trying to ensnare me, also gradually showed cracks in their defenses… And then, the moment Ryu Seeun frowned and tried to recall and control her mana. ‘Now.’ I immediately seized the opportunity. I stomped hard on the ground and moved forward. *Thud!* The tree branches were stubborn, but not impossible to clear away. With nothing holding me back now, I wielded lightning and cut down the plants. *Crackle crackle!* Along with a weak but long-echoing thunder, I managed to reach almost right in front of Ryu Seeun. Then, I dispelled the lightning and gathered chilling air. This was to end it in one go. Just one touch was all it would take. I was confident I could neutralize Ryu Seeun with just that, and that was also the advantage of ice magic. *Whoosh!* ‘This is the end…’ Intense chilling air swirled within my palm, and I extended my arm to place it directly on Ryu Seeun’s abdomen. In my mind, I had already confirmed my victory. That’s why I was careless. And because of that… …I didn’t notice.

“?!” *Rumbling and crackling!* Gigantic trees and bushes simultaneously began to sprout. The entire stadium stage was filled with lush nature, enough to be called a veritable jungle. “Ugh!” And I found my entire body tightly bound by the moss and vines of the largest tree right in the center. Even the cool chilling air I had briefly held was effortlessly swallowed by such nature. I raised my head, and only then could I confirm Ryu Seeun’s expression. The agitated look from earlier had completely vanished, replaced by the smile of a strategist. I couldn’t help but let out a wry laugh. ‘…It was a trap.’ It probably wasn’t impossible to break free, but there was no guarantee that Ryu Seeun would stand still until then. For now, I secretly conjured chilling air while sweating profusely. The reason was… not anything else. It was the gazes from the spectator stands. There were two streams of them. One from the upper-left diagonal, and another from directly above. Each was a blue gaze and a dark red gaze… What more needed to be said? The former was my master, Seol Hayeon, and the latter was my mother, Yeon Seobaek. Their eyes seemed to be telling me how displeased they were that I had fallen into such an obvious trap. “…Huu.” I felt a little awkward. Now, whether I won or lost the match against Ryu Seeun, I was destined to be nagged. ‘My fate.’ With a sigh that escaped me, I began to generate lightning, because, regardless, I needed to escape the binding of this ancient tree. ‘Ah, I don’t know about anything else.’ For now, I’m going to win this match. At the very least, it was a matter of pride. No matter what, I couldn’t possibly lose to a junior, could I? *Crackle, crackle crackle…* Above one of my eyes, a chillingly sharp, blue-white lightning aura began to rise.

*****

There was a man. He was a very suspicious-looking man, cloaked in a dark, black robe. In a secluded corner of the stadium. The very back row of seats. An even more distant, shadowy spot. *Static-* With a small mechanical sound, the man pulled out a communicator. He seemed to be contacting someone. His finger tapped the device briefly without hesitation. He entered a message, and the converted electrical signal was immediately transmitted. -Semifinals X. Action postponed to the finals. *Whoosh…!* And the next moment, simultaneously with a brief gust of wind, the man’s form completely vanished from the academy stadium.