episode_0140

The first time I encountered that woman was in a strange dream in the ward after returning to the South.

And then came the enemy fire incident. The mansion of the black lotus who entrusted herself to him.

Looking at the photo I found there, I realized that the woman’s name was Seol Yu-jeong. Even the fact that he has a close relationship with the leader and older sisters.

And when I found out that some of the things the unknown women were talking about in my dream actually happened. That is no longer a good thing.

I turned my attention again to the thick booklet I was holding in my hands.

Then, relying on the dim light, he slowly began to turn the pages.

In the directory, the sisters’ past activities were recorded in detail. Grades while attending school, student council position, performance in completing requests, interpersonal relationship evaluations, etc. All of that.

All of them had only extremely excellent reviews. The record makes me realize once again that they are much greater people than I thought.

There was something I was secretly curious about. At the beginning of admission, there was a lot of talk about me as the first recommended student graduated from Heukryeon in 18 years. So who were the recommended students before me?

I was able to find the answer today.

“It was Chaewon’s older sister… ”

Unlike now, when I have become an adult full of things, the photos of my older sisters with bright smiles on their faces without any worries about the future stare at me.

I was flipping through the booklet like that.

I soon discovered one strange thing.

The record of the leader was nowhere to be found in that thick book.

Come to think of it, the leader’s name was not visible in the table of contents of the booklet. I flipped through it several times, but I couldn’t find any trace of him.

In the photo I saw on Black Lotus, it clearly said that he was the 55th student council president like his sisters. I even took a picture with the familiar student council president’s office in the background.

The leader is clearly a person of flesh and blood. There’s no way he suddenly turned into a ghost.

Maybe there was so much fun and eating that there was nothing left worth recording… ? Anyway, that probably isn’t the case.

“… ”

I quickly shook off the doubts that were gnawing at my head at the moment.

Right now, checking Seol Yu-jeong’s records takes precedence over the leader’s.

In the previous sisters’ directory, everything that happened after graduating from the cradle was recorded in detail. Even the details of his participation in the official subjugation war that took place in the northeast just a few years ago.

If so, of course her traces will remain. Because he was a very active person just three years ago as of the date in the dream.

It’s already the last chapter of the directory.

The first thing that greets me is the profile of a woman with a clear smile and the three letters of the name Seol Yu-jeong.

It’s a little confusing because it overlaps with the face in the dream that had an evil smile that didn’t match the good impression at all.

I can hear the sound of spit going down my throat along with a gurgling sound.

I read through the small letters that were crowded together.

Contrary to impression, he was not born into a famous family. Rather, they are closer to the lower class, like me, who were born and raised in the outskirts. However, she overcame everything by proving her abilities. Excellent grades, extremely good magical potential, extremely good interpersonal relationships. Just like her sisters, all reviews are positive.

There has been only one case in which a student named ‘OOO’, whose name has been erased, was caught having an unhealthy relationship with the opposite sex and was severely punished… Why does it seem like my name is visible?

I flipped through the pages in moderation. What I want is what happens after graduation, not while I am in school.

Now I can see the part I want by just flipping through one page. I must have been nervous, so my palms were already damp with sweat.

Once we confirm this woman’s whereabouts, what should we do? Should I just go and interrogate him about his friendship with the soldier woman who crossed over the wall? Or should I notify the General Intelligence Service and have them urgently arrested? But he’s an acquaintance of the leader…

“… ”

I shook my head to calm the confusion.

Think about it later.

Confirm first.

I grabbed the paper with my fingers and flipped through it.

And the moment when I was looking forward to the unknown information that would soon pour out.

“Uh… ?

I couldn’t help but say something stupid.

There was only one line of text written on the blank page.

-Killed while performing a mission (X/X/21XX)

***

“… ”

I stared blankly at the blank paper.

The meaning of just one line of sentence was clear. That she is a person who does not exist in this world right now.

Even in the midst of my despair, I carefully engraved that one line of writing in my eyes. But I soon fell into even more confusion.

The timing of Seol Yu-jeong’s death was problematic.

Not a few weeks or months ago, but almost 15 years ago.

It’s time for the remains to have returned to the dust a long time ago.

but… It doesn’t make sense.

The date on the calendar in my dream was clearly three years ago. It also exactly coincides with the time when the other woman who went out with him disappeared.

The main character of that vivid dream… He was already dead?

My heated brain refused to think any further. After sitting blankly for a while, I eventually had no choice but to walk outside the archives room.

Although it may have been a bit unreasonable to assume that the dream was real in the first place and take action… It is even more absurd that a dead person came back alive.

I remember seeing quite a few students asking those kinds of questions at the beginning of the semester.

And the professors had long ago firmly established that this was impossible with any magic, even black magic.

In the end, what was the conclusion?

Everything I did was in vain and that vibrant scenery was just a dream… ?

“… ”

However, there is still something to catch.

It is also the time of Seol Yu-jeong’s death.

15 years ago.

Apparently there was one more incident going on at that time.

‘promotion. Don’t you know witches? So, 15 years ago… ‘

Then, suddenly, I stopped walking when I heard Muyoung’s voice ringing in my head.

***

“Myan~”

As soon as I opened the dormitory door and entered, Peanut came running to me with a cute cry to greet me.

I picked up Peanut and walked to my room on the second floor.

However, even though she is clearly popular, Yeon Yeon-ha does not show up. I always come out and wait, but it’s a big deal.

And her bedroom was tightly closed.

At the foot of the door was lying around something that looked like a shopping bag made of some kind of luxurious material.

“Senior?”

-… Hehe.

When I lightly knock on the door, I immediately hear a sound that sounds like hiccups.

“I’m here. Isn’t there something wrong?”

-W-what happened… ! There’s nothing… !

Next, you can hear Yeon Myeong-ha’s voice answering urgently. I’m glad that nothing happened.

-I’m changing my clothes. If you come in, I’ll be angry. It’s not a joke… !

“… ”

Since I knew it was fine from the beginning, I didn’t even want to go in. I’ve been trying to control myself a lot since the last time I gave in to my impulses and suffered an embarrassing situation when I scared my wife.

The rustling sound makes it seem like something is busy.

It’s a good thing for me too. Anyway, it would be better than appeasing Yeon Myeong-ha, who is wide awake and criticizing me for coming so late.

When I entered the room, I headed straight to the desk.

Then, he sat the purring Peanut on his lap and took out a folder from a drawer.

Of the two folders that Muyoung gave me the other day, this is the other one that I haven’t read yet. These are materials he compiled for me, who had no knowledge of witches at all.

It was a simple compilation of newspaper articles and records from the past in a report format.

Seol Yu-jeong died 15 years ago. And the Witch Incident happened 15 years ago.

I’m sure the timing didn’t coincide by chance.

I’ve been so busy with other things that I’ve been putting aside simple curiosity… I think it’s time to find out what witchcraft is.

I turned on the light and read the folder that Muyoung gave me.

“Witch… A slang term for an unspecified number of criminals who put the republic in crisis 15 years ago… ”

… It was a word that was first used in the media that liked exaggeration and fuss, but it soon became a proper noun.

The one thing they had in common was that they were all women. It had tremendous magical power that was measured as Category 1 or even higher. And that they enjoyed only slaughter and destruction, without any room for dialogue or negotiation.

Nothing is known about the background of its appearance. Initially, they were assumed to be carriers of mutation factors. Appear simultaneously in different places at the same time. More than hundreds of frontier settlements or settlements disappeared. Eventually, a mid-sized city was wiped out overnight, and even the Supreme Council was wondering if it was serious.

Witch hunt operation begins. However, it was a series of defeats. Even active experts were helplessly defeated. Eventually, it appeared up to 10 km away from the first satellite city in the Masada metropolitan area.

“… ”

Just by looking at the text, you can see that it was an enormous crisis. It’s definitely weirder for people who don’t know this level.

And as I read a little further, I came across a familiar name again.

– Sa Jae-hyuk of Black Lotus, former Yoram student council president, was appointed commander of the newly established Unit 66 and engaged in witch-hunting operations. The staff members are also students who graduated from the cradle with excellent grades…

-The first victory report in the 66th unit vs. witch war…

-Successful subjugation of Unit 66 reported…

-Completely eliminate risk factors in the southwestern part of Unit 66…

Newspaper articles with the leader’s name written all over them.

The situation was so desperate that exile to the flower country beyond the western sea was openly discussed, but with his appearance, the situation of the war completely changed.

A major that can truly be called a savior. Even if you collect all of the other people’s subjugation records, they are less than half of Unit 66’s performance.

Based on the leader’s overwhelming magical power, all dozen witches were annihilated, and before we knew it, only one was left.

“Huh?”

I soon found strange articles in the paragraphs below.

-The body of Seol Yu-jeong, the missing former Vice Chairman of Yoram, was found…

-Emergency arrest of Sa Jae-hyuk of Black Lotus. Admitted to violating the magic oath. Baek Yu-jun, Paecheon’s successor, was found with a brutal body at the scene. The right to remain silent regarding the motive for the crime is still being exercised…

-Black Lion’s shock declaration of seclusion from the Four Great Dragons… He felt full of responsibility and announced his intention to step down from all positions…

-Sa Jae-hyeok was sentenced to record erasure on charges of violating the magic oath… Paecheon’s Baekil-yong is extremely angry and will appeal…

“… ”

The collection of information that Muyoung gave me ended on that last page.

After reading through the thick folder, I took a moment to gather my thoughts.

Seol Yu-jeong, who appeared in the dream, was already found dead 15 years ago, and the leader was sentenced to obliteration of records on charges of murdering Paecheon’s successor, and his name was erased from the cradle’s directory, and Heukryeon apologized for the leader’s actions. He resigned from the Supreme Council and gave up power himself…

But what is more shocking than anything else is the record of an unexpected leader.

If what is written in the article is true… I think I now understand a little bit what the principal meant when he said, ‘The head of the Patcheon family has a special grudge against the leader.’

Since he killed his successor, it is natural to hold a grudge.

It is unlikely that the incident itself was recorded falsely. What matters is motivation.

It is true that the manager appears to be a bad person at first glance. But that doesn’t mean I’m the type of person who would take someone else’s life without reason.

Was this why the leader and sisters hid the existence of witches, which seemed like common sense to me? I’m afraid I might find out about the leader’s past… ?

“… ”

I shook my head. No matter how much you think about it, these are not people who will keep their mouths shut for fear of their secrets being revealed.

I think there might be another reason than that.

Just one thing.

Somehow, I feel like all my questions can be answered if I just reach that glimpse. The leader’s past, the strange woman in his dream, maybe… Even my power, which is not magic or anything, but whose identity is still unknown.

It’s because the ladder that I thought would allow me to reach that point broke.

Maybe the principal knows the whole story. Because she already knew about the leader’s past.

He seemed oddly kind, so unlike Professor Shin or Professor Kwon, he may have been sincere in answering my questions.

The problem is that she is far away in the South, not in her cradle.

“Ha… ”

I learned a lot, but there is no real key point.

Feeling a little frustrated, I muttered to myself while stroking Peanut, who was sitting on my lap and enjoying the warmth.

“Not you?”

“Myan~”

Peanut cried as if in response, and flicked his tongue against my lips like he always did.