episode_0249

“… What?”

Haewolhwa’s tone, which seemed to be soothing and comforting, suddenly changed. It was because her remarks were quite arrogant and also extremely dangerous to listen to quietly.

Soon, the atmosphere in the office began to flow around her. The noise of the furniture and documents being thrown around in a mess reached Lee Hyun’s ears.

“How presumptuous. It’s wartime right now. And I’m your superior by a long shot. Do you think you’ll come to your senses if you’re thrown in solitary confinement for disobeying orders?”

“I think it was polite enough to just tell you about them. Haewolhwa-nim has no right to stop me…”

Occasionally, gloomy eyes would be seen beyond the mask.

He was trying very hard to keep his composure. His seemingly calm demeanor was the result of his efforts.

And Haewolhwa was able to figure out Lee Hyeon’s intentions just by looking at it for a moment.

The fact that his inner self was already turning black with sadness and anger.

So, it was something I couldn’t send away.

Haewolhwa’s eyebrows furrowed at the voice that cut through her persuasion. As if reflecting her anger, the sphere of electricity behind her grew larger and spun fiercely.

“I told you, didn’t I? I said that if I didn’t come myself, I would kill the leader and the sisters right away. I can’t take even the slightest risk… ”

“Didn’t I tell you? They’re already dead.”

Haewolhwa declared that it was not worth a single word. In his cold eyes, there was no trace of sadness or longing for his former students. At first glance, it seemed that way.

“And you mean to say that you know where they are and just go there? We are also desperately searching for the witches’ stronghold. If we destroy them, we will naturally be able to destroy the demons who invaded this time. You know that, right? The main force behind this invasion is not the demons, but the witches who brought them forward.”

“… ”

“But how could you find their base alone when even the intelligence agency couldn’t find it? ”

“You can find it.”

“… What?”

Haewolhwa opened her eyes wide. Lee Hyeon repeatedly clenched and unclenched her raised hand as if trying to sense something.

“I feel the direction. It’s like someone is calling me. It must be the witches’ trick. They’re trying to invite me to their land.”

“Wait, if you feel the direction… ”

Haewolhwa, who seemed to be in a daze for a moment, quickly came to her senses and shook her head.

“… If something can’t be done, it can’t be done. Don’t be stubborn. ”

“Isn’t that a good thing for the Republic? The captain and his sisters have already dealt them a big blow. That’s why they’re struggling so desperately to find a way to survive. It’s probably part of that that they deliberately provoked me to reclaim my power.”

“Why would someone who knows so well do something so stupid?”

Haewolhwa screamed loudly. It was such a violent outburst that the windows all cracked simultaneously.

“I misjudged you. I thought you were quite smart, so I entrusted you with important tasks, but I didn’t know you would be this stupid. Being swayed by unnecessary emotions is unfitting of a wizard. Even if I brought a bunch of snotty kids from kindergarten, they would make better decisions than you do now.”

“If you’re the principal, you know. My specialty in the military. Even the most experienced active-duty experts can’t match me. I must sacrifice my life to kill the witches and rescue the leader and my sisters… ”

“No way. Don’t talk nonsense. I will never let you go. Just go back to the dorm and unpack your stuff. You will have to stay with me for the rest of this war.”

“… I think further conversation would be pointless.”

-Bang!!

Lee Hyun was about to turn around when suddenly, with a loud noise, thick smoke rose from under his feet. The flooring right in front of his shoes was charred and sunken.

“It seems like you really have to use force to get them to listen.”

Lee Hyeon, who was looking at the burning wooden floor, turned his head absentmindedly.

“… You seem weaker than before. I think you’ve been pushing yourself too hard lately.”

“Who do you think it is because of? Because of that, I can’t go to the battlefield and end up guarding my house like this.”

“That won’t be enough to stop me.”

“Huh, how dare you try to judge someone when you don’t even have a single feather? One hand is enough to handle a chick that doesn’t know anything.”

The girl with the fresh face snorted at Lee Hyeon’s words as if she didn’t find them funny.

“Let me lay you down for about three months with a fractured body. Then everything will be over. Your heated mind will have cooled down enough. Let’s talk about it later.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Haewolhwa snapped his fingers. Soon, six balls of electricity floating in the air, growing in size, rushed toward Lee Hyeon with a loud noise.

Lee Hyun was quietly looking at them without any intention of avoiding them. Haewolhwa slightly furrowed her eyebrows at the strange atmosphere. No matter how skilled she was, she would not be able to avoid serious injury if she were attacked now.

However, he had no intention of bending the magic or changing the angle. A disobedient and mischievous disciple needed some stern discipline. He was willing to make some sacrifices for him.

“What… ”

However, Haewolhwa opened her eyes wide as she prepared for the huge explosion that was about to occur.

-Shoot…

The lightning balls that had rushed in with a deafening roar were nowhere to be found. Instead, all that entered Haewolhwa’s field of vision were particles of light that filled the air in her office.

Lee Hyun, who had scattered the particles that were spheres, quickly approached Haewolhwa. Haewolhwa bit her lips tightly upon seeing him without a single hair on his head being harmed.

“… Indeed, that is the witch you have… ”

I already knew about the powers that Lee Hyun possessed. I had already heard from the professors that he was using mysterious powers during the last core rampage.

But it’s just something I have in my head as knowledge. And the shock I get when I see it in person.

The two were incomparable. For the first time in her life, a sense of helplessness enveloped Haewolhwa’s entire body.

It was a strange and refreshing shock to her. The seasons had changed dozens of times, but no one had ever dared to make Haewolhwa feel that way.

Lee Hyun, in his typical boxing stance, dug in to target Haewolhwa’s weak point. The principal, who noticed his plan, stretched out his arm and instinctively conjured a magic formula.

And before the magic formula could even take its full form, it shattered into pieces like a grain of sand.

“No… ”

A rare look of confusion appeared on her face. Before she knew it, Lee Hyeon had come up to Haewolhwa’s nose.

Immediately afterwards, a tightly clenched fist was thrust straight into the center of Haewolhwa’s lower abdomen.

“Ugh… !”

A sharp pain that woke up all the nerve cells that were fading away engulfed her entire body. Haewolhwa, who could no longer maintain her balance, was breathing heavily while leaning on all fours on the floor.

“Oh my, gasp… !”

It was an unfamiliar sensation that was so overwhelming that it overloaded my brain for a moment. Even when I lost my eye to a witch a while ago, I didn’t feel this level of intensity.

She was no more tolerant of fistfights than the freshmen of the cradle. At least in this country, there was not a single person who dared to physically touch her.

And then, Lee Hyun’s voice was heard above her head as she twisted her body fiercely.

“Didn’t the principal say it himself last time? The only person who can subdue you… is me.”

“Ha, hmph… Of course, that was it. That was it… ”

“Still, I hit him as gently as possible.”

“Ugh… This is… a gentle slap… ?”

And when he heard the voice full of apology, a look of disbelief appeared on the principal’s face.

“There will be no aftereffects. Of course, there will be no need for treatment. So… ”

“Wait a minute… ”

Soon, the sound of footsteps faded away. Haewolhwa, who had barely managed to catch her breath, staggered up and threw the dozens of lightning traps she had created using a magic formula at Lee Hyeon once again.

“Didn’t I say no…!”

The noose, writhing like a living snake, closed in on all sides. Soon, a faint sigh was heard from beyond.

“Sigh… ”

And this time too, the traps simply dispersed into the air, transforming into a halo of light. Lee Hyeon, who turned around through the halo of light, grabbed Haewolhwa’s wrist as if he was grabbing it.

Then he lifted her up and threw her to the ground with all his weight and acceleration.

-Bang!

A loud noise resonated, shaking the building. A thick cloud of dust was blown up, revealing the miserable appearance of Haewolhwa.

“Ugh… Ugh… ”

Her beloved dark brown dress was torn and tattered, revealing flesh here and there. Her hair was disheveled here and there, and none of her usual neatness could be found.

Lee Hyun, who was looking down at the messy Haewolhwa, opened his mouth in a pained voice.

“To the principal who is my benefactor… I don’t want to be rude any more.”

“Haa, haa… ”

“So please… don’t block my path anymore.”

Lee Hyun, who had left his last words, turned around. However, this time, he heard the sound of someone approaching from behind. As expected, it was hard to subdue someone of the principal’s level without drawing blood. Lee Hyun was about to turn around, wondering if he should rupture the principal’s internal organs.

What I felt was the soft texture of skin and the lukewarm body temperature beyond it.

“No…no.”

Haewolhwa, who had come closer before he knew it, blocked him with her whole body. She hugged him tightly from behind and tied Lee Hyeon up like a vine.

There was no trace of magical power in her body. She was acting on her own will alone.

“Not even an honorable battlefield… I can’t send my disciple to a place where he’s sure to die… Absolutely not… Also, I can’t let my disciple end up like that… Absolutely not… ”

“Haewolhwa… ”

“Please… Please… Hear this body’s plea… ”

There was a dampness in the principal’s voice. She was so desperate that she had long since thrown off her mask of coolness.

The office, which had become a mess, was suddenly quiet as if nothing had happened. Only the intermittent sound of the principal’s wheezing breathing could be heard.

“… ”

Lee Hyun, whose head had sunk a little, grabbed the principal’s hand and carefully pulled it away. When she turned around, she saw the face of a girl with tears welling up in her eyes.

And after a brief moment of agony, he finally opened his mouth.

“Anyway, I… am a body that won’t live long.”

The principal blinked once. Then he looked at him in disbelief and asked back.

“What…?”

“The next two months are my entire life. It’s the price I pay for gaining power that doesn’t match my abilities.”

“Two, two months… ”

Haewolhwa muttered in shock. I could immediately tell what he meant by ‘power that was not proportionate to his station’. However, the two months were still a cruelly short time.

“If life is going to end anyway, shouldn’t we use it meaningfully even if it’s the last one?”

Lee Hyeon smiled bitterly at the principal’s innocent reaction that was not appropriate for his age.

“And there is nothing more meaningful to me than saving the captain and my sisters.”

After finishing speaking, Lee Hyun turned around. Haewolhwa, panicked, reached out and struggled, but all she could find was empty air between her fingers.

“Wait, wait a minute… !”

Lee Hyun continued walking as if he couldn’t hear Haewolhwa’s desperate cries. And finally, he was about to open the door to the office and step out.

He stood still and stared at the things in front of him. It was an encounter he had never expected.

A pair of brilliantly shining golden eyes.

It had a pair of bright red eyes, like blood-soaked rubies.

It was obvious that he had stopped by the office a while ago, but had been standing there unable to come in because of the commotion coming from inside.

“Now…what…?”

Yeonmin-ha, with her pale, cold face, opened her trembling lips. Baek Seo-yeon’s eyes were wandering around without being able to focus.

Feeling like he was facing a mountain beyond a mountain, Lee Hyeon unconsciously swallowed a sigh.

“… Ah.”