episode_0251

“… What?”

When I felt someone’s presence, I thought they were just trying to grab me. Actually, if you think about it, that’s a natural reaction.

And I feel sorry for the two of you, but I was also thinking of using force to subdue you if necessary.

But this is… something I never thought of?

“Pretend you didn’t hear anything. I told you we decided to go together.”

Yeonmin-ha grumbled and answered. There were faint traces of tears from yesterday in the two eyes that were glaring at me. On the other hand, I could feel her firm determination not to let me go alone.

“… No.”

Of course, it was something I could never hear.

“You know where it is and you want to follow it. Absolutely not.”

“Then kill me and go.”

But Yeonmin was also stubborn. She said scary words with a calm face without any hesitation.

“What?”

“If you’re going alone, kill me before you go.”

“Senior Min-ha. What kind of nonsense is that? You’re telling me that right now… ”

“Just in case, I think you shouldn’t think about getting out after knocking him out.”

And the compassionate man continued to speak calmly.

“If I don’t see you when I open my eyes, I’m going to hang myself right there.”

“… ”

What she said next left me speechless. Her steady eyes showed that what she had just said was not a lie or a threat, but a clear sincerity.

“I can’t send you alone to that dangerous place. I agree with you, even though Yeonmin-ha was a bit harsh with her words.”

And Yeon-i stepped in front of Yeon-min-ha, who was glaring at her. At first glance, her attitude seemed mild, but when it came to stubbornness, she was by no means inferior to Yeon-min-ha.

“We’ve already made up our minds. We’ll follow you no matter what happens.”

Yeon-i smiled sadly. It was so bright, but no one knew better than her that it was a forced smile.

A gentle sadness, different from yesterday’s intensity, was seeping out of her.

“And by the way, I haven’t given up yet.”

“Yeon-ah… ”

“You never know. They might know how to fix you. The original owner of the power was a witch. Su-ah is still young and doesn’t seem to know anything… ”

“If you catch him and beat him, he’ll confess everything.”

And Yeonmin-ha added, gritting her teeth. I feel really dazed. Today’s sight is a series of surprises.

I never thought the two of them would get along so well. At the beginning of the semester, no… until yesterday.

But I soon came to my senses and barely shook my head.

“Absolutely not.”

It’s not that I don’t understand their position, but there was a line that I couldn’t tolerate.

I told them the whole story with a heavy heart, but I couldn’t put them in danger because of it.

-If I don’t see you when I open my eyes, I plan to hang myself right there.

If forcibly separating them won’t work… we need to persuade them somehow.

“… You don’t know anything about witches.”

“We know everything. We’ve already looked through all the relevant information released by the Supreme Council. We stayed up all night.”

“You haven’t even fought them directly. I’ve fought them three times. They’re definitely not opponents you can deal with with normal senses.”

“Even so, it’s only at the level of a smart demon. What kind of god are these guys? They’re enemies that we successfully subdued 15 years ago. We can do it too.”

He didn’t even give a single word of pity. As if that wasn’t enough, Yeon-i intervened and gave strength to Yeon-min-ha instead of me.

“I’m the only wizard who can create a large-area group magic formula on my own. You know? I’m the best Rubin value measurer in history. And the total amount of the pitying spring is a spirit thought that doesn’t exist. Even though witches can use magic without restrictions, we’re not far behind.”

“It’s not just magic. Witches use their powers too. You don’t know how scary they are, so you can say that so easily… ”

“I’m most scared of losing you forever… in the world.”

“… ”

And Yeonmin-ha spoke in a whisper. Suddenly, a faint moisture lingered in her voice again.

I was speechless again. Then Yeon-i came over and grabbed my hand and said.

“I… don’t want to make the same mistake again.”

“Yeon-ah.”

“I won’t leave you alone this time. No matter what happens. Never… ”

The discomfort was gone, and only a warm feeling was transmitted. Then, Yeonmin-ha approached him timidly and grabbed his other empty hand.

And he spoke in a voice that was small but had a strong will.

“Don’t even think about passing it off.”

“Senior… ”

“Show me your true feelings.”

“… ”

At this point, I realized that it was I who failed to properly understand the human mind.

If I truly loved and cared for them, I couldn’t force my feelings on them.

Their feelings should have been respected.

Even if the end result is obvious death.

Time passed in silence. I regained consciousness several times to the sound of gulping.

“… Okay.”

And after much thought, I sighed deeply.

It was either a feeling of emptiness or relief.

“Let’s go together.”

***

The three of us moved out of the cradle as it was. We had already completed all the preparations, so there was no need for any further work.

The cradle was still quiet because work hadn’t even started yet. There would be guards, but it wouldn’t be easy to subdue them with force.

If I think about who my companions were now, there were plenty of ways to quietly get out.

“But…what happened?”

And I, who was walking ahead, glanced behind and asked. Yeonmin-ha answered in a twisted voice, still angry.

“What.”

“I was quite surprised that you two came together. What on earth happened overnight? Did you make up or something… ”

“Huh?”

“What nonsense.”

And a violent reaction erupted from both sides. Not only was there pity, but Yeon-i’s face was also filled with physiological disgust.

Yeon, who always tries to maintain her dignity in front of others, reacts as if she absolutely cannot accept what was just said.

“… We decided to take a short break.”

Yeon-i, who realized her mistake, belatedly calmed down her tone and spoke.

“I can’t keep bickering in front of you. The most important thing right now is to take care of your work. I’ll postpone the choice until then.”

“… I agree.”

Yeonmin-ha reluctantly nodded and agreed with Yeon-i’s words. Then, finally, unable to hold back any longer, she added one more word.

“Well, of course, in the end, I’ll be the one chosen.”

“… I feel sorry for you. That was a breach of promise. And if you forgot, Hyun and I already have a daughter… ”

“Profit…! Baek Seo-yeon. Do you really have no conscience? How long are you going to keep using that shameless lie…!”

A light argument begins as if nothing had happened. Somehow, a smile appears on the lips.

And Yeonmin-ha, who had caught my subtle change, immediately turned her head and hardened her face.

“… Are you laughing?”

“… Sorry.”

“Who is this now… And since when have you been talking nonsense? Do you think I’m easy? Huh?”

“Because I’m dealing with two at once, I don’t know… Should I do it properly again… huh?”

Then Yeon-i and Yeon-min-ha made eye contact. For some reason, Yeon-i had a proud expression on her face.

“This is what intimacy is. Hyun-i and I have been talking like this for a long time. I don’t know about those who want to be treated as seniors all the time, but… ”

“This again… ”

Yeonmin-ha, who had been gnashing her teeth, quickly turned her head. Then, she opened her mouth as if she was reluctantly giving permission.

“… It’s also the duty of a senior to be lenient towards a rude junior. Feel free to call me whatever you want… Now that you’re at it, let’s just drop the word senior and just call me by my name… ”

“No matter what, that’s… ”

“… Now Baek Seo-yeon is calling me by my name and saying I can’t?”

“Intimacy doesn’t happen overnight. If you keep nagging, the intimacy you had will run away… ”

“Baek Seo-yeon. Shut up. You’ve never even kissed a girl before, and you’ve been making noise since a while ago… ”

“Huh?”

And then a little bickering ensued. Truce, reconciliation. I think I heard something similar earlier. Of course, it wouldn’t be easy.

But as crazy as it sounds… right now, at this moment, I feel completely at peace.

Yeon-i’s words from earlier came to mind again. To be honest, I doubt the witches know how to cure me. Even if they did, they probably wouldn’t tell me.

But hope is so sweet.

Well, I guess the last bit of leeway is okay.

“Guys, stop it now. The main gate is coming soon… Huh?”

And I was about to stop the two who were bickering. When I saw someone standing in front of us, I immediately sent a signal.

We could immediately tell who was waiting for us.

“Principal… Teacher?”

Haewolhwa, with her arms crossed, puffed out her cheeks and tapped the heel of her shoe. The dress that had been torn to pieces had long since been neatly restored.

She, who had been glaring at me, finally opened her mouth.

“… You’re late.”

It was as if they knew I was coming. Without realizing it, I lowered my posture and got into a stance to rush in. Yeon-i and Yeon-min-ha also took a combat-ready stance with tense expressions.

I wonder what the principal is thinking. Even though he said that, is he still here to arrest me?

There was a moment of tension. Haewolhwa frowned even more, as if she didn’t like our actions.

But the next moment.

She relaxed her body, waved her hands tremblingly, and sighed deeply.

“Oh my, my fate… ”

“… ?”

I was taken aback by the unexpected reaction. The principal gave me a last look of resentment.

She turned around and gestured for me to follow her.

“What are you guys doing? Don’t come this way.”