episode_0276

“You little punk… Are you using mind control or something?”

“Huh? I took a picture. Did it hit the mark?”

Baek Yu-jun smiled with satisfaction after seeing the expression on the face of the dumbfounded captain. He shook his head as he sat down.

“There’s no way something like mind-reading can exist. It’s probably impossible even with black magic.”

“But how… ”

“But you, your record is quite impressive, isn’t it?”

Baek Yu-jun interrupted the captain’s words. Then, as if remembering something, he continued speaking at length.

“Before entering the cradle, he was frequenting red-light districts and crime-ridden areas, and even after entering, he was a regular at breaking curfew. On top of that, there were assaults and sexual harassment… ”

“This kid… is investigating other people’s backgrounds?”

The captain’s face hardened sternly at the following words. Dark, unpolished particles of ink rippled along his form like waves.

“What are you planning?”

The captain got up from his seat and gave a threatening look.

“Were you thinking of getting a business license somewhere? After threatening me with the information you found?”

“… ”

“I knew it when you started wagging your tail like you were friendly. You’re such a tasteless brat… ”

The captain was about to turn around and leave. Baek Yu-jun, who had been staring blankly at him, opened his mouth.

“You certainly have great talent. The rumor that you might be the first male wizard to reach Category 1 rank is not completely false.”

“Why? Are you scared?”

The captain stopped walking at his words and let out a mocking laugh.

“Are you afraid you’ll get hit and break your teeth? Sorry, but it’s too late… ”

“No way. It’s just a shame.”

“You think it’s a waste?”

The captain frowned as if he didn’t understand what he was saying. Baek Yu-jun continued speaking in a calm tone.

“Isn’t that obvious? That great talent is rotting away like this, useless. Anyone would think that.”

“Don’t worry. I don’t care if other people rot or not… ”

“Sa Jae-hyuk. Aren’t you frustrated?”

“What?”

“The most prestigious of the prestigious families, Heukryeon. As the successor there, you are forced to follow rules and regulations, but you gradually learn about all the dirty things going on behind the scenes.”

“… ”

“Assassination, terrorism, purges of political enemies, bribery for business expansion, corruption… ”

“What now… ”

“The riots in the eastern district last month.”

The captain’s eyes, glaring fiercely, had lost their momentum. He listened to the black-haired boy’s words as if he was possessed by something.

“They cause a riot in the slums to cause the land prices to plummet, and then buy up the properties that are on the market for cheap under someone else’s name… This is a method we often use in our Paecheon. It’s probably no different for Heukryeon. ”

“… ”

“Especially Yejieun of ‘Cold Blood’… Your mother would have been interested. The redevelopment of the eastern district was her family’s long-cherished project. And she would never be the type of person to show mercy to the commoners who are not even wizards.”

The captain listened to those words silently, but I was the one who was surprised. The impression of the person who took care of me and the ‘cold-blooded’ Baek Yu-jun spoke of did not match at all.

“And most of the eastern district is occupied by orphanages and brothels. How did your precious young master of the Black Lotus end up frequenting such places? Huh? And that too until the day before school.”

It was only a fleeting moment, but a clear glimmer of agitation flashed across the captain’s eyes. Baek Yu-jun continued speaking as if he would not miss that moment.

“The area near the red-light district you frequented was excluded from the first redevelopment project. Naturally, the poor people there, including prostitutes and orphans, also stayed put. Even when the riots broke out, they were able to get through without much casualties. It was only when someone used force… ”

“Do you have delusions? They’re all empty words that I can’t believe with my eyes open.”

“Sorry. I hear that a lot anyway.”

The captain, who was about to argue, shut his mouth tightly. Baek Yu-jun continued speaking in a light voice.

“Who would dare to interfere with the Black Lotus event? Unless they are very brave or are certain that they will not be retaliated against.”

“… ”

“Ah, is that why you want to have a younger sibling? You can leave all the useless honors and positions behind and become a free person. To some, it might be the dream successor position, but you don’t seem like the type of person who would yearn for such things.”

“… ”

“Your mischievous behavior is probably a result of the backlash from such thoughts. Because you keep encountering situations that are the exact opposite of your natural disposition. Even if it’s frustrating, it’s not just frustrating… ”

“Yeah, this kid is so frustrating!!”

And like an active volcano, the captain’s anger explodes. It’s closer to anger at the situation he mentioned rather than anger toward the male student in front of him.

“Are you feeling better now? Huh? That feels good. Because what you were bragging about was right on the mark.”

“… ”

“But what can I do? I don’t know what a well-bred young master like you knows, but… ”

“Me too.”

“What?”

“I feel frustrated just like you.”

And Baek Yu-jun, who had been silently watching the burst of anger, opened his mouth. The hesitant captain met his eyes. His eyes were still as calm as a lake, unwavering.

“Be complacent. Aren’t you being too complacent? It hasn’t even been a hundred years since we barely preserved civilization from the ten days of the fall and the burning. And we forgot the past too quickly.”

“… ”

“In the north, there are demons, and in the south, there are rebels. The lives of the people are not getting better, but rather, they are becoming more and more miserable, and between them, black magic is seeping in like a poisonous fog. But the so-called magicians are blind and deaf, absorbed in playing the nobles’ game… ”

The strength in the captain’s hand that was holding his collar was slowly draining away. He asked in a slightly calmer voice.

“So what are you trying to say?”

“Wouldn’t you like to change it?”

“What?”

“That power… Let’s use your natural talent for a better purpose. To reform the wizarding society.”

“… ”

“Wizards are a race that operates entirely on the logic of power. Trying to preach idealism among them would be nothing more than an empty sound. But… what if the subjects were you and me?”

Baek Yu-jun said with sparkling eyes. The reason why he had been talking to the leader, the successor of the rival family, was finally revealed.

“If it is supported by a proper background, it has a meaningful entity in itself. And you and I have enough power to do so. What do you think? What do you think?”

“… ”

For a moment, the captain’s eyes wavered. The male student in front of him had an extraordinary talent for captivating people. Soon, he shook his head vigorously as if he were resisting brainwashing.

“Shut up. I don’t care about reform or anything. If you’re wrong, you’ve been wrong for a long time.”

“Hey, I know. I read the hidden meaning in your rebellious eyes. Actually, it sounded plausible, didn’t it?”

Baek Yu-jun continued speaking with a leisurely smile.

“Is that Yoon Chae-won? That’s what happened with your recommended student, right? I’m trying to make sure you don’t feel an unnecessary sense of debt.”

“… I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“The ones who lead the dirty work I mentioned earlier are usually the vassals who came from the US through recommendation. It’s a perfect fit. They have no supporters and need to repay the support they received. In fact, they’re no different from the hunting dogs of their parents.”

“… ”

“Recommended students who spend their school days with the next generation of students are more likely to integrate. They have a bond built over the three years, so they are more willing to do dirty work. I think they may have intentionally distanced themselves from each other to prevent such immoral integration later on.”

“Oh, what are you talking about? I’m just annoyed.”

The captain abruptly cut him off with a shout, but he couldn’t hide his expression as if he had been hit hard.

“If you go around with your bangs like that, doesn’t it annoy you and make you look like a bum?”

“Okay, okay. Let’s do that.”

“Ah, stop being so annoying and get out! If you talk to me one more time, I’ll report you to the security bureau as a subversive… ”

The captain who had been shooting stopped suddenly. Soon his head turned around. Among the noisy students in the schoolyard, his blank eyes continued to follow a single point.

My gaze stopped at the pergola in the middle of the garden. A female student, who seemed to embody the concept of freshness, was chatting and joking with her friends.

The captain stared at the scene as if time had stopped. Then a playful joke heard from behind woke him up.

“You may not be interested in reform, but you are interested in women?”

In an instant, the gun returned to the captain’s eyes. He made a blank expression and tried to avoid the question.

“Wow… That black lotus scoundrel has such a look in his eyes. There’s no other pure-hearted man like him.”

“Poem, be quiet.”

“Was it Seol Yu-jeong? That kid is also a famous person.”

Baek Yu-jun turned his head to follow the captain’s gaze and muttered.

“A friendly personality, good looks, excellent academic performance, and already amazing magical talent that can manifest scent… The only flaw is that he is a scholarship student who entered the frontier through the frontier system?”

“… ”

“But maybe you won’t be able to do it?”

“What? Why?”

The captain, who had been pretending not to care and listening, suddenly asked. Baek Yu-jun, who saw him, laughed as if he had been fooled.

“Do you know what he hates the most? Children from prestigious families who neglect their studies and only rely on their status and rank to bully others. I heard there are more than a few kids who got embarrassed because they didn’t know that?”

“… ”

“Can’t you think of someone just by looking at them?”

The headmaster turned his gaze somewhere. The electronic scoreboard that recorded the students’ ranking scores by grade level was still there in the past.

His current grades are in the middle of the pack. His name was also something I could only find after looking down from above for a long time.

“… ”

“It’s an obvious result.”

Behind him, who was blankly looking at the leaderboard, Baek Yu-jun shrugged his shoulders and opened his mouth.

“What’s the point of getting points in sparring? You’re just taking them all away by disciplinary action and all.”

“… ”

On the other hand, Seol Yu-jeong’s grades were in the top single digits. The same was true for Baek Yu-jun, who was right in front of her.

He spoke teasingly to the captain.

“The bottom line is, you’re the type of guy that girl hates the most.”