Side Story 12. The Story After (12)

The Victoria Academy Student Council President’s Office.

The ever-busy student council was preparing for a special lecture for the entire student body scheduled for the afternoon.

Since the lecturer wasn’t an invited guest but rather Cadet Lee Hoyeon, there weren’t many potentially problematic elements, but because the entire student body was participating, they couldn’t proceed too casually.

“… Sunbae-nim. It’s been a while.”

“Ah, Hoyeon-ah. Hello. It’s lunchtime, did you eat?”

Lee Hoyeon appeared before the student council, who were preparing for the lecture without even having lunch.

Whenever I saw the student council looking so busy, I felt sorry for not doing any work despite being a member… but today, I felt a strange sense of resentment.

“I didn’t have much appetite. The Student Council President is in the office, right?”

“Mm-hmm. She’s preparing for the special lecture. Is there something you need to ask about the lecture proceedings?”

“… Yes. That’s right. Sort of.”

Knock knock-

After exchanging a few words with the secretary sunbae-nim, I knocked on the door of the Student Council President’s office.

[Mm-hmm. Come in, Hoyeon-ah.]

Opening the door, I saw Moon Surin, engrossed in paperwork as usual.

Although her workload had decreased significantly after hiring many experts for the academy’s operations, she still had to handle important matters herself.

“What brings you here? It’s rare for Hoyeon to come in person.”

Seeing Surin noona beaming just because I came to see her made me happy too, but I had something I needed to say.

“Surin noona. I heard there’s a special lecture in the auditorium today. And that the speaker is me.”

“Ah… yes. It turned out that way. At first, I only planned to conduct classes for the middle schoolers, but many professors suggested that since we’re doing it anyway, everyone should attend. It’s a good opportunity for some character building too.”

Lee Hoyeon sat on the sofa, looking through the documents Moon Surin handed him.

Skimming through them, I could understand the intention.

Victoria Academy.

I thought Moon Surin had reformed it thoroughly, cutting out all the rot, but it seems some things never change.

Making a cadet handle something as bothersome as character building…

“You could have told me beforehand. If you asked me, noona, I would have gladly done it. I only found out today.”

Lee Hoyeon spoke with a hint of disappointment.

Honestly, it’s a hassle, but if Moon Surin asked, I could definitely do it.

Even if it was my fault for not seeing the notice, shouldn’t she have contacted me personally instead of relying on a general announcement?

“I was going to tell you…. But Hoyeon, you hardly ever visit the student council office? Usually, if you want to ask for something like a special lecture, you’d come talk in person, right? If you had, I would have let you know in advance…”

“……”

Lee Hoyeon closed his eyes without realizing it.

I knew something felt off.

There was no way Moon Surin wasn’t behind suddenly making me give a special lecture in front of the entire student body.

This was Moon Surin’s way of sending a message, a protest.

She seemed to be sulking because I hadn’t been visiting the student council lately.

“Noona. You know I’ve been busy lately, right? Huh? I haven’t even had two full days free.”

Fortunately, Lee Hoyeon knew how to appease Moon Surin.

He got up, went behind Moon Surin’s chair, and wrapped his arms around her as if giving her a hug from behind.

We were so close I could hear her heart pounding, and I could feel Moon Surin’s body temperature rising.

She didn’t seem that upset after all.

“Ahem. Ahem… Don’t worry too much, Hoyeon-ah. I even wrote a script. You’ll be fine just reading it as is.”

“Really?”

That’s a relief.

Lee Hoyeon began reading the paper Moon Surin gave him.

The lecture script was, in a word, adequate.

[Those who have suffered tangible damage due to demons still remain wary of the rampages of dungeons and gates. Now more than ever, hunters must take the lead in protecting ordinary people. Just because you possess great power doesn’t mean you should look down on or disregard those weaker than you; you must always remain humble. The reason we can lead good lives is because of them….]

I nodded, appreciating the script’s conciseness and focus on the key points.

It was certainly polished enough to be read verbatim.

I also liked how the script was written to perfectly match Lee Hoyeon’s image.

“Hmm?”

As I scanned the script, I noticed a strange sentence.

It was completely out of sync with the rest of the script’s tone.

“Noona. What is this? ‘Actually, I am in a romantic relationship with Student Council President Moon Surin. This is the first time I’m revealing this publicly, but I ask for your blessings for our future together…'”

“Don’t worry about it. Just read the script as is, don’t overthink it.”

“… Surin noona. Your face is getting really red?”

“……”

Lee Hoyeon placed the script he was reading on Moon Surin’s desk.

Seeing Moon Surin avoiding my gaze, clearly embarrassed, made me chuckle.

‘This is giving me a headache….’

There were 30 minutes left until the lecture.

*

Backstage at the Victoria Auditorium.

Lee Hoyeon was waiting for the lecture, which was about to begin.

I had peeked into the auditorium moments before, and the vast hall, easily accommodating several thousand people, was packed.

From the middle schoolers to the faculty, everyone was waiting for my lecture.

If it were a fight in front of people, fine, but a lecture? I’m getting nervous for no reason.

“Hoyeon-ah, you can go up now! I’ll go find a seat and listen too. Fighting!”

“Yes, Sunbae-nim. Thank you.”

Is this really the right thing to do….

Lee Hoyeon ascended the stage, still questioning the situation.

Thump. Thump.

With every step up the stairs, the murmurs reached me.

The fact that the name Lee Hoyeon had become that significant.

I already knew it, but it had been ages since so many people were looking solely at me.

Of course, during the battle with the Demon King, when the demons outside stopped, all the hunters must have been looking at me, but I was too focused on the fight to notice their gazes…. Maybe when I presented the Sky-Piercing Bow at the Wizard Association? But even then, the main goal was to mess with Aiden, who was hitting on Im Sol.

A lecture is usually about teaching people on a specific topic.

Whether I’m someone great enough to teach others and impart lessons… honestly, I’m not so sure.

“… Greetings. My name is Lee Hoyeon.”

Clap clap clap.

Still, having come this far, there was no turning back.

As I stood at the podium, the gazes of countless people converged on me.

From the middle schoolers at the front, to the high schoolers, the familiar academy cadets and faculty. Beyond them, I could see reporters, though I wasn’t sure where they came from.

Clap clap clap clap clap clap.

The unending applause was damn burdensome.

The academy cadets I saw often reacted less intensely, but the way the middle and high schoolers’ eyes sparkled was almost embarrassingly bright.

And among the sparkling eyes of the middle schoolers, one stood out… Nam Dahee, waving her hands frantically.

Should I acknowledge her right now?

… Just waving back should be fine.

Lee Hoyeon waved towards Nam Dahee.

But it wasn’t just Nam Dahee; the area around her was going even wilder.

I just waved my hand, so why are they reacting like this? I feel like I’m going crazy.

“Haaah…”

I never thought I’d actually lose focus in a place like this.

Lee Hoyeon stirred his internal mana, calming his emotions.

His pounding heart soon returned to normal, and I could open my mouth.

“Hello. I am Lee Hoyeon. First, I would like to thank Victoria Academy for arranging this opportunity. It is an honor to stand here representing everyone.”

As soon as Lee Hoyeon spoke, the applause stopped as if on cue.

Lee Hoyeon, having instantly shifted the atmosphere, naturally began his lecture.

“I remember when I first enrolled in Victoria Academy. Seeing Alice, the freshman representative, and Surin noona, the student council president, I nurtured my dream of becoming stronger.”

Although it wasn’t in the script, Lee Hoyeon continued speaking naturally.

Lee Hoyeon possessed a charisma capable of captivating an audience.

It wasn’t just about his looks. His melodious voice and the serious aura emanating from him drew the listeners in as if they were mesmerized by the lecture.

“Although I’ve reached a point where people call me the strongest mage in the world, I’m still the same as I was back then. I’m an ordinary cadet who enjoys chatting with friends secretly during class and loves researching magic.”

Lee Hoyeon’s image wasn’t disliked by anyone, but that didn’t mean everyone was his fervent follower.

In fact, there were quite a few cadets in the auditorium who had come simply because it was an academy event, without much thought. However, as the lecture progressed, Lee Hoyeon gradually captured their attention.

*

“I don’t want to force you to follow my path. What I’ve achieved isn’t solely my accomplishment. I am fortunate to have met wonderful teachers and great friends….”

Lee Hoyeon’s lecture was nearing its end.

The cadets became increasingly engrossed in Lee Hoyeon’s lecture, with some even getting emotional and tearing up.

Among them, a middle school girl clenched her fists tightly with both hands, seemingly moved.

‘Hoyeon oppa is so cool…!’

Nam Dahee thought this as she looked at Lee Hoyeon.

She knew oppa was amazing…! But titles like ‘Hero of Humanity’ or ‘Strongest Mage’ didn’t really resonate with Nam Dahee.

After all, Lee Hoyeon and Nam Dahee ate together twice a day. To her, he was just a kind, handsome oppa dating Nam Daeun.

However, seeing the cadets’ fervent reactions and oppa’s cool lecture, her own heart began to race.

Perhaps the only regret was not being able to act chummy with oppa more often….

“That concludes my prepared lecture. Um, there’s still a little time left, does anyone have any questions for me?”

Seeing Lee Hoyeon smile shyly right after the lecture ended, Nam Dahee’s eyes widened.

This was her chance. She didn’t really have any questions, but Nam Dahee shot her hand up.

… The problem was that hundreds of others had raised their hands too.

“There are too many people who want to ask questions for me to pick just one.”

Lee Hoyeon relaxed his stiff body and looked around.

I managed to finish the lecture reasonably well, referencing the script minus the part about dating Moon Surin… but maybe I shouldn’t have offered to take questions?

“Oppa! Oppa! Over here!”

Just then, he spotted Nam Dahee in the middle school section, waving her hand vigorously.

If not for Lee Hoyeon’s sharp senses, her voice would have been lost in the crowd, but he eventually found Nam Dahee.

Come to think of it, the reason I ended up giving this lecture in the first place was for Nam Dahee.

If I don’t take care of her properly, all my hard work preparing this lecture will feel pointless.

“Yes. Cadet Nam Dahee from the middle school section.”

Ttak-

As Lee Hoyeon snapped his fingers, gentle mana enveloped Nam Dahee.

It was a voice-amplifying spell.

While some among the thousands were surprised by the mana control used to single out one person, Nam Dahee herself didn’t pay it any mind.

“Hoyeon oppa. You’re so cool! Can you teach a magic class for the middle schoolers next time!”

Nam Dahee excitedly stood up from her seat.

With thousands watching, is that all she could ask?

Still, that pure innocence is probably what makes her cute.

“I can teach a magic class, but if there are no important questions, I’ll skip it.”

“Hoyeon oppa?!”

At Lee Hoyeon’s harsh words, Nam Dahee’s eyes widened as if hurt.

Finding her reaction amusing, I quickly added.

“Dahee, you and I are close, so you can always ask me questions later. I need to take questions from everyone else too.”

Nam Dahee, who had been genuinely shocked, broke into a bright smile upon hearing the follow-up.

She didn’t get to ask a question, but being mentioned this much should be enough.

The ‘Mentioned by Lee Hoyeon in front of everyone’ award….

I can’t even imagine how much clout that will give her in the Victoria Academy middle school division.