Side Story 24. The Story After (24)

Second floor of the Magic Academy.

In the laboratory of the genius mage Im Sol, two women were seated.

Baek Ahyoung and Im Sol.

The two women, currently at the peak of their careers in South Korea, quietly faced each other.

Various emotions flickered in their eyes.

There was only one reason these two were gathered here.

Lee Hoyeon.

“Ahyoung-ah. I don’t want to fight you.”

“…Me neither. I don’t want to fight Sol-ah.”

Hearing Im Sol’s words, Baek Ahyoung lowered her head deeply.

Even having this conversation was a huge decision for her.

“But we can’t back down, can we?”

“Yeah. You can’t either, right Sol-ah?”

“Of course not.”

Slurp- slurp-

Im Sol savored her cold chocolate latte.

She had always known it would come to this someday.

Baek Ahyoung was a good friend, but ultimately, a rival.

“What should we do? Sol-ah. Do you have any good ideas?”

“Hmm. I’m an expert in magic research, but not this kind of thing.”

Actually, the solution to this problem was simple.

One of them had to give up.

But neither could give up.

Baek Ahyoung and Im Sol knew each other’s feelings far too well.

“”Haaa….””

They knew it, but they didn’t want to admit it.

Im Sol finished her chocolate latte and continued speaking.

“My disciple will be here in a few hours. You’ll watch with us, won’t you, Ahyoung-ah?”

“I guess I have to…?”

“What are you trying to say? We met up, but honestly, we have no plan.”

Even if they had a three-way meeting with Lee Hoyeon, there wasn’t much they could say.

They couldn’t just demand he choose one of them, nor could they tell him to break up with the other women.

What if they ended up being the ones dumped?

“….”

Im Sol shuddered involuntarily.

It would never happen, but if Lee Hoyeon were to abandon her, Im Sol felt she wouldn’t be able to bear it.

‘What is Sol-ah thinking?’

Baek Ahyoung slowly took a deep breath, sipping the tea Im Sol had magically chilled.

She had stormed into Im Sol’s lab on impulse, but she had no plan on how to deal with Lee Hoyeon.

Baek Ahyoung casually glanced around.

She saw Im Sol’s spacious laboratory, occupying the entire second floor.

‘He said he’d come to the lab today too.’

He always met her like this, just the two of them, for magic research.

…But was it only magic research?

Baek Ahyoung cautiously looked at Im Sol.

Im Sol was sighing while drinking her chocolate latte.

Seeing her, Baek Ahyoung couldn’t help but blurt out a sentence.

“You seduced Hoyeon in this lab, didn’t you.”

“Huh?”

“Under the guise of ‘special lessons,’ you seduced our pure Hoyeon…. Sol-ah, you’re a professor, and yet…”

“…??”

Im Sol couldn’t hide her bewilderment.

She didn’t understand why Baek Ahyoung brought that up so suddenly, but she felt slightly wronged.

If anyone was pure in her relationship with Lee Hoyeon, it was herself.

Although Im Sol liked Lee Hoyeon, he was always the one demanding perverted things.

This was an undeniable fact.

Im Sol retorted at Baek Ahyoung, utterly baffled.

“Ahyoung-ah, do you think I don’t know you appointed yourself his personal doctor whenever our disciple got sick?”

“But I’m the most outstanding doctor? Don’t you want Hoyeon to get better quickly?”

“It’s good he gets better quickly, but you were always by his side even when he only needed rest. Surely you didn’t just treat him; as a doctor, you probably did some sneaky things too.”

“…….”

Baek Ahyoung shut her mouth, having nothing to say.

It was true that she had enjoyed herself whenever Lee Hoyeon was hospitalized.

And honestly, whether it was a professor messing with a student or a doctor messing with a hospitalized patient, it was hard to say who was worse.

Feeling disadvantaged, Baek Ahyoung naturally changed the subject.

“Sol-ah. This isn’t the time for us to bicker. We need to work together.”

“…You said that first.”

“I’m sorry. I spoke rashly. Let’s make a plan again. You know about Hoyeon’s romantic history, right? If we fight, others might seize the opportunity.”

“Hoo, okay. Go ahead.”

Im Sol shook her head.

Baek Ahyoung sometimes went off the rails like this when it came to matters involving Lee Hoyeon.

Still, the idea of making a plan appealed to her.

Satisfied that the subject had changed, Baek Ahyoung opened her mouth.

“We have too many rivals. Especially if we want to beat the cadets around our age, we need to improve further.”

“Improve? What do you mean?”

“…Hmm.”

Im Sol and Baek Ahyoung were the most outstanding women in South Korea.

In their respective fields of healing and magic, they were world-class experts.

The word ‘improvement’ seemed quite distant for them.

Just then, something struck Baek Ahyoung.

“Bedroom skills…?”

“What?”

Im Sol almost spat out her chocolate latte.

The term ‘bedroom skills’ was the last thing she expected to come up right now.

“If there’s anything we need to improve, isn’t it that? We’re lacking in no other areas.”

“Why are you suddenly bringing that up? And how would we even improve it?”

Im Sol tilted her head. The idea of improving their bedroom skills seemed completely out of the blue.

“We need to give each other feedback. I might not be able to advise on magic, but I can certainly give advice on… that.”

“…Really?”

Im Sol’s lips curled upwards unconsciously.

‘She talks like she’s superior.’

Im Sol had never been told she was bad at anything in her life.

Even if it wasn’t magic, she excelled at everything.

Sex was no exception. Im Sol was confident in her bedroom skills.

The techniques she’d built up with Lee Hoyeon were deeply ingrained in her body.

“Ahyoung-ah. Just in case, you’re not suggesting we jump our disciple together tonight, are you?”

“That might be a bit difficult. I think it’d be better one at a time. That way, we can get proper feedback.”

“The fact that you’re saying this seriously makes it difficult…”

This was all because of our sinful disciple.

Im Sol felt incredibly embarrassed discussing bedroom skills with Baek Ahyoung.

Even though she was confident she was far superior! Embarrassment was still embarrassment.

“Then let’s just watch each other’s performance today. Who should go first?”

But Baek Ahyoung didn’t seem to think so.

She was already lost in her own world.

The thought that bedroom skills were crucial in her relationship with Lee Hoyeon consumed her mind.

“Ahyoung-ah, are you serious right now?”

“Of course. It’s for mutual improvement.”

“Haaa…. Then let’s decide based on the results of the sparring match.”

Im Sol could see the sincerity in Baek Ahyoung’s eyes.

If so, she had to be serious too.

“Sparring match?”

“Yeah. I spar with my disciple often. If I win, you go first, and if Lee Hoyeon wins, I go first.”

“Oh… is that okay? Sol-ah, I know you’re strong, but Hoyeon…”

Baek Ahyoung couldn’t engage in magical combat herself, but she could read the flow of battle to some extent.

Lee Hoyeon’s strength was now unparalleled among hunters.

Even for Im Sol, winning the sparring match would be difficult.

“It’s okay. We’re a team, after all. It’s for mutual improvement.”

“Sol-ah…. Thank you. I’ll do my best. I’ll definitely pinpoint your weaknesses!”

“Yep, yep. And if the opposite happens, I’ll teach you thoroughly too.”

Im Sol smiled, stroking the back of Baek Ahyoung, who hugged her emotionally.

She was confident, having sparred with Lee Hoyeon many times.

‘My disciple always imposes a penalty when he spars with me.’

It was a sparring method chosen for mutual development.

Since that rule was established, Im Sol’s win rate in sparring had become much higher.

‘Sorry, Ahyoung-ah, but I can’t have sex in front of you.’

She wasn’t ready to die of embarrassment just yet.

Im Sol smiled an invisible smile as she drank her chocolate latte.

---

And so, after Lee Hoyeon arrived.

The three headed to the training ground together.

Baek Ahyoung watched the sparring match from below, while only Im Sol and Lee Hoyeon stepped onto the platform.

‘Sparring without penalties… it’s been a while.’

Lee Hoyeon circulated mana throughout his body.

He was warming up for a full-power sparring match after a long time, but Im Sol’s expression looked grim.

“Sol-ah. Why the long face?”

“…It’s nothing. I’m just not feeling well.”

“Really? Then should we cancel the match?”

“No, it’s not that… Haaa.”

Im Sol sighed and summoned her mana.

She couldn’t bring herself to ask for a penalty like usual.

This was a matter of her pride as a mage.

It was more humiliating for Im Sol the woman than showing off her sex skills.

“Then, let’s get started soon. Professor Im Sol.”

“Right. …Go easy. Easy. You might strain yourself if you go too hard.”

“Thank you for your concern. But I feel great right now, so it’s okay.”

“….”

This man is frustrating to the very end…

They said loving someone was a sin, but Im Sol felt that constantly ever since she fell for Lee Hoyeon.

Im Sol narrowed her eyes and deployed a magic circle.

Prominence.

Dozens of fireballs rained down on Lee Hoyeon from all directions.

Prominence was a high-level magic difficult to cast right from the start, but she needed to end it quickly if she wanted to defeat a full-powered Lee Hoyeon.

“Oh, the quality of your mana seems even better?”

Im Sol is definitely showing improvement.

Lee Hoyeon admired Im Sol’s magic circle and unleashed his mana.

“Eye Opening. Sky-Piercing Palace Deployment.”

His vision instantly expanded, reading the trajectories of all the fireballs. Inside the Sky-Piercing Palace, even Im Sol couldn’t withstand her own mana.

Lee Hoyeon spread his hand and emitted mana.

“Cotton Guard.”

A thin shield magic appeared before every fireball.

With perfect calculation, he deployed precisely the amount of mana needed.

‘At this rate, he could easily block another invasion from the Underworld.’

Satisfied with his own magic, Lee Hoyeon awaited Im Sol’s next spell.

However, instead of casting magic, Im Sol let out a deep sigh.

“Why are you so strong….”

From that one exchange, she could tell.

Her disciple had surpassed the student surpassing the master, reaching the heavens themselves.

Without a penalty, she could never win unless her disciple held back.

She was undeniably going to learn about sex from Baek Ahyoung.

“…Are you okay?”

Why is Sol-ah acting like this today?

She definitely looks unwell.

Could it be that time of the month?

‘Should I just let her win?’

If she’s stressed that much, maybe letting her win would be a way to heal her.

‘No. Sol-ah would notice if I went easy on her.’

It’s more likely she’d get angry, saying I damaged her pride as a mage by going easy.

‘It’s better to finish the spar quickly and console her with chocolate.’

Chocolate or semen.

She’d console him with something sweet, then find an opening to hug him.

“I’ll go first this time.”

Lee Hoyeon summoned his mana to end the sparring match quickly.