Chapter 60
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: Blue Pine Festival (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The time for the Blue Pine Festival was drawing near.
Incoming message barrage!
And I was getting bombarded with messages.
Heading out
Be there soon
Right on time
The first one was from my master. She was a grand archmage, after all, with plenty of duties keeping her busy, yet here she was, making time to attend her disciple's school event. I was grateful for it. Not that grateful, though.
Staring at my master's chat, which somehow felt like she'd picked up the lingo from today's kids somewhere, I smirked and tapped out a reply.
Yeah
Hurry up n see ya
?
I figured as her disciple, I should play along with the vibe, but apparently, that was the wrong answer.
I could sense a whirlwind of bafflement in that single question mark from my master.
I let out a fake cough and quickly backed out of the chat window. Notifications kept pinging nonstop, her saved name updating over and over, but...
I decided to ignore it. I'd see her soon anyway.
Heyy
Next up was Jiwoo sis. Strictly speaking, it hadn't been that long since we'd last seen each other, but for some reason, it felt nice to hear from her.
Probably because in those short two months, we'd been through all sorts of wild events.
A tentative emoticon floated up in the chat window—a little girl knocking on a door with a nervous expression.
We'd only spent a couple days together, but somehow, I could guess what was going through her head right now.
She might come off as bold, but deep down, my big sis had this timid, wrinkly side to her.
We hadn't texted personally in those two months, so maybe she was overthinking things?
Like, "Is it really okay to message him...?" or "What if that was just polite talk?"
Of course, it could just be my assumption.
Long time no see, sis
Yeah
Hyun-jin's so glad to hear from you
Have you been good?
Um, about last time
[Deleted message.]
Hold on
It's not that, just
Watching her messages pop up one by one, I was convinced my guess hit the nail on the head.
The same woman who'd confidently taken the lead at night was fumbling around like this in everyday chat.
It felt kinda fresh.
Pretty entertaining, too.
I toyed with the idea of observing this intriguing reaction a bit longer, but decided to go with the caring choice for Jiwoo sis's fragile mentality.
You coming to the Blue Pine Festival?
A simple, straightforward question. The endless stream of messages suddenly cut off.
Then came a reply, toned down but eager. Just one line. Short and sweet.
I'll definitely be there!
That exclamation mark burned with intensity.
Even if there was just one.
Anyway, that wrapped up Jiwoo sis for now.
One more to go.
With a faint twinge of reluctance, I scrolled down just a bit in the messenger app.
"......"
Tilting my head back, squeezing my eyes shut, and trembling, I gripped my unwilling hand and dragged it closer to the screen.
Messages were already piled up. Even more so since the festival approached.
In the end, I let out a helpless sigh and tapped the screen. Entered the chat.
Forcing my listless fingers to move.
It's me, Mother
Your unworthy son apologizes for the late reply. I hope you've been well?
I agonized over the most cautious phrasing possible. Erased and rewrote several times, doing my best to sound polite.
I heard you're coming with Master
How many days will you be staying...?
Dry swallow from the nerves. My eyes were glued to the screen, waiting for the "unread" mark to vanish.
Soon, the little "1" quietly dispersed.
At the bottom of the screen, the "..." typing indicator appeared instead.
Tension peaked, and finally, the reply came through.
About ten days?
"......"
My lips pressed into a thin line. Almost simultaneously, a notification rang out.
Ding!
Sorry, son
(Emoticon: Sorry I couldn't protect you)
"Ah."
I let out a short sigh. Strength drained from my shoulders all at once, and with that, my schedule was half-set in stone.
Yeah. That's right. It is what it is.
I'd been doomed to get sucked into an endless hell of nagging from two S-Rank Awakeners—my master and my mother...
'...No helping it, huh.'
I just hoped nothing else went wrong.
Sincerely.
Even if Blue Pine Academy was a fairly open educational institution, its nature as an Awakener academy didn't change.
Generally, you didn't see many outsiders aside from faculty and students.
The Blue Pine Festival was the rare exception to that.
For the entire month of April, outsiders flooded in nonstop—you could barely tell who belonged anymore.
Not just students' parents, but this year, plenty more were expected for the tournament featuring the top eight rankers—first and second place.
Administration probably had their hands full managing it all.
'It's lively. Not bad.'
I was munching on street snacks from the stalls scattered around campus, perched on a bench and people-watching.
This spot was one of the main paths to the academy's main building, so I got a good view of all sorts of fresh sights.
Like seeing new sides of people I already knew.
For instance, classmates greeting their parents. They all looked way more excited than usual.
And midway through, I spotted Kim I-jun's face too...
The Sword Saint himself was there, sporting that famous golden sword, so I bolted before he could notice.
Guess beating on the guy for days made me a bit self-conscious.
Though with his upright personality, he'd probably never snitch to his master.
Still, during this Blue Pine Festival season, I wasn't in the mood to rack up new encounters.
For starters, meeting Cheon So-yul's mother, wielder of Myriad Thunders, was already giving me indigestion. Imagine if the Dragon King or Fist Emperor popped up out of nowhere.
I just couldn't handle that.
Put simply, with my schedule this packed, I was seriously bummed.
Tonight, I'd be donning an unwanted butler outfit for serving duty.
'Thinking about it again pisses me off.'
I finished my candy, chucked the stick into a distant trash can, and brooded.
Of course, I'm no chef. If I ever need to cook, I just tie an apron on Cheon So-yul.
But to be banned from even making simple menu items at a student-run cafe or bar like this?
It wasn't enough to cry "wounded pride," but it sure didn't sit well.
Inside, I vowed to properly gauge Kanzaki's skills since she'd be handling the kitchen tonight. I checked my watch.
About time for my appointment?
That's when it hit me—two intense presences. I frowned slightly and glanced back.
"Hyun-jin...!"
From the opposite direction, Jiwoo sis waved enthusiastically at me with a bright smile.
I reflexively started to wave back, then froze and held my head steady.
Something awfully familiar was wafting over.
The flow of a unique magic I'd encountered before.
Dark and sticky at its core, yet somehow evoking nature's pure essence.
'Ryu Jin-seong.'
This was Black Heaven's power.
I whipped my head around.
Behind the building. A wide alley space that felt eerily deserted, as if blocked by an "invisible wall," floating in isolation.
Two men were there.
One was a young man with a deeply gloomy aura. Across from him sat the owner of a massive frame—an elderly man with a full head of white hair.
The former was Ryu Jin-seong of Black Heaven. Foster father to my top rank underclassman.
And the latter...
"......It's been a while."
The grand archmage Ryu Jin-seong was bowing deeply—formally or not—to his counterpart.
"Senior Baek."
The old man's moniker was Fist Emperor.
His name: Baek Mu-yeom.
Baek A-yun's warning might become reality sooner than I'd thought—maybe not even days away.
'Ah.'
I thought it from the heart.
Yeah.
I have no idea what it is, but...
I really don't want to get involved with whatever's going on over there.
Not if I can help it.