Chapter 62
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 62
Chapter Title: Blue Pine Festival (3)
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The waves of unique magic are inherently attuned to those who have mastered it. No matter the distance, you can't help but sense it when the same unique magic manifests.
Ryu Se-eun was no exception. She had been wandering the campus, soaking in the festival's vibrant atmosphere to the fullest, when suddenly she felt the 'Black Sky'.
And in this narrow little country, there were only two magicians who had learned the magic of the Black Sky.
Which meant the one who had unleashed the current Black Sky was undoubtedly a single person.
'Father...?'
Her one and only family.
Archmage Ryu Jin-seong.
She had gotten word that he would arrive early, but she hadn't expected him to show up on the very first day.
Ryu Se-eun felt a strange thrill bubbling up inside her as she headed toward the source of the unique magic.
It wasn't far. All around her, the raucous cheers of the festival rang out nonstop.
That was why she hadn't noticed sooner.
Logically speaking, for an archmage to activate their unique magic right in the heart of the academy like this...
It stood to reason that something might have gone wrong.
But she hadn't considered it, so Ryu Se-eun advanced without a care into the narrow alley between the buildings.
And what she discovered there was, at first glance, unmistakably her adoptive father.
However...
'Se, senior?'
More bewildering than Ryu Jin-seong's presence itself was Lee Hyun-jin. The male student who had no business being with Ryu Jin-seong right now.
For a split second, she wondered if he'd been scouted by the border defense forces or something, but no.
It didn't look like a friendly atmosphere at all. For starters, Ryu Jin-seong himself had just been punched and knocked down.
It was a scene that utterly defied Ryu Se-eun's common sense.
'That' father of hers had been struck by someone.
And with a plain old fist, no less?
Beyond whether she could accept it or not, the thought suddenly hit her that she might need to brace for the fierce backlash to come.
As far as she knew, Ryu Jin-seong wasn't the merciful type... nor the sort to let someone who harmed him walk away unscathed.
If anyone needed protecting, it was Lee Hyun-jin. Whatever was going on, she might be the only one who could sort this mess out.
With that in mind, Ryu Se-eun carefully took a trembling step forward.
-Parents, by their nature, aren't the type to issue such cruel orders to their own children. That's how I see it, Ryu Jin-seong.
...It was in that moment she realized the atmosphere just beyond the alley was far milder than she'd imagined.
Ryu Jin-seong hadn't flown into a rage even after getting back up, and Lee Hyun-jin's voice was calm.
-If you're just planning to use Se-eun as a convenient disciple, subordinate, or pawn, then I have nothing more to say.
-But if you're going to call her your 'daughter,' shouldn't you at least watch your words?
No, Lee Hyun-jin was actually lecturing Ryu Jin-seong. About the delicate parent-child bond, no less.
Ryu Se-eun could only come to one natural conclusion.
-Telling her to bear a child with some man she's never even met? By any common social standard, that's straight-up madness you don't say out loud.
This had to be about her.
Obviously, of course.
Thump, thump...
That was when her heart began to pound erratically. Thump-thump, or maybe flutter-flutter.
Just listening to Lee Hyun-jin's expression, his gaze, his tone and inflection—it set her heart racing.
Wasn't this all for her sake?
Wasn't he angry on her behalf?
Not backing down from an archmage, standing tall and boldly voicing his opinion—and making it stick.
When he had zero reason to bother.
'He always teases me mercilessly every time we meet...'
Her lips pouted out, but somehow her mouth corners kept twitching upward.
Was she in a good mood? She pondered it. Nothing else made sense.
Watching him bare his emotions like this for her sake... it was, well, a gap from his usual self?
That mischievous guy actually cares about me that much deep down. The thought slipped in unbidden.
To put it bluntly.
She was grateful.
And he was cool.
-You tell me, daughter.
That was why.
-Do you think the order I gave you was cruel, too?
When Ryu Jin-seong noticed her approach and said that, she voiced her honest feelings without a second's hesitation.
Arrogant, even rude as it might be—her true heart laid bare.
-Yeah, well...
She let it out.
For the first time.
-When I first heard it, yeah... it was pretty shitty.
It was a satisfying act of defiance.
*****
"Hmm."
Baek Mu-yeom stroked his white beard, a refreshing smile playing on his lips.
The situation had wrapped up quite satisfyingly for him, too.
He knew all too well about Ryu Jin-seong's 'condition,' which made it hard to speak up—leaving him in a bit of a bind.
But then a male student barged in at just the right moment and said exactly what he'd wanted to.
The initial punch felt a bit impulsive and rough, but the words that followed were delivered with due decorum.
And those were precisely what Ryu Jin-seong needed most right now, no doubt.
Baek Mu-yeom cast a fond glance into the alley between the buildings. A girl leading away her adoptive father, who wore a dazed expression.
Her single remark seemed to deliver a positive jolt to Ryu Jin-seong as well, which was reassuring.
When he'd heard the man spouting words unfit for a father to say to his daughter, Baek Mu-yeom had wondered if he should just slug him to knock some sense into the guy.
Fortunately, things had resolved smoothly. He could even dare to hope for real change.
Satisfied, Baek Mu-yeom turned his head slightly.
A young man still stood there.
Lee Hyun-jin. The sole disciple of Ice Empress Seol Ha-yeon, with whom the Fist Emperor shared a connection.
Baek Mu-yeom regarded him with admiring eyes.
He stole one last glance at Ryu Se-eun's retreating figure, then spoke up.
"You know that girl pretty well, do you?"
A simple, almost perfunctory question. It was plain as day that these two youngsters were on close terms.
Lee Hyun-jin hesitated for a brief moment before nodding in affirmation.
That split-second pause was likely out of deference to the Fist Emperor's stature.
'The more I see of him, the more I like this young man.'
Baek Mu-yeom turned with a pleased smile. Two pairs of puzzled gazes bored into his back.
He gestured toward the outside.
"Care to walk and talk? I've got a few things to say about Jin-seong's state."
"...Pardon?"
Lee Hyun-jin blinked in momentary confusion, but quickly pulled himself together and nodded awkwardly.
Baek Mu-yeom's gaze shifted next to a woman dithering a short distance away.
"Since we're at it, you come along too."
Neat black hair cascading to her waist, a sharp dagger gripped awkwardly in one hand.
She was one of the many awakeners etched in Baek Mu-yeom's memory.
Baek Mu-yeom stroked his chin, tilting his head slightly.
"Name's Kim Ji-woo, if memory serves? I'm pretty sure I saw your face at Incheon Airport around this time last year..."
"...!"
Kim Ji-woo flinched at hearing her name dropped so casually, then snapped to attention.
"Wh-what an honor that you remember...! Fist Emperor, sir."
It was the rigid, drill-sergeant response typical of guild members. Baek Mu-yeom let out a hearty laugh and waved it off.
"No need to be so tense. When you get back, just pass along my regards to Nam-jun."
The casually mentioned name belonged to the Blue Butterfly Guild's master—a special A-rank awakener operating out of Daejeon.
Kim Ji-woo's eyes began to quiver endlessly, but that was none of the Fist Emperor's concern.
Thinking her an amusing young lady, he headed out to the bustling main street.
A lively vibe more to his taste than the quiet clearing from moments ago.
Lee Hyun-jin wasn't one to dislike such an atmosphere either, but the Fist Emperor's presence weighed on him all the same.
Still, what choice did he have when told to follow?
Tension coiling in his gut, Lee Hyun-jin trailed after him. Kim Ji-woo, for her part, shivered as she clung tightly to his arm...
"Tragic backstories, those kids."
That was about when Baek Mu-yeom's tale began to unfold, slow and steady.
He glanced back over his shoulder at Lee Hyun-jin.
"Both of 'em hit me that way. Ryu Jin-seong and that Se-eun girl. Can't help but pity them—and that's why they're all the more admirable. At least now, I can see they're doing much better."
"...Better...?"
Lee Hyun-jin couldn't help but voice his doubt.
Pitiable? Woebegone? Fine, maybe for Ryu Se-eun—but including Ryu Jin-seong?
To Lee Hyun-jin, Ryu Jin-seong was nothing more or less than a deranged black mage barking insane orders at his adopted daughter. Hardly easy to swallow.
Baek Mu-yeom understood. It wasn't entirely off-base, after all.
Not if you didn't know the deep history between those two.
Obviously.
Baek Mu-yeom eased himself onto a nearby campus bench, looking up at Lee Hyun-jin. This wasn't the sort of story to bandy about while walking.
"About ten years back. Winter, I think."
Perhaps this young man ought to know the father-daughter pair's circumstances.
That was his judgment.
Baek Mu-yeom sank into momentary reverie, dredging up the old memory from the depths.
As he'd said, it was a minor incident from around a decade ago.
"...A small gate break near Kimhwa-eup up north. Monsters came pouring down as they do, and unluckily, it swept up a group of tourists."
Ancient history even by an old man's reckoning—no point in getting into the nitty-gritty.
But he could sketch the broad strokes of how it played out.
"Se-eun's family was right in there with them. Everyone else? Total wipeout."
"..."
"Jin-seong—border guard back then—did make it to the scene, albeit late. But blocking the whole monster horde? Too much for one man. He wasn't an archmage yet."
That was where things went south. One survivor was still a survivor. A soldier had to try anything to save them.
Baek Mu-yeom's eyes grew somber.
"How much do you know about dark magicians?"
The question was aimed at Lee Hyun-jin, but he wasn't after an answer.
Dark magic was too alien, even among natural affinities.
Collecting his thoughts, Baek Mu-yeom continued in a measured tone.
"It's bound to differ from standard attribute magics. Far more potent, but perilously unstable. And fickle to boot."
Those three words captured dark magic better than anything.
And Ryu Jin-seong was just about the only one in the country with real talent for it.
"Dozens of B-ranks, a handful of A-ranks mixed in. No regular mage could solo that. He had no choice but to push himself."
Put differently, he shouldered the burden. That's when dark magic truly shines.
"The kid had always played it safe, building his realm cautiously. But from that day on? Total one-eighty. Stunned everyone around him."
"..."
"Reason? Obvious."
Baek Mu-yeom let out a heavy sigh. Lee Hyun-jin had a pretty good guess what came next.
"He sank deeper into the darkness."
That's just what dark magic was.
Pity flickered across Baek Mu-yeom's face.
"Se-eun, the poor girl—she has no idea. Too young at the time, or maybe the trauma buried it... She just thinks Jin-seong swooped in and saved her good."
Better she stay in the dark. Baek Mu-yeom added with a bitter look, lifting his head.
"In a way, you could call it a personality disorder. Explains the off-the-wall words and actions now and then. Folks in the know mostly cut the guy some slack."
"...I see."
"Take your master Ha-yeon, for instance."
Stunned by the unexpected turn, Lee Hyun-jin murmured blankly—then snapped alert as his master's name dropped.
Baek Mu-yeom shifted from a stiff expression to a mischievous grin.
"You know about this? Jin-seong actually proposed to your master once."
Lee Hyun-jin's face twisted into a demonic scowl for an instant, but Baek Mu-yeom missed it and just chuckled.
"At first, I thought maybe the broken guy had discovered love. Nope. Turns out he'd overheard his adopted daughter sobbing late at night for her mom..."
"..."
"Hilarious, right? Se-eun wasn't crying for that reason, but the old man grabs some acquaintance lady and shoves a ring in her face to 'make a mom.'"
Only then did Lee Hyun-jin grasp the situation somewhat.
Yeah, the Seol Ha-yeon he knew wouldn't have let a lunatic like Ryu Jin-seong's proposal slide.
'Her limbs are all intact, so she must've gone easy considering the backstory...'
The nagging unease finally eased up.
Though his guilt over slapping Ryu Jin-seong's face had doubled.
As Lee Hyun-jin scratched his cheek sheepishly, Baek Mu-yeom grinned and clapped him on the shoulders.
Lee Hyun-jin's body lurched forward hard.
"Well, don't take this old man's ramblings too much to heart! Still, telling the girl to come back knocked up? Way over the line."
"Urk—ah, y-yes, sir."
Those two quick pats rattled his brain; Lee Hyun-jin nodded vigorously in response.
And there, Baek Mu-yeom grew briefly serious.
"You two seem like senior and junior. That right?"
Lee Hyun-jin paused for a beat, then met Baek Mu-yeom's eyes and nodded solemnly.
"Yes."
Baek Mu-yeom smiled faintly.
"Look after her, then. Kid grew up alongside soldiers on the front lines... Bound to struggle with school life."
No reason to hesitate there.
Lee Hyun-jin nodded without a second thought.
"As you say, sir."
...He wasn't entirely free of guilt, but hey—if they were both happy? They'd enjoyed it, after all.
No matter what Baek Mu-yeom said, he'd never meant to neglect his closest junior anyway.
His expression answering was rock-solid, and Baek Mu-yeom's lips curved in satisfaction.
"Good, good. You're a real keeper. Heard you're a second-year—since you know me, maybe you've met my granddaughter too..."
And that was the moment.
"Hyun-jin oooop—!"
Sudden footsteps closing in.
Thud-thud thudding run.
A swift presence like a little squirrel.
Hop!
The wild Baek A-yun popped up behind Lee Hyun-jin and leaped high.
Clinging to his back like a koala!
She giggled, rubbing her cheek against his shoulder.
"Hehe, whatcha doing here...?"
The belated grandpa-granddaughter reunion happened right then.
Baek Mu-yeom and Baek A-yun's eyes locked.
"..."
"..."
'Ah.'
Lee Hyun-jin screamed silently.