Ch 213
Became a swordsmanship instructor at the academy
Chapter 213
"Everyone really worked hard today."
Teacher Kim gives the closing remarks and all the magic class students are smiling.
Because Teacher Kim, who was in a good mood, said she wouldn't hold supplementary classes tomorrow.
The sparring score between the archery class and our magic class is 3:3, tied, but the side that won last tends to be a little happier.
Looking at the results, we also won in the duel between each class's ace.
Well, if it's not sparring, I wouldn't attend weekend supplementary classes anyway, so it's not particularly beneficial to me, but I'm in a good mood regardless.
Victory is natural, and there's the condition that stupid girl set.
Of course, she also won in the duel against Cha Min-woo, but from Nam Ji-hyeon's perspective, Cha Min-woo is neither in the same class nor the same subject, so they hardly meet.
On the other hand, Nam Ji-hyeon and I are in the same class even though we're in different departments.
That girl who openly disliked me now has to bow 90 degrees and use honorifics every time she sees me for the next month.
Of course, even if we don't talk at all, she can't avoid greeting me.
Honestly, this alone would be quite terrible for that girl, but there's also the wish on top of that.
It must be absolutely dreadful.
Following Teacher Kim's instructions, we finished cleaning up and the supplementary class ended.
Whether he was moved by my performance or not, Lee Ji-sung said he'd buy drinks, but I told him to buy them next time and leaned against the auditorium entrance.
I think I waited for almost 20 minutes... Ah, finally the archery class students start coming out one by one.
Unlike our magic class which ended concisely, the archery class seems to have had quite a long feedback session.
It can't be helped because the Grease Hell I demonstrated at the end was quite threatening not only to Nam Ji-hyeon but also to the other archery class kids.
Actually, the archery class is relatively better at responding to this strategy.
Archers can shoot arrows without moving or, like Nam Ji-hyeon earlier, can shoot arrows even while falling, but other classes can't.
In the case of other physical departments that don't have long-range attack methods, they must move no matter what, so there's no answer.
Of course, if the opponent is sensitive enough to magic to grasp the Grease range or is at a level where they can shoot sword energy, it wouldn't work at all.
"Huh? Chan-seong hasn't left yet?"
It's Hui-ju senior who had the first sparring match with me earlier.
"I have something to discuss with Ji-hyeon about our bet."
"Ji-hyeon is still getting feedback from the teacher, so it'll take a bit longer."
"That's fine."
After waiting about 10 more minutes, Teacher Hwang comes out, but somehow Nam Ji-hyeon isn't with him.
Did she leave first and I missed her?
That can't be.
Unless she's escaping by opening the auditorium window, there's only one entrance here.
Thinking she might be hiding inside knowing I'm waiting, I headed toward the auditorium.
It's not like I was the one who suggested the conditions first - she was the one who suggested it, so doing this isn't proper etiquette.
When I opened the door and went in, huh?
There's no one... well, not no one, but I found Nam Ji-hyeon sitting in a corner with her knees drawn up and head down.
She seemed fine earlier, so what kind of feedback did she receive to be like this?
It's not like today is the only day, and the atmosphere looks quite bad, so I thought about just leaving for today, but I guess that won't do.
"Nam Ji-hyeon, what are you doing alone?"
"...Min Chan-seong? I'm not in the mood to talk with you right now, so get lost."
Judging by her tone, I'm glad I didn't leave.
"Oh my, Min Chan-seong? Did you forget what you said before the sparring match due to the shock of defeat? That's right, I warned you that you'd regret it, but who was it that desperately insisted on setting conditions?"
At my sarcasm, that girl's face crumpled up.
"You should bow 90 degrees first when you see your older brother, shouldn't you?"
"...I didn't say I'd start today."
"Huh? Then when are you planning to do it? Don't tell me after graduation? That's a bit..."
"I can start tomorrow! Get lost!"
She jumps up from her seat and shouts.
"Suddenly shouting like that. Okay. Let's say you'll do that starting tomorrow, but wasn't there one more thing?"
"What else..."
Look at this? Did she really forget?
"You forgot about granting my wish?"
Her face became even more distorted than before.
Thens he suddenly looks around and takes a step back.
"What are you doing?"
"Nothing weird! If you make me do something weird, I'll tell the teacher right away!"
I think I got a similar misunderstanding from Teacher Kim before.
Come to think of it, that was also in the auditorium with no people around like now.
Back then, since it was teacher and student, I immediately clarified to avoid misunderstanding, but now it might be fun to pretend not to know and tease her a little.
"What's weird about it?"
"That... don't ask me that! I don't know either!"
She shouts with her face red as a beet, and this girl is fun to tease.
"For now, if it's a wish, shouldn't anything be possible?"
"..."
Her face is so red it looks like it might burst, and her eyes are brimming with tears.
It's fun, but she looks like she's about to cry any moment, so I should stop here.
"Give me that bow next to you."
"My bow? Heukying is off limits!"
"Asking for a bow doesn't seem like a weird wish, does it?"
"This isn't mine. It's in the form of a loan from our Bicheon Guild..."
"Wow, it's quite expensive. I'm not going to use the bow or take it, so just give it to me for now."
Saying I won't steal it, she finally picks up the bow.
"Be, be careful with it. Bows are sensitive instruments."
She's saying this when she threw it away earlier.
As soon as I received the bow from that girl, I felt a heterogeneous energy.
It's definitely a cursed object, but judging by the energy I feel, it's not that impressive.
With this level of curse, it doesn't seem like a person would go berserk.
A hunter like Nam Il-seong wouldn't be affected at all.
"How long have you been using this bow?"
"What are you going to do with that information?"
"Just answer."
"My father gave it to me after the first semester ended."
"Your older brother uses the same bow, right? Then when did your older brother start using this bow?"
"Older brother? Do you know our older brother?"
"Just answer what I'm asking. I'll break it completely."
When I grab the bow with both hands and make a motion to apply force, Nam Ji-hyeon is startled.
"What... what are you doing? Heukying is a bow you couldn't afford even if you worked your whole life!"
She's saying that because she doesn't know how much my wealth is.
It's not like it's made of the legendary metal vibranium. It's absurd.
"So answer."
"Ol... older brother received it when he entered the high school division, I heard."
Was the age difference between Nam Ji-hyeon and Nam Hyeon-su ten years?
I think it was about that much, so it's not that each bow has different curse intensity, but just because it's been used for a long time.
Nam Il-seong is an S-rank hunter so he wouldn't be affected, but Nam Hyeon-su was a B-rank hunter when he went berserk.
"Give it back now. How long are you going to hold onto it?"
She seems worried because of my threat to break it earlier.
Actually, I asked for the bow to remove the curse.
Of course, it's not because Nam Ji-hyeon is pretty, but because if I remove Heukying's curse, wouldn't this girl's prickly and aggressive personality become a bit milder?
Anyway, even if I don't remove the curse now, Lee Ji-sung will solve the problem when he's a second-year.
There's also the possibility that it won't improve much because her original personality is like this.
But I did tease her earlier, and honestly, today's sparring was no different from an adult toying with a child.
Moreover, she'll suffer for the next month, so I think it's okay to do this much as a service.
"Hey, Min Chan-seong..."
I thought about using the curse removal magic I learned from Luciel like in the original work, but thinking about it, that has too flashy effects.
If I use magic while she's watching like this, she might misunderstand that I did something strange to the bow, so should I knock her out for a moment?
Come to think of it, I think I can handle it with Mental Focus too.
Thinking I'll knock her out if it doesn't work, I strengthened the bow with Mental Focus and removed the heterogeneous energy.
"Give it back already!"
Thinking I wouldn't give back the bow, she suddenly snatches it away.
I did a good deed for her.
I could have easily avoided it, but since I'd already removed the curse, I let her take it back obediently.
"You watched well."
She doesn't even listen to what I'm saying and only examines the bow, but maybe because her level is low, she doesn't seem to notice that the curse has been removed.
"You should be glad that Heukying is fine. If even a little something had gone wrong... SIGH, never mind."
Now seeming to want to leave, she packs up the bow and quiver.
How much could that bow cost anyway?
Seeing her act like this even after I removed the curse, maybe this guy's personality is originally like this?
Then I did unnecessary work...
"Hey, looking at today's sparring, you don't seem to have talent for archery, so how about looking into other things?"
"What? You win through underhanded methods and then say such things. Next time we face each other, you..."
"I'm not saying this lightly. I'm not saying this to tease you either, so think about it once."
Leaving behind Nam Ji-hyeon who's looking at me with an expression of disbelief, I left the auditorium.
It's true, but that girl won't take my words to heart.
I said no, but honestly, it was meant to tease her.
***
I lay down on the bed to sleep, but I can't fall asleep at all.
Every time I close my eyes, that bastard Min Chan-seong's words keep floating around in my head.
—You don't seem to have talent for archery, so how about looking into other things?
What does he know?
It's definitely nonsense spouted out of superiority complex after getting lucky and winning once through despicable methods, despite knowing nothing.
But I can't completely ignore it because I've heard similar things before.
Not from someone else, but from my father whom I respect and love more than anyone.
Was it when I was ten? I came out to drink water because I was thirsty after sleeping, and I heard my father talking on the phone.
—Ah, our Hyeon-su definitely has talent. But Ji-hyeon is a bit ambiguous. The child makes much more effort than Hyeon-su, but maybe because she lacks talent, her skills are...
Since my father had always praised me and said I did well in front of me, the shock was greater.
So I worked even harder.
Because I realized that all the praise I'd received was because I was my father's daughter.
My father was always kind and warm, but I wanted to be recognized by my father not as a daughter but as an archer.
Although I didn't receive Heukying upon entering high school like my older brother, when my father called me during this summer vacation to give me Heukying, I thought I'd finally been recognized...
I ended up hearing such words again.
I couldn't stand it anymore, so I took my phone and quietly got up from bed and left the room.
I came to the lounge and sent a message.
[Older brother, what are you doing?]
To my older brother, not dad.
It's only 11 o'clock, so he must be awake.
When I was young, I sometimes hated my older brother because I thought dad was comparing me to him, but it was brief.
Our older brother really likes and cherishes me.
It was my older brother who took care of me in place of our busy parents, and he said he never found it bothersome or disliked it even once.
He contacts me very frequently and says he's always waiting for vacation because he misses me every time.
He doesn't just say it with words - during vacation, no matter how busy he is with guild work, he comes to see me every day.
Saying he can't see me usually because I'm at school.
It was also my older brother, not dad, who taught me the most about archery.
It's a bit tiresome sometimes, but I think that even if everyone in the world, even our parents, turned their backs on me, at least my older brother would always be on my side.
[Who is this? Isn't this our princess?]
[Older brother, can I call you?]
The phone rings 1 second after I send the message.
That's my older brother for you.
"Yes. Older brother."
—Our princess, what's the matter at such a late hour?
That's our older brother for you.
"Do you remember what I said before?"
—What words?
"About dad comparing me to older brother and saying I have no talent."
—Hey, you're still holding onto that? You even received Heukying this vacation.
"I had a sparring match today and lost."
—Huh? Our princess lost? Are you hurt anywhere? Which bastard was it? This older brother will... ah, wait. Is the opponent by any chance Ji-an? Ji-an is a bit difficult for older brother to scold...
"It's not Ji-an. It's someone older brother doesn't know, and he said I have no talent for archery."
—Was the opponent an archer? Older brother will beat the hell out of him.
"No. He's a magician."
—Ma, magician? Some scrawny magician acting like he knows something. This really won't do. What's his name?
"Don't overreact and tell me honestly."
If older brother says it's okay, then it's really okay.
—Hmm, no comment this time.
"What does that mean?"
Does older brother think I have no talent?
—You're completely dejected just because you lost once, our princess. That's not what I mean. Aren't you the ace in the archery class? The archery class kids would curse at you if they heard this.
"But still..."
—I know our princess's archery skills well. I was trying not to say this because I was embarrassed, but if it's our princess, I think you'd do incredibly well even if you learned something else, so no comment.
"Older brother is really..."
—But I don't think you need to be obsessed with just bows. Hybrids are the trend these days.
"Hybrid?"
—Although he's passed away now, Hunter Kang Shin-hyeok also used magic and swords together, and his disciple Hunter Kim Se-jin also uses magic and swords together. It's the same with Bianca, the daughter of the Sword Saint in England.
"All famous people are coming up. Ah, I understand."
—Our princess can do it too. You're already good enough with bows, and you can learn from father or me later, so if you have thoughts about it, I think it's fine to try learning something else.
Older brother's words definitely make sense.
Min Chan-seong probably didn't think of this when he said it though.
This part seems worth considering once.
For now, my heart feels much lighter, but what should I do starting tomorrow?
I dealt with the wish I was most worried about by showing him Heukying, but having to bow 90 degrees every time I meet that bastard Min Chan-seong, call him older brother, and even use honorifics...
Just thinking about it is so terrible that I wish tomorrow wouldn't come.