Rewards and Repercussions
Outside the school gates, Aikawa shouted, "Three, two, one… now!"
Just as the B-class monster Devil Spider—now known as the mid-tier superior magic beast Onigumo—opened its maw to release anesthetic venom from its poison sac, a mana bullet fired at that exact moment struck the most vulnerable spot inside its mouth and exploded.
Kieeeek! With half its head blown off, the Onigumo staggered, unable to keep its balance. Its legs gave way, and it collapsed to the valley floor with a splash.
"Done!" I shouted the moment the Onigumo fell. "I'll check the magic beast—get the captured students out first!"
I crossed the shallow valley water up to my ankles and ran toward the Onigumo. When I drove my blade into its belly, bodily fluids gushed out. Reaching through the cut, I felt something solid wrapped in a membrane, faintly warm. Unlike the fingernail-sized mana stones from the small, low-grade magic beasts I'd hunted before, this one was nearly the size of a basketball.
I gripped the mana stone. "Huuuup…!" An enormous amount of mana flowed into my body.
Mana stones had countless uses and values, but at their core they were like mana batteries—ore-like substances that stored mana inside a monster's body. The moment the magic beast died, the mana within would scatter and discharge. Absorbing some of that mana before it vanished wouldn't diminish the stone's value.
The mana pouring in far exceeded what my current body, Baek Chulyeon, could hold, leaving me in an overcharged state. Yet the recovering Status Window system kept greedily devouring the mana, allowing me to absorb it all.
"Guh-erk." Checking the Status Window restoration progress, I saw the percentage increase noticeably faster. At this rate, the Status Window would likely finish restoring within a few days even without additional mana absorption.
After finishing the absorption, I approached the web. Our squad members had already completed the rescue; the twenty or so students were down from the webs, either lying or sitting. I walked over to Aikawa, who was helping the freed students recover their strength.
"How are the kids? Are they all right?"
"Ah, yes! It looks like there aren't any serious issues…!"
The Onigumo paralyzed its prey with anesthetic venom, bound them in webs, and slowly drained their vitality through the threads. The captured students had no external wounds, and since they hadn't been held long, most could already move normally. Even those who looked weakened from having their energy drained would recover after a good night's sleep. If we'd been even a few hours later, some might have lost their lives. Getting them out early was a relief.
"Hey… you. Shirabayashi, was it?"
"Hm?"
At the call, I turned to see several students among the uninjured ones—five or six who had been rescued soon after capture and were still in good condition. Their apparent leader scratched the back of his head and spoke.
"Um, thanks for saving us. I thought we were dead for sure on the first day of school. So, as a token of gratitude… we were thinking of giving you the magic beasts we caught…"
He showed me their iron cages. Compared to the haul our squad had secured under my command, theirs contained only a handful of beasts.
"Hmm…" A few minutes ago I'd been desperate to catch even one more small magic beast, but after absorbing the massive mana from the large one until I was bursting, I had no interest in theirs. I wouldn't take mana stones from kids like this now.
I rejected his offer outright. "No need for that."
Then, pointing at the fallen Onigumo, I said, "How about moving that instead?"
***
"Shirabayashi and his squad, report to the principal's office."
After the preliminary practical training concluded, most students—except a few sent to the school infirmary—returned to their classrooms in the main building for the closing assembly. The teacher announced that due to the incidents, classes would be canceled tomorrow and resume the day after. Then the instructor specifically called out me and my squad to report to the principal's office.
As we walked down the hallway, Yang Bok-ja approached and said, "Hey, hey, Shirabayashi! Why do you think they called us? Maybe they're giving us an award? I'm so excited!"
An award! Indeed, on the way back from the training grounds to the classroom, both students and instructors had treated us with remarkable favor. Renka alone had stared at me as if she'd seen a ghost, but overall, eliminating the monster that intruded during training and rescuing the captured students made it likely the school would offer some reward.
"Hehe, I wonder what it'll be? A Kyoto travel ticket would be nice! I've always wanted to visit the mainland!"
…Well, personally, I'd rather have weapons or equipment than a Kyoto ticket. Yet when we reached the principal's office, the usually forward Yang Bok-ja suddenly hesitated and looked at me instead of opening the door.
"What? Not going in?"
"N-no, it's just… a little…"
She seemed suddenly intimidated at the prospect of entering the principal's office. Understandable—ordinary students rarely had reason to visit during their school years. "When you're a student, teachers and especially the principal seem like incredibly important people."
"Excuse us."
So I knocked in her place. At the call to enter, I opened the door. Seated on the sofas around the table were the principal I'd glimpsed on the podium during the morning entrance ceremony and a middle-aged man wearing a silk hat with a mustache.
"So you're the students who took down the Onigumo."
The one who spoke first wasn't the principal but the mustached middle-aged man. I answered, "Yes, that's correct."
"I've heard the story. The Greater East Asia Hunter Foundation wishes to provide appropriate compensation to those who distinguished themselves…"
Looking closely at the middle-aged man as he spoke, I noticed he wore an eyepatch over one eye and had a prosthetic leg. Meeting his sharp gaze as he scanned our line of six at the door, I instantly realized: "This man holds the real power here."
The balding principal merely echoed "Indeed, indeed, quite right!" like a cheerleader while the middle-aged man spoke. He'd given the same impression during the entrance ceremony address—an ordinary old man one might find as principal anywhere. In contrast, the silk-hatted middle-aged man… I distinctly remembered seeing him on the podium that morning too. During the congratulatory addresses from various dignitaries, he'd spoken as a director of the "Greater East Asia Hunter Foundation."
"Greater East Asia Hunter Foundation," huh… The name itself felt deeply distasteful to me, but it was probably the foundation financially supporting this school.
"…After discussing it with the principal here, the foundation has decided to provide scholarships for your next semester. Would that be suitable compensation?"
A scholarship! Given that this was a hunter academy, I'd expected weapons or equipment, but the reward was surprisingly practical. Then again, for this level of achievement, raiding the school's treasury for rare weapons would have been excessive. A scholarship was probably deemed the appropriate reward. And for me, it wasn't bad at all. "Money is always right."
Of course, as the son of a Joseon noble—baron—family, I wouldn't face financial hardship at school even without a scholarship… but "money I can keep and spend personally!" I didn't know the extent of my family's wealth, but it belonged to my father, not me. It wasn't money I could use freely. So keeping the scholarship a secret from home, receiving the tuition separately, and using it as my personal funds sounded perfect.
Naturally, I'd accept it gratefully. "Thank you!"
I'd gained an unexpected harvest on my very first day. The mana I'd absorbed today should restore the Status Window within a few days. Plus, I'd secured next semester's scholarship and an unexpected day off. "Jackpot…!"
Feeling satisfied, I left the main building as dusk was already falling. "See you the day after tomorrow, everyone!"
Yang Bok-ja boarded a rickshaw waiting in the parking lot—apparently prearranged—and left. Murasaki walked off without a word. Song Byeong-o spoke up. "Are you taking the bus toward Donamjeong? We're going the same way, so let's go together."
"Hmm…"
I watched Lee Yuha's retreating figure heading toward the dormitories and thought, "I wish I could clear up the misunderstanding today, if possible."
While I lingered in front of the main building, a voice called from an open window: "Ah! Shirabayashi! Ri! Are you still here?" It was calling specifically for me and Lee Yuha. Lee Yuha, who had been heading to the dorm, also turned toward the voice.
The one calling from the window was a middle-aged instructor. "What now…?"
"Go on ahead," I said to Song Byeong-o, then turned back with Lee Yuha toward the faculty office. On the desk of the instructor who'd summoned us sat a nameplate reading "Student Affairs Officer Kanegawa."
Student Affairs Officer—if this were the modern era, he'd be something like the student supervisor. Why would someone like that call for us? The crew-cut middle-aged officer spun his fountain pen between his fingers as he sat and spoke. "It's nothing serious, so don't worry."
"…"
Opening the student records, he continued, "All right… what I have to say is simple. Both of you entered this school with excellent mana grades and even distinguished yourselves for the school's sake this time. But that doesn't mean you're allowed to break school rules."
Huh…? What? I thought hard. What rule had I broken? Running through everything I'd done today at full mental speed, I couldn't recall any wrongdoing. Far from it—I'd even earned merit by slaying the intruding magic beast at the training grounds.
As I pondered this, the officer went on. "I hear the two of you frequently used Joseon language during the preliminary practical training…"
What? "You're not elementary students anymore, are you? You're past the age where you'd mistakenly use Joseon language at school."
So that was why we'd been called…? Come to think of it, during the argument between Lee Yuha and Yang Bok-ja earlier, Lee Yuha had resorted to Joseon language in frustration. I'd also spoken in Joseon when mediating their fight. Someone must have reported it.
Then who? Yang Bok-ja wouldn't report me even if she might report Lee Yuha, and Aikawa wasn't the type either… Who could it have been…? "It was Murasaki, that bastard."
Still bitter about getting slapped, he couldn't bring himself to admit he'd been hit, so he'd reported that I'd used Joseon language instead. "He talked about settling things like a man, but then he stabs me in the back like this… I really need to break him once…"
While I was thinking this, the officer said, "Well, since a report came in about using Joseon language, I have no choice but to reflect it in your conduct evaluation. It's a minor mistake, but if it accumulates, it could lead to suspension or expulsion, so be careful."
Expulsion! "…!"
At the word "expulsion," Lee Yuha's already pale face turned even whiter. I wasn't quite that shaken, but I couldn't help feeling tense. Damn it, this was ridiculous. Expulsion for a Joseon person speaking Joseon? Of course, this was just a warning from the officer—expulsion-level demerits wouldn't actually accumulate over something so trivial. But the fact that even minor demerits could be given for such a petty issue was the problem. More than anything, I couldn't tolerate being sabotaged by Murasaki.
My mind raced faster than ever. "But sir, please hear me out."
I opened my mouth. "There were unavoidable circumstances here. If you listen, I believe you'll understand as well."
"Oh?" The instructor looked at me with interest. "Go on."
I organized my thoughts. My plan was to use Lee Yuha beside me to secure my own safety. "First, regarding Ri here—she was educated at home in a noble family without attending elementary or regular school, so her command of the 'national language' isn't as proficient as mine or the other students'. She simply slipped into Joseon language in her haste; it wasn't intentional."
This seemed to defend Lee Yuha at first glance, but it was also setup for my own defense to follow. Wetting my dry lips with my tongue, I continued. "As for me, while I'm certainly very fluent in the national language, I had no choice but to use Joseon to calm Ri, who isn't proficient in it. The atmosphere at the time was quite chaotic, and Joseon would have been more audible to her than the unfamiliar national language."
"Hmm, I see. That makes sense."
The instructor seemed to take my words seriously. I bowed at a ninety-degree angle and quickly added, "From now on, as her classmate, I'll take responsibility for guiding her properly to prevent such incidents."
By blaming the classmate's inexperience as groundwork, claiming I had no choice because of that inexperienced classmate, and furthermore emphasizing my necessity in leading that inexperienced classmate—my strategy worked. The officer pondered briefly, spinning his fountain pen, then asked Lee Yuha, "Ri, is this true?"
"That is so—" Lee Yuha started to answer in Joseon, then corrected herself to Japanese: "Sodesu."
The instructor closed the conduct evaluation file and said, "All right. I'll let it pass this once."
"Thank you!"
"Well, as Shirabayashi said, not all Joseon students are proficient in the national language. Shirabayashi, help Ri become fluent in the national language, and Ri, make an effort to get used to it as soon as possible."
I bowed to the instructor. "Understood!"
Lee Yuha also bowed and answered, "…Understood."
Thus, after smoothing over the rule violation demerit and leaving the main building, the sun had completely set, painting the sky in red hues. I glanced at Lee Yuha, who stood awkwardly in front of the main building, still avoiding my gaze. She looked deep in thought. …I wonder what she's thinking.
While defending myself before the officer, I'd incidentally defended Lee Yuha as well, but I still hadn't personally explained to her that I wasn't a pro-Japanese collaborator. "It probably wouldn't be good to talk about it now."
If anything, repeatedly saying "national language, national language" in front of the officer and even offering to teach it to Lee Yuha might have only deepened her misunderstanding that I was a collaborator. I said to Lee Yuha, "…See you the day after tomorrow," and turned to cross the schoolyard toward the gate when—
"…Baek Chulyeon!" Lee Yuha called out to stop me.