A Witch Lives in the Academy
A Witch Lives in the Academy
The Hunter Academy is an educational institution created with the full support of various nations and the Hunter Association, alongside numerous large guilds acting as sponsors, in order to systematically educate young hunters to stop the constantly increasing villains and erosion zones that threaten humanity.
Of course, if asked whether anyone who graduated from the Hunter Academy ever became a villain, people would shake their heads in denial, but nevertheless, because it produced far more hunters fighting for humanity than hunters who turned into villains, the attention and support directed toward the Hunter Academy increase with each passing year.
[Title: Recent Hunter Academy News]
[Author: Anonymous]
I heard two kids died during the erosion zone practical training this time, and one of them was even a promising prospect. Aren't these bastards getting way out of hand because everyone coddles them?
Shouldn't they be slapped with some sanctions?
[Comments]
-Don'tCommandMe: Is that the Hunter Academy's fault? From what I heard, the zone suddenly evolved into a double erosion zone in the middle of the hunt.
└ Anonymous: How the hell do you know that so well? Are you an insider from the Hunter Academy?
└ Don'tCommandMe: Yeah, fuck, because of that incident I'm already getting chewed out by my superiors, and complaints from parents are pouring in right now, so additional sanctions here? Do you really want to fucking die?
└ Anonymous: Haha, seeing you leave comments, it looks like life's still tolerable for you. I'm going to file a complaint right this instant.
└ Don'tCommandMe: Ah, shit, were you a parent?
-200MileFastball: Deaths coming out of the Hunter Academy are practically an annual event every year, isn't it? Just accept it as it is.
Of course, as much as support and attention were focused on it, whenever incidents and accidents broke out, the backlash returning to it was equally massive... but that was inevitable.
In fact, since there was never a year without an incident, by this point, there were even people waiting for an incident to happen.
So, why am I saying all this?
"Heuhaha! Sia-yang, welcome!"
"Ah, yes. Hello."
'Oh dear, he has contracted an incurable disease that even a hunter's strength and magic power cannot cure.'
A shiny head and deeply wrinkled skin.
I heard he was still in his 40s, but evaluating him purely based on his outer appearance without prior knowledge, an elder who could easily pass for someone in his 60s greeted me with a smile.
Oh Taejung, the Principal of the Hunter Academy.
He was a respected figure as a 1st generation hunter in his own right, so how did he end up looking like that?
In the photos of him on the front lines as an active hunter, he had a full head of hair, and although his features were bold, he looked appropriate for his age.
"Follow me. Since you have come all the way here, treating you to some tea is only polite."
"T-Thank you?"
Following Principal-nim's guidance, I walked inside the academy building.
And upon arriving at the Principal's office, as I sat on the sofa waiting, a woman who appeared to be a secretary brought out tea along with some refreshments.
"Please enjoy."
"Yes, thank you for the tea."
Placing the tea in front of me and stepping back a pace, the secretary pushed up her glasses and spoke toward the Principal.
"Principal-nim. The time remaining until your next schedule is precisely 31 minutes and 20 seconds. Please wrap up the conversation within that time."
"Well, a precious guest has arrived, so can't we postpone the next schedule?"
"Very well. In exchange, to the extent that the schedule is delayed, prepare yourself for overtime today."
"A-Ah, no! You don't have to postpone it, so please, not overtime...!"
"Phew, then I will return in 30 minutes and 58 seconds."
"Keuheukheuk!"
Oh my. She was a tamer, not a secretary.
And an uncommonly skilled one at that.
Watching the tamer tame the Principal with skilled dexterity and casually leave the room, I had to tremble in fear.
With only 30 minutes of break time remaining, Principal Oh Taejung slammed down his hot tea in one gulp, as if replenishing the moisture shed from his eyes, and then spoke.
"As you can see, I cannot spare much time. My heart wishes to sit and chat with you all day, but I have my work as well. Now, I will briefly tell you about your upcoming academy life."
Principal Oh Taejung explained the academy's curriculum, which differed from standard schools, the personal dormitory to be assigned to me, and the teaching staff in charge of education without taking a single breath, as if he were rapping.
Finishing all the explanations rapidly, the Principal asked.
"That is all for now. Do you happen to have any questions?"
"Then... you mentioned a dormitory, but do I absolutely have to stay in the dormitory?"
"You do not necessarily have to stay in the dormitory. As long as you are confident you won't be late for classes, commuting is also a fine option. However, since a personal dormitory room is assigned to everyone, just accept it for now and use it if you happen to stay over later."
"Aha."
"Any other questions?"
"Um. From what I heard, the Association said they would assign Snow Woman-nim to me..."
"Ah. We are still in contact regarding that matter, so I cannot give you an exact date. Negotiations are currently delayed because the Association building was recently half-destroyed by a certain someone."
"Ah. I-I'm sorry?"
"Why would you be sorry? From what I heard, the Association was in the wrong to begin with."
"Well, that is also true."
At the sudden memory of Sa Hyeona saying she would use me as a guinea pig, my body shivered.
"Oh dear. It seems I made you recall bad memories. Do you have any more questions now?"
"Ah, could I know which class I'm in?"
"Which class?"
"Yes. I heard the academy is also split into classes for taking lessons."
"Heuhaha. Classes are split only when you reach middle school at least. It might be disappointing, but the total number of 4th-grade elementary students in the academy is just five, including you. So there is no such thing as separate classes."
What? Only five people in total?
Why is the number so small?
Noticing the doubt in my startled reaction, the Principal spoke.
"In the first place, how often would an Awakener emerge among elementary school students? If anything, I find it even more surprising that the elementary division has nearly ten students this time."
Ah.
Come to think of it, wasn't the average awakening age for hunters in the early to mid-20s?
Just as the Principal said, the fact that there were nearly ten elementary students who awakened around the age of 10 right now was the truly surprising thing.
"Then do you have any further questions now?"
"Yes, this is enough."
"Very well. Then I shall be off."
Already?
There were still about 20 minutes left before the promised 30 minutes with the secretary passed, yet as I tilted my head seeing the Principal already stand up from his seat, he gave a grin, climbed onto his personal desk, and lifted the rectangular tile covering the ceiling.
Then, the tile that should have been fixed in place opened, revealing an empty space.
"Huh?"
"Shh. Please keep this a secret. Ah, you may eat all the refreshments, so rest during the remaining time before you leave. Our sofa isn't just any ordinary sofa, so it will be comfortable."
Grinning mischievously, the Principal slipped inside beyond the ceiling.
And as the ceiling tile returned to its original position, the Principal vanished without a trace, leaving only his drained teacup as evidence.
Is he really allowed to do that?
How is he going to face his secretary later?
Various questions came to mind, but tattling on this felt awkward too, so I quietly sat and ate the tea and refreshments.
"It certainly is a nice sofa."
"Maria eonni."
"If I get the chance later, I should find out which brand it is."
Maria eonni, who had been standing quietly behind me until now, was suddenly sitting next to me.
I spent time chatting idly with eonni, and when the promised time arrived precisely, the secretary opened the door and walked in.
She scanned the inside of the room left and right, then nodded and spoke.
"Did Principal-nim run away?"
"Yees."
"He must have asked you to keep it a secret as he left."
"Thaaat's right?"
As if this wasn't the first or second time he had run away, the secretary, who immediately saw through the whole situation, pulled a device out from her bosom, where something's location was being displayed as a red dot.
Is that... by any chance what I think it is?
"It seems he hasn't managed to run far."
"I-Is that so?"
"Well, even if he runs far, he cannot escape the palm of my hand."
As expected. That red dot must have been a location tracking device displaying the Principal's location, just as I thought.
There was no way the Principal put that on voluntarily, so she must have attached it secretly.
Raising only one corner of her mouth, the secretary, displaying a twisted smile that chilled even me to the bone, pulled out her smartphone and dialed somewhere.
"The target is fleeing past the practical erosion zone near the back of the academy high school division grounds. Release the hounds."
"Gasp!"
"Fufufu, trying to escape my hands? You are still ten thousand years too early."
Hyaljjak
Licking her red lips like a beast before its prey, the secretary turned around to immediately head out and pursue the Principal, then casually turned her head to look over here.
"Next time, I will see you again as a teacher... Student Han Sia."
"Y-Yes!"
"Fufu, then I must be off to catch the pig that escaped its cage."
The secretary... who turned out to be a teacher, left the room, but I was still trembling in fear as I spoke to Maria eonni beside me.
"That was totally scary. Is it really okay for me to attend this place?"
"Teacher Kim Sujin was famous as a demon instructor even back when I attended the academy."
"A-Ah, you knew her?"
"Of course. I attended here until last year, after all."
"If you knew, you should have told me in advance."
"Ahaha, the academy has its own fun in finding out things one by one by yourself."
Maria eonni gently patted my head as I grumbled, and after some thought, she gave me one piece of information about the academy.
"Ah, but you'd better be careful not to fail."
"Why? Do you get expelled or something?"
"No. If you fail, you end up taking supplementary lessons with Teacher Kim Sujin... and every single kid who went through it threw a fit whenever they saw Teacher Kim Sujin and called her 'Master'."
Heeek!
It seemed the academy was a far more dangerous place than I had thought.
I felt a bit worried about my upcoming academy life.
And as time passed, before I knew it, the day of transferring into the academy drew right around the corner.