A Kind Heart
A Kind Heart
The walk from the auditorium to the party venue.
Keeping about a step of distance behind Baek Woo-jin, Jaden cautiously spoke up.
"Professor."
"What."
At the single word, dripping with obvious annoyance, Jaden flinched involuntarily.
"Ahem, well, if you'd just give the order, I'll look into who made contact with Ben Stiller."
"Don't bother. I already know."
"...Pardon?"
Jaden, who had been hoping to use this chance to demonstrate how much more useful he and the Clock Tower could be, blinked.
"R-Really?"
"Do I look like I'm in the habit of trading jokes with you?"
"No, no sir. Not at all. Yes."
As Baek Woo-jin's head began to turn slightly, Jaden hurriedly slowed his pace and shook his head like mad.
"Then... may I ask who it is?"
"You don't need to know. More importantly, this."
"Huh?"
Jaden caught the object flying at him with mana.
"This is...?"
He tilted his head, looking at Baek Woo-jin's shattered smartphone.
"Get me the same model."
"Yes? Ah, yes..."
Judging by its size and the rear camera, it looked like quite an old model, but procuring one wouldn't be difficult.
"Um, what should I do about the data inside?"
"There's nothing on it. Dispose of it yourself."
"Yep."
Come to think of it, he recalled that the absolute being before him always handed out handwritten and photocopied materials during his lectures; even when Kim Seong-won and other executive-level personnel reported to him, they always had to prepare and submit physical documents.
'He must have his reasons.'
Every little thing made him curious, and he wanted to ask for answers, but Jaden knew doing that would get him sent flying off somewhere far away again, so he clamped his mouth shut and carefully slipped the floating smartphone into his inner pocket.
"So... aside from securing a smartphone, are there any other orders?"
"Handle things so those political bastards don't bother me."
"Er, well, couldn't you perhaps have a word with the Chairman as well? Although I am indeed a professor at Arena Academy, my nationality is still British, so..."
"If I can get in touch with him, I'll pass that along."
"Mmm..."
That bloody Chairman.
He ought to stay put and sit solidly in his position, as befits his rank.
Why the hell is he always off wandering around looking for rifts?
For the first time, Jaden, who had always held such deep respect for the Chairman, resented him.
"It sounds lively."
Through the wide-open doors of the party hall, brilliant light and a chorus of voices spilled out.
"But if we enter like this, everyone's attention will be drawn. Are you alright with that?"
"Quiet. Just walk."
"Yep..."
At the weight in Baek Woo-jin's voice, Jaden promptly fell silent.
'...?'
Following Baek Woo-jin up the stairs, Jaden blinked at the reaction of the royal guards standing by the entrance to secure the party hall.
They should at least have shifted their eyes to check his bracelet, but even now that he was right in front of them, they stared straight ahead as if he were completely invisible.
But his puzzlement lasted only a moment.
-On that stage, I will prove that you used underhanded methods to rise to the throne!!
At the voice of the girl, laced with a fair amount of mana, Jaden's gaze turned in that direction. And he frowned.
A woman with flowing, radiant blonde hair was glaring at Baek Ha-na and shouting.
"Professor."
"Leave it be."
"...Yes."
-I-seul. Don't worry. I will make your grievance known in your stead.
-...I get it, so can you please just go?
The winner of the last Festival, the unshakable 1st Seat of F.A. (First Academy), the Student Council President—
and an ability-type Awakened who wields light, the polar opposite of Yoon I-seul's power.
'Jane Moore.'
Recalling her personality, Jaden easily deduced that this situation had been born from Jane Moore's misunderstanding.
"Jaden."
"Ah, yes."
Jaden, who had been walking while watching the standoff between the students, quickly turned his head.
"Get me a smartphone I can use to make a call right now."
"...Yep."
Jaden quietly set off into the party hall to find Kang Han-na.
**
Before Baek Woo-jin and Jaden arrived.
"Lady Ha-na, please try this one too!!"
"Ah, uh, o-okay..."
"I'd appreciate it if you paid some attention to this side too."
"I know, right."
Watching Baek Ha-na being surrounded by female students from other schools and fed all sorts of things, Nam Seo-hee subtly took out her smartphone.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
And she pressed the button, capturing only Baek Ha-na's face in perfect focus.
"Isn't that secretly filming someone?"
"I'll show her later, so don't worry about it."
Keeping a thorough distance from Yoon I-seul, Nam Seo-hee continued to take pictures.
She had meant it as something of a joke, but at Nam Seo-hee's utterly cold response, Yoon I-seul gave a bitter smile.
"Our King truly is popular."
"You were staring at her in the hotel, totally mesmerized, senior."
"Fufu, I was."
Objectively speaking, even to other women, Baek Ha-na looked far cooler than most of the male students here.
"But don't misunderstand me. I was only thinking about what clothes might suit Miss Ha-na better."
"For two whole hours."
"My concentration is just a bit on the high side."
"I'll take your word for it."
"It really is rather high."
Nam Seo-hee and Yoon I-seul exchanged words rapidly, not once meeting each other's eyes. Na Ju-hee, who had been watching this from the side, frowned, one eye twitching.
"Why don't you two just go at it cleanly, once?"
"Shut up."
"Butt in where you belong, then."
"..."
Under the force of the two, who looked ready to draw swords and fling shadows any second, Na Ju-hee flinched, then promptly crumpled her face and stalked off toward the table where the snacks were laid out.
"I think it's about time we pulled her away, don't you?"
"What a coincidence. I was thinking the same."
Over an hour had passed since they arrived at the party.
While Yoon I-seul's thoughts differed slightly, by Nam Seo-hee's estimation, she had conceded an excessive amount of time to students she didn't even know.
Their reasons differed, but sharing the common goal of taking Baek Ha-na back, the two moved.
"Excuse me."
Just then, a female student in a red dress approached.
And Yoon I-seul, recognizing her identity, turned and blocked the path of the girl heading for Baek Ha-na.
"I-seul. It's been a while."
"It has. Jane."
Jane Moore.
A student in her own grade, and a powerhouse who had defeated her every year from their first year right up until last year.
"May I ask what brings you here?"
"I-seul. I have something to say to your King."
"If it's alright, could you tell me? I'll deliver the message."
"No. I can't do that."
The corner of Yoon I-seul's eye twitched.
She loved the strong, but she was reluctant to get any closer than necessary to this particular opponent.
"I will reveal to the world the darkness cast over Arena Academy."
"Haa... You do remember I'm a darkness ability user, right?"
Because, as she was seeing right now, despite her skill, the girl was painfully simple-minded and possessed a spectacularly stubborn, insufferable personality that refused to believe anything she hadn't personally witnessed with her own eyes.
'She's not a bad person at heart, though...'
Yoon I-seul grabbed Jane Moore's hand, intending to lead her out before trouble could brew. And instantly regretted it.
"Baek Ha-na!!"
The voice of Jane Moore resounded thunderously.
"Confess your sins!!"
...She should have covered her mouth, not grabbed her hand.
**
"Understood."
-Yes. And, Mister Woo-jin...?
Claire's voice coming through the speaker trembled faintly.
-...The children seemed uncomfortable, so I booked a separate room for them. The little one will be staying there tonight as well...
"Good."
-W-Well then...
After the connection ended, I deactivated the soundproof barrier and returned the smartphone to Kang Han-na, who stood at rigid attention.
"Thank you."
"Not at all!!"
Ignoring the gaze that naturally turned toward me, I moved forward.
[ Thank you for your patience! We will now begin the group draw!! ]
The second-floor railing.
From there, I looked down at the small podium set up below.
[ Alright, would the representatives please come forward, write your school's name on this sphere, and then place it into this box! Thank you! ]
Following the host's guidance, the thirty representatives present here stepped forward.
In that spot, I took in the sight of the two openly glaring at each other.
Baek Ha-na and Jane Moore.
In any playthrough, the two of them inevitably clashed at least once.
【Into the world from which color was fading, a single ray of light appeared.】
【The light, coming from no one knew where nor how, descended to the earth and spoke to a nameless beast shrouded in gray.】
【I'm so sorry I'm late!! There were just so many people being difficult!! I'll buy you as much time as I can, so focus on recovering!!】
【The light, no, the Saint of Light, threw the luggage she had brought to the nameless beast and threw herself into the colorless city.】
The Saint of Light, also known as the Madwoman: Jane Moore.
Like Claire, she is a character who remains constant even across hundreds of playthroughs.
And she was also the sole helper who invariably appeared to buy time for recovery whenever Baek Ha-na faced a crisis involving Void.
Of course, Jane Moore, who bought that time, was returned to nothingness by Void without a single exception.
The reason Jane Moore helps Baek Ha-na is simple.
Because to anyone's eyes, Void is an evil that will destroy the world, and Baek Ha-na, who fights against it, is justice.
Jane Moore.
She is different from the hypocrites who only preach justice with words.
She is the real thing, who throws even her own life away without hesitation for what she believes is right, and that is why she is called the Madwoman in the story.
If Jane Moore had failed to awaken her abilities, her personality would have certainly isolated her from everyone else.
And by my own standards, Jane Moore is an annoying personality I would absolutely never keep around. Yet Jane Moore is an existence that will definitely benefit Baek Ha-na.
'It's something that'll resolve itself quickly even if left alone, but...'
The reason Jane Moore is hostile to Baek Ha-na is exceedingly simple.
Part of it is that, without knowing today's results, she thought I had pulled some kind of trick on Ben Stiller, but the fundamental reason is that Baek Ha-na's outwardly visible mana seems pitifully small compared to Yoon I-seul's.
In other words, she thinks that Baek Ha-na, lacking the skill, sits upon the throne, and therefore must have used unfair means to push Yoon I-seul aside.
'The sooner, the better.'
Jane Moore reached her hand into the box containing the thirty spheres. She rummaged around roughly for a moment before grabbing and pulling out a single sphere.
The host took the sphere clutched in Jane Moore's hand, then displayed it to the students and announced.
[ First Academy's first opponent will be Arena Academy!! ]