Rumor (1) - Edited
Rumor (1) - Edited
"Well then... I'm off...."
Having skipped lunch as well, Baek Ha-na trudged out the front door with a white wrapping cloth draped over her head.
Click.
As the door closed, I turned around. Claire, who had come out with me to see her off, followed and asked,
"Couldn't you still apply for an overnight leave?"
"I could."
With the condition, however, that a professor or academy official—not a student—had to explain the circumstances to the dorm supervisor.
"Then why...?"
"She's long past the age where she needs me to handle that for her."
"Hmm."
Claire quietly followed me until we stood before the study. She spoke again.
"Um, Professor."
"What is it?"
I opened the door and entered. She came in after me, quietly shut the door, and stopped.
I sat in the study chair and regarded her silently as she stood with her back to the door.
The woman who wore a frigid expression before students and professors was now worrying her lip, gauging my mood.
"...It's about Ha-na. I do believe a little indulgence is fine... but the, the intensity seems a bit... excessive. My apologies if I've overstepped...."
Her neatly tied blonde hair slipped slightly downward. Because she had bowed her head to me.
"You haven't overstepped, so lift your head."
"......Yes."
She raised her head slowly, but her blue eyes remained fixed on the floor.
I thought we'd narrowed the distance and built some rapport, yet whenever I saw that side of her, it felt like I'd only been fooling myself.
"If we were unrelated, your point could certainly be misinterpreted, but I don't think any parent would find it odd for a child to cling to them."
"Parent and child... I see."
"Yes."
At the very least, that was still how I saw it.
Claire, having heard my answer, lifted her gaze from the floor and her lips parted slightly.
"Ha-na is...."
But she couldn't finish the sentence and fell silent midway.
After staring at me with a rigid expression for a while, Claire's lips moved again.
"Professor."
"Go on."
"You once said that if I asked for something, you would help without fail, within the realm of possibility."
"I did."
The help I'd received from her over eight years would easily surpass triple digits, even if I only listed the highlights.
"In that case."
Still looking straight at me, she slowly approached. She stopped exactly opposite me, the desk between us, and spoke.
"......There is one favor I wish to ask."
**
A precious day off, which usually came only twice a week. That was what weekends were for.
"Sigh... Assistants and professors are equally busy, it seems."
Kang Han-na, having cleaned out the lunchbox she'd bought earlier that morning in a corner of the sparring arena, let out a deep sigh.
Her life as an assistant under Kim Gyeong-ho had been filled with every sort of menial task. And now, even as a professor thanks to a miraculous opportunity, her daily life hadn't changed much from those days.
She'd barely rested throughout the entire break, writing curriculums for freshman lectures, and had to invest an immense amount of time searching for a suitable rift for off-campus training.
Fortunately, her long tenure as an assistant had made her a veteran at paperwork, allowing her to somehow finish before the semester began. Regrettably, that wasn't the end of what needed doing.
Since she now taught a mandatory course rather than an elective, she had to review each student's entrance exam evaluation to build a rough framework. That was work, too.
The problem was that being a mandatory course meant she couldn't skip out on trial lectures. Ultimately, she'd spent all week lecturing and stayed up nights reviewing student records, unable to sleep properly.
And today, on a weekend, she was on duty, no less.
Unlike professors who commuted, students lived in the dormitories unless they had a special reason not to. To handle incidents those students might cause at any time, ten professors on rotation came in even on weekends. Kang Han-na was one of those ten, and she'd been stuck supervising student Cession Battles from morning until this afternoon.
"How many teams are left?"
She tapped on her smart watch, checking the afternoon schedule once more.
"Six teams... I can eat dinner in the cafeteria."
She put her lunchbox into a bag, tidied up, and stood. The students who'd been waiting for three hours as an anti-cheating measure had finished their meals.
After sorting the bag's contents into the nearby recycling bins, she was heading to her assigned zone when it happened.
"......?"
A sudden chill ran through her, and she looked around. She spotted a group of girls entering the sparring arena.
Hair as white as snow, a lovely cherry-blossom pink, a soothing beige, and a deep black.
The hair colors alone stood out, but all four girls also possessed distinct, beautiful features.
'That girl is....'
The girl with the cool aura that matched her white hair. She'd seen her once at the exam hall. The girl who'd been caught up in the incident caused by the black-haired girl who'd followed her. She hadn't remembered her because she was especially noteworthy; she simply hadn't forgotten because it was a matter the professor who had saved her personally handled.
'She looks displeased.'
Even at the exam hall, her eyes had been somewhat fierce and cold, but today that impression was even stronger. Though, of course, she still looked beautiful.
Kang Han-na changed direction and approached the girls who'd just walked in.
"Are you here for a Cession Battle?"
"......Yes."
At the listless voice that seemed to drain the listener's energy, Kang Han-na asked,
"Name?"
"Baek Ha-na. My schedule is at four."
"Just a moment."
She checked the schedule on her smart watch and nodded.
"Alright. It'll be boring, but sit and wait a while."
"......Yes."
Baek Ha-na answered weakly and trudged off, the three other girls following behind.
'They're really walking on eggshells.'
Kang Han-na watched the three of them walking on eggshells around Baek Ha-na's mood, then headed back to her zone.
**
Kang Seok-ho was the youngest son of Kang Min-ho, guild master of 'Iron Knight,' one of the Top 10 Guilds. He was a classmate of Baek Ha-na and had acted as the representative of the group that approached her yesterday.
Having awakened his ability at fifteen, with potent elixirs and special training from his father, Kang Seok-ho had shown exceptional growth. To prove his growth wasn't an illusion, he graduated top of his class from a specialized school.
This same Kang Seok-ho was now quietly watching Baek Ha-na's group from a distance.
'I feel a bit sorry for Nam Seo-hee.'
Nam Seo-hee, who found social entanglements bothersome, had formed a group. Knowing her personality, he'd guessed she wasn't the leader, but he hadn't expected to see her fussing that much.
Nam Seo-hee, sitting beside the visibly unhappy Baek Ha-na, personally unwrapping the chocolate they'd brought and popping it into Baek Ha-na's mouth. Even a fool could see Nam Seo-hee was one-sidedly courting Baek Ha-na.
'I'll have to apologize to her separately later.'
If they were complete strangers, maybe not. But they'd met several times at gatherings, and the relationship between 'Changgung' and 'Iron Knight' was amicable, so Kang Seok-ho felt the need to apologize for later's sake.
Above all, he'd even used Nam Seo-hee's name yesterday for justification. Even in a place that encouraged competition between students, a group backed by Top 10 Guilds seizing whatever they wanted from just anyone wasn't a good look.
If it were discussed later on forums or external sites, it could tarnish the guild's image. So the method Kang Seok-ho and his group chose was to find a worthy opponent and request a Cession Battle.
And, luckily, Baek Ha-na, who hung around Nam Seo-hee, had been caught.
'Spectators... not many.'
Naturally, on a precious weekend and an important day for finishing up timetables, there weren't many idiots free to watch someone else's fight.
Considering the upcoming grand tournament and Grade Evaluation, hiding one's true skill was wise, so Kang Seok-ho felt some relief at the sparse audience.
He spent time reading special academy issues on his smart watch. Then,
- Baek Ha-na, Kang Seok-ho. To Area A-1.
At the announcement over the speakers, Kang Seok-ho quickly rose and moved.
Kang Han-na, waiting before the sparring arena, addressed Baek Ha-na and Kang Seok-ho as they approached almost simultaneously.
"Help yourself to any weapon you want from the side."
Baek Ha-na climbed onto the sparring arena empty-handed, while Kang Seok-ho picked up a blunt iron sword before joining her.
Once the two stood on the marked line, Kang Han-na spoke.
"We begin when this coin hits the floor."
Normally, a doping test was required, but while checking the schedule, Kang Han-na had learned Kang Seok-ho's affiliation and decided to skip it. She would trust in the Top 10 Guilds' concern for their external image as they vied to outpace each other. Moreover, both had received absurdly high marks on their exams.
"Ready."
Kang Han-na placed the coin on her thumb.
Ping—!!
With a clear sound, the coin flipped into the air.
Kang Seok-ho stared back at Baek Ha-na, who didn't take any stance and simply glared at him with an expressionless face.
'Doesn't look like she plans to forfeit... Is she ignoring me?'
If she'd intended to forfeit, she would have declared it before stepping up, so naturally, her current behavior could only be seen as contempt toward him.
Crunch—!!
Kang Seok-ho's hand clenched with excessive force. He'd planned to hold back a little, for Nam Seo-hee's sake and the upcoming grand tournament, but that notion evaporated.
'I'll end this in one blow.'
No need to even manifest his ability. He would simply crush her with overwhelming mana.
Just as Kang Seok-ho steeled his resolve, the coin Kang Han-na had tossed flashed past between their locked gazes. The small coin drifted downward. Kang Seok-ho focused on the sound, ready to lunge at Baek Ha-na in an instant.
Ting—!!
Baek Ha-na and Kang Seok-ho charged at each other.
'She's fast!!'
The moment the coin struck the floor, beast ears sprouted from the head of the opponent who had shown no readiness. And her speed exceeded his own; the distance closed in a flash.
'If she's a transformation-type, it should be fine....'
He'd intended to avoid the face if possible, but a transformation-type with high durability gave him no reason to hold back. Kang Seok-ho stomped down with his left foot, swinging his sword upward in a diagonal slash.
'Dodge if you can!!'
Wherever she dodged, he could follow up immediately, pivoting on his anchored left foot.
But Baek Ha-na did not dodge. Instead, she opened her tightly shut mouth wide and bit down on his rising blade with her sharp, elongated canines.
Crunch—!!
The sound of tearing metal as the sword shattered into pieces.
"......?!"
At the wholly unexpected turn, Kang Seok-ho's eyes flashed. His hand, now gripping a broken blade, slashed through empty air.
'Shit!!'
He tried to twist away and throw a punch at Baek Ha-na, but she was far quicker to pounce on him.
Wham—!!
With a dull impact, Kang Seok-ho was tackled and crashed to the floor.
"Dammit!!"
Looking up at Baek Ha-na straddling his stomach, Kang Seok-ho swiftly tried to push her off with both arms.
Crrrrush—!!
"Ugh...."
Again, Baek Ha-na was just a bit faster. She pinned his forearms down with her knees and stared down at him with cold eyes.
"Ptui."
Fragments of the shattered sword spilled from her mouth.
'Insane...!!'
He'd believed no classmate could match his mana capacity unless they were an ability-type. Yet right before him was an opponent overwhelming his mana. No matter how much mana he gathered in his arms, they wouldn't budge.
'...So that's why Nam Seo-hee latched on.'
But that was that, and a Cession Battle was a Cession Battle. He acknowledged her strength, but that didn't mean defeat.
Unlike his transformation-type opponent, he hadn't yet manifested his ability.
'Dammit... This is why intel matters.'
In that instant, Kang Seok-ho's muscles swelled, and his skin took on a gray hue. His strength increased, and his outer skin grew harder than steel. The drawback was increased weight and sluggishness, but in this situation, that was a benefit. He put strength into his arms once more.
Crrrrush—!!
'......?'
Even after manifesting his ability, his arms still refused to move. He was realizing something was very wrong when—
"That all?"
"Huh?"
At the voice, so chillingly cold it froze his blood, Kang Seok-ho let out a dumbfounded sound without meaning to. But Baek Ha-na interpreted it differently and raised the fists she'd been toying with.
"No, wai—"
Smack—!!
"......?!"
His outer skin was clearly harder than steel, yet the stinging pain made Kang Seok-ho swallow a gasp.
"Because of you...."
"Wait, I surren—"
Smack—!!
"Geh-urk!!"
"If it weren't for you...."
Smack—!!
"Phoo-huk!!"
"You ruined everything...."
Smack—!!
Smack—!!
Smack—!!
Around the time red liquid began trickling from beneath Kang Seok-ho's nose, over his gray-tinted philtrum.
"Stop!!"
Kang Han-na, who'd been watching from below, hastily climbed up because Kang Seok-ho's legs, which had been flailing in resistance, had gone limp like a corpse's.
"Get off."
"......."
At Kang Han-na's command, Baek Ha-na slowly rose from on top of Kang Seok-ho and stepped aside. Then she glared at the unconscious Kang Seok-ho and muttered quietly.
"...I'll remember... your face...."