Rumor (2)
Rumor (2)
While Baek Ha-na was on top of Kang Seok-ho, driving her fists into him without pause, Idni—who had been watching from some distance away—recoiled and spoke.
"Yeesh. Sure glad we let Lee Na-young sleep."
"Right... If Na-young had seen this, she definitely wouldn't have been able to say a word to Ha-na for a while."
Maria agreed, and their gazes naturally turned toward Nam Seo-hee, who was holding the bag stuffed full of chocolates.
Outwardly, her expression was as composed as ever, but the way her legs were trembling below gave away exactly what state she was in.
Seeing this, Idni let out a short sigh.
"You're really something. If you were gonna be like that, why didn't you just go crash into them yourself?"
"......."
Nam Seo-hee's eyes, which had been fixed on the sparring arena, swiveled toward Idni with an audible creak.
"Wh-What. Did I say something I shouldn't have?"
Like a ghost from a horror movie she'd seen as a child, Nam Seo-hee rolled her eyes around eerily and fixed them on Idni. Idni, momentarily forgetting she was an apprentice holy knight, threw her arms around her best friend Maria and glared right back at Nam Seo-hee.
"I get that you're close, but could you maybe tone it down here?"
"Hey!! Look at those eyes!! You see that and still call it getting along?!"
Idni bristled, but Maria just shrugged.
"If Seo-hee really hated you, she wouldn't react at all. The fact that she even gives you that kind of reaction means she thinks of you as a friend."
"...That's a pretty murderous reaction, though."
"If you get it, then let go. And Seo-hee, you—straighten your eyes out."
Maria peeled the clinging Idni off of her, and Nam Seo-hee stopped glaring at Idni. Her legs, however, kept trembling.
"It's over."
"It's been over for a while."
Maria and Idni both rose from their seats as they watched the proctor step up onto the sparring arena.
"Hey, Nam Seo-hee. Quit moping and get up. If Ha-na was really mad at you, she wouldn't have taken that chocolate you gave her earlier."
Nam Seo-hee's trembling legs stopped dead.
She then turned, not to Idni, but to Maria.
"Is that true?"
"It's true. If Ha-na had actually been angry, would she have brought you here in the first place?"
"...Ah."
Her face didn't change, but the overall air around Nam Seo-hee lightened as she stood up.
"I was the one who said it, so why are you asking Maria?!"
"Yeah, yeah. I get it. Let's head down."
"Look at this brat, digging in her ear right in front of me!"
"Sure, sure. I get it, so be quiet. You're being a nuisance."
Caught between Idni and Nam Seo-hee, Maria exhaled softly and slowly scanned the surroundings.
It was nearly evening, and with course registration ending tomorrow, the area was practically deserted compared to a few days ago.
But being deserted also meant that the people who were still here stood out more. A few of them had been watching the decisive showdown between Baek Ha-na and Kang Seok-ho closely, and now they were frantically tapping at their smartphones and smartwatches.
'Good. It doesn't look like anyone recorded video.'
Claire had instructed Maria to make sure Baek Ha-na's name didn't end up circulating too much on the community boards or among other students. So this whole situation was far from welcome.
The Iron Knight Guild. Even among the Top 10 Guilds, it ranked solidly in the upper tiers when measured by sheer combat strength.
And the person who had just been mounted on the ground and beaten in the face without being able to put up any proper resistance—that was Kang Seok-ho, the youngest son of Iron Knight Guild Master Kang Min-ho.
The first years hadn't yet produced any real performance metrics, so anyone who didn't know better could've passed it off as simple bad luck in matchups. Unfortunately, it seemed a few students here had recognized Kang Seok-ho.
Those people would take what they'd witnessed here and post about it on the community boards or spread the word to their contacts...
'But it's not at the level where I need to start worrying yet.'
Wherever people gather, factions form and conflict follows. If there were video, that would be one thing. As it was, if it was only text posts, most people would dismiss them as slander meant to drag someone's reputation through the mud.
After all, the Top 10 Guilds weren't all on friendly terms with one another.
And the lower a guild was in the rankings—where positions shifted every year and new names clawed their way in—the more those above them wanted to pull them down.
"You two head out first with Ha-na."
"Huh? Why. Something up?"
When Maria changed direction, Idni turned to ask.
"I'm going to check on that first."
"Do you have to? Whatever. Suit yourself."
Idni, along with Nam Seo-hee, headed over toward Baek Ha-na.
Maria waved lightly toward Baek Ha-na, who had glanced at her. Even with her face set hard, Baek Ha-na gave a small wave back.
The three of them exited the sparring arena.
Now alone, Maria approached Kang Han-na, who was coming down with the unconscious Kang Seok-ho slung over her shoulder like a sack of rice.
"Would you mind if I gave you a hand?"
"It's not quite bad enough to need holy power... but if you're offering."
Kang Han-na still had the next Cession Battle to get to, so she put the troublesome baggage down in front of Maria and turned away.
"Then I'll leave it to you."
"Yes. I'll get him awake and send him on his way."
Once Kang Han-na returned to her designated zone, Maria crouched down and checked Kang Seok-ho's condition.
"Aside from the nosebleed, it doesn't look like anything serious."
There was some swelling under both cheekbones, but for someone who had lost consciousness, the bruising was on the mild side.
With that assessment, Maria wrapped holy power around her hand and slapped Kang Seok-ho's cheeks several times in quick, light succession.
Smack! Smack!
With those sharp sounds, the swelling in Kang Seok-ho's cheeks began to subside bit by bit.
"Ugh, guhh..."
Smack! Crak!
"Guhk...!"
Craaak—
"Stop!! I-I'm awake! Why do you keep hitting me?!"
"Oh, my. I'm sorry."
Maria gave an impish smile and stood up, looking at Kang Seok-ho, who had bolted upright with his eyes wide open.
"...Your methods are a bit rough... but thank you for the treatment."
"Not at all. It's basic conduct for a priestess."
Maria gently rested a hand on Kang Seok-ho's shoulder as he touched his cheek and tried to get up.
"Shall we have a quick chat?"
"......?"
After all, if the person involved admitted to everything, nothing could be more troublesome.
**
"...I'm back."
Having parted ways with her friends along the way, Baek Ha-na opened the mansion door and stepped inside. Her eyes swept across the floor where the shoes were kept.
A pair of jet-black dress shoes entered Baek Ha-na's clear vision.
Twitch—
Then, as she took off her own shoes and slipped into slippers, she checked the coat rack.
A single black coat hung there—the one Baek Woo-jin wore.
The corners of Baek Ha-na's mouth curved upward in a long arc.
"Woo-jin~"
The voice that had been dragging with fatigue just moments ago instantly regained its energy.
Hm~ hm-hm~
Humming to herself, Baek Ha-na slowly made her way toward the study where Baek Woo-jin would be. Cautiously, she pushed open the firmly shut door and poked her head through the gap.
Scratch-scratch.
Along with a scent that soothed the heart, the sound of Baek Woo-jin's pen moving across paper reached her.
That person, sitting at the study desk with the fading sunset at his back, writing something down again today.
"...Can I come in?"
Clack.
Baek Woo-jin set down his pen and raised his head.
"Come here."
"Huh? Ah, okay."
When Baek Woo-jin actually gestured for her, Baek Ha-na fumbled for a moment, then shuffled in, shut the door, and made her way over to him.
"Your hands."
"My hands...?"
Baek Ha-na tilted her head at the sudden request but nonetheless held out both of her palms, opened wide.
"The backs."
"Here— ...Ah."
The moment she flipped her hands over and saw her own knuckles, Baek Ha-na flinched and tried to pull them back. But Baek Woo-jin caught her hand far faster than she could retreat.
"I-I, um..."
Baek Ha-na chewed her lip and fidgeted as Baek Woo-jin, silent, gazed at her hand—swollen red, the skin broken in several spots.
After a long while of staring at Baek Ha-na's torn-up knuckles, Baek Woo-jin lifted his head and asked,
"What happened to the gloves?"
"...They're in my inner pocket..."
The gloves Baek Woo-jin had gifted her.
Their purpose was to protect her hands. But Baek Ha-na, unwilling to see a present from Baek Woo-jin get ruined, had never once used them. She kept them close to her heart at all times instead.
"Baek Ha-na."
"...Yes."
Baek Woo-jin released the hand he'd been holding.
"I'm grateful that you treasure what I've given you."
"......."
Gently—
Baek Woo-jin's large hand covered the back of Baek Ha-na's.
"But just as you treasure the gifts I've given you."
The throbbing pain she'd felt from the moment she realized she was injured began to fade away.
"I hope you understand that I treasure you just the same."
When Baek Woo-jin withdrew his hand, the back of Baek Ha-na's hand had returned to the pristine, fair state it had been before she left the mansion.
"Baek Ha-na."
"...Yes."
"If something is given to you to use—use it."
"...Okay."
Baek Ha-na gave a shy nod, then immediately sprang forward and threw her arms around Baek Woo-jin.
Because if she didn't, she'd have to show him a face that felt like it was about to combust from sheer heat.
Face buried in Baek Woo-jin's shoulder, feeling his warmth, Baek Ha-na's eyebrows twitched.
From his embrace, which until now had carried only his scent, came the familiar trace of a woman's—
"Baek Ha-na."
"Y-Yes?"
At Baek Woo-jin's call, Baek Ha-na flinched and lifted her head with a start.
"Have you finished your course registration?"
"Huh? Oh, no. Not yet... I was going to do it today when I got back."
The required subjects were automatically added to the timetable even without separate registration, so she'd planned to fill in the rest of her schedule with whatever elective slots were still available.
But what Baek Woo-jin said next made Baek Ha-na's eyes go wide.
"Some lectures require weekend attendance, so make sure you check carefully before registering."
"...Huh?"
Weekend attendance.
That was the first she'd heard of it.
"There are also courses that assign tasks requiring off-campus work. Those will inevitably require weekend outings and overnight stays. Since it seems you weren't aware of the overnight leave application process, I'm telling you in advance—go back and look into it carefully, then register accordingly."
"O-Oh... okay."
Time she could spend with Baek Woo-jin—stolen from her.
That was absolutely unacceptable.
The moment she got back, she'd have to grab Lee Na-young and get her help choosing subjects.
"Dinner?"
"Haven't eaten."
"I'll prepare it, so rest. Take a shower or something."
Baek Woo-jin stood up with Baek Ha-na still in his arms, and her legs naturally dangled down.
Softly—
Baek Ha-na unwound her arms from around Baek Woo-jin's neck, her hands sliding down his chest.
"I'll help too."
"...Alright."
Baek Ha-na went with Baek Woo-jin to the kitchen, and the two of them put on matching aprons and prepared dinner together.
"So, there's this girl named Lee Na-young..."
Pressed up against Baek Woo-jin's side as they ate, Baek Ha-na talked without pause, recounting everything that had happened over just the past five days. Baek Woo-jin listened to it all in silence.
"I'll see you tomorrow!!"
"Curfew's soon. Get back quickly."
"Okay~ Goodnight!"
Baek Ha-na promised to see him tomorrow and hurried back to the dormitory.
And the next day.
"A C-Cession battle!!"
She ran around frantically, fighting to claim spots in the courses she wanted.
Somehow, she managed to complete her timetable.
"G'Goodnight."
"Mmgh..."
And just like that, Baek Ha-na's weekend came to an end.
**
Monday morning. The day lectures officially began.
On the Arena Academy community board, a post with an attached photo went up.
[Any little shits still want to call this a baseless rumor?]
Posted by: 3rd Year
(Photo)
Walking in to work arm-in-arm like this when there's supposedly nothing going on?
Fucking prove me wrong and that just proves I'm right, you dickheads.
Don't even try arguing unless you want your skulls cracked.
The single photo attached to the post rocketed to the top of the issue board in an instant.
"...Did I just do all that work for nothing?"
Maria scratched her head, staring at the photo of Claire linking arms with Baek Woo-jin.