Huh?
Huh?
The heir's life would be forfeit.
A declaration as arrogant as it was absolute.
"You......."
His form was that of a boy, but the energy rising from him was nothing a child his age should possess.
Two gleaming eyes.
A rippling blue light.
It was the face of a madman teetering on the edge of frenzy, and Claire's brow furrowed at the sight.
"The Analyst."
The boy, Sean Connery, nodded faintly and murmured.
"I thought you would recognize the name."
"You were dead."
"As you can see."
His tone was composed, but the sharp blue mana still blazed in Sean's eyes.
"I am bound by contract and cannot satisfy every curiosity. So, take what you see at face value. I am not dead—merely rejuvenated. That shall suffice."
"...Not an artifact, then. A fortuitous encounter."
At Claire's murmur, Sean gave a smile too knowing for a child.
It was also a sign that he could not share the truth.
Sean Connery.
Famous under the alias Analyst, he was a unique Awakened who had manifested the ability to discern and interpret the essence of anything he laid eyes on, though the process took time.
Discernment and interpretation.
Both were indispensable for raiding Rifts, and when it came to analyzing the structure of new monsters and Rifts, Sean's ability was unrivaled and absolute.
At the same time, he was a wanderer who constantly sought new knowledge to sate his thirst for discovery. Fifteen years ago, he had joined the raid party for the world's first 13th Stage Rift and perished.
Every single survivor who returned from that raid confirmed Sean's death without exception, and his passing had been declared to the world as established truth. Yet.......
"Perhaps it is because my body has grown young again, but my patience is not what it once was. Shall we proceed to the matter at hand?"
The madman presumed dead was alive, and as ever, he held the leash of those thirsting for knowledge.
Claire nodded at his suggestion.
"I assume you are aware of the situation."
"......?"
The boy tilted his head, then turned to Jaden beside him.
"Worthless disciple. Did you perhaps forget to pass along a message?"
"I did not."
"Did you?"
Jaden nodded and addressed Claire.
"Vice-Professor. Professor Baek instructed me only to summon my master. It appears a general summary will have to come from you."
"Understood."
The matter was straightforward, so Claire succinctly recounted the previous day's events to the four individuals now looking at her.
"In other words, we only need to recreate the incident and restore the damaged facility?"
"Correct."
"Heh-heh."
Sean, having received his task, chuckled like an old man.
"Let us go at once."
He sprang to his feet with an expression that said the job was utterly beneath him.
Jaden, standing beside him, frowned immediately.
"Master. I do not believe this is a matter to be decided so flippantly."
"Why? What is the issue? With these two, it could be resolved in the blink of an eye."
"You could end up making an enemy of the Luck Faction, for one—"
Whack—!!
"Gahk!!"
An ancient wooden staff, appearing from gods-know-where, cracked down cleanly on the crown of Jaden's head. Sean twirled the staff in the air as he spoke.
"Heh-heh. I send you to investigate barriers, and you return utterly bereft of sense. Heh-heh-heh......."
The corners of the boy's eyes quivered with visible fury.
Jaden, belatedly realizing his mistake, stretched out his hands in haste.
"M-Master! Being an Academy professor involves a great many considerations!!"
"That is your concern as a professor. Not mine."
Whoosh—!!
The ancient wooden staff cut through the air once more.
"Gak—?!"
It shattered Jaden's wide-spread Mana Shield with ease and struck his head again, sending him sprawling face-first onto the floor.
Sean glared down at his unconscious disciple, a sizeable lump already forming on the crown of his head, and clicked his tongue.
"Let us go."
"...Wait here. I will confirm whether we can assemble the relevant personnel."
Claire took out her smartphone and exited the lab.
Sean prodded his disciple, who lay motionless as a corpse, with the tip of his staff.
"Get up if you don't want another."
"...I am well past the age where this is appropriate."
"And? Do you now possess more knowledge than me?"
"......."
Under his master's mockery, Jaden pushed himself upright, rubbing the top of his head.
"The one you call Professor Baek. He is the one who summoned me, correct?"
"Yes. He is."
"Then what is the nature of Professor Baek's relationship with the Executor?"
"Recent rumors of cohabitation make it all but certain they are lovers."
"Hmm. Is that so."
Sean stroked his smooth chin, his eyes narrowing.
"Robert."
"Yes, Tower Lord."
The former Chief Investigator and the greatest living authority on psychometry.
Sean tucked the hovering staff into a fold of space as he spoke.
"He summoned me for such a trivial matter."
"So I see."
An unsettling smile traced across the boy's lips.
"Handle it well. See that the client leaves satisfied."
"Of course. If it means gazing upon that gleaming Crystal once more."
"Indeed."
The instant their exchange ended, the lab door opened as if on cue.
Claire, who had stepped out moments earlier, stood in the doorway and jerked her chin upward.
The four followed her out of the research building in silence.
**
Early lunch.
Inside the dorm room Baek Ha-na shared with Lee Na-young, the warm midday sun was slanting lazily through the window.
"This whole mess is because of that bitch, Nam Seo-hee."
"It's because you threw the first punch."
"Both of you, shut your mouths for a second?"
Idni and Nam Seo-hee had been glaring at each other across the table until Maria raised her hand. Both looked away instantly and fell silent.
"St-Still, a very important person came, so won't it be resolved well?"
Lee Na-young, cradled like a doll in Baek Ha-na's arms, fidgeted with her fingers. It was the first time she had voiced her opinion all day.
"Na-young."
"Y-Yeah?"
"In reality, things rarely resolve themselves peacefully like in 'The Guild'."
"S-Sorry......."
Lee Na-young's face fell. Baek Ha-na, who had been holding her like a stuffed toy, rested her chin on the girl's head.
"Why are you making Na-young feel bad."
"I'm only stating reality. And why does the actual culprit here look so relaxed since yesterday? Hmm?"
"Mm-mm."
Maria had stayed up into the early morning racking her brain over this mess, and here Ha-na was, blinking at her with a brighter face than the day before. Maria reached out and pinched both of Ha-na's cheeks, stretching them.
"Don't tell me you're thinking everything will be settled as long as the Executor gets involved."
"I'm not."
"Then why do you look so utterly carefree, hmm~?"
"Mm, just because."
Baek Ha-na rubbed her pinched cheeks and let out a small laugh.
She had gone through something similar in the past.
This incident was not so different from that one.
Her respected big sis had stepped in for her back then, and so that person, without a doubt, was watching over her somewhere now, too.
Just thinking that much eased the pressure in her chest and filled her with a gentle warmth. At the same time, she understood her own heart a little more clearly.
Ultimately, she—
"Ha-na?"
"......?"
Her body shook, jolting her back to awareness. Baek Ha-na turned her head, her eyes slightly unfocused.
Maria stood beside her, hand on her shoulder, brow furrowed.
"You're not pretending to be okay when you're really not, right?"
"Huh? No. Really. I'm okay."
"Then why are you spacing out like that. It makes me worry."
"Sorry. So what is it?"
At Baek Ha-na's question, Maria narrowed her eyes and pressed a hand to Ha-na's forehead.
"No fever... You're really okay?"
"I said I'm okay."
"...Fine. Get up, then. An official notice just came in. Everyone involved yesterday is to assemble in front of the Training Room."
"Ah, I see."
Baek Ha-na set Lee Na-young down and rose to her feet.
"Na-young, I think you should rest."
"N-No. I'll g-go too."
"It's fine."
Baek Ha-na looked at the dark circles just beginning to fade under Na-young's eyes, then turned the girl around and gently nudged her toward the bed.
"Sleep in while you can. We'll grab dinner together later."
"S-Still......."
"Lee Na-young."
"...Okay."
Only after Baek Ha-na put on a slightly stern face did Lee Na-young obediently climb into bed.
"I'll be back."
"...Stay safe."
The four left Lee Na-young in the room and walked out of the dormitory.
"I heard this morning that Ian McKellen and Robert showed up."
"They're acquaintances of Professor Jaden."
"......No way. Think there's a chance they'd help us?"
"Do you really think so? The gossip about him and Professor Baek being on bad terms is so widespread."
The incident where Jaden had declared a Cession Battle at the all-faculty assembly—the very gathering where Baek Woo-jin first introduced himself—was infamous to the point that finding a student who hadn't heard of it was harder than finding one who had.
"More importantly, Seo-hee."
"...Yeah?"
At Baek Ha-na's call, Nam Seo-hee, who had been a little subdued, looked up quickly.
"Are you okay?"
"...With what?"
"You guys all know each other."
"......Ah."
Nam Seo-hee understood what Ha-na was worried about and nodded.
"I'm fine. We just knew each other by face and name. And something like this won't sour relations between the guilds."
"...Really?"
"Really. It's not like any of us are their only child."
Her words were reassuring, but the truth was that even Nam Seo-hee could not predict how the political landscape among the guilds would shift because of this.
Still, she had said she was fine because she was certain that no matter how the landscape changed, the impact on Changgung would be negligible.
"Looks like we're the last ones."
"...Seems that way."
Maria nodded at Idni's remark.
A little more than ten people had gathered in front of the Training Room, the one whose second floor had collapsed. Among them were the Top 10 guild scions Baek Ha-na and Nam Seo-hee had just spoken of, as well as the apprentice priest of the Luck God—the ringleader of this whole mess—and the official overseeing him.
-Run.
"Y-Yes!!"
"We're sorry!!"
Claire's call, carrying an irresistible force, sent Idni and Maria into a panicked sprint. Baek Ha-na and Nam Seo-hee moved to match their pace.
"Is everyone here?"
The middle-aged blonde man, Ian McKellen, asked Claire.
Claire's gaze swept over the assembled faces one by one.
The Top 10 guild scions, failing to hide their anxiety.
The Luck God's apprentice priest, deathly pale alongside his High Priest.
The head of the Finance Department, who happened to be on duty, and Jaden Martel, who would serve as notary.
"Begin."
"Very well."
Ian placed his hand against the Training Room wall.
"Whoa......."
"That's amazing."
In a space where everyone else stood frozen, the two most directly involved in the incident—Baek Ha-na and Idni—watched the phenomenon unfolding before them with genuine wonder.
Click. Clack-clack-clack.
Rumble.
The shattered debris and collapsed wreckage rose into the air, then flew back into the broken gaps as if time itself were rewinding.
"Ahh. An Academy is an Academy. They've engraved some decent spell formulas here."
Ian, having perfectly restored the Training Room, stepped back with a short exhale.
"Let's go inside."
"Ah, yes. Everyone, please enter."
Claire led the way, and Kim Seong-won followed with the rest of the group as they ascended to the second floor where the problem had occurred.
"Is it my turn?"
Robert, who had been standing beside Jaden, stepped forward.
Watching from behind, Idni prodded Maria's side.
-...Why did they say those two would help?
-How should I know?
-......I feel like the Executor is going to kill us later.
-If you know, then shut up.
Right beside them.
-Is he famous?
-Yeah. He's the most outstanding person in this field.
-I see.
Baek Ha-na, utterly unconcerned, was whispering with Nam Seo-hee.
"It's been some time since I've used my ability somewhere other than an active scene."
Robert spread both hands.
A soft mana radiated from his palms and swiftly enveloped the space.
What happened next was astonishing.
The entire second floor was overlaid in gray, and multicolored particles flickered into view. As Robert moved his hands, the scattered particles coalesced into groups matching their colors.
The slowly clustering particles gradually took on human shape, soon transforming into over a dozen students.
"I've rewound to the point when these children entered."
"Play it back."
"Will do."
Snap—!
The moment Robert snapped his fingers, the mana-constructed students began to move. They lunged at one another with drawn blades, brawling fiercely.
One student fell with a sword cut to the shoulder, and Na Min-seo, the apprentice priest, stepped forward to heal the boy.
Just then, Idni's mana pushed through the crowd and strode onto the stage.
Na Min-seo finished her healing and stood up.
Snap—!!
Robert snapped his fingers again and halted the replay.
"So this is the scene in question."
"That is what I was told."
"Let's have a look."
Robert stood before the re-created entity constructed from Na Min-seo's mana and extended his hand once more, releasing his power.
Color began to flood into the pale yellow form of Na Min-seo's replica.
Pure white clerical vestments. Brown hair. And apricot-toned skin.
"Now, once more."
Snap—!!
The paused re-creations began moving again.
The figures of Na Min-seo and Idni faced each other.
And through the once-silent Training Room, Na Min-seo's voice rang out with terrible clarity.
[So, you're shacking up with that Executor guy?]
[She always acted too high and mighty for the rest of the world, but turns out that bitch is just a bitch after all.]
[Posing like she'd devote herself to the gods forever, then falling for some deadbeat nobody and skipping out on official functions. Well, we certainly had it easier thanks to her.]
[Ah, and these days, the rumor is they're living together.]
[Rumors like that don't come from nowhere, right? Who knows, maybe right this minute she's rolling around in bed with that no-name professor nobody's ever heard—]
Smack—!!
Idni's fist connected squarely with Na Min-seo's face.
The replay halted.
In the deeply frozen atmosphere.
Maria, her face flushed bright red, grabbed Idni's hand and squeezed it tight as she whispered.
-She really said all that?
To hear such words and throw only a single punch.
For the first time, Maria was shocked by Idni's restraint—and sorry.
-Idni?
-Huh?
Maria noticed something off about her friend's reaction and asked.
-Is there a part missing?
-Huh? No. No, there isn't. Yeah. Nothing's missing.
Idni shook her head, swallowing hard.
'Just keep your fucking mouth shut.'
Something about this situation felt deeply wrong.