Yggdrasil's Forest (1)
Lunchtime on the day Serena publicly announced to the Combat Department students that she was dating Seong Hyun-jin.
"Whoa, that's her, right?"
"Dragon Princess is right there next to him."
"How the hell did he snag her...?"
Seong Hyun-jin was drawing stares that anyone could see were intensely burdensome. Even for him, who usually paid no mind to others' gazes, the overwhelming attention was impossible to ignore.
And the reason was obvious—Serena, plastered right against his side.
That morning, Serena had essentially declared to the entire department that she was going out with Seong Hyun-jin. During breaks between lectures, Combat Department students had been buzzing around busily, and the rumor had spread like wildfire.
They weren't walking arm-in-arm like a lovey-dovey couple while eating, but with the gossip already out there, just sticking close together naturally drew even more eyes.
Seong Hyun-jin wasn't particularly bothered by the excessive interest, but it wasn't exactly pleasant either.
I figured I'd get some attention...
He had expected admiration for his skills after so many students witnessed his spar with Elena the day before. Instead, the focus had shifted in a completely different direction, leaving him a bit disappointed.
Seong Hyun-jin glanced at Serena. Knowing how sensitive she was to stares, he wondered if she was okay.
Surprisingly, though, there was no unease or tension in her expression or eyes. Puzzled, he tilted his head.
"Serena, you good?"
"With what?"
"Everyone's staring like that... You hate attention from people."
Serena flicked her gaze toward him at the question, then popped some cabbage salad into her mouth and chewed before replying.
"...Yeah, if I were alone, it'd be a huge burden. Back then, I probably wouldn't have been able to swallow my food properly."
Serena's lips curved up slightly.
"But with you here, it's fine."
"I haven't done anything special."
"Just being by my side is enough."
Serena whipped her head around to look at him, locking eyes directly and flashing a mischievous smile.
"Do you have any idea how much influence you have on me?"
Caught off guard by her playful grin, Seong Hyun-jin nodded.
"...Yeah, I get it."
Her words tickled his heart, and feeling embarrassed, he buried his head and wolfed down the rest of his meal.
"Junior!"
Just as he finished eating and stood to leave, someone called out to him. The crowd, momentarily distracted by their food, perked up again at the voice.
It was inevitable. The owner of that voice was the female student who had openly shown interest in him before the rumors about him and Serena even started.
"Senior Ciela. What's up?"
Ciela Teraport. She was hands-down the most popular second-year student. If Terastial Academy had a student council like Celestial Academy, everyone said she'd be the undisputed president—the face of the second-years.
"Can you spare some time after classes today?"
"Time? I don't have anything scheduled, but..."
As Seong Hyun-jin looked at her questioningly, Ciela spoke quietly enough for only him and Serena to hear.
"We need to talk to my master about your spirit. Now that we know it's not a Chaos Spirit but an evil spirit, we have to figure out countermeasures."
"Ah."
Seong Hyun-jin nodded and replied in a normal, loud voice, unlike Ciela's whisper.
"Got it. I'll come to your classroom after classes."
"Yeah, sounds good."
Serena didn't feel jealous about this. It was all for Seong Hyun-jin's sake.
But the other students, who only caught the beginning and end of the conversation and missed the middle, interpreted it differently.
In their eyes, Seong Hyun-jin looked like this: a crazy playboy who had the beauty Serena Eldark as his girlfriend and was still making secret plans with Ciela Teraport.
"That crazy bastard."
Someone muttered it aloud, but fortunately, they were far enough away that Seong Hyun-jin didn't hear.
#
After classes ended that day, Seong Hyun-jin headed to the dean's office with Ciela as planned.
"Master, I brought Junior Hyun-jin."
Karin hadn't returned from her lecture yet and wasn't there—only Eleonora was.
"Ah, come on in. How were the lectures? Keeping up after so long?"
"Yes."
As Seong Hyun-jin nodded, Eleonora smiled faintly.
"Thanks for coming without complaint on such short notice."
"No problem. It's about my issue anyway, so of course I'd come."
Eleonora beamed warmly at his humble response.
"Karin may not be perfect in everything else, but she sure taught you manners well when it comes to Seong Hyun-jin. Or maybe it's your past-life memories?"
"It's thanks to my master."
"Hehe, I see."
Eleonora beckoned Seong Hyun-jin closer. As he approached her desk, she spoke softly.
"Seong Hyun-jin, it's confirmed that the spirit you contracted is an evil spirit, right?"
"Yeah... I didn't know either."
"I see."
Eleonora pondered briefly before urging him.
"For now, keep that fact as hidden as possible."
"Pardon?"
"If the Magic Kingdom government finds out about an evil spirit's existence, they won't let it slide quietly. You might not know, Seong Hyun-jin, but if you learn what the evil spirit called the 'Spirit of Destruction' did to the world long ago... their reaction wouldn't be excessive. If word gets out that you're handling an evil spirit, who knows what measures they'll take... and we might not be able to protect you from it."
Eleonora asked cautiously.
"Seong Hyun-jin, are there any other issues with handling that evil spirit? Like it being uncontrollable...?"
"Nothing like that."
"Then we just need to keep it hidden well. Understood? Even if you enter spars or tournaments in the future... don't reveal the spirit outwardly."
"But..."
Hearing Eleonora's instructions, Seong Hyun-jin panicked. It meant he could no longer show others his full use of spirit power from now on.
That would make it impossible for him to properly wield Karin's swordsmanship. Sure, there were techniques he could use without the spirit's power, but Karin's ultimate arts—the Heaven Destroying Sword techniques—required borrowing spirit power since his physical growth as a half-elf wasn't complete enough.
"But, Dean, that..."
"I know what you're worried about, Seong Hyun-jin."
"Huh?"
"Karin told me. Before calling you today, I discussed this with her. That's what she said."
Eleonora cleared her throat lightly, then mimicked Karin's icy tone.
"'If he just achieves physical growth, he'll surpass even me, but his elven blood is holding him back. He's compensating for his lacking physical strength with spirit power, so if we're suppressing that, we need to solve the physical issue first' ...something like that."
"...Can that be fixed?"
"It's not impossible. You might have to go through some hardship, though..."
"What's the method!?"
Seong Hyun-jin's biggest frustration was precisely his slow physical growth. He understood all of Karin's swordsmanship in his head, but couldn't execute it due to his body—it was incredibly stressful. He'd been forcing it by drawing on spirit power...
If the physical problem was solved, it would be perfect. Karin's swordsmanship was designed to rely on one's own body and strength, not spirit power.
"Tell me the solution now if it exists!"
Seong Hyun-jin's face was the picture of urgency. It was a natural reaction to a lifelong dilemma suddenly becoming solvable.
Ciela, watching from the side, patted his shoulder lightly to calm him.
"Junior, no need to rush. She's obviously going to tell you. We can't fix it right this second anyway, so chill."
"...Okay."
Seong Hyun-jin nodded slightly at Ciela's words, steadying himself. Eleonora then spoke casually.
"You need to go to the Elf Forest."
"Elf Forest...?"
"Yes, since the elven blood in your body is the issue. The solution lies in the elves' homeland, the Elf Forest. Specifically, seek out the one person dwelling in the deepest heart of it all—Yggdrasil Forest."
"Who is it?"
Eleonora said,
"Forge Star Jerman. He holds the key to solving your problem."
"Forge Star...? One of the Palstar Heroes?"
"Yes."
Eleonora nodded and continued.
"He's the oldest among the current Palstar Heroes, and the revered ancient tree worshipped by the elves—owner of Yggdrasil."