An Emperor's Generosity

I arrived at the door of Professor Song Rahee's office.

Knock, knock.

"Come in."

When I knocked, a soft, gentle voice answered from within. I opened the door to find Song Rahee sitting there, the shadows beneath her eyes slightly darker than usual.

She was wearing a violet robe she never normally donned, and it suited her purple eyes and hair surprisingly well.

"What did you need me for?" I asked.

"This whole incident," she said, gesturing for me to sit. "Standing's a pain, so have a seat over there. Oh—want anything to drink?"

"Water's fine, thank you."

"Sure?"

With that, Song Rahee poured a glass of water from the mini fridge and floated it over to me with telekinesis, then poured herself a cup of mint chocolate milk before settling into her own chair.

It felt strange. Song Rahee, who had always kept people at arm's length with her careful politeness, had started speaking to me casually. And she was someone who was extraordinarily particular about things like that.

"You look curious about why I called you? I needed to tell you something in person."

"What would that be?"

"About this whole affair. The Headmistress is looking for you."

"The Headmistress?"

"Mm. She's going to give you a generous reward, so think about what you might need in advance. And it's not just her—if you ever need help from the other professors, just say the word."

Song Rahee took a sip of her mint chocolate milk and went on.

"Because you lifted the barrier during this incident, contact with the outside was restored quickly. Thanks to that, we didn't lose a single student. So the other professors and instructors all feel they owe you a debt—if you need anything, all you have to do is ask. And of course, my help is yours whenever you want it."

With that, she produced a business card and handed it to me.

"By all rights, simply breaking that barrier ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was already an achievement beyond your abilities. On top of that, you ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠took a prisoner—the Headmistress is going to reward you beyond anything you can imagine. Pick whatever benefits you the most."

"Thank you, Professor."

"Then go see the Headmistress."

Song Rahee waved me off with a faint smile on her lips.

Lee Seoha stepped out of the room with a vaguely uncomfortable expression on his face. Beside him walked a woman whose eyes were covered with a strip of cloth.

The Third Star.

The woman gifted with healing-specialized power was guiding him toward Seo Yebin.

-How distasteful.

For once, Heukcheon voiced her displeasure.

-That thing is a puppet with its ego shattered to pieces. The habits, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the hobbies, the realm of its living days... all of it remains, but it was carved out of nothing but a single excised self. A doll made of that and nothing more. That monstrous woman has quite the vile taste in hobbies.

Coming from her, that was saying quite a lot.

Lee Seoha gave a wry twist of his lips and walked on.

"We have arrived."

The gentle voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

Creak.

A door twice the height of an ordinary man swung open of its own accord. Beyond it waited Seo Yebin.

"Sit."

At her word, Lee Seoha took a seat.

"Everything you have done has been reported to me."

"I see."

"You accomplished a great deal more than I anticipated."

Seo Yebin studied him, and for once her face actually assumed something like the shape of a smile. It was, he supposed, praise.

"Is there anything you desire?"

"I could use some materials related to alchemy."

"Is that so."

"Yes. I'd be grateful for anything connected to alchemy."

Lee Seoha deliberately kept his answer vague. It had to be vague—only then would Seo Yebin hand over the very best of whatever she had in mind.

"I see."

Seo Yebin closed her eyes for a moment.

"That would be fitting."

She reached her hand into subspace and drew out a single object.

"What say you to the Essence of the Dugeuksini?"

"...That would be more than I could possibly be grateful for."

The corner of Lee Seoha's eye twitched.

Dugeuksini.

A monster that had risen from being a mere yokai to become the chieftain of the dokkaebi, holding a divine rank all its own. A creature whose strength stood only a single step below Seo Yebin herself. And an essence carrying that kind of authority—one could absorb a monstrous wellspring of power simply by consuming it raw.

'This is beyond anything I imagined.'

This, he had never seen coming. Lee Seoha swallowed.

Seo Yebin pulled a single black orb, drinking in the light around it, from her subspace. Lee Seoha appraised it with Appraisal.

"......"

He was speechless.

Even Appraisal could barely get through all of it—there were simply too many effects. A miracle elixir so absurd that if even one of them surfaced, nations would go to war over it. Effects so tempting he wanted to chew it down raw on the spot.

"It seems to be to your liking."

"Yes. Very much so."

"And after that?"

"......"

Lee Seoha wore, for once, a blank expression. He'd heard the words, but they hadn't registered as words. He looked up at Seo Yebin—and saw nothing but light. A radiant blaze of golden brilliance, not unlike her own gleaming hair.

"...I need the horn of a deer. A divine beast's horn."

"As it happens, I have the horn of the Divine Stag."

Seo Yebin dipped her hand into subspace once more and drew something out. What appeared was the antler of a stag wreathed in living lightning—a thing that looked extraordinary even at a glance. Lee Seoha drew a deep breath and activated his talent, Appraisal.

...He had asked for the horn of a deer, a divine beast. He hadn't dared hope for this.

Lee Seoha looked at Seo Yebin. Seo Yebin looked back at him with a grin brimming with mischief.

"And next?"

"......"

By this point, he was starting to get genuinely frightened. There was an old saying that no kindness comes without a reason. Something about how you should be wary of the person who buys you beef out of the blue, and eat your fill from the one who buys you pork.

"...I would like you to perform the weapon selection for Seo Gayeon once more."

"You need have no worry on that account. I will see to it myself. That girl has earned the right."

Seo Yebin's violet eyes curved into crescents.

"Now—is there anything else you desire?"

"......"

Lee Seoha hesitated for a moment. Everything Seo Yebin had handed over so far was not merely drawn from the vaults of the Korea Hero Academy. Each and every one was an item that would spark a war if it so much as leaked to the outside world. And all of it, she was giving him out of her own personal coffers.

Which meant there just might be one more thing.

Lee Seoha opened his mouth.

"Hm?"

Seo Yebin tilted her head once, then nodded without the slightest hesitation.

"There is. I will hand that over as well. And next?"

"...I believe this is more than enough."

Lee Seoha thought it over. Honestly, it felt excessive. Resources like these were enough to forge a top-tier transcendent artifact without straining. Their worth was so absurd that he could buy a respectable small nation outright and still have money left over.

"I see."

"Yes."

"Then you may go."

At her words, Lee Seoha rose from his seat.

"Then let us look forward to our next meeting."

Seo Yebin beamed and saw him out.

"What do you think?"

A short while later, she spoke.

-A strange one, indeed.

The space behind Seo Yebin rippled, and from it emerged a being formed of blackness.

-What is that thing? Even with my 'eyes,' I cannot see it properly.

"Even your eyes cannot see it."

Seo Yebin's gaze followed the spot where Lee Seoha had departed. She agreed with him. That boy could not be 'measured' by her own eyes. Which was precisely why she had summoned another being.

A being of the same rank as herself—the one the world called the possessor of the finest eyes in existence, a mage said to have glimpsed even the truths of all things under heaven. The world had granted him the title ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of Cheongyeon.

-Intriguing.

"So you can't see him at all?"

"I see."

-That could never be made with 'stars.' All one can do is stand by and watch a talent blossom on its own.

"What odds would you give that he comes here?"

-Five years.

"Five years, is it."

Seo Yebin looked faintly disappointed—with herself, for having been unable to give him more because he'd balked at accepting her gifts.

-What nonsense are you speaking.

Cheongyeon brushed her words aside.

-He was saying that if we support him in every way, five years would be sufficient.

"...I beg your pardon?"

Cheongyeon trailed after his gaze. That boy was quite fascinating—so much about him eluded even his sight.

-An amusing fellow. I happened to be nearby because of our Seohyun...

Kim Seohyun. Cheongyeon, one of the beings who had created that existence, had dropped by the academy to see Kim Seohyun after so long an absence. While he was at it, he had helped the Emperor sever one of the Seven Evils' arms, and then observed that boy he'd glimpsed a moment ago—on the off chance he might prove a rival to Kim Seohyun.

And the results had been quite interesting.

Cheongyeon's gaze swept across the academy's interior.

He saw a dream-demon girl with the soul of a transcendent, wandering the border between dream and reality. He saw a girl bearing a brilliant golden crown that cradled a vast searing flame. He saw a girl who held the power of starlight and spoke for the will of the world itself, and another in whom the strength of the Giant God slumbered.

And he saw, as well, the being of eternity—one believed to no longer exist...

-Emperor. Are you, by any chance, still recruiting professors for this academy?

"...You can't be serious."

Cheongyeon was smiling like a guileless young boy. Seo Yebin could only stare at him, dumbfounded.

"......?"