Chapter 19
Chapter 19
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: Your Hero Academy
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"You can't do this to civilians! Even if you're the Sword Saint's granddaughter, this is unacceptable!"
"I'm sorry..."
"If you're going to create objects with your Ability, you need to know how to control them too! If it showed abnormal reactions, you shouldn't have just stood there watching—you should have grabbed it somehow! Am I wrong?!"
"I'm really sorry...!"
The Hero Academy treatment room was no ordinary school nurse's office.
It was a place that could save anyone as long as they were still breathing. It could even heal physical damage.
That was why there were so few fatalities among cadets, no matter what incidents occurred between them.
As such, the director of this treatment room was always an S-Rank Hero.
And the current director was the hero 'Archangel', who possessed healing Abilities.
She always had a smiling face and was a kind, good person—but there was one exception.
Hurting someone without reason. That was something Archangel absolutely despised.
"Haah. For now, we've confirmed there was no intent, and the patient's condition is stable, so it'll end with a verbal warning. But there won't be a next time. Got it?"
"Yes! I understand!!"
"You can go now."
"Um, excuse me. Director Archangel."
"What is it."
As Archangel's face hardened, Jin Seo-ah trembled slightly for a moment.
But she soon clearly conveyed her intentions.
"I'd like to stay until the person I hurt wakes up. Could I watch a little longer?"
"You want to monitor the condition? It's not a serious injury, so no need to worry that much."
"I still think I should. After all, they got hurt because of me. I need to apologize properly when they wake up."
Archangel thought for a moment, then nodded, saying to do so.
Good thing. I was worried she'd be arrogant just because she's from a great family.
But the Sword Saint's kids and grandkids are all well-educated.
'I've seen too many twisted heroes. Plenty of them were rotten from their cadet days.'
Sometimes, there were those who saw being a hero as being a celebrity or a popular figure.
Whenever Archangel saw such juniors, she wanted to smack them right then and there.
Heroes were beings who protected people from villains and monsters.
They couldn't strut around arrogantly or speak and act carelessly.
The moment trust broke, the world would run solely on the law of the jungle.
"Do that, then. Make sure to apologize properly when they wake up."
"Yes. I understand."
With those truly apologetic words, Jin Seo-ah headed to the patient room.
Archangel watched her for a moment before turning back to her work.
'...Should I have examined him more thoroughly?'
There were no external wounds. No signs of cerebral hemorrhage or concussion either.
For anything more precise, an outside hospital would be far more accurate than the Academy treatment room.
Even if it were possible here, this room was only for heroes and cadets.
Going further would put Jin Seo-ah in a difficult position, not her.
'Well. It'll be fine. He didn't seem like a disguised villain at a glance.'
The muscles. The bones. Everything was perfectly human.
No mutation Ability could mimic that level of detail.
If they'd tampered with the face, there would definitely be traces left.
Dr-r-rk!-
"Director Archangel! Injured person! Direct Ability hit during training! Abdominal piercing wound!"
"Bring them inside quickly."
The start of the semester was always like this. Everyone had let their guard down over vacation.
Another hectic day. Archangel began checking the injured cadet.
Meanwhile, Kang Yuna was in the patient room with Seo Ha-eun.
Somehow, they'd ended up coming to the treatment room together.
Thank goodness classes weren't packed at the start of the semester.
"I'm here."
Even from quite a distance, the scolding was loud enough to hear everything.
It felt like she was being blamed even though she hadn't done anything wrong.
Kang Yuna handed Jin Seo-ah's sword back to its owner.
"He hasn't woken up at all while you were gone?"
"No. He's still sleeping."
"I'll stay here now. You two go ahead. I'm really sorry for making you waste your time because of me. I'll apologize properly later."
"No! We got to see the treatment room, actually. It's a good experience."
Cases like this—visiting the treatment room without being hurt—were rare.
Kang Yuna decided it was better to sightsee while sane.
"Then I'll head out first."
"See you in next class. It was short, but fun today. Let's talk swords again later!"
"...Ah. Y-Yeah. S-Sure."
As Kang Yuna left the treatment room with Seo Ha-eun, she turned her head.
A sudden thought hit her. Had she seen that guy somewhere before?
'...Probably just someone I passed by.'
Kang Yuna led Seo Ha-eun out of the treatment room first.
Meanwhile, left alone, Jin Seo-ah fiddled with her sword.
No matter how she thought about it, it was disconcerting. This had never happened before.
The scabbard moving on its own and flying at someone—it was truly the first time.
Was there some problem with it? Should she contact someone?
'I should ask Grandpa after all...'
At that moment, the man lying on the bed twitched.
A moment later, he opened his eyes and uttered the clichéd line, "Where am I?"
Fortunately, Jin Seo-ah wasn't the type to nitpick even that.
"Are you coming to?!"
"Ah, yes. What happened? I was clearly..."
"For now, this is the Hero Academy treatment room. I'm Jin Seo-ah, a first-year cadet here."
"Cadet Jin Seo-ah, I see."
"Please speak comfortably. I'm the one responsible for this mess, after all."
Jin Seo-ah then explained the entire situation in detail to the man.
It seemed her Ability had mishandled, amplifying the scabbard's power.
In the process, the scabbard suddenly flew and hit him squarely.
Checks showed no serious injuries, thankfully. No abnormalities either.
Still, if anything felt off, contact this place.
She would cover all costs for a detailed hospital checkup.
"I'm truly sorry. It was all my fault. As a cadet, I couldn't protect people like a hero should—instead, I hurt one. I'll be more careful from now on."
"Oh dear, no need. There must have been circumstances. I understand completely. Rather, I'm the sorry one for worrying you over what wasn't even a big injury."
"No! I'm more sorry! You shouldn't be apologizing...!"
It would have been better if he'd gotten angry. Instead, he was apologizing.
Jin Seo-ah bowed her head, inwardly screaming whiiiine! nonstop.
It made her feel even guiltier. How shocked and flustered must he have been from his perspective?
Yet he kept saying it was fine, telling her not to apologize.
Even saying he was sorry instead—it was so grateful, yet so apologetic.
"Um, it's good you're awake, but just in case, don't move yet and stay a bit longer."
"Ah, well... I'm not from here. Is that okay?"
"Of course. I've already explained everything."
He was someone innocently caught up in her mess.
She had to take responsibility. That was the right thing to do.
"Is there anything you need? Shall I get you something to drink?"
"Ah. Could you get me some water, then?"
"Yes! I'll bring it right away! Wait just a moment!!"
Jin Seo-ah dashed out of the patient room.
The man, Yushin, watched her go and scratched his head.
Perfect— no one around. It was for minor injuries, and empty today.
Well. What to do? What to do—he'd come under the infiltration pretext, so he had to do the job.
If he did nothing, that Black Woman wouldn't stay quiet.
Yushin pulled out his phone and cautiously photographed a few spots around.
How much info he got didn't matter.
What mattered was infiltrating the treatment room without suspicion.
A villain sneaks into Hero Academy. Straight to the treatment room, no less.
Imagining the chaos if this spread to society was impossible.
Yushin had accomplished what no villain had.
Now, the Clan Boss would trust him even more.
"She'd never imagine I'd turn on her."
It was all preparation for a perfect play.
No need to act like a villain, nor like a hero.
This was a privilege only for an 'enemy who becomes an ally'.
"But Boss. No reply?"
She'd read it. What was with reading and not responding?
If it was read-and-ghosted, that'd hurt.
Ding!-
"...Oh."
The Smiling Man inside Yushin let out a dry "Hahaha."
He felt like crushing whatever background check turned up halfway.
But he'd endure. Right? Hahaha.
And exactly one day later.
"...What the hell is this now?"
He'd infiltrated as a day laborer cleaner and got fired the same day.
Now they were telling him to formally report to Hero Academy for work.
Even with the fancy title of administrative staff.
Upon inquiring, it turned out Jin Seo-ah had pulled strings.
Feeling responsible for the incident, she'd gotten help from her family.
The Jin family, which even Korea's political circles couldn't touch lightly.
They'd directly placed Yushin in the Academy.
"This is... quite the good thing."
She had that weird mania where her eyes went funny just holding a sword.
But as heroes. As sword wielders, the Jin family's worth was always genuine.
Ridiculous, but impossible to hate.
He'd been wondering how to handle Academy duties soon.
Now he could play it off as "got caught up in it."
In just a few days, an Apocalypse-Class monster would descend on the Academy.
A horrific tragedy where countless would die and be injured.
That would be the debut stage for the "future ally Smiling Man."