Supernova (5)
"My master told me... that the solution to my problem... would be with the exorcist..."
At Lee Sera's words, I halted mid-step.
"The exorcist...?"
As I faltered, Hong Ji-yeon nodded vigorously.
"Ha! You mean that serial killer guy? Totally ridiculous—your coach must've gotten it wrong, yeah?"
Seong Ji-ho nodded along with her words.
"Hong Ji-yeon's right. An exorcist, out of nowhere?"
"And! Ha! As if the bastard who taught you augmentation method would know the fix."
Everyone nodded at Hong Ji-yeon's point.
"I-I didn't know... S-Sera had learned the au-augmentation method. N-No, I didn't even know what it was until today."
Seong Ji-ho wagged a finger at Eun-byeol.
"The augmentation method was a magic training technique developed in the 1980s, famous for mass-producing low-level mages quickly. Of course, it's obsolete now."
"No wonder it leaves you like this."
"Th-then why did Sera learn it?"
Lee Sera gave an awkward smile.
"They said it was an improved version—no side effects, a way to skyrocket to 5th level fast..."
Sera fiddled with her fingers, her face turning bitter.
"Back then, my family was struggling after Dad's company went bankrupt. To get noticed, I had to be exceptional."
Hearing that, Hong Ji-yeon clapped her hands.
"You! That's why your 3rd-level test was delayed! To hide the augmentation method!"
"...Yeah."
Hong Ji-yeon nodded and continued.
"Now the puzzle pieces fit. You kept powering up, stalled at 3rd level, then suddenly hit 5th out of nowhere."
Eun-byeol looked anxious, unable to follow, so I relayed what Jang-gil had told me.
"They say using the augmentation method lets you grow fast, but around 3rd or 5th level, the ether gets all tangled up. If you can't handle it..."
Lee Sera cut in.
"You end up like this. Ahaha~"
She forced a laugh, then brightened up again.
"It's okay—now there's hope, so I can beat it. It happened at 3rd level too. There has to be a way."
Seong Ji-ho's face darkened at her words.
"...You serious? The exorcist's been missing with Lee Han. The Magic Tower Union even declared him dead."
"Exactly."
"And even if he's alive, why would he help you? He's a mage hunter."
"...Yeah, that's true too. Would he really help you?"
Eun-byeol pinched Hong Ji-yeon, who was chiming in from the side.
"Ow! Hey! It's all true, though!"
"Even if it's true, some things you just don't say. Are you an idiot, sis? We should be giving Sera hope, not crushing it."
"Hope, my ass..."
Hong Ji-yeon's face crumpled.
"So what now? Dig up the exorcist's corpse? Huh?"
"......"
As Hong Ji-yeon glared, Eun-byeol flinched.
"You brainless gasna—if you fill her head with nonsense and waste our time, you'll make it up to us, got it?"
"Hope matters! We haven't proven it's wasted time yet!"
I watched the two bicker with amusement again. They fought every single time we met.
After a while, they turned to me.
"What're you staring at?"
"Y-yeah. Pick a side already."
Eun-byeol tugged at me, and Hong Ji-yeon yanked my other arm in surprise.
"This gasna's a mage like me—sup, porter lady."
"If you're calling me supporter, make it S-rank."
"S-rank? Piss off—where do you get off talking down to me?"
"You're the one who started the casual talk."
"Me? Look at this gasna's attitude—talks to her elder like that!"
"Ow, seriously!"
I shook off their arms and pointed at Lee Sera.
"So, you think fighting in a sick girl's room makes her feel better?"
They fell silent at my words.
"You're no help at all—just yapping pathetically."
I glanced at Lee Sera's expression.
Too soon to say she's the exorcist's daughter...
It was top-secret, known only to a few SEED members, Monica, and Lee Ha-ryeong.
Or does the president know too?
Given what he knew about Spectrum, he might have a rough idea of my identity.
A shark-human with sharp teeth flashed in my mind.
Oh, right—Yuri too.
We hadn't met lately because of her busy paper-writing, but she was one of the few who knew I was the exorcist's daughter.
Come to think of it, quite a few people already knew.
I suddenly pictured sand on my palm.
I closed my eyes as it slipped through my fingers.
I see. This secret won't hold much longer either.
Torn, I looked at Lee Sera. Reading my face, she spoke as if resolved.
"Don't worry. It'll take time, but I'll find a solution for sure."
"That's..."
She shook her head, cutting me off.
"No, it's fine, Eunha. You're busy too—no need to help. I..."
Mid-sentence, Lee Sera started coughing.
"Cough! Cough!"
"......"
Blood flecked her lips.
"What...?"
Seong Ji-ho stared in shock as Lee Sera smiled sheepishly.
"Ether backlash. With my mental core weakened, it's like this nonstop."
"What...?"
Hong Ji-yeon grabbed her wrist in a panic.
"You! Y-you can't die! Got it? You gotta go to 1st Army with me!"
"Yeah. Cough, cough!"
Lee Sera squeezed her eyes shut, mustering all her strength to regulate her ether.
"Y-you okay?"
"Yeah... Better now."
She beamed.
"But I'll enjoy this too. If I don't fix it, my mental core and ether will all vanish anyway."
A heavy silence fell.
"I-is that so?"
"No need to enjoy the backlash, though..."
"Nah~ I'm having fun~ It's all part of my record, my history."
Lee Sera gazed at us with innocent puppy eyes.
"So just wait a bit till I solve it. I'll catch up soon."
"Haa..."
I scratched my cheek.
"Lee Sera. I have words for thee."
Her eyes widened as she looked at me.
"If it's about helping, I said it's fine..."
I shrugged.
"Good news and bad news—which first?"
The other three's gazes snapped to me.
"What is it?"
"Y-you know something?"
"You went with 1st Army—did you hear stuff?"
I pouted at Seong Ji-ho's words.
"Hear? Those idiots. If anything, I'd be the one telling."
"Telling? What?"
"That I cannot say. Classified."
I spread my hands toward Lee Sera, letting her choose.
"Good news? Bad news."
"Um..."
She pondered, then said,
"Good news first~ Cough!"
I took a deep breath and tapped Jang-gil.
[Got it. I'll block the sound.]
Feeling his subtle ether spread, I spoke quietly.
"I know the exorcist very well."
All four sets of eyes went wide. Their childlike, emotional faces made me chuckle.
"Why so surprised? I might know him."
Seong Ji-ho looked flustered, calculating, then tilted his head.
"You know him? The exorcist? H-how?"
"Yeah, h-he's not even from our era."
"Hmm, secret daughter or something? Ahahaha!"
Hong Ji-yeon grinned, fangs flashing, so I nodded.
"Correct. The exorcist is my father."
"?"
Hong Ji-yeon's laughing face froze. Eun-byeol stepped back in shock.
And Lee Sera reacted most intensely.
"You know the exorcist! Cough! Of course! Cough! I felt his vibe from you! Yeah! Cough! Now I get why you drew me in! Cough!"
As she got worked up, Seong Ji-ho calmed her.
"Well, if that's the good news, it is."
Remembering the bad news, Lee Sera bit her lip.
"Then... the bad news?"
"Hm..."
I hesitated, then said,
"I know the exorcist best of all, yet..."
I frowned in thought.
"I know not how to fix the augmentation method's backlash."
Hong Ji-yeon burst out laughing. Her red hair sparkled in the sunlight.
"What's to worry? Just ask your dad."
"He's dead."
My blunt reply froze her laughing face again.
"Trash, waste, non-recyclable burnable garbage."
Eun-byeol's roast snapped her out of it.
"I-I didn't know! Really!"
"Yeah, it'd be weirder if you did. Anyway, the exorcist has the solution..."
I pondered Lee Sera's condition.
The exorcist has the solution to the problem...
"If he wasn't talking nonsense, then one of Father's techniques holds the answer..."
"You know his techniques?"
I smiled at Lee Sera's question.
"I learned every single one as a child. No need to worry."
Hong Ji-yeon opened her mouth, but Seong Ji-ho poked her side.
"Why?"
She made a frustrated face, then whispered to him.
"She's eight—'as a child' what? Why whisper it to me?"
"Don't wanna embarrass myself if I mess up again."
Eun-byeol nodded at Hong Ji-yeon's words.
"Sis needs to w-watch her words. Always messing up."
I shrugged it off vaguely.
"I trained under Father until seven. Nothing strange."
Everyone's faces stiffened.
"Uh..."
"What?"
"W-wait. Until seven? Learned the exorcist's techniques?"
Lee Sera started coughing in shock.
"So from age seven—cough, cough! Y-you learned m-magic—cough, cough!"
"Yes, one year. Satisfied?"
"......"
I took her hand, seeing her stunned face.
A method came to mind, so I tensed every nerve in my body.
"Just in case, let's test it."