Chapter 126: Refusal
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 126: Refusal
Before I knew it, I had crumpled the papers in my hand.
Uncharacteristically, I found it difficult to control my emotions. I felt that with the slightest mistake, my magic would surge and the concealment function of my necklace would break.
“...I understand how you feel, but why don’t you postpone your revenge until after the engagement?”
“Pardon?”
“The others are insignificant, but the Director of Urban Planning, the district mayor, and even the provincial governor have their hands in that redevelopment project. I’m sorry to say this, but as the family head, I cannot afford to take on all of them for you, someone who is not yet a member of our family.”
Grandmother Choi Young-ok’s opinion was reasonable.
As the head of the family, she couldn't possibly condone the family taking on such a risk for an outsider who hadn't even gone through with the engagement ceremony.
“Grandmother.”
I took off my necklace. The magic concealment function vanished, and my magic power returned to its original output. The same was true for my internal energy.
Magic coursed through my entire body, dominating the surrounding space.
A look of bewilderment crossed Grandmother Choi Young-ok’s eyes.
“I don’t want any help with this incident. I just need you to tell me one thing.”
“...And what is that?”
“How far can I go?”
From the very beginning, I had no intention of going easy on any of them—not the provincial governor, the Director of Urban Planning, or the district mayor, and certainly not the chairman of the redevelopment committee, the union leader, or anyone else involved.
Grandmother Choi Young-ok let out a short sigh. She rubbed her forehead with her fingertips, like someone with a complicated problem on their mind.
“Corrupt officials who commit such acts deserve to die. You could say the people's fury has reached the heavens.”
Clink. She tilted her teacup, her eyes cold and sunken as she spoke.
“You may do as you wish. However, keep in mind that if you leave behind evidence or your identity is revealed, I cannot help you as the family head. If you’re not confident, you can postpone your revenge.”
“That won’t happen. I never planned on leaving evidence or getting caught in the first place.”
Sparks flickered across my body. I was getting more and more used to handling lightning.
“...Once you and Hyena are engaged, I could have the governor’s parents buried alive along with him. Are you sure you can’t wait?”
“It’s not that I’m in a hurry for revenge. I just want to handle this with my own strength.”
Seeing my firm attitude, Grandmother Choi Young-ok let out a hollow laugh as if to say she couldn't win. Her eyes, however, had softened considerably.
“Son-seo, do you know our family’s creed?”
At that moment, I felt a powerful flow of magic, and a massive flame erupted around her. The intense blaze filled the room, yet it burned nothing.
To be honest, I was amazed. How much experience would it take to control a flame of that magnitude so perfectly?
“If you’re going to do something, be thorough.”
*
Time passed, and soon, it was time for the afternoon classes.
A rather old-looking female professor came in, and the class on barrier magic began. It was a class I had been looking forward to, but for some reason, the lecture just wouldn't sink in.
My head was a chaotic mess.
“Hoo...”
I had found out who was behind the attack on the orphanage, and I had even gotten Grandmother Choi Young-ok’s permission.
But perhaps because my targets for revenge were now clear, it was becoming difficult to suppress my killing intent.
No, in truth, it had been this way ever since I visited the orphanage a few days ago. I had just been pretending it wasn't, hiding it all this time. Seeing the documents was merely the trigger.
Fortunately, with Grandmother Choi Young-ok’s help, the orphanage was able to move into a newly built building. Moving from a run-down shantytown to a relatively peaceful and safe neighborhood was, without a doubt, a good thing.
Moreover, it had been designated as an orphanage sponsored by the Seongbuk Choi family, so it was said to be receiving a lot of support.
Thanks to that, the director nun’s face was brighter than ever when I saw her again after so long. The other nuns I hadn't met last time were the same, and the children looked well-fed and healthy, their complexions bright.
But they all had injuries here and there.
Someone had a swollen cheek, and another was wrapped in bandages. There was a child who limped, and I heard that one of the nuns had even been hospitalized.
Crack.
The pen in my hand snapped.
It was all the work of hired thugs trying to force the orphanage out of the neighborhood.
...I don’t particularly enjoy killing people, but...
This time, I was certain I could kill them with a smile on my face.
“Alright, then. Kang Hyun-woo?”
“...Yes?”
Just as I was lost in thought, planning the details, someone from the front called my name.
It was the professor for the Introduction to Barrier Magic class I was taking.
“Hyun-woo, why don’t you come up and try solving this?”
I looked around and saw that every other student had their hand raised except for me.
“...Me?”
“The other students don't seem to fully understand yet. It's often much easier for them to grasp when it's explained from a fellow student's perspective.”
It was an unspoken warning to come up without any backtalk.
Seeing that the professor wasn't in a good mood, it seemed she had noticed me spacing out.
I looked closely at the blackboard, where a single problem was written. Only then did I roughly grasp the situation.
She had clearly called on me to nag me for not paying attention, certain that I wouldn't be able to solve it.
Thanks to her, all eyes were on me.
I had two options here.
Go up and solve it properly, or just apologize.
Of course, it was my fault for not paying attention in class, but at my age, I had no desire to be lectured by a professor in front of a bunch of girls my age.
I got up from my seat and walked to the front of the class.
She handed me a piece of chalk, and I examined the problem.
It was a question about barrier types and energy flow analysis. Based on the scenario below, I was to design an appropriate barrier magic and explain the characteristics and energy flow of each barrier.
[A mage wishes to install a barrier to protect their home. The mage will choose between a fixed defensive barrier and a fluid detection barrier.]
Three questions related to this were listed. I turned my gaze to the first one.
[Explain the difference in energy flow between the two barriers, and describe how each barrier reacts to external threats.]
There were various differences from the theories on Earth, but in the end, it was something I had learned from Iris.
“If you don’t know, you may take your seat. Barrier magic truly begins in the second semester...”
“I can solve it.”
I moved the chalk without hesitation, writing down the answer. It wasn't that I didn't get stuck at all, but every time I did, Iris’s advice came to mind.
Tap. After about two minutes, I put the chalk down.
“Th-This is...”
“I’ll briefly explain the first question. A fixed defensive barrier boasts a powerful defensive effect thanks to its ability to absorb and accumulate magic power, but its disadvantages are its slow reaction time and the long time it takes to install. On the other hand, a fluid detection barrier has the advantage of detecting invisibility magic or an assassin's infiltration by constantly circulating a faint amount of magic power within the barrier. However, as it focuses on detection, it has no defensive function whatsoever.”
After that, I continued my explanation without pause. I even took some time to answer questions from other students.
The professor could have stopped me by now, but she was listening to my explanation as if mesmerized.
“...I heard you were self-taught in magic, yet you’re quite well-versed in barrier magic.”
“Yes, well... I’ve been interested in barrier magic for a long time.”
Back then, I was desperately trying to help Iris escape. It was an environment where I couldn't help but become interested in barrier magic.
“Is that so?”
Suddenly, the look in the professor’s eyes changed. A chill ran down my spine.
Trying to shake off the sense of unease that flashed through my mind, I hurried back to my seat.
*
After a few twists and turns, the afternoon classes finally ended.
The other classes went by without incident, but the problem was what happened after the Introduction to Barrier Magic class ended.
The professor kept insisting I stay for a cup of tea, which was a real headache. Honestly, if she had been a young, pretty professor, I might have gone along, but since she was a middle-aged woman, I politely declined.
I was walking down the hallway to head home when it happened.
“Hello.”
Han Seoah appeared from around a corner.
“Hey...?”
Our first meeting hadn't been great, so it was a bit disconcerting to see her appear with such a friendly smile.
Besides, this was an area that people didn't usually frequent. It was obvious she had been waiting for me.
“Do you have a moment?”
“A date?”
“No.”
I gave a small laugh at Han Seoah’s firm, lightning-fast reply.
“Just kidding.”
“...”
The way she sulked after a single joke was typical of a rich man's daughter.
“I’m busy.”
For a moment, Han Seoah’s brow seemed to furrow, but it quickly returned to normal.
Is she angry?
Someone born into the direct line of the Jinryu Han family, who had always been in a position of power, would have more than just a little pride. Compared to other mages, hers was likely on another level.
It was easier to understand when I recalled my first meeting with Choi Hyena.
She was something else back then.
Her reaction had been exactly that: 'A blind date with someone like you? Me?'
“...It won’t take long, so please spare me a moment of your time. I assure you, this won’t be a waste of your time either, Hyun-woo.”
“Fine.”
I felt like if I refused one more time, she might actually start shouting.
I followed Han Seoah into an empty classroom.
“So, what did you want to talk about?”
“...Alright. It’s not like we’re going to be friends, so let’s get straight to the point.”
Han Seoah took a manila envelope out of her bag and handed it to me. I opened it and found two or three pages inside.
“What’s this?”
“A contract.”
“A contract?”
“I know that you’ve been meeting with my sister recently. Don’t tell me you don’t know who my sister is.”
“Of course not. She’s the Tower Lord.”
I skimmed through the contract. It was filled with terms and conditions that were difficult to understand at first glance.
But when I put it all together, the contract was asking for one thing.
“...Are you asking me to be a spy?”
“You must be as smart as they say to have learned magic on your own. That’s right. I want you to sign a contract with me and become my exclusive spy.”
Despite Han Seoah’s smile, which seemed to say I was correct, I still couldn't understand. She was asking me to sell out her own sister, the Tower Lord.
“...I understand why you’d find this hard to believe. But I’m serious.”
Han Seoah looked more serious than ever.
“Yeah, well... I get that everyone has their own circumstances, so it’s not that I don’t understand, but why should I?”
The contract detailed the compensation Han Seoah would provide in exchange for information. The list included not only cash but also various elixirs, artifacts, and even the secret techniques of the Jinryu Han family.
But it wasn't enough to justify the enormous risk of providing information about the Tower Lord to someone else.
If I messed up and got caught, I could lose my head.
“Besides, what makes you think you know what my relationship with the Tower Lord is? What will you do if I go and tattle to her the moment we part ways?”
“I don’t care. It’s not like my sister would care about something so trivial. You could probably shoot magic at her face, and she’d do nothing more than glance at you. And you shouldn’t get the wrong idea either, Hyun-woo.”
A nasty smile bloomed on her lips.
“My sister has always been interested in all sorts of stray things, so much so that she once picked up a rat off the street and raised it. And you, Hyun-woo, are on that exact same level. She may seem close to you now because she’s interested in your talent, but the moment that interest fades, she won’t even pretend to know you the very next day. That’s the kind of person she is.”
Her assessment of her own sister was scathing. I could even feel a faint sense of hatred from her toward the Tower Lord.
“So if you’ve fallen for my sister’s pretty face and are nursing some one-sided crush, I suggest you give up early. It’s for your own good.”
“So what’s your point?”
“Sign the contract with me. If you bring me useful information, I’ll give you a corresponding reward. It’s mutually beneficial.”
Han Seoah’s expression showed not a shred of doubt that I would refuse her offer.
“I refuse.”
But I had no intention of signing the contract.