Chapter 329: Three-Way Confrontation
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 329: Three-Way Confrontation
Thud!
“I don’t understand.”
A sharp voice came from Han Seoah, who sat across from me.
Her eyes were filled with hostility as she stared at me.
“The acting head of the Jinryu Han family, sleeping with a taken man before she’s even married? Do you really think that makes any sense?!”
“...We’re all consenting adults here.”
It’s not like we’re living in the Joseon era.
“You stay out of this!”
I popped a cookie into my mouth and casually averted my gaze.
Saying anything more would just get me on her bad side.
Or was it already too late?
“A taken man? Hyun-woo is very much single, dear.”
“He’s about to be engaged! To the next heir of the Seongbuk Choi family, no less!”
“In this day and age, what’s the harm in having a wife and a mistress or two? It’s not like he lacks the means.”
“Hah! Let’s see you say that to Professor Choi’s face.”
“...”
At Han Seoah’s words, Han Lael fell silent.
To be fair, I had to admit, Grandma Choi Young-ok would be terrifying if she got genuinely angry.
“I won’t drag this out. I’ll keep this matter quiet, so I expect you to never meet him privately again.”
Her cold, low voice was decidedly imperious.
“That’s going to be difficult.”
But Han Lael rejected her flat out.
At the refusal, Han Seoah’s expression soured, her face twisting into a deep frown.
“...So, the acting head of the Jinryu Han family intends to pick a fight over a man with the next heir of the Seongbuk Choi family?”
“There’s no reason I can’t.”
“How can you even say that!” Han Seoah’s voice rose as she berated Han Lael.
The atmosphere was so tense it was hard to believe they were sisters.
“If reporters get a whiff of this, the scandal will spread nationwide. As someone who will one day inherit the family headship, have you given no thought to the damage our family will suffer?”
“Since when does a prestigious magic family care what reporters think?”
“...You’re serious.”
Han Seoah let out a heavy sigh and stood up from her seat.
“...Talking any more would just be a waste of my breath.”
Her hostility was no longer confined to me.
Her gaze toward Han Lael was now filled with undisguised animosity.
“I’ll be sincerely hoping our next meeting is at a family hearing.”
“Next time?”
Snap!
The moment Han Seoah was about to turn, Han Lael lightly snapped her fingers.
Rumble—
A violent tremor shook the study—no, the entire mansion—and the walls and ceiling began to recede in all directions.
In the blink of an eye, the study had expanded to the size of a football field. I stared blankly, taking in the new scenery.
“What is the meaning of this?!”
Despite her raised voice, Han Seoah was clearly flustered.
Ignoring her outburst, Han Lael simply rose from her seat and gently stroked my shoulder.
“Try to remember the reason I called you here.”
“...Don’t tell me it’s about that ridiculous private tutor nonsense?”
At that moment, Han Seoah’s expression hardened.
Whoosh!
With a radiant smile, Han Lael wrapped her arms around mine.
“Starting today, this is Hyun-woo. He’ll be your private tutor.”
“...?”
What?
“What kind of nonsense is this! That man, my private tutor?!”
While I was momentarily stunned, Han Seoah raised her voice in protest again.
Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who hadn’t been filled in.
I whispered in Han Lael’s ear.
“A private tutor? This is the first I’m hearing of it.”
“Of course. The favor I wanted to ask of you was to be Seoah’s tutor.”
“...Huh?”
A sly smile bloomed on Han Lael’s lips.
—It was you who helped Hyena reach the 4th Circle, wasn’t it, Hyun-woo?
A familiar voice echoed in my head.
The voice was far too clear to be a simple telepathic message, and I noticed Han Lael’s throat didn’t vibrate in the slightest.
This was Telepathy, a 6th Circle magic.
—...How did you know?
—It was obvious.
The corners of her eyes crinkled into a smile.
Was she expecting a pat on the back for getting it right?
I couldn’t help but let out a dry laugh. So this is what it means to be cute and not act your age, I thought.
Thinking back, the clues had been there.
Anyone who could sense the residual energy in Choi Hyena’s body would naturally be able to trace the connection back to me.
For a 7th Circle mage like Han Lael, figuring it out would have been a piece of cake.
Was I too complacent?
It was a relief that Han Lael was the one who figured it out. If it had been someone else, I couldn’t even imagine how much of a headache it would have become.
—Of course, I’m not asking you to raise her to the 4th Circle like you did with Hyena.
Han Lael made a V-sign with one hand.
—Just help her get to the 2nd Circle. A few words of advice would be great, too.
—For advice, wouldn’t it be better to hear it from a Jinryu Han family mage than me? I’m more of a practical, hands-on type... my methods might seem a bit unorthodox.
It’s not like Han Seoah, a direct descendant of a prestigious magic family, was going to be out hunting monsters herself. Why would she need my advice?
At my question, Han Lael shook her head.
—‘Hear much and experience much. All of it will become nourishment for your growth.’
It was a line from the first chapter of the first Gray Tower Lord’s autobiography.
It was his way of saying that no experience is useless for a mage, so they shouldn’t just lock themselves away in their workshops.
—...I’ll give it a try, but I can’t make any promises. All I can do is give her a little push.
—That’s enough.
I gave a wry smile at her bright one.
Then again, a job worth tens of billions of won was never going to be easy.
“Well then, class starts today. Seoah, you’d better listen to your teacher, okay?”
“Don’t be ridiculous!”
At Han Lael’s words, Han Seoah frowned.
“I will never accept this. And I never agreed to take any lessons!”
I could feel intense hostility from her glare.
I’d expected some resistance, but at this rate, it would be difficult to even speak to her, let alone teach her.
“Hmm... You won’t accept it?”
Han Seoah took a small step back at the low timber of Han Lael’s voice.
“...I admit his talent is exceptional. But that’s no reason to accept him as my tutor. When it comes to theory, the professors at the Magic Tower are far more advanced, and our family has 5th Circle mages of its own.”
It was a sound argument.
More importantly, for Han Seoah, accepting a former classmate as her tutor was bound to be a blow to her pride.
“Are you saying this knowing that Hyena reached the 4th Circle at the last verification ceremony?”
The moment she heard Han Lael’s words, Han Seoah’s pupils began to tremble faintly.
*
Choi Hyena was only one year older than Han Seoah, but she was a genius who had reached the 3rd Circle at a relatively young age.
Now that she had proven her advancement to the 4th Circle at the ceremony, public opinion of her had soared even higher.
In contrast, Han Seoah, who had been compared to Choi Hyena—a fellow scion of a prestigious magic family—since childhood, was still stuck at the 1st Circle.
The inferiority complex born from the harsh reality of her own stagnation was a torment to Han Seoah, and this latest ceremony had been a direct assault on her pride.
1st Circle and 4th Circle.
Everyone knew the gap between those two Circles without needing an explanation.
And that Han Seoah was no longer even worthy of being compared to Choi Hyena.
“...Why are you suddenly bringing that up?”
Because Han Seoah knew that fact all too well, she couldn’t help but react sensitively to Han Lael’s words.
Despite her efforts to hide her emotions, Han Lael just smiled faintly, as if she knew everything.
“Aren’t you curious how Hyena was able to reach the 4th Circle?”
“What does that have to do with... huh?”
At that moment, Han Seoah’s eyes met mine.
“...No way.”
Her eyes were shaking more violently than when she’d witnessed her own sister embracing another man.
Poke, poke.
Han Lael poked my side, sending a signal.
“I got a call from the Magic Tower, so I have to go.”
“Huh?”
“Well then, I’ll leave today’s lesson in your hands, Teacher.”
Shhhh—
The moment she finished speaking, a gray mist swirled around her.
With the mist that instantly covered her whole body, Han Lael disappeared without a trace.
It was a short-range teleport, a 6th Circle spell notorious for its ridiculously complex formula.
Phew...
Suddenly left alone with Han Seoah in the study, I inwardly sighed and ran a hand over my face.
An awkward silence settled between us.
Plop.
Han Seoah flopped onto the sofa and gulped down her tea.
She seemed furious with her sister for leaving without a word.
“Whew... Mr. Kang?”
“I’ve been thinking, do you really need to be so formal? We’re only a year apart, and we were classmates until yesterday. Why don’t we just speak casually?”
You could call me Hyun-woo Oppa, for instance.
“I’m more comfortable this way.”
At Han Seoah’s sharp reply, I shrugged and sat down.
The air around us grew chilly.
“To be honest, I’m not happy to see you, Mr. Kang. But there’s one thing I must get straight.”
“What is it?”
Han Seoah’s voice had become noticeably heavy.
Unlike before, there was no hostility in her eyes towards me.
“...Was it thanks to you that Hyena was able to reach the 4th Circle?”
A sense of desperation could be felt in her voice.
“More or less. Strictly speaking, I just lent a hand.”
“...So you don’t deny it?”
“Because it’s the truth.”
I watched her as I ate another cookie.
Her magical power was faint, nothing compared to her sister’s, but for a 1st Circle mage, she was quite skilled.
Probably thanks to a lifetime of consuming elixirs and undergoing various magical procedures.
“...You said you’re a private tutor, right? So, what do I have to do now?”
“That’s surprising. I thought you’d storm out of the room.”
“I’m not stupid enough to kick away an opportunity that’s fallen into my lap.”
I nodded.
Mages tend to be more rational than emotional.
In that respect, I was a failure as a mage, but she was much closer to the ideal.
Of course, personality alone doesn’t make a great mage. In the end, it all came down to talent.
“One warning before we begin: you can’t stop just because it hurts.”
“I’m used to pain. None of the magic procedures were painless.”
“Can you promise you’ll do as I say without questioning me?”
“If necessary, I’ll even get on my knees.”
Truthfully, her answers were meaningless.
Words are cheap, after all.
In that regard, she passed. At least she didn’t seem like the type to scream in pain halfway through.
Since her Circle is lower, it should hurt less than it did for Hyena.
Thump.
I threw the cushion from the sofa onto the floor.
She could have sat on the bare floor, but I figured I should show some consideration for the young lady of a prestigious family.
“Should I sit there?”
“No, there’s something to do before that.”
I pointed at Han Seoah with my fingertip.
“Strip.”