Cleanup (3)
The Academy Council convened to handle the aftermath, and heated debates raged on every side. The biggest issue was that the principal, Dokgopae, happened to be away at this exact moment.
“What did the principal say?” one of the council members asked in a heavy voice.
Fitting his title as the Invincible War God, countless places sought Dokgopae’s help despite his advanced age. This time, he had left to assist in the subjugation of the eroded zone in North Korea.
“We received contact about an hour ago. He said to make the decision while respecting the victim’s wishes as much as possible.”
Go Seungbin, the White Sword Lord who was chairing the meeting in Dokgopae’s absence, answered calmly.
“When did the principal say he would return?”
“He’ll arrive this evening. He mentioned he has classes tomorrow…”
“It seems the principal has high expectations for this year’s freshmen. Enough to take on teaching them personally.”
“Yes, that’s right. After all, an unprecedented gathering of geniuses has arrived all at once.”
Cheon Hayeon, Kim Mugong, and Han Yeoreum. Just like Dokgopae, Go Seungbin had been keeping a close eye on these students.
“Muksu Unit advisor. Have you taken a statement from cadet Lee Jia?”
“Yes. She earnestly pleaded for leniency toward cadet Shin Ari. She said she doesn’t want any punishment.”
Professor Cheongha stepped forward to answer. Murmurs grew louder around the room.
“Even if she was a victim of threats, completely waiving punishment doesn’t make sense. A righteous martial artist of the orthodox faction must never yield to threats from heretic scum! We need to punish cadet Shin Ari as an example!”
An elderly professor shouted in a stubborn voice.
“Indeed. Now that the causal relationship has been clarified, completely skipping punishment would be unreasonable. However, since the principal has spoken, as his proxy I propose we conclude cadet Shin Ari’s punishment with one hundred hours of campus service. Does everyone agree?”
Go Seungbin, who had been lost in thought for a moment, finally spoke. The council members exchanged glances before nodding one by one.
“I agree.”
“Seconded.”
After a surprisingly lenient punishment was decided for Shin Ari, the council meeting was adjourned.
Moyong Seong, who had attended as a council member in his capacity as student council president, walked away with a stiff expression.
“President, you don’t look too good?”
Beatrice tilted her head and followed after him.
“It was my mistake.”
He had reassigned the Muksu Unit to internal security, which created a gap. The Iron Sword Unit was supposed to take over border patrol in just one more day, so it shouldn’t have escalated into a major issue. But that unknown enemy called the Blood Sect had exploited that tiny opening.
“It couldn’t be helped. You’re not a god, President.”
Moyong Seong pressed firmly on his temples with his fingers and let out a sigh.
“No. This result came from my own carelessness.”
He had thought nothing serious could possibly happen near the academy in the span of a single day.
“Still, it’s fortunate it didn’t turn into a catastrophe. No one died.”
“…Was it cadet Kim Mugong who prevented the disaster?”
“That’s what I heard. I don’t know how a freshman managed it, but it seems beating Kim Yong wasn’t just a fluke.”
Tap.
Moyong Seong, who had stopped in place while deep in thought, finally spoke.
“I should meet him.”
“Can I come along? I was curious too. About what kind of person our junior really is.”
“Sure. Let’s go together.”
Out of Moyong Seong’s sight, Beatrice slightly twisted her body and flashed a seductive smile.
“I’m gonna die. My arms won’t even lift because of the muscle pain.”
Han Yeoreum glared at me with a pouty tone.
“Training is supposed to be grueling.”
“Copying Cheon Hayeon doesn’t give me any kind of feel at all.”
“Let’s just hurry up and go. We’ll be late for curfew.”
Because of the all-day training yesterday, both of us had collapsed the moment we got home, showered, and passed out. We didn’t even have the strength to hold a spoon, so sex or anything else hadn’t even crossed our minds.
“It’s a holiday today anyway.”
A cadet had been attacked and seriously injured near the academy. There was no way classes would proceed normally. Still, classes were one thing—by regulation, we still had to return to the dormitory on schedule.
“If you want to do campus service, you can come back late.”
“No thanks.”
I grabbed Han Yeoreum’s hand and we quickly reached the dormitory area.
“See you at lunch later.”
“Mmmnya.”
As I approached the flowerbed in front of the high-rise dormitory building, I saw a familiar ‘male’ figure. Cheon Hayeon was sitting calmly on a bench with her eyes half-closed.
“What are you doing here?”
“You’ve come?”
“Just a second.”
I finished the return check-in and came back outside to stand near Cheon Hayeon.
“Thank you. I survived thanks to you.”
“No, I should be the one thanking you. We’ve gained a clue about the Blood Sect. The Heavenly Demon Sect, which had already been suspicious of the Blood Sect’s movements, will now begin taking active measures.”
“…I see.”
The Heavenly Demon Sect was finally rising from its crouched position. For what was supposedly just ‘one incident,’ the ripple effect of this event was impossible to predict.
“I’m only saying this now, but there were a few factions within the sect that were unhappy about cooperating with the orthodox factions. But that no longer matters.”
“Because a clear enemy called the Blood Sect has appeared?”
“Exactly. As long as the Blood Sect is operating in the shadows, the Heavenly Demon Sect will not fracture any further. This is all thanks to you.”
Cheon Hayeon gave a proud smile.
“I didn’t think that far ahead.”
I had simply stopped a murder that was about to happen right in front of me. It really had come from the simplest of motives.
“That aside.”
Cheon Hayeon stared at me intently. After hesitating for a moment, she parted her lips.
“What is it?”
“…It would be good if you could visit the Heavenly Demon Sect sometime.”
“Me?”
“Of course. Who else is there but you?”
Cheon Hayeon spoke in a strangely pouty tone.
“The Heavenly Demon Sect is on Jeju Island, right?”
“Yes.”
The current Heavenly Demon Sect was practically the ruler of Jeju. There had never been any clear Murim forces on the island to begin with, and other groups preferred the sect staying on Jeju rather than landing on the mainland. Thanks to that, the Heavenly Demon Sect had been able to settle on the island without much friction.
“What would I even do if I went to the Heavenly Demon Sect?”
“…The sect leader has taken an interest in you.”
Sect leader. The moment I heard that word, I was at a loss for words. The leader of the Heavenly Demon Sect—that is, the current Heavenly Demon—was also Cheon Hayeon’s father.
“Why?”
“I don’t know. He isn’t usually the type to pay attention to trivial matters.”
Almost everyone called Dokgopae, the Invincible War God, the strongest under heaven. But the people of the Heavenly Demon Sect did not agree. To them, the Heavenly Demon was practically a god, and naturally, the strongest under heaven was not Dokgopae, but the Heavenly Demon.
“It’s not urgent, is it?”
“Of course not. If you’re truly busy, even during break would be fine. You can decide the timing.”
“Got it. I’ll go when I have time.”
I had visited the main headquarters of the Heavenly Demon Sect a few times in the game as well. Of course, I had never even gotten a glimpse of the Heavenly Demon Palace near Baengnokdam on Hallasan. As long as I kept my guard up, the Heavenly Demon Sect wasn’t particularly frightening.
“So Cheon Hayeon invited us to the Heavenly Demon Sect?”
Han Yeoreum said while stuffing her mouth full of cake and mumbling.
“Hey, swallow first before talking. You’re not a squirrel.”
“Is that supposed to be a compliment?”
“Nope, I was talking about a Siberian chipmunk. Cute my ass.”
“I like chipmunks too. They’re cute.”
Gulp.
Han Yeoreum swallowed a big bite and sucked down her coffee through a straw. After lunch, our usual route was always the nearby café. She insisted we had to have dessert.
“You eat that much rice and still have room for dessert?”
“You have to eat a lot to recover your muscles. And dessert stomach is a completely separate thing.”
Han Yeoreum rubbed her belly with a satisfied expression.
“Look at that belly sticking out.”
“It’s not sticking out?”
Han Yeoreum slightly lifted her shirt so only I could see. Her firm, snow-white midriff was fully exposed.
“Hey, what if someone sees?”
“Oh? Kim Mugong. Are you jealous?”
Han Yeoreum covered her mouth and giggled.
“…How the hell do you interpret that as jealousy?”
Was this what they meant by having a pure brain? I let out a deep sigh inside.
“Then is it okay if other people see my body?”
“Let’s stop with the crazy talk.”
“You are jealous. Don’t worry. I won’t show it to anyone but you.”
For some reason, I had to suppress the smile that naturally crept across my lips.
“Fine, just finish eating already.”
I wiped the cake cream off the corner of her mouth with a wet tissue and shook my head. At times like this, she suddenly becomes obedient. While watching Han Yeoreum eat, I stared blankly ahead. That was when I saw an unusual pair of a man and woman open the café door and walk in.
A man dressed entirely in pure white from head to toe, with a silver sword at his waist. And a woman with strikingly light pink hair. They walked straight toward us.
“You’re cadet Kim Mugong, correct?”
The man spoke as he looked at me.
“That’s right. And you are…?”
“I am student council president Moyong Seong.”
“And I’m the vice president. Batory Beatrice.”
The woman beside him chimed in smoothly.
“What brings you two here?”
I naturally knew who Moyong Seong was—he would later be called the Sword Saint. But Beatrice. This woman felt hazy in my memory. With such a distinct appearance and name, there was no way I shouldn’t remember her. Moyong Seong looked back and forth between me and Han Yeoreum before speaking again.
“Are you lovers?”
“You could say it’s roughly like that.”
“Huh?”
Han Yeoreum tilted her head at my words.
“Then it doesn’t matter. Mind if we sit?”
“Go ahead.”
When I gave permission, Moyong Seong and Beatrice pulled out chairs and sat down. With four people at the table, it felt completely full.
“I heard from Professor Cheongha. You were the one who resolved the incident?”
“Roughly, yes.”
“I have a proposal. Join the Muksu Unit.”
Moyong Seong made a rather sudden offer. And at the same time, I finally realized who the woman sending seductive smiles from beside Moyong Seong really was.
The name Batory Beatrice was an alias. I had never expected her to be using a foreign name. Because of her exotic appearance, everyone seemed to accept it naturally, but her real name was—
Jegal Hye.
The worst witch who would signal the beginning of the Blood Sect catastrophe was smiling sweetly as she met my eyes.