Exam Prep for the Squint-Eyed Character (2)
He was on his way back to the classroom after finishing the spar.
Come to the principal's office after school.
His feet stopped cold.
He stood still for a moment and looked around.
"What's wrong?"
Kim Gabyul, walking beside him, asked.
"…It's nothing."
Inside the classroom after closing homeroom.
"What are you doing? Let's go."
Kim Gabyul prodded him as he stood lost in thought.
"I have some business at the academy today, so I'll need to head off on my own."
She studied his face carefully before speaking.
"…Yeah? What kind of business?"
"Ah, I have something to discuss with a teacher."
He hadn't lied.
The principal was a teacher too, after all.
"…Fine. Guess I'll go by myself, then."
"Haha. See you tomorrow."
"Yeah. See you tomorrow."
Kim Gabyul said her goodbyes and left the classroom first.
He gathered his bag as well and stepped out shortly after.
After spending about ten minutes in the restroom, he made his way toward the principal's office.
There was no need to let a whole crowd of people see him heading there, after all.
Just what could this be about, calling me to the principal's office?
The closer he got, the deeper his fretting grew.
Was anything I've done connected to the principal?
He turned it over carefully in his mind, but nothing particular came to mind.
The closest thing was the Philosopher's Stone incident.
Aside from that, he couldn't think of any reason he'd be tangled up with the principal.
Ah—I did exchange contact with the principal a few weeks ago. Is it about that?
Or maybe something happened before I transmigrated into this body?
If that were the case, no amount of worrying here would give him an answer.
Come to think of it, the principal said she wanted to give me a personal reward… Has she just not gotten around to mentioning it yet?
While his thoughts wandered like that, his feet had already carried him to the door of the principal's office.
Knock, knock.
"Baek Sejin here."
"Come in."
He opened the door. Beside it stood that familiar blue mannequin, and on the sofa sat Principal Lee Seon-hee.
As always, her navy-blue hair coiled around her body as she greeted him.
"Good to see you. Have a seat."
Following her invitation, he sat across from her.
"What did you call me for?"
At his question, Lee Seon-hee quietly summoned the mannequin and had it pour coffee into her cup.
"Would you like some?"
"Well, if you're offering, I'll gladly accept."
The blue mannequin set a cup in front of him, poured the coffee, then stood beside the sofa and went completely still.
"The reason I called you isn't anything major."
Having said that, Lee Seon-hee savored the aroma of her coffee, set the cup back down, and continued.
"You remember Kang Ye-eun, I trust."
"Of course I do. We even spoke about her a few weeks ago, didn't we?"
"There's been a problem with Kang Ye-eun's person."
"…Pardon?"
For a moment he couldn't process what she'd said and simply echoed it back, but Lee Seon-hee only sipped her coffee.
"What exactly do you mean, a problem with Kang Ye-eun's person?"
"…Right. I should start from there."
Lee Seon-hee let out a single sigh and went on.
"I told you not to worry about Kang Ye-eun. And at the time, that was the correct thing to say."
"Which means the situation has changed now."
"It has. Kang Ye-eun was spirited away."
Kang Ye-eun… spirited away? By whom?
"Kang Ye-eun successfully began serving her sentence in the Ability User prison. But in the process, her true body was swapped out. A double of hers took her place."
Lee Seon-hee broke off mid-sentence and pressed her fingers to her forehead.
"A double… doesn't quite fit, does it. Ah, yes. A doll. A doll is better. A doll identical to a human being took her place.
It was only recently that a guard noticed something off and discovered Kang Ye-eun had been swapped out midway."
"You're saying a person was replaced with a doll and no one noticed?"
"That's right. If I'd been supervising it myself it would be another matter, but I don't know the particulars on their end. One thing is certain, though. Kang Ye-eun could never have pulled this off alone."
"So to summarize—Kang Ye-eun was swapped out during the process of being tried and committed to prison, and she had an accomplice involved…"
"Exactly."
"I have one question. Why hasn't an incident this large been reported?"
"There are plenty of reasons, aren't there? In the end, Ability User prisons are run by the government. They have no reason to go advertising their own mistakes.
On top of that, Kang Ye-eun's physical exam apparently showed she was suffering from an incurable disease with no known treatment at present.
She didn't have long left to live. If she was going to die on her own soon enough anyway, there was no need to drag the matter into the open."
"Then how did this information reach you, Principal?"
Looking distinctly displeased, the principal crossed her arms and crossed her legs.
Her upper body sank into the sofa, and her chest asserted a considerable presence.
"Because they couldn't track her on their own, so they called me, of course. Whoever spirited Kang Ye-eun away, the fact that they fooled the people involved for over a month means they're no ordinary operator."
Hearing that, one possibility rose in his mind.
Could it be Gamigin's real contractor?
A contractor Gamigin doted on that much would likely have that level of ability.
Principal Lee Seon-hee, as if hearing his thoughts, slowly nodded.
"Yes—Gamigin, was it? That woman did appear to have some connection to Gamigin. The possibility seems quite high. …I wonder if Lord Marbas thinks the same?"
Before he knew it, Lee Seon-hee was looking straight at Marbas, floating above his shoulder.
Sharp eyes, those.
With a voice full of interest, Marbas materialized.
The fully manifested Marbas took the form of a male lion with a mane of pure black—and he was enormous, large enough to fill an entire corner of the room.
Far bigger than any ordinary car; roughly the size of an African elephant, perhaps.
"…Why is he so huge—no. More importantly, you can change into that form as well?"
Form and size matter not at all. This shape is simply more comfortable for ordinary days.
"This is my first time seeing you in person. A pleasure, Lord Marbas."
Lee Seon-hee looked up at Marbas and offered a courteous greeting.
"Kyang."
Miho, who had somehow climbed onto Marbas's head, returned the greeting in his place.
At the sight, Lee Seon-hee let out a dry laugh.
So, you say this is the work of Gamigin's contractor. Gamigin has always been a creature of whims; what choice she may have made, I cannot say. It has been several thousand years since last we met face to face.
Even for demons such as we, who live eternal lives, several thousand years is long enough that Gamigin may well have changed considerably. For now, it is impossible to know.
"I see…"
He watched the exchange for a moment, then spoke.
"So why did you call me to the principal's office?"
At that, her eyes widened as if she'd just remembered.
"Ah, yes. That's right. Take this."
Lee Seon-hee drew a large ring from her robes.
He accepted the ring, but with no idea what it meant, he looked at her with a face that clearly requested an explanation.
"Baek Sejin played a major role in stopping Kang Ye-eun, after all. If Gamigin's contractor is the one who recovered her, then you may be in danger as well.
You spoiled a done deal. Resentment will linger—they'll almost certainly come looking for revenge."
"I suppose that's true…?"
"If you ever find yourself in danger, pour mana into this ring and my clone will appear on the spot.
Don't worry about the clone's combat strength. It should be able to sweep aside most enemies. It's on an entirely different level from that frail clone you saw before."
"…That's quite a dangerous item. Haha. I've received a precious gift."
"Think of it as a small token of goodwill from a principal to a student of her own school."
"Do I just put it on?"
"Yes. Any finger will do."
He slipped the ring she'd given him onto a random finger.
At once the ring shrank rapidly, reshaping itself to fit his finger perfectly.
The ring on his ring finger caught the light and gleamed.
He and Lee Seon-hee looked at each other and smiled.
He smiled because he'd suddenly gained a reliable combat asset.
Why she was smiling, he had no idea.
On the way home, he raised his hand toward the sky and let the light play across the ring.
So this has that kind of effect?
Outwardly it looked like an ordinary ring, yet pouring mana into it would summon a clone. Remarkable.
The design wove white and deep blue together in elegant harmony.
It was quite luxurious—he liked it.
Hm?
Suddenly, a crow that had been nearby toppled to the ground.
"…Hah."
She opened her eyes slowly, body trembling.
For a moment her vision blurred.
"Sejin… Sejin…"
She had seen it. The ring on Sejin's ring finger.
Surely not. It couldn't be.
Surely Sejin didn't already have someone he loved?
"No… It can't be… It can't…"
Unconsciously, she chewed on her nails.
Was it Kim Gabyul? Or Moon Seyeon? Lee Ye-rin? And if not them… Kang Ha-seung?
"…Damn it."
Work had delayed her from watching Sejin, and because of that she couldn't identify the other party.
Furious, she slammed her fist down on the desk.
CRASH!
Only after splitting a desk clean in half did her heart settle a little.
"Sejin…"
Am I already too late…?