Teach Me, Seonho (2)
It had been three weeks since I enrolled at Cheonmu Hunter Academy and started enjoying the pleasant academy life.
Left to my own devices, I would have happily kept coasting along, savoring my harem-training lifestyle — but there was one problem I needed to start dealing with, and soon.
It's about time I started moving.
Yoon Selena. And Jeong Seok-hoon.
With Cho Jin-hyun's failure, these two were the Black Moon villains who would keep making moves on Kim Isabel from here on out.
To be fair, Selena was closer to Cho Jin-hyun's faction than to Jeong Seok-hoon's — but she was never the type to work under any single man when toppling Kim Isabel was on the line.
The moment Jeong Seok-hoon moved, there was a high probability Selena would move with him. Exactly which point in time that would be was hard to pin down, though.
The original novel never gave an exact date.
From what I remembered, it happened sometime after week two and before the midterm exams, so I had to start preparing now. The original's Seo Woojin was too busy hovering around Han Sora these days to amount to anything, anyway.
Not that I had any intention of giving him his moment in the spotlight. There was no way in hell I was handing over Kim Isabel — more than halfway claimed already — to a loser like Woojin.
And letting the villains snatch her away? Obviously out of the question.
Looks like I'll need to stick close to Kim Isabel for a while.
Even if it meant putting the other heroines' training on hold.
Sorry, Cha Eunju. Sorry, Han Sora. But when an event like this might cost me a heroine forever, I wasn't about to let my guard down.
"S-Seonho! Th-then how about this instead! I-if just my chest isn't enough for you, then as a special favor, I'll allow you everything up to my upper body—"
…She practically seduces herself with zero effort from me. Not that I need to worry about her right now.
Inside a small, temporary building tucked away in a forgotten corner of Cheonmu Academy, six figures in its basement were quietly exchanging glances.
They were waiting on news from outside, and it wasn't long before a black-haired priestess stepped in.
Unfazed by the men with their vicious, hardened faces, Yoon Selena walked calmly into the basement room and murmured,
"The disguise is finished. As far as anyone can tell, it looks exactly like the Magic Department training grounds."
"…Good work."
"The credit goes to our tactical analyst, not me. Executive Jin Soorin's skills are as sharp as ever, wouldn't you say?"
"…As sharp as ever — that's why she still holds her seat. Unlike a certain idiot who came back from a job missing an arm."
"…Well, he's still technically my direct superior, so it's a little hard for me to play along when you put it that way."
At Jeong Seok-hoon's jab, Selena entered the basement without bothering to name Cho Jin-hyun outright. Six pairs of eyes turned toward her, and she carried on with her report without a flicker of nerves.
"Everything from the outer walls down to the first floor is camouflaged as the Magic Department training grounds. The second floor and up, and this basement, aren't covered."
"That's enough. All we need is for Kim Isabel to walk in naturally."
"The academy's illusion-detection network inside has also been neutralized. It should come back online around two in the afternoon, so we need to move fast."
"The target was last seen in front of the cafeteria with one man. For someone with supposedly severe androphobia, she seems to be standing awfully close to him."
"Ah. Lee Seonho. That bastard."
"…You know him?"
"He's the one who's been hanging around Isabel lately. I don't know what his deal is, but Isabel's completely attached to him."
"…The guy Cho Jin-hyun made an example of."
"That's him. Our commander briefed us on him — said if we get the chance, we're to kill him on sight."
"Hmph. A man who botched his mission and got himself crippled, and all he's got left is whining. I barely see him at headquarters these days — figured he was dead."
"…Like I said, he's still my direct superior, so it's hard for me to respond to that."
Of course, Selena was only humoring him with words. The moment a better opportunity presented itself, she intended to defect to another line without a second thought.
After all, her entire reason for cooperating with Black Moon had always been Kim Isabel's downfall. Until now, Cho Jin-hyun had simply seemed closest to that goal, so she'd worked as his underling — but with a different executive now hunting Isabel, there was no reason to stay beneath him.
"Stick to the plan. Yoon Selena — you know that luring the target in yourself is the most important part."
"I know."
A faint glimmer of anticipation leaked through her composed expression as she continued.
"Isabel I can bring in naturally, so all of you just focus on being ready."
"Be careful out there, Yoon Selena. Even if the operation fails, you are not to let your identity slip. Not until the very end."
"I know how to do my job."
Maintaining her flawless act, Selena left the basement of the fake Magic Department training grounds and set off toward the student cafeteria, where Lee Seonho and Kim Isabel would be.
Two years she had worked alongside a shady outfit like Black Moon — and now, finally, she could taste her goal. She couldn't quite keep the smile off her lips.
As it turned out, I had nothing to feel guilty about with Cha Eunju or Han Sora.
The Monday of the third week — the very day I resolved to keep watch over Kim Isabel — was exactly when Yoon Selena started making her move.
"S-Seonho. A-about the other day's training… if, if it's all right with you, could we perhaps do it again today…?"
"Hahh… hahh… I-Isabel…!"
Her cheeks faintly flushed. Silver hair glittering in the sunlight.
Even behind her sacred veil, the sheer tension in her expression was palpable — and before Kim Isabel could even finish her sentence, a black-haired priestess materialized in front of her.
"…Sister Selena?"
"I-it's an emergency — come to the Magic Department training grounds right away! Quickly!"
"R-right now…?"
"Two Magic Department students had a mana collision accident during training. Their incantation circuits got tangled up wrong, and both of them are in critical condition. We need to flood them with holy power and force the tangled mana apart, and Sister Isabel, your ability is absolutely essential—"
Selena reeled off the rehearsed excuse like water flowing downstream as she seized Isabel's wrist.
Her acting really was quite good. No wonder the protagonist's party — Isabel included — never figured out she was a villain even by their third year at the academy.
And she's using the exact same excuse she used in the novel.
Which made it wonderfully easy to tell whether this was a genuine emergency or not.
Isabel turned toward me, hesitating over what to do, and I spoke up with a gentle push at her back.
"You'd better hurry."
"I-I'm sorry, Seonho…. A-after the treatment's done, then…"
"It's fine, just go. I'll wait for you until it's over."
"…My apologies, but Lee Seonho must not follow."
"…I'm sorry?"
"The patients' condition is critical. If anyone carrying mana other than holy power approaches, it could trigger adverse symptoms. The Magic Department training grounds are already clearing out everyone who isn't Recovery Department as we speak."
"……"
"I'm sorry, but I'll be taking only Sister Isabel. You can contact her separately afterward."
Thorough as hell, just like her character.
In the original, Woojin got dragged along in the confusion, so I never got to see this part — but watching her spit out lies without so much as a change in color, even in a sudden situation like this, was genuinely impressive.
Come to think of it, watching Selena pretend to be hypnotized for me might be more entertaining than any of the other heroines. The sight of her gritting her teeth and playing along — I had a feeling I'd enjoy that a lot.
"I-I'll contact you afterward, Seonho!"
"Hurry up, Sister Isabel!"
"Y-yes…!"
Perhaps a patient's life mattered more to her than our training, because Isabel took Selena's hand and moved away from me.
I followed the two of them at a quiet distance, careful to look like nothing more than a bystander watching them head for the Magic Department training grounds.
Suggestion: Prudent Shot
Target: Lee Seonho (Self)
Somewhere undisclosed, disguised by illusion magic to look exactly like the Magic Department training grounds — a temporary building.
Dragged there by Yoon Selena's hand, Kim Isabel looked around warily.
"Sister Selena? This place is…"
"The Magic Department training grounds. They said the injuries were too severe to transport them all the way to the church."
"…This is the Magic Department training grounds?"
It had only been two weeks since she enrolled, but that didn't mean Isabel was ignorant of the academy's geography.
Selena had clearly brought her somewhere quite far removed from the training grounds she knew, and a flicker of confusion crossed Isabel's face.
"Isn't the Magic Department training grounds near the Combat Auxiliary Department's…?"
"…The Magic Department has two training grounds. They say this one's facilities aren't as good as the newer one, but some people still use it from time to time."
"……I see."
Her doubts weren't exactly resolved, but Isabel nodded obediently. She was the sort who never spoke carelessly about things she didn't know.
Meanwhile, Selena was already leading her through the doors of the disguised building — and the moment they stepped inside, an inexplicably gloomy atmosphere set Isabel's nerves on edge.
Something about this place feels… off.
She'd managed to swallow the idea of an unfamiliar, rarely used training ground existing.
But even setting that aside, the mood of the building itself left her with an unmistakable sense of wrongness.
Training grounds were places people came and went constantly — they were supposed to be lively. Even with private rooms dividing the space, you should have been able to sense at least the murmur of other people.
If the other students had been cleared out due to the injuries, she should at least have felt the presence of other Recovery Department students or professors. Yet for some reason, not even that could be sensed.
Is everyone gathered around the injured students?
…Then what was this icy prickle crawling up her spine?
She was passing through the training grounds' corridor with a strange sense of crisis — one she felt like she'd experienced many times before — when it happened.
"……"
Two men suddenly appeared from beyond the corridor, and Isabel's body instinctively drew in on itself.
"……?"
Something is wrong.
According to Sister Selena, everyone not connected to the Recovery Department had supposedly been sent away.
Then why was there a man — a man who could not possibly be Recovery Department — inside this building?
Something is very wrong.
The same ominous feeling she'd had a month ago at the amusement park.
Instinctively gathering holy power into her palms, Isabel readied a binding spell against the two men closing in on them—
"I-Isabel! Watch out!"
"Wh-what?!"
Selena suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her down toward the lower floor, leaving Isabel no choice but to stumble along after her, flustered and bewildered.