Chapter 16
Chapter 16
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: 7. ■■!(3)
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Soon, Mikhailov, Wei Lian, and the referee from the sparring match entered the office after changing clothes. The office was thick with tension. A square table. Mikhailov crossed his arms and sat across from Yoo Ji-tae. While Wei Lian had an assistant brew coffee, Yoo Ji-tae sat silently, imagining smashing Wei Lian's head in.
Demonkin referred to humans who had accepted mana from the abyss. If an animal took in the same thing, it became a monster. The common point between monsters and Demonkin was their blind rage, murderous intent, and lust toward humans.
Because of them, the world faced great threats. In his first and second runs, Yoo Ji-tae had been dragged around by Demonkin, dragons be damned. Those memories were still vivid in his mind even now, nearly a century later. To him, all Demonkin had to be killed—they were one of the biggest factors hastening the apocalypse.
As he imagined crushing Wei Lian's skull in his mind and pondering what to do with the exposed bones,
Wei Lian spoke up, cup of tea in hand.
"Ha, well. I hardly know where to begin. First off, we're deeply sorry that this incident occurred during the Azure Dragon House interview, causing trouble for both guardians and the cadets."
A soft voice. A tone that put listeners at ease.
A somber gaze, as if emphasizing his sense of responsibility. That voice, which had incited crowds countless times for his own gain, remained the same no matter how the world turned.
Yoo Ji-tae shook off stray thoughts. The matter at hand came first.
"The good news is that no irreparable damage occurred between the parties. We got word from the hospital. Fortunately, it's just bruises and fractures."
Wei Lian subtly gauged Yoo Ji-tae's reaction.
"So, I wonder if there's any need to scratch at wounds and make things worse... Both children wanted to enter Azure Dragon House anyway, so wouldn't it be best to end this amicably? If you two guardians agree positively, I'll handle the rest of the procedures myself."
Unlike most Demonkin who revealed their true nature easily, Wei Lian had remarkable patience. It was like living 24 hours a day in abstinence during peak arousal. This was to build his reputation and aim for bigger prey.
Even now.
His gaze, pretending to scan the room, lingered a bit longer on Yeoreum. A very subtle difference.
Her appearance as a dragon, and her overwhelming prowess among the prospective freshmen. Yeoreum matched Azure Dragon House's ideal recruit perfectly.
Wei Lian coveted Yeoreum.
"Mikhailov."
"It's Yoo Ji-tae."
"Before accepting your apology, let me apologize first. Sophia is still young and immature. She let her emotions get the better of her this time. So..."
"I won't accept the guardian's apology."
Interrupting him, Mikhailov's eyes twitched.
"What?"
"What meaning is there in an apology borrowed from someone else's mouth?"
"...We're both guardians in this situation, so I'd appreciate it if you'd take it in good grace. An apology is an apology. It's not like you don't know who I am."
"We're not in the same situation. Does your organization usually apologize like that?"
At the mention of RIL, Mikhailov's brow furrowed darkly. The referee assistant looked flustered too.
"Y-Your attitude is a bit rude. I started this in good faith, but you're responding like that, so I'm a little taken aback. So what do you want? Shall I bring the injured kid here to apologize?"
"If you really want to apologize, then do it."
"...Look here. Isn't that a bit too arrogant?"
"You're pretty stiff yourself."
"This punk..."
Mikhailov rose from his seat.
Wei Lian quickly intervened.
"Calm down, Mikhailov. Let's sit and talk this through slowly first. Guardian Yoo Ji-tae, I hope you won't escalate things. Otherwise, we'll have to hand this over to the disciplinary committee."
There was footage. If it went to disciplinary and an investigation started, it'd be a hassle. Mikhailov let out a deep sigh. Then he spoke to Yoo Ji-tae.
"Sophia's nineteen. The kid acted immaturely. If it goes to investigation, the fault will fall more on us. In fact, her excitement was the mistake. I'd appreciate it if you'd overlook a child's error. And honestly, your side didn't exactly do anything right either?"
Yoo Ji-tae shook his head.
"That's not my concern."
"What?"
"The reason I called you here isn't because of the girl who charged with a knife. So of course I have no intention of accepting an apology."
Who was right or wrong didn't matter. That was a pointless argument with no value.
"What I'm curious about is this. Why didn't you stop the kid who drew a dagger and ran at her? That's why I called you—to ask that."
"What..."
"Kid, her eyes weren't normal. Turns out she had no prior connection with my child. Charging at a stranger out of frustration from losing—surely you knew that as her guardian."
"It was a sudden situation!"
"So you couldn't stop her? Because it was sudden?"
"...!"
"If you can't control that, she shouldn't be at school. She's not some furred beast. And you shouldn't be a guardian if you can't control that either."
Mikhailov felt his fist trembling.
Yoo Ji-tae's words were wrong—utterly wrong. Yet he couldn't point out the flaws.
In truth, he could have grabbed Sophia then, but he hadn't.
It was emotional. As her guardian, he was frustrated seeing his kid get beaten helplessly. Plus, the redhead's arrogant attitude grated on him.
The redhead wouldn't die anyway, and with him there, Sophia would be fine. With RIL as backup, any noise could be ignored. He'd just calculated that teaching the insolent brat a lesson about the world...
"Acting all high and mighty as a guardian without the ability, only to get your hand cut by the other cadet. You even took a hit."
At Yoo Ji-tae's words, Yeoreum covered her mouth and giggled. As if recalling what she'd done.
"What? Why."
As eyes turned to her, Yeoreum hemmed and hawed evasively.
Mikhailov carefully chose his words.
Yoo Ji-tae's remarks were clever and malicious. Words that would normally shred his pride.
But denying them would expose his true feelings.
"And then coming here saying 'Sophia's young and immature'... Aren't you embarrassed to blame a kid for your own shortcomings?"
Yoo Ji-tae kept scraping at his nerves. In truth, he held no emotional grudge against Mikhailov. He was just voicing thoughts that came to him like advice from watching a chess match.
Yet Mikhailov's face was growing increasingly grim.
The eyes of Wei Lian and the referee watching him uncomfortably were excruciatingly unpleasant.
In the end, he decided to change the subject.
"...So what do you want? Planning to make an enemy of RIL on this narrow scene? Your 'Yoo' family—I'd never heard of it."
He trusted RIL and his own power and position.
He was a soldier who'd joined RIL before the war and devoted 20 years to this world.
What about the guy in front of him? From what he'd looked up, an unheard-of name and family. Pressure would resolve it. That's what he thought.
"Why bring up family all of a sudden?"
"Scraping at my nerves won't do you any good from here on. Think Lair is that big?"
Mikhailov forced a smile.
To Yoo Ji-tae, it was an all-too-familiar expression. Many had said similar things to him. People with much to lose, used to crushing with power.
In the end, half died, and half wished they had.
"Well, since it's our mistake, I'll stop here too... ..."
Mikhailov, confidently continuing, trailed off.
Eyes.
His eyes were on him.
The gaze he'd thought strangely faint until moments ago now pinned him sharply. Something heavy squeezed his heart tight.
"Before you go, let's take a quick look at the knife."
At some point, a dagger was in Yoo Ji-tae's hand. Mikhailov's. Despite coming from a sheath enchanted with 'Cleanse,' it was stained with Yeoreum's blood that hadn't been wiped away.
Yoo Ji-tae began wiping the blood with the hem of his dress shirt.
Then he handed the knife back to the flustered Mikhailov.
Taking it, Mikhailov unwittingly stepped back.
He couldn't understand what had happened. Had he reached for his waist just now?
The condescension he'd felt moments ago vanished cleanly.
Come to think of it, it had been the same earlier. When he'd walked through crossed space. He'd given up trying to understand because he couldn't.
He squeezed out his last pride and spoke.
"We'll admit full fault on our side and take responsibility. Since you don't need an apology, let's end it here. But... you'd better watch yourself. With that attitude, you might get seriously hurt someday."
And the moment he finished, he regretted it.
That sharp gaze held him captive. He felt infinitely small, like a child before a beast. Cold sweat trickled down his spine.
As the surroundings felt strangely quiet, Yoo Ji-tae spoke.
"Stick to crowded streets."
The words enveloped him like sticky venom.
His heartbeat pounded hugely, chillingly against his ribs. 'If, by any chance, compensation for damages arises, send it in writing.' He blurted nonsense he himself didn't understand and hurriedly left.
He felt that staying longer might lead to something unpredictable. There were eyes everywhere, and it was just a young kid. Reason desperately denied the fear, but the terror gnawing at his emotions began conjuring imagined futures that hadn't happened.
His breathing quickened. With trembling hands beyond his control, he fumbled for a cigarette.
If it hadn't appeared, he would have died just now.