Chapter 18: Is That How Your Master Taught You? (2)
Chapter 18: Is That How Your Master Taught You? (2)
In the end, Baek Si-hyun failed to succeed with Amplification by the time the training session was over.
“I feel like I could get it if I just did a little more…”
“Take it slow. We have plenty of time.”
Since she’d already managed several months' worth of training on the very first day, I personally hoped she’d slow down a bit.
I’ve heard that martial artists spend months just learning how to perceive and use their Dantian, but my dear disciple is so brilliant she finished that in a single day.
I had intended to just break A-bin’s Magic Staff and do a little sparring with Si-hyun today, but my plans have gone significantly awry.
I wonder what I should teach her starting tomorrow.
“The faster I get strong, the better.”
“Why? Are you that eager to retire?”
Most kids who become Heroes try to delay their retirement as long as possible, so she’s an odd one.
They usually want to gain recognition and rake in as much money as they can during the golden years of their lives. Then, once they’re satisfied, the majority of them retire as quickly as possible. It seems my disciple is different.
“Black Marauder is still out there, roaming around. He’s probably attacking someone even now…”
Don’t worry. Black Marauder is right next to you.
“So, you want to take down Black Marauder as soon as possible?”
“Yes!”
“But you’d have to retire immediately after. You won't miss it?”
“It doesn’t matter! Defeating Black Marauder is enough for me.”
So, taking down Black Marauder takes precedence over money or fame. I can’t tell if she’s a fool, overflowing with a sense of justice, or both.
“You don’t get strong just by training relentlessly. You need to rest when it’s time to rest. So, go get cleaned up. Let’s go home.”
“Yes!”
Baek Si-hyun answered energetically and dashed into the shower room.
Left alone in the now quiet training hall, I leaned against the entrance and looked around the interior.
Reasonably soft green mats, shock absorbers attached here and there on the walls.
The soundproofing was perfect, and it even had a shower room and storage. It wasn't a bad training hall at all.
The mats had been flipped over on the very first day, but other than that, the shock absorbers worked normally. It was an excellent facility, capable of withstanding my strength.
Even if I were to release my Limiter, this training hall would likely hold up for a short while.
“So we’re leasing this place permanently for our exclusive use? They really do have money to burn.”
According to what I heard from Hyun-seok, the Branch Manager, this place was created by renovating an abandoned underground air-raid shelter over the course of a week. Just in case, they also installed food ingredient generators and Repulsion Fields that could withstand Otherworld Erosion for several weeks.
“I wonder how much this cost.”
Even if Black Marauder was practically an O-Rank Monster, I didn't think they would provide such a high-quality training hall.
Hyun-seok apologized, saying he couldn't find a better facility, but I doubted if anything better even existed.
Maybe within the Management Bureau itself, though.
“Do they train by artificially creating enemies or something?”
Thinking that might actually be possible, I leaned against The Wall and pulled out my phone.
Beep.
Ring... ring... ring...
—Yes, this is the Hero specializing in firearms, Danger Rifle.
A firm, stiff, and restrained female voice flowed into my ear.
“It’s me.”
—Te... Teacher? What brings you to call?
Hearing her voice instantly weaken, I brought up my business.
“The location data for that guy, Kim Tae-jun, that I requested. Did you find it?”
—Yes. As you requested, I’ve compiled the locations he visits most frequently.
“And the eavesdropping device?”
—I failed to plant it.
“...The reason?”
If she, who sniped from positions even I found difficult to perceive, had failed, there had to be a plausible reason.
—He uses the dormitories inside the Management Bureau, and even when he buys things or exercises, it’s all done within the Bureau’s grounds. There was simply no situation where I could snipe...
“Understood. Send the location data to this phone number.”
So this has become another problem I have to go and resolve myself. Just as I was about to hang up, her timid voice came through the phone.
—U-Um, Teacher.
“What is it?”
—Isn't that Kim Tae-jun the spokesperson for the Hero Management Bureau...? Why his location data...
“He wasn't very Hero-like.”
—Pardon? Teacher, what does that...
Click.
I hung up.
There was no need to give her too much information. No matter how much of a Hero she was, influenced by my ideology, she hadn't earned my trust yet. For now, this level of relationship was enough.
I closed my eyes and steeled my mind for what I had to do tonight.
After a period of time that was neither long nor short.
Creeak.
Along with the sound of the shower room door opening, my disciple’s voice echoed through the basement.
“Master! You waited for me. You could have gone up first!”
“Don’t worry about it. If I left you alone and something happened...”
I trailed off.
Her appearance after undoing her transformation wasn't much different from when she was a Magical Girl. Only her grayish hair had returned to black.
Unlike me, her transformation only really changed her hair color. In that state, her physical appearance didn't change much.
The difference was...
“What is with those clothes?”
“I usually dress like this!”
It was a giant T-shirt that wasn't just baggy, but reached down to her thighs. Loose, sagging jeans. She didn't even seem to have a belt, having tied her waist roughly with a string.
I don't care much for fashion myself, but even to my eyes, that was something that could hardly be called clothes.
“...You might as well just wear your school uniform.”
Since she was eighteen, she was surely a senior in high school. A stark blue school uniform would have suited her better.
“I already graduated from high school. And university!”
What is this girl, really?
“High school, fine. University?”
“I was in graduate school when I awakened as a Hero, so I’m on a leave of absence!”
Is she actually smart? Based on her behavior alone...
“Let’s just go up for now.”
“Yes!”
Hearing Si-hyun’s cheerful reply, I pressed the elevator button.
“Master, don't you need to shower?”
“I didn't break a sweat.”
“Aren't you going to undo your transformation?”
“I can't.”
Ding.
The elevator doors opened, and we stepped inside. Perhaps it was because the elevator arrived at an abrupt moment, or because my answer had been blunt, but Baek Si-hyun fell silent.
An awkward silence lingered for a moment. To break the stifling atmosphere, I took the lead and threw out a topic.
“You said you graduated university?”
“That’s right!”
“What was your major?”
“Nuclear Engineering!”
Of all things, a field of study that had mostly collapsed after the invasion. Just when I think she’s smart, she shows a foolish side; I really can’t make heads or tails of her.
Well, I suppose I’ll find out in time.
* * *
With a ding, the elevator doors opened, and the house I had briefly seen this morning came into view.
An ordinary two-story family home.
I thought they’d give us an apartment or something, but seeing the initiative they took to build a whole house right above the training hall, the Management Bureau certainly had a lot of money.
“Ah. Is training over?”
“You’ve returned.”
“Yeah.”
As we stepped out of the elevator, two living beings flew toward us.
A White Fur Ball that had recently started losing weight: Un-ho.
A fairy with long, kite-like wings: Lin.
“Lin! I learned so much today!”
“Calm down, Si-hyun. Do not grab me.”
Baek Si-hyun immediately dashed forward and clung to her mascot.
Lin responded coldly, but seeing as she calmly accepted the words, it seemed their relationship wasn't bad.
It’s a good thing to be close to your mascot. In an emergency, a mascot can become a Magical Girl’s shield.
Hasn't A-bin returned yet?
“A-bin hasn't come back yet.”
Un-ho spoke up first, noticing me looking around for A-bin.
“When did she leave?”
“Around 11:00 AM.”
Then about seven hours have passed. She should be back soon.
“Let’s eat first.”
“I’ll make it!”
Lin, who had been caught in Si-hyun’s grip, took to the air, and Si-hyun dashed into the kitchen.
“You have it rough too.”
I offered a word of comfort to Lin, who had been tossed aside by Si-hyun.
“I have grown accustomed to it. I have wings, so it is not a significant issue.”
“If you’ve grown accustomed to it in just a week, is she always like that?”
“She is. She always ignores her surroundings and charges toward her goal.”
The type to charge headlong, losing sight of everything else once a goal is set.
Information about her continues to pile up. This information was one of the reasons I took her as a disciple. It was reconnaissance to make her stronger, while simultaneously identifying her weaknesses and combat style to twist them.
Someday, I will be able to perfectly simulate her within myself.
“Lin. On what basis did you choose her?”
“What do you mean?”
“Don’t play dumb. I already know. Unlike other Heroes, a Magical Girl isn't just 'chosen'; the mascot decides.”
Unlike other Heroes who awaken suddenly as if struck by lightning, a Magical Girl is a Hero who awakens when an individual mascot finds someone who meets the appropriate criteria.
“For example, Un-ho confessed that the reason he chose me was because of my heart of justice.”
“You said you wouldn't talk about that!”
“Shut it.”
I kicked away the clinging White Fur Ball and met Lin’s gaze.
“Un-ho. You revealed even that? That is a violation of regulations.”
“Aaaah, I can’t hear you! I’m not going back anyway. I won't be punished.”
Un-ho covered his ears and turned back into a ball of white dust.
I kicked the white dust ball, which had turned into its usual rolling piece of trash, out of the living room and continued my interrogation of Lin.
“Leave that white dust alone. What were your criteria for choosing her?”
At my words, Lin glanced toward the kitchen. Her eyes narrowed as if piercing through The Wall to see Baek Si-hyun.
“I cannot say.”
“Why not?”
“Because it would expose the contractor’s emotions. I adhere to the contractor’s privacy and the regulations of the Magic Kingdom.”
What the hell is the Magic Kingdom?
Something I’d never heard of in my thirty years as a Magical Girl had just popped out.
“Magic Kingdom? What’s that?”
“...Did Un-ho not tell you?”
“It’s my first time hearing it.”
“...That constitutes a violation of regulations. Please act as if you did not hear it.”
Do these mascot things all have a screw loose? They act like civil servants following regulations, yet they just blurt out critical information.
Thinking that if I glared at her, she might get scared like Un-ho and spill the beans, I narrowed my eyes and glared at Lin as she floated in the air.
We stared at each other for about ten seconds. Unlike Un-ho, Lin stared back at me calmly, without any change in expression.
She really is of a different caliber than the white trash in our house. I don't know what she’s like on the inside, but it doesn't seem like information will come out easily even if I squeeze her.
Since I didn't want to be hated by someone I’d be sharing the erosion with, it was best to end it here.
“Lin. I’ll ask just one last thing.”
“What is it?”
“Are you a traitor?”
“...You have already seen mascots who have betrayed their contractors.”
“Yeah.”
Magical Girls who had their power stripped in an instant and plummeted from the sky.
Magical Girls who were betrayed at the final moment and had their bodies stolen.
Magical Girls who received Otherworldly Power from the start and turned into monsters.
All of them were the handiwork of traitorous mascots.
“I have no intention of betraying her.”
“Make sure you keep that promise. I might not be able to do anything about Black Marauder, but I can certainly obliterate a mascot or two.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
Lin’s expression remained unchanged.
I heightened my senses to the limit to check her facial muscles and heartbeat, but I couldn't find any signs of lying.
Shouldn't this girl at least pretend to be flustered? She’s too calm.
Thinking that, I looked away from Lin and buried my face in the sofa.
“Sorry for snapping at you. I’ve just dealt with so much.”
My voice was muffled by the sofa, but it surely reached Lin.
“It is fine. Traitors are a significant problem for us as well.”
As expected, there was some sort of relationship between the mascots. Was it that Magic Kingdom thing?
As I was organizing my thoughts with my face buried in the soft sofa, Lin spoke to me.
“More importantly, Ha-ram, why do you not undo your transformation? Maintaining it continuously must be a heavy drain on your stamina.”
“I can't undo it. Un-ho said it’s a special case.”
“What does that...”
Thump.
For the first time, I heard the fairy’s heartbeat quicken in my ear.
When I stole a glance, Lin’s face was still expressionless, but I could feel the unhideable change in her emotions as if I were touching them.
“According to Un-ho, my essence was eaten by the Magical Girl.”
Thump. Thump.
The heartbeat grew even faster. She knows something. Does she know more than Un-ho?
An awkward silence dominated the living room.
Lin knew something but was pretending not to, and I was pretending not to notice while burying my face in the soft sofa.
This state continued for a while, until...
“Time to eat!”
The strangely lingering confrontation ended as Baek Si-hyun charged into the living room.
“It’s been a while since I’ve had a real meal.”
“Why did you turn into a ball like that?”
“It’s a hobby.”
Un-ho rolled his spherical body into the dining room. And Baek Si-hyun watched him, fascinated.
Watching that bizarre sight, I felt like a fool for being so serious.
“Let’s just eat.”
“Yes.”