Chapter 61
Chapter 61
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 61
Chapter Title: The Twin Sister Steals the Show, But Aunt Gets the Goodies (4)
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Eum Ji-hye was hurt. She'd gotten a piercing wound trying to block the spear thrust I'd unleashed.
It wasn't on purpose. My body had crossed the line all on its own. I had no idea why.
The real problem came after that.
"Teacher! The bleeding won't stop."
Right after the injury, Eum Ji-hye had activated her mana to staunch the flow. It was almost instinctual.
But it wasn't working.
Was a former mid-to-low-tier hero unable to even stop her own bleeding? No.
It was because the piercing wound I'd left wasn't any ordinary one. It absolutely wasn't that Eum Ji-hye's level was too low to handle it.
Crackle, crackle-.
Sparks flew from Eum Ji-hye's shoulder. It looked like they were reacting to her mana, writhing in response. Violent enough to seem like outright rebellion.
"...I'll go by myself. Everyone else, take a break."
Eum Ji-hye gave up on self-hemostasis and headed to the infirmary. She left cleanup to Class President Mi and left the training grounds.
"...Juyeon-woo, you're insane."
"That killing intent for a split second was no joke, for real."
The mood in C Class grew chaotic. Even the class president couldn't stop everyone from chattering during break time.
The topic was me.
How the hell did he do that? What kind of stunt was that? Even the aspiring heroes couldn't wrap their heads around it.
"It was interfering with the teacher's mana."
"I've heard special manas sometimes have unique properties like that, but I didn't think they actually existed."
"There are only a few in America. Does that mean we've finally got one in Korea too? Whoa!"
Competitors. Competitors who were also comrades.
The stronger the hero, the safer Korea becomes. Friends and family living in Korea could enjoy more peaceful lives.
The jealousy was fleeting.
"Thunderbolt."
"Sparks went pop! like that."
"Do it again, Yeon-woo."
Everyone started asking questions like we were buddies. Maybe we actually were close, but that wasn't for me to know.
What mattered right now was how awkward it all felt.
I gave an awkward smile and summoned my mana. It was something I could do on instinct, even without my body cooperating.
That just went to show how hard Juyeon-woo had trained. His body remembered it well enough to execute on its own.
Crackle, crackle-!
"Ooooh!"
The cadets' eyes went wide. They alternated between staring at me and my spear, faces full of shock.
Even the usual slacker delinquents showed interest.
That was when Class President Mi stepped in.
"The teacher's not here, so don't do anything dangerous."
She warned them to prevent any potential accidents. At her words, the cadets frowned, shooting her looks like she was overreacting.
"Don't overdo it, Class President Mi."
"Yeah, what's the big deal?"
Even among cadets, just summoning mana like this wouldn't cause accidents. They'd all been training since childhood, so basic mana control was a breeze for them.
I was the same.
At the half the cadets' protests, Class President Mi grumbled.
"Still, being careful doesn't hurt. The teacher got hurt."
"That was an accident."
"Accidents happen when you least expect them, that's why they're accidents."
"Ugh, Class Prez!"
The atmosphere lightened up considerably. Eum Ji-hye had gotten hurt, sure, but it wasn't anything to cry over.
No way an academy teacher would die or end up disabled from a mere first-year cadet's attack. The odds were practically zero.
A bit of worry and then move on—that was all it needed.
"Still, glad it's not too bad."
As the frozen tension thawed, laughter echoed from all around. Some cadets were even reviewing the spar.
Until Eum Ji-hye returned.
"Sorry, kids."
Eum Ji-hye came back quickly. The academy's resident health teacher was one of Korea's top healers. Most wounds could be handled right there in the infirmary.
'So it was just a minor wound after all.'
It wasn't the kind of mistake to mope about all day. At least, that was my take—my body seemed to disagree.
C Class's sparring training resumed. Cadets clashed weapons, testing their skills against each other.
Clang-! Kang-!
"......"
I couldn't blend into the training ground vibe. My body was beating itself up over that earlier blunder, shrinking in guilt.
Anyone could see I was lost in thought—my shoulders slumped blatantly.
'Well.... I think I get why that mistake happened.'
It wasn't my mistake. It was my body's. Whether you could call an intentional act a "mistake" was debatable.
If my body had done it, that meant it was tied to some NTR manga plotline.
This was the academy's first-year C Class. With Eum Ji-hye and Class President Mi around.
The manga starring Eum Ji-hye was Virgin Teacher Until Thirty Awakens Hypnosis. In it, the female lead Eum Ji-hye hypnotizes the male heroine Juyeon-woo and they become lovers.
The story laid itself out plain as day.
'...Guess I need to act even more remorseful for realism.'
I didn't want my body hijacking me like that. The feeling of being puppeted wasn't pleasant.
I wanted to drive the story myself. And to do that, I had to play my role to the hilt.
"Next. Mi and Seol-gi, you're up."
Right now, I'd hurt my beloved teacher. Made her bleed because of my screw-up.
The guilt would be beyond imagination. No way I could hold my head high.
I just stared blankly at the floor.
Until lunchtime. Until morning training ended.
Avoiding Eum Ji-hye's gaze, I spent the time in reflection.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ 'No need to feel that bad about it.'
Juyeon-woo had messed up. Got too into the spar and let his excitement get the better of him.
Killing intent had seeped into his strike. The spear, fueled by the will to impale, gleamed viciously.
A blow Park A-young could never have blocked. Eum Ji-hye had stepped in instead. What any teacher would do.
'It was a mistake.'
Eum Ji-hye understood Juyeon-woo's error.
If everyone was perfect, why have a place of learning? They were cadets. Imperfect by nature.
As an adult and a hero, Eum Ji-hye had a duty to guide these clumsy kids.
So it was fine. Even if Juyeon-woo had slipped up—even if that slip had pierced her shoulder—it was really fine.
But Juyeon-woo himself didn't seem to think so. He kept his head down, avoiding her eyes.
She wanted to see his face, but he wouldn't show it.
"Mi, could you call Yeon-woo over?"
"Yes, Teacher. Got it."
Calling Juyeon-woo directly was impossible. He was deliberately dodging her.
So she sent Class President Mi instead.
As a classmate, if Class President Mi ambushed him with the message, Juyeon-woo couldn't ignore it.
"...Teacher."
She'd called him to the empty staff lounge. Juyeon-woo shuffled in hesitantly.
"Yeon-woo, did you eat lunch okay?"
"...Yes."
"The academy lunches are so good, right? Back in my day, they weren't this fancy...."
Eum Ji-hye caught herself rambling like a lovesick girl. When Juyeon-woo didn't react much, she gave an embarrassed smile and trailed off.
"Yeon-woo."
Eum Ji-hye stripped as much emotion from her voice as she could. She didn't actually resent him, but in this moment, she needed to seem steady and low-key.
"Everyone makes mistakes."
She didn't say something trite like Good thing we're at the academy.
Instinct told her it wouldn't help. Like picking at a scab.
"...I'm sorry."
Bringing up the morning spar made Juyeon-woo's eyes well up. He bowed his head deep, apologizing in a trembling voice.
He'd clearly been stewing over it.
'So cute. Way too cute.'
Eum Ji-hye truly didn't mind at all. She'd gotten banged up all the time in the field. Damage from a cadet's level was nothing.
His current expressions and reactions were far more dangerous. Her heart was pounding like it might burst.
"Accepting a cadet's mistakes and taking responsibility—that's the teacher's role. And a cadet's role is to give their all to learn every moment."
"Teacher...."
"Did you give your all back there in training, Yeon-woo?"
"......"
He'd been focused. Swung the spear in a state of unity with his weapon.
"Then you didn't do anything wrong."
"Teacher, I'm sorry...."
"No more sorries. Any accidents in training are on me as the teacher."
"But still...."
Eum Ji-hye took a firm stance. If she didn't, this could drag on forever.
"Keep saying sorry, and I'll apologize too. Sorry. I should've stopped you sooner."
"No! Don't apologize. It was my fault...!"
"There, there you go again. Now I'm sorry too."
"......"
Juyeon-woo shut his mouth. Eum Ji-hye stared straight into his eyes. He seemed more settled than before.
He was usually so mature as vice president, showing only grown-up sides—but now she saw he had some typical kid traits too.
Eum Ji-hye chuckled softly and stroked up and down his forearm.
"What worries me is something else. I'm scared today's incident will make you hesitate in training."
"......"
His reaction suggested trauma might linger subconsciously. The hypnosis was the issue.
Eum Ji-hye did her best to soothe him.
"Yeon-woo. I want you kids to become great heroes. Not lousy ones like me."
"You're already a great hero, Teacher."
The words burst from Juyeon-woo's mouth without a second's hesitation. Her chest swelled with emotion and gratitude.
But Eum Ji-hye couldn't see herself that way. No way she could.
She shook her head and said,
"...Yeon-woo, let me ask you for a favor. Learn what you can from today and let the rest go."
"......"
It didn't look easy. Fear had already taken root in his heart.
What to do?
"How about a bet with me?"
"A bet...?"
"Train hard without letting today's accident hold you back."
To settle the bet, they needed clear proof.
Eum Ji-hye snapped her fingers and declared,
"Make it to the Hero Tournament quarterfinals. Do that, and I'll grant you one wish."
"...A wish?"
"Yeah."
What the hypnotized Juyeon-woo wanted was crystal clear. Just one thing.
"If I make it to the Hero Tournament quarterfinals, you'll let me go bareback and creampie you?"
"......"
Eum Ji-hye's face flushed bright red. Unable to say it aloud, she nodded instead.
Juyeon-woo's expression lit up.