The Lecture on Ineung and the Trial of Blades
Inneung comes in two main varieties: outward-releasing and internal-activating. The classic examples of outward-releasing ones are elements and... well, the bright light that I see on the student dozing halfway across the classroom right now.
The professor’s fingertip pointed straight at Teraden, who was slumped asleep in the seat beside me.
Thud. Thud.
“Teraden. Wake up.”
Jerked awake by the poke to his ribs, Teraden rubbed his sleepy eyes at the sea of stares all fixed on him and put on a brave face.
“W-what? Why is everyone staring at me? I wasn’t even asleep!”
“Heh. You hadn’t said a single word yet, and already... wipe the drool off your mouth before you talk.”
A thief whining about his own sore feet, I suppose that’s what they call it.
“Focus on the lecture a little more, all right?”
“Ugh.”
The professor gave Teraden a final warning and kept going.
“Next are the internal-activating types: the mighty Seven Pillars, the four seats of immortality, and the continent’s pinnacle—the 1st seat, Ineung Immunity. The defining feature of internal-activating types is that they function constantly, even without opening the gate.”
Four seats of immortality among the Seven Pillars... I vaguely recalled the incident in Seo-Wangdo from half a year ago, when I was on the verge of death at the hands of a yokai. The little boy who saved me and Teraden—his ability had been Immortality, not his small size. There really were strange Inneung in this world.
I’d heard she was Junior’s mother, so I wondered what her actual age might be.
“Professor, how does Ineung Immunity actually work? What kind of Inneung is it?”
Teraden, who had been yawning beside me, shot his hand up.
“Immunity is simple: an Inneung that grants immunity to every kind of Inneung. The 1st seat is known never to be affected by any Inneung whatsoever.”
“Eh? Wait, no! Immunity to all Inneung?!”
The professor’s hand froze mid-chalkboard.
“Problem?”
Bang!
Teraden’s whole body started trembling, then suddenly slammed the desk and shot upright.
“A fake Inneung like that exists? That’s complete bull—!”
“Bright Light and Physical Reinforcement are the only ones you’re allowed to use. Don’t make a scene, sit down.”
“Ah, hem... yes.”
“We’ve just finished a quick review of the Inneung types we covered in class. Everyone remember? Now let’s move on to the stages of using Inneung. You should have already learned the first stage—Opening—from last semester, so we’ll skip straight to the next.”
The chalkboard, now filled to the brim with script, didn’t take long to erase and overwrite with new content.
“The final stage of handling Inneung is Awakening. Only those who have pushed their Inneung training to its absolute limit, and who possess both talent and luck—plus the karma of their past lives—can set foot on the path to Awakening. When that threshold is crossed, the size and power of the Inneung are said to leap far beyond what it was before.”
“Whoa! Awakening! Then did the professor perform Awakening?”
The professor chuckled and shook his head.
“The gate to Awakening only opens for those who are truly qualified.”
Still smiling, he raised two fingers without another word.
What did that mean? Were there only two people on the entire continent who had reached Awakening?
“Twenty. Those who have achieved the glorious realm of Awakening number fewer than twenty across the whole continent. They are the ones who deserve the awe of the entire continent.”
“Huh... twenty including the Seven Pillars and that uncle as well, I suppose.”
“Don’t waste your breath. None of you will ever set foot on the path of Awakening.”
“...?”
“W-what?!”
The stern professor delivered his verdict, then softened his expression into a kindly smile as he studied his students’ reactions.
“In the past I would have said that, but this class is the most outstanding in the history of the National Academy, so I expect great things from all of you.”
* * *
The intriguing morning lecture ended, and the afternoon session—free meditation and sparring—awaited us.
Normally the courtyard would have been alive with matches, but today most students sat in loose groups, chatting instead of training.
We could forgive ourselves—after all, the Pope had healed every wound we brought back from the Happy Night—but the others had fared worse. Many still carried injuries from that night that hadn’t fully healed, and the instructors chose not to scold them.
The students huddled together in twos and threes, sometimes up to ten, quietly recalling the events of the past.
Their eyes sparkled as they recounted heroic deeds, yet none of them looked as if they could escape the memories of that day.
Those who had achieved the impossible deserved every right to linger in it.
“Congratulations on your victory.”
“Although we won the Happy Night, the real contest was your defeat.”
“No, I couldn’t knock you down, so I couldn’t lead the Happy Night to victory. In the end, it was still my loss. I hope one day we can settle it fairly, without anyone else’s interference.”
“Agreed. I look forward to that day as well.”
Sitting among them, I realized I still felt the afterglow of that night—no less than they did.
After my short reverie, several students began shooting glances our way and whispering.
Some of those who met my eyes blushed, others stiffened and turned away like guilty children. It had been going on for a while, but lately it seemed worse.
Hmm... I still couldn’t figure it out. Was it just my face? I’d never heard anyone say I was ugly.
“Oh, speaking of Maru—did she get hurt at the Happy Night?”
I hadn’t heard anything about my sister, and curiosity about her performance made me ask.
Maru crossed her arms, puffed out her cheeks, and gave me a look of discomfort.
“Maru kept fighting the whole time, but suddenly Blanser jumped in.”
Blanser? Why did that make my mood sour? Had something happened between them?
“Hee hee, Maru would have won... but...”
“Really? Well, I’ll have to scold him. Where did this go anyway?”
Teraden, promising to punish Blanser for me, scanned the crowd looking for him.
“Eh? What are you doing over there?”
Teraden’s gaze landed on Blanser and Junior facing each other, surrounded by quite a few onlookers.
Curious, the crowd began drifting toward the scene, and we followed.
As we drew closer, Blanser’s face wore the same ruthless expression he’d never shown us before.
“I never thought Blanser could make that face. Junior either. A bit surprising, isn’t it?”
“Hey, do you know what his new nickname is? ‘Face-Crusher.’ Haha! Isn’t that hilarious?”
That... wasn’t funny. It sounded downright sinister.
“He still acts like a silly little brother whenever he’s around us, but he’s the son of a duke, after all. And he’s not exactly a pushover, either.”
The duke in question was Crow’s Duck, I realized.
A shiver ran down my spine at the memory of that nightmare, and Teraden squeezed between the onlookers.
“What are you two doing here?”
Blanser and Junior glanced at us, then gave cold responses unlike anything I’d seen.
“Oh, welcome, seniors.”
“Good afternoon, Haru-ssi. Teraden-ssi.”
“No, what are you two up to?”
“I’d like to spar with each other this time.”
“Both of you?”
“Yes.”
“Have you two already agreed on the terms?”
“Yes, senior.”
The one who defeated the strongest at the Happy Night was either me or Teraden, but if we ranked by the number of people knocked out, it would clearly be Blanser and Junior.
Both had fought all night yet were only exhausted physically—no serious injuries.
Not even in Hyeondo’s Great Flame had they taken much damage.
And for years they had been the talk of the entire National Academy. Same age, and their fathers seemed to know each other. Blanser carried the reputation of being the next Grand Duke, while Junior was aware of his position as the Duke’s son and disciple.
They probably hadn’t noticed, but an odd competitive spirit had grown between them, though neither would admit it.
That was why even the usually emotionless Junior sometimes showed feeling when Blanser’s name came up.
Since the instructors had agreed to officiate, Teraden and I would judge the match.
“A spar between the two of them. This should be interesting. Who do you think will win?”
“Hard to say. We haven’t seen their full power yet, so we can’t judge.”
Teraden and I took our positions in the center of the arena to supervise.
“As you know, this isn’t a real fight. Don’t hurt each other too badly. If you sense any intent to do so, Teraden and I will stop you immediately.”
“Understood, Haru-ssi.”
Screeech. Creak.
“Of course, senior. This is merely a light spar.”
Ugh, the words “light spar” couldn’t hide the grim determination on Junior’s face.
“Remember what I said.”
Well, judging by their fierce auras, my words probably wouldn’t matter much. For now I’d just watch.
“Then... begin.”
Kwaaang!
Before the sound even faded, Blanser and Junior charged toward each other with terrifying speed.
* * *
Meanwhile, at the exact moment the spar began inside the National Academy.
“Then, Mr. Taint. While I am away, I ask Lord and the others to entrust me with their safety.”
“Of course, Captain. Stay safe on your journey.”
Having completed every handover, Jubern mounted the carriage heading east from the Imperial Capital.
Under Lan’s orders, he had secretly followed Haru’s group to Dongye. There he had clashed with yokai and, while carrying out Lan’s duties, noticed something strange in the reports from the Eastern King’s side.
There were too many suspicious points for comfort, so he planned to search the area around Dongye and the Eastern King’s domain.
Alone, however, he couldn’t cover every site. First, he needed to find a trustworthy companion to travel with Haru’s group.