Chapter 14
Chapter 14
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: 04. Scout
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From that day on, we began pondering together which school to attend. But honestly, our options had already narrowed down quite a bit.
Since we were going to go somewhere anyway, it was only natural to choose the best place. The top-ranked schools always had good reasons for their status.
“It has to be Daehyeon or Yuran, right?”
“Hmm, the escalator system is a plus in some ways, but it’s a drawback in others. For example, if you don’t like it, you can’t just transfer to a different middle school division next time, right?”
“……?”
If we were considering Daehyeon or Yuran, our choices were already leaning in a certain direction.
Daehyeon was in Seoul, Yuran in Busan. Sure, these kinds of schools drew students from across the country and even abroad, with well-equipped dorms and options like teleport commuting, but Yuran’s proximity was undeniably appealing.
“But it gives off a bit of a Christian vibe.”
“Does it? I heard this school doesn’t have any religious stuff.”
“Yeah. You’re right.”
Mom and Dad said either Yuran or Daehyeon would be fine. Even as prestigious schools, they didn’t push students too hard academically.
Auntie Seona added this:
“Plus, the chairmen over there are pretty good people.”
“The chairmen?”
“Yeah. They’re all high-rank mages, so we run into each other occasionally. They’re the kind who really care about kids.”
“I see…….”
Auntie Seona smiled as she watched me mull it over.
“Well, with your talents, you’d do well anywhere, and you could get into either one.”
I heard that while visiting Auntie Seona to learn magic.
Lately, I’d been learning the most basic teleportation magic from her—the kind that moves objects you touch. It was the entry-level stage of teleport, but Auntie Seona’s jaw dropped in shock when I succeeded after just a short time practicing.
Come to think of it…
‘Has it really been half a year already?’
That was after I’d revealed my magic to Inha and some time had passed. I’ll never forget Auntie Seona’s face when she grilled me in detail about my compatibility, attributes, and the magic I’d created—she was utterly stunned. She shook my shoulders over and over, making me swear not to tell anyone else…
She still does it sometimes. Teaming up with Mom to warn me not to reveal my magic skills to others, to be absolutely careful…
‘I wouldn’t reveal it anyway, no need to go that far.’
Anyway, my heart was leaning toward Yuran. But I hadn’t decided for sure yet. Daehyeon was known as an excellent school too.
Then, just as my deliberations were getting started, some unexpected visitors came looking for me.
The weather grew colder with each passing day. I puffed out a breath toward the air. Normally, I’d take the kindergarten bus home, but now that I was getting allowance, I sometimes took the regular bus or walked around the city streets and shopping areas, grabbing snacks or buying things I wanted before heading home alone. Mom nagged me about it sometimes, and Inha would pout, saying to take her along, but there were days I just wanted to do it. Today was one of those days when I’d saved up my allowance and was ready to splurge.
‘Well, Inha’ll sulk, so I should grab her a bungeoppang.’
But it’d be awkward if only Inha ate, so maybe four? With that thought, I headed to a bungeoppang stand that caught my eye and bought some. The lady muttered about what a cute kid I was, leaning down to hand them to my short self. I stretched up on tiptoes to take the bag. As I rummaged for money to pay…
“Here.”
“Yes?”
Someone spoke from behind me and reached out to pay. I whipped around in surprise to see the voice’s owner. It was a big sister in a school uniform who’d covered my bill out of nowhere. Her coat hid most of it, but the glimpse through her clothes was unmistakably a uniform. She looked about 16, just barely an adult? That’d make it a high school uniform.
This world was unique—adulthood started much younger than in my original world. The legal age was 15. Meaning, once you turned 15, you could take the rank exam and officially become a mage.
I scowled up at her.
“Excuse me? What’s this about…….”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. Big sis will treat you.”
“No, what the…….”
“Oh, you’re here with your sister? Makes sense—parents wouldn’t let a little kid like you wander alone. Take care going home.”
The bungeoppang lady waved at me as she said that. I stood there dumbfounded. The sister grabbed my hand and started leading me somewhere. After a few steps, I yanked free. I glared at her, ready to scream if needed.
“W-who are you? Why pay for me…… Why grab my hand out of nowhere…… D-don’t come closer. I’ll yell!”
“Oh, you’ve got some caution. Good—kids like you need that much wariness.”
She crouched down to meet my eyes as she said it. I stepped back, but she just grinned.
“Your name’s Yoo Eunha, right?”
I flinched.
“H-how do you know my name…….”
“Hmm…… Yeah. Sorry for digging up your name on my own. But you look like a walking disaster waiting to happen…… And I was the surprised one. I was wandering the city planning to visit your place soon, and there you were, a face I’d seen somewhere, strolling alone. Should a kid be wandering around here by herself? Good question.”
“No, but how do you know my name…….”
She kept smiling at my wary expression. Then she pulled something from her pocket. A document folder.
“Ta-da. I was on my way to deliver this to your house. Figured I should talk to your parents.”
My eyes went wide.
“D-do you know my parents?”
“Nope? Not at all.”
“Then what…….”
“Lee Eunhee. What are you doing?”
Just then, someone interrupted, approaching from behind her. A guy. Early twenties maybe, with glasses and ash-gray curly hair.
“Ah, Teacher.”
She straightened up, brushing off her knees. Looked like she was fixing her skirt. She started to say something, but before she could, the man glanced at me and twitched.
“Yoo Eunha……?”
I flinched again. What the heck was going on? Why did these random strangers popping up know my name? As I edged back warily, the man watching me turned to her.
“What are you doing? Why’s the kid here before we even visit the house?”
“Well, she was wandering the city alone. I got worried and said hi.”
“But why’s she so on guard?”
“Hmm…… I just approached, grabbed her hand, and tried leading her……?”
The man gave her an exasperated look and sighed.
“……Are you an idiot?”
“Eek, that’s harsh!”
“You deserve the suspicion. Anyway. Show your ID or student card quick.”
He muttered that, pulling a lollipop from his pocket and popping it in. She grumbled at him, then rummaged in her pocket. I tensed up. I sensed magic activating nearby. I scanned around warily.
‘Magic, feels like it…… But what kind?’
In my heightened tension, moments later she pulled something from her pocket. A bracelet. She touched it, and a sky-blue bead popped out an electronic document.
“Here. See this? I’m a Daehyeon mage.”
My eyes widened. The bead displayed her ‘personal info.’ Home address, school, mage level—all there. Mage rank C, overall mission difficulty D. But my eyes locked on her Daehyeon affiliation.
Daehyeon, the prestigious school famous not just in our country but abroad. The one I’d been weighing against Yuran.
The info confirmed she was a Daehyeon student. Even the high school division’s student council president.
“Convinced now?”
She grinned as she said it. I glanced around. An adult showing personal info to a kid on the street—should draw eyes, but people walked by like we were invisible.
I realized the magic around us was a veil spell. It hid us from outsiders’ views.
But even seeing that, I couldn’t fully drop my suspicions. Their approach was too shady. Now they’d blocked sightlines again. I got it was to show ID, but the doubt bubbling up was hard to shake.
The man saw my skepticism.
“Don’t seem convinced.”
“Ugh, what now~ Teacher, show your ID too! You don’t recognize this face?”
She pointed at him, but I just tilted my head. He waved her off irritably.
“Never mind. If you’re still uneasy, call your mom. We didn’t come unannounced. We contacted your house ahead. Your parents say nothing?”
“Uh, yeah…? Dad I dunno, but Mom’s been busy going out a lot…….”
I mumbled in confusion, frozen in place. She looked around, then pointed somewhere.
“Ah, perfect. Public phones over there.”
They were. A row of booths. I eyed them both, then dashed into one, slamming and locking the door. These booths had strong defense and soundproofing magic—emergency shelters, basically. If occupied, a veil activated to block views inside.
I inserted coins and called Mom’s cell. Signal tones, then her face appeared on video.
[Oh, Eunha? What’s up? Shouldn’t kindergarten be over? Inha’s waiting.]
“Yeah. I’m actually in the city…….”
[You again! Going out alone! I said if you wanna shop, I’d go with you!]
“Yeah, but…… I ran into people from Daehyeon…….”
[Ah…… Right, I forgot to mention. They said they were sending a scout.]
What? My eyes bulged.
[I don’t know details, or if they know your full skills, but you’re on their scout list. Daehyeon has its own info network—guess it’s real. I checked last night; there was a message. Said they’d visit this afternoon…….]
“Yeah. Seems like coincidence…… They knew my name, said student council president on her ID…….]
[Student council president? Wow, a famous talent came herself? Hurry home for now.]
“……Okay.”
I hung up, feeling complicated as I zoned out. So they were legit from Daehyeon. But scouting me? How’d they know my skills?
I stood there speechless a bit, then snapped out and exited. They waited by the booth. She beamed; he looked bored.
“So, mind guiding us to your house? Magic’d be faster, but you seem uneasy.”
“Geez, Teacher, lighten up your face.”
“Quiet.”
With a complicated expression, I clutched my bungeoppang bag and headed to the bus stop.
At home, Mom and Inha waited.
“Where’d you wander off alone again.”
“Sorry. Here, a present…….”
I grinned sheepishly, offering Inha a bungeoppang. She pouted but blushed, taking it. She pretended not to care but was thrilled—classic kid.
Then Inha glanced at the people behind me.
“Hello, first time meeting. I’m Lee Eunhee from Daehyeon.”
“First time. Lee Baekhan from Daehyeon.”
Mom, mid-greeting, suddenly widened her eyes at the self-introduced Lee Baekhan. I looked at her puzzled.
“Mom?”
“Oh my god…… Really Lee Baekhan? I never imagined a celebrity like you visiting…….”
“Scouting talented kids aligns with our school’s ethos. That’s why we’re there.”
He smiled politely—quite different from before. Mom beamed back happily.
“I see…… Please, come in.”
“Pardon the intrusion.”
We settled in the living room, facing each other across the table. I cautiously asked:
“Um, is it okay if Inha’s here?”
She gave me a curious look, then smiled and nodded.
“Of course. Your friend’s a scout target too.”
“……She wasn’t originally the one we planned to approach.”
“Eh, it’s fine together.”
He nodded curtly, pulling out a document folder.
“As mentioned, we’d like to enroll Yoo Eunha, who’s turning eight soon, in our school.”
“…Yes, our Eunha…….”
“Indeed. A child with remarkable talent.”
He smiled once, pulling out a pamphlet. Thicker and more detailed than usual.
He opened it. The first page had a detailed school map.
“As you know, Daehyeon is an escalator school. Elementary, middle, and high divisions on one campus. Each has dorms.”
I skimmed the map. Not great at reading them, but it looked huge. Main buildings for divisions and dorms took center stage, plus parks, magic labs, large training rooms, gymnasiums, multiple fields.
Honestly, city-sized. Even a big shopping district inside.
“Dorms are mandatory for middle schoolers, except special cases, since that’s prime study time. Elementary is too young, so only special circumstances or far-commuters use them. Voluntary applications allowed, of course.”
I frowned slightly. Daehyeon in Seoul, us in Jinju—did that mean mandatory dorms for me?
But his next words clarified.
“Usually, without special reasons, even far away, elementary kids are too young for dorms, so we do teleport commuting. School provides teleport bracelets to all students.”
Oh. I was impressed. Fitting for the top magic school. Distance no issue.
Page turned. Overall map, dorms, then main magic training facilities.
“We prioritize student convenience and talent growth, so can’t detail classes, but they’re practice-heavy. Hence large training and lab spaces.”
Next, shopping district.
“With many dormers, we’ve got full amenities for school life—daily necessities, supplies. Clothes, shoes, magic items for sale. Restaurants, entertainment, leisure spots galore.”
He highlighted famous eateries and shops. I listened intently.
Even a pet shop—not live animals, but supplies. Meaning, you could raise familiars with dorm approval.
That wrapped facilities. He closed the pamphlet, pulled another folder, and slid papers toward us.
“Enrollment application. It’s a contract format—please read carefully later.”
Mom took it, scanning from top. I kept glancing, eager, but his next words made me forget it, staring shocked.
“Truth is, we learned of Yoo Eunha’s skills from the Glass Botanical Garden incident.”
“……!”
Mom paused reading, equally stunned, turning to them. What, what……? My eyes widened.
“You probably know—we at Daehyeon resolved the Glass Botanical Garden incident.”
“Yes…… I heard that…….”
Mom nodded dazedly. I swallowed rising anxiety. Just when I thought things were wrapping, the big reveal hit.
Of course I was curious. How’d they know my skills? How’d I make their scout list? I thought I’d hidden well. Super curious.
But…… because they saw me at the Glass Botanical Garden? And Daehyeon solved it?
“Precisely, the girl beside me did. She was already a noted mage in middle school, so she teamed with the current high school vice president.”
I stared wide-eyed at the poised girl. Long hair tied to chest-length. Blue aura around her—refreshing, like sunlit dew drops. Jewel-like mana.
Mom’s eyes widened too.
“My god. Still a student?”
“She’s a mage. Middle schoolers can take missions optionally.”
She grinned crisply and spoke.
“I saw Eunha’s magic right after downing all the terrorists.”
I listened blankly. Never dreamed anyone saw my spells. Makes sense now. Still vivid—that desperation, anxiety……
“My magic lets me project distant scenes to check safety while dispelling. Iron magic’s poor match, so I was struggling……”
Then embarrassment hit. Unbearable.
“A kid suddenly casts. Writes letters to manifest them, fails but draws pictures to escape, finally moves iron for an exit—all solo, before we helped. I was floored.”
Yeah. Never thought watched. Now spilling from another—a full adult mage. Mortifying. Like a pupa flexing before a butterfly?
“Kids that age barely sense mana. But casting already? Looked like unique magic too? So…….”
Her sparkling eyes worsened my agony as she gushed. Mom looked complicated. Inha pouted.
Then the man stopped her.
“Hey, enough.”
“Eek…… Ahem, anyway, not the point…….”
Finally sensing the mood, she stopped praising, turning serious.
“Seeing her skills, I was convinced: ‘This kid needs protection.’ Reported up, hence our visit. Wish we had a kindergarten then.”
Protection target? Just relieved from awkwardness, I looked puzzled. Then he spoke.
“You’ve likely heard Daehyeon’s other name.”
Mom nodded slowly. I tilted my head. Heard it was an organization too. Rare, but exists worldwide.
“Daehyeon Mage Protection Association. Or DH Association—our true name.”
“Yes, heard. They protect talented young mages everywhere…….”
“The school’s part of it. Talented young mages get dragged into dangers, as you know. We made the school under Daehyeon to safeguard and nurture them while weak and young.”
Mom’s expression shifted, nodding in strong agreement.
“Hence, strict secrecy at Daehyeon. Student info heavily guarded. Hard to learn about us. All to protect young mages…….”
He smiled suddenly. Surprised me—he hadn’t smiled before.
“Usually explain our protection ethos first to skeptics…… But you get it.”
“Yeah. Saw a friend go through it.”
“Many parents thrilled early talent means top schools…… Stronger mages know: impressive, but not always good.”
“…….”
Inha eyed them curiously. I half-got it, half not. Heard talented kids targeted, but didn’t feel it. My secrecy? Just hated attention, embarrassment—unrelated.
“No need examples—Lee Eunhee here’s living proof.”
He pointed at her. Proof? I eyed her surprised. She nodded smiling.
“Right. Classic case. Early magic rumors spread, got hassled everywhere, entered Daehyeon middle via recommendation. Love their ‘Secrecy Pledge.’”
“Secrecy Pledge? What’s that?”
“Ah!”
She startled, glanced at him. He nodded; she smiled.
“As explained, core ethos: protect young mages. Key is info protection. ‘Secrecy Pledge’ lets you self-regulate info. Fancy term—simply, rule protecting secrets?”
“Secret protection……?”
“Yes. Kids’ skills secret outside school! No sharing with parents or friends without consent—even same school. But you control revealing yours. Want to? Do. Hide? Hide.”
“Don’t have to reveal skills?”
“Yes. Middle school changes with missions, but elementary: fully. Practical exams private, scores only to you, rankings private notice, optional teacher disclosure. Don’t wanna? Slack off. Maintain minimum, though.”
My eyes widened more. Mom pondered deeply—obvious. Super…… tempting rule. Especially for me. I’d hide anyway, but official okay? Felt validating. I clenched my fist, thrilled.
“Elementary: pass basic practical, no deep skill probes. Our sensors gauge most anyway. Unique magic? No need declare. But post-high school, for official mage path, must reveal. After adult exam age.”
Unavoidable. Then you’re adult, independent.
“That’s the Secrecy Pledge. Daehyeon’s top perk.”
I glanced at Mom. She pondered silently.
“So, seeing Eunha’s Glass Botanical Garden magic, knew she’s special—needs these secrecy rules. Hence personal scout.”
Their story ended there. I stared at the pamphlet, lost in thought.
Daehyeon.
Mage Protection Association.
Secrecy Pledge……
Their words looped in my head. Silence, then they stood.
“Anyway, great conditions for her. Think it over. Leaving app here. My contact.”
He handed a card, rose. She smiled, adding:
“Questions? Call. We’ll stick around. Gotta visit that girl’s parents next door too. Ooh, heart pounding thinking about it.”
She winked at Inha, hand on chest. Guessed she knew Inha’s folks.
“See you.”
“Eunha! Come to our school! I’ll look out for you~.”
“Come on.”
They left energetically. We saw them off. Eunhee-sister seemed kid-loving. Waved happily, grinning at us repeatedly.
Then the door closed.