Two Years Later (1)

The dull thud, thud, thud of something knocking against the window echoed through the office. It was already deep into the evening, darkness having settled heavily over the northeastern frontline garrison. Sa Jaehyuk, who had been seated at his desk sorting through documents, turned his head toward the sound.

Soon after, something slipped through the small side entrance beside the window and flew into the office. It was a familiar-looking crow with white feathers on its head.

Caw!

The crow let out a short, cheerful cry, then used its beak to untie the note fastened to its leg and offered it to him. It continued staring at Sa Jaehyuk with an expectant gaze. Noticing the look in its eyes, Sa Jaehyuk pulled out a small box and tossed a couple of the dried larvae inside it toward the bird.

Only then did the crow seem satisfied. It snatched the larvae in its beak and flew back out through the side entrance.

Sa Jaehyuk paused his work, moved to the sofa, and sat down. He untied the bundle of notes and began checking their contents.

"Tsk."

Sa Jaehyuk clicked his tongue in clear displeasure. Once again, the information was far from what he had hoped for.

He hadn't told Lee Hyun, but over the past two years Sa Jaehyuk had been conducting investigations into him from multiple angles. First and foremost, Lee Hyun's identity had been thoroughly verified. His testimony matched the remaining records, and because he had occasionally traveled to nearby areas on errands, there were residents in other settlements who still remembered him. They couldn't hide their sorrow at the news that the always cheerful boy had died in a surprise attack.

Sa Jaehyuk had also examined his body under the pretext of a medical checkup. It had been an extremely precise examination that included analysis of his body's composition, with special focus on the brain. Yet even after multiple tests, he had never found any conclusive evidence that Lee Hyun was a witch. Instead, he had only confirmed what the boy himself had claimed—that he possessed a completely magic-insensitive body.

However, the fact that Lee Hyun now clearly wielded a witch's Authority, and had even manifested some of a witch's traits, continued to plague Sa Jaehyuk's mind.

They had also investigated the attack on his village together, but that only deepened the suspicions without yielding any clear answers. Official records stated that the nearby garrison, having heard the alarm, had mobilized to exterminate the remaining demon forces and had discovered the sole survivor, Lee Hyun, before transporting him to a hospital.

But the scene Sa Jaehyuk had personally examined differed significantly from those records.

First, he ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had checked the lingering traces of particles left at the site. Although considerable time had passed since the incident, residual traces on natural objects tended to last quite a while, allowing him to infer the general situation. If the garrison had truly exterminated demons, there should have been various types of particle traces scattered across the area. After all, the garrison troops were all mages; unless they had been trying to commit suicide, they wouldn't have fought demons with their bare hands.

Yet the only particle trace Sa Jaehyuk could detect belonged to a single individual. The residue formed a fan shape spreading outward from the spot where Lee Hyun had been found. Its sheer scale had been astonishing. But it was impossible for any soldier stationed in such a remote outpost to wield magic on that magnitude alone. He had even checked the personnel roster to confirm it.

The conclusion he reached after all that verification was simple: a third party, not the garrison, had been present at the scene.

But the investigation had hit a wall there. As previously confirmed, the military records had already been tampered with by someone. The doctor at the hospital where Lee Hyun had been admitted—the only one who seemed to know anything—had vanished without a trace, like a rat or a bird disappearing into thin air.

A powerful mage's distinct traces left clearly at the scene. Military records that completely contradicted them. The disappearance of involved parties. And the mastermind behind the Night Theater that had been hired to assassinate Lee Hyun.

Even with help from the Intelligence Bureau, none of these threads had connected as they should have. Though it might seem like paranoia, Sa Jaehyuk had even begun to find the demon remnants' attack on the village suspiciously convenient. He had speculated that perhaps Lee Hyun's Authority had been the true target, but at this point that possibility seemed extremely low.

Those who had directly confronted the witches fifteen years ago had all long since passed away. The only survivors were himself and his squad members.

Sa Jaehyuk still vividly remembered the horrific and grotesque Authorities the witches had displayed back then. That was why he had instinctively noticed it the moment he saw Lee Hyun. Anyone else would have simply thought, like Ye Jin, that their detection device was malfunctioning.

While records of the witches were undoubtedly stored in some secret vault within the Republic, connecting those dry texts to Lee Hyun and associating him with a witch was nearly impossible. Especially since he had even received an official diagnosis as a non-sensitive.

"…Ugh."

Whoosh…

Lost in thought, Sa Jaehyuk suddenly grimaced. A sharp, stinging sensation had struck his heart. Rain was pattering down outside the window. Only ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠then did he realize that another year had turned.

"It's already March…"

Sa Jaehyuk bit down on a medicinal cigarette and lit it. Suddenly, he recalled the recent contact from his old mentor. She was currently serving as the headmistress of Yolam Academy, the finest magic academy in the Republic of Korea. Spring was also the season when Yolam's new semester began.

Its founding purpose had been to properly educate young mages and help them grow into fine, respectable mages… or so it was supposed to be.

"What a joke."

Sa Jaehyuk twisted his lips in derision. He wasn't about to deny that Yolam provided quality education, but the place was far less an institution of learning than a microcosm of political maneuvering. According to his mentor, last year had been the absolute peak of it. The cause had been two noble young ladies who had enrolled in the same class.

Paecheon Baek and Jeokhwa Yeon. The daughters of two families that had been bitter enemies for generations had entered the academy at the same time, so it was only natural that their competitive spirits had ignited. On top of that, both possessed flawless talent, and their personalities were polar opposites in the most spectacular way. Putting such girls in the same space had inevitably turned the academy into a battlefield.

She had said that the number of incidents that occurred at Yolam last year alone exceeded all the accidents from the previous five years combined. Of course, most of those incidents had stemmed from their followers' overheated rivalries rather than the girls themselves, but no one could deny that the root cause lay with the two at the center of it all.

"…"

Lee Hyun's face naturally rose in Sa Jaehyuk's mind. Perhaps because he, too, was at the age where he should be receiving a proper education.

"He's already eighteen…"

Sa Jaehyuk turned the events of that time over in his head once more. Of course, he felt a degree of pity. But the biggest reason he had taken the boy in was the danger he posed. He couldn't simply let someone who possessed a witch's Authority roam free. If any suspicious signs ever appeared, he had resolved to deal with him personally before he could become a threat to others.

Yet it had already been two years since they began living together. Although he still hadn't identified the source of that Authority, there was one thing he could say with absolute certainty.

Lee Hyun harbored no hostility or danger toward humanity whatsoever.

"…"

Sa Jaehyuk thought to himself. If Lee Hyun was simply a pitiful boy who had somehow ended up burdened with a witch's Authority, then he could no longer stay with them. He belonged in the place where he should be. He needed to learn the culture and knowledge of a mage, to mingle with friends his own age. While the path of a mage and the battlefield could never be fully separated, everything should proceed in its proper order, given time.

Even if his true nature turned out to be that of a flawed witch, this would still be better. And there was no better place to learn those things than Yolam. Even the political games that played out among the students would be a necessary experience for him right now.

The entrance exams for this year's class had probably already ended, but there was still time left to submit a recommendation for admission. The timing was perfect. The northeastern pacification operation had officially concluded just days ago, and Sa Jaehyuk had been planning to move on to investigate other incidents anyway.

Lee Hyun's safety was no longer a major concern. Whoever had targeted him back then would not be able to recognize him now. Moreover, Lee Hyun was currently living under the completely new identity that Sa Jaehyuk had created for him.

What they had discovered that day had been nothing but the charred remains of a boy burned alive. They had succeeded in eliminating the perpetrators, but unfortunately had been unable to prevent the poor boy's death. At least, that was how the report had been filed. Now, the truth was known only to Sa Jaehyuk and his squad members.

"…"

Having reached that point in his thoughts, Sa Jaehyuk continued reading through the rest of the note. It contained a list of bizarre and hard-to-explain strange rumors that had occurred across the country. Things like a talking frog appearing, an entire residential area's inhabitants vanishing overnight, or high-ranking demonic beasts going berserk far beyond their territories.

When Lee Hyun had first appeared, it had seemed like an omen of something greater, and their move to the northeast had been part of the effort to investigate such signs. Based on past experience, bizarre and surreal events occurring in the border regions and beyond had always been precursors to the appearance of witches.

But so far, they had found no decisive traces. Most had been nothing more than literal strange rumors or misunderstandings of natural phenomena. Just as he was thinking this batch would be more of the same empty noise, the final line at the bottom of the note suddenly caught his eye.

"…Ghouls appearing already? It's not even the rainy season yet."

Sa Jaehyuk narrowed his eyes and muttered to himself. Did ghouls even appear in spring? It had been nearly ten years since he had last opened a monster studies textbook. The memory hovered just below the surface, refusing to surface, which left him incredibly frustrated.

False reports involving corpses were surprisingly common. People often mistook traces left by monsters digging up graves, or misidentified humanoid beasts like bats. This could very well be another such case. Yet an unpleasant, creeping feeling continued to tug at him.

"…Hm."

He pondered for a moment but soon reached a decision. In situations like this, the only option was to check for himself. However, this time only they would be going. Lee Hyun had a new task waiting for him.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Having organized his thoughts, Sa Jaehyuk rapped his desk three times with his hand. A short while later, something flew in again through the same side entrance. It was Sa Jaehyuk's crow—this one pure white all over with red eyes.

"Go gather the kids. Seohwa, Jin, Chaewon, and Hyun too."

Caw!

The crow cried once as if in acknowledgment, then flew back out the window. Silence returned to the office, broken only by the gentle patter of rain outside serving as a calm backdrop.

Sa Jaehyuk opened the silver locket hanging around his neck and gazed at the photograph inside. A female student with clear, blue eyes smiled brightly while looking straight ahead.

"…I need to let you go. You, and those kids too…"

Sa Jaehyuk murmured as he stared at the photo. This journey to the east was planned to be his final one.

"Oh, Hyun's here?"

"Hey~"

"Hyun, come over here! Noona made something delicious!"

Noisy voices drifted in from outside the office. The squad members, who had been drinking heavily, turned their heads and greeted him in their own ways.

"…I'm back."

A shadow fell across the doorway. Because of the mask covering the upper half of his face, his appearance looked rather grotesque at first glance. However, none of the squad members pointed out the strangeness. They simply welcomed him with familiar expressions.

"Our youngest is late again. Why are you so late?"

Sa Jaehyuk scolded Lee Hyun in a displeased voice.

"…I was patrolling outside the boundary. So…"

Lee Hyun answered in his usual blunt tone. Sa Jaehyuk frowned, still looking dissatisfied.

"Didn't I tell you not to do unnecessary things? Why are you doing stuff I didn't even order? Just rest quietly after your shift ends."

"…But still…"

"Hey, you idiot! And didn't I tell you not to wear that thing when we're alone? You think I made it for you to use like this?"

"That's right! Noona hasn't seen Hyun's face in so long~"

"Exactly! I'm starting to forget what our handsome Hyun even looks like~"

"…"

The squad members, who would normally have defended Lee Hyun, unusually sided with Sa Jaehyuk this time. Under their continued urging, Lee Hyun finally gave in and raised a hand to his mask. With a soft click, the mask came off, revealing what lay beneath.

Traces of boyish youth still remained, but the sharp angles that had formed in various places now gave him a rather mature impression. His characteristically gloomy expression and the scar running beneath his left eye only added a decadent charm. Even the voice resonating from his throat had grown thicker and more solid.

Lee Hyun's transformation was proof of the explosive growth spurt he had undergone over the past two years. It had come at an incredible speed, as if something had been suppressing him all along. Combined with the military's balanced diet and regular training, the once noticeably small boy had grown to nearly the same height as Sa Jaehyuk, with a solidly muscled physique that was obvious at a glance.

"Tsk tsk. If you just showed that face, at least three girls would be all over you. Why do you live like this, huh?"

"…Mind your own business. If it's that annoying, just take it back."

Unable to endure Sa Jaehyuk's nagging any longer, Lee Hyun shot back grumpily.

"Hey! What do you mean, girls? You think our Hyun is like you?"

"Right. There are things you shouldn't say to a kid…"

"…Let's just drop it…"

Sa Jaehyuk waved his hand at the chattering squad members. As Lee Hyun had said, the mask had actually been personally crafted by Sa Jaehyuk. While it did offer some defensive properties, its true purpose had been a measure taken after learning of Lee Hyun's trauma.

Lee Hyun couldn't bear to look at his own reflection—not in mirrors, windows, or even puddles. If a woman's hand so much as touched his body, he would tremble like a leaf. Fortunately, wearing the mask had resolved most of his daily issues. Over the past two years of living together, he had also managed to build a degree of trust with both Sa ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Jaehyuk and the squad members.

But the reason behind that trauma remained unknown. Lee Hyun had told them everything else, but he kept his lips firmly sealed on that one subject. Sa Jaehyuk, respecting it as a personal matter, had chosen not to press further.

"So why did you call us? It doesn't look like you gathered everyone just to drink."

Yoon Chaewon, who had been talking nonstop, changed the subject. Deciding the atmosphere had settled enough, Sa Jaehyuk finally got to the main point.

"I called everyone because I have an announcement for the whole squad. Since the northeastern pacification operation has officially ended, we'll be moving to a different location."

"What? That's it? I thought it was going to be something big…"

"However, only we will be moving. Lee Hyun. You have a new assignment."

"A new assignment…?"

Lee Hyun's face clouded with confusion at Sa Jaehyuk's words. Sa Jaehyuk simply continued speaking with a calm expression.

"Don't worry too much. It's nothing particularly difficult."

"What is it exactly…?"

By now even the squad members were waiting for Sa Jaehyuk's next words. After a brief pause, his mouth opened again.

"Lee Hyun. You're going to Yolam."