The Final Spar
-Clang! A thunderous noise filled the training grounds from the crack of dawn. Brilliant flashes of light and the clash of blades scattered in every direction with each exchange. Today was the day Lee Hyun would depart for the capital to enter the academy, and he and Sa Jaehyuk were locked in their final sparring match. Though both wielded wooden swords, every collision rang out with the sharp, tearing sound of metal.
-Whoosh! "You're awfully dull today! Heart pounding too hard to sleep?"
"Shut… up!!"
Sa Jaehyuk taunted as he narrowly deflected a strike. Flustered, Lee Hyun spun and thrust his blade straight at the commander's throat, then lunged forward to close the distance. He was already ninety percent certain the attack would land—until Sa Jaehyuk's voice suddenly came from behind him.
"I told you to stay calm at all times."
"What—!"
Lee Hyun never finished the sentence. -Boom! Sa Jaehyuk drove a powerful kick into his back. The concrete wall that stopped Lee Hyun's flight shattered into fragments as though a bomb had detonated. The deafening roar filled his ears.
"Cough… cough!"
A fit of coughing echoed through the settling dust. Moments later, Lee Hyun shoved aside the rubble and rose to his feet.
"I could have won this time…"
He glared at Sa Jaehyuk, eyes brimming with frustration.
"Not a chance until you fix that temper. How many times have I told you mages need composure? The academy has a meditation class—take it seriously."
"…If I'd released Predictive Eye to the limit, I would've won for sure…"
Lee Hyun muttered while fiddling with the particle array device on his wrist, unable to hide the lingering regret born of his competitive streak.
"Tsk, this brat really…"
Sa Jaehyuk's eyes flashed as though he'd heard something he shouldn't have. Over the past two years, he had come to understand a great deal about Lee Hyun, including his authority. He had named it Blockade. Within a certain radius around Lee Hyun, the movement of Bessel particles simply stopped—both those floating in the atmosphere and those internalized through a mage's spring. Since magic was a phenomenon created by artificially rearranging particles, no spell formula could be constructed inside that field.
As expected, Lee Hyun had been completely unaware he possessed an authority until Sa Jaehyuk informed him. Naturally, he had no idea of its origin either. At least now that he recognized it, he could control its activation at will. These days Lee Hyun kept the authority completely suppressed in daily life—a precaution Sa Jaehyuk had especially emphasized. Until now it had been fine, but once he entered the academy he would be living in close quarters with countless mages. Constantly emitting the authority in such an environment could cause unnecessary trouble.
He occasionally leaked it unconsciously while asleep, but with his skill level he would easily secure a private room. Sa Jaehyuk also judged that the authority would not leak under abnormal conditions such as unconsciousness, so even if an accident occurred during sparring or practical training, it would not cause a commotion.
Besides the authority, Lee Hyun now possessed certain witch traits as well. While ordinary mages could only use internalized particles to construct spells, he could utilize ambient ether-state particles directly. His particle conversion rate was a perfect 100 percent, identical to a witch's. Even Sa Jaehyuk's own rate had once been only 27 percent, and most mages ranged between 8 and 23 percent. The number was simply staggering.
More ironic still was the fact that Lee Hyun, born with a completely magic-insensitive body, possessed an innate understanding of magic. He had already reached the seventh stage of Predictive Eye, the Sa family's signature magic. Considering he had only been studying magic academically for less than two years, his progress was extraordinary. Sa Jaehyuk was always grateful that Lee Hyun was not a true witch. If the young man ever turned his heart against them, no mage in the country—not even Sa Jaehyuk himself—could stand against him. Even the authorities the witches had displayed fifteen years ago paled before his Blockade.
Yet that did not make Lee Hyun an invincible being. His body remained that of a magic-insensitive person. Even mages from very young families required well over ten years for their spring to form and their body to mutate into one suited for magic. It was obviously impossible for someone with an insensitive body to wield magic freely. Moreover, the constant unconscious use of his authority in the past had already inflicted severe accumulated damage on his physique. Although Sa Jaehyuk had restored him to a relatively normal state, Lee Hyun would still suffer fatal overload if he used magic beyond a certain duration and intensity.
"I keep telling you there's no need to rush. You didn't lose because you didn't release Predictive Eye. You lost because you lack experience. From that perspective, none of your peers can match you—even without relying on your authority."
Lee Hyun asked in a doubtful tone, "Does that make sense? There are plenty of heirs from prestigious families. You're just trying to comfort me…"
"I don't comfort men. And you're mistaken about something. The more prestigious the family, the more lacking their heirs' experience tends to be. Because of the risk of incomplete blooming, parents keep them wrapped in cotton until they bloom."
"Incomplete blooming?"
"It means blooming abnormally before the body is ready. It usually happens under extreme stress, and the more talented the mage, the higher the chance."
"Hmm…"
"Nine times out of ten, incomplete blooming causes the particles inside the body to run wild, resulting in death or becoming a cripple. And since noble bloodlines usually carry exceptional potential, the danger is even greater."
"I didn't know. Being from a good family isn't all comfort…"
"Well, living comfortably is true enough. But once you bloom safely? That's when things get merciless. From the moment you enter the academy until retirement, you'll be worked to the bone. It'll probably be noisy for a while once you're there. You'll hear young masters and young ladies whining every day."
After pondering the explanation for a moment, Lee Hyun asked, "…Then did you whine too, Commander? The sisters said when you were a student you were nothing but a thug…"
"Hey! You believe that nonsense? These brats really… I'll charge every last one of them with insubordination—"
Sa Jaehyuk flared up, his reaction completely at odds with his earlier lecture on composure.
"…Will it be all right? If I leave, the empty spot…"
Lee Hyun murmured after listening to Sa Jaehyuk's grumbling for a while. The commander made a show of rapping him on the head.
"Where'd you learn to talk so cheekily? Instead of worrying about useless things, think about making friends. Got it? Neither I nor your sisters will be at the academy."
"…What if I make a mistake and cause trouble for you and the sisters…"
Sa Jaehyuk sighed heavily at Lee Hyun's lack of confidence.
"Kid. How hard can it be to make friends and study hard? Huh?"
"Still…"
"I already told you. Even if you cause trouble, I can smooth it over. So don't shrink back—do whatever you want."
"…"
"Your commander has at least that much pull. I could even make it so nothing happens if you got one or two female students pregnant. Though three might be pushing it… What?"
While Sa Jaehyuk was in the middle of his passionate speech, a water bottle suddenly flew through the air at tremendous speed. He tilted his body slightly and dodged it with ease. Turning toward the direction it had come from, he saw the brigade members approaching. Yoon Chaewon's face at the front was filled with fury.
"Sa Jaehyuk! You crazy bastard! What the hell are you saying to the kid?!"
"Hyun-ah, cover your ears. You don't need to hear that kind of talk."
"Seriously… disgusting…"
Yoon Chaewon growled as though she wanted to devour Sa Jaehyuk. Ryu Sehwa made a gesture for Lee Hyun to cover his ears, while Ye Jin shot the commander a look of contempt.
"There are things you can say and things you can't! How can you always pick such vulgar examples?"
"Did I say anything wrong? It was just an example to put his mind at ease…"
"Hey! You call that an excuse right now…?!"
Chaewon screamed at Sa Jaehyuk in a high-pitched voice. Sehwa and Ye Jin turned their backs on the scene and approached Lee Hyun.
"Hyun-ah. Just think of what you heard earlier as a monkey barking. Instead, let's review what we taught you."
"You must be tired after sparring with that guy since morning. Drink some water first."
"…Thank you…"
Over the past few days, the brigade members had devoted themselves entirely to educating Lee Hyun. Eighty percent of it had been advice concerning women.
"…Reject sponsorship offers from shady corporations outright. And… be wary of women who are suspiciously kind. If you ever find someone you like, you must consult us first…"
"Well done! All correct."
"As expected, Hyun is smart. You remembered everything."
"They're really trying to turn the kid into a monk…"
"Hey. I told you to be quiet."
Just as Sa Jaehyuk began to grumble, Chaewon cut him off sharply.
"This should be enough. As long as you remember what we said, you won't have any problems until graduation—"
-Pat! Sehwa praised Lee Hyun for memorizing the long list of precautions. Just as she raised her hand to pat his head, he suddenly swatted it away.
"Ah…"
Sehwa's eyes widened in surprise. By now Lee Hyun could tolerate light contact while wearing his mask, but at the moment the mask was off—he had removed it for the sparring match with Sa Jaehyuk. The mistake had occurred because she had grown accustomed to the sight.
"I'm sorry… I didn't mean to… I…"
Realizing his reaction too late, Lee Hyun glanced at Sehwa's face. His body trembled slightly.
"I'm sorry… truly…"
"It's all right… I made the mistake… I'm sorry…"
Sehwa smiled awkwardly at Lee Hyun's apology.
"R-right… Yeah, Sehwa was wrong!"
"…That's right. Sehwa was bad…"
"Ah… ugh…"
Chaewon and Ye Jin tried to lighten the mood, but the air had already cooled rapidly. Restless, Lee Hyun looked around, picked up the mask he had set aside in the corner, and put it back on. Then he walked over to Sehwa and buried himself in her embrace.
"Oh my?"
Sehwa's eyes widened at Lee Hyun's action, then she smiled broadly and stroked his head.
"Goodness, when did our Hyun become so affectionate… Noona's about to cry…"
"Hyun-ah! Me too! Do it for me too!"
"Me too…!"
"Kyaa…! Hey, you're heavy…!"
Chaewon and Ye Jin rushed over. The training ground floor instantly turned into chaos.
"Tsk tsk. Look at them go…"
Sa Jaehyuk clicked his tongue as though he had seen something he shouldn't.
"But I'm really worried… Can he make friends while wearing that mask…? No, is he even allowed to do that on campus…?"
Sehwa, who had barely escaped the affectionate scene, muttered.
"That's something he'll have to handle himself. And for his safety, it would be better that way."
"But still…"
"We've already gotten permission from the principal. You don't need to worry about that."
"Then… well, if it's the principal… it's Hae Wolhwa, right? My goodness, that person is the principal…"
"Exactly. She used to get so stressed because of the commander… Huh? Over there!"
Chaewon, who had approached unnoticed, chimed in. A car had arrived in the distance to take Lee Hyun to the capital.
***
"Take care, Hyun-ah. Make sure to contact us often, okay? Noona will get mad if you forget."
Chaewon said while looking at Lee Hyun.
"I will."
"My little sister is also entering the academy this time. If you happen to meet her, could you be friends with her? Just don't mention me…"
This time Sehwa spoke while patting Lee Hyun.
"I'll definitely be good friends with her."
"If things ever get too hard, you can always quit and come back. No one will say anything. All right?"
Finally, Ye Jin looked at Lee Hyun and said,
"Don't worry. I won't disappoint you."
"That wasn't what I meant…"
Ye Jin withdrew with a wry smile. Sa Jaehyuk, who had been standing behind them with an awkward expression, finally stepped forward. Lee Hyun looked at him with a dissatisfied voice.
"…You still didn't teach me in the end."
"Teach you what?"
"The authority. You said you'd tell me what it really was later. You also said you'd explain why I can use magic…!"
"Ah? That?"
Sa Jaehyuk answered in a nonchalant tone.
"I'll tell you after you graduate from the academy. It's too early for a kid to hear."
"No…!"
Just as Lee Hyun was about to flare up, Sa Jaehyuk suddenly tossed him a note. When Lee Hyun caught and unfolded it, he saw an address written on it.
"Remember that well."
"…What's this?"
"You'll find out later. If something happens to you, we'll come, but if the situation is urgent, go to this address and ask for help."
"…Got it."
"And don't go around telling people you were part of our unit. You won't hear anything good. I told you last time—stick to what I said."
"…Got it."
Even after the farewells, Sa Jaehyuk looked as though he still had more to say. After clearing his throat for a while, he spoke again in an awkward voice.
"Ahem, more importantly, now that you're not a brigade member anymore, you can call me 'hyung,' can't you? Try calling me that once before you go."
"What?"
Lee Hyun gave Sa Jaehyuk a puzzled look. He hesitated for a long time. Sa Jaehyuk wore a slightly expectant expression. But in the next moment, his expectations were shattered.
"…Take care, Commander. I'm going."
-Bang! As Lee Hyun closed the door, the vehicle soon departed. In the rearview mirror, the sight of the brigade members laughing and patting Sa Jaehyuk's back grew smaller and smaller.