The Red Flower Falls (4)
The strange behavior from Baek Seoyeon lasted only a fleeting moment. In the time it took to blink once, she had already clasped her hands tightly together, her face twisted into a tearful expression as if she were deeply worried for Jin Yeseo.
Yeon Minha’s brow furrowed reflexively at the sight. From the very first time she had seen her, Baek Seoyeon had always been an impossible woman to read. Those occasional glimpses of such behavior only amplified Yeon Minha’s disgust toward her even more.
Meanwhile, a few familiar second-year faces stood around Baek Seoyeon. They were members of the student council, apparently here to scout promising new talents among the freshmen during the ranking matches.
“Choi I-re…”
Yeon Minha recognized the female student among them—the one with neatly braided hair and round glasses—and shot her a murderous glare.
Choi I-re. The successor of the Seongsan Choi family. The older sister of the freshman Choi Woojin. She was one of the girls who stuck to Baek Seoyeon like glue, along with Kwon Yuri.
Unlike Kwon Yuri, whose head was practically a flower garden, Choi I-re was someone who posed a real, practical threat to both Yeon Minha and the Red Fire family. She had been the one aggressively pushing to recruit Jin Yeseo into the student council. She had also played a major role in establishing a joint venture between the Heavenly Baek and Seongsan families.
The ultimate goal of that corporation was to seize the exclusive stellite mining rights currently held by the Red Fire family. Those rights were a permanent privilege granted to her family for their contributions to founding the current system. Yet due to repeated eco-fascist terrorist attacks on the mines in recent years and the resulting mismanagement, production had yet to stabilize.
Stellite was the only known metal capable of containing particles. Because of that, it was used everywhere—from weapons to defensive gear—but its unstable supply had caused its price to skyrocket day after day.
They were demanding the transfer of those mining rights under the pretext of ending the chaos, and the voices supporting them grew louder with each passing day. Rumors were already circulating that the matter would be formally raised at the regular assembly next month.
At least since she had recently regained some mental stability, she had managed to raise her voice in opposition. But the situation was still far from favorable.
Even so, she could not simply hand over the mining rights. The enormous profits from stellite mining were nothing short of the Red Fire family’s lifeline. Moreover, although there was no concrete evidence, the Heavenly Baek family was strongly suspected of being the mastermind behind the terrorist attacks from the very beginning.
Baek Seoyeon—the undisputed successor of that very family. And Choi I-re, who followed her every word like a second shadow.
Far from looking upon them favorably, Yeon Minha wanted nothing more than to tear them both apart.
“Oh no…!”
“Hoo… I-I dodged it…”
The shrill, excited squeals drew her gaze downward. The moment the masked male student barely avoided the black flames Jin Yeseo had desperately hurled at him, the trio of first-year girls from last time began making a huge fuss over him.
“…Tsk.”
Even though they were clearly cheering for the same person, for some reason Yeon Minha’s heart felt incredibly uncomfortable. The whole world seemed filled with nothing but women she couldn’t stand to look at.
-Crack!Thud!
“Hic…!”
A sharp scream rang out alongside the sound of joints being twisted. A black flame spear flew in at that instant, and he whipped his head aside to dodge it.
“Why don’t you just surrender?”
“Haa…! Haa…! Who do you think you are…!”
Jin Yeseo spun across the stone floor two or three times before tumbling far away. Her neatly tied golden hair was now a complete mess.
When he urged her to surrender, the disheveled Jin Yeseo screamed back in pure rage.
My head was starting to ache, so I frowned slightly behind the mask. What was I supposed to do with her?
I had thought that if I inflicted enough pain, she would give up, but she was holding on far more stubbornly than expected. The situation made it difficult to strike vital points directly while ignoring the school rules. Unlike when I faced Yeon Minha, hundreds of eyes were watching right now.
If I pressed my blade to her throat, I could automatically claim victory. Unfortunately, my blade had already become scrap metal and had been rolling around on the arena floor for quite some time.
“Haa…! Haa…!”
I checked Jin Yeseo’s condition once more. Her legs were trembling violently, and her green eyes were gradually losing focus. It looked like she was finally reaching her limit.
“Huu…”
There was no other choice. If she took a few more solid hits, she would probably give up. My own body wasn’t in any condition to drag this fight out either.
Having made my decision, I charged at Jin Yeseo again. I lifted my foot and slammed it hard into her knee.
-Crack!
“Ugh…!”
Having lost her balance, Jin Yeseo’s body tilted precariously to the side.
-Thud!
“Kuh!”
Before she could collapse to the floor, I delivered another powerful blow to her side. The consecutive impacts seemed to disrupt her concentration—magical formulas kept forming and scattering in her hands before they could even complete.
-Crunch!Thud!
“Surrender.”
“Kek… no… ugh…!”
-Thud!Whack!
“Surrender.”
“No… hek… ah…!”
-Crack!
“Hic…!”
“Surrender.”
“Hic… no… I won’t…!”
-Crack!Crunch!Thud!
“Huu… surrender…”
“Stop it, stop!!”
While I was fully focused on the task, a loud, deep male voice suddenly blared from the amplifier, snapping me out of my concentration. One of the second-year professors acting as a judge for the ranking matches was running frantically toward the arena.
“Student Yoo Jin-hyun, that’s enough. This is your victory.”
“Pardon? But…”
“Miss Yeseo has already lost consciousness. She is in no condition to continue the match.”
At his words, I looked down at her feet. Only then did I notice the blonde girl slumped motionless on the ground. Her face was a complete mess, streaked with blood and tears.
The judge urgently called for the medical team and then announced the result of the ranking match through the amplifier.
Winner: Yoo Jin-hyun
Afterward, as he watched Jin Yeseo—now covered in blood and receiving emergency treatment—being carried away on a stretcher, he muttered with a complicated expression.
“This might bring a formal complaint from the White Light family…”
“…I didn’t break any rules. My blade was already destroyed, and my opponent never declared surrender…”
“I know, I know. I’m just saying that’s how they might see it. After all, a child from one of the most powerful families ended up in that state.”
He waved his hand dismissively, cutting me off.
“Honestly, I don’t understand why you kept going until she ended up like that. There’s a limit to recklessness. Anyway, you don’t need to worry about it. If a complaint comes in, the cradle will handle it. Today’s schedule is over, so stop by the infirmary and get yourself checked out before you go.”
He patted my shoulder a couple of times and then left.
In truth, I was a little curious myself. Even while sobbing, she had stubbornly refused to surrender. It was as if there was something she absolutely could not afford to lose.
Still, whatever her circumstances were, it wasn’t any of my business. More than that, I felt quite satisfied that I had achieved my original goal of victory.
Even considering that my physical condition was far from normal, she hadn’t been an easy opponent. Jin Yeseo had shown surprisingly skilled movements despite having experienced only a few real battles.
Now that I thought about it, the squad leader had definitely said it. The reason I couldn’t defeat him wasn’t because of a difference in talent, but because of the gap in accumulated experience. Perhaps those words applied to others as well.
Besides, whether it was talent or bloodline, my competitors lacked nothing compared to me.
“Ahem, ahem.”
Along with a clearing of the throat, I sensed someone approaching. Yeon Minha was walking briskly through the dispersing crowd of students.
“You’re here, Senior?”
“…”
Instead of responding to my greeting, Yeon Minha tilted her gaze slightly downward. Then she frowned without saying a word. It was the expression of someone clearly displeased.
There, the burn mark from Jin Yeseo’s black flames was still clearly visible.
“Senior? Is something wrong?”
“…Want to follow me?”
Yeon Minha didn’t answer and simply turned her head sharply.
“Where to?”
“You’ll find out when you come.”
“Underst—”
I was about to release my Predictive Eye and follow the strangely urgent-looking Yeon Minha when suddenly my vision blurred and strength left my legs. It seemed I had pushed myself a bit too hard while still not fully recovered. I barely managed to steady myself and stand upright.
Yet the Yeon Minha who had been walking ahead was already back beside me. She awkwardly reached out with her arm, almost as if she were trying to support me.
“Senior. Were you perhaps about to catch me?”
“W-what kind of nonsense is that…!”
Yeon Minha raised her voice as if she had been caught off guard. The fact that she denied it so strongly only made it more suspicious.
Perhaps because I had secured victory in an important duel, I found myself able to converse with Yeon Minha in a strangely comfortable state of mind. Even her usual prickly tone no longer bothered me.
“You two seem to be getting along quite well?”
But at the sound of a familiar voice speaking to us in a friendly manner, my heart instantly turned ice-cold.
Yeon Minha, who had been looking at the masked male student, instantly changed her expression.
A female student with beautiful black hair like the night sky and golden eyes sparkling with particles was approaching them from behind.
“Baek Seoyeon. What brings you all the way here?”
Yeon Minha turned her head and spoke with a snort.
“Just because. I came to offer my congratulations. Junior Yoo Jin-hyun’s skills are truly impressi—”
“So what? Why don’t you mind your own business and go back to your own junior? She looked absolutely ridiculous out there.”
Baek Seoyeon still maintained her gentle, smiling face. However, with the keen senses unique to spirit mages, Yeon Minha could immediately detect the slight crack in that facade. It was clear that Baek Seoyeon’s mood was far from pleasant right now.
“…I was planning to do just that. But don’t you think you went too far? No matter what, she’s still a fellow first-year…”
“It’s something that can naturally happen during a duel, isn’t it? She lost because she was weaker. What’s there to complain about? And do you think she’s the only one who got hurt? I got hurt pretty badly too.”
“…”
Yeon Minha continued to maintain her arrogant attitude, firing off her words sharply. Her own mood wasn’t particularly good either. She couldn’t think of any particular reason why Baek Seoyeon would come all the way down to the arena to speak to them.
The fact that those probing eyes had been fixed on the masked male student the entire time—rather than on her—only added to her discomfort.
“…I really didn’t know you had such a caring personality toward your juniors.”
The black-haired girl gave a bitter smile. Yeon Minha didn’t reply and simply returned an arrogant sneer.
Then she turned around and pulled the masked male student along with her.
“Let’s go.”
“…Yes.”
His voice sounded strangely subdued. Only then did Yeon Minha realize that he had remained completely silent behind her the entire time, without even exchanging basic greetings with Baek Seoyeon.
“…?”
His hand was trembling slightly, and his overall condition didn’t seem good. Feeling a sense of urgency, Yeon Minha hurriedly dragged him out of the arena. There was no reason to waste any more time or emotion on pointless matters.
“…”
The pair of golden eyes left standing alone remained fixed on their retreating backs until they completely disappeared from sight.
The place Yeon Minha brought the male student to was, unexpectedly, the infirmary. She sat the bewildered boy down in a chair, then personally took out cotton swabs and disinfectant.
“Really, what is this even…”
On his left thigh, the wound from the black flames was still clearly exposed.
“It’s really not that bad. There’s no need to worry so much…”
“W-who said I was worried… If you walk around looking like that, it damages my reputation too, that’s all…”
Apparently feeling as though her true feelings had been exposed, Yeon Minha snapped back with a pouty expression.
“Honestly… I shouldn’t have trusted a man’s bravado…”
“I’m really fine. A few days of rest and this will—”
“That’s why I’m saying we should pretend for a few days…”
“Senior.”
“Y-yes…?”
At the male student’s words that suddenly cut through the space between them, Yeon Minha asked back in confusion.
“Instead of worrying… I’d rather hear something else.”
“Uh, um…?”
At his sudden request, Yeon Minha’s eyes wandered, lost for a moment. But faced with the earnestness that lingered heavily in his voice, her lips unconsciously formed the words in response.
“You… worked hard…?”
As if those were the correct words, the male student slowly nodded. He then wrapped both hands around his mask.
“…Thank you.”
His fingers were no longer trembling.