Chapter 388
Chapter 388
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 389
Chapter Title: Team Assignments
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday afternoon, 1 PM.
After wrapping up the business with the Sword Ghost in Busan, I'd returned to the dorm and was having a serious conversation with Gretel.
Specifically, my curiosity had been piqued by the demon tree fruit that Han Se-yeon had mentioned to me early that morning—the one that had appeared in the market 200 years ago.
“Gretel. Do you have any family?”
“Ngah.”
And Gretel responded to my question with nothing but a “Ung-ah.”
Naturally, even I—who could understand all foreign languages thanks to an outsider's blessing—couldn't interpret baby cries.
“Gretel. Nod or shake your head to answer.”
At my words, Gretel shook her head. Shaking her head meant she had no family.
“You don't have any family?”
But this time, Gretel shook her head again.
What? She neither had family nor didn't.
“Do you not even know if you have family or not?”
“Ung-ah.”
This time, Gretel nodded.
“Hmm. You don't know.”
It hit me anew that I knew absolutely nothing about Gretel.
I hadn't even known something this basic.
Still, not knowing if she had family or not...
Her cries felt especially poignant today.
“Then, Gretel, do you remember the world you originally lived in?”
True to her name “demon tree,” Gretel was probably a creature from a world called the demon realm.
I couldn't quite picture what it was like, but my curiosity got the better of me, so I asked.
“Ngah.”
Gretel nodded at my question.
“You remember.”
Gretel's hometown... I wondered what kind of world it was. Demon realm made me think of something dark and gloomy.
Our situations weren't all that different, come to think of it.
She'd been summoned to an unfamiliar world and couldn't return home.
“Do you ever want to go back home or anything?”
Gretel made a thoughtful expression,
then shook her head.
Good. She seemed satisfied with her current life.
And for some reason, her answer put my mind at ease.
I'd been anxious that she might resent me for summoning her.
“Ngah.”
Then Gretel spoke to me.
Was it the effect of [Bond]?
The meaning behind Gretel's words came through to me clearly.
“You like being with me?”
“Ung-ah!”
Gretel nodded.
Seeing that, a smile crept onto my lips.
“Gretel~ I like being with you too.”
I grabbed Gretel's body and lightly lifted her up. Gretel giggled happily, kicking her legs.
A sudden thought crossed my mind.
If I ever returned to reality, how could I leave her behind?
A wave of gloom hit me for a moment, but I quickly shoved it from my mind.
“Hello! Division Head! Nice day tod—wait, Sword Ghost?”
Monday morning. Hanseong Pharmaceuticals headquarters.
The moment Han Se-yeon arrived at work, the people around her gawked in shock at the Sword Ghost standing by her side.
Han Se-yeon smiled softly and said,
“Let me introduce him. This is Jang Su-gi, who will be serving as my bodyguard starting today. No need for introductions—you all know him well.”
“...Ah! Of course! Who wouldn't know the Sword Ghost of the Hanseong family, famed as their sword? Haha.”
The head of the pharmaceuticals division looked up at the Sword Ghost, sweat beading on his brow.
Sharp features and a height nearing 2 meters.
Just meeting his gaze made one's heart pound with fear.
The Sword Ghost looked down at the man before him and said,
“Pleased to meet you. As of today, I'll be guarding the young lady.”
Stiff tone of voice. But it carried the bare minimum of courtesy.
At his greeting, the division head bowed so low his head nearly touched the ground.
“We're the ones who should be pleased to meet you!”
After brief greetings with the staff, Han Se-yeon and the Sword Ghost entered the division head's office.
“First day back in a while—how does it feel?”
Han Se-yeon chuckled lightly as she spoke, and the Sword Ghost smirked.
“A bit noisier than expected, but it brings back old memories. Not bad.”
“This is just the start. Bigger commotion by the end of the day.”
The Sword Ghost taking on Han Se-yeon's protection wasn't a simple matter.
He was the Hanseong family's living history and a major pillar alongside Han Dae-hyun—not to mention the object of immense respect—and now he was backing her as the next chairwoman.
The news would spread to the media in an instant, followed by a flood of articles.
Han Se-yeon smiled faintly and walked to the window.
Things were turning out better than expected.
All thanks to Jin-woo.
Even thinking about it now, he'd helped her out tremendously in that short day.
“...What kind of person is he?”
Kim Jin-woo knew far too much information.
The events from last week only strengthened that impression.
Han Se-jin's secret. And the Sword Ghost's secret.
These weren't things you could learn just from good intel networks.
And her suspicions were gradually solidifying into certainty.
That Kim Jin-woo was a regressor from the future.
He was probably working this hard to prevent something from happening in the future.
She couldn't predict what it was yet.
Han Se-yeon pulled a key from her pocket.
The key from her father's study that revealed the world's secrets.
“Uncle Su-gi.”
She turned and called him, and the Sword Ghost nodded.
“Yes, young lady.”
“Do you know what this key is for? I got it from Father's study.”
The Sword Ghost's eyes widened instantly upon seeing the key in Han Se-yeon's hand.
Crash!
A massive crashing sound echoed from the Hanseong Magic Engineering vice president's office as something shattered.
The TV blared breaking news, and his phone had been ringing nonstop since earlier.
「S-Rank Wizard known as the Sword of the Hanseong family, Jang Su-gi, has appeared at Hanseong Pharmaceuticals today. According to an internal source, he has officially taken on the role of bodyguard for Division Head Han Se-yeon and declared his support for her future endeavors...」
The feared scenario had come to pass.
The Sword Ghost—who had maintained neutrality despite countless pressures and requests—had declared his support for Han Se-yeon.
This was no ordinary event.
Jang Su-gi, the Sword Ghost.
He was the sole symbolic figure left in the Hanseong family after Han Dae-hyun's disappearance.
“Kim Jin-woo...”
According to the report from S-Rank Demon Jeong Hwan, who had fled from Busan at the time, Kim Jin-woo had been with Han Se-yeon.
The trip to Busan, where the Sword Ghost was in hiding, had probably been Kim Jin-woo's doing.
“...What the hell is this guy?”
Things were getting messier by the minute.
The fallout from the Association's failed tracking had created distrust, but this was a chance to turn it around.
“Damn it!”
No time or leeway left now.
Cornered on a cliff, no room for hesitation.
The Ten Demon Society was probably in a similar bind.
“...But going to Busan—was that a coincidence?”
That was what puzzled Han Se-jin.
Of all days, the day of the assassination attempt, she goes looking for the Sword Ghost.
Even postponing a company meeting, something she never did.
Coincidence or not, was there such a thing?
“Did the information leak?”
It wasn't impossible.
No, it was more likely.
His sister despised delaying her work.
“Information is leaking...”
A traitor inside. But who?
The number of people who knew about Han Se-yeon's assassination plan could be counted on one hand.
Could it be someone on the demon side?
As Han Se-jin pondered, he spotted Ellen scribbling something in a notebook by the door.
...What’s she writing?
Sudden suspicion drew him slowly toward her.
As he approached, Ellen closed the notebook and shot him a wary glance.
“What?”
“That notebook. Could I see it?”
“What? Why? No.”
Flat refusal.
It was enough to make one question who the employer even was, but Han Se-jin let it slide.
“You've been jotting things in that notebook a lot lately. Just curious.”
“...You. I don't know what wind's blowing, but I can see you're suspicious of me. I get you're pissed things aren't going your way, but could you not take it out on me?”
He thought he'd kept a poker face, but she'd seen right through him.
S-Rank Wizard, as expected.
Han Se-jin chuckled softly.
“Yeah, I've been thinking lately that info's leaking. Just checking—forgive me.”
“Oh~ So you're suspecting me of being a spy?”
Ellen continued as she said it.
“But you know? If I were a spy, I wouldn't bother leaking info bit by bit.”
Her words sparked doubt in Han Se-jin.
Ellen gave him a chilling smile.
“What I mean is, I wouldn't bother leaking info—I would've just killed you with my own hands ages ago.”
“...Haha. True enough.”
Now that he thought about it, yeah.
With her personality, she'd never care about earning the Hanseong family's enmity.
Low chance Ellen was the spy.
Then someone on the demon side?
“Still, I'm curious about that notebook. Mind showing me?”
Employer's order.
Ellen reluctantly handed over the notebook.
Han Se-jin examined the contents.
It was filled with incomprehensible spells.
Page after page, the same.
“...What is this?”
“...Homework.”
“Homework?”
Han Se-jin tilted his head at the out-of-left-field answer.
Homework? She wasn't some schoolkid.
“Rune studies... well, something like a qualification exam for practitioners. You wouldn't get it anyway.”
With that, she snatched the notebook back in a flash and snapped,
“Now that you've seen it, scram.”
The joyous festival at the Magic Academy had ended with the Grand Fireworks Display, and two weeks later came Monday.
The academy's atmosphere had returned to its former fervor.
The first- and second-years were deep in training for the upcoming evaluation exams, while the third-years attended special lectures in preparation for the Professional Wizard License Exam.
“The Professional Wizard License Exam consists of five tests over three days.”
In the main auditorium, packed with all third-years.
Instructor Jang An-cheol began the special lecture.
“There are three basic aptitude evaluations and two competitive exams. The basics aren't too hard, but the two competitive ones are the problem. Now, everyone look at the screen.”
“...Yawn.”
I'd already heard all this before regression, so I wasn't paying close attention.
I even knew the exam contents and the incidents that would occur midway in detail.
Jang An-cheol's lecture continued.
Detailed explanations on what problems would appear and what to watch out for.
“In the fourth room of the cave, the Rune Golden Bat appears. Dissect its skin and shine mana on it to reveal the hidden mural on the wall.”
It was insider info you couldn't buy.
Practically spoon-feeding the answers.
This was a unique perk of the Magic Academy.
The secret behind their insane 95% pass rate for the Professional Wizard License Exam.
“Wow, he's giving such detailed info.”
Yoon Ha-young, seated next to me, sparkled with interest as she scribbled every word in her notebook.
Her pencil hand moved so fast and precise, like a stenographer.
Did Yoon Ha-young have that kind of talent?
“But you're not taking notes?”
Yu A-ra, on my other side, glanced at me and said.
I smirked and tapped my temple with my fingers.
“Memorizing it.”
“...What? Well, yeah, you could probably do that.”
Absurd claim, but she'd seen me do so much crazy stuff that Yu A-ra just accepted it.
Lee Seo-jun, seated in front of me, turned around slightly, looked at me, and smirked.
“...That covers the fourth exam. Now! Open the documents you were handed.”
At his words, I opened the document.
Even I didn't know what was in this one, so I needed to check.
“As you know, the fifth exam is also a competitive one. And that document lists the groups for the newly announced fifth exam.”
The group assignments for the fifth exam.
Since it was competitive, who you faced off against would drastically change how much you could shine.
I first searched for Yu Seong-jin of Jaun (not an official member yet) among the participants.
[Group C: Yu Seong-jin]
Hmm. Yu Seong-jin was in Group C.
Looking at Group C's list, Yu A-ra was there too.
Yu A-ra and Yu Seong-jin facing off.
Come to think of it, same surname.
“Huh? Found me. I'm Group G. Seonwoo, what group are you?”
At Yoon Ha-young's question, I scanned the list and answered.
“I'm Group D.”
“Huh? Me too, Group D.”
Lee Seo-jun, in front of me, muttered.
Shin Young-jun, next to him, alternated glances between me and Lee Seo-jun with a smirk.
“O~ What? You two in the same group? Been a while since you clashed?”
“Wow, big matchup. Seonwoo vs. Seo-jun?”
Yoon Ha-young laughed as she said it.
“You two are in for it.”
At Yu A-ra's final words, I tilted my head.
What were these kids on about?
“What're you talking about all of a sudden? Why would me and Seo-jun clash?”
“Huh? You're in the same group.”
Yoon Ha-young blinked as she said it. I turned to Lee Seo-jun.
“The fifth exam isn't individual—it's a team battle?”