Chapter 89: Holy Land (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 89: Holy Land (1)
“The winner is… Yoon Chae-ha!”
The final match of the Exchange Match, the individual finals, was over.
In the end, Yoon Chae-ha was confirmed as the ultimate victor.
Whether she had always been an exceptional talent, or whether Gaon’s system was simply that outstanding, I couldn’t say for sure.
In any case, this year’s Exchange Match was Gaon’s victory.
With Gaon winning both the individual and team battles, it was an expected outcome.
The award ceremony began.
First place, Yoon Chae-ha. Second place, Joo Seo-jun. Third place, Gail.
Although Gail had been crushed by Chae-ha, he had apparently put on an impressive performance in the match for third and fourth place.
I watched quietly from the stands.
Yoon Chae-ha stepped onto the podium.
She slowly lifted her head and looked toward a certain spot.
Our eyes met again.
She keeps looking.
Her gaze was fixed on me once more.
It lingered for a few seconds before her lips moved slightly.
Don’t leave.
With nothing better to do, I watched the ceremony.
As I saw Yoon Chae-ha receive her award on the stage, I mulled over the growth she’d achieved through this Exchange Match.
She’s good.
But now, even calling her “good” felt like an understatement.
She absorbed everything so quickly.
She didn’t just mimic what she was taught; she used it as a foundation to reconstruct it into something of her own.
She analyzed the techniques I showed her, adapted them, and sometimes even added her own sensibilities on top to create something entirely new.
I had originally thought it would take some time to get her on the right track.
She had a stubborn personality, and I hadn't laid out a solid plan for her like I had for the others.
But I was wrong.
The innate talent and senses she was ‘pre-set’ with were far more exceptional than I had imagined.
To describe Yoon Chae-ha’s current state…
She had begun to ride a current entirely of her own making.
Good.
Now, there was no need to interfere or teach her anything more.
In fact, if I tried to show her anything else, it might just introduce unnecessary noise into her current flow of growth.
That’s how well Yoon Chae-ha was doing right now.
It was as if she had multiple thrusters attached, propelling her precisely in the direction she wanted to go.
I’d seen all I needed to see.
I quietly rose from my seat.
Then, without a word, I turned and walked away.
*
“Ugh… what the… where’d he go…?”
The moment the award ceremony ended, Yoon Chae-ha headed toward the spectator seats.
Her steps quickened without her realizing it, her mind filled with the face of just one person.
But…
The seat was empty.
Jung Hae-in was nowhere to be found.
“……”
He was definitely there just a moment ago…
He was definitely smiling…
So why?
A hollow feeling settled in her chest.
“Chae-ha.”
Just then, a familiar voice called out to her.
Turning around, she saw her parents approaching.
Her father, who exuded the air of a neatly dressed researcher, and her mother, a smile playing on her lips.
Her father was a renowned researcher in academic circles, and her mother was a professor at a magic university.
Both were authorities in their fields, distinguished enough to be invited as judges for the World Magic Competition.
Yoon Chae-ha’s talent hadn’t come from nowhere.
Both of them wore gentle smiles.
“You did well. You were wonderful, my daughter.”
“You worked hard.”
Her mother’s words were affectionate, and her father’s were brief but carried weight.
Yoon Chae-ha paused, a look of surprise on her face, before slowly nodding.
“Yeah… thanks.”
The praise felt unfamiliar.
It was one thing coming from her mother.
But praise from her father always felt awkward and strange, as it always had.
That was a fact that hadn’t changed since she was a child.
Just then, the distinct sound of high heels tapping against the floor came from behind them.
“Hello~ Chae-ha, and hello to you too, Mother, Father~ It’s been a while~”
A friendly female voice.
When Chae-ha turned her head, she saw a woman approaching, dressed in a modernized blue robe.
Embroidered on the robe’s shoulder was a crest of what looked like three intersecting circular magic formulas.
That crest meant only one thing.
She’s from the Magic Tower.
The Magic Tower was an institution that held absolute authority in the society of mages.
And this woman was one of its high-ranking members.
A mid-level decision-maker involved in both experimentation and political coordination.
The Magic Tower was a place only mages of genius-level talent could enter.
Even among the prodigies sent by countless nations and organizations, half were filtered out in the first screening, and only a fraction of the remainder passed the second practical exam and interview.
Yoon Chae-ha, however, had already been internally classified within the Magic Tower as a ‘prospective member.’
Though she wasn’t officially affiliated yet, the techniques she had recently displayed were already being discussed in their internal documents.
“Today’s final match was truly impressive.”
The woman spoke to Chae-ha’s parents with an air of familiarity.
She had known them for a long time.
She had participated in academic exchanges when Chae-ha’s mother was a university professor, and she had indirectly collaborated with her father on a research project.
“If you have time, how about we have a simple meal together?”
She added with a dismissive wave of her hand.
“Oh, it’s nothing special~ I was just thinking that, as a senior mage, I might be able to offer some guidance regarding Chae-ha’s future career path. Kids these days are so quick and perceptive, I feel like I have a lot I could share~”
Her tone was light, but the meaning behind her words was anything but.
Her parents understood what she was really saying: We’re interested in your daughter.
Yoon Chae-ha’s mother smiled faintly and nodded.
Her father didn’t show it, but he was pleased.
The Magic Tower was that kind of place.
But the person at the center of it all, Yoon Chae-ha, was staring intently at the stands with her head slightly raised.
What’s with her now?
The Magic Tower executive, Ruina, knew Chae-ha’s personality well.
A whimsical girl, impossible to predict.
That unique brand of irregularity that all geniuses seemed to possess.
As if she had no interest in the conversation, Chae-ha’s eyes darted about restlessly.
She slowly scanned the area once, then again.
Finally, she pouted and muttered under her breath.
“He really left… I was going to ask him to eat with me…”
It was a small whisper, in the tone of a pouting child.
The faint blush on her cheeks and the way she tapped the floor with the tip of her shoe betrayed her feelings.
Then she turned her head and met Ruina’s eyes.
“I’m not going to the Magic Tower.”
A single, firm statement.
Ruina’s smile stiffened slightly.
Chae-ha then turned to her parents and added.
“I’m going to join Vanquisher.”
At the unexpected declaration, Chae-ha’s parents drew in a sharp breath.
They exchanged a brief glance before nodding silently.
In that moment, Chae-ha’s gaze returned to the stands.
To the empty seat.
The seat where he had been sitting.
It doesn’t matter if you run.
A slow smile spread across her lips.
I’ll just follow you.
It was the moment the scorching, blazing sun decided, all on its own, to follow a frigid star.
*
I was walking through the grounds of Gaon Academy.
Yu Hana had told me that the prize for the team battle would be delivered soon.
It was probably prize money.
I sat down on a bench.
I needed time to sort out my thoughts.
Ever since Yoon Chae-ha absorbed the Remains of the Evil God, it was as if she had been launched into orbit.
I was happy.
It was a good thing that she had grown enough for me to let her go without any worries.
That was one big task out of the way.
All that was left now was the upcoming final exam.
Given the Exchange Match was sandwiched between the midterms and finals, the final exam period had, for all intents and purposes, already begun.
It seemed like a good idea for me to grow as well until then. I should do more research on the Expanded Authority of the Fragment…
Just then.
—Dring
My smartwatch buzzed.
I glanced down. The sender was the Arcadia Cult.
It seemed to be about the reward for the Tiara incident.
I don’t think there’s anything left for me to receive.
If it was some reward they had scraped together out of obligation, I planned to refuse it.
With that in mind, I opened the message.
“Huh?”
[Luke]: Greetings, Brother Hae-in. I’m writing to you about the reward we discussed. It would be more polite to speak with you in person, but I wanted to provide you with some preliminary information first.
The message that followed was more than enough to surprise me.
[Permission to Enter the Holy Land (聖地)]
[Entry Condition: Must be accompanied by the Saintess (聖女).]
“Holy shit…”
I had to read it twice.
I really hadn’t thought there was anything left for them to give me.
But I was wrong.
The Holy Land.
The Holy Land was the heart of divinity, a place the Arcadia Cult had kept hidden for hundreds of years.
A space permitted only to the Hero and the Saintess.
The Saintess at night, the Hero during the day.
It was a completely sealed, secret chamber that no one else could enter.
A single hour in that space, where divine power itself breathed, granted a human an acceleration in growth equivalent to several days, or even weeks.
The Sect’s explanation was simple.
[Luke]: The Saintess has accelerated her growth through the Tiara and has now met the qualifications of a formal Saintess. Accordingly, we wish to provide a fitting reward to you, Brother, as the one who provided the means for that growth, by granting you limited access to the Holy Land.
The divine power of the Holy Land was finite.
For that reason, the space was a privilege reserved solely for the Hero and the Saintess.
And yet, a chance like this had come to me.
I couldn’t refuse this.
It was an opportunity of a lifetime.
I looked down at my watch.
The designated entry time was late at night.
The Holy Land was a secret chamber located in the deepest part of the Temple.
The entrant would be me.
And the Saintess, Cheon Yeo-wool.
I took a quiet breath.
I have to go.
This was an offer that required no hesitation.
