The Return of the Adorable Junior Alchemist Emily (1)
The nightmare airport had transformed into a massive rescue operation site, moving with an eerie order. At one end of the runway, near the ruins of the terminal entrance, Chiharu stood guard in her fox mask, vigilant without a single lapse. Her magic bow was loosely gripped, ready to fire at any moment. She was the perfect sentinel, watching the skies, the ground, and even the distortions in space for any possible threats.
In the sky, Corax silently carried out its mission. With massive wings flapping relentlessly between the cracks in the red sky and the runway, its talons always clutched a silver container holding ten survivors and their hopes. Black blood dripped from its injured wing, but it showed no sign of pain. This was a test to prove its worth to its master.
At the center of all this frantic rescue effort was a bizarre, peaceful space that seemed oblivious to the flow of time. Jinwoo led Emily into the first-class cabin of a relatively intact plane. He sealed the tear in the fuselage with a curtain of darkness conjured by magic, perfectly blocking out external gazes and noise. It was like a small island floating in the heart of the nightmare.
"Sit."
Jinwoo pointed to the plush leather seat, and Emily, still dazed, cautiously took her place.
"You seem to like Harry Potter."
He murmured lowly, eyeing her worn hoodie.
"Pardon? Ah... yes!"
Emily startled, looking down at her clothes.
"Since I was little... it was the only thing for me..."
"I know."
Jinwoo gently cut her off.
"I found those stories quite intriguing myself. Especially the three-headed dog guarding the Sorcerer's Stone, Fluffy—that left quite an impression."
Emily's eyes began to sparkle like stars at his words. For the first time, she had met someone who understood her world.
"Yes! And... I loved Hedwig so much! Such a loyal and clever owl...!"
As she spoke, she glanced out the window at the massive crow circling—Corax.
"...Does Corax... bring you letters, like Hedwig?"
"Letters?"
Jinwoo chuckled.
"No. It brings me enemies' throats instead. Far more useful."
Even at his joking yet chilling reply, Emily only wore an entranced expression. Over the past few hours, she had shared stories of magic, myths, and Harry Potter with Jinwoo. He didn't mock her clumsy knowledge or childish fantasies. Instead, he listened earnestly, sometimes weaving in real histories and theories of magic to feed her intellectual vanity. She was completely disarmed.
In Emily's eyes, he was no longer an object of terror. He was the perfect 'senpai' and 'mentor' who understood her.
How much time had passed? Chiharu pierced the curtain of darkness in the first-class cabin.
"M-Master..."
Seeing Jinwoo sitting side by side with Emily, chatting and smiling, she faltered. A black flame of jealousy ignited once more in her chest.
"...The last... container."
She barely reported her mission.
"Already?"
Jinwoo rose with a hint of regret. He turned to Emily with a soft smile.
"Well then, it's time for you to go home too, Emily."
He pointed to the final container and added,
"Get in there."
"Pardon...? But... then..."
Confusion and deep sorrow clouded Emily's face.
"...Will I... never see you again?"
"No."
Jinwoo lifted her chin, meeting her eyes.
"I'll contact you soon. And I'll send what you need for your path as a true alchemist."
He paused, patting her shoulder.
"My emissary, Kim Sea, will learn of you as well. Contact her if anything urgent arises."
Hope lit up Emily's face again at his words. She bowed deeply one last time and walked toward the container. Just before entering, Comte de Saint-Germain's voice echoed pleadingly in her mind one final time.
[Emily... please... think again... That man is a devil...!]
'Shut up, Germain.'
Emily responded firmly to her grimoire for the first time.
'I've... found my savior.'
She stepped inside without hesitation.
Jinwoo mounted Corax's back again with Chiharu.
"Let's go. It's time for us to head home too."
Corax clutched the final container in its talons, carrying them toward the rift in the red sky. Behind it, the ruined airport and the innocent young mage girl who now harbored new hope faded into the distance.
Pitch-black darkness, the screech of metal, the stifled breaths of strangers. The container's interior was another small hell, but a faint air of 'hope' unlike before permeated it.
"Can we... really make it back alive?"
A young woman's trembling voice echoed in the dark.
"...We have to believe."
A gruff middle-aged man's voice replied.
"We have no choice but to trust them."
Emily smiled alone in the darkness, listening to them. Fear was gone from her heart. It was filled only with the image of the strong, intellectual 'senpai mage' she'd just conversed with and the overwhelming anticipation of the 'future' he promised.
[In the end, you fell for his sweet talk. Pathetic.]
Saint-Germain's voice rang bitterly in her mind.
'I'll say it again: shut up, Germain.'
Emily replied resolutely.
'He... understood me. He saw my potential. I'll follow him.'
She sensed her new life was just beginning.
[Washington Dulles International Airport, Runway]
Thud.
With the final sound of the massive metal container hitting the runway, the long, horrific rescue operation came to an end. The area around the runway had become a grand stage under the gaze of the entire world. Hundreds of reporters, military officials, and rescuers held their breath, watching that last moment.
F-22 Raptor squadrons circled overhead on alert, but radar detected nothing. Jinwoo had already used the Magic Grimoire's power to erase all traces of himself, Chiharu, and Corax from surveillance equipment.
The container doors opened, and the final survivors poured out in tears. Among them emerged a blonde girl in a worn Harry Potter hoodie—Emily. She looked up at the sky first, but nothing was there.
[Washington D.C., Some Back Alley]
Corax reverted to its small crow form right after setting down the final container and perched on Chiharu's shoulder. Jinwoo and Chiharu, with the Magic Grimoire's 'Perception Concealment' magic at full power, slipped silently into the shadows, leaving the airport chaos behind.
They flowed like ghosts through the city's back alleys, avoiding public eyes, until they reached the underground parking garage of the luxury hotel where Sea was staying. They took the staff-only elevator without a single witness and arrived at the suite door, which was already slightly ajar from inside.
Waiting for them was the emissary, Kim Sea.
That evening, news channels worldwide broadcast only one story on repeat.