Chapter 13. School Trip (1)

‘It wasn’t even something I actually did, just a thought.’

I wasn’t completely unwilling to take action, but it wasn’t a situation that demanded immediate movement either.

‘I’ll watch the situation a bit longer...’

Deciding to teach Lee Sea alongside Jin Yu-ri had been part of that effort. In her own way, Charlotte hadn’t wanted to harm the child of Lee Si-hyeok and Jeong Se-bin.

If Jin Yu-ri’s trigger could be focused solely on her rivalry with Lee Sea, there’d be no need to forcibly remove the other triggers. Then, she could use the grown Jin Yu-ri to further her own development... but that was a story for later.

‘Still, I can’t wait forever.’

Charlotte tilted her head slightly downward, gazing at her arms. They were lean yet solidly muscled, her hands callused from training. She was still fine. She could probably manage another three years without issue.

But after five years, she couldn’t be certain, and beyond that, after a decade...

‘I’ll grow old.’

She wouldn’t be able to resist the natural march of aging any longer. No matter how much mana she had or how much combat experience she accumulated, the point would come when her body’s decline outpaced her growth.

From then on, even maintaining her current level would be a struggle.

‘Turning into a has-been happens in an instant.’

She had seen it countless times before—people who had been so passionate and resilient reduced to pathetic relics in just a few years. She wouldn’t fall that far, and she’d put in the corresponding effort... but she could only be confident of surpassing her current self for the next five years.

‘I have to reach it within that time.’

Beyond the title of the greatest Immune Body holder in history, to become the strongest Awakener ever. Surpassing even the miraculous power Lee Si-hyeok and Jeong Se-bin had displayed in their final moments twenty years ago in that decisive battle.

And going further, to eclipse even the Demon God, the devil lord who had been the mightiest being among all life forms—human, demon, or monster.

To ascend as the strongest existence, period. That wouldn’t be full satisfaction, but at least she could pat herself on the back for having done all she could.

‘So, I’m apologizing to you all in advance.’

A mental apology to the two girls and the young man, one tinged with deception. It wasn’t something to feel sorry for right now—in fact, it could be seen as extending goodwill—but she had made up her mind.

She wouldn’t wait long, and when the rightful moment came, she wouldn’t hesitate.

Charlotte Tate had no intention of stopping until the day she died.

As long as mana existed in this world.

As long as the potential to grow stronger with that power remained.

The moment I got home, Sea declared out of the blue.

“I aced my exams.”

Without giving me a chance to respond, she headed straight to her room. I heard the sound of a drawer opening and rustling papers, then she emerged with a thick stack of test sheets and thrust them at me.

“I did a rough score check... excluding today’s subjects, my average is over 90.”

“For real?”

It was a shame for Sea, but I feigned surprise. I’d already heard from Yoo Hae-bin, and I’d overheard it when Jin Yu-ri was provoking her earlier. It had unintentionally leaked ahead of time. I figured Sea realized her slip-up and disclosed it the moment we got home...

Since things had turned out this way, I decided to ham it up a bit more. Just enough to stay believable without raising her suspicions.

“When Yu-ri was ‘helping’ you, you did well, and you’ve been studying hard at home lately, so I figured your grades went up... but I didn’t expect this much. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠How many points did you gain? Over 20 on average?”

“Finals for 1st year 2nd semester: 62.13 points. Not just over 20—it’s over 28.”

“Ah... really?”

I obviously didn’t say anything about how she had that level of academic passion to correct me precisely... Though I knew it already, seeing the proof made me genuinely happy too. As she handed over the sheets with a beaming smile, Sea murmured softly.

“This time, practicals went even better than before, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠so I should be in the top 3 of the school. Results aren’t out yet... but I might take 1st.”

“Should I order pizza? Or go out and buy all your favorite ice cream flavors?”

“I’m full. No snacks tomorrow either.”

Sea replied curtly in her usual prickly tone and grabbed clothes from her room to change into after showering. She bundled them up in a long towel and headed for the bathroom, so I asked casually, like it was no big deal.

“Hey, though.”

“What.”

“It reminded me of something since you mentioned helping Yu-ri... that thing you said to her, uh, how should I put it... you didn’t mean it seriously, right?”

I had to ask now, or it’d be harder later. When framing it as ‘helping,’ I’d already anticipated this question. It didn’t seem like my sister would say something so vicious for real... but the wording was too spot-on and effective to just take at face value. Unless she’d been storing it up in her head beforehand, it’d be hard to spit out on the spot, so as her brother, I felt the need to address it.

If it turned out she meant it... I wasn’t in a position to judge anyone, but I’d try to talk her out of it.

Sea answered calmly.

“I don’t think that way.”

“Right? You were just doing your best to help her, yeah?”

I brightened up and asked again. I pushed aside the faint flicker of doubt in the corner of my mind. If Sea said so, I had to believe her. My little sister wouldn’t mean something that nasty.

But her follow-up caught me off guard.

“I don’t think that way... but when Yoo Hae-bin and the others were badmouthing Jin Yu-ri, I just said what I remembered them saying.”

With that, she shut the bathroom door, and I seethed with rage at that one punk. Yoo Hae-bin, I already didn’t like how overly chummy she was with Sea... and now I was even angrier. Kids shouldn’t learn bad talk from bad friends.

As I headed to my room, pondering how to prevent that, I sat at my desk. There were other plans to organize besides that.

The progress had jumped over 10% in just a day. Today marked the complete wrap-up of Volume 2’s early buildup.

The setup was done, all the necessary characters had appeared and met. The rest of Volume 2 would be a series of training and various incidents.

Time for me to narrow it down too.

Who the traitor was.

How to deal with them.

The most suspicious was Charlotte Tate. The strongest, most dangerous woman.

At the end of World Guardian, I’d pondered how she’d live afterward. Not quite ‘setting’ material, but I’d reached a similar conclusion.

Dozens of years later, she’d be one of the top handful among the 36 Heroes. And without anyone to set her straight, there was a fair chance she’d become a madwoman addicted to growing stronger.

I’d dismissed it as meaningless speculation back then. As long as the 36 Heroes lived, and especially with Lee Si-hyeok and Jeong Se-bin around, I figured they’d keep her on the right path.

But my parents were dead, and the heroes had changed. They’d lived lives I hadn’t written down, walking their own paths—right or wrong.

So, assuming the worst, I decided to treat Charlotte Tate as a ‘madwoman.’ A cold-blooded figure who’d do anything to reinforce her trigger.

That was how I had to move, and it made her the most likely traitor.

If she was the traitor.

Or even if not, if she’d accepted my proposal just to bolster her trigger.

When would she act on it?

The second sub-quest of Kill the Evil. I’d have to clear that and gauge the reward.

I had countermeasures until then.

Even at Rank B, it was an incredibly effective skill depending on how you used it. The specific condition made the cooldown long as a tradeoff, but since I had no plans to change the target until after the school trip anyway, it didn’t matter.

Plus, 14 days from now was the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠night of May 7th, the day we’d return from the trip.

For physique and talent points... with over three weeks left on the claim limit, I’d hold off for now. This should suffice.

Just then, I heard the bathroom door click open.

Stepping out, I saw Sea with a towel clumsily wrapped around her damp hair, letting out a hot sigh.

Despite what I’d heard earlier, I asked on reflex.

“Want some ice cream before bed?”

“...I’ll gain weight.”

Her reply was even snappier than her usual haughty tone. Undeterred, I pulled two popsicles from the freezer.

“Pick one, and I’ll eat the other.”

“I’ll... gain... weight...”

Muttering self-deprecatingly, Sea snatched the blue one with quick hands.

I knew you’d eat it if I offered.

Monday, April 26th, around lunchtime.

“Oh, Professor! Hello!”

Yoo Hae-bin, seemingly on her way somewhere after lunch, greeted me. I grabbed her and made a proposal.

“Hae-bin, if you’re okay with it, let me buy you a drink.”

“Really? Lunch was kinda light today, so with a drink and some bread, I could power through afternoon classes.”

“...I’ll buy bread too. Come on.”

“O... then I have to.”

To others, it’d just look like a professor bumping into a student near the cafeteria and treating them.

Sitting side by side on a wooden bench in front of the building, I confirmed no one was listening and said,

“I’m coming on the school trip too.”

Professors didn’t usually go by principle, but with nearly two hundred mana-using students, it was necessary. Homeroom teachers included non-Awakeners without mana, so they couldn’t handle everything alone—staff had to be drafted too.

I’d volunteered that morning and been assigned a class: 2nd year Class 1. The one with magic swordsmanship majors—meaning Yoo Hae-bin, Sea, and Jin Yu-ri’s class.

But right then.

Yoo Hae-bin dropped a bombshell.

“Huh, really? Uh... that’s a problem.”

“Why? What’s wrong.”

“Oh, well, I’m not going on the school trip.”

“...?”

What the hell is this kid saying?