Noble Serial Assault Incident (6)
Long silence stretched between Erin and Eunhyeon.
“……”
“……”
Villad and Grass, the two male students sandwiched awkwardly between them, were at a loss for what to do in this tense standoff, confusion etched on their faces.
Eunhyeon was the first to break the silence.
“Hey, you two.”
“Y-Yes, sir!”
Grass jumped in fright at Eunhyeon's call, responding hastily. He'd instantly realized that this man had obliterated the massive iron door as if it were paper, and the deference slipped out unbidden—Eunhyeon clearly wasn't ordinary.
“Shouldn't you get going?”
His tone and demeanor were utterly relaxed.
Who the hell is this guy? The question flickered through Grass's mind, but right now, escaping the clutches of this fox-girl who seemed utterly deranged took priority.
Grass nodded vigorously several times, shaking the still-frozen Villad to snap him out of it before turning to leave the warehouse.
“Hold up.”
Grass halted abruptly at Eunhyeon's sudden command, slowly turning his head.
“W-What is it?”
“What, you think you can just leave without him?”
Eunhyeon said flatly, pointing lazily with his index finger toward one side.
Grass blankly followed the gesture.
“Ah.”
He spotted Ashton sprawled unconscious on the floor and let out a small sigh.
“Take him with you. Pathetic, running off to save your own skins.”
“Urk…”
“Ugh…”
Villad and Grass winced at the rebuke, but abandoning the vice-duke's son here and fleeing—if word got out—could spell far worse trouble later. The two rushed over, each grabbing one of Ashton's shoulders, dragging his limp body slowly across the ground.
“You think I'd just let you go?”
Erin, of course, wasn't about to stand idly by. She lunged at the trio as they tried to slip out—but in that instant—
Juhyeonseong Extreme Origin Style
Minor Dragon Shock Kick
BOOM!
Channeling mana into his leg, Eunhyeon slammed it down with ferocious force. The qi exploding from his limb shattered the ground, surging forward in the shape of a small dragon formed mid-charge. It slammed straight into whatever entity occupied Erin's body.
“Ngh?!”
Erin's body, colliding head-on with the mana dragon, couldn't withstand the impact and was hurled backward, floating briefly in the air.
Confirming the three had safely exited the warehouse, Eunhyeon rose steadily, meeting Erin's glare with calm resolve as he spoke.
“Congratulations on your resurrection and return to the world. But perhaps it's best to stop here. For the child's sake.”
Erin froze at his words, narrowing her eyes as she glared at him.
“You know me?”
“Yes. It's an honor to meet you, Divine Beast.”
He placed a hand over his heart, bowing gracefully with utmost respect.
Thus, Eunhyeon showed the maximum courtesy he could muster to the divine beast—the gumiho—possessing Erin's body.
Divine Beast.
From ancient times, or the 'Era of the Void', also known as the age when Earth's civilization existed, these were mystical creatures said to harbor the power of gods. They had stood with humanity, playing a pivotal role in ending the war against the demon race.
The entity possessing Erin was a fragment of the soul of the divine beast buried beneath Pernias's Divine Tree, known as the 'Tree of Wishes'.
With her identity exposed, there was no longer any need to hide. Erin's face began to shift gradually.
The gumiho manifesting through Erin's body narrowed her eyes and addressed Eunhyeon.
“You're... the one who shattered the barrier I created back then and saved this child.”
Dormant within Erin, the gumiho had witnessed all her memories, fully aware of how much space Eunhyeon occupied in the girl's heart.
“That's right.”
“You're not surprised by my presence. You knew from the start that I dwelled within her?”
“Yes. From the moment I broke the barrier you erected at the school and rescued her, I saw your power take root in Erin's body.”
This was also the fundamental reason Eunhyeon had trained Erin in both swordsmanship and basic magic.
Swordsmanship could reach a certain level through grueling effort, even without talent—but magic demanded innate aptitude.
Knowing a portion of the gumiho's pristine mana, accumulated over nearly 400 years, resided within her, Eunhyeon had educated Erin to harness it.
The root cause behind a complete novice like Erin catching up to other students and scoring top marks in mere months was this divine fragment's contribution.
“You're no ordinary human. How can a human contain divine power? Don't tell me...”
Piercing Eunhyeon's nature at a glance, the gumiho considered a possibility, her hardened expression twisting into shock.
“Have the gods finally lost their minds? Choosing a human as an 'Apostle' and granting them divine power?!”
“Well, our three goddesses are a bit... unique. Especially one of them...”
Too seductive and overflowing with allure to put into words.
Is that me you're talking about?
Sensing Verdandi's displeasure at the less-than-flattering description, she pouted and yanked Eunhyeon's hair.
Goddess... we're in the middle of a serious talk here...
Ahem.
Verdandi cleared her throat awkwardly, releasing her grip on his hair. Reflecting on the thought she'd overheard, it dawned on her—Eunhyeon was intensely aware of her temptations.
Could this even count as a compliment?
As Verdandi mulled this over, Eunhyeon's hair lifted into the air once more. Sensing the faint divine power, the gumiho eyed him suspiciously.
“Don't tell me you've even manifested down here...?”
Eunhyeon nodded affirmatively to her question, though a touch embarrassed by the goddess's antics.
“The world's gone mad.”
The gumiho grumbled softly, frowning in displeasure as she stepped forward.
“I have no intention of clashing with a god's Apostle. I'll overlook that earlier interference once, out of respect for your goddesses' presence in the mortal realm.”
With that curt warning, she moved to pass him and exit the warehouse—but Eunhyeon stopped her.
“That won't do.”
“What?”
“Honestly, your awakening at this timing and taking over her body was unexpected, even for me. Could you just... give the child's body back?”
“……”
The gumiho glared, briefly entertaining the thought of killing him outright—but she held back.
Even from her perspective, pitting herself against an unpredictable 'goddess's apostle' whose power she couldn't fully gauge, before her own strength was restored, was undesirable.
Having taken Eunhyeon's minor dragon strike earlier, she was convinced his skills were extraordinary.
Besides, this man blocking her path was the one Erin relied on most, cherished above all.
What she needed now wasn't brute force, but persuasion.
“You're misunderstanding something. What I'm doing is what this child wants. Killing off every last noble at this kingdom's core—the ones who not only ignored her suffering, her brother's humiliation, the mockery and contempt from so many humans, but actively fueled it.”
“……”
“You know it well, don't you? How agonizing her life has been, enduring those humiliating days.”
“I do.”
Eunhyeon nodded calmly. Satisfied, the gumiho nodded back and continued.
“Then stay out of it—”
“But if Erin wants that, she should do it herself. It's not for you, a divine beast, to handle.”
“……”
The gumiho glared, displeased by the unwanted response.
“I taught Erin how to wield that power for the same reason you mentioned: to give her choices, and the ability to make them herself. Those choices must stem from her will alone—no one else's should interfere.”
“...You're kind, yet forcing a harsh path on her. Don't you consider the pain she'll endure reaching that point?”
“She resolved to bear that pain herself. Her aspirations must be fulfilled by her own strength. You can help, but not do it for her. Besides, isn't Erin just an excuse for you?”
“So you do know. Why I had to be buried beneath that tree.”
“I understand your hatred for this kingdom—capturing and killing a weakened divine beast after the war's end, burying your remains, and planting a tree atop to exploit you even in death. But humans, including this kingdom, can't fall yet.”
The secret of Pernias's Divine Tree, passed only to the royal family and successive Aiter principals: after the war, the divine beast, nearing the end of its life, sought out the first king, bequeathing its remains to enrich humanity.
This created a site overflowing with pure, dense mana, where Aiter was founded to artificially cultivate elite nobles.
But the official history was biased and distorted from the kingdom's viewpoint.
In truth, Pernias's first king—who fought alongside the divine beast against the Era of the Void's demons—betrayed it post-war, slaying the weakened creature and unilaterally exploiting its remains.
My lifespan is nearly spent. When I die, bury my body in your kingdom's soil and plant a tree atop it—one that lets many children live, laugh, and find happy days.
By founding the Divine Tree and Aiter, the first king instilled this twisted truth in his descendants, keeping the gumiho revered as sacred among Pernias royalty even now.
“Ortas—that dog who deserves to be torn apart—built this wretched kingdom. Better off gone. I'll rip every last one of his descendants to shreds.”
“If this kingdom falls now, only the innocent commoners below will suffer chaos. They bear no guilt. When the head falls, the body panics—subordinates fight for power in the vacuum, and the people pay the price.”
If the hierarchy plunged into severe disorder, the fallout would inevitably ripple downward.
“Shut your mouth!”
Betrayed, slain, her corpse desecrated for nearly 400 years—the gumiho's pent-up hatred was beyond comprehension.
Eunhyeon had saved Erin by chance, allowing her to inhabit the girl's body and regain some freedom.
With no guarantee of another such stroke of fortune, this was her first—and perhaps last—chance for vengeance against Ortas Pernias's royal descendants.
“Even a 'goddess's apostle' won't be spared if you interfere.”
“As an apostle bearing my goddesses' command, I can't let a divine beast run amok.”
“Then no choice.”
“I can't harm Erin's body, but...”
Eunhyeon knew confrontation was inevitable.
Their surging mana clashed and intertwined in the air.
With a sigh, Eunhyeon summoned his longsword into his grip.
The gumiho drew the ornate sword she'd taken from Ashton.
CLANG!
The harsh clash of steel heralded the collision between apostle and divine beast.