Proof (9)
After three days of written examinations, Thursday had arrived before anyone realized. Today’s test was mana stone illumination—a subject so fundamental it barely qualified as a test at all. If anything, it would probably be easier than the written exams. Because it required actual mana manipulation, however, the test was being held inside the combat training hall. With every first-year student packed into the same space, the arena felt noticeably cramped.
The Basic Mana Control Test will now begin. Will the supervising instructors please…
Lim Chakyung’s clear voice rang out across the training hall. The moment it did, Lee Daesan—who had been standing with a bored expression—turned to the students as though he had been waiting for exactly this cue.
“All right, everyone. Just do it the way you practiced and you’ll pass without any trouble, so relax. Let’s see… Number one, Kang Juho. Step forward.”
The student whose name had been called rose with a visibly nervous face. The others around him immediately began whispering with hushed excitement.
“Hey, if you fail this, you’re straight-up expelled, right?”
“They said it’s more sensitive than the ones we practiced with. Shouldn’t it be easy to pass?”
“If you can’t light the mana stone, expulsion is the rule…”
It seemed that whether in the past or the present, people never changed when it came to making a fuss over nothing. Lee Daesan gave the first student a couple of encouraging pats on the shoulder.
“Let’s wrap this up in one go.”
At his signal, the boy lightly placed his hand on the test mana stone. Every eye in the hall instantly locked onto him. The student glanced around with an overwhelmed expression, then squeezed his eyes shut and began drawing up his mana.
“Hnnng…!”
He still wasn’t used to the process; his posture was awkward. Even so, a faint glow gradually appeared inside the mana stone.
“Whoa… it really lit up.”
“Seeing him do it makes it look pretty easy, doesn’t it?”
The weak light flickered for about five seconds before it died out. Lee Daesan simply nodded.
“Good work. Next! Number two, Kang Yujin…”
Since he had let the student pass without comment, it seemed that producing any light at all counted as a pass. The other students, encouraged by the first successful attempt, moved through their turns quickly. One boy failed to draw up any mana at all, but everyone else managed at least a faint glow and passed. After the tenth student finished, the next name echoed through the hall.
“Number eleven, Gong Haeseon!”
“Y-yes!”
It was finally Gong Haeseon’s turn. She stood up with a creak of her chair and walked toward the mana stone with stiff, awkward steps. She looked extremely nervous.
She stopped in front of the test stone, took several deep breaths, then slowly placed her hand on it as if steeling herself. She practiced so much… she’ll do fine, right? Watching her obvious tension made even me feel a little anxious.
After one last short breath, Gong Haeseon gently closed her eyes and began drawing up her mana. And then—
“…Whoa, what the hell is that?”
“Is it supposed to be that bright?”
The students erupted into murmurs at the overwhelming radiance she produced. The test stone was supposed to be sensitive, yet the light she created was far stronger than anything she had shown during practice. I felt a surge of satisfaction seeing the result of all her hard work. Her talent really was nothing to scoff at. Of course, it still didn’t compare to Soyeon’s.
Gong Haeseon received enthusiastic praise from Lee Daesan and returned to her seat with a flushed face, now drawing attention from students in the other classes as well.
“That girl is no joke… Who’s her partner? I’m seriously jealous.”
“Isn’t it Yu Jihwan? They’re always together.”
“Oh, really?”
After her turn ended, a few glances drifted my way too, but I simply shrugged them off and ignored them. The line continued.
“Number nineteen, Yu Jihwan!”
My name was finally called. I raised my hand slightly as I stood, feeling the students’ sharp gazes prickling against my skin.
“…He’ll do well too, right? He even beat Jang Suwon.”
“Dude, he took down a terrorist. There’s no way he’d fail.”
They probably thought they were whispering quietly, but I heard every word. I had planned to produce just enough light to pass, but the weight of their expectant stares made it clear that a little showmanship was required.
I walked up to the test mana stone and placed my hand on it without hesitation. Lee Daesan, standing beside me, grinned.
“You can do it, right?”
There was clear anticipation in his voice. I simply smiled back, then immediately began raising my mana.
The blue mana stone—about the size of an ostrich egg—began to vibrate faintly, emitting a clear, transparent light. As I gradually increased the output, the glow grew stronger. The vibration became so intense that my hand shook. The light grew blinding, forcing me to slowly dial my mana back. The tremors weakened, the radiance dimmed, and when I finally cut off the flow completely, the stone fell silent as if nothing had happened.
I lifted my hand. Lee Daesan gave my back a hearty slap.
“Excellent! Very well done!”
As I returned to my seat, I heard the students murmuring again.
“Wow… I wonder what rank a guy like that will get…”
“Is that how it’s supposed to look?”
“…Guess he really wasn’t faking those fights.”
Their voices carried a mixture of surprise. It seemed nothing convinced people quite like visible proof. In the middle of it all, Gong Haeseon gave me a thumbs-up.
“J-Jihwan! That was amazing!”
She really is sweet. I returned a small smile and quietly sat back down.
A few more students went after me. Then—
“Number twenty-four, Min Soyeon!”
Finally, her name was called.
“I wonder how well she’ll do?”
“She’s the Sword Empress’s daughter. She has to be good.”
“Her partner is Yu Jihwan. There’s no way she’d fail.”
The students’ expectations had already shot through the roof. Strangely enough, I wasn’t worried at all. There wasn’t a single person in this hall with more talent than her. Who was I supposed to be worried about?
*
The moment my name was called, I felt the weight of countless stares. They weren’t exactly friendly. Let’s see how well you do. That was the feeling behind them. To be honest, I hated looks like these.
Ever since I was little, the label “Daughter of the Sword Empress” had been stuck to me. I had learned the hard way that my parents’ fame brought me nothing good. I pretended not to notice the gazes and quietly walked toward Lee Daesan.
…
He simply grinned at me without saying a word. Wanting to get it over with quickly, I placed my hand on the test mana stone with a light tap and closed my eyes.
Until recently, I hadn’t truly known how to handle mana. I had simply used whatever came out when it did, and nothing when it didn’t, while sparring with Jihwan. Thanks to that, I was able to learn proper mana control from him.
What I didn’t like was how improper the method had been. Grabbing my hand out of nowhere! And then forcing his mana into me without permission. Mana really is a strange thing—it seems to take on the nature of its owner. His mana had felt so warm, so comforting…
It would have been nice if he had only used that method on me.
But Jihwan had done the exact same thing with Gong Haeseon—holding her hand tightly and guiding her the same way he had guided me. That needless kindness of his is the problem.
And just the other day, he had been smiling nonstop. When I asked what was making him so happy, he had brushed it off by saying it was because I looked pretty. Of course I was happy to hear I looked pretty, but that wasn’t what I wanted. I wanted to hear what was really going on inside his head—what had happened, why he was in such a good mood.
But he told me nothing. Instead, he kept showering me with endless praise and empty flattery, as if trying to keep me from seeing the truth. I’m not an idiot. What could possibly make Jihwan, who spends every day with me, that happy? Something must have happened during his weekend part-time job. After discussing it with my “friends” for several days, we reached one conclusion: his part-time job was suspicious.
It’s true that Jihwan is poor, so the possibility that he is genuinely working is high. But the details were the problem. He wasn’t working in Seoul—he was taking care of a rich married woman who was recuperating in Gangwon Province. After watching him closely, I knew the money he spent was definitely not a small amount. How on earth had he found such a job? Anyone would find it suspicious.
At first, I didn’t want to doubt him. But… the more I listened to my “friends,” the deeper my suspicions grew. Lately, there had been a sharp increase in cases of wealthy middle-aged people giving “allowance” to young students in exchange for “compensation.” The students involved were always young or exceptionally good-looking. And Jihwan happened to fit every single one of those criteria perfectly.
Young, handsome, and strong-willed Jihwan. His employer: a rich married woman. The combination was far too suspicious. In the end, I couldn’t hold back and had casually asked him about it yesterday evening. I asked exactly what kind of work he was doing. He had mumbled something about just cooking meals for her, then naturally slipped away by doing housework.
How ridiculous. And then he tells me I’m his first? That I’m the prettiest? If he really loved me, wouldn’t there be no secrets between us? That vague attitude of his is the real problem. He could just say he loves me and ask me out properly. Why does he keep being so ambiguous—!
“Kgh! Min Soyeon! Stop!!”
Lee Daesan’s shout snapped me back to reality. The first thing I registered was a light so intense I couldn’t even open my eyes. Then came the roar.
BOOM!!!!
And the last thing I felt… was warmth.
“Soyeon-ah!!!”