Encounter (11): Don't Leave Me Behind
“…Why are you leaving me out? Let’s go together.”
Min Soyeon’s stubborn insistence left me in an incredibly awkward spot. After she had woken up, I told her I’d finish things quickly and that she should rest a little… but she seemed to think I was excluding her and demanded to come along.
Even if her injuries weren’t severe, she was still wounded. I understood my kind daughter’s desire to help us, but I had no interest in watching her drag her injured body onto the front lines.
I was carefully choosing my words to dissuade Soyeon, who stood there with a determined expression, when—
Kyaaaaaaaah—!!
From where Lee Daesan was fighting, the beast Gaura’s roar echoed across the area. There was no time left.
“…Soyeon. I’m not leaving you behind. I’m saying this for you. You used up a lot of mana and you’re hurt. I don’t want to see you get injured any further. So Haeseon and I…”
I was gently trying to persuade her when Min Soyeon suddenly slammed her sword down with a heavy thunk, cutting me off.
“…No. Either kill me and go by yourselves, or take me with you. Your choice.”
“…Huh?”
Just who did she inherit this stubborn personality from?
“…Are you actually hesitating right now?”
Her face darkened in an instant. No matter how I looked at it, she was clearly her mother’s daughter.
“…I’m saying this because I’m worried about you. Can you really fight?”
In response, Soyeon simply pulled her sword from the ground. That was her answer.
…
Soyeon’s talent was genuine, and to truly blossom, she needed real combat experience. As the Sword Empress’s former partner, I knew that fact painfully well. But as her father, making that decision was agonizing.
After a brief moment of internal conflict, I finally made up my mind to bring her along. With the massive amount of mana I had received from Gong Haeseon, I could end the fight before Soyeon even needed to step in.
“…Then let’s go. Quickly.”
*
“Haaht!”
The instant Jihwan’s hand flashed with blue light, crack—crunch—craaaack— the body of the assailant fighting the homeroom teacher froze solid in an instant.
“Wha—huh?!”
The homeroom teacher, who had been engaged with the enemy, looked around in shock at the sudden turn of events. I, too, was completely stunned by Jihwan’s magic.
Was this… Jihwan’s real strength?
Even though the distance wasn’t close, his spell had struck the enemy with perfect accuracy. And it wasn’t just accurate—the power behind it was overwhelming. It was hard to believe he was in the same first-year class as us.
Of course, I already knew Jihwan was more talented than the other students. He had casually defeated Jang Suwon in their friendly match, and his skill during combat practice had clearly set him apart from everyone else. On top of that, he had even personally captured terrorists, so there was no need to question his abilities…
Even though I already knew all of this, witnessing his true power made me feel an almost crushing sense of inferiority, like I was staring at an insurmountable wall.
“Let’s go!”
The person in question, Jihwan, acted as if it were nothing. He called out to Min Soyeon and me before taking the lead. We simply stared at his back in silence for a moment, then quietly followed after him without a word.
Once Jihwan took the lead, it was an absolute steamroll.
“Haaah…!”
Boom—!
With a single spell, the assailants threatening the teachers collapsed. The enemies who rushed in to stop him couldn’t put up any resistance before becoming victims of his magic.
“…Let’s move again!”
“…Y-yeah…!”
The more Jihwan shone, the more my heart swelled with emotion.
My decision… wasn’t wrong…!
Every time Jihwan cast a spell, the mana I had created and poured into him surged forth. Each time he used the mana flowing through his body, it felt like he was acknowledging my existence—like he was proving that I had value. All the effort I had put into forcing my mana onto him despite his refusals had been worth it!
If I had known it would be like this, I should have given him every last drop of my remaining mana…
I was already starting to regret not doing so.
At first, I had simply been awestruck by Jihwan’s true strength. To someone like me, who could only handle low-level spirits, his power felt like an enormous wall I could never hope to scale.
But…
The longer the battle continued, the more Jihwan displayed his brilliance, the more my feelings began to shift.
Even someone who seemed perfect like Jihwan had one massive weakness. A fatal flaw that could never be overcome no matter how skilled or capable he was—his extremely low mana reserves.
Yet look at him now. No matter how hard you looked, there wasn’t even a trace of that weakness. He had overcome it.
With the mana I gave him…!
The fact that I, who had been completely useless until now, had covered his critical weakness and proven my worth meant his opinion of me could only change from here on. Instead of seeing me as an annoying, tactless girl like Min Soyeon, he would see me as a proper comrade…!
Coincidentally, one of the few advantages I possessed was my near-infinite mana. It was useless to someone like me who couldn’t even wield it properly, but to Jihwan, who desperately needed mana, it was different.
We could complement each other perfectly… Was there any better partner than that?
From now on, whenever he wanted, I would supply him with mana. Without any conditions or complaints. Even if he treated me like a battery, it would be fine. Even if he used me once and threw me away like a disposable tool, it would be okay.
Because the fact that he needed me wouldn’t change.
*
Toyland Central Plaza.
The woman dressed in white, Gong Miju, who held a white scythe, glared at Lee Daesan as she thought to herself.
There’s no time…!
Soon, Gaura’s binding would come undone. If she couldn’t take down all the hunters before then, the entire plan would fall apart. The first step toward revealing the Salvation Sect to the world…!
Lady…
Gong Yeji had said that if this operation failed, their entire family would be finished. That people like them—who had followed their father’s foolish dream and lived their entire lives for the Salvation Sect without knowing anything else—would have nothing if the sect disappeared.
Recalling her sister’s words, Gong Miju steeled her resolve and adjusted her grip on her scythe, drawing up her mana once more.
At that exact moment—
Whoosh—!
A massive wall of flames surged toward her.
“Ugh…!”
Startled by the sudden attack, Gong Miju quickly swung her scythe at the barrier. Fwoooosh—! The wall of fire vanished easily, as if its only purpose had been to obstruct her vision.
Lowering her scythe, she looked toward Lee Daesan and frowned slightly at the unfamiliar figure standing beside him.
Brown hair, tall stature, and a gentle face that looked somehow familiar.
“That guy is…”
It was Yu Jihwan—Gong Haeseon’s crush and someone who had once been a major surveillance target.
Gong Miju was slightly taken aback by his appearance. She had known he was at Toyland from prior intelligence, but she hadn’t expected him to show up at the actual battlefield.
She was reluctant to carelessly cut down her beloved sister’s first love, so she slightly lowered her scythe to assess the situation.
In that instant, mana erupted from Yu Jihwan’s hand. Sensing the flow of power, Gong Miju hurriedly threw herself aside to dodge.
Kiiiiing—!
Having barely avoided the attack, she looked back at the spot where she had been standing. The electric spell scattered away with a faint hiss.
After briefly considering her options, Gong Miju gripped her scythe tightly and glared at Yu Jihwan.
Recalling the phrase There are plenty of men in the world.
She immediately burst forth with mana and charged straight at him.
Tatata—!
Bang—! Bang—! Bang—!
The tiles beneath her feet exploded as if he had predicted her every step. As she closed the distance while dodging his attacks, Yu Jihwan seemed to realize something. He quickly gathered mana and prepared a different spell.
The distance between Gong Miju and Yu Jihwan shrank rapidly. The moment they entered each other’s range—she swung her mana-infused scythe while he prepared to cast his spell—
Fwoooooosh—!
A powerful gust of wind blew in, as if trying to knock Gong Miju off balance.
“…J-Jihwan! Now!”
It was the wind created by the low-level wind spirit Gong Haeseon had summoned.
The instant Haeseon’s voice rang out, Gong Miju’s movements faltered. She turned to look in the direction of her sister.
Her expression was hidden behind the pure white mask, but she seemed flustered. She quickly changed direction and began distancing herself from Yu Jihwan.
*
Watching Gong Haeseon and Yu Jihwan team up to drive the woman back, an inexplicable sense of unease washed over me.
Jihwan’s real partner is supposed to be me, so why is he coordinating with Gong Haeseon? Their timing was surprisingly good too—it almost looked like they were perfectly in sync.
…How annoying.
It felt like Jihwan was being stolen from me.
If that woman hadn’t suddenly dodged, I would have stepped in to save him. If I defeated her, Jihwan would praise me. And if I got hurt in the process, he would hold me gently. Either way, it was a win-win situation for me.
Still, if I charged in recklessly again like before, Jihwan might actually start hating me. I had already thrown tantrums twice—doing it a third time would be the end.
But…
“…J-Jihwan! I’m coming again!”
Seeing Gong Haeseon try to score points by commanding her spirits made my blood boil.
In the end, I drew my sword, gathered my mana, and took a wide arc toward the woman’s rear. Even if I didn’t face her directly, if I could guide her movements, it would be a big help to Jihwan.