Chapter 121
Chapter 121
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 121
Chapter Title: Boss, Uninvited Guest, and...
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Corvus was late to class.
Was it because he hoped his disciple and the Saintess would spend some time together?
Of course, that wasn't entirely absent as a reason, but the main one was preparing for the lesson.
Teaching her with a light heart wouldn't cut it—not when the other students who'd chosen her as their top pick were on such a high level.
A mage personally brought to the academy by Freya Khan herself, and one ranked among the top in admissions.
Even as questions like *Why me, of all people?* piled up, Corvus prepared seriously for the class.
If he hadn't taken her as a disciple from the start, that'd be one thing—but he'd already accepted all his top-choice students.
Since he was their master now, properly teaching them took priority. As disciples of the Crossroads Hermit, they deserved to learn something.
He did harbor a faint hope that maybe, just maybe, these high-caliber students had seen past racial barriers to recognize his true worth...
But the moment he opened the door to the southern lounge where class was held.
Corvus instantly understood why the other students had signed up for his class.
"You're a bit late."
Cheon Yeomyeong greeted her with a somewhat awkward smile, and behind him stood three girls.
The one passed out on the table was the Saintess, and the blonde girl giving an awkward wave beside her must be Soemiri.
Naturally, the one bowing with a cold expression was Hong Seti.
Their eyes were on Corvus, but his keen beastkin senses didn't miss how their attention was fixed on Yeomyeong.
One guy, three girls.
Corvus clacked his beak. It was the avian equivalent of a cough.
*The Saintess... pining away is bad enough, but rivals too?*
Weren't all Saintesses destined for this kind of fate, like the previous one?
Thinking of the Saintess's future brought tears to his eyes...
"Disciple. What have you been up to in the meantime?"
But as he examined Yeomyeong's body closely, all other thoughts flew from Corvus's head.
"...Why? Is something wrong again?"
"Wrong? Of course something's wrong. Your mana... your mana is abnormal."
"What are you talking about? I don't..."
Corvus tossed his carefully prepared lesson materials to the floor and rushed to Yeomyeong.
"Look at yourself! Mana's leaking out like some novice mage!"
"..."
Whether Yeomyeong looked baffled or not, Corvus circled him with his birdlike waddle, inspecting every inch.
"How... in such a short time...?"
"..."
"Did you perhaps consume some spirit elixir without realizing it?"
At the word *elixir*, Seti's body twitched and stiffened.
A tiny reaction, one only Soemiri, sitting right beside her, would notice.
"...Corvus, enough. Just explain what's going on."
Only after Yeomyeong spoke up did Corvus stop his fussing. He fixed his crow-black eyes on Yeomyeong and said,
"You still don't get it?"
All eyes—excluding the unconscious Saintess—turned to the crow...
And Corvus spoke with utter conviction.
"Congratulations. You've stepped onto the crossroads."
***
What was magic?
Mages beyond the dimensional gate claimed it was the power to change the world with noble spirits.
Thanks to that—or whatever—they didn't hesitate to place themselves in the privileged class.
Born with noble spirits, so they deserved noble treatment?
In contrast, Earth's mages—those who proudly called themselves scholars—classified magic as the study of manipulating mana.
It was just that mana was the material; like existing physics or mathematics, it was part of science, they argued.
These differing views sparked political and academic conflicts between Earth and the mages beyond the gate...
But that wasn't Yeomyeong's concern.
What mattered to him wasn't historical squabbles like mage towers or academies—it was how useful magic was.
Hadn't he learned that the hard way fighting foes like Kahal Magdu or Orse Tabul?
Immense physical power combined with magic.
The moment Corvus confirmed his talent for magic.
Yeomyeong was certain he could master a dragon's combat style too.
It might sound arrogant, but he trusted himself. He lacked neither talent nor experience.
Corvus thought similarly. With talent to grasp the essence of Blackwing Style in one go, magic should be no challenge.
...Or so they thought.
But when the magic lesson actually began, they hit an unexpected wall.
"You don't know a single incantation? What do you mean by that?"
"..."
Corvus's bewildered question left Yeomyeong speechless, with no ready answer.
As Seti cautiously woke the Saintess from behind, Corvus asked again.
"You're not joking? You truly know none? Not a single one?"
"Yes, really. No reason to lie about something like this."
"Hmm... So before coming to the academy... you must've had quite the wild youth?"
Yeomyeong gave a wry smile at the mix of misunderstanding and consideration.
In a way, Corvus's assumption made sense.
Ordinary(?) superhuman aspirants in modern society learned basics of the three paths in school.
Things like *Fundamentals of Magic* or *Intro to Karelin Martial Arts*.
Magic especially got the most education, open even to half-baked superhumans who could only sense mana—as a path to scholarship...
But Yeomyeong knew zero incantations. To Corvus, it must've sounded like a high school grad who couldn't do basic arithmetic.
*...But what can you do? It's the truth.*
Who knew skipping superhuman training—or even regular high school—would bite him like this.
Yeomyeong scratched his nose and replied,
"Corvus, I think you're misunderstanding... I never received any superhuman training before transferring into Lord Howe Academy."
"...So everything before the transfer was self-taught?"
"Yeah, well... A few people gave me sporadic guidance, but mostly I figured it out alone."
"..."
Was it that hard to believe?
*Clack!* Corvus snapped his beak shut and shot Seti and Soemiri a *Is this true?* look.
But the response came from an unexpected direction.
"...Hard to believe, right? But no need to doubt. Yeomyeong doesn't lie about stuff like this."
The now-awake Saintess rubbed her neck and said.
"Saintess, how would you know...?"
"Corvus, forgotten who my mom is?"
"..."
It was just a flimsy excuse, but Corvus didn't argue. It was the perfect one, beyond rebuttal.
Yeomyeong cleared his throat, and the oblivious Corvus pondered with beak shut.
A brief silence.
As the Saintess pointed at Soemiri and asked Seti something, Corvus spoke.
"...My disciple's talent exceeds even my expectations. Not knowing incantations? We'll find a way."
"...A way?"
"Two, in fact. One's the traditional method: learn and memorize incantations starting now."
"..."
"The other's... much faster, but painful. I figure you'll pick the latter... But first, one question."
"What is it?"
"...What do you want from magic, disciple?"
An out-of-left-field yet deadly serious question. Yeomyeong answered without hesitation.
"Power."
"...Power?"
"Specifically, the kind of mighty combat magic you showed me last time—or what those dragons in Manchuria used."
Was that the answer Corvus expected? The crow burst into laughter.
"Ha! Knew it!"
"...Not asking why I want power?"
"A man wants power? Reasons are obvious: instinct, authority, and... women."
He whispered *women* like it was a secret.
Yeomyeong swallowed a hollow laugh.
"Not for those reasons, but..."
"Ahem, to win the Saintess, you need that kind of ambition."
"...Corvus."
Only when he turned serious did the crow stop laughing.
"Anyway, we'll go with the second method. Right now!"
Corvus spread his wings wide and crowed.
As black feathers fluttered, the girls watching Yeomyeong and Corvus sparkled with their own intentions.
***
The second method Corvus mentioned.
It was far from the traditional way of memorizing incantations and internalizing them through meditation.
Trusting his senses and talent for reading mana, have him witness magic up close.
It sounded simple at first glance...
But in practice, it was far more extreme.
*Shhkt!*
An ice shard formed in midair from Corvus, then sliced through the lounge air toward him.
"Uh... Can't we just let that go?"
No sooner had the Saintess watching speak than the ice shard buried into Yeomyeong's shoulder.
*Splat!* Blood sprayed, and Yeomyeong's face twisted.
No scream escaped his lips, but the pain was vivid in his expression.
"Hey? Seti? You're just gonna watch?"
Only after she called her name did Seti respond.
"...He chose this. What am I supposed to do?"
"Still..."
"Think of it as training. Plenty of mages learn by feeling magic directly on their bodies, right?"
*That's for harmless stuff like warm breezes. Who's insane enough to take combat spells head-on?*
The Saintess bit back the words, seeing Seti's fists clenched under crossed arms.
And the next instant, another ice shard slammed into Yeomyeong—this time his calf.
He lost balance and crashed to the lounge floor.
The Saintess half-rose in shock, but seeing Soemiri and Seti steadfastly seated, plopped back down.
*Why am I the only one freaking out? And why's Soemiri so calm?*
As she puzzled, Corvus opened his beak.
"How's that? Getting it now?"
"...Yes, somewhat."
Yeomyeong yanked the shard from his shoulder as he answered.
"Then what're you waiting for? Show me."
The moment Corvus finished, Yeomyeong moved his mana.
Unlike martial mana flowing through veins, this was magic mana—flowing outside at thought's command.
It pooled in the air, merged with ambient mana, and took shape.
Like knitting, threads of mana wove together... completing the incantation.
*Shhkt...*
What emerged from the complex process was a small ice shard.
Half the size of Corvus's, but no less sharp.
Size depended on mana input anyway; perfect form meant he'd fully mastered the spell.
As Yeomyeong stared blankly at his creation, Corvus cackled.
"Ha! Success! Perfect ice shard after just five hits!"
"...Easier than I thought."
"Don't say that anywhere else. Other mages need two weeks for this."
"..."
"Heh, at this rate, you could learn over ten spells this week alone. Come on, keep going—next one..."
As Corvus excitedly continued, Soemiri cut in.
"Um, Teacher Corvus?"
Yeomyeong turned to see her smiling subtly—flushed, unlike her usual self.
"What is it, Miss Soemiri?"
"Just wondering if we're supposed to just watch."
At her point, Corvus scratched his head with a wing.
"Ah, sorry. Got too excited and neglected my duties as master."
"No, it's fine. You're hardly the only one excited watching Yeomyeong."
...?
As everyone floated question marks at her joking tone, she added,
"Since we're all here anyway, mind if I make a proposal?"
"Proposal? What kind?"
Confirming eyes on her, Soemiri scanned the lounge and said,
"Everyone here's gathered because of Yeomyeong, right?"
"...What?"
*What're you talking about?* Yeomyeong frowned, but she pressed on.
"Why just watch? Why not help directly?"
"Help how...?"
"Be his sparring partners. Not full-on, formal bouts... He fights only with magic, we go all out. Sound good?"
"...Hmm."
"It's perfect, right? We'd learn fighting him too, and Yeomyeong learns best in real combat, not drills."
*How do you know that? You've never fought with him...* The Saintess grumbled beside her, as Corvus narrowed his eyes, pondering Soemiri's idea.
Yeomyeong shook his head slightly at the two. *Talking over the guy involved.*
"...Just learned ice shard. Sparring? Really?"
"You could probably do others too?"
"What?"
"You've taken plenty more spells, right?"
"..."
*How does she...?* As Yeomyeong swallowed words rising to his throat and stared, Corvus chimed in.
"Disciple, I think Miss Soemiri's got a point."
"..."
"Learn by taking hits, master by fighting. Ideal lesson, no?"
*Plus, build some intimacy.* Corvus's afterthought was a whisper for Yeomyeong alone.
Yeomyeong suppressed the urge to wring the crow's neck and shook his head.
Or tried to.
But as he opened his mouth, Seti raised her hand.
"...I'm for it."
"Seti, you too?"
Yeomyeong felt like Caesar facing Brutus, but Seti pulled a sledgehammer from her bag and replied.
"She's not wrong. Better than just watching."
Was it the dried Secret Society blood on the hammer? Her voice carried odd conviction.
"...Fine, if that's how it is, do what you want."
Majority already decided. Yeomyeong dramatically raised both hands in surrender.
"Then Yeomyeong agrees too—shall we start now?"
As Soemiri rose to say so, the Saintess stood first.
"...I'll take first bout."
Before anyone could speak, she drew a revolver from her skirt pocket.
* * *