Chapter 29
Chapter 29
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: Different Choice, Different Path, Different Name (4)
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Amid the dizzying blue mana dust, a red-haired girl revealed herself.
She was a head shorter than Seti, with topaz-like sparkling yellow eyes.
Like Seti, she was a beauty who drew the eye, but they didn't share many similarities. It was due to the aura she exuded.
Her outfit made it clear from the start. A red dress that fell to her knees, a red leather jacket, and to top it off, red enamel shoes.
‘…Is this an illusion spell too?’
Faced with fashion that went beyond bold into avant-garde territory, Yeomyeong was at a loss for words.
He heightened his senses just in case, but felt no unusual mana. Which meant the girl before him was undoubtedly real.
“What’re you staring at like that? First mage you’ve ever seen?”
“…”
Yeomyeong frowned and turned his head. Seti avoided his gaze as she spoke.
“I-I mentioned her before, right? My little sister who took the curse in my place. That’s her.”
Hearing that brought back the original reason Seti had come to the Incheon black market.
She had been searching for a unicorn horn… in other words, Uragan’s Hilt… to lift her sister’s curse.
Her encounter with Yeomyeong along the way, leading to this point, had been pure coincidence.
“…Glad it worked out. So, why is your sister here?”
The answer came from the red-haired girl.
“I wanted to test you myself. Chat a bit, and if possible, check out that amazing talent of yours.”
“Test? On what authority?”
“I’m betting my life on you. Of course I’d check something like that.”
Betting her life? Yeomyeong looked at Seti, wondering what this was about. Seti looked shocked.
“Siri? What are you talking about?”
“What else? It means I know all about your plan and came here for it. You didn’t notice even after I asked all those dirty questions?”
The red-haired girl, Siri, smirked and tilted her head.
“I want revenge on this country too. Burn all those worthless bastards to ash and live free with Grandma.”
“How could you…”
Before Seti could say more, Siri drew something from her waist and tossed it to Yeomyeong.
“Sis, here’s a tip. Don’t spill secrets where unicorns can hear. Those horned horses spill everything if a virgin asks.”
What Siri threw was Uragan’s Hilt. The moment Yeomyeong caught it, the unicorn’s excuses rang in his head.
[Virgin, don’t misunderstand! I only spilled because that beautiful maiden swore she meant you no harm!]
“…”
[And if you think about it, it’s all that maiden Seti and your fault! Do you know how worried I was? A pure virgin and a virgin alone in a motel room without even being married…!]
Yeomyeong shoved the stick into his back pocket and sighed.
“Seti, your sister’s right. The unicorn spilled everything.”
“…Ah.”
Seti covered her face and bowed her head. Regardless, Siri kept talking.
“Unicorns are like that. Think Clinton made them hazardous beasts for nothing? Just stick one virgin reporter on them, and they’ll spill every celeb or politician’s lower-half secrets…”
“Enough.”
Yeomyeong cut Siri off and stood. He turned to Jang Man, who was sipping liquor in the back.
“Elder, I’ll step out for a bit.”
“No need. Why should three of us leave for one person? I’ll wait out front. Call when you’re done.”
Jang Man waved it off and slipped out the back door without waiting for a reply. It was the wisdom of age. He escaped before being lumped in as an accomplice with the sisters.
After the back door clicked shut, Seti spoke first.
“Siri!”
Her face was flushed red, like it might burst.
“Why’re you so mad?”
“How could I not be? You tricked me and Yeomyeong!”
“Sis, strictly speaking, you’re an accomplice too. When I said I wanted to test Yeomyeong bro— I mean, oppa, you agreed, didn’t you?”
“…I didn’t think you’d go this far!”
“You played along pretty well for someone who didn’t.”
“That’s…”
Seti glanced anxiously at Yeomyeong, like a dog checking its owner’s mood.
“Yeomyeong, I really didn’t know Siri would do this…”
Before she could excuse herself further, Yeomyeong raised a hand to stop her.
“No need for excuses. I don’t care.”
Whatever Seti thought, that was Yeomyeong’s honest feeling. No need to apologize or forgive every little thing.
Trust was like that, wasn’t it? Like a flower that withered without water, it needed constant assurance to survive.
So what mattered here wasn’t why the test…
“I’d like to hear the results. Did I pass?”
Siri answered.
“You passed. Beyond expectations, even.”
“…What were the criteria?”
“Trust.”
It was a more reasonable standard than expected, but Yeomyeong still tilted his head.
“…Didn’t really feel like my trust was being tested.”
Siri pointed a finger at Yeomyeong’s face.
“What’re you talking about? I dangled the Academy and Special Management Bureau in front of you, and you didn’t blink.”
“…”
Was that supposed to be tempting? He thought for a moment and supposed it might be. Everyone wanted fame and fortune, right?
But Cheon Yeomyeong wasn’t part of that ‘everyone.’ Revenge mattered more. The blood debt for his unjustly slain comrades outweighed millions in gold.
That’s why he could casually reject the bright path Siri mentioned or Preah Khan’s letter of recommendation…
Yeomyeong didn’t voice it, and Siri continued.
“You’re not after Sis’s body either. You’d have gotten mad or disappointed when she called you a meat doll.”
“Siri!”
Seti shrieked again, but Siri ignored her.
“Finally, trust in talent. How a superhuman pierced magic… but when I grabbed your wrist, I got it.”
“Got what?”
“Oppa’s mana sensitivity. It’s not normal.”
“…”
“Just focus your mind, and you can see the mana in our bodies like it’s in your hand, right? Sis doesn’t delve into magic, so she doesn’t get how absurd that is, but any mage would freak out.”
Was sensing mana such a big deal? Seti and Preah Khan had shown something similar.
‘No, neither’s a normal superhuman, are they?’
Yeomyeong lacked the knowledge to judge simply. Unavoidable. How much could a mere cleaner know about superhumans? Just documentary snippets or internet trivia.
Yeomyeong keenly felt his information gap. That’s why he needed Seti’s help more than ever.
“Seti.”
“…Yes.”
“I passed your sister’s test. What about yours?”
“You already passed mine… That night, from the moment we held hands, I’ve never doubted you.”
Seti said that and bowed her head. The promise they’d made hand in hand… Yeomyeong recalled that moment and fell silent.
A brief silence filled the bar. Moments later, Siri spoke with a slightly flustered look.
“…Sis, you didn’t lose your virginity, did you?”
“…”
“…”
“What, got a guilty conscience? Hey oppa, give Sis the Uragan’s Hilt. Let me check…”
Thwack!
Unable to take it anymore, Seti smacked Siri’s head. It was a knuckle loaded with emotion.
***
—Hey! Come out! Shit’s hitting the fan!
—What is it?
—In the sky! Look what’s in the sky!
The students’ voices echoed in the training grounds, halting those who’d been practicing.
Whether swinging fists or practicing swordplay, all perked up their ears and peered outside, wondering what was happening.
“What’s going on?”
Among them were the half-dead ‘writer’ and Jeon Yunseong.
—Terrorist attack! Another one!
—Bullshit!
—Just come out and see!
Whatever they yelled outside, the writer panted, face drenched in sweat. An hour of sparring with Jeon Yunseong had drained him.
As he caught his breath, the sound of students rushing out reached him.
“Shall we go too?”
The writer nodded without hesitation. Anything beat sparring with Jeon Yunseong.
Stepping out, the writer doubted his eyes.
Above the academy dorms, shimmering feathers fluttered in the sky.
“Wow… what’s that? Feathers? Magic?”
Jeon Yunseong and the others just gawked in awe, clueless, but the writer knew better.
“Holy Sword’s divine descent…?”
“Holy Sword?”
Jeon Yunseong tilted his head at the writer’s unwitting mutter.
“You mean Preah Khan?”
The writer couldn’t answer. His mind raced.
‘Holy Sword? Prologue hasn’t even started! Why?’
The Holy Sword shouldn’t appear yet. It was a third-year event at earliest…
—Look! Someone’s coming down!
Lost in thought, he saw three figures emerge amid the scattering feathers.
They descended, walking on air as if on invisible stairs.
Leading them was a woman with an eyepatch over one eye, hair tied up high.
—That eyepatch… no way.
—Preah Khan! It’s the Holy Sword!
As eyes fixed on her, the writer focused on the two descending slowly behind.
Stunning beauties, but he checked their ears first, not faces.
‘Magic hiding their ears.’
Not the long elven kind, but he was sure. They were elves.
A silver-haired beauty contrasting the golden blonde, appearing at this moment?
In his knowledge of this world, there was only one such pair.
‘Elf Princess Miridis and her guard Rime.’
He bit his thumbnail habitually.
What had gone wrong and where to cause this? He’d held back even in the prologue to avoid butterfly effects!
‘Maybe… another transmigrator besides me?’
As he considered the worst, Jeon Yunseong beside him let out a short gasp.
“Wow, she’s… stunning.”
“…”
“Think she’s an entrance hopeful too? Nah, definitely.”
His eyes wouldn’t leave the golden blonde just touching down.
The writer’s gaze grew even colder watching him.
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