Chapter 70
Chapter 70
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 70
Chapter Title: Unscheduled Transfer Exam (8)
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Even though the road to Manchuria was blocked due to the North Manchuria Incident, there were still people stubbornly heading there.
People who sought to turn crisis into opportunity.
The first to move were the mercenaries chasing money and fame.
Foreign mercenary groups looking to use Manchuria as a stepping stone to connect with the unique dimensional gate, and all sorts of riffraff dreaming of striking it rich like dragon ribs.
As the mercenaries took the lead, the Korean military began advancing north in earnest, and the North Manchuria Incident started resolving faster than expected.
It would take at least a year to return to the pre-incident state, but...
Compared to the initial prediction that Manchuria would be a lawless wasteland for the next decade, this was decidedly positive.
And behind the blood and sweat of those mercenaries and soldiers, there were people secretly enjoying a boom.
Reporters.
Whether they were genuine embedded journalists with strong professional ethics or clickbait hacks chasing views, the reporters who had come to Manchuria were screaming in delight every single day.
Not only the constant stream of incidents and accidents, but also famous figures from the mercenary world like Tanahashi and the Saintess, plus tip-offs directly from the military and government.
To the reporters, Manchurian soil was no different from a gold mine overflowing with fresh news every day.
And among those scoops, one reached the absolute peak...
A dragon.
The massive shadow that appeared above the heads of the reporters who had gathered at the Manchuria base airfield after receiving a text from the Senjuk Mercenary Corps saying a huge spectacle was coming.
—It's a dragon! A dragon!
—My God.
—Is, is that real?
The dragon, wings fully spread, glinted with red scales as it landed on the airfield and lowered its head to set someone down on the ground.
Some of the reporters recognized the person who dismounted.
He was the rookie mercenary from the Senjuk Mercenary Corps, known for fighting Kahal Magdu alongside the Saintess, cutting off the holy demon horse's leg, and even participating in the military's dragon subjugation.
The protagonist of outlandish rumors that made even novelists and reporters tilt their heads in disbelief.
Some reporters gathered there had even speculated he wasn't a real person, or a fake hero fabricated by the Korean military for propaganda.
But the moment he arrived at the airfield riding a dragon, the reporters became convinced that most of the rumors about that mercenary were true.
A human riding a dragon? If someone could do that, nothing he had done so far would seem strange.
Anyway, the reporters unanimously showered the dragon and the rookie mercenary with a barrage of camera flashes.
Some pulled out their phones to urgently call in film crews or dig up the rookie's personal info, but they were the minority.
Most reporters furtively watched his every move, wondering how to snag even a single interview line.
If the dragon hadn't been there, they probably would have mobbed him and shoved mics in his face by sheer numbers.
But no reporter dared risk offending the dragon, so the dragon and the rookie mercenary were able to exchange farewell words amid the camera flashes.
Thanks to the distance from the reporters, no one heard what the rookie mercenary said.
But everyone at the airfield clearly heard the dragon's voice rumbling from its throat.
[Earthling, I hope we meet again someday.]
With that voice tinged with faint goodwill, the dragon took to the skies.
Only three people didn't watch the dragon fly away from the airfield: the Saintess and the dwarf cloaked in invisibility, and the rookie mercenary.
And every reporter except those three couldn't tear their eyes from the sky until the dragon vanished beyond the clouds.
Only after even the dragon's long tail disappeared into the distance did the rookie mercenary speak to the reporters.
—Any questions?
It goes without saying that every reporter there rushed at the mercenary.
—What’s your relationship with that red dragon? Please tell us how you met it!
—Is that the same dragon the military claimed to have subjugated? What the hell is the military thinking?
—Is the Saintess involved in this too?
The reporters bombarded the mercenary like vultures.
Screaming was the mildest of it; some even shoved mics right in his face.
It was utterly rude, but the rookie mercenary faced them without changing expression.
Meaning, instead of giving the clear answers or info the reporters wanted, he tossed out vague remarks that only stimulated their imaginations.
In any case, the interview dragging on like that ended when the dwarf, who introduced himself as a teacher from the academy, intervened.
—Cheon Yeomyeong, prospective enrollee. I am Margan, a teacher at Lord Howe Academy.
As reporters' gazes converged, the dwarf pulled out a crumpled scrap of paper and uttered an unprecedented title.
—As the transfer exam proctor, I hereby approve your transfer to Lord Howe Academy. Do you consent?
No sooner had he finished than the same thought flashed through every reporter's mind.
No worries about news for the next week.
***
『Dragons in Manchuria Exist... The Dragon's Majestic Form Cleaving the Clouds.』
『A Dragon Carrying a Human? Has Earth Finally Gotten a Dragon Rider?』
『‘I Hope We Meet Again Someday’—Hear the Dragon's Real Voice Again』
The blue-eyed girl, Hong Seti, scanned the articles on her laptop while chewing her thumbnail. She couldn't calm her troubled heart.
Not because social news and even superhuman news were plastered with dragon stories. No, that wasn't it.
『Senjuk Mercenary Corps' Rookie Mercenary—Actually a Special Transfer Student at the Academy?』
『Unscheduled Transfer Exam Against Regulations! Netizens and Parents Protest En Masse—Why Is Lord Howe Silent?』
Nor because the spotlight on Cheon Yeomyeong exceeded her expectations. Surprising, yes, but not the reason.
What was stirring up her heart was...
『Shocking Interview with Active Mercenary: Cheon Yeomyeong, Secret Escort Knight of the Holy Knight Order? Relationship with Saintess Dissected.』
A tabloid article featuring a photo of the Saintess and Cheon Yeomyeong side by side.
Fortunately, the article's views were low. It was packed with nonsense like him being a secret escort from the Holy Knight Order or eloping in love with the Saintess.
At best, on par with clickbait like "Korea Respects International Protection Laws, Humanely Grants Dragon Freedom."
But just seeing the Saintess's photo made her stomach boil.
She knew it was a stupid thought.
But the inferiority complex and trauma she harbored weren't the kind that could be fixed by knowing better.
Finally, after gnawing her thumbnail to a rag, Seti managed to calm down a bit.
“…What the hell am I doing this early in the morning?”
She took a long deep breath, then covered her face with both hands.
Feeling this down over just seeing a photo together? Even she found it ridiculous.
“What, it's not like I'm the rubber shoe sending my boyfriend off to the army.”
In a situation where she should be seriously preparing revenge, this was such a waste of emotion.
Yeomyeong gaining fame thanks to the Saintess? She should be glad it brought her one step closer to revenge, not feel upset.
He was different from the gods beyond the dimensional gate. Yeomyeong had no reason or intention to abandon her...
Seti stopped there, slapped her cheeks, and reached to close the laptop. Or tried to.
But the moment she heard her roommate's soft voice—now awake—she froze stiff.
“Huh? Dung beetle?”
Did she hear wrong? Seti turned to see her just-woken blonde roommate staring wide-eyed at Yeomyeong's photo on the laptop.
“Wow, it's really Mr. Dung Beetle?”
Seeing the blonde roommate exclaim as if they were old pals, Seti swallowed a curse rising in her throat.
What the hell is this now?
***
Inside the Manchuria base airfield, VIP waiting room.
As the harsh midday sun heated the room, Margan sighed while gazing outside.
“Persistent. Too persistent.”
An enormous crowd had gathered outside the waiting room.
Not just reporters shoving cameras through the windows to snap the interior, but soldiers who weren't blocking them—instead peeking inside with fierce expressions.
“I don't get why they're going this far over some article.”
Unable to endure the stares, Margan sighed heavily like he was on pins and needles. Darulma, beside him, teased.
“Well, this is them holding back quite a bit. Normally, they'd bust through the door and shove cameras in our faces.”
“…You call that normal?!”
“Why raise your voice? You're the one who boldly declared yourself the transfer exam proctor in front of the reporters.”
“…”
“And compared to those two, you're not even suffering. Right, Yeomyeong?”
Darulma naturally addressed Yeomyeong. But the one who answered wasn't Yeomyeong—it was the Saintess beside him, flipping through an academy pamphlet.
“Still, it was cool. ‘I hereby approve your transfer to Lord Howe Academy!’ Teachers at the academy really are something else.”
As the Saintess smiled and spoke, Margan turned his head to hide his mix of embarrassment and shyness.
While Darulma shook his head at the sight, Yeomyeong quietly opened his eyes.
“…Darulma.”
“What is it, Yeomyeong?”
“Do you remember the conditions I mentioned in Manchuria?”
Hearing that, Darulma recalled the terms Yeomyeong had laid out before heading off to fight the dragon.
“Of course. Rights to directly use the dwarf workshop, and... connecting you with the elixir vendors who sell World Tree Crystals.”
Back then, he'd felt a bit aggrieved hearing the conditions, but not now.
Yeomyeong's investment value had changed.
From an entrepreneurial view, some connections generate profit just by existing. And connections like Yeomyeong and the Saintess were exactly that.
If he could maintain them with this deal, there was no reason to refuse.
“Contact me anytime for the workshop. I'll make anything from dragon ribs. As for the elixir vendors... it'll take a little time. That okay?”
“Yes, waiting a bit is no problem.”
Darulma stroked his lush beard and added.
“Anything else you need, just say the word. Dungan Heavy Industries doesn't forget favors.”
As the two conversed, a plane arrived at the airfield.
A plane emblazoned with the academy's symbol: a book, sword, and staff lined up over the morning glow.
One of only three on Earth—Lord Howe Academy's plane.
“It's here!”
The Saintess beamed at the sight, but Margan couldn't smile. His head throbbed at the thought of pushing through the damned reporters to reach it.
But he couldn't skip the plane, so he stood and gathered his things.
It didn't take long. The Saintess had no luggage anyway, and Margan and Yeomyeong each needed only a travel bag.
As the three finished preparing and moved to leave the waiting room.
Darulma spoke in a reluctant tone.
“…Yeomyeong, and Saintess? I hope we meet again in good health.”
The Saintess replied, “May God's blessing be with you,” and strode out first. Ignoring the reporters' murmurs, she even used mana to dash across the airfield.
Yeomyeong watched her back, paused briefly, then turned to Darulma.
“Please pass my regards to the mercenary corps.”
Caught off guard, Darulma raised an eyebrow before chuckling.
“If it's regards, pass them yourself. You have our corps number, right?”
“…”
“Well, if you're too shy, I could do it... but no need, I think.”
An avuncular response unbefitting a tycoon. Yeomyeong unwittingly chuckled along. And with that, the farewell ended.
Yeomyeong bowed to Darulma and left the waiting room.
But by the time he navigated the reporter-packed corridor to the plane, no smile remained on his lips.
Lord Howe Academy.
Finally, heading to the place with other players.
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