Chapter 97
Chapter 97
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 97
Chapter Title: There Is No Teacher for Fate (8)
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***
...We're almost there.
Dawn, enveloped in golden mana, suddenly felt certain of it.
Even as mana continued to drain from her entire body, and her battered blood vessels screamed without respite.
The reason was simple. She could sense something in Seti and the sisters' minds.
It was struggling, resisting the magic of the imperial seal.
'Come out.'
Dawn swung the imperial seal's magic even harder, like smashing a door with a hammer.
It wasn't a delicate method, but the result was certain.
She could feel the seal—or whatever was cloaked by it—thrashing desperately, as if it were in her grasp.
'Just a little more... just a bit longer.'
Dawn maneuvered her mana, forcing her way into the sisters' minds.
The next moment, snap—her capillaries burst, and blood trickled from her nose.
Soon after, nosebleeds flowed from Seti and the sisters as well.
The screams of bodies unable to withstand the mana.
But while the sisters only needed to endure it, Dawn's condition, pouring out mana directly, grew far more severe.
Her hands trembled, the veins in her eyes burst, and bloody tears streamed down.
And just as a drop of that blood fell from her chin.
Dawn finally seized it within the sisters' minds.
'...Got it.'
Without hesitation, she dragged it out. Not figuratively, but literally.
The imperial seal blazed as if it might explode, and black smoke erupted above the sisters' heads.
A writhing clump of black mana, slithering like a living creature.
It was different from the twisted mana she had encountered countless times while tangled with the Korean government.
The mana clump before her was several times more repulsive, dozens of times more ominous.
An ordinary person or weak superhuman would have vomited just from looking at it... but Dawn stared it down impassively.
No ominous presence in this world could compare to the colossal evil she harbored in her chest—it was but a candle before the sun.
'Time to end this.'
He spread his right palm, forming a blade edge, and invoked Wave Yang Art.
Sword ki gathered along his hand, and as Dawn swung down.
...! ...! ...!!!
It screamed. Without a mouth, it shrieked through the mind.
Rage, panic, and... fear?
Fear of death? Reading its emotions for that brief instant, Dawn felt puzzled.
Of course, she didn't stop her hand.
!
A flash exploded from Dawn's descending hand.
Sharp silence followed the path of the light, and the severed leash fell.
***
Who was it that said that?
Good dreams are like clouds, leaving nothing behind once they pass, but nightmares are like typhoons, leaving scars for a long time.
Was it her sister? Or the dung beetle?
It felt like someone had told her, but she couldn't remember.
Come to think of it... it didn't matter who said it.
It was wrong anyway.
Not all nightmares are remembered forever, and not all good dreams are forgotten.
The dream she just had was proof.
The dream of becoming human from a sheep, becoming Dawn's first.
A dream so vivid, etched into her soul like a brand—it couldn't be a nightmare.
If this was a nightmare.
If she was still a sheep, unable to become Dawn's first in reality... she wished she wouldn't wake up.
To stay in this nightmare forever...
—Ah, come on! Sis! Wake up!
Forever...
—Only the prince waking her will work, not us.
—Youngest, you're joking at a time like this?!
—Wanna bet?
—Bet what? Dawn oppa! Come here quick!
Forever...
—See? It's not working.
—This is weird... it shouldn't be like this... Oh, right. Maybe because no kiss?
—You lunatic! Is that what you say?!
—Oppa? Just one kiss to sis like this...
...Wait.
***
"...Ah."
Seti opened her eyes.
Lifting her heavy eyelids, cool night air brushed across her face.
Two deep breaths, five blinks, rubbing her eyes—it took three seconds.
Her cleared vision caught a pair of eyes looking down at her.
Golden eyes filled with worry, unlike usual.
"You're awake?"
"...Dawn."
He brushed back Seti's blinking hair and asked.
"How's your body?"
"It's... seems okay. Um, that... the seal...? How did it go?"
"Naturally, I broke it."
Dawn said it like it was nothing, but Seti was convinced it wasn't that simple.
His mana, reduced to a fraction compared to before, and the clear traces of bloody tears around his eyes were proof.
"That... um..."
All sorts of words and emotions flooded Seti's mind, but only one came out.
"...Thank you."
"No problem."
Dawn gave a faint smile.
Seti couldn't smile back. She had to bite her lip to swallow the emotions welling up to the tip of her nose.
But sometimes, silence conveys deeper emotions than words.
Blue eyes overlapped the golden ones.
The two unmingled colors drew closer toward each other, and soon...
Soon...
'...Wait, what about the others?'
Startled, Seti snapped to attention and looked around.
In the rooftop corner where only traces of the magic circle remained, four familiar pairs of eyes stared intently at her and Dawn.
Neti fidgeting her fingers silently, the youngest and Soemiri with eyes sparkling in excitement, and...
"...Why stop? The mood's perfect. Keep going."
Siri, wiping her nosebleed with a sullen expression.
...!
Seti's body stiffened, unable to keep up, then belatedly relaxed.
Her face beet red, she shot up from her seat.
Realizing she'd been resting on Dawn's lap until moments ago, she nearly screamed, but her dignity as the eldest sister barely sealed her lips.
A short silence.
Only after Dawn dusted himself and stood did Seti speak.
"...Everyone's really okay, right?"
Siri answered the question.
"Wow, quick to ask. This is why when a guy shows up, sisters get sidelined..."
"...Siri, enough?"
As Seti cut her off, Siri cleared her throat awkwardly.
"...Everyone's fine. The seal's broken. Soemiri here and the sisters all confirmed it."
"..."
"No aftereffects, mana all intact. If I had to pick something wrong, just a bit of nosebleed."
Siri glanced at the other sisters as she spoke, and they all nodded in agreement.
Only then could Seti truly exhale in relief.
'...Good.'
It wasn't too late. She and the sisters were free of their collars, able to live as humans.
No need to say who made it possible. Cheon Yeomyeong, the one my god chose, my fated...
Fated...
Embarrassed, Seti couldn't recall the rest. Much less say it aloud.
As she bowed her head to hide her flushed cheeks, Dawn approached and extended his hand.
"Seti. Take a quick look at this?"
In his palm lay a black crystal the size of a thumbnail.
Seti alternated between the crystal and Dawn's face.
"...This?"
"The trace left by the seal's mana. Kept it just in case."
The seal left something behind? Seti took the crystal from his hand and examined it.
Nothing special from the pitch-black crystal that absorbed light.
It felt somewhat unsettling and familiar... but that was it.
"Anything you sense?"
"...No, nothing."
"Hmm, then just a regular crystal."
As the two huddled over the crystal.
Crackle—red sparks flew from it.
Seti reflexively tried to summon mana, but Dawn's hand was faster.
He snatched the crystal from her and pushed her behind him protectively.
"What? Sis? What's going on?"
Even as the sisters rushed over with wide eyes, the crystal kept spitting red sparks.
"You okay?"
Seti asked worriedly, eyeing the flashing crystal in his hand.
"...Fine. Just a slight sting."
"Anything you sense?"
"Nothing much... Hmm, hold on."
Dawn narrowed his eyes at the crystal. He clenched his fist around it, infused it with mana.
After fiddling with it for a while, he realized the sparks' nature and frowned.
"...This crystal's receiving mana from outside."
"From outside?"
"From pretty close by. Magic? It's mana I've felt somewhere before... but can't pinpoint it."
"Can I take a look?"
Dawn handed it over without a word.
Seti took it with a serious expression and probed the crystal's mana.
As he said, the stinging sparks were mana flying in from outside the dorm.
One peculiar thing: the mana was all too familiar to Seti.
How could she forget? The mana of the Shepherds who had tightened their collars.
"This really is a trace from the seal."
As Seti fiddled with it, Dawn looked at her expectantly.
"The mana it's receiving—it's the incantation the Shepherds use to activate the seal."
"What? Then..."
"...Someone nearby's activating the seal. Guess they're pissed we didn't pick up."
She giggled, toying with the crystal.
The sisters, now gathered close with puzzled looks, didn't faze her—her mind was buzzing with plans for the crystal.
'A crystal that can pinpoint when and where they pull the leash.'
Used right, she could give that bitch who came to the academy an unforgettable night.
Seti lifted the corner of her mouth and asked Dawn.
"Dawn, those Korean teacher candidates who came to the academy today... did they get permits? Or is it illegal entry?"
"...Who knows, probably the latter?"
"They'd have no excuse even if called terrorists. Right?"
Catching her drift, Dawn shook his head.
"...It's gonna be a turbulent night."
***
In the darkness around the first-year girls' dorm, where not even wind whispered.
A masked man and woman quietly chanted an incantation.
A horrific spell to torment the target, breaking their will by stimulating a specific seal.
A spell that would drag them to the international magic tribunal just for knowing it—but the chanters showed no guilt or hesitation.
Instead, they felt anxiety in this moment.
Why's she still holding out? She'll die at this rate?
"...Shouldn't we stop here?"
Finally, the masked woman halted the chant and spoke.
Her boss, glaring at the dorm, turned.
"...Not yet. Keep going until they contact us first."
"But... any more, and permanent damage could occur. Even a black sheep can't endure the seal for dozens of minutes."
Sound advice, but the boss ignored it.
"The green sheep can heal her."
"...The green sheep isn't a saintess. If a cerebral hemorrhage happens, even a black sheep..."
Her words stopped there.
She read the madness gleaming in her boss's eyes.
"Doesn't matter."
"..."
"If sacrificing one half-broken sheep without divinity can rekindle patriotism in the other three, then we do it."
The boss was firm.
"Continue."
The woman resumed chanting without argument. She wasn't the mission lead.
All she could do was offer faint pity for the black sheep throwing away her life in futile rebellion.
'...May you be born a patriot in your next life.'
As the chant resumed.
—Bzzz.
Someone called her military phone.
An unknown number, but guessing the caller was easy.
Only the ranch livestock knew this number.
The masked woman answered. Immediately, a familiar voice came through.
—Red Sheep here. Repeat: Red Sheep!
Fourth sister, Osiri. At her voice, the boss's gaze snapped to the phone.
"...I'm listening. Explain why the contact's so late."
—Th-there's... a problem.
"Problem...?"
—Our sis... sis got kidnapped.
"...What nonsense?"
Kidnapped? Even the burly man chanting beside frowned and leaned toward the phone.
—W-we couldn't help it. That psycho suddenly attacked sis and...
"Wait, explain clearly. Who's the psycho?"
—Th-that guy! The one who transferred in with the saintess recently...
"...Cheon Yeomyeong."
The boss cut in. The woman's eyes narrowed behind her mask.
"Explain precisely. Why did he kidnap the black sheep?"
—W-we don't know exactly. Just... he's been following sis lately...
"..."
Short silence.
The unexpected situation silenced the group. Was that why no reaction to the seal?
—P-please save sis. Who knows what he's doing to her...
Sobbing came through the phone. A voice stirring pity, but the boss just frowned and said her piece.
"...Do you know his location?"
—B-blue Sheep was last seen heading to the north park from the dorm. Couldn't track further...
"Understood. Then your current location?"
—W-we're all in the dorm now. Blue Sheep's injured, Green Sheep's healing her...
Red Sheep couldn't continue, just sobbed.
The boss pondered briefly, then ordered Siri through the phone.
"Exit the dorm now and come to the chestnut tree on the west side. I'll wait."
—Wh-what about sis? What about sis?
"We'll handle it. Comm end."
—W-wait...!
Regardless of Siri's protests, the masked woman hung up.
Ignoring further calls from the same number, she asked her boss.
"What now? The black sheep's virginity getting ruined..."
The boss drew a whip from her waist.
"Don't worry. It's actually a good opportunity."
"...Good opportunity?"
"Use the black sheep as bait to lure Cheon Yeomyeong to our country."
"..."
The masked pair were speechless. She thought of that in this short time?
No, thinking about it, it was a solid plan. Trade a plucked sheep for a future star?
Gain seed, remove trouble. Perfect deal for the nation.
"...I'll head to the scene first. You two link with the sheep and follow."
The boss turned from the dorm and dashed north.
The two watched her go, then moved to the meeting spot.
Not far from where they'd hidden near the dorm.
At the large chestnut tree, an unexpected guest awaited the masked pair.
"...Just two."
The transfer student with golden eyes their boss had chased.
The one said to have kidnapped the black sheep smirked coldly at them.
"Perfect number."
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