Chapter 139
Heaven’s Door (5)
***
The first time I encountered that woman was in a strange dream I had after returning from the South, while in the ward.
And then came the Red Bloom Incident. The Heukryeon Mansion where I took refuge.
I found out her name was Seol Yujeong after seeing a photograph there. She was close to the Captain and my seniors.
And when I realized that some of the things the mysterious women in my dream had said were actually happening, it was no longer something I could just brush off.
I shifted my gaze back to the thick book in my hands.
Relying on the faint light, I slowly began turning the pages.
The personnel records contained detailed information about my seniors’ pasts. Their grades during school, their roles in the student council, their mission performances, evaluations of their interpersonal relationships—everything.
Every single evaluation was nothing short of excellent. The records made me realize once again that they were far more remarkable than I had thought.
There had always been something I was curious about. When I first entered the academy, there was a lot of talk about me being the first recommended student from Heukryeon in 18 years. So, who was the recommended student before me?
Today, I found the answer.
“It was Senior Chaewon…”
The seniors in the photos, smiling brightly without a care in the world, were a stark contrast to the adults they had become, burdened by the weight of the world.
As I continued flipping through the pages, I soon noticed something strange.
There was no record of the Captain in the thick book.
Come to think of it, his name wasn’t even listed in the table of contents. I flipped through the pages several times, but I couldn’t find a single trace of him.
The photo I saw at Heukryeon Mansion clearly identified him as the student council president of the 55th class, just like my seniors. He had even taken a picture in the familiar student council office.
The Captain is certainly a living, breathing person. It’s not like he suddenly turned into a ghost.
Was he so lazy that there was nothing worth recording…? No, that couldn’t be it.
“…”
I quickly brushed aside the questions swirling in my head.
Right now, confirming Seol Yujeong’s records took priority over the Captain.
The personnel records of the seniors contained detailed accounts of their activities even after graduating from Cradle. There were even records of official extermination missions in the Northeast just a few years ago.
So, naturally, her records should exist too. After all, she was actively involved just three years ago, according to the date in the dream.
I had reached the final chapter of the personnel records before I knew it.
The first thing that greeted me was the profile of a woman with a bright smile, accompanied by the name Seol Yujeong.
Her pure smile was at odds with the wicked grin she had in the dream, leaving me somewhat confused.
I swallowed nervously, the sound of my throat audible.
I began reading the densely packed small text.
Contrary to her appearance, she wasn’t born into a prestigious family. In fact, she was more like me, having grown up in the outskirts, closer to the lower class. But she overcame everything by proving her abilities. Excellent grades, exceptional magical potential, outstanding interpersonal relationships. Every evaluation was filled with praise, just like my seniors.
She was once caught in an inappropriate relationship with a student whose name had been erased, ‘OOO,’ and received a heavy punishment… Why does it feel like I can almost see the name?
I quickly flipped through the pages. What I wanted to see wasn’t her school years, but her activities after graduation.
Just one more page, and I would reach the part I was looking for. My palms were already damp with sweat, probably from the tension.
Once I confirmed her activities, what should I do next? Should I go find her and interrogate her about her connection to that female soldier who crossed the barrier? Or should I report it to the Intelligence Bureau for an emergency arrest? But she’s connected to the Captain…
“…”
I shook my head, trying to calm the growing confusion.
I could think about that later.
First, I needed to confirm.
I grabbed the corner of the page with my fingers and turned it.
And just as I was bracing myself for the flood of unknown information—
“Huh…?”
I could only let out a dumbfounded sound.
The page was blank, save for a single line of text.
– Killed in action during a mission (21XX, X Month, X Day)
***
“…”
I stared blankly at the empty page.
The meaning of the single line was clear. She no longer existed in this world.
Even in my stunned state, I read the line over and over again. But soon, I was plunged into even deeper confusion.
The problem was the time of Seol Yujeong’s death.
It wasn’t a few weeks or months ago, but 15 years ago.
She had long since returned to dust.
But… this doesn’t make sense.
The date on the calendar in the dream was clearly from three years ago. It even matched the exact time when the other woman in the dream disappeared.
Are they saying the vibrant woman from the dream… had died long ago?
My overheated brain refused to process any more. After sitting there in a daze for a long time, I finally stood up and left the records room.
It was already a bit of a stretch to act based on the assumption that the dream was real… but the idea that a dead person had come back to life was even more absurd.
I remember seeing quite a few students asking similar questions at the beginning of the semester.
And the professors had firmly stated that such things were impossible, even with magic, or black magic for that matter.
So, what was the conclusion?
That everything I had done was pointless, and that the vivid scenes from the dream were nothing more than a delusion…?
“…”
But there was still something that bothered me.
It was the timing of Seol Yujeong’s death.
15 years ago.
There was definitely something else that happened back then.
‘Captain. Don’t you know about the witch? I mean, 15 years ago…’
Suddenly, Muyoung’s voice echoed in my head, and I stopped in my tracks.
***
“Myaang~”
As soon as I opened the door to the dormitory, Ddangkong greeted me with a cute cry and ran up to me.
I picked up Ddangkong and headed to my room on the second floor.
But despite the clear sign that someone was home, Yeon Minha didn’t come out to greet me. She always waited for me, so this was unusual.
Her bedroom door was firmly shut.
At the foot of the door was something that looked like a luxurious shopping bag, lying on the floor.
“Senior?”
-…Hic.
When I knocked lightly, I heard a sound that resembled a hiccup.
“I’m back. Is everything okay?”
-N-Nothing’s wrong…! I’m fine…!
Yeon Minha’s voice responded hastily. It didn’t seem like anything serious had happened, which was a relief.
-I’m changing clothes right now, so even if it’s you, I’ll get mad if you come in! I’m serious, no joke…!
“…”
Knowing she was fine, I had no intention of going in. After that embarrassing incident last time, when I impulsively cornered her, I’ve been trying to control myself.
There was a rustling sound, like she was busy doing something.
That’s good for me too. It’s better than having to calm down a furious Yeon Minha, who would usually scold me for being late.
Once inside my room, I headed straight for the desk.
With Ddangkong purring on my lap, I pulled out a file from the drawer.
It was one of the two folders Muyoung had given me, and I hadn’t yet read this one. It contained information he had compiled for me, knowing I had no knowledge of witches.
It was a simple report, pieced together from old newspaper articles and records.
Seol Yujeong’s death was 15 years ago. And the Witch Incident was also 15 years ago.
Could it really be a coincidence that the timing overlapped?
I had been too busy with other matters to satisfy my curiosity before, but now it seemed like the right time to find out what the Witch Incident was.
I turned on the lamp and began reading the folder Muyoung had given me.
“Witches… A term used to refer to a group of criminals who put the Republic in crisis 15 years ago…”
…Originally coined by the media, which loved to exaggerate and stir up panic, but it eventually became a proper noun.
The common factor was that they were all women. They possessed immense magical power, some even exceeding Category 1. And they reveled in nothing but slaughter and destruction, with no room for negotiation or dialogue.
Nothing was known about their origins. Initially, they were suspected to be mutants. They appeared simultaneously in various places. Hundreds of frontier settlements and villages were wiped out. Eventually, a mid-sized city was annihilated in a single day, prompting the Supreme Council to recognize the severity of the situation.
The Witch Hunt operation was launched. But reports of defeat after defeat followed. Even active Experts were helpless. Eventually, they appeared within 10 kilometers of Masada, the first satellite city in the metropolitan area.
“…”
Even just reading the text, I could sense the gravity of the crisis. It was clear that anyone who didn’t know about this would be considered strange.
And as I continued reading, I came across a familiar name.
-Former Cradle student council president, Sa Jaehyuk of Heukryeon, appointed as the commander of the newly established 66th Unit and deployed in the Witch Hunt operation. His staff also consisted of graduates from Cradle with excellent records…
-First victory over the witches by the 66th Unit…
-66th Unit achieves consecutive extermination successes…
-66th Unit completely eliminates threats in the Southwest…
There were newspaper articles with the Captain’s name written in large letters.
The situation had been so dire that people were openly discussing fleeing to the Flower Nation across the western sea, but once he entered the scene, the tide of the war completely changed.
His achievements were so remarkable that calling him a savior wouldn’t be an exaggeration. Even if you combined all the other extermination records, they wouldn’t amount to half of the 66th Unit’s accomplishments.
With the Captain’s overwhelming magical power, they managed to kill all the witches, leaving only one alive.
“Huh?”
I soon came across some strange articles in the following paragraphs.
-Former Cradle vice president Seol Yujeong, who had been missing, found dead…
-Sa Jaehyuk of Heukryeon arrested. Admitted to violating the Magi’s Oath. Baek Yujun, successor of Paechun, found dead at the scene in a gruesome state. Sa Jaehyuk remains silent on his motives…
-Sa Daeryong of the Black Lion announces his retirement in shock, stating he will step down from all positions out of remorse…
-Sa Jaehyuk sentenced to record-erasure for violating the Magi’s Oath… Baek Ilyong of Paechun expresses extreme anger and vows to appeal…
“…”
The folder Muyoung had given me ended on that page.
After reading the entire thick folder, I took a moment to organize my thoughts.
The Seol Yujeong from the dream had already been found dead 15 years ago, and the Captain had been sentenced to record-erasure for killing Paechun’s successor. He was erased from Cradle’s personnel records, and Heukryeon had relinquished their power in the Supreme Council as an apology for the Captain’s actions.
But the most shocking revelation was the information about the Captain.
If the contents of the articles were true… I think I now understand what the principal meant when she said, ‘The head of Paechun holds a special grudge against the Captain.’
It makes sense to hold a grudge when your successor is killed.
It doesn’t seem like the incident itself was a fabrication. The key is the motive.
The Captain may seem rough around the edges, but he’s not someone who would take a life without reason.
Is this why the Captain and my seniors hid the existence of witches from me? Were they worried I’d find out about the Captain’s past…?
“…”
I shook my head. They aren’t the type to keep quiet out of fear that their flaws would be exposed.
I have a feeling there’s another reason.
Just one clue.
I feel like if I could grasp that one clue, I could resolve all these mysteries. The Captain’s past, the strange woman from the dream, and perhaps even the true nature of my own power, which remains unknown, neither magic nor anything else.
It’s just that the ladder leading to that clue has been broken.
Maybe the principal knows the full story. She already seemed to be well-versed in the Captain’s past.
She was oddly kind, so unlike Professor Shin or Professor Kwon, she might have answered my questions sincerely.
The problem is that she’s far away in the South, not at Cradle.
“Sigh…”
I’ve learned a lot, but the core of the mystery remains elusive.
Feeling somewhat frustrated, I stroked Ddangkong, who was enjoying the warmth on my lap, and muttered to myself.
“Do you know?”
“Myaang~”
Ddangkong meowed as if responding to me, then licked my lips with its tongue, as it always does.
End of Chapter