Chapter 232
A hazy smoke rose into the air at the center of the sunken ground. The lifeform that had stood there just moments ago was nowhere to be found.
Shortly afterward, someone slowly revealed themselves beyond the mist of the battlefield.
A cold and dignified beauty, appearing to be in her late teens.
But within that exterior resided a seasoned mage, hailed as the most powerful mage in history.
"Principal...?"
"About to perish, and yet... you dare lay a hand on my student...!"
It was the voice of Hae Wolhwa, one I hadn't heard in a long time. Each syllable dripped with her anger and displeasure.
Was it because of the pitiful state of the academy's students under her care? For someone like me, who had always seen her grumble lightheartedly, this was an unusually striking sight.
Still, I suppose an adult is an adult.
Hae Wolhwa, who had been grinding her teeth while looking at the spot where the witch had stood moments ago, suddenly turned her head toward me.
"...It's been a long time. You little troublemaker."
And I could immediately notice the difference from the past.
Her expression carried a slightly colder air. Through her wind-blown hair, a purple eyepatch flickered faintly. It seemed to have been fashioned from a dress she often wore.
Although it only covered one eye, her tiny face meant it concealed almost half of her face.
Rather than an elegant and seasoned mage, her appearance resembled more of a veteran warrior. Just looking at her, I felt as though I could grasp the struggles she had endured over the past few weeks.
"You're alive...? And that eye...?"
"Did you think someone like me would die so easily? Nonsense. I haven't even fulfilled my wish yet..."
"Wish...?"
I asked in confusion, but the principal calmly changed the subject.
"It's nothing. And there's no need to worry about my eye. I only got lightly bitten while catching an annoying bug."
"Lightly...?"
"I said it's fine. If anything, seeing with one eye makes everything feel even clearer. But..."
Then, with a piercing gaze, she turned her attention to the front.
"I was hoping to come back home and rest pleasantly, but to think flies would be buzzing even here..."
"You, you, you...!"
And beyond the mist ahead, the smoke gathered as the witch's figure reappeared. It seemed she hadn't died from that strike after all.
"H-How...!"
The witch, who had introduced herself as the anthropologist Vega, pointed at the principal and yelled urgently.
The composed expression from earlier was entirely gone from her face.
"I-I clearly saw you die, caught in Sadalmelik's self-destruction...!"
"Hah, did you think someone like me would fall to a mere self-destruction? Bugs truly have such one-dimensional hopes."
Watching the witch struggle to even move her lips, Hae Wolhwa let out a dry laugh, as if she found it ridiculous.
Soon, with a chillingly calm gaze, she stared at the witch.
It was a side of her I had never seen before.
"...Well, thanks to you, I did suffer quite a lot. The sanctuary collapsed, the troops I painstakingly nurtured and the Southern Command's forces were annihilated..."
She took a step forward.
"Your sins are heavy. Even your lives would not suffice to atone for them."
"Monster, you're a monster... Are you even human? Or maybe you're one of us, with your memory erased..."
"...Monster?"
Hae Wolhwa came to an abrupt halt. A cold aura radiated from her. The witch's words had clearly struck her reverse scale—her most sensitive point.
"...You dare say such things to a woman in her prime. Judging by the foul words you spew, it's evident you lack a human heart. Then it's self-evident which one of us is truly the monster."
Though the principal's words carried an undeniable contradiction, her tone remained calm, as if she were merely stating an obvious truth.
And as the witch involuntarily retreated, she was stopped by the wall behind her.
"Y-You...!"
Turning sharply, the witch glared at the principal like a cornered wild animal, grinding her teeth as if preparing for a life-or-death struggle.
Sensing a certain movement, I urgently called out to the principal.
"Watch out! That witch uses a divine power to scatter like mist and reappear! If you're not careful...!"
"Mist? What a petty trick."
But the principal muttered indifferently, unfazed.
"Well, they've always been like that..."
And just as the witch's faintly glowing figure disappeared without a trace again, Hae Wolhwa stood silently while I felt my insides burning with anxiety.
Rather than recovering strength, my vision was growing dim. In my current state, the best I could do was barely keep standing in front of Yeon. I couldn't provide any significant help to the principal.
Soon, she crossed her arms and began elegantly tracing something in the air. In an instant, a massive magic formula, layered with dozens of geometric shapes, appeared.
At the center of the slowly rotating magic formula in the void, a dazzling light, akin to a sun manifesting on the ground, emerged.
And countless strands of lightning surged downward toward the ground all at once.
-Boom! Bang!
"To drag out those hiding in the shadows, nothing works better than this."
Everything around turned to ash. The radiant gale made it nearly impossible to lift my head.
Yet the principal stood firmly in place, her presence lofty and unyielding.
Then, suddenly, she turned her head precisely toward a certain spot and muttered.
"So, that's where you were hiding."
-Boom! Bang!
And hundreds of lightning strands converged, all targeting a single point. What followed was the desperate wailing of something.
"N-No...!! I'm still...!"
"How noisy. Just die already. I'd like to have some rest myself."
The principal urged the witch's death indifferently. Through the flickering lightning, I heard a grotesque scream.
"Screeech!! Screeeeee!! No...!! Screaaam!!!!"
Not only my vision but my consciousness was fading. Everything felt hazy, as though I were teetering on the edge.
"Well, don't worry and rest peacefully."
From beyond, the principal's soft, whispering voice warmly reached my ears.
"When you wake up after a good rest, everything will be over."
And with those final words, I completely let go of my consciousness.
***
Seoyeon, lying on the sickbed, suddenly opened her eyes.
She stared blankly at the ceiling, then turned her head to gaze at the view outside the window, where warm sunlight poured in. She slightly moved her lips at the sight of clouds drifting peacefully in the sky.
"A dream...?"
She thought it must have been an incredibly long dream. Though she couldn't recall the exact details, she was certain it had been a terrible nightmare.
It was a dream as if she had been walking through an endlessly long tunnel. At the very end of that despair, Seoyeon could recall the warmth of someone reaching out to her once more.
The firm and reassuring embrace she had felt.
At that moment, she became convinced she had just emerged from wandering in a dream.
For the idea of him holding her so preciously no longer made sense.
It was clear that she had defied her father and been struck down by an unknown being. Her mind was hazy, making her mistake fleeting visions for reality at the very end.
Seoyeon thought the suppressing army must have moved her to the hospital ward afterward.
"..."
A faint, lonely smile formed on Seoyeon's lips.
Though it had been a very long time since she entered the hospital ward, there was a time when her life was closely tied to the sickbed.
Seoyeon, groaning in pain as if needles were piercing her entire body, and the boy who stayed by her side all night, his gaze filled with concern.
Even if she didn't want to remember it, the memories ingrained in her body naturally evoked nostalgia for her childhood.
Sweet memories, like a dream, that would never return.
After letting out a soft sigh, Seoyeon finally examined her own body.
She didn't know how much time had passed since she lost consciousness, but she could tell immediately that she had received devoted care during that time.
Her well-groomed hair shimmered with luster. There was no sense of discomfort or stuffiness; instead, a refreshing feeling enveloped her entire body.
Although there was still a tingling pain around the area where a hole had been pierced in her abdomen, considering she was alive, it seemed her recovery was progressing smoothly.
...Not that it was a situation she had particularly wished for.
Her mind felt completely blank, as if emptied. She hadn't even considered what would come next, having been prepared to throw away everything in life when she set out.
And just as Seoyeon was about to raise her upper body.
"...Where's the call bell... Oh?"
She stopped abruptly, forgetting what she was about to say when she noticed something.
Evident traces of a night of passionate care remained there.
A bucket filled with water and a towel that had lovingly cleaned her body.
And... Lee Hyun, who had fallen into a light slumber in a prone position.