Chapter 116
The day after Yoon Haul had run away in a panic, she came back to find me and accepted my proposal.
Just yesterday, she had been horrified and fled, yet here she was, agreeing to join me even after hearing about the dangers involved.
I was momentarily puzzled by her sudden change of heart but quickly dismissed it.
It wasn’t that surprising.
In the original story, Yoon Haul eventually got involved in this fight too.
Yoon Haul, who knew too much about the future and had been worn down by it, eventually approached the Ardel Crusaders on her own.
However, Lee Han had sent her back. Despite her genius and extraordinary talent, she was too weak.
Lee Han’s decision was the right one.
Yoon Haul returned two years later, having grown strong enough to rival Lee Han. Her incredible talent allowed her to fill in the gaps in all areas.
And now, I was pulling her into this three years earlier.
It didn’t feel like the best decision, but was it just an excuse because I had no other choice?
The story was progressing faster than I had anticipated.
I couldn’t pinpoint the exact cause, but it was probably due to my presence.
If we weren’t strong enough to keep up, we were doomed to fail.
So…
“Get stronger.”
I handed Yoon Haul a bow.
“Huh?”
Yoon Haul seemed confused, clearly not expecting me to call her to a secret location to discuss crucial matters or hand over the Cube in a hidden underground bunker.
Instead, we were standing in the Ardel Academy’s first-floor training ground, a place where dozens of students came and went every day.
Obviously, I wasn’t going to discuss the Cube here.
Nor was I going to give her a dangerous mission.
“Shoot it.”
Yoon Haul blinked, as if her brain had short-circuited.
The bow trembled awkwardly in her hands.
Just as I suspected, Yoon Haul at this point had no knowledge or experience in combat. The most she could probably handle was a sword or basic magic.
Having shot countless arrows myself and trained in magic control, I had a reason for recommending the bow out of all possible weapons.
“I… I don’t know how to shoot this.”
“You will.”
“Huh?”
Of course, part of the reason was her excellent learning ability, but the real reason was something else entirely.
I looked at her jet-black eyes and the way her hair gleamed in the light.
Maybe it was just a bias based on her name and appearance…
But…
I had a feeling she’d be good at this.
“Koreans are naturally good at archery.”
“What?”
“It’s just a thing. Descendants of Jumong and all that.”
“What does that even mean?”
“Just get into position.”
After all, Koreans are known as a nation of archers.
As soon as I helped her get into a basic stance, Yoon Haul’s eyes, which had been dazed moments before, began to burn with determination.
Sure enough, her focus changed entirely when she had a target.
It was reassuring.
At this rate, she might not even need two years…
Yoon Haul adjusted her stance and focused on the target.
For a moment, the air seemed to freeze.
In that silence, an arrow flew.
Whoosh-
And then…
Ting-
The arrow disappeared.
It didn’t hit the target but landed on the ground, leaving both of us staring blankly.
Uh… that was a pretty tragic shot.
“…”
Okay, maybe she’s not Korean after all.
I mean, just because someone has a Korean-sounding name in a fantasy world doesn’t automatically make them an archery prodigy.
Actually, that was a performance that would make Jumong weep.
Thwack!
Thwack!
This time, she shot it into the ceiling, causing the arrow to ricochet off the wall and land at my feet.
Despite the significant output of magic, the direction was so off that it was enough to take out allies as well as enemies.
“Don’t shoot at me!”
“Ah, sorry!”
Yoon Haul scratched her head and managed to break one of the arrowheads in the process.
“Huh?”
No, it’s understandable.
Just because someone has talent in many things doesn’t mean they’ll be good at literally everything.
Maybe she’s just not suited for this particular skill, I thought, quickly rationalizing her disastrous attempts.
I racked my brain, trying to remember what other talents Yoon Haul had in the original story.
What else was she good at?
Magic, strategy, prophecy, and…
Swordsmanship.
Ah.
I hurriedly grabbed a wooden sword from the training rack.
“Try learning this instead.”
* * *
Crack!
At first, I was just going along with whatever Han Siha was suggesting, not expecting much from the training session he dragged me into.
I had some awareness of the dangers I was stepping into, but I never imagined he’d make me handle a weapon, especially not one as unfamiliar as a bow.
Everyone has their own specialty.
Han Siha’s was taming, and mine was prophecy.
I was confident in strategy and prophecy, but anything beyond that was outside my realm.
Thwack!
So, Yoon Haul couldn’t understand why she was currently clashing swords with Han Siha.
What exactly was this Cube?
What kind of battle was Han Siha preparing for?
Why was he suddenly pushing her into this?
Bang!
Yoon Haul yelped as she was pushed back.
The same guy who had been smiling and encouraging her with a “Try it out, you might be good at it!” had now turned deadly serious, pressing her hard.
“Ugh!”
The handle of the wooden sword slammed into her shoulder, sending a wave of pain through her.
Yoon Haul gritted her teeth.
Han Siha’s voice snapped her out of her daze.
“Focus, Yoon Haul.”
He said he was just going to teach her.
But did he mean he was going to teach her by beating her up?
Who swings a sword at someone who doesn’t even know how to hold one properly?
Then again, on second thought, he wasn’t exactly proficient with a sword either.
Han Siha’s attacks were awkward. Perhaps it was only natural.
Swordsmanship wasn’t his specialty either.
If there was one thing in her favor, it was her time spent in the university kendo club.
During her time in pre-med, she had joined the kendo club, the equestrian club, and even a band. Han Siha quickly pressed his advantage, grateful for her past extracurricular activities.
His footwork was basic, far from advanced.
Thanks to her decent athletic ability, her skill was above average compared to a regular person.
But then Han Siha began to infuse his strikes with magic.
He amplified the power of his swings, making even glancing blows feel powerful.
With his overwhelming natural magic, he became an opponent no beginner, much less someone unfamiliar with swords, could hope to beat.
If Adela had been here watching, she would have laughed at the amateurish attacks.
Even as Yoon Haul found herself increasingly cornered, she began to decipher Han Siha’s movements and the trajectory of his sword.
How he attacked.
How he moved.
Han Siha’s style was relatively easy to read.
Thwack!
The problem was her nearly nonexistent reaction time.
She knew what was coming, but she still couldn’t avoid it.
“Ouch!”
Yoon Haul yelped as she blocked his strike.
Thwack!
But it was useless.
She took another hit.
She couldn’t understand why Han Siha was suddenly pushing her so hard, why he was so intent on driving her into a corner.
But one thing was clear: from the moment he’d handed her the sword, Han Siha had been deadly serious.
“I’ve never held a sword before.”
“…”
“Of course not. You might be okay with a dagger in a real fight, but you’ve probably never swung a wooden sword like this.”
He was brutally serious.
“If you lose to me now…”
“You’re truly weak.”
Every word Han Siha said struck at her pride.
“Is this really all you’ve got?”
His eyes held no emotion as they critically evaluated her performance.
It wasn’t even a calculated taunt.
It was simply his blunt assessment of her skills.
Whoosh!
Once again, Han Siha’s sword clashed against hers.
This time, the force of his magic-infused strike nearly made her drop her sword.
Yoon Haul gritted her teeth and held on.
Prophecies couldn’t win a fight.
The future, which everyone sought to know, couldn’t protect her when her life was on the line.
When it came down to life or death, it wasn’t a few words that would save her but the strength she possessed.
The era where swords mattered more than pens was upon them.
Yoon Haul began to realize a bit of what Han Siha was trying to impart as she dodged his attacks.
“Please… please!”
But Han Siha showed no mercy.
Bang!
She barely dodged the magic-infused strike that slammed into the wall, using the force to propel herself away.
There had to be a gap in Han Siha’s aggressive, magic-boosted attacks.
Like a well-timed counterattack in martial arts, she aimed to exploit that gap with her swordplay.
Instinctively, her reaction time began to improve after being hit several times.
Her mind started working faster.
Yoon Haul found an opening and thrust her wooden sword at it.
It wasn’t a powerful strike by any means.
It was weak—so weak that it would probably only irritate her opponent rather than inflict any real damage.
But it worked.
Thud!
Han Siha’s eyes widened as the wooden sword made contact.
“I… I did it!”
Yoon Haul gasped for breath, still recovering from the numerous hits she’d taken.
Given how many times she’d been hit, she wished she had struck a little harder.
How could he have been so ruthless?
‘I’ve never done this before!’
Gritting her teeth, Yoon Haul tightened her grip on her sword.
She prepared for the next attack, her stance now noticeably more determined.
The genius who had never felt the need to take things seriously was now shifting her attitude.
It was a small but significant change.
A change that was enough to help her grow.
Finally, Han Siha allowed a small smile.
“Not bad.”
The warmth in his voice was a stark contrast to his earlier, cold demeanor.
Yoon Haul almost felt touched by the compliment—until she realized what it really meant.
“Shall we go again?”
“What? How can you say that!”
This guy clearly just wanted an excuse to hit her.
* * *
“I saw the future, and it was you getting beaten by me.”
“…”
“Prepare yourself, got it?”
Yoon Haul huffed and threw her wooden sword to the ground.
Five hours.
She’d been swinging that sword for five hours without a break.
Considering how quickly she was improving compared to her disastrous attempt with the bow, Han Siha was starting to feel the limits of his own skill.
It was likely that Yoon Haul’s prophecy was spot on.
Han Siha chuckled and nodded.
“Yeah, I can see that.”
“Huh?”
“Just go easy on me then.”
The deadly serious expression from before had melted away, replaced by Han Siha’s usual lighthearted grin.
His teasing words cooled Yoon Haul’s anger just a little.
“Well, I guess I can do that.”
“Thanks, I appreciate it.”
Han Siha shrugged and grabbed a water bottle, leaving Yoon Haul with nothing more to say as she plopped down beside him.
Her entire body ached.
As a student in the theology department, she had never been one to engage in physical activity.
She wasn’t used to this kind of muscle pain at all.
“Ugh…”
She grumbled to herself, but she no longer snapped at Han Siha.
He was just as messed up from their sparring session as she was.
He’d even used his magic, giving it everything he had….
She still didn’t quite understand.
Why?
If Han Siha only needed her strategic mind for the Crusaders, he wouldn’t have needed to put her through this kind of training.
As a prophet, it didn’t make sense for her to suddenly be thrown into the fray.
Stealing glances at Han Siha, Yoon Haul hesitated before finally asking, “I’m curious… Why are you teaching me this?”
“…”
“There are plenty of people who can fight better than I can. This isn’t even my specialty.”
If it was combat he needed, Adela and Lee Han were already more than capable.
So why her?
“True, I don’t plan on sending you into battle right away. That would be too dangerous.”
“Then…?”
Instead of answering directly, Han Siha turned to look at her.
He seemed to mull over his words before speaking calmly.
“So you can protect yourself.”
Soon, a dangerous future would arrive, and she needed to be able to defend herself.
Whether it was Yoon Haul, Adela, Won, or even the annoying Seymour, Han Siha would have given them the same answer.
He couldn’t change the future, nor could he protect everyone by himself.
He refused to become a protagonist who helplessly watched as those around him fell one by one, like in the original story.
It was an honest reflection of his thoughts.
But Yoon Haul focused on the word itself.
Protect.
Protect…?
Yoon Haul mulled over the word.
She didn’t fully understand what he meant, but it wasn’t entirely lost on her either.
She wasn’t completely oblivious.
If there was a dangerous situation in the future.
If there was a possibility that they might die together.
Perhaps the sword training was insurance to ensure she could protect herself when the time came.
Could it be?
Could it really…?
If that were the case.
Yoon Haul thought back to the fantasies she’d entertained after hearing Philic’s words.
This might not be a one-sided crush after all.
My goodness.
Before she could stop herself, Yoon Haul blurted out a question.
“Are you planning to grow old together with me?”
Spurt—
Yoon Haul’s innocent yet bombshell question caused Han Siha to spit out the water he’d been drinking.
“What… what did you just say?”
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