Chapter 36: Crime and Punishment
We possess powers so incomprehensible that we can’t even perceive them.
When imbued with human will, this power becomes mana. If imbued with the will of gods, it transforms into divine energy, and with the will of demons, it becomes miasma.
But what would happen if humanity could wield this unknown power as it is?
This was a question that Georg had pondered tirelessly, both before and after joining the Hero’s Party.
The catastrophic battle against the Demon King had left his magic circuits and mana circle completely destroyed, ensuring he would never find the answer. Yet, Georg harbored no regrets.
Even with his circuits and circle shattered, he could still use magic artifacts.
More importantly, without his contributions, the Hero’s Party would never have even approached the demons who called themselves gods. In that, he took pride.
Before Georg’s arrival, the Hero’s Party had no definitive countermeasure against miasma.
There were limits to what divine energy could suppress. Even the prayers of the Saintess proved ineffective.
Their only strategy was for the Saintess and the warrior to hold off the lesser demons, while the Hero, blessed by the divine sword and the goddess, struck down the demon before succumbing to the miasma.
Even that tactic failed against the most powerful demons. They could only defeat weaker demons and demon-possessed beings.
Although these victories were somewhat helpful, they were far from enough to turn the tide.
Just as even the Hero began to lose hope, Georg joined the party, bringing with him a formula that converted miasma into mana and divine energy.
The formula was so intricate and specialized that it could only be etched onto Georg’s body. However, that alone was sufficient to reverse their dire situation.
His circuits deteriorated further as a result, but Georg deemed it a small price to pay, especially since the Hero, whom he considered superior in every way, had apologized to him. Saving humanity was worth the cost, he thought.
Georg looked toward the stands. A young girl cloaked in a black aura stood there.
When he first encountered her, he had assumed she was a potential enemy due to her use of miasma.
Now, she appeared to be the answer to a question he had believed would remain forever unanswered.
She was manipulating something that was neither miasma nor mana.
Watching her, Georg felt an academic curiosity reignite within him—a passion he had long forgotten.
What was this power? How did she wield it? What could it achieve?
The fact that she was a user of miasma no longer mattered.
He was confident that he could subdue her if necessary. After all, he had hunted tens of thousands of demon-possessed beings.
Georg resolved to uncover the truth, even if it meant incapacitating and dissecting her alive.
Of course, he preferred to resolve things peacefully.
By now, he had entirely forgotten about tutoring Han Dogeon.
When Georg noticed Dogeon’s attention fixated on her, he promptly launched a spell at the boy.
“Where do you think you’re looking, Cadet Han Dogeon?”
“I apologize.”
The girl’s murderous glare directed at the boy was of no concern to him. His interest lay solely in the black aura enveloping her.
“Ah, so it’s because of that female student over there, isn’t it?”
“How did you—”
“Go to her. She’s waiting for you. That’s all for today.”
Georg wanted Dogeon to approach her as quickly as possible. That way, he could also observe her up close without raising suspicion.
If questioned about his proximity, he could always claim it was to prevent any escalating lovers’ quarrels. That would be a sufficiently convincing excuse.
As soon as Dogeon moved toward her, Georg immediately turned his attention to Baek Hoyeon.
***
For some reason, Professor Georg was following me.
He had never been particularly approachable, but now his expression seemed even more severe, bordering on menacing. His faint smile was eerie, sending chills down my spine.
An outstanding magician but a wholly broken human being, he was deeply unsettling.
After all, there was that scene in the original story where he dissected demon-possessed beings alive.
…She wasn’t using miasma, so surely, he wouldn’t hurt her, right? Trying to comprehend the actions of such a deranged individual was futile, so I decided to ignore him.
What I needed to focus on was calming Hoyeon before things spiraled out of control.
Her aura was intermittently flickering with dark energy, and the betrayal and rage in her gaze were palpable.
The closer I got, the more it felt like stepping into a tiger’s den. A primal fear gripped me, warning me that I might not walk away unscathed.
Even though I knew logically that Hoyeon wouldn’t hurt me, my instincts screamed at me to run.
“…Hoyeon.”
After much deliberation, I decided to start by calling her name and apologizing.
“Kneel.”
But the girl before me wasn’t just my friend, Baek Hoyeon.
She was Baek Hoyeon, daughter of Baek Jeongho and Byeolbi, and the sole heir to the Baek Empire.
Her tone and demeanor weren’t merely regal—they exuded the authority and confidence of someone who had always been destined to command.
Before I could think, my body obeyed her command.
“Do you know your crime?”
Only then did regret flood over me. I had underestimated her. I had been foolish enough to think that calling her a friend would be enough.
…I hadn’t known she could be like this.
Her mere gaze felt crushing, as if even breathing were an impossible feat.
“I… I have committed an unforgivable sin. Please… grant me your mercy…”
The thought of meeting her eyes never even crossed my mind. My only option was to bow my head and plead for forgiveness.
The fate of humanity or the events of the second act didn’t matter anymore. The fear of imminent death overwhelmed everything else.
Pressing my forehead to the ground, I strained my ears to detect her reaction.
“…Then confess your sins.”
Time, which had felt eternal, passed, and her voice, now slightly less furious, reached my ears.
There was hope—a baseless, fleeting hope—that she might forgive me.
After all, I was her first friend. Surely she wouldn’t hate me that much.
“I diverted my attention to another girl in your presence, upset you, and failed to apologize properly.”
I struggled to come up with more, but that was all I could manage. Having laid bare what I assumed were all her grievances, I cautiously looked up at her.
Her anger hadn’t disappeared, but it had subsided significantly.
Moments ago, her aura had been so oppressive that it made my skin sting.
The malicious intent that had filled her gaze was now gone.
“…You do understand your wrongdoing.”
I chose to remain silent and await her judgment. Pleading for forgiveness prematurely might provoke another outburst.
“…Do not come near me for a while.”
How long is “a while”? And does this mean I’m forgiven?
I wanted to ask, but the words wouldn’t come out. All I could do was watch her leave, feeling hollow.
…This is a disaster, isn’t it?
“Ahhh, all done! Professor… huh? Where’s Professor Georg? Did he leave Exipri behind?”
Exipri’s voice rang out, signaling that she had completed her course.
I wished I could blame her for all this, but it was entirely my fault. Blaming her would be unfair.
What was clear was that I needed to regain Hoyeon’s trust.
But I had no idea how. Trying to approach her as a friend might backfire, and I didn’t even know what she liked.
For someone who called themselves her friend, not knowing what she liked was inexcusable.
I set aside my self-recrimination and focused on finding a way.
She probably couldn’t communicate with her parents in real-time, and she had been somewhat lenient with me in the past. That gave me a sliver of hope.
Think. What can I do to win her over?
…Oh, right. In the original story, felines and beastfolk couldn’t resist bones.
Since tigers are part of the feline family…
Maybe it could work?
***
As I left the gymnasium, I briefly thought that I might have overreacted. But the memory of him fawning over Exipri made my anger flare up again.
I knew Dogeon couldn’t possibly dedicate his life to just looking at me, but still, I hated seeing him act like that.
Seriously, how long has it even been since he messed up? And now, his attention is already on another girl?
So, girls come before friends now, huh?
…Is this just the tragic nature of men? In the end, is friendship doomed to lose against lust?
Even one of my old friends stopped reaching out as soon as they started dating someone. I knew this in my head, but…
It still hurts.
Is it really so hard for someone to focus on me and me alone?
I guess it is. He’s an “insider,” after all. To someone like him, sticking with just one person for too long is probably tedious.
He probably swaps out the girls around him as soon as they get bored.
So how much more disposable must a friend be?
Feeling gloomy, I headed straight back to the dorm.
The faintly encoded gibberish here puzzled me for a moment. I decided to ignore it and focus.
I opened my journal to write about what happened today but stopped midway. I wasn’t ready to leave the academy yet.
After all, no matter what he thought of me, he was still my only friend.
…But for the next two days, I won’t say a single word to him.
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