The Conjurer of the Academy

Chapter 22

Though Seo Geum-bi is diligent, I wasn’t entirely sure she would be in the Disciplinary Committee room initially. But this time, I was confident.

“Ugh…”

In one of the empty second-year classrooms, I heard the sound of someone sniffling.

“I finally got a new club member, yet I’m stuck with remedial classes at this hour.”

There sat Jin So-yul, the only academic underachiever in the second year, lamenting her fate as she melded with the desk.

“Hehe, but at least I can’t resist sneaking my phone out during remedial classes.”

“Senior.”

“Ah! You scared me!”

When I spoke from behind, Jin So-yul shivered. She was startled enough to make the desk rattle.

“Ha-Habaek?”

“What’s got you so startled?”

“It’s a strict school rule violation for a first-year to enter the second-year area without a reason!”

“I have nothing to say even if you’re bringing up school rules, Senior.”

I shrugged at the fiercely breathing Jin So-yul.

“And besides, I do have a reason. I came to see you, Senior.”

“Who, me?”

“Of course, who else?”

“Y-You came to see me!?”

She was so flustered that the desk wobbled once more.

“You made such a fuss in the cafeteria about wanting to uncover all the ghost stories, but you haven’t shown your face since then.”

“…Sometimes, the absurd systems created by humans are far more terrifying than supernatural phenomena.”

“Just say you don’t want to do remedial classes.”

Jin So-yul buried her face in the textbook and shook it vigorously from side to side. Her brown bob hair swayed, and the herbal shampoo scent reminded me of a medicine shop.

‘So this is how the time gaps between quests are handled.’

Naturally, in the game, there was a certain cooldown period between quests.

“Ugh, I want to dive into the next mystery right now…”

It seemed that the reason Jin So-yul, who was obsessed with the school’s Four Great Unsolved Mysteries, didn’t immediately investigate all the ghost stories was that she was tied up with remedial classes

“I have something to ask.”

I turned the chair opposite Jin So-yul around and sat on it.

Hearing that I had something to ask, Jin So-yul lifted her face from the desk slightly.

“What is it?”

“You’re well-versed in occult knowledge, right? So, I wanted to see if you know any way to stop nightmares?”

Jin So-yul’s head drooped again at my words. Her shoulders trembled, and I was about to approach her, thinking something might be wrong.

“You came to the right place!”

“Whoa!”

Jin So-yul sprang up like a spring, stepped on her textbook, and stood on top of the desk.

“If it’s that kind of problem, this occult fanatic Jin So-yul can tell you clearly.”

Jin So-yul put her hands into both skirt pockets and pulled out different items with each hand.

In her left hand was something that looked like an elaborate decoration meant to be hung on a wall, and in her right hand was a yellow piece of paper that looked familiar.

“In my left hand is something called a dreamcatcher, which is hung near the bed to catch nightmares primarily in Western cultures, and in my right hand is a talisman, used as a panacea for many ailments in Eastern cultures!”

“…Are you Doraemon or something?”

Why does she carry things like that? Neither of those items seems like something that should come out of a high school girl’s pocket.

‘Still…’

I examined Jin So-yul’s left and right hands alternately. Both held items I hadn’t even thought of.

‘As expected, asking Jin So-yul was the right choice.’

Despite being an eccentric, her knowledge of the occult is peerless.

[I can guess what you might have thought of.]

I nodded at Yomi’s words and stood up.

“Thank you, Senior. Thanks to you, I thought of something good.”

“Huh? You’re leaving already?”

“Yes, it’s almost night.”

Jin So-yul’s lips drooped in disappointment.

I felt bad about leaving her like this, but I couldn’t afford to waste any more time.

“Then, excuse me. Good luck with your remedial classes, Senior.”

“Wait, I have something to ask you too!”

“Something to ask?”

Jin So-yul’s voice was rather downcast. Thinking it might be something important, I turned back. Jin So-yul had gotten off the desk and was looking at me seriously as she asked,

“Are you good at math?”

* * *

‘It’s already this late…’

It took longer than expected to shake off the tearful Jin So-yul. It was already evening, almost night.

I also spent a good amount of time stopping by the cafeteria before meeting today’s final protagonist.

‘Making a dream catcher is out of the question due to the time constraint.’

Right, so I chose a talisman.

Talisman’s origin lies in being a special tool created to fulfill certain wishes.

[So you chose meal coupons?]

“Got a problem with that?”

Even mass-produced meal coupons can become talismans if imbued with the right wishes and spiritual energy. Of course, their effectiveness wouldn’t compare to the real thing.

“Baek-Ah.”

I placed the meal coupons on my palm and called out to the Sain-gum. The sword rattled, and a voice emerged.

[Did you call for me?]

“Pour as much of your spiritual energy into these meal coupons as possible.”

At my request, Yomi, perched on my shoulder, snorted.

[Impressive. You plan to neutralize the fiery energy following the Yin-Yang Five Elements theory, right?]

In the context of Yin-Yang Five Elements (陰陽五行), the theory explains the universe’s elements as water (水), fire (火), earth (土), wood (木), and metal (金).

Shin Seo-ha’s spirit burns vividly red because most of her spirit’s attributes are self-destructive fire, disrupting her balance.

[That’s a piece of cake!]

Soon, Baek-Ah’s spiritual energy converged onto my palm. Baek-Ah’s water spiritual energy might just help Shin Seo-ha.

‘Now, all that’s left is…’

I looked up at the dormitory.

Shin Seo-ha’s room had its lights off. She usually spent a lot of time on the terrace, lost in thought, but today she was nowhere to be seen on the terrace.

How long had I been waiting on the bench next to the dormitory?

“……”

As Shin Seo-ha was about to enter the dormitory, our eyes met by chance. The moment our eyes locked, she, who had been trudging along, suddenly dashed towards the dormitory entrance like a cheetah.

“Hey, wait! Why are you avoiding me!”

Since I was closer to the entrance, I managed to block her path just in time. Shin Seo-ha, who was just a step away from entering, clicked her tongue in frustration.

“I clearly warned you not to get involved with me anymore, didn’t I?”

“Even if you say that… Wait a minute, did you get into another fight?”

Shin Seo-ha’s body was covered in injuries. Her lips were split and bleeding, and there were scratches and bruises all over her arms and legs.

“Stop nagging. This is precisely why I didn’t want to get involved with you.”

Muttering to herself, Shin Seo-ha tilted her head.

“Get out of the way. Don’t you know blocking someone’s entry to the dormitory is a violation of school rules?”

“…And you of all people are saying that.”

I subtly activated the Spirit Sight and scanned her body.

Her spirit burned fiercely and red, to the extent that it seemed like she was about to burn out her own flesh. However, it was also faint and precarious, as if it could be extinguished at any moment.

“This is dangerous.”

Shin Seo-ha is strong.

In every cycle, Shin Seo-ha is eventually saved by Han Yu-seong, overcoming her past wounds and moving forward.

However, that was always part of the game’s enforced scenarios and naturally when the player controlled Han Yu-seong. But what if we thought differently?

‘What happens to Shin Seo-ha in a world where Han Yu-seong doesn’t intervene?’

There’s no guarantee that Han Yu-seong will save Shin Seo-ha. In fact, given how many parts of the original storyline have diverged, it’s reasonable to assume that a self-aware Han Yu-seong might miss out on Shin Seo-ha.

In this case, no one can be sure that Shin Seo-ha will keep her mental stability until the final chapter of the scenario. In the worst case, she might completely fall apart in the early stages.

“Shin Seo-ha.”

So, it was natural that my voice lowered to a more serious tone.

“W-What?”

Shin Seo-ha, sensing something unusual in my tone, hesitated a bit. Without backing down, I pulled out the prepared item from my pocket and held it out.

“Are you eating properly?”

“What?”

Her expression twisted in confusion. It must have looked similar to my expression when Jin So-yul asked an unexpected serious question earlier.

I placed a handful of meal coupons into the hesitant Shin Seo-ha’s hand.

“Since you probably won’t stop fighting just because I tell you to, at least make sure you’re eating well.”

Instead of handing her a piece of yellow paper with red scribbles, which would surely have scared her off, I handed her the talisman in the form of meal coupons.

But as expected, Shin Seo-ha was not going to accept it easily.

“Have you lost your mind? Do you think you’re my mom or something just because we met once?”

Shin Seo-ha sharply slapped my hand away. However, the force wasn’t as strong as I had anticipated, so I didn’t withdraw my hand.

“Do you remember what I told you? That I’d stop your nightmares.”

Despite being rebuffed once, I forcefully placed the meal coupons into her hand again.

“To manage stress, you should first take good care of your health. Are you making sure to eat three meals a day regularly?”

“Ha.”

Shin Seo-ha let out a sigh.

I know too. I’m being stubborn. But what choice do I have? To break a stubborn mule, you need to be just as stubborn.

“So you’re saying that as long as I eat well, everything will be fine?”

“Even if you don’t eat, it’s a good idea to carry the meal coupons. You’ll get hungry after fighting, won’t you?”

“I’ve seen people telling me not to fight, but it’s my first time hearing someone tell me to make sure to eat because I’ll get hungry from fighting.”

Shin Seo-ha clicked her tongue.

The main goal is to have Shin Seo-ha carry the meal coupons, but if she also eats consistently, that’s a bonus.

“Is it free?”

After some hesitation, Shin Seo-ha asked.

Seeing her look at me like a cautious cat made me laugh without realizing it.

“Of course, it’s free.”

“No, not the meal coupons.”

Shin Seo-ha stepped closer to me. When she got excited, she had a bad habit of forgetting personal space, regardless of the other person’s gender.

Even now, with me pinned against the wall, her chest was almost touching mine.

“There’s got to be a reason you’re doing this for me. Are you after money? Or are you one of those old folks from my family?”

Shin Seo-ha was suspicious of my kindness. Naturally. Ever since her downfall, everyone who approached her had an ulterior motive.

“Or is it pity?”

Shin Seo-ha bit her lip.

I realized my answer was crucial to her, so I had to choose my words carefully.

‘It’s not completely altruistic.’

I want to relieve Shin Seo-ha’s guilt and self-loathing and ultimately awaken Shin Seo-jun, her Guardian Spirit, from his slumber.

Sure, it’s a means to prevent destruction, but aside from that, I genuinely wish for Shin Seo-ha’s happiness. So, there’s no need to make excuses.

“Just because.”

Admitting that I thought of her as a friend was too cringeworthy, so I decided to leave it for another time.

“In case we cross paths again, I hope we can get along.”