The Conjurer of the Academy

Chapter 85

On the morning of the last day of the exchange student program, when the exchange students would return to their home school, I arrived early to the training ground, waiting for Ji-hwan.

There wasn’t any particular reason for being there first. Even on days off from training, I just naturally woke up early in the morning.

‘Since I got approval, there shouldn’t be any issues.’

Getting permission to use the training ground is one of the most challenging tasks at Babel. It can take up to a week to get approval, especially if you need to rent protectors.

‘Good thing I told Seo Geum-bi in advance.’

But thankfully, I have a reliable senior. When I informed Seo Geum-bi, she quickly secured approval, considering the exchange student schedule.

“Oh, you’re here early?”

As I sat on the steps, inhaling the crisp morning air, Ha-rin approached briskly from a distance.

“What about you? Why are you here so early? There’s more than 30 minutes left.”

“Hehe, knowing that Ji-hwan’s going to spar with you made me too excited to sleep.”

“Why are you excited when it’s not even your match?”

“Because there’s a lot I can learn.”

Ha-rin pulled out a notebook and pen from her pocket. It was just like her, a testament to her dedication.

“Mind if I sit next to you?”

“Of course not.”

I scooted over, and Ha-rin sat down beside me. Her long, sky-blue waves glinted in the early morning light.

“I’ve actually wanted to talk to you alone like this.”

“With me? Why?”

Ha-rin smiled softly at me. Indeed, she had the looks worthy of being called Seohun’s top beauty.

“I heard you’ve been looking after Ji-hwan.”

“Looking after? I’m just doing it because I have to.”

Considering I wanted to reap the quest rewards, my actions weren’t purely selfless.

“The important thing is that you had a choice.”

As if reading my mind, Ha-rin shook her head.

“No one forced you, but you willingly took care of Ji-hwan. It must have been really tough dealing with his inferiority complex.”

“So you knew he was feeling inferior.”

“Of course, we are siblings after all.”

Ha-rin nodded.

She then started doodling in her notebook with the pen she held. The crooked lines slowly took shape, albeit clumsily.

“The higher you fall from, the more it hurts. I think that’s what Ji-hwan’s feelings are like.”

The crude doodle on the notebook was completed. A stick figure sprawled out after falling from a building clearly represents Ji-hwan.

“The bigger the admiration, the greater the pain when the goal is shattered. That feeling of admiration turned into an inferiority complex. But Ji-hwan has been overcoming that inferiority in his own way.”

New sketches began to fill the notebook. Judging by the shapes, they depicted Ji-hwan doing push-ups or hitting a punching bag with all his might.

“People often call me a hard worker, right?”

“I’d say that’s an understatement.”

“Really?”

“Definitely.”

Ha-rin chuckled quietly.

“People don’t realize it, but Ji-hwan actually works harder than I do. Once he’s fixated on something, he stops at nothing to achieve his goal—a textbook example of dedication.”

A faint smile appeared on Ha-rin’s lips.

“So I have a favor to ask.”

Putting her notebook down, Ha-rin turned towards me.

“Please, give it your all and defeat Ji-hwan today!”

“…What?”

“Ji-hwan will definitely learn something from today’s defeat.”

Ha-rin nodded as if it were a given that Ji-hwan would lose.

“Isn’t that a bit hasty? I might lose, you know.”

“Liar. I heard everything from Yu-seong and Seo-ha. They said you’re so strong that even they don’t know how to handle you.”

Those two had never faced me properly, so what were they saying? While it was expected from Han Yu-seong, I was surprised that Shin Seo-ha thought so highly of me.

“Alright.”

I nodded reluctantly. Honestly, I had a rough idea of Ji-hwan’s capabilities. I had planned to go easy on him so as not to disappoint him too much, but now I couldn’t.

“I’ll do my best.”

Ha-rin seemed pleased with my response and beamed a smile at me.

“Thank you!”

* * *

Not long after, people started to show up at the morning training ground one by one.

“How are the preparations? Finished stretching?”

“About to start.”

Han Yu-seong, who was also accustomed to the early morning air like me.

“Such a hassle.”

“Shin Seo-ha, why are you here?”

“Those two idiots wouldn’t stop waking me up.”

Shin Seo-ha, dragged out by Han Yu-seong and Ha-rin.

“You’re here.”

Finally, Ji-hwan appeared.

Wearing his hood low, he looked as sharp as a boxer before a match.

“Let’s do our best today.”

“Likewise.”

We strapped on the prepared protectors and stepped onto the circular training ring.

“Alright, I’ll explain the rules.”

Han Yu-seong, who took on the role of referee, called out in a clear voice from the center of the ring.

“The protectors you’re wearing have been adjusted to trigger an alarm once their mana levels drop to 70 percent. The first one to set off the alarm loses. Simple, right?”

Ji-hwan and I nodded simultaneously.

“Then, once both of you are ready, we’ll start immediately.”

I drew the Sain-gum from my waist and aimed it at Ji-hwan.

“I’m ready.”

And with that, my preparations were complete.

“Whew.”

Ji-hwan also took a deep breath and threw off his hood, revealing his reddened, muscular upper body.

“Go, Ji-hwan! You can do it!”

“Ugh.”

The encouragement from Ha-rin softened the stern expression Ji-hwan had maintained. He looked like he wanted to retort, but he didn’t.

Clap!

Instead, Ji-hwan slapped his cheeks with both hands and got down on all fours.

It was reminiscent of how I looked when I fused with Yomi, like a beast crawling on all fours.

“Start.”

With Ji-hwan’s growling command,

“Begin the match!”

Han Yu-seong’s arm sliced through the air.

Immediately after,

“Grrr…!”

Ji-hwan’s body began to change.

Red and purple streaks writhed on his back, and then dozens, if not hundreds, of holes appeared.

‘I don’t know Ji-hwan’s ability.’

Ji-hwan is a character not mentioned in the original story. There were no clues given about his abilities.

‘But if you’re related to Ha-rin…’

Just as Shin Seo-ha and Shin Seo-jun had similar abilities, it’s natural for fraternal twins to share abilities. If that’s the case, Ji-hwan’s ability is—

“A hedgehog.”

Large spikes erupted from Ji-hwan’s back and forearms. The spikes on his clenched fists resembled knuckles.

‘As expected…’

Ji-hwan, with your level of skill, even a swarm of Yggdrasil’s branches would pose no issue.

But you didn’t. That’s because manifesting your abilities would have endangered the child nearby.

So you chose a method that would unquestionably save the child, even if it meant using yourself as bait.

“Let’s give it our all!”

Ji-hwan curled his body into a ball and launched himself at me.

Crackle—!

The rotating spikes clashed against the training arena floor, producing a sharp, screeching sound.

‘The pressure is incredible.’

Honestly, I want to acknowledge your effort. I wouldn’t mind taking a hit and conceding your victory.

‘But I made a promise.’

So I have to give it my all.

Even if it means you might fall back into the grips of your inferiority complex.

“I’m going to counter you head-on.”

I had no intention of dodging. I ran my hand along the blade of the Sain-gum. Flames roared to life, fueled by all my spiritual energy.

Slash—!

I swung my sword.

No fancy techniques or strategies. Just meeting your full force with my own.

Crackle-crash!

As the rotating spikes and my blade collided, bright sparks scattered in all directions. But the equilibrium of power only held for a moment.

Crunch

The spikes shattered, and Ji-hwan’s rotational axis broke. His trajectory altered, sending him crashing into the wall of the training ground.

“Ugh…”

Ji-hwan, his rotation halted, lay sprawled and gasping for breath.

Beep-beep-beep—!

The alarm on his protector marked the end of the duel.

“I lost…”

Ji-hwan collapsed onto the ground. Completely spent, he lay there, unable to move.

“The wall is still high. That was supposed to be my secret technique.”

Despite muttering some unintelligible words in his state, he seemed fine enough to speak coherently, indicating there was nothing to worry about.

“It was a good duel.”

I offered my hand to Ji-hwan. He glanced up at me and, with great effort, took my hand.

“Good? I got taken out in one hit.”

“You said it was your secret technique, right? Mine was a secret technique too, so taking you down in one hit is only natural.”

My joke seemed to amuse Ji-hwan as he chuckled.

“That’s ridiculous.”

Standing unsteadily, Ji-hwan burst into a genuine smile. It was the first sincere smile he’d shown since coming to Babel.

“Thank you for making me realize I was a frog in a well. There’s so much to learn in this world.”

Ji-hwan really was incredibly diligent. I noticed Ha-rin smiling contentedly as she watched us.

“We’re all learning together, after all.”

“…”

Ji-hwan bit his lip and tightened his grip on my hand.

“Let’s meet again someday.”

From today, the exchange students would return to their home school. Seohun and Babel are quite far apart, so unless we make a concerted effort, meeting again won’t be easy.

“I may have received help one-sidedly yesterday, but next time, I’ll definitely repay this debt.”

Normally, I would have brushed it off, saying it wasn’t necessary, but a joke slipped out instead.

“Make sure to repay it with interest.”

It was my way of acknowledging that I now considered Ji-hwan a friend—a significant change for me.

* * *

On the bus back to Seohun.

“That was really fun.”

“Man, I wish our school had more snacks in the store.”

“The swimming pool was amazing. Why don’t we have something like that?”

The students’ voices were even louder than when they were on their way here.

“…”

Amidst the noisy bus, Ji-hwan was the only one looking out the window, just like when they arrived.

“How was it?”

And just like when they arrived, Ha-rin leaned her face close to his.

“What do you mean, ‘how was it’?”

“Just asking about this and that.”

Ji-hwan responded curtly. Ha-rin didn’t give up and nudged his side with her elbow.

“You used to say you didn’t need friends. It seems you’ve made a good one.”

“He’s not my friend!”

Ji-hwan barked and turned away sharply. Because of this, he missed Ha-rin’s playful expression.

“If he’s not a friend, then what is he? Ha-baek would be sad to hear that.”

“Well, it’s just…”

Despite Ha-rin’s teasing, Ji-hwan hesitated to answer.

“I see.”

Seeing his perplexed face, Ha-rin smiled.

For siblings who thought alike, reading each other’s minds wasn’t too difficult.

“You’ve got a new goal, haven’t you?”

“…”

Ji-hwan’s hesitation to answer outright stemmed from the fact that he didn’t simply see Seol Ha-baek as a ‘friend.’

What Ji-hwan felt was a significant and special emotion that couldn’t be simply defined by the word ‘friend.’

[The current state of ‘Jeong Ji-hwan’ is ‘Admiration’.]

Ji-hwan turned his head to the window, trying hard to keep Ha-rin from seeing his reddened face.

“…Yeah.”