The Support Ate it All

Since Hong Yeon-hwa's embarrassment was reaching its peak, we moved to a quieter place.

As expected, the true identity of Hong Yeon-hwa's father was Hong Yeom-baek. He was none other than the current Ruby Tower Master.

Of course, right now he was just a doting dad.

He gave a somewhat sheepish smile.

"So, you're not dating Yeon-hwa then?"

"I'm not seeing anyone at the moment."

I replied smoothly.

At that, Yeon-hwa's eyes darted about endlessly. Probably because she remembered my earlier remark about being greedy.

It wasn't a lie, since I really wasn't dating anyone right now.

Hong Yeom-baek chuckled heartily and started glancing between me and Seo Ye-in.

"I see! It's just that you two seemed so close that I wondered if there might be a love triangle!"

"Of course not."

I answered smoothly again, while Yeon-hwa's gaze darted even more frantically.

The truth was, things were far more complicated than a simple triangle.

Hong Yeom-baek nodded his head and his expression suddenly grew serious.

Leaning toward me, he said,

"But just in case… if you and Yeon-hwa do end up together someday…"

"…..…"

"…Would you let me name your first child?"

"Dad!!"

"Kahahaha! I'm just joking, just joking! People's hearts never follow their plans, and for young folks like you two, that's even more true. It's not my place to meddle. I'm just grateful you get along with Yeon-hwa."

It seemed like he was tossing out random comments, but really, he was gauging my reactions.

Still, unlike Hong Yeon-hwa who was flustered at every turn it wasn't hard for me to stay calm.

"I plan to maintain a good relationship with her."

"Yes, yes. I'll be counting on you. Have you prepared for the tournament?"

"I still have a long way to go. But I intend to do my best with the goal of reaching the finals."

"The finals, eh! Now that's the spirit a man should have!"

Hong Yeom-baek said with a satisfied laugh.

Advancing to the finals meant ranking among the top 32 students out of the hundreds enrolled at Dragon Slayer Academy.

Along the way, you'd have to surpass a good number of second- and third-years, so it was by no means an easy goal.

Hong Yeom-baek offered a final word of encouragement before getting up.

"I wish you the best of luck. Let's meet again soon."

"Yes, I'll see you next time."

"Yeon-hwa, let's go see your unnie now!"

Hong Yeon-hwa scampered after her father while scolding him.

"Seriously, what's with you today!"

"Haha, I guess I got a little carried away! I'm just happy my daughter's made a friend!"

"Keep that up and they'll all run away!"

"They don't seem like the type to be scared off that easily! Anyway, where's your unnie?"

"She said she's waiting in the club room."

Meanwhile, Seo Ye-in was quietly watching the retreating figures of the father and daughter.

Then she turned her head toward me.

"I'm going to the finals too."

"Feeling motivated now?"

"Full of motivation."

***

A young girl was walking across the academy grounds.

She was so young and delicate-looking that anyone who saw her might ask, "Where are your parents?"

However, whenever passing parents crossed paths with her, they either flinched in surprise or stepped aside politely, bowing as she passed.

It was strange, considering most of those people were leaders or high-ranking executives of their respective groups.

The girl accepted their greetings as a matter of course and walked on.

Eventually, she stepped into the principal's office.

The principal and vice principal bowed respectfully, just as the others had.

"You've arrived."

"Mhmm. Seems like you've been doing well. Quite a fancy room you've got here."

The girl, or rather the Sword Queen, remarked as she glanced around.

Though she was also an S-rank, she was a master from several generations ago.

Even a leader had no choice but to treat her with utmost respect.

The principal spoke.

"I was greatly surprised to hear that you had come down from the mountain."

"Lately, my dreams have been unusually restless."

"I've heard somewhere that people sleep less as they get—"

Shhwaaak!—

The principal instantly took a half-step back, just in time for a razor-sharp wave of invisible sword energy to slice through where he'd been standing.

The Sword Queen, as if she hadn't just unleashed it, stood with both arms hanging loosely at her sides.

"There's nothing you can't say to a woman, is there? Maybe it's just gotten worse now that you're older."

"I suppose I've always been lacking in manners."

"At this point, I doubt you'll ever fix that habit, but learning a bit of tact might help your love life. Didn't you get dumped again recently?"

"……"

Having been struck right where it hurt, the principal was left at a loss for words.

Watching him, the Sword Queen clicked her tongue before continuing.

"I'm not talking about my dreams for no reason. I've lost sleep more than just a few nights lately."

"I know, I know. I was just joking around. What were the dreams about?"

"Old memories keep coming back to me."

Memories of the days battling witches and dragons, fighting to the death against the Blood Cult.

If events from decades past kept appearing in her dreams, it was certainly not a good sign.

The principal's face grew grave.

"Things have been rather unstable lately, that's for sure."

"Right. So I thought I'd come down and see my disciple's face while I was at it."

"What can we do to help you?"

At that, the Sword Queen met his eyes and jerked her chin, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Stick with me for a while. We'll head down underground, too."

"Sure, I'll clear my schedule."

Of course, that would mean the vice principal would have to take on more work.

The principal did his best to ignore the sharp gaze stabbing into him.

"And when does the tournament start?"

"The preliminaries kick off Monday."

"The rules are the same?"

"Of course."

"That's good."

The Sword Queen beamed.

Seeing that expression, the principal sensed something was off.

"Oh, no… You're not thinking what I think you're thinking, right?"

"And why not?"

"Do you really think that's possible?"

"Then make it possible. You're the principal."

"If I just do whatever I want, I'll get fired!"

As the principal continued to refuse firmly, the Sword Queen folded her arms and abruptly turned her head away.

"How disappointing. I came all the way here out of concern, and you can't grant me such a simple request."

"There are requests, and then there are 'requests'. Why get involved in the kids' games?"

"Fine, whatever. If you say it can't be done, it can't be done."

But despite her words, she radiated a sulky air from head to toe.

In the end, the principal let out a long defeated sigh.

"Alright, fine. I'll figure something out."

***

A certain secluded location.

Two middle-aged men were watching the crowd while keeping themselves hidden.

Killing intent burned in their eyes.

"Teeming with pests."

"Couldn't agree more."

The two were none other than the Illusion Demon and the Shadow Lord.

At the request of the Blood Brain, they had infiltrated Dungeon Island.

The Shadow Lord spoke.

"If it were up to me, I'd cull a few of the pests standing in the way of our great cause, but for now, the mission comes first, don't you think?"

"Quite right."

The Illusion Demon nodded in agreement.

Their goal was to retrieve the Blood Wind Sword.

Stirring up Dungeon Island out of some pointless bravado would only raise the risk of failure.

After watching the crowd a while longer, the Illusion Demon gave his instructions.

"Lord, I'd like you to gather intelligence from the shadows. As for me, I'll put my own specialties to full use."

"So be it."

The Shadow Lord nodded and then faded away into nothing, as if vanishing into thin air.

The Illusion Demon cast him a brief glance before stepping out from his hiding place and approaching a passing student.

Putting on a friendly, innocent expression, he spoke.

"Excuse me."

"Yes? What is it?"

The student looked at him with a hint of wariness.

The Illusion Demon scratched the back of his head, feigning embarrassment.

"Could you tell me which way the arena is? It's my first time on Dungeon Island, so I keep getting lost."

"Just keep following this road, then turn when you hit a fork—"

The student's polite directions continued.

He'd already memorized the layout of the island long ago, but the Illusion Demon nodded along as if listening intently.

When the explanation ended, he said,

"Thank you so much. Everyone here is so kind."

At the same time, his eyes began to glimmer with a sinister purple light.

The Soul-Seizing Technique was activating.

"It's nothing, real—"

The student, accepting the thanks without much thought, started to walk past…until his gaze met those purple eyes. Slowly, his expression turned vacant.

At first, he twitched as though trying to resist, but that soon faded, leaving him standing there like a puppet.

The Illusion Demon's voice returned to its natural tone.

"What year are you?"

"Second year…"

Just as he'd suspected from the tie pin.

For a second-year to be unable to mount even a token resistance to the Soul-Seizing Technique… this might be easier than he'd thought.

The Illusion Demon continued.

"I'm looking for someone."

"Who…"

"A first-year student who uses techniques related to wind."

The former Supreme Protector had only recently sent a disciple down the mountain. That person was almost certainly a first-year.

And to inherit the Blood Wind Sword, one needed to have mastered certain wind-type martial arts to a considerable level.

With those two clues, narrowing the field wouldn't be difficult.

"Wind… wind…"

The student murmured, as if searching his memory.

The Illusion Demon waited patiently, thinking to himself,

No one fills their belly on the first spoonful.

It wasn't as if a student picked at random would know every detail he wanted to find out.

He figured he would probably have to repeat this sort of thing several more times.

But unexpectedly, the student gave an answer almost immediately.

"First year… Class 3… Kim Ho…"

"Does he mainly use wind techniques?"

When the Illusion Demon asked again to confirm, the student slowly nodded his head.

In truth, this particular student had been one of the unfortunate victims toyed with by Kim Ho during the 7th Week duel battle.

The Illusion Demon who didn't know of this simply rejoiced at his good fortune.

The start is smooth enough. I should meet this Kim Ho first.

Whether the boy merely used wind-type skills or was in some way connected to the Blood Wind Sword…he would know at a glance.

Before leaving, he cast a brief glance at the student still trapped in the Soul-Seizing Technique.

Better to leave this one alive.

As he had discussed with the Shadow Lord earlier, the cleaner and quieter the job, the better the chances of completing the mission without trouble.

Increase the number of disappearances, and the academy would quickly sense something amiss and take action.

Besides, one never knew…. he might have a use for the boy later.

So the Illusion Demon left the student where he was and vanished without a sound.

Some time passed, and the vacant look in the student's eyes slowly cleared.

Startled, he glanced around in sudden alarm.

"What the…?"

It felt like someone had been standing right in front of him just moments ago.

But no matter how hard he tried, nothing came to mind.

"…Damn it, was I seeing things?"

Or had he just zoned out for a moment?

He shook his head repeatedly in confusion and hurried on his way.