Chapter 43


“That’s it for today’s class.”

Rianna Medeiros, who seemed to be in a hurry, quickly said her goodbyes and dashed out as soon as the class ended.

I guess I should head out too.

Just as I was about to pack my notebook and pen into my bag and stand up.

“Wow! You’re so cute! Did you say your name is Gyeoul? Since when have you been this adorable?”

“…Huh?”

“Idiot, you’ve been cute since birth, obviously.”

What’s with these people?

Starting with that guy and girl.

“Hi! You’re the Demon King’s little sister, right? Is the Demon King as pretty at home?”

“…Huh?”

“I bet the Demon King would still smell nice even if she didn’t shower for a week.”

What the hell is this crazy guy?

“How many circuits have you opened? How much time have you spent training your circuits? How can you release magic so smoothly? Answer me!”

Some students even charged at me as if they wanted to fight.

“Hey, I heard Awakened Ones in Korea are ranked with letters too? What’s your rank?”

“How did it feel to awaken? Being the youngest, I’m so jealous.”

“Everyone in Korea must know you, right? Well, we recognized you right away too.”

“So, did you run away? I heard reporters in Korea are relentless.”

“What kind of food do you like? Want to grab lunch with me?”

“Where’s the Demon King? I want to see her in person. She’s my role model.”

“Where are you staying? Not the dorm, right? Are you living in a palace like the rumors say?”

“Have you met the Queen? Just thinking about a photo of the Demon King and the Queen together makes my heart swell.”

Even students from other classes who heard the news started crowding in.

Before I knew it, the classroom was packed with even more students than before.

‘I feel like I’m going to lose my mind…’

The large classroom was now completely full.

I need to go eat, but I’m surrounded by people and can’t move.

Who said England is a country of gentlemen?

All the gentlemen in the world must be dead!

“All of you, move aside.”

“…Lin Hazel.”

“What are you all doing crowding around one kid? If each of you asks one question, it’ll be over a hundred. Disperse now.”

Just one word from Lin Hazel, and the crowd of students started to disappear.

Just like I was the top dog at Cheongdam Elementary.

Lin Hazel must be the top dog of D-Class.

It was a tough situation, but it worked out.

I hope she’s not here to shake me down for money.

She must be friendly…?

“Sorry about earlier.”

“It’s okay.”

“As an apology, I’ll treat you to lunch.”

Lin Hazel was a really good person.

Seeing how sharp she is, she’s bound to do great things.

Yeah, apologies are made with food, not words.

“Have you been to the cafeteria? The food there is famous for being good.”

“…Huh?”

I think I need to take back what I said about Lin Hazel being a good person.

This must be a prank disguised as an apology.

The cafeteria food is good?

Is she trying to become my personal bully?

When I thought about taking classes at the Clock Tower, the biggest obstacle was the cafeteria.

I’d rather just eat the cup noodles I brought from Korea.

I thought I’d never have to go to the cafeteria…

But it seems Lin Hazel, who wants to be my personal bully, is preparing some food torture.

Come to think of it, Grandpa Heinz told me to stop by after class.

Now I have a natural way to avoid the bully’s attack.

“Ah, sorry. I have to go see the Tower Lord. He told me to stop by after class.”

“…The Tower Lord?”

“Want to come with me?”

“No, the Tower Lord is really scary.”

“…?”

He’s just a nice old man who likes kids.

“Too bad, I guess we’ll have to eat together next time. What class do you have in the afternoon?”

“I’m not sure, I think he wants me to come for that.”

I hope it’s a different class from yours.

I swallowed my words and said goodbye.

“Grandpa, I’m here.”

“Ah, Gyeoul, was the class okay?”

“Yes. What class is in the afternoon?”

“You’re skipping the afternoon class today. We have to go see the Queen.”

“…Huh?”

The Queen?

The Queen of England?

“Queen Elizabeth II?”

“II? You know the Queen from hundreds of years ago, you must have studied history a lot. But the current Queen is Elizabeth VI.”

…VI?

I thought this world was the same as the one I lived in.

Except for the Great Cataclysm that gave birth to Awakened Ones and monsters, everything else like celebrities, companies, and presidents seemed the same.

But England’s history has changed.

This is going to be a problem.

Do I need to go back to elementary school?

“The Demon King and the Queen are the same age. They’re so close that their audiences are scheduled on the fly. I got a call this morning.”

I’ll figure out the changes slowly.

I’m still young, so it’s okay if I get things wrong or don’t know.

Being young has its advantages in times like these.

If I had possessed an adult, I’d be treated like an idiot for not knowing basic common sense.

By the way.

“Where did my sister go?”

“After you went to class, she said she wanted to attend some classes too since it’s been a while. Come to think of it, she should be back by now…”

Jeong Ha-yul said she and Park Seol-hwa were alumni of the Clock Tower.

“What kind of relationship did Seol-hwa unnie and Ha-yul unnie have…”

That’s when it happened.

BOOM—

…? What was that explosion?

Heinz sighed and pressed his temples.

“…That must be your sister.”

Then I felt it too.

Jeong Ha-yul’s magic power was densely spread throughout the Clock Tower.

What is she doing now?

It hasn’t been long since she blew the lid off the Clock Tower, and now she’s destroying the main body.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes, sorry about this. My sister is a bit careless.”

“…”

Heinz chuckled in disbelief and led the way.

We arrived at the A-Class students’ training room.

“The protective barrier… Well, it’s meaningless against Jeong Ha-yul.”

“Has the Tower Lord arrived?”

The students and professors who had gathered after hearing the commotion greeted Heinz.

They seemed to know who I was too.

‘Rumors spread fast.’

A male student was slumped against the wall.

Jeong Ha-yul was sitting in front of him, seemingly deep in thought.

“What happened?”

“A-Class student Steven Harriet asked Hero Jeong Ha-yul to hit him just once.”

“…What are you talking about?”

Yeah, what is he talking about?

Did he have suicidal thoughts?

“He’s been working on a paper about improving shield defense. He asked her to participate in the experiment…”

“Ha, risking his life to write a paper.”

In a way, he’s a smart kid.

If the Demon King’s name is in the paper, no matter the content, it’ll get attention in the academic world.

But why didn’t he expect to get hurt?

It’s a tragic accident.

How confident was he in his improved shield to ask the Demon King to hit him?

Both the hitter and the one who asked to be hit.

They’re both weird.

After confirming the male student was okay, Jeong Ha-yul came over to Heinz and me.

“Gyeoul, you’re here?”

“Unnie, no matter what, you can’t knock someone out like that…”

“Ah, no, Gyeoul, listen… I didn’t even put any spin on my punch, it wasn’t a full swing, just a light jab…”

Jeong Ha-yul isn’t the type to make excuses if she did something. She’d own up to it.

So, she really knocked him out with one jab.

…What kind of person is she?

“Take the student to the infirmary.”

“Yes.”

“Demon King… Please, as an S-Class Hero, show some restraint.”

“No, this is really unfair. I didn’t know one jab would do this. He said his shield was really strong… You should’ve seen him earlier… He was so confident, he told me to go all out.”

“He’s just a young student being brash, you should’ve known better.”

“…I think I’m younger than him.”

“…”

Heinz, momentarily speechless, changed the subject.

“Gyeoul, let’s go get lunch. I’ll handle things here.”

Jeong Ha-yul still looked upset.

But not wanting to miss my meal time, she started walking.

“What do you want to eat?”

“Should we go home? The food at home is better than Koreatown.”

“Let’s do that.”

We called Kang-woo and Eun-chae, who were wandering around London, and headed home together.

As soon as we got home, Grundel, as if he had anticipated, spoke up.

“Shall I prepare a meal?”

“Yes!”

While waiting for the food, we talked about the class.

We talked about Lin Hazel.

We talked about Jeong Ha-yul’s accident.

“It’s really unfair, you know? If I had really gone all out like he said, there’d be a sinkhole in the Clock Tower. I controlled my strength, okay?”

“But the student got knocked out.”

“That’s why it’s unfair. If he couldn’t handle that, why did he ask me to go all out?”

Jeong Ha-yul, remembering the situation, passionately explained to Kang-woo and Eun-chae.

I think this is the first time I’ve seen her like this.

I sometimes forget the Demon King is only 22…

She’s still at an age where she acts like a kid.

If she gets too upset and breaks the dining table, it’ll be a problem, so let’s naturally change the subject.

…I’m always the youngest one suffering.

“Unnie, how many magic circuits have you opened?”

“Ah, today was magic control class, right? I’ve opened 362.”

“…”

Only three left?

What happens if you open all 365?

Jeong Ha-yul is probably the closest to opening all 365 circuits.

“When will you open the remaining three?”

“I could open them now if I wanted to.”

“Then why don’t you?”

“If I open all 365, I feel like I’d transcend humanity. I want to stay a normal human.”

“…?”

I don’t think you’re a normal human now.

I’ll keep that thought to myself. It might hurt her feelings.