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Chapter 139

“It’s been a really long time since I’ve been here.”

As Yeon-woo gazed at the scenery of the Academy that filled his vision, he fell into a small moment of nostalgia. Could it really feel this awkward after just a one-month break?

On either side of Yeon-woo were two children holding hands, and Shar was tightly hugging a bag that looked like it contained bread. After confirming its contents, he was so scared to put it in Relin’s Warehouse that he had no choice but to bring it all the way to the Academy.

Namgung Yang had told him not to mention it to anyone, but it was ridiculous to say not to talk about something after giving him such an item. Yeon-woo intended to consult Yuri as soon as he got inside.

If someone were to say it was no big deal for just one person, he wouldn’t have an argument, but Namgung Yang was genuinely worried about the priceless item being discovered by Namgung Mu, so he just had to keep that information contained.

Usually, saying this sort of thing led to getting caught later, but it honestly seemed more abnormal for someone to give such items as gifts to outsiders.

“I’m going to dash to the Department Head’s Office, guys!! Shar, hold onto that bag tightly, and Tae-oh, be careful not to trip!”

“Run, run~!”

“Hehehe!”

Feeling the pressure of carrying a huge sum of cash, Yeon-woo sprinted.

The goal was the Department Head’s Office. At this time, Momo should be working there alongside Yuri.

Yeon-woo returned to Harmony City not exactly on the day of the new semester but two days ahead of it after enjoying a 3-night and 4-day stay at the resort arranged by the orphanage people and Namgung Seong.

Of course, he had various reasons for it. Since he moved to the Bronze Dormitory, he had things to prepare in advance, and he had to take Momo with him to the dormitory.

‘I heard the tutor is there too.’

None other than the ninth disciple of the Sword of Ten Thousand. A person whose whereabouts were elusive even before his reincarnation. It seemed that some people knew about him before reincarnation, but to Yeon-woo, he was entirely unfamiliar.

Not to mention, wasn’t he supposed to be the hero of Alkeion? How was it that a hero was also Yuri’s disciple? He was curious as to how he ended up here on a retreat.

‘Could it be that the sudden acceptance of a position by my teacher is related to the tutor?’

[That seems likely. The Inner Circle of Heukdong Ogong is also involved, and various things he collects personally seem to be constantly increasing in the Department Head’s Office.]

[Hmm. It seems a lot of things that look beneficial to the body are piling up. Did you see that too, Tae-oh?]

‘Really? It makes sense that the Department Head’s position would offer a good standing to attend various auctions….’

Additionally, considering the Academy paid for when he purchased the Inner Circle of Heukdong Ogong, it seemed like he received some funding as well.

It might sound like corruption, but just the fact that Yuri took the position had numerous noble families rushing to claim his money, so it must have been beneficial for the Academy.

While sharing such thoughts, Yeon-woo and the kids arrived in front of the Department Head’s Office. Inside, it was quiet. Did they enter the Gate? Yeon-woo thought as he knocked on the door.

“Teacher, are you there?”

The room remained silent. What? Is no one there? Maybe they’re inside the Gate, or they might just have briefly stepped away.

“Hmm… I wonder if I can just go in.”

If it was just Yuri inside, he would enter without hesitation, but since there could potentially be someone unfamiliar, he hesitated to open the door.

“Let’s give it a shot; I guess there’s nothing to lose.”

“Sounds good.”

Despite the modern communication technology in this era that benefited from the arcane engineering, it was impossible to connect with someone in another dimension. If they’re outside, he could just ask; otherwise, he had no choice but to venture in.

Drrrrr, drrrrr.

The dull ringing tone echoed a few times before it cut off. Was that a sign they were outside? If they were inside the Gate, that meant they were in an area with no reception. Soon enough, Yeon-woo’s guess was confirmed by Yuri’s voice on the other end.

– Oh, why did you call?

“I thought you weren’t in the Department Head’s Office. Is it okay if I come in? I brought Momo.”

– Hmm… Yeah, come in. She should be with your tutor in the Gate, so why don’t you keep her company while you’re in there?

“That sounds okay…?”

– Yeah, I’d appreciate it. If you’re free in the evening, we could go out for dinner together.

“Sure, I have some time. I’ll hang up now, Teacher.”

– Okay.

…What was going on?

Yeon-woo felt a little awkward. Yuri was being overly kind. Of course, Yuri enjoyed manipulating people, especially during training times, but not in moments like this.

However, usually, the grumbling and teasing wouldn’t entirely disappear, but today, Yuri seemed unusually gentle. What was up with that? Was it because of the tutor?

Whatever it was, he had received permission. Let’s just go in. With that thought, Yeon-woo placed his hand on the door. With a sound of a click, his pre-registered fingerprint was read, and the door opened.

“Grandfather’s disciple… so the tutor is probably inside the Gate. Since I can go in, let’s just quietly step in.”

“Got it!”

“Confirmed.”

The three began whispering to each other as they entered. While there was no reason not to converse once inside, they simply couldn’t help being so enthusiastic about the experience.

Good things are good, right? But what if the teacher wasn’t in? Yeon-woo looked at the bag that Shar was holding and made a face. He couldn’t just leave it somewhere.

With Yeon-woo’s worries in mind, the three set foot into the Gate.

*

Yuri’s training Gate was as quiet as always. A clear sky and a small wooden cabin settled on a nearby hill. The only thing visible on the horizon were peaceful scenes of forests and flower gardens.

Perhaps it was because it had been a while since he had seen it, but gazing at the fairy-tale landscape, Yeon-woo easily lifted the children.

While they weren’t kids who couldn’t climb a small hill, he just felt like doing so.

“Fusion complete. Let’s go meet the tutor.”

“I wonder what kind of person they will be?”

“They say the hero is really cool, right?”

Considering that they were Yuri’s disciple, they probably had incredible muscles. Yuri’s training was hard enough to break anyone with mediocre physicality.

With that baseline set, imagining what they might look like was hard.

A typical Amazonian muscular figure…!! It felt more like a warrior than a hero. Maybe that was just a preconceived notion.

Shaking his head at the image of a brown-skinned, muscular woman that popped into his mind, Yeon-woo steadied his resolve and knocked on the cabin door while carrying the kids on his shoulders. It was a really tiny voice.

“Is anyone home?”

There was no reply. Just then, before he even touched it, the wooden door creaked open slightly, probably due to the wind, startling Yeon-woo to raise both hands in surprise.

“Dad, now that just makes things more suspicious.”

“Uh, uh…. Should I just act confidently?”

“The owner gave us permission, right? It shouldn’t matter.”

Still, it felt scary to just barge in without knowing what was going on inside. Watching from the side, Tae-oh covered one eye with his right hand and quietly whispered.

“It seems like they’re asleep…!”

“Thanks, Tae-oh. But if you use your abilities like that, people might misunderstand, so please use it only when I ask, okay?”

Of course, Tae-oh, not yet interested in such matters, probably wouldn’t mind being able to peek in like this, but the real issue was that those who knew what Tae-oh could do knew that Yeon-woo could too.

Being labeled as someone who could peek into locker rooms at any moment would hardly be something he would be pleased about.

Tae-oh’s ability had many exceptional traits that could be quite dangerous.

It was his role to inform them gently about what was okay and what was not.

“If they are indeed sleeping, it might be better to make a little noise.”

Thinking this, Yeon-woo knocked on the door harder than before, and a rustling noise from the blankets echoed.

“Kiing, kiing… Wang, Wang!”

“Hmm…? Momo, what’s going on…?”

[Ah, I can hear Momo’s voice!]

‘So they were sleeping together all along.’

Perhaps Mo-mo’s barking woke them up, as a voice presumed to be the tutor chimed in. It sounded thinner than expected.

If he were to make an analogy, it would be the voice of a young noblewoman. But upon thinking about it again, before they were chosen as a hero, they had been a noble lady as well. That made sense.

Clearing his throat at the door to prepare his voice, Yeon-woo knocked again. A light voice, seemingly on guard, came through.

“Excuse me, tutor. I was told by Teacher Yuri that it was okay to come in. Is it alright if I enter the room?”

“Uh…? Oh, are you Yeon-woo?”

“Yes. I heard that the Teacher had to step out, and I was asked to keep you company.”

“Um, just a moment. Please wait for three minutes.”

With that, the sound of water splashing could be heard. It sounded as if they were lightly washing their face. Yeon-woo decided to pretend he didn’t hear anything.

After a short while, as if preparations were complete, the calm presence of the hero, Noel, coughed softly on the other side of the door.

According to Richard, she was the second daughter of the Viscount Bich, Noel de Bich. For now, it seemed best to play dumb.

“Yes, you can come in now.”

“Then excuse me. Kids, say hello.”

As Yeon-woo opened the door, Noel’s eyes widened in surprise. Certainly, it was shocking to see someone with a child on each shoulder.

“Hello! I’m Shar.”

“Pleased to meet you. I’m Tae-oh.”

Yeon-woo watched as the two children, grabbing his head with one arm while extending their other arm for a greeting, brought a soft smile to Noel’s face. Momo, sitting near by and panting, also barked excitedly.

“Oh my, I heard about the cute kids, but you really are! How can they be so lovely? I am Noel, ladies and gentlemen. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

As Yeon-woo lightly bent at the waist, the two kids who leaped off his shoulders dashed towards Noel and Momo.

It seemed as if they remembered Tae-oh and Shar, who had taken care of them after not seeing each other for a long time, as their tails were rapidly wagging.

Amidst the friendly atmosphere, Yeon-woo realized he had to gather his thoughts. He had already heard about Noel from Richard, and it was clear she, too, had heard about him from Yuri, but human relationships often begin with formal introductions.

“Hello, Tutor. I am Choi Yeon-woo, a first-year student at the Academy. It seems that by coincidence, we are both disciples of the same teacher.”

“Um-….”

As Yeon-woo politely bowed, Noel, who had been pondering with a fidget of her fingers, burst into laughter.

“Hehe, you’re so stiff. We’re the same age, right? It’s fine to speak more casually. After all, I’ve been disowned.”

“Excuse me…?”

“What? Didn’t the teacher tell you? I ran away midway, so I’m a disowned disciple.”

Though it seemed strange since Yuri had definitely said the tutor was staying with them. Perhaps there was a somewhat complicated background.

But it seemed certain that Yuri regarded Noel as a disciple, so Yeon-woo decided to think of her as the tutor no matter what.

“Then I’ll speak comfortably… Will that be fine?”

“Sure, that’s much better. I don’t have many friends anyway. Oh, and by the way, I heard that Momo is the one you’re raising…? Now that you’re back, do you want to take her?”

“Um, that’s why I moved to the dormitory…”

After exchanging such thoughts with Noel, Shar suddenly raised her head as if she had come up with a good idea. Her eyes sparkled like starry skies.

“Even though we can’t give up Momo, if you’re okay with it, we could come over every day to play with you!”

“Wow! Big sis, that’s a great idea…!”

“Oh my, would you really do that? I hope I’m not being a burden.”

“It’s fine! Shar wants to be friends with big sis Noel!”

“Tae-oh too! I want to hear big sis Noel’s adventure stories!”

The three, with their unique innocence, started chatting excitedly with Noel from a little distance, while Yeon-woo couldn’t help but think.

‘Just… a girl of the same age you can find anywhere.’

What on earth made her a hero, and what kind of injury had she sustained that she was currently recuperating like this?

He couldn’t shake off those thoughts.

(To be continued in the next part)

 

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