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Chapter 186

“…Yeon-woo is late.”

Alkeinea mumbled with a melancholic voice. Her slightly furrowed eyelashes looked awfully sorrowful.

Even Claire, who had been steadfast in her resolve, felt anger boiling in her and almost cursed Yeon-woo.

‘Get a grip, Claire! Don’t get distracted by her face!’

As Claire slapped her own face to shake off the feelings, Shar and Tae-oh gazed at her with wide eyes. Claire chuckled awkwardly and cleared her throat.

“Ahem.”

“If this goes on, everything will go cold. After all the cooking…”

Looking at the bubbling stew in the pot, Alkeinea muttered gloomily. Even Claire was at a loss for words at the sight. Honestly, wasn’t Yeon-woo in the wrong here?

“I can’t just sit here; it’s going to lose its flavor. Shar, Tae-oh. Do you know where Yeon-woo is? Can you lead me to her?”

“Well, Dad cut off communication from a certain point, but I think I know where she is. It’s at Grandfather’s Gate.”

“Looks like she went to meet Noel? Now that I think about it, didn’t she say she needed to heal soon?”

“Grandfather? Heal? What for? More importantly, is she meeting a girl?”

The two boys realized they had treaded on dangerous ground with Alkeinea’s building anger.

They knew Dad had no intention of meeting Noel in such a way, but it was too much to expect Alkeinea, who didn’t know the full story, to understand all that.

“Um, Mom? Don’t be mad. She just went to heal because her body is not well.”

“Shar.”

As Shar attempted to calm down Alkeinea, she managed a faint smile. But her anger didn’t seem to lift.

“Call her Sister Noel. I’ve never had a daughter other than Shar.”

“That’s not what I meant…”

Mumbling, Shar was suddenly picked up by Tae-oh, and Nea burst through the dormitory door. Meanwhile, Claire quickly followed them after placing the pot down from the electric range.

*

Normally, bringing two outsiders into the Department Head’s Office would be impossible, but Shar and Tae-oh were practically VIPs within this Academy.

The four of them smoothly went through all security procedures and entered the Gate of the Department Head’s Office without a hitch. It was merely a formality at that point.

And as soon as they entered, they were hit by the realization that something strange was happening inside.

The first to move was Claire. The vast aura of the Aura Master swept through the situation all around her.

“Nea, Shar, Tae-oh, quickly go into the cabin and help Yuri! I’m going to find Yeon-woo!”

“Huh? Uh, okay!”

Determined that a Dragon would be helpful in the healing process taking place in the cabin, Claire shouted that and drew her sword from the air, launching herself forward.

Golden aura blossomed into the air, and the two Dragons and Spirit rushed into the cabin.

Honestly, it would have been fine to send just Tae-oh to Yeon-woo, but Claire had decided to send all three for the simple reason that showing the kids how Yeon-woo fought wasn’t right.

And her judgment turned out to be spot on. Though she couldn’t protect those two kids forever, it still didn’t seem right in this case.

First off, there was the violet sludge that enveloped the area. Normally, it wouldn’t even sound an alarm, instead ringing quietly like the bell hanging at a restaurant’s entrance—it was a powerful acid.

And mixed in with that was a splash of red blood.

In the center of the contaminated zone, a boy was fighting against a demon that oozed purple fluid, and there was no need to mention whose blood was spilling.

No matter how superhuman one might be, losing that much blood made it nearly impossible to keep fighting. For an ordinary person, dying from blood loss at this point wouldn’t be strange at all.

Yet, Yeon-woo didn’t stop. The starlight breath escaping with every exhale kept her moving forward.

Claire rubbed her eyes with her empty hand. She instinctively realized what that was.

With a swift swing of her sword that resembled a great sword, she unleashed a golden Aura Blade, forcibly crushing the violet sludge.

The sludge, attempting to contaminate the aura in a fit of rage, ultimately failed. Her aura claimed a space where even a God couldn’t interfere.

Having suppressed all of the sludge, Claire decided to stand there and watch Yeon-woo’s fight. Coincidentally, it was not a battle she could intervene in.

‘What a complicated feeling…’

*

‘Was fighting this fun all along?’

It was a delightful surprise to see that each time she swung her weapon, the opponent reacted to her.

Just a moment ago, the Demon was hell-bent on destruction with a ‘I’ll smash you!’ attitude, now it was diligently defending and dodging.

‘Feedback really is this important.’

Resolving to provide the best possible feedback in her next spar, Yeon-woo raised her sword straight up.

The Demon now no longer clung to maintaining its form. It was unfurling everything and attacking Yeon-woo with all possible methods.

Fast and sharp. Powerful yet tricky. Yet Yeon-woo felt that facing the Demon wasn’t that difficult. The reason was simple; it was more straightforward than the Doppleganger.

Though it might think it’s alive despite taking severe injuries, that was unavoidable. Even with a single slash, the acidic blood would splash everywhere, making things complicated.

‘It should show itself soon…’

Since she gained the ability to use the Dragon’s Eye, Yeon-woo had been keeping it active. The mana drain was severe, but considering her considerably increased mana from various events, it was manageable.

The reason she was using the Dragon’s Eye was the instinct that there must be some sort of core, just like the Doppleganger.

‘If not, there’s no way so few people would have died by this thing’s hand.’

Believing some core existed, and that this creature only revealed itself to those infected, it all added up.

The Demon Plague spread from Noel to several others; unless it had split itself, it was realistic to conclude that only the core remained.

While actively searching for that core, the filthy mass didn’t reveal itself.

So she was in the process of cutting away the exterior. It wasn’t like she was a sculptor.

While fighting in such a frenzy, a familiar silhouette entered her peripheral vision. The dark blue nun’s robe and the blonde hair beneath. Most notably, the sword plunged stylishly into the ground—it was unmistakable.

Why was the nun here…? As she gazed over with a nostalgic expression, Claire shook her head sternly as if to tell her to focus on the battle.

‘This isn’t my fault, is it…?’

As Yeon-woo was deep in thought, it suddenly hit her. Claire being here meant that Nea and the kids were also likely around as well.

Immediately, Yeon-woo looked hurriedly at Claire; perhaps sensing her thoughts, Claire nodded.

“…Die!!”

If she didn’t finish this quickly and pretend to be fine, Shar would scold her again!!

*

“Thanks to you, I can breathe a little easier now. Thank you, Shar, Tae-oh. May I ask your name, kind one?”

“I am Alkeinea. You can just call me Nea.”

“Very well, thank you, Nea. I owe you my life.”

Watching Yuri bow deeply, Alkeinea crossed her arms. It truly seemed like Yeon-woo didn’t come for any other reason but to heal this child.

‘The nun was one thing, but this girl is a monster too.’

Two beings so extraordinary they were hard to believe as human. Nea knew the gist of Yeon-woo’s life from Shar’s memories, but how on earth did she end up knowing two such unique beings?

They say that mingling with too many extraordinary people brings misfortune to one’s life; was Yeon-woo alright…?

As Nea pondered, she inadvertently realized she was worried about Yeon-woo and cleared her throat to change her thoughts.

“Ahem! So, where is Yeon-woo? Doesn’t seem like she’s here…”

“Since Claire has gone, we should gain some time. She likely went that way. I’ll head over there as soon as Noel awakens.”

“…Uh, no, she’s already awake, Master. I can move now…. I can get up.”

Noel, who had been holding her head and staggering, stepped out of the bed. After a moment of hesitation, she straightened her body completely. Standing for just a brief moment, she wobbled as Yuri helped her.

“…Sigh, my students are all so stubborn.”

While the two let her walk slowly, Nea and the kids rushed out of the cabin. In the distance, they spotted Yeon-woo and Claire, small figures engaging a violet creature before them.

“…Even from afar, she doesn’t look in good shape, does she?”

“What’s that…?”

Watching Yeon-woo, who appeared utterly battered, Nea frowned, while outside, Noel muttered as if she realized something. It was a confused expression over why that creature was there.

“The Corrupted Kurun… I know I killed it before…? Wait, Yeon-woo is fighting that thing!? If we don’t run away quickly…!!”

As Noel shouted anxiously, Yuri patted her back, trying to calm her down.

Although Yuri agreed with her feelings. Only Noel held the destiny to defeat the Demon King Alkeon and its minions.

And in that moment, Yeon-woo swung her sword. The Moonlight Thousand, the last technique that symbolizes the end of the Moonlight Thousand’s flow. Even if the opponent had endured a series of the flow, this last attack was designed to secure a definitive victory.

It would have meant nothing to a Kurun designed to be only defeated by a hero, but a beautiful full moon rose in the field.

Bang! The sound of a living being exploding echoed as the Kurun’s body burst apart, sending shockwaves through the area.

“…What?”

Noel muttered in disbelief. Demons do not die. Unless they are slain by a hero, they are simply reborn in a perfectly intact state. She knew this as a fact.

Because demons slain by others always evaporated as one.

But this was different. Its body had burst apart. Even when Noel had pierced the Kurun’s body in perfect condition, it had never reacted like this.

Of course, one couldn’t definitively say this was the death of Kurun. Even in fragmented form, it resurrected before her eyes.

Nonetheless, that reaction was odd. It made it seem like Yeon-woo was somehow a hero…

As Noel stared blankly at the scene, something spinning flew toward her. Nea, who had jumped up, caught it. The two thought it was right to handle it themselves since they had already worked hard.

“…What is this…?”

It was an arm. A human arm severed at the elbow. The cut seemed exquisitely done, as if a skilled swordsman had sliced it off. The blisters on the palm further confirmed the fact that the owner was indeed a swordsman.

Nea narrowed her eyes. Coincidentally, she had seen this right arm somewhere before. She pricked up her ears and faintly heard Yeon-woo’s murmur.

“Hey, give me back my arm.”

At those words, Nea whispered in a cold voice.

“…What did you just say?”

(To be continued in the next chapter)

 

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