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Chapter 286: Oh Boy, What a Mess!

“Sigh, what a mess.”

As Ain Libertas, the Student Council President of Harmony, murmured while taking in the chaotic scene before her, she realized her position didn’t come with any real power.

With graduation just months away, she had managed to hold onto her title, but with the next president already decided, there was no need to cling to it any longer.

They say no politician is without a lame duck period, and it seemed even the Student Council President of the Academy was not exempt.

“See, a smart junior is a must.”

In fact, she could wander around freely due to the very lame duck period she was experiencing. If she had power, the vice president would have clung to her and wouldn’t let her go, but now that she was distanced from power, that wasn’t the case.

“No matter how brilliant they are, having a troublemaker as a junior is troublesome.”

Seeing the numerous lines crisscrossing through the city, Ain couldn’t help but smile wryly. She had tried hard to prevent this sort of drama from unfolding. Having a stubborn junior was bound to lead to trouble.

Pushing her sunglasses back up her nose, she walked confidently into the chaos. Numerous Hunters gathered nearby watched her, but Ain paid them no mind.

People tend to fear the unknown. The crowd was no different, hesitating to step forward, waiting for someone who understood the mysterious phenomenon to appear.

‘Are they aware or just reckless?’

For Ain, the scene before her was anything but unfamiliar.

She was even surprised by how comfortable it felt, as if she had returned home.

Coincidentally, Ain knew exactly why this sensation was occurring. It was all about herself, of course.

She had no intention of leading a bunch of ineffectual Hunters. Right now, with her heightened sensitivity, she had no idea what she might do if she dragged someone else along.

“Right, my biological mother is over there, isn’t she?”

A shimmering aura twisted right before her eyes. It was a tightly wound seal, but if Ain truly wanted to see, nothing could stop her.

Looking up at the disk floating high above, she hastened her steps toward the east.

Her strides were resolute, as if she knew exactly where everyone was and what the situation inside was like, without a hint of hesitation.

*

[Yawwwn.]

Floating in the void, Lunaria glanced over, spotting Yeon-woo sitting cross-legged, staring down in deep concentration.

Yeon-woo’s focus was always impressive, but it seemed even more intense this time compared to before.

Like a being one with nature, small birds and critters were perched on her as if she were a tree, creating quite an impressive sight.

[These days, Shar is working hard, and Yeon-woo is busy focusing… I’m getting bored.]

Yeon-woo was oblivious to Lunaria’s thoughts, fully immersed in her training while Shar was earnestly trying to lighten Yeon-woo’s burdens.

With Yeon-woo focusing on one thing, it looked like Shar was trying to adapt to that.

It might have seemed a bit lazy, but the attempt itself was commendable—a way to consolidate their training.

Thinking such thoughts, Lunaria got bored again. It was risky to leave, thinking nothing would happen. The world had a knack for unexpected events.

As Lunaria grasped how heavy her own responsibilities were, an unfamiliar figure approached her.

“Hello, Lunaria.”

[Who… Oh?]

Surprised, Lunaria recognized the familiar face of Ain and welcomed her with a smile. Finally, someone to talk to!

[What brings you here? Shouldn’t you be in Harmony?]

“I came to see if I could help out since I thought my junior was about to cause some trouble, but it seems trouble has already arrived.”

[Well, it was kind of unavoidable… But it’s nice of you to come help. With your help, Yeon-woo might save some time.]

“What are you doing right now?”

Lunaria naturally began sharing information with Ain about the current situation and what Yeon-woo was up to.

She explained this and that had happened and that there weren’t many options aside from focusing on training.

“Hmm, in that case, I might be able to lend a hand.”

[Your abilities are quite unique, after all. Wouldn’t it be nice to show off for your junior?]

Ain chuckled slowly as she raised her eyelids in response to Lunaria’s words. The eyes known as the Universal Eye began to reveal themselves.

Regarded as a peer or even superior to dragon eyes, which are believed to see and comprehend everything in the world, this was the second most extraordinary eye after the demon king’s.

Not derived from elemental or unique mana, but rather her innate ability since birth. It had been reported only a handful of times since the Gate incident.

The densely concentrated flow of time in the eastern part of the city filled Ain’s vision, almost bending under its weight.

At times sparkling like golden sand, at others shimmering in a riot of colors.

“…What brings someone like you to this humble place?”

As Ain’s eyes opened, the flux of mana released made Yeon-woo also open her eyes. Ain exchanged gazes with Yeon-woo.

Seeing Ain’s eyes sparkle with dozens of colors in an instant, Yeon-woo felt a sense of déjà vu. Although their nature was different, had she not seen such eyes before?

“…Wait a moment, can I ask you something I’m curious about?”

“No. I’ll answer later, but for now, focus on my eyes.”

At the refusal, Yeon-woo, unable to ask further, complied and focused on Ain’s eyes.

No matter how she looked at it, they resembled the Demon King’s eyes that remained faintly in her memory, but she forced herself to clear her mind.

As such, a strange wave of mana flowed from behind Ain, winding up Yeon-woo’s arm. As the mana approached her eyes, her face contorted slightly.

“Ow, if I hadn’t seen it, I wouldn’t have found it a bit scary.”

“I’m just trying to help. Hang in there.”

Soon the mana that had traveled up her arm touched Yeon-woo’s eyes. Fortunately, it didn’t cause pain; it simply felt extraordinarily bizarre.

“I’ve connected it to how I see. You were curious about time, right? See for yourself with those eyes.”

“O-oo….”

Faced with the compressed flow of time before her, Yeon-woo couldn’t help but grasp her sword.

Though she swung it lightly, the immense current of time flowed around its edge without yielding.

Once the sword was pulled away, its form returned to normal. Feeling a bit amused, Yeon-woo started to play with the flow of time as she swung the sword, her gaze shining with curiosity.

*

As she observed Yeon-woo, who had unconsciously begun concentrating again, Ain sat down a few paces away with a thud. Though she wasn’t particularly tired, she didn’t want to just stand there watching her junior train.

“Well, I suppose it’s just starting with some playful experimentation. I’m not sure how helpful it’ll be.”

[It should work out. You’re not the type to miss out on beneficial things.]

It could be described as the ability to seize opportunities. Indeed, having such a skill would be essential to become the Sword Expert of the first year.

[So, what exactly is it? Yeon-woo seems quite curious about it too.]

“Should I tell Lunaria first?”

[That’d be nice. I’ve been pretty bored watching over Yeon-woo…]

Ain chuckled at the triviality of the reason. There was nothing she couldn’t share. While she had been shocked when she first learned about it, it was no longer such a surprising story now that she was here.

“It seems that the Demon King up there is my biological mother.”

[…Huh!?]

Lunaria was taken aback by Ain’s nonchalant revelation. How could she not be? How many people are simply children of the Demon King?

That’s not something you hear every day unless you’re talking about some Demon King who might have a few offspring lying around.

But a mere human being, not even a spirit like Tae-oh, being a child of the Demon King? That was a shocking story indeed.

“Of course, I have actual parents… somewhere. But I think the Demon King’s genes got mixed into my body during that process. My parents were likely researchers from the lab.”

[H-Huh, how? But how is it possible for the Demon King’s genes to get mixed in…?]

“On Wednesdays, they manipulate the Demon King’s snake, right? They said I was made using the combined genes from the corpses of those snakes. Sort of like a designer baby, I guess?”

[Ugh, those humans…!]

There were likely countless test subjects besides herself. They probably tried implanting the Demon King’s traits into orphans and, like her, injecting genes into fetuses.

Among them, it was sheer luck that she had survived.

One day, an explosion erupted from the lab, smoke billowing everywhere. Although she had awakened her powers and was now recognized as a finished product, she sensed instinctively that remaining in the lab was not a good idea, so she fled.

Naturally, a little girl with no prior experience could hardly escape from a research lab deep in the mountains to the city.

When she was surrounded by monsters, a white-haired old man suddenly appeared.

It was Yuri, who had not yet reached the realm of a true transformation. Yuri destroyed the organization that was involved in human trafficking and protected the children.

Yuri recognized no failures or successes; they were simply children.

“Well, whether this eye helps against the Demon King is questionable… but I still hope it can be of use.”

As Ain recounted her horrifying past calmly, she smiled brightly.

Eavesdropping on that fact, Yeon-woo finally grasped why Ain sought to root out the Dark Guild of Harmony.

Of course she would hate human trafficking and all that jazz if her mental mentor was Yuri.

With that thought in mind, Yeon-woo swung her sword at the flow of time countless times. Ain’s arrival might have been tied to some feeling about the Demon King but was also likely to save Yuri. If so, there was no reason not to put in the effort.

(To be continued in the next part)

 

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