The Academy Bully in Charge — Chapter 3
A morning where the cloudless, clear sky was exceptionally beautiful.
Unlike the Lair’s usual silence, the clamorous noise from early hours grating on his nerves caused Baek Iljin’s eyes to snap open.
*Thud—*
*Crash—*
*What is it? Did a monster invade?*
Looking around, he couldn’t see Max, the Stone Golem who always attended his side. Stretching, Baek Iljin pressed the call button beside his bed.
“Max. Are you there?”
“Yes, Young Master.”
Max the Stone Golem, wearing a cute apron ill-suited to his frame exceeding three meters, carefully entered while gripping the door.
“What is going on?”
“Ah, actually……”
Having heard the general circumstances from Max, he went searching for his grandfather to learn more of the details.
*Academy? What is that all of a sudden……*
The Lair was as vast as a small castle. While wandering here and there to find his grandfather, Baek Iljin stopped where the noise was coming from.
*Here.*
Opening the door, his vision filled with sparkling gold coins and jewels of every kind. On the walls and ceiling were artifacts too numerous to count with the naked eye.
“This isn’t it either.”
Approaching Baek Myeonghak—who was testing artifacts on practice dummies and repeatedly muttering, “This isn’t it either,” while tossing things aside—Baek Iljin asked.
“Grandfather, what are you doing this morning?”
“Our Iljin woke up early.”
“Yes, it was a bit noisy.”
Chagrined by those words, Baek Myeonghak set down the artifact he held and stroked Baek Iljin’s head.
*It seems I was making too much noise.*
The contact from the chief of Blue Leaf, who had promised a recommendation letter, had arrived faster than expected.
Unable to send Baek Iljin off empty-handed, Baek Myeonghak had been selecting self-defense artifacts.
“I heard you got the gist of it.”
“Yes, that I must go to some academy……”
Baek Iljin’s pupils were placid like a dark sea, and with not a hint of emotion on his face, he looked frightening at a glance.
But in Baek Myeonghak’s eyes, it was merely an endlessly adorable face.
*I hope this adorable child won’t be persecuted out there…….*
I hope he won’t roam alone because he can’t make friends.
I hope the seal placed on him won’t break and he won’t be devoured by his own energy.
Was it because of his worry for his soon-departing grandson? Though mystical items were piled around him like mountains, there were few artifacts that satisfied him.
*If I had known this would happen, I should have taught him at least a few self-defense martial arts moves.*
Baek Myeonghak had not taught Baek Iljin martial arts solely because of his constitution, the Heavenly Killing Star. Mixed in had also been a wish that the boy would not become a martial artist at all.
*But to regret it now……*
Thinking that even at his age he still created cause for regret, Baek Myeonghak held something out to Baek Iljin.
“Iljin. Put this on and infuse it with your internal energy.”
“It is a strange-looking ring.”
“It is an Adventurer’s Ring, made personally by an old friend of mine.”
When he infused it with internal energy, a stream of blue light flowed, and an entrance to a vast space appeared above the ring.
“Quite spacious, is it not? It will be useful.”
The space appeared wide enough that ten Stone Golems the size of Max could fit inside.
“What is this?”
“If you store your luggage in this space and travel, you can journey freely without carrying a bag. And moreover.”
Baek Myeonghak grasped the jewel attached to the ring and turned it sideways. With a clicking sound, the ring’s color changed.
“Try infusing your internal energy once more.”
When he infused it again, a liquid carrying a refreshing fragrance wrapped once around his entire body and vanished.
“Refreshed?”
“Yes, it feels as if I have just bathed.”
It also possessed a translation function and a function that displayed a map.
They were outstanding abilities befitting the name “Adventurer’s Ring,” but Baek Iljin had no interest in such things.
He quietly gazed into Baek Myeonghak’s eyes as the old man pressed the artifact into his hand.
“But why are you suddenly giving me these things?”
“……”
Baek Myeonghak averted his eyes slightly, as though he had done something wrong.
“It is because of that academy, is it not? Must I go? I wish to live with Grandfather forever. Or Grandfather can come with me too.”
Unlike the usual Baek Iljin, his expression revealed complex emotions, and his choked voice was no different from that of any adolescent boy.
“Hehe…… As this old man has always said, I hope you quickly regain all your emotions.”
“……”
“And I have always thought of the sight of Iljin, having regained his emotions, smiling brightly at this old man.”
“Even now, even now I can smile.”
Baek Iljin forced up the corners of his mouth into a smiling expression. As he forcibly raised his lips, his facial muscles trembled.
“Hehe. This old man sees Iljin’s smiling face. But this old man wishes to see a natural smile.”
“Yes?”
“A smile is something natural—warm like spring and abundant like autumn.”
He knew. How could he not know?
Grandfather always faced him with a smiling countenance. That smile must be the “real smile,” warm and abundant.
“Grandfather……”
The corners of Baek Iljin’s eyes gradually reddened, and his eyes burned. The tears falling one by one, wetting the floor, were “real.”
Seeing that sight, Baek Myeonghak swallowed a sob as well.
*A child who did not shed a single tear even as an infant……. *
It was a precious moment that made him realize anew how special his existence had been to his grandson.
*But I must not be swayed by momentary feelings. If I only coddle him in my embrace now, this child’s social skills will not grow any further.*
Wiping the warm tears flowing down Baek Iljin’s cheek, he forced a smile.
“Still, whenever it grows difficult, return. This old man shall watch over our Iljin from this same spot.”
Having gazed at Baek Myeonghak for a long while, Baek Iljin made a vow.
He would definitely regain what emotions were and smile for his grandfather.
“I will definitely, definitely return having learned how to smile.”
Without a word, Baek Myeonghak embraced Baek Iljin.
* * *
After finishing his meal and packing his things, the Lair’s familiars had come out to see him off.
“Young Master. Please take care on your journey.”
Kanis and Baxter looked at Baek Iljin with moist eyes. Baek Iljin patted their backs and spoke.
“Kanis, Baxter, and Max. Stay well.”
“Please take care on your journey.”
“Young Master, you must stay healthy!”
As he was bidding farewell to the familiars, a blonde elf who had come to escort him from Blue Leaf caught his eye.
A girl his own age—though meeting her for the first time would ordinarily be fascinating—there was no particular sign on his indifferent face.
“Hello. I am Hailin, who has come to guide you from Blue Leaf.”
“Yes.”
Her yellow-brown eyes furrowed briefly but quickly smoothed over.
*What kind of answer is that short?*
However, the giant werewolves standing beside him looked too fearsome to reveal an irritated expression.
Hailin plastered on a bright, business-like smile.
“Haha, then shall we go?”
“Yes.”
A mountain exceeding 5,000 meters above sea level was quite high for a boy to descend in a single day, even with an elf who commanded wind spirits accompanying him.
Hailin rolled her eyes to glance sideways at the human beside her.
*Ha…… will this take long?*
Elves had to undertake an adulthood ceremony mission upon turning eighteen to be recognized as a full adult. She too was in the middle of such a mission.
*Why did I have to draw the short straw in the lottery……. *
Recalling Elia, who had giggled and chirped things like, “Oh my, Hailin, what are you going to do? You can kiss the academy goodbye,” strength entered her fist for no reason.
*Elia……! Just you wait! I’ll get into the top two somehow!*
Urging the blameless Sylph and increasing her speed, she looked at Baek Iljin running beside her.
He was matching her pace without shedding a single drop of sweat.
*But he’s keeping up better than I thought?*
She had heard that a dragon at play—lying that it was human—had brought him from somewhere and raised him, so it seemed some supporting magic had been cast on him.
*Is it already this late?*
Having descended the mountain endlessly, before she knew it, she could see the sky—once cloudless and blue—turning red as if painted with watercolors.
“Ex—cuse!”
Her throat, having not spoken for a long time, cracked.
*Damn, how embarrassing.*
*Ahem.*
Clearing her throat, she spoke again.
“Um, aren’t you…… tired……?”
Though she had heard they were the same age, given the situation, she had worried whether to speak casually or use honorifics, and chose the latter.
A nod.
Without a word, Baek Iljin simply nodded.
*Are humans usually this quiet?*
They were not. The humans who occasionally visited the village to trade were all ones who loved alcohol and chatter.
*Gurgle—*
Having used spirit magic all day to descend, her stomach sent a signal demanding a meal.
“……Aren’t you hungry?”
Only then did she see him look at her, and she realized that despite having been together for hours, this was the first time they had faced each other directly.
*He’s quite handsome……*
He possessed a manly, handsome face that would be hard to find even among elves, but his unreadable expression made her uncomfortable.
*No, if I ask a question, he should answer!*
Unable to help it, she had continued down the mountain hungry, but she no longer had the strength to move.
“Excuse me…… let’s rest here a little.”
Baek Iljin too felt the sun setting.
*The sun has already set……. *
For at this hour, the inside of his body would vibrate as if it would burst. Sure enough, in an instant his dantian expanded and the meridians throughout his body twisted.
This pain had been with him since the beginning of his memory. Thus, without missing a single day, he had to operate his mind technique to control the surging energies that seemed on the verge of bursting.
Should he miss even one day of circulating qi, the clumped energies throughout his body would run wild as if to explode his entire frame and shatter his whole body.
“Very well.”
At the same time as answering, Baek Iljin fiddled with the ring he wore, then took out firewood from somewhere, lit a campfire, and began setting up a tent.
Hailin watched him silently, then helped him prepare a meal, recalling what the village chief had said that morning.
*He is your age, so try to get along with him.*
How was she supposed to get along?
In their entire descent, the conversation exchanged with Baek Iljin hadn’t amounted to ten sentences.
Even when she smiled and spoke to him, he would only nod or cut the conversation short with one-word answers—what more could she say?
*Sigh. Getting close is harder than climbing the mountain.*
Having finished eating before she knew it and sitting to warm herself, the small embers drawing circles and popping from the crackling bonfire lingered particularly in her eyes.
*Still, he looked quite happy while eating……*
Stealthily turning her head toward Baek Iljin, she saw him sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed. He seemed to be meditating.
*Ah, so awkward. Did he become this taciturn because he was raised by a dragon?*
While harboring serious doubts about dragon child-rearing methods, the alarm magic she had set around them announced an intruder’s approach.
The nervous Hailin cautiously spoke to Baek Iljin.
“Um…… I think someone is coming. Just in case, we should prepare……”
She then enveloped her hand in a green magic circle and summoned a spirit. The green spirit that emerged from her magic circle slipped into her sleeve.
*I used too much mana descending the mountain. It’s hard to summon an intermediate spirit.*
*Thud. Thud.*
Loud footsteps gradually approached.
*Four, no, five?*
Soon, five bulky men with thick beards covering half their faces approached, kicked the campfire, and caused a commotion.
“Who lit a fire in the territory of the Black Dragon Fortress without permission!”
“Fearless brats. Huh? One’s an earling?”
“Really is an earling? If we bring her to the Fort Lord like last time, he’ll be pleased.”
Their practiced manner made it clear this was not their first time at such robbery.
“Who are you people? Weren’t martial artists forbidden from climbing the Kaputis Mountains?”
“That’s for those stuffy Martial Union bastards. Not bold heroes like us.”
The man who answered her words approached Hailin. In his hand was a hexagonal club with something red hardened on it.
“Come here. I won’t eat you.”
Hailin inwardly called the Sylph.
*Sylph, Wind Cutter.*
The small spirit hiding beneath Hailin’s hand emitted a light green glow.
A fierce wind shot out like a finely honed blade, slicing through flesh. Red blood flowed from various parts of the bandits’ bodies.
Though it did not seem to cause major damage, it managed to create considerable distance.
“This damn bitch!”
“Catch her! We gotta bring her to the boss, so don’t kill her, but breaking a bone or two is fine.”
The bandits holding hexagonal clubs began charging.
*Can I take them all on by myself?*
She glanced behind but soon shook her head. No matter how much he was raised under a dragon, she did not expect a human boy could resolve this situation.
“Sylph, Wind Missile!”
*Thwack!*
The wind-formed missile struck the solar plexus of the foremost bandit squarely. The bandit, ribs caved in, foamed at the mouth and collapsed.
“Fucking earling bitch!”
“Maintain formation!”
Unlike their reckless charge from moments ago, the bandits now began approaching slowly while maintaining their formation.
“Wind Missile.”
The bandit lightly turned his head, avoiding the flying Wind Missile. Then he bared his yellowed teeth in a grin.
“What are you gonna do now that it doesn’t work anymore?”
“……”
While speaking, the bandit at the front suddenly rushed in and threw a fist at Hailin’s abdomen.
*Sylph!*
Reflexively using wind force, she managed to slightly deflect the fist, but the internal-energy-infused strike caused a shock inside her from merely grazing her.
“That’ll sting. Despite appearances, they used to call me the Fire Fist of Boos Village.”
Hailin quickly tried to get up and move, but strength would not enter her bent knees.
“See, you should’ve listened when I talked nicely.”
“But you know…… before bringing her to the Fort Lord, shouldn’t we check if the merchandise is damaged?”
“Of course. We gotta check if there’s poison or not!”
Perhaps thinking her already caught prey, they exchanged raucous jokes in front of her.
*Vulgar scum…….*
*Thud. Thud.*
Then, Baek Iljin, having finished his meditation, stood up and stepped in front of them.
To the bandits, he was a boy who exuded no special energy and looked wholly unremarkable.
“What? What’s with this weirdly dressed brat?”
“This is supposed to be a man?”
Baek Iljin swept his gaze over the bandits.
It was his first time meeting humans other than his grandfather, but it was hardly a pleasant situation.
“Noisy. Just leave.”
At the low voice from him, the bandits looked at each other with bewildered faces, then soon began cackling.
“Look at this little punk’s serious face.”
“Ain’t he trying real hard to hold back his fear?”
Just as the bandits said, his deeply settled, unchanging expression looked like that of a young boy gritting his teeth to hide his terror.
One of the giggling bandits jerked his chin toward Hailin and asked.
“Ah! What is this. Don’t tell me? Are these two having some fun?”
“Whether they’re having fun or not, this hyung-nim has something to try. So move aside.”
The bandit tried to push Baek Iljin aside, reaching to place his hand on his shoulder, when he discovered the indifferent pupils looking at him.
“Hah? Look at this bastard’s eyes. A little punk not even looking straight……”
*Kwaa-rang—*
Before they could finish their words, the bandits’ bodies turned to powder and scattered.