The Academy's Delinquent-in-Charge, Episode 30
The Academy's corridors still flaunted their beauty even at night.
Street lamps composed of various magical devices illuminated the corridors, and beautiful statues installed at the intersections to the left and right reflected their light.
'Has it gotten so late already?'
Because Dan Gye-hong kept dragging out the time, asking him to become a disciple, the conversation had grown long.
Only after refusing more than ten times did Dan Gye-hong finally send him off with a disappointed face, saying, "Then come find me if you ever change your mind."
Just then, Baek Il-jin suddenly stopped walking.
'But…….'
There was no pain.
It was already well past the time for his breathing exercises; the sun had set and the moon had risen several hours ago, yet he felt no pain whatsoever in his body.
'Could it be thanks to the enlightenment I gained while learning Taijiquan?'
Now that he thought about it, the pain had disappeared after the enlightenment regarding the "unity of mind and body" he had felt during Dang Ja-in's lecture.
The pain that had followed him like a shadow since childhood, tormenting him his whole life, disappearing so simply…….
'It’s been a while since I felt this good.'
With a curious mind, Baek Il-jin forgot even about going home, closed his eyes in the middle of the corridor, and observed the inside of his body.
He tried raising his internal energy, sending energy into his magic circuits to create magic circles as well, but there was nothing to find.
He only felt that it moved more smoothly.
Gurgle—
But that too was brief; a signal demanding food came from Baek Il-jin's stomach. Coming to his senses, Baek Il-jin stroked his stomach and lifted his stopped foot.
'Come to think of it, apart from one crepe today, I haven't had a proper meal.'
Leaving through the Academy's main gate and walking blindly toward the bright lights, he arrived before he knew it at a bustling downtown street.
'Oh.'
As if to prove that the saying about Jangan City's nights being hotter than its days was no exaggeration, the night street's atmosphere was filled with excitement and heat.
'I’ve heard Jangan City has good public order, but it’s beyond imagination.'
At this level, it seemed the public order was even better than Shandong of the Hwangbo Clan, which was famous for its safety.
As if to prove that, there were quite a few more touts on the streets than during the day, and even more drunkards entranced by them, following them off somewhere.
Before he knew it, Baek Il-jin was also accompanying one of the touts. The food introduced by this tousle-haired tout was something he had never heard of in his life, so he had been completely hooked.
'"Raw fish," you say? What kind of dish is that?'
Eating fish raw…….
Having lived his entire life only in the mountains, he could not understand at all what this food called "raw fish" looked like or how it was eaten. It wasn't that he had never eaten fish, but all the fish he had eaten were grilled or steamed.
"You really eat it raw?"
"Eheh— sir, really, there’s a limit to how little you can trust a person. How many times are you going to ask?"
"Hmm, how can you eat food raw?"
"Haha, you really don’t know, do you? Nothing tastes as good as eating something raw."
"Is that so?"
"Well, anything tastes good if it’s free, no? Even spinach."
"When will we arrive?"
"If we take this alley, soon……."
Just then, the tout who had been walking with a sly grin suddenly stiffened his expression, turned his body, and grabbed Baek Il-jin's sleeve. Then, pointing in the opposite direction, he whispered softly.
"S-sir, it might be better to go back that way."
"Huh? Why……?"
"Sh, shh!"
At Baek Il-jin's question, the tout scrunched up his face, put his index finger to his lips, and pointed in a direction with his eyes.
In the direction the tout pointed, a crowd of people in black clothes was surrounding two figures. Perhaps because of the menacing atmosphere they radiated, people bowed their heads and hurried to get out of the way.
"Hup."
The tout, whose eyes briefly met with those of the black-clad group, immediately buried his head toward the ground and urged Baek Il-jin, who was standing still.
"Hyiik— l-let’s hurry back, quickly."
The sly smiling expression had long since vanished. Before he knew it, small beads of sweat had formed on the nape of the tout's neck.
Baek Il-jin followed after the tout, who was walking briskly to get away, and asked.
"Isn’t Jangan City famous for its good public order?"
"That’s right. This Jangan City prides itself on having better public order than anywhere else I’ve lived. I’ve never been to the capital, so I don’t know about that."
"Then what are they?"
Hearing those words, the tout made a face as if he had seen the most naive person in the world, then smiled faintly and waved his hand in the air.
"Whew, no matter how good the public order is, there are many ugly things on the streets at night, so you always have to be careful, very careful."
"I see."
"And you must be even more careful of those guys. It’s best to avoid them if you see them."
"Those guys?"
"Those folks over there. The ones in black robes with the blue rose emblem."
Just as the tout said, on the backs of the black clothes of the gathered crowd, blue roses were embroidered quite beautifully.
"Yes."
"And you have to be careful of drunkards too; drunk people have a general in their chest."
Then he looked Baek Il-jin up and down. Seeing his broad shoulders, solid body, and tall height, the tout clicked his tongue and said.
"A sir like you probably won’t get picked on by drunkards easily. Still, those guys don’t discriminate like that, so be careful."
"So just who are they?"
"Over here for a moment."
Following the tout into a narrow alley, there was just enough space for two people to talk.
Even after entering there, the tout glanced around and then whispered quietly into Baek Il-jin’s ear.
"The name they call themselves is Cheongmidae, but to us street touts like me, they’re all just called the Rejects."
The lukewarm wind from the tout’s mouth transmitted to his ear was slightly unpleasant, but his surging curiosity covered up that unpleasantness.
"The Rejects?"
"Why, you know. The Academy."
"The Academy……"
"The Cheongmidae guys are all rejects who flunked out of the Academy."
Something was strange.
There were no flunk-outs at the Academy. The Academy only had failing grades or being held back; there was no expulsion system.
Of course, there was a withdrawal system, but people who withdrew were not called rejects.
Unable to understand, Baek Il-jin tilted his head and spoke to the tout.
"I’ve heard the Academy has no expulsions?"
"Whew, that’s exactly the problem."
Why was it a problem when there were no expulsions? The tout poked his head out of the alley to check the outside situation, then began to speak comfortably.
"You know the Academy’s tuition is enormous."
A nod.
"And it’s hard to advance to the next year or graduate. So students who can’t graduate can’t keep paying tuition."
He had heard that one semester’s tuition at the Academy was enough for a commoner to live comfortably for a year.
And it was the first time he had heard that advancing was difficult, but it was probably true. After all, the number of students entering each year was greater than the number of graduates.
Baek Il-jin nodded and continued speaking.
"But why is that a problem?"
"It’s a problem because guys who don’t want to withdraw but can’t graduate gather together and do delinquent stuff like that."
"I see."
The tout sighed and continued.
"Whew, it’s all because of that immunity privilege or whatever-it-is privilege."
"Immunity privileges……"
He had seen this before.
'It was written in the Academy regulations booklet that came with the pamphlet.'
The immunity privilege system had been a rule since several hundred years ago when the Academy was first established.
The Academy’s students enjoyed immunity within Jangan City as long as they did not forcibly assault others or commit murder.
'It must be a rule created from the power struggle between the Magic Tower and the Murim Alliance…….'
When the Academy was first created, the Orthodox Murim and White Mages probably thought that such wicked individuals who would abuse the immunity privileges would not appear within their forces.
It was a sort of moral display.
'A force that refuses the immunity privilege system is essentially admitting it lacks the confidence to foster people of excellent character…….'
It might have been created as a contest of pride in the beginning, but by now it was merely an outdated custom behind the times.
In the past, only truly acknowledged talents from famous families, great sects, or the Magic Tower could enroll in the Academy, so even if one assumed this system was not abused, it was different now.
'Now, as long as one has ability, one can enroll without regard to background.'
The tout asked Baek Il-jin, who was standing blankly and muttering to himself.
"Sir, what are you thinking so hard about?"
"Nothing. Let’s go."
"Let’s do that."
The moment they finished talking and stepped out of the alley, a loud *thud—* rang out.
Following that, a shriek of "Kyaaaack—" filled the street. And along with it, the continuous sound of something being struck.
"Goodness gracious, they’re resorting to violence too? Jangan City has really gone to the dogs."
Even though the Cheongmidae were said to be a thug group, the tout wore a very surprised face, perhaps not having expected actual violence to break out.
"Don’t mind that and let’s hurry to the restaurant. I’m too hungry."
Without even glancing toward the direction of the scream, Baek Il-jin spoke to the tout.
"Sir, you’re colder than you look."
"Cold?"
"Normally people would make a pitiful expression seeing a scene like that, but you don’t seem to…… Ah, forget it, don’t mind me."
Even as he said that, the tout clicked his tongue with a dark expression.
"Do you pity them?"
"Why are you asking the obvious?"
Even as he said so, the tout merely kept clicking his tongue and did not attempt to help them himself.
'What exactly is this emotion called pity? If you just harden your expression and pretend to care, is that the emotion called pity?'
It wasn’t that he didn’t know the word pity. Wasn’t pity feeling sympathy and heartache? Then shouldn’t you help them?
Baek Il-jin, harboring such doubt, turned the tout around and asked.
"Then why don’t you help them?"
"Huh?"
"If you pity them, shouldn’t you run over and help them right away?"
"Wh-what do you mean…… Then are you saying you don’t pity them at all?"
That was right. Baek Il-jin himself did not pity them in the slightest.
"No, not at all."
"You really are a cold-blooded one, indeed."
They wouldn't die anyway, and they were in no danger of dying. No matter what immunity privileges the Cheongmidae had, they couldn't commit murder or worse.
In the unlikely event they could kill someone in secret, but even that was merely the fate of the victims and had nothing to do with him.
'But what is this feeling?'
Something very faint, extremely weak and subtle, itched from within him. Was it a rejection of an unfamiliar emotional change?
His face darkened further.
"I don’t pity them. But……"
"……?"
"For some reason, I feel dirty."
"Wh-what……"
*Tap—*
Before the tout could even respond, Baek Il-jin’s figure vanished.