It was not something close to an unattainable ideal.
As a means to achieve that goal, the Chameleon Troupe took on whatever task was appropriate at the time, and their highest priority at the moment was to catch the “traitor” and beat him down.
“We confirmed that he has a talent for anti-magic.”
The Boss cast his gaze toward Droon.
Following that look, Droon projected another video into the air.
It was footage of “that man” facing protective aura with an ordinary handgun. When the bullet he fired shattered the protective aura, the weight of the air had become unmistakably heavier than before.
“……Just because he broke protective aura of that level, saying it’ll work on that guy is a logical leap.”
“Come on, Jane. The Boss didn’t say he was someone we should recruit right away. He said he was ‘someone with potential.’ Looks to me like there’s plenty of potential.”
Jane glared at him, clearly displeased.
“Fine. Let’s say he grows enough and we bring him in. Then the only color left is black, isn’t it?”
That color did not suit a chick-like newcomer.
Black was the color of the man who had betrayed the former Boss in the past. It was also the color tacitly agreed to be assigned to the “strongest” member of the Chameleon Troupe. That rule had not changed in twenty years.
“……Then I shall take black.”
At that moment, a giant of a man stepped forward in satisfaction. It was Cheok Jungyeong, who had kept his mouth firmly shut until now.
“Opposed. You’re too stupid.”
“I agree with the objection. Also, I’m stronger.”
“Then what do you bastards want to do?”
“There are others too, aren’t there? Kim Suho or Shin Jonghak. Are we putting kids like them on hold?”
“We’re voting on them next. This is just a meeting to narrow down the candidates for now.”
The other members who had been quiet slowly began to join in as well. Voices mixed with voices, drawing out yet more voices, and the clamor made the Boss’s headache grow worse. The Boss said in a suppressed voice.
“Raise hands.”
The surroundings fell silent in an instant.
“We vote.”
Having no choice, the members began voting.
8:2
The refusals came from Jane, who had voiced her opposition, and Cheok Jungyeong, who disliked him.
The remaining members approved.
It was a majority.
“Hmph.”
Jane snorted, seemingly still dissatisfied.
“And Jane, this is the invitation to the Paris VVIP party. A masquerade ball.”
“Ah. The ring theft? Easy.”
But her sulkiness lasted only a moment. Jane soon accepted the invitation with a brightened face.
End
“Phew.”
Standing in front of the classroom, I took a deep breath.
By Friday, all the cadets had returned, and Cube’s interior, which had been thrown into confusion by a series of incidents, had regained its stability. Now, Cube’s daily life was about to resume.
In vague tension, I opened the classroom door. The gazes of several cadets stabbed into me. Their looks were strange.
For now, as I always had, I sat in the back. Once I sat down, the whispering began in earnest. They were all talking about Chae Nayun.
I ignored those voices and opened my textbook. Still, it was a little comfortable that no one picked a blatant fight with me after I beat up Kim Horak.
“Guys. The grades are out.”
At that moment, Lee Yeonghan appeared with a large sheet of paper under his arm. Lee Yeonghan put the poster up on one wall. On it were the individual scores for all the theory classes, including Phenomenon Realm Analysis, as well as the ranking of their combined scores.
The cadets groaned while staring at it intently.
Before long, the attention of the whole class focused on me.
===
1st place: Kim Hajin.
2nd place: Rachel.
……
……
===
My name, Kim Hajin, was posted at the very top.
Not only in Truth Class, but in the entire school, I was ranked first.
“Ahem.”
Embarrassed, I cleared my throat and glanced toward Rachel. In the seat behind me, Rachel was lying face-down on her desk. I could hear her sigh softly and mutter in her native language. Interpreting it with my limited ability, it sounded like, “I should have studied a little harder.”
“Oh, and. You know a few classes changed, right?”
Lee Yeonghan added.
“There was an announcement, but some of you might not have seen it. Make sure you check. From now on, there are two classes on Fridays too. Starting today.”
The classes for the first semester of the first year changed once more after midterms. It was Cube’s consideration—or perhaps not quite consideration—to let cadets experience as wide a variety of classes as possible.
Also, once magicians joined in the second semester, cadets would be able to choose their classes like university students. They were to take the optimal classes according to their own positions.
I turned on my watch.
The class added for today was [Practical Magic and Intermediate Mana Application].
Slide—
Just then, the front door opened, and the Phenomenon Realm Analysis professor entered.
The classroom, which had been noisy over the theory grades, grew quiet.
“Sit down.”
The Phenomenon Realm Analysis professor glanced at the poster on the classroom wall, then smiled faintly.
“You’ve all seen the exam results, I assume.”
The cadets’ responses were gloomy.
“Even so, it was easier than what I give to university students. And Cadet Kim Hajin?”
The professor suddenly pointed at me. The cadets also followed his finger and looked at me.
“A unique perspective, logical judgment, and ‘wisdom’ that could not be thought of as belonging to a sixteen-year-old were visible in your answers. You could submit it as a graduation thesis right now.”
If it had ended there, it would have been bearable. After all, it was the first time in my life I was being praised for doing well on a test.
“Since today is our first class after the exam, we’ll keep it short and go over Student Kim Hajin’s answer sheet.”
But then he suddenly went one step further and put my answer sheet up as a PowerPoint.
This was a development I had never expected at all.
“Now. Let’s look at this sentence here. ‘If a monster possesses linguistic ability’……”
The class continued. I covered my face with my hands. My face was so hot that the inside of my mouth felt numb. It felt like it would burst from the burning heat.
* * *
At 3:30 p.m., the second class on Friday. All ninety-eight cadets had arrived at the Magic Hall.
In an empty classroom with nothing but desks and chairs in preparation for any possible magical accidents, the magician in charge of the class was already waiting.
“Hello. I am Kim Hyojun, chief magician of the Seoul Magic Tower. Every Friday, from 3:30 to 6 p.m., I will teach you practical magic and mana application. Of course, today we’ll only do thirty minutes and end there.”
The chief magician introduced himself with an affable smile. However, my brow narrowed on its own.
That magician was of fairly poor quality.
He had been born as the third generation of a fairly prominent magic family and had risen smoothly through the ranks, but he was not talented enough to serve as a chief magician in the first place. Even so, thanks to various secret arts and lobbying by his family, he had somehow become a chief magician, but he had no career beyond that.
In the end, he acknowledged his own limits and changed course toward education.
However, his nasty personality became a problem. Namely, his excessive envy and obsession, as well as his lecherous disposition toward women. Later, he would even pretend to teach Chae Nayun and brazenly touch her here and there.
Still, the fact that he never made a contract with a devil until the very end was one of his few redeeming points.
[Kim Hyojun—is considering making a contract with a devil.]
……Though he might do it soon.
“Why learn magic when you aren’t magicians? Of course, you may be dissatisfied. But the mana application you call protective aura or sword qi is, in truth, an extension of magic.”
To demonstrate, Kim Hyojun emitted his mana into the air. The mana, which had been released in a straight, wavering line, was firmly compressed together with one shout from Kim Hyojun.
“Now. If you manipulate mana using only ‘physical force,’ that becomes what you call sword qi or aura. However, if you add proper calculation and processing to this mana……”
In an instant, crimson flames rose from that mana.
At the magic realized right before their eyes, the cadets let out cries of awe.
“It becomes magic.”
Kim Hyojun smiled brightly.
“Even if not magic of this level, you will learn from me practical magic, as well as methods for handling things like sword qi, sword aura, and aura more naturally. But since today is our first class, I’ll only briefly explain what you’ll learn and end there.”
Suddenly, a blue sphere the size of a ping-pong ball rose from his hand.
“This is essential magic for conquering dungeons. It is commonly called a ‘lump of light.’ It is a light source that illuminates your surroundings in blue. At a glance, it may seem simple, but in order to handle it skillfully……”
Kim Hyojun’s explanation continued in a complicated manner.
To summarize, he was telling them to gather mana and air into a round shape and create a sphere that emitted light.
“Now. Before I teach you, try it once on your own.”
The cadets began emitting mana.
I quietly looked down at my desk, then simply put my hands together and thought.
Lump of light, be made. Be made, be made.
Stigma’s mana manifested without any strenuous mental concentration or complicated calculations. Mana flowed out from the Stigma and gathered in my hands, soon condensing into a white lump of light. The cute circle floated above my palm, emitting pure white light.
Bzzzt—
At that moment, a vibration rang from my wrist. Startled, I dispelled the lump of light.
“Please turn off your watches during class.”
Kim Hyojun’s displeased gaze stabbed into me.
“I’m sorry.”
Lowering my head, I checked my smartwatch.
It was a text from Yoo Yeonha.
[Excuse me. We can’t do things like that yet. If you show that off carelessly, people might misunderstand~]
“What the hell.”
Where was she? When I looked, Yoo Yeonha was sitting diagonally across from me. When our eyes met, she smiled sweetly and silently mouthed.
‘How impressive. You copied it after hearing the explanation only once?’
At that sarcasm, I looked around at the cadets. Indeed, less than half of the cadets could gather their mana into a sphere, and even those who succeeded in gathering it had it soon wobble and melt away, let alone emit light.
“W-Wow!”
At that moment, an unknown cadet shouted.
At the very front, blue light was slowly flowing out from the sphere Kim Suho had gathered.
The cadets exclaimed in admiration, and Kim Hyojun’s face stiffened at once. Kim Hyojun watched the scene, then abruptly said,
“Stop.”
Ah, right. This was the trigger. The trigger that made Kim Hyojun grow jealous of Kim Suho.
For a moment, Kim Hyojun’s expression turned serious, but he soon relaxed his stiff face into a broad smile and continued in a gentle voice.
“……If you make it like that, it places a burden on your mana. Now, everyone, focus. I’ll explain it in more detail.”
All of a sudden, a one-on-one lesson began.
I was quietly watching them when I received a text from Yoo Yeonha.
[It must seem ridiculous to you, right? Someone makes a white light so easily, while someone else gets applause just for making one blue light.]
“……What is she going on about now?”
I simply ignored the alien language Yoo Yeonha was muttering however she pleased.
* * *
The next day, Saturday at 12:30 p.m.
I arrived at the travel club’s meeting place. Most of them had already gathered. Perhaps because it was an overseas schedule of two days and one night, everyone’s faces were full of anticipation.
“Hajin-ssi confirmed too. Now, before we leave, we’ll draw lots for groups.”
Club president O Hanhyeon took out the lottery box just like before. If things followed the original story, Kim Suho and Yoo Yeonha would probably become partners, and I had no interest in the rest.
“First, Suho-ssi? Please come forward. Suho-ssi will draw first.”
I was a little nervous. It had to go according to the original story.
Just who would Kim Suho draw……
*
Paris, France.
In a European country I had never been to even in reality, the me inside the novel set foot. Thanks to the Seoul–Paris portal agreement, ten seconds was enough.
“It really is different.”
Some of the scenery of Paris was exactly like the photos in reality, but there were also many parts that differed from reality. The cutting-edge buildings lined up around the Eiffel Tower, and the students of the “Paris Hero Academy” walking around with swords and spears, were examples of that.
For reference, in my setting, France was the hegemon of Europe. As such, France had a well-established hero system.
“Cadets from Korea, over here!”
As we blankly looked around at the exotic scenery of another country, someone shouted. In that direction was a limousine. Club president Yun Hanhyeon gave a hearty laugh and walked toward it.
“Nice to meet you. You are Mr. Raymond, correct?”
“Yes. Nice to meet you.”
“May we leave our luggage first and then have a short free tour?”
The attendant called Raymond smiled and nodded. For now, we shoved everything except our wallets into the limousine.
“We’ll move according to the groups we drew now.”
I’m in the same group as Chae Nayun. I don’t know why it ended up like this. It’s all well and good that Kim Suho and Yoo Yeonha paired up according to the original story, but being paired with Chae Nayun is somewhat uncomfortable.
“Then. Since it’s 1 o’clock now... please gather back here by 7!”
The club president left somewhere with the lover he’d brought along using his authority. Kim Suho also walked off with Yoo Yeonha. Their final destination was probably the ballroom.
“......”
Chae Nayun watched Kim Suho’s back with strangely regretful eyes, then approached me.
“Hey. Where are you going?”
Then she asked me.
“To eat.”
When you think of France, you think of food. I’d already looked up plenty of information in advance. In truth, this was my first trip to Europe in my life, so I’d been incredibly excited yesterday. After flipping through various travel pamphlets, I even ended up using the Book of Truth. I asked it which restaurant in Paris had the best reviews.
“Food? I am hungry. Where are you going?”
“......You’re going with me?”
Unexpectedly, it seemed Chae Nayun intended to keep accompanying me. Rumor had it that she practiced with my face pasted onto her target.
“We’ve already been assigned groups. What do you want me to do? Just ditch you?”
“...Ah. Right.”
I remembered. Chae Nayun had a terrible sense of direction. In places without many people, she could find her way using her magic power or something like perfume, but a city she was visiting for the first time was no different from a maze to her.
“What’s right about it?”
“Nothing. Just follow me for now.”
As if doubting my manliness, Chae Nayun crossed her arms. Her lips jutted out in a pout.
“Do you even know where anything is?”
“I know better than you.”
The Book of Truth had narrowed it down to exactly two good places. A cheap and delicious restaurant, and an expensive restaurant that was worth its price. I didn’t care which one we went to, but if I had to match Chae Nayun’s tastes, it would be the restaurant.
I set the location of the restaurant I had recorded on my smart watch in advance.
“Follow me.”
“Hmm... Hey, but my palate is really picky, you know?”
“I know.”
Though her outward behavior was that of a rough farmhand, because she had grown up eating all kinds of good and delicious things since childhood, Chae Nayun’s palate was more aristocratic than an aristocrat’s.
“......How do you know that?”
Without replying, I walked toward the restaurant. Chae Nayun hesitantly followed behind me.
The restaurant wasn’t very far, so after walking for about 15 minutes, I saw the sign.
[Go?t c?leste]
I had no idea what it meant, but the building’s exterior was extremely luxurious.
“Oh, is it there?”
“Yeah.”
“Oho~”
I approached the entrance with Chae Nayun. However, a large man in a suit blocked our way.
“@!#$!@#$!@#$?”
He said something in French, but how was I supposed to understand it?
Chae Nayun tilted her head and asked back.
“What did you say?”
At that, the large man cleared his throat and spoke in Korean.
“Do you have a reservation?”
“Ah. You can speak Korean. Hey. You didn’t make a reservation, did you? Don’t you know you can’t get into places like this without one?”
I silently opened my laptop. I hadn’t made a reservation, but I could hack one.
Using the laptop’s internet, I infiltrated the restaurant’s computer network. Maybe because it was a private server, it didn’t consume much SP either.
Reservation list, found in no time.
I wrote Kim Hajin’s name into the time slot around 1 p.m.
“Hey!”
Chae Nayun shouted into my ear. When I took my eyes off the laptop, Chae Nayun was right in front of me. Even at such extreme close range, her appearance had no flaws at all, enough to make one swallow instinctively.
“Huh? What, what?”
“I asked if you made a reservation.”
Chae Nayun asked again. I nodded.
“Yeah, I did.”
“......Really?”
“Say my name.”
Still suspicious, Chae Nayun approached the large man again.
“Kim Hajin. Is it there by any chance?”
The large man checked something on his smart watch.
Soon, as if he had confirmed my name, he smiled and stepped aside.
“Yes. Mr. Kim Hajin and one companion. Confirmed. Please enter.”
“......Oh, what?”
Chae Nayun looked at me with fresh surprise. I went inside with her.