But Kim Hajin... Was this what heroes often meant by a “difference in class”?
He was truly in another class altogether—someone who could probably have succeeded even as a singer.
“Wow~ As expected of Kim Hajin.”
“You should just become a singer. Seriously, a singer.”
While Kim Suho and Lee Younghan were making a commotion, Yoo Yeonha glanced at Chae Nayun.
Kim Hajin’s song had ended just moments ago, but Chae Nayun still had her eyes closed, as if she were lingering in the afterglow.
At that moment,
a text arrived on her smartwatch.
[Come outside for a moment. I have something to say. ]
It was from Kim Hajin. Yoo Yeonha glanced at him, then stepped outside the karaoke room.
She waited for three minutes.
“Hey, buddy.”
Someone addressed her in a friendly manner.
Yoo Yeonha suddenly felt like laughing.
“........ Why are you suddenly speaking English?”
“You don’t know? ‘Buddy’ means companion.”
“Do you really think I don’t know that? ...... Anyway, you know my style, right?”
Kim Hajin smirked and nodded.
Whenever possible, get straight to the point without an introduction.
Yoo Yeonha wasn’t someone who enjoyed idle chatter.
“Of course I do. Make me some bullets.”
“Huh? Bullets?”
It was a request Yoo Yeonha hadn’t expected.
“Yeah. Not mass-produced ones. Made to order, custom-made. You can do that, right?”
“...... We probably can. But there’s no need for custom work or anything like that. Our workshop’s method is the most cutting-edge there is.”
Even the largest bullets were smaller than an average index finger.
The ‘mana method,’ which involved compressing and injecting mana into something that small, was cutting-edge technology that had only been developed in the 2000s.
“Ah. I know that. But.”
All of a sudden, Kim Hajin pulled a tiny fallen leaf from inside his clothes. Or perhaps it was a tree leaf. Either way, it was an object that seemed completely out of place in the situation.
“...... What is this? It’s a leaf.”
“Grind it up and put it inside the bullets.”
“What?”
After receiving the leaf, Yoo Yeonha examined it closely. No matter how many times she turned it over, there was nothing particularly special about it. She slightly furrowed her brows and looked at Kim Hajin.
“If I ask what it is, you won’t tell me anyway, will you?”
Kim Hajin silently nodded.
“....... I just have to grind it up and put it in, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Whatever. Fine.”
“Thanks. Oh, and tell the others that I’m leaving first, will you?”
Yoo Yeonha tilted her head.
“We’re all leaving soon anyway. Why don’t you stay with us?”
“It’s uncomfortable. I’m leaving first. Shin Jonghak keeps trying to intimidate me.”
As he said this, Kim Hajin gave Yoo Yeonha’s shoulder a rather forceful pat.
Yoo Yeonha flinched and took two or three steps backward.
“D-don’t hit me.......... It hurts.”
“Ah, sorry. Anyway, I’m leaving.”
“........ Yes, go.”
Kim Hajin slowly walked away.
As Yoo Yeonha rubbed her shoulder and watched his back, her watch suddenly gave an alert.
[Master, I think I’ve found an incident related to Kim Hajin. ]
Yoo Yeonha’s eyes widened as she read it without much thought.
[Report.]
[An incident known as the ‘Gwang-o Incident’ occurred in the year of Kim Hajin’s birth. However, for some reason, all related records have been concealed, and one of our informants was attacked during the investigation.]
“Attacked?!”
Yoo Yeonha hurriedly typed out a reply. How difficult that informant had been to find. No, how much money had she spent paying them all this time?
[Is their condition all right?]
[Yes. Fortunately, they are recovering without any serious problems. ]
[Submit all the information you have gathered to me for now, and suspend the investigation. The informant’s safety takes priority over information. ]
[Understood, Master. ]
After ending the conversation, Yoo Yeonha stared intently at the words ‘Gwang-o Incident.’
“The Gwang-o Incident...... The Gwang-o Incident.......... Why does that sound familiar?”
She had definitely seen a collection of incidents with similar contents in the library of the main family’s estate.
No, rather than a collection of incidents, it had been her father’s diary.
She had been very young—perhaps seven years old—but she remembered it clearly.
At the time, the writing had been too difficult and full of Chinese characters for her to read it in detail. Still, she had been scolded by her father for the first time in her life simply for looking through it without knowing what she was doing.
“...... I’ll have to go take a look later.”
Her father had said he would be going on a business trip starting this Friday, so she could take advantage of that opportunity.
“Hehe.”
Yoo Yeonha felt inexplicably proud.
At last, it seemed as though she could properly repay her ‘companion.’
As she lightly spun around, Chae Nayun’s fierce glare was fixed on her. Yoo Yeonha’s body trembled.
“W-what? Nayun. Why did you come out?”
“You didn’t come back in.”
Chae Nayun pointed toward the karaoke room with her chin.
“Uh, right. ......... Oh, that’s right. Nayun, he said he was leaving first.”
“What? Why? What were you talking about?”
Chae Nayun asked with her brows drawn together. Yoo Yeonha found her expression strangely cute and poked her in the side with a finger.
“Ah! What are you doing?”
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“No, hey, ahang, h-hey, stop!”
Yoo Yeonha continued poking her.
Starting at her side and moving toward a somewhat more sensitive area...
“Ah, I said stop. Ah, d-don’t poke me.”
“What? What?”
“R-really, ah, ahh, hey!”
Unable to endure it any longer, Chae Nayun finally covered her chest with both arms.
“You’re poking weird places, you crazy bitch?!”
“I’m jealous. That’s why.”
Even as she spoke, Yoo Yeonha continued looking for an opening.
It was an amazing figure, naturally endowed with a body where every soft and pliable word—fluffy, full, and supple—seemed applicable. And on top of that, it was pure white. It almost seemed unfair.
Press, press.
“Ah! Ahh! Stop it. I said stop! Ah, it tickles, ah, seriously!”
Under Yoo Yeonha’s merciless fingers, Chae Nayun’s face turned bright red, and she finally couldn’t take it anymore and ran away.
The End
I returned to the lodging before it got too late.
As soon as I opened the door, Evangel and Hayang came scampering over. I was already used to Evangel’s “Hajin-hajin” and Hayang’s “meow-meow.”
I held the two little ones in my arms and sat down on the sofa.
I paid for the theatrical film of the TV animation I had promised to play for them when I returned.
Evangel and Hayang became completely absorbed from the moment the distributor’s logo appeared.
But the more I thought about it, the more Hayang seemed to have intelligence beyond that of a human. She refused to even look at pet food and only ate human food, for one thing. And she absolutely obeyed me—the highest authority in this lodging—for another.
“...... Wait a second.”
I suddenly looked at the ring on my finger and Hayang’s tail swaying before my eyes.
An utterly bizarre thought crossed my mind.
Just because it was a ring, was there any rule saying only humans could wear it?
.====
[Homer’s Ring] [Artifact] [Blooming]
A ring once worn by Homer. It resonates with nature and imbues its wearer with a clear energy. The wearer can also inherit part of Homer’s intellect.
「Intelligence Increase - The wearer’s intelligence increases by 0.001 every 24 hours. (Maximum 0.365)」
「Advanced Mana Amplification」
===
Driven by pointless curiosity, I modified one of the settings.
「Intelligence Increase - The intelligence of the target wearing it increases by 0.001 every 24 hours. (Maximum 0.365)」 「For a single target only, if the target is not human, its intelligence increases by 0.01 every 12 hours. (Maximum 0.365)」
[40 SP will be consumed.]
“Huh? Wait, wait.”
I quickly calculated it in my head.
0.02 a day. That was enough to fill it completely in eighteen days.
Besides, the amount consumed was surprisingly small.
Couldn’t this be applied to a human as well?
「For the first wearer only, the rate of intelligence increase is amplified twofold. 」
[500 SP will be consumed.]
However, the SP consumption was 500. The gap between humans and beasts must really be that great.
“...... Hmm.”
I pondered for a while.
The opportunity cost was 30 SP and eighteen days.
Would an intelligent Hayang be able to help me enough to justify that cost?
I looked at Hayang, who was nestled in Evangel’s arms.
Even if she couldn’t help me, she would certainly be able to help Evangel.
Ah, whatever.
I slipped the ring onto Hayang’s tail. Hayang turned to look at me with a somewhat languid expression, then discovered the ring fitted around her tail.
One second, two seconds, three seconds...... She stared at it quietly, then began swishing her tail gently, as if satisfied by its sparkle.
“I’ll see how much smarter you get over the next two weeks.”
I said this while stroking Hayang’s back.
Speaking of Hayang made me think of a wolf this time. What an incredible chain of thought.
I examined the stats of the ghost wolf Evangel had carved with all her heart and soul on my laptop.
===
「Ghost Wolf」
[Familia] [Intermediate] - The first familia created by a witch
▶Basic Stats
[Strength 5,350]
[Bite Force 6,150]
[Endurance 2.535]
[Agility 7.550]
[Sensory Ability 7.605]
[Stamina 2.750]
[Mana 3,850]
▶Special Skills
[Intuition High (上)]
*The ability to sense danger.
[Consumption Low (下)]
*Strengthens its innate power through consumption.
[Tattoo Form Low (下)]
*Seeps in like a tattoo, replenishes mana, and enhances some of its master’s stats.
▶First Familia
*Its growth potential and innate rank are overwhelmingly superior to those of other familias.
▶Soul Bond
*As the witch’s skill grows, so too does the familia’s power.
===
“Wow, what the hell.”
At first, I was impressed by its stats.
Its agility in particular was no joke. If its stamina and endurance increased, it might even be possible to ride it instead of a motorcycle.
Then my eyes landed on the word ‘familia.’
“Ah, no wonder.”
I understood.
A familia was one of a witch’s powers—the ability to create life. In truth, rather than life, it would be more accurate to say that a witch tore off a piece of her own soul to create a kind of clone.
Because of this, a familia possessed especially powerful strength among all of a witch’s creations, and a witch could only create three to five of them in her lifetime.
To give a very simple example of a familia’s power,
Evangel’s most famous familia in the original work was Cerberus, the three-headed hound. I remember that quite a lot of effort had gone into its description. A massive body engulfed in black flames, and..... something or other.
“...... I guess I should put the Under Armour on him instead of wearing it myself.”
If this wolf grew properly, it might really become a demonic wolf.
But why had Evangel carved a wolf of all things? Had I perhaps come to resemble a wolf a little, as Boss had said?
“Haha, look at that, Hayang.”
Evangel’s adorable laughter rang out.
Evangel was concentrating on the theatrical animation with all her might.
She laughed during the funny scenes, watched the serious scenes with the gravest expression in the world, teared up during the sad scenes, and tilted her head from side to side in accordance with the movement whenever a racing scene appeared.
Brrrr—
Just then, a text arrived on my smartwatch.
[Travel Club. This Saturday, we’re going to a festival in Busan, South Korea, for a trip. Please reply by text in advance to say whether you will attend or not.]]
My brows narrowed slightly.
The travel club was, frankly speaking, guaranteed to cause some sort of trouble every time I went with them.
“Vrooom~”
I carefully held the back of Evangel’s head as she made a right turn.
“Evangel?”
“...Yeah?”
“Let’s go on a trip this Friday.”
The travel club’s destination had been set as Busan. However, since their schedule ran from Saturday to Sunday, if I booked a suite for Friday alone, I could spend the day having fun with Evangel.
“Go on a trip?!”
Evangel’s eyes sparkled.
“Yeah, I think I’ll have some time on Friday. Last week, we went to Dizerin Land. So this week....”
I deliberately dragged out the suspense. Evangel’s bright eyes brimmed with anticipation.
“The Busan festival.”
* * *
Friday, 2 p.m.
“Practical magic is both important and simple.”
[Practical Magic and Mana Utilization] was well underway.
I glanced at Tomer, who was sitting beside me. Tomer was taking notes while pretending nothing was wrong.
These days, I had been in contact with Tomer quite often.
What kind of relationship did she have with Agus Benjamin? What was he like as a person? Tomer kept asking about her father while pretending she wasn’t, and I answered appropriately while preparing various devices to firmly draw Tomer over to my side.
At present, the urn containing the remains of Tomer’s lonely and isolated father was probably surrounded by the flowers I had given her.
“Things that can manifest without undergoing the process of converting the mana within your body into magic—for example...”
The class continued on without end.
It was just when I was on the verge of dozing off to the gentle, soothing voice.
Tomer, sitting beside me, tapped me on the shoulder. I hurriedly wiped away my drool and turned my head, whereupon he thrust out a sheet of paper.
[Hey. How did you get close to that person?]
After reading the sentence, I looked at Tomer’s face.
He looked unusually serious.
I cleared my throat and wrote back.
[We just became close with some difficulty.]
[So how? Even the nurses said they couldn’t get close to that person.]
[Well, that person didn’t have a family either. We were in similar situations.]
I wrote only that for now, then stole a glance at Tomer.
Tomer began writing with a thoroughly perplexed expression.
[What kind of situation do—]
“......Oh, right.”
But he stopped midway.
Well, he must have investigated my background too, so he probably knew that I was an orphan.
Tomer glanced at me apologetically, then wrote briefly.
[I understand.]
This time, I took the initiative.
[But why do you keep asking? You’ve been asking ever since last week.]
[That person is my biological father.]
“......Huh?”
I had only prodded him a little, but Tomer had thrown a bombshell right back at me.
For a moment, I was genuinely flustered.
[You must be surprised. I am too. I never imagined I’d find someone connected to him here.]
Tomer’s handwriting was scrawled rapidly across the page.
[He abandoned me and ran away. That’s why I’m tracing his whereabouts.]
I quietly closed my mouth.
But Tomer’s father had not abandoned her and run away.
It had been the exact opposite.
By abandoning his daughter, he had protected her. His beloved wife had been possessed by a demon and tried to sell even their most precious daughter, so he killed his wife and chose his daughter instead.
[That reminds me, did that perso—did he leave behind a will or any keepsake?]
However, at the time, South American society was rife with guilt by association and witch hunts against demons, so Tomer’s father had no choice but to become a criminal all by himself.
He had run away alone to protect his daughter, but he always longed for her and prepared a letter for the day they would meet again.
[There was a keepsake. A single letter.]
A chill flashed through Tomer’s eyes.
[Where is it?]
[At the memorial hall. Together with the urn.]
[Where is that memorial hall?]
[Let’s go together. I’ll take you there.]
[Forget that. Just write down the address.]
If Tomer went alone, the dramatic effect would be somewhat diminished, but it didn’t matter.
[Here.]
I wrote down the address.
Tomer transferred it to his smartwatch, then wrote more words in the notebook.
[Oh, and today is my last day living at Cube. But don’t misunderstand—I’m not doing this to avoid paying you back, so don’t get the wrong idea.]
“You two over there?”
It was then that the water-attribute mage of Seoul’s Magic Tower, ‘Kim Hyojun,’ who had been lecturing at the podium, pointed at us.
“Are you perhaps a couple?”
Only then did I look at the way Tomer and I were sitting. We were pressed closely together, with a notebook between us.
Tomer hurriedly moved away, but the cadets’ gazes had already swept over both of us.
“Being so openly romantic is against school regulations.”
“We’re not.”
The moment I answered, I felt a gaze staring fixedly at me from somewhere in front.
It was Chae Nayun. Yoo Yeonha, seated beside her, was diligently taking notes without much interest, but Chae Nayun was sulking as she glared at me.
“Cadet Kim Hajin? Come out here.”
“Ah.”
“Ah?”
“Ah. Yes.”
So this was how it turned out after all. There was no way that bastard Kim Hyojun would let this slide. He was the sort who wouldn’t be satisfied until he had humiliated me somehow.
Scratching the back of my neck, I stood and went up to the podium.
“Cadet Kim Hajin, you passed all your first-semester exams with average scores.”
Kim Hyojun projected my grades onto the silver screen.
Sphere of Light, Mana Discharge, Mana Resonance, and so on.
They all hovered somewhere between C and B+.
“Then, what was today’s lesson about?”
“Uh.”
I didn’t know.
I had simply been asleep.
As I fumbled for an answer, a small voice came from somewhere.
—Barrier. Barrier.
It was Kim Suho.
“Ah, it was barrier.”
“........ Yes. That’s right. Would you like to try it?”
Kim Hyojun asked me that.
Wait, barrier?
For a moment, the events of the original novel overlapped with reality.
This was something I had written myself.
The mage in charge of this class was Kim Hyojun, a petty man steeped in jealousy and envy, as I had mentioned during the first semester. In the original novel, he had a history of picking on Kim Suho in exactly this way.
“Barrier?”
“Yes. Give it a try.”
My lips went dry with unease.
First, I activated the mana of the Stigmata and formed a barrier large enough to cover roughly the upper half of a person’s body. It had consumed no less than one and a half strokes of the Stigmata’s mana.
It was vivid and…