60
With Han Seyeon on my back, before leaving, I stopped briefly beside Kim Dojun.
“You thought I’d just let it slide?”
Kim Dojun’s relieved expression froze in surprise.
“Don’t get it wrong. I kept you alive because you still have a purpose.”
Honestly, when Noah said he would kill Kim Dojun, I desperately held back the impulse to agree.
Because even if he were to die, I wanted to be the one to kill him.
And even if that wasn’t the case, Kim Dojun was not supposed to die just yet.
There were things that needed to be done before that.
“If it’s necessary…”
“The Branch of Yggdrasil.”
“!”
Kim Dojun’s eyes snapped open.
“How do you know about the Branch of Yggdrasil?”
“You don’t need to know. You just need to bring it.”
The Branch of Yggdrasil is a useful tool for thwarting the plans of future enemies.
And Yggdrasil had a large number of Branches. This was a closely guarded secret even within Yggdrasil.
The “Branch of Yggdrasil” was an item that could only be seen in the game of Eternity, making its existence extremely valuable in this world.
And Kim Dojun was one of the few who had the authority to access these Branches. Of course, Kim Dojun couldn’t easily reveal this.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t know anything about the Branch of Yggdrasil.”
He shook his head as if unsure himself. I smirked at his expected response and then spoke casually.
“It seems Ignis was destroyed in the fight a little while ago.”
“…”
Kim Dojun’s eyes flickered at my words.
The fact that the high-level spirit, Ignis, was destroyed in the battle with Han Seyeon was something only Kim Dojun knew.
Whether it was banished or destroyed was a fact that was difficult to discern unless you were a party to the contract.
“No, not just Ignis, but all contracts have been severed?”
“!”
Kim Dojun’s expression was filled with confusion.
Determining the other party’s contract status was impossible in the world of Eternity. However, it was clear to me.
The faded threads connected to Kim Dojun’s soul.
Over a dozen faded threads seemed forcibly torn, dangling in a state of disconnection.
I could intuitively understand that these indicated the destruction of the spirits.
In my eyes, I could see the “Line of Covenant” connecting the summoner and the summoned spirit.
And the Line of Covenant seen in a regular contract didn’t have such a faded color.
Depending on the nature of the summoned spirit, each had its own color and characteristics.
The Line of Covenant between Han Seyeon and Mordogan was pitch black.
If contracted with a fire spirit, it would have a blazing line.
However, from the severed Line of Covenant with Kim Dojun, I couldn’t discern any characteristics.
A faded gray light.
That ashen line didn’t simply indicate a severed contract.
It was a color symbolizing the spirit’s destruction.
“There’s nothing easier to kill than a summoner without a spirit.”
Kim Dojun realized my words were a threat, and his expression hardened.
“Do you think I would easily comply with that?”
“You have to listen. Otherwise, you’ll die.”
Kim Do-jun’s soul was completely stained with a deep ash color.
As the shell of his soul cracked due to the disappearance of the summon, the color of his soul leaked out entirely. And then.
“It seems like the energy listens very well to the ash-colored soul.”
“······?”
Kim Do-jun made a puzzled expression at the incomprehensible words. However, it didn’t take him long to understand the meaning of my words.
“If you don’t listen to me, it means you’ll die.”
“What…!”
The furrowed brows on Kim Do-jun’s face contorted horribly for a moment.
The energy that extended from me had penetrated Kim Do-jun’s soul.
The energy that penetrated his soul brought a terrible agony incomparable to piercing flesh.
“Ugh…”
Blue veins grotesquely protruded from Kim Do-jun’s whole body.
I casually looked at it and said, “Bring a branch from the World Tree within a month.”
Then, I separated the penetrating energy into fragments and implanted them into Kim Do-jun’s soul.
A bomb that could tear Kim Do-jun’s soul to shreds at any moment, if I desired.
And then, I turned around and walked away.
“Uwaaah!”
Kim Do-jun’s scream echoed pitifully from behind.
***
It was while strolling through the dark correctional facility leading to the student square of the academy, beyond the fields.
“Ugh…”
Han Se-yeon, leaning on my back, tossed and turned. I replied to him.
“I know you’re not asleep.”
“…Blood, I’ve been found out.”
Han Se-yeon, opening his eyes, pursed his lips.
“If you’re up, get down. Your back must hurt.”
As expected, my stamina level was ‘4.’
It took a bit of effort to carry Han Se-yeon from the field to here. And in response to my request to get down, Han Se-yeon weakly replied.
“My legs won’t move. Ouch!”
“You move well enough.”
As I pinched Han Se-yeon’s thigh, he twisted his leg. I chuckled.
“However, my stomach hurts too much. Why is that?”
“······.”
Quietly closing my mouth, there was something that came to mind at Han Se-yeon’s questioning words.
I had mercilessly punched her abdomen, which had lost its firmness. It was only natural for it to hurt. The punch seemed to have landed properly. Fortunately, it didn’t seem too severe… but I shouldn’t mention it. Otherwise, she’d definitely exaggerate about her sore stomach for days. Anyway.
“Do you remember anything?”
“I remember following a man to the field, but I don’t remember anything after that. Why is Haesol carrying me?”
My expression furrowed deeply.
“Why did you follow when I told you to wait quietly?”
“Well, I thought it would be okay? Ouch!”
Han Seyeon grabbed my forehead.
I bit my tongue as she squeezed my forehead.
“What’s okay about not being able to handle a single horse properly?”
At my annoyed words, Han Seyeon widened her eyes in response.
“Are you worried now?”
Ah. Letting out a deep sigh, I gently set Han Seyeon down as if I was tossing a burden.
We were in the back seats of the square stage.
“Ugh, you’re too much.”
“Sit down and enjoy the show.”
Originally, I had planned to leave her in the dorm room and come out alone, but since it was a joint performance we had all planned together, I brought Han Seyeon along, even though she was messing around with the horse.
She had folded the horse, though not neatly. Most of it had turned into scraps of tissue paper.
“Don’t wander off again. I’ll really leave you behind next time.”
“Okay.”
Feeling irritated by Han Seyeon’s continuous joking, I summoned Parang just in case.
If the same thing happened again, it would be a real headache.
***
Meanwhile, the first-year students of Class 1, who were holding a joint performance, were in a predicament due to the sudden disappearance of Yi Haesol.
Originally, after the joint performance of the students combining swordsmanship, magic, and firearms, it was planned for students like Amelia and Elaine, who excelled in horse handling, to come up on stage.
However, even though a long time had passed since the joint performance ended, they had yet to handle the horse.
On stage, Elaine was performing a puppet show using food spirits like ‘bear,’ ‘rabbit,’ ‘wolf,’ for the interlude.
“Isn’t this dragging on too long? It’s already been 20 minutes for the puppet show. Let’s just handle the horse.”
“Ha Yoon has a point. Even if we can’t handle all of them, wouldn’t it be better to handle some now? We’re already forcibly extending the performance…”
“I just got a message saying he’s on his way. Let’s wait for another 5 minutes. If he doesn’t show up by then, we’ll start without him.”
From Noble mtl dot com
Amelia hesitated in response to the students’ indecision.
To their surprise, even in the audience, there were murmurs of confusion.
– Weren’t they supposed to handle the horse?
– Oh, I came to see that, but they’re not doing it.
– Really? I find the puppet show quite entertaining.
Amelia bit her lip tightly.
‘Hurry up.’
Yi Haesol, who had been waiting for more than 10 minutes, seemed to have no intention of coming.
Although it was unclear what he was doing and why he was so late, Amelia decided to wait a little longer. Yi Haesol was not someone to break promises. If he couldn’t make it, he would at least send a message. That was when Amelia clenched her fist.
Ring ring—
Opening the vibrating smartphone, Amelia shouted with a brightened face.
“He’s here, in front of the square.”
“But we’re way past the climax by now, right?”
“Yes, the sun has set. Look at the sky. Even if we release the horse now, it’s too dark for anyone to see.”
In response to the students’ words, Amelia shook her head as if to say it wasn’t her call.
“No, it’s just the perfect timing.”
“What’s so perfect about it? The sun has set, hasn’t it?”
Amelia smiled reassuringly at Eungaye’s puzzled expression as if to say not to worry.
“We can light up the magic lanterns. It’ll create a much better atmosphere when the fire shines in the dark.”
“Magic lanterns?”
“Yes, I thought it might turn out like this, so I drew a spell pattern on the paper beforehand.”
“When? I didn’t even see where I am.”
“The pattern is drawn in the part where the words are written.”
“Wow, that was a spell?”
Eungaye seemed completely taken aback. It was when Eungaye stuck out her tongue in disbelief that someone from the back of the stage began to radiate blue light magic devices in all directions, crossing the corridor.
━♪♬♩
Matching the melody spreading through the stage, magic devices emitting light.
Captivated by the scattered blue light illuminating the dark stage, the audience’s gaze was fixed on the figure crossing the corridor.
“They’ve arrived.”
“Arriving late, why such a flashy entrance?”
Amelia’s expression brightened as she looked at the figure, and Eungaye grumbled in disbelief.
“Elaine, let’s go up too.”
“Yeah, got it.”
Elaine, who had been engrossed in her meal control, stood up, discreetly dismissing the dolls on the stage.
At that moment, as if Amelia had a good idea, she clapped her hands.
“Since we’re going up, let’s match the mood a bit.”
“Match the mood? How?”
“Everyone, gather around.”
Amelia gathered Elaine, Kindel, and Deoric, gesturing as she laid out her thoughts.
“I think it’s a good idea.”
“Let’s go with that.”
“Agreed.”
With that, the four of them, following Amelia’s suggestion, moved.
Nikolai muttered as the spectacle finally appeared.
“Hm, for something rushed, it looks plausible.”
“Indeed, seems like it was planned in advance.”
Eungaye stuck out her tongue.
With the footsteps of Heasol crossing the stage, Elaine and Amelia appeared from the left and right of the corridor holding red and yellow lights.
Deoric and Kindel greeted them with a different light in the center.
The gathering of lights from all sides of the stage was a splendid sight indeed. The audience’s reactions were quite favorable.
And it was when the four of them gathered like that. Suddenly, the audience erupted in excitement.
– Hey, look over there! What’s that?
– Wow… it’s beautiful.
– It’s like a fairy tale.
From the giant tree standing beside the stage, hundreds of paper lanterns were floating up, one by one, lit by flames.
The quiet beginning led to a majestic procession filling the sky.
It was like witnessing the cosmic waves connecting the earth to the heavens, a mysterious and dreamlike sight.
Audience members at any corner of the Academy gazed up, spellbound, at the waves of learning.
“Is Ihaesol intentionally late?”
“I don’t know, but if it were during the day, he would definitely regret it.”
At Eungaye’s words, the students of Class 1 nodded contentedly, smiling.
Meanwhile, at the back of the audience.
“Alright, then.”
“Kkaak!”
Han Seyeon gently stroked Parangi’s head, quietly enjoying the soaring waves of learning.
Recalling the recent events, she chuckled softly.
Despite being relentless just a moment ago, Ihaesol, who would shut up quietly if his stomach hurt.
“…I did hit a bit hard.”
Han Seyeon pouted, brushing against his aching stomach.
Finally, the students of Class 1 ascended the stage, and applause echoed across the square.