Correcting the Villainess of the Academy

It definitely feels like a bucket with a hole leaking water. His gentle demeanor was momentarily surprising, but his true temperament was increasingly escaping its concealment.

If nothing else, it does seem certain that Yeon Minha is indeed his daughter.

Fortunately, though, there isn’t much emotional upheaval. It’s like I’ve been vaccinated in advance. The old Yeon Minha was the first dose, and her mother whom I encountered yesterday was the second…

Moreover, it was clear that the head of the Jeokhwa family harbored deep hostility towards the Paecheon family, especially when you look at the rhetoric he tacks onto every mention of Paecheon.

Also, it feels like this arrogance isn’t from a place of superiority, but rather from a sense of inferiority—might this be my misunderstanding?

Unlike ordinary wizards who emphasize magical achievements, Jeokhwa feels like they only push the long history and tradition to the forefront. Just like the steward who babbled endlessly yesterday, and the head of Jeokhwa, who stands before me now.

I recalled the information I had gathered about Jeokhwa over time.

Jeokhwa occupies a position among the five families as a master of spirit magic.

However, I’ve heard that spirit magic is nearly impossible to develop or use unique magic like other families due to the inability to use particle arrangement apparatuses and its heavy resource consumption on the brain.

Although they can harness spirits of various attributes as long as the wavelengths match, there’s an inherent limitation to reach the extreme.

Thus, it was said that Jeokhwa has not achieved notable accomplishments in the realm of magical studies. Consequently, they appear to be somewhat inferior to other families in scholarly pursuits.

They even gained the absurd side effect of mental contamination as a master of spirit magic, and it has long been the case that they are externally relegated to Paecheon.

If he harbors some form of enmity and inferiority complex… could it be that the surrounding circumstances have led to this?

Paecheon had always been behind Heukryeon and Jeokhwa but had finally risen to prominence in this generation, which could make it even more bitter.

“…Ahem. Father. More importantly…”

Yeon Minha, who had been cautiously observing my reaction, finally managed to steer the conversation in another direction.

After exchanging words in a dry tone for a while, Yeonjeongmun glanced at the clock and rose.

“Oh dear. It’s already late. I must take my leave. Then, you should enjoy your last night’s stay comfortably.”

As he left his seat, Yeon Minha’s mother also half-heartedly finished her meal and soon left for the inner quarters.

Once it was just the two of us again, Yeon Minha sighed as if a great burden had been lifted.

“…Hoo.”

Then, she looked at me with an anxious and worried expression.

“Um… about what my father said…”

“Don’t worry about it; I didn’t think much of it.”

“But still…”

“I truly mean it. Besides, it feels like we haven’t seen family in a long time, and I hope I didn’t intrude?”

Yeon Minha shook her head.

“No, that’s not it. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t even have come.”

“Is that so…”

“Yes. If you’re all done eating, shall we get going?”

After Yeon Minha stood up and glanced around, she leaned in close, whispering in my ear.

“I’ll come at the time we agreed. See you in the annex.”

With that, she disappeared into the inner quarters, guided by a servant.

*

Time had quickly progressed to two in the morning. Yeon Minha stood before the mirror, making her final preparations before heading to the annex.

Though it was clearly a late-night outing with no one watching, she painstakingly applied lipstick and light makeup, then tidied her hair.

Amid her busy preparations, there came a knock at her door from the hallway.

“Miss.”

“…What is it?”

She was quite displeased by the sudden interruption, but the urgent tone in the voice calling her told her something was amiss.

As Yeon Minha opened the door, she saw a servant standing there, fidgeting anxiously.

“…Madam has drunk a lot and is throwing quite a tantrum… for some reason, it seems worse today… we can’t manage her…”

“Mother is throwing a tantrum…?”

Yeon Minha couldn’t hide her surprise.

She had heard noise coming from the inner quarters for a while, but she hadn’t expected it to be her mother.

Although her mother had always been stern and severe, she had also never lost her striking appearance and solemn manners.

So even when she heard earlier that her mother was increasingly enjoying alcohol, she had been half skeptical…

“…When did she start behaving like this?”

“It’s been about two years…”

Yeon Minha furrowed her brow slightly. Two years again.

It was also two years ago when a large number of servants were changed. Her mother had started showing this kind of behavior two years ago. It was two years ago that a nun or someone began to visit. And it was two years ago that her father had shown unbelievable changes.

What the heck happened two years ago?

“And actually, whenever there’s a meeting with the head, she always acts like this…”

The servant glanced around before whispering so only Yeon Minha could hear.

Did the two have a big fight?

She knew well that their marriage was politically arranged. And it wasn’t unusual.

Her mother’s family owned the giant pharmaceutical company Gukgwang Bio, but it was suffering severely from financial difficulties due to continuous management failures at that time.

Jeokhwa pushed for the marriage of her father, then an heir, with her mother, who was a noblewoman, in exchange for a portion of the wealth obtained through the monopoly of Stellaite mining.

This was meant to delve deeper into researching a cure for mental contamination through connections from her mother’s side, but it ended up being utterly unsuccessful, yielding no sharp answers afterward.

Even as a child, she had felt like a window display daughter, and yet the two had only fulfilled their duties with the prosperity of their offspring. Yeon Minha was born in the same year as their marriage.

There hadn’t been any siblings or other occurrences afterward. But considering Yeon Minha’s innate talent, it had been a reasonable decision.

Because the wizardry species itself is rare, spreading it as much as possible is praised as a virtue. Yet, cases where obsession leads to family disputes, much like Paecheon, are not rare.

Although she left her family for three years to treat her own mental contamination, no particular conflicts seemed to spring to mind between them.

“…I understand. I’ll go right away.”

Thinking it wouldn’t take long, Yeon Minha dismissed the servant and immediately began to write a note. She scribbled that she would head to the annex about 10 minutes later than planned and whistled.

Squawk!

Soon enough, the flapping of wings could be heard outside, and a small shadow landed by the window.

When Yeon Minha attached the note to the tiny crow, no larger than her pinky finger with a blunt beak, it immediately flew off to deliver the note to its destination.

Yeon Minha then followed the servant to her mother’s room. As she approached, the sound of loud sobbing and something crashing echoed down the hallway.

Yeon Minha stood in front of the door, her expression awkward as she observed the servants gathered in the hallway.

“Mother. It’s Minha. I’m coming in.”

Despite repeated knocks, only the sound of crying continued. Yeon Minha sighed and finally opened the door.

The smell of alcohol permeated the air. Several liquor bottles lay scattered on the floor, some broken and jagged shards mixed amid the mess.

“Ugh… W-what have I done… I don’t like it anymore… I’m tired…”

Her mother sobbed pitifully, her head resting on the table.

“Mother.”

At the sound of her name being called, the woman jolted. The look in her mother’s eyes, now dulled, matched that of someone too intoxicated.

“Sniff… Who is this…? My dear…!”

The woman managed to force a smile, but it was more eerie than benevolent, sending chills down Yeon Minha’s spine.

Yeon Minha tried to shake it off and approached her.

“…Mother. You’ve had too much to drink. It’s time to sleep now…”

Yeon Minha approached to support her and tried to move her to bed.

However, as her fingers touched her shoulder, the woman shoved her away with a sharp thud and shouted.

“Don’t touch me!! Where do you think you’re going…!”

“Mother, your health…”

“Who says you’re my daughter!! Just stop… please…!”

Despite repeated persuading, the woman’s attitude remained firm. Covering her ears, the last words she threw at Yeon Minha pressed her heart with sorrow.

From childhood memories, she had never once shown affection to Yeon Minha. Not a single kind word had she ever offered.

While her father’s demeanor had deteriorated due to mental contamination, she couldn’t comprehend her mother’s behavior at all. The young Yeon Minha had poured herself into her studies and training, believing she was lacking. Even when suffering from serious mental contamination symptoms proportional to her talent, she tried her best not to worry them.

However, as the years went by, her mother never once sent her a word of concern or encouragement.

And even in these circumstances, she sternly rejected Yeon Minha. No matter how hard she thought about it, she couldn’t grasp the reason, and that was even more painful.

“Mother… this is too much. Am I not your biological daughter? How can you be so cold every time…!”

Yet, in response to her sorrowful pleading, her mother only let out a more maniacal laugh. The contents of her drunken ramblings became more confusing.

“My biological daughter… Haah, hah… Who says you’re my biological daughter…?”

“Mother…!”

“Hehe… dear… don’t you know? The one you call mother… I haven’t even used her once…!”

“What…?”

Gulping down a rising tide of confusion, Yeon Minha froze on the spot.

Thinking it just the effects of drunkenness, her heart nonetheless raced wildly, and it interrupted her mother’s return to composure.

Yeon Minha finally managed to speak up.

“Mother… that’s a terrible joke…”

“Hehe… my dear. Does what I say sound like a joke to you? Poor thing… you don’t even know who your mother is…”

“Mother… please stop… if you’re not my mother, then who is…”

Her voice, nearly a cry, still went unheard.

“Hehe… don’t worry…! It’s someone you know well… hick!”

In the end, losing her rationality under the alcohol’s influence, she ultimately divulged the secret she had been forced to keep hidden all this time.

“Hehe…! That person whom your father and others unanimously said you resemble closely…”

As the woman continued, Yeon Minha’s heart began pounding harder.

It felt like embarking on a forbidden fruit she was never meant to know, her hands trembling, a cold sweat pouring down her body.

The woman’s incoherent ramblings brought to mind a photo reflecting a warm moment shared between a pair of lovers.

“Mother… please, just stop now…”

“Hehe… seems you finally understand…”

Despite Yeon Minha’s pleas, her mother continued unabated.

The sorrow, regret, and sense of injustice within the woman’s eyes cruelly delivered the brutal truth.

“The dirty outcome of siblings clinging to each other like dogs… is you.”

*

“It’s just a bit late…”

The crow landed with its head pressed against my shoulder just as I was preparing to leave.

Wondering if something had happened… but if it were something serious, it wouldn’t deliver a note so casually.

I was about to respond with an acknowledgment.

The damp night air seeped through the open window, and once again, the metallic scent of blood began wafting up from below.

I stepped outside to head to the garden. I wasn’t mistaken. That same operation from yesterday was clearly repeating itself right now.

What to do? I couldn’t just wait for Yeon Minha in a situation like this.

The anxious feeling that had lingered in my mind since I arrived grew more intense.

I felt like I was about to miss something crucial.

In the end, I hastily scribbled a note that I’d scout ahead and placed it in the crow’s beak before moving out.

Just like yesterday, I crept through the edges of the brush and shrubs, cautiously watching, and soon spotted servants carrying several bags in the distance, relying on the dim glow of their flashlights.

Amid them, grumbling filled with dissatisfaction could be heard coming my way. It sounded like they were having a breakdown among themselves, and their voices were loud enough for me to catch the details.

“I’m hungry… they haven’t even fed us…! They won’t even let us hunt…!”

“Shut your mouth! How can one who’s engaged in a sacred enterprise worry about hunger! Overcome it by your own means!”

“The noble enterprise… I don’t care! I’m starving! Just let us eat!”

“Heh, how naive… should’ve brought more than just these beasts…”

As the bitter ramblings of one of them echoed, blood boiled within me.

What the heck is this about? A noble enterprise? Talking so grandly while moving bloody bags? Just a mere servant? And referring to them as beasts? Two ranks?

As I mulled over the conversation, my head began spinning wildly.

However, what held me back was that this place was a renowned family estate located right in the middle of the capital, far from such raw dealings.

While the two servants were engaged in incomprehensible debate, one of the piled bags began squirming, and the opening burst, spilling its contents onto the ground.

In that moment, I doubted my eyes.

No matter how many times I blinked, a person most certainly curled up in fear lay within that bag. A little girl, dressed in rags, looking like she belonged in a slum.

“New arrivals are a bit strange…”

“They give off scary looks… and don’t say a word…”

“They say vagrants have been disappearing from the slums every night…”

“Some even heard sounds like beasts howling…”

“There’re claw marks and bloodstains too…”

Suddenly, the testimonies I’d heard from the servants surfaced in my mind. I tried to calm myself and maintain my composure.

Yet, the situation spiraled even further in an unpredictable direction.

The moment I reacted to a presence, the discussions fell silent. The two stared at the child, their eyes wide and eerie.

Before long, the face of the complaining laborer began to contort grotesquely. Eyes, nose, and ears ballooned outward as dark fur gradually sprouted. Its jaw elongated, revealing sharp fangs that snapped into place. A spiraled horn protruded from its forehead.

“I can’t… hold back anymore… I’m eating!!!”

It flung its jaw wide open and lunged toward its innocent victim.

If I hesitated even for an instant, that jaw would tear into the girl’s neck.

Before I could think, my body moved first.

Gah!

I burst out, delivering a powerful punch to the creature’s jaw. The monster screamed and tumbled several meters back.

I then shouted to the girl, who was still sitting there trembling.

“Run! Quickly!!”

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