READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 29 - A Different Choice, a Different Path, a Different Name
Translator: FenrirTL
Editor: ford53
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< Chapter 29: A Different Choice, a Different Path, a Different Name (4) >
Through the dizzying swirl of blue mana dust, a girl with fiery red hair revealed herself.
She was a handspan shorter than Seti, with eyes sparkling like topaz.
Although she too was a beauty that caught the eye, she didn’t have much in common with Seti. It was the aura she exuded that set them apart.
Her attire alone made it clear. A long red dress that reached her knees, a red leather jacket, and to finish it off, red enamel shoes.
‘…Is this also an illusion?’
Faced with such a provocative, even avant-garde fashion sense, Dawn was at a loss for words.
He heightened his senses just in case, but there was no unusual mana to be detected. In other words, the girl before him was undoubtedly real.
“What are you staring at? Never seen a sorceress before?”
…
Dawn furrowed his brows and looked away. Seti, avoiding his gaze, explained.
“That, remember what I told you? About my cursed younger sister. That’s her.”
With those words, Dawn was reminded of the original reason why Seti had come to the Incheon black market.
Seti had been searching for a unicorn’s horn… in other words, the handle of Uragan, to lift her sister’s curse.
Their meeting and the ensuing connection was purely the result of chance.
“…Good to know things worked out. So, what brings your sister here?”
The red-haired girl answered.
“I wanted to test you myself. Have a chat, and if possible, see this so-called talent of yours.”
“Test? By what right?”
“I’m betting my life on this, so it’s only natural I confirm everything.”
Betting her life? Dawn was puzzled and looked at Seti, who seemed just as surprised.
“Siri? What are you saying?”
“What else? I’m saying I know all about your plan, and I came here for that reason. Didn’t I make it obvious even though you couldn’t catch on to my questioning?”
The red-haired girl, Siri, chuckled and gave a slight nod.
“I want revenge on this country too. Burn all those bastards to ashes, and live freely with our Granny.”
“What are you going to…”
Before Seti could finish, Siri pulled something from her waist and tossed it to Dawn.
“Unni, want a piece of advice? Don’t spill secrets where a unicorn can hear. These horned horses will confess everything if a maiden asks.”
What Siri had thrown was the handle of Uragan. As soon as Dawn caught it, the unicorn’s excuses rang in his head.
[O virgin, misunderstand not! I confessed because the beautiful maiden before thee swore to do thee no harm!]
…
[And think of the cause, all because of the maiden Seti and thee! Dost thou know how worried I was? An innocent maiden and a virgin together in a motel room…!]
Dawn slipped the stick into his back pocket and sighed.
“Seti, your sister’s right. The unicorn’s blown it.”
“…Ah.”
Seti covered her face and bowed her head. Regardless of what her sister said, Siri kept going.
“Unicorns are just like that. Did President Clinton designate them as harmful magical creatures for nothing? Give them a virgin reporter, and they’ll spill every secret about celebrities, politicians, their intimate life…”
“Enough.”
Dawn interrupted Siri and stood up, turning to Jangman who was casually drinking behind them.
“Sir, I’ll step out for a moment.”
“No need for that. Why should three leave because of one? I’ll be right outside, call me when you’re done.”
Jangman waved him off and, without waiting for a reply, exited through the back door. A wise move for an old man. He quickly removed himself before being implicated with the sisters.
After the back door closed, the first to speak was Seti.
“Siri!”
Her face was as red as if it were about to burst.
“Why are you so angry?”
“Shouldn’t I be? You lied to me and Dawn!”
“Unni, to be precise, you are complicit. When I said I wanted to test Yeomyeong ajeo… I mean, oppa, you agreed, didn’t you?”
“…That was before I knew you’d go this far!”
“Well, you seemed to fit right in.”
“…That’s because…”
With a look of uncertainty, Seti glanced at Dawn, her eyes begging like a dog looking for approval.
“Dawn, I really had no idea Siri would go this far…”
Before she could finish her excuse, Dawn raised his hand, stopping her.
“Save it. It doesn’t matter to me.”
Regardless of what Seti thought, that was Dawn’s truth. There was no need to apologize or forgive every little thing.
Isn’t that how trust is often? Like a flower that withers without water, trust always needs reassurance to survive.
So the important question wasn’t why she tested him…
“I’d like to hear about the test results. Did I pass?”
Siri responded to his question.
“You passed. With flying colors.”
“…What were the criteria?”
“Trust.”
Though it was a surprisingly sensible standard, Dawn couldn’t help but tilt his head.
“…I didn’t feel like my trust was being tested though?”
Siri pointed at Dawn’s face.
“What do you mean? I tempted you with the prospect of the academy or the Special Management Bureau, and you didn’t even flinch.”
…
Was that really something so tempting? After a moment of thought, he realized it could be. Everyone desires wealth and prestige, right?
But Cheon Yeomyeong was not ‘everyone.’ Vengeance was paramount to him. The blood price for his unjustly slain comrades was worth more than any riches.
So he could easily refuse Siri’s earlier mention of the bright path as well as Freya Khan’s offered recommendation…
Dawn decided not to voice this and Siri continued her explanation.
“I wasn’t targeting Unni’s body. If I were, I’d have been upset or disappointed when I heard about the flesh puppet.”
“Siri!”
Seti raised her voice again but Siri ignored her.
“Lastly, trust in talent. Well… I wondered how a superhuman could see through magic but when I grabbed your wrist, I knew.”
“Knew what?”
“Your mana sensitivity. It’s off the charts.”
…
“Focus, and you can almost grasp the mana within our bodies, right? Unni might not get it since she doesn’t delve into magic, but any sorcerer would be shocked, wouldn’t they?”
Was such a sensitivity to mana so remarkable? Seti and Freya Khan seemed to have shown something similar.
‘…No, neither of them is just an ordinary superhuman, are they?’
Dawn’s knowledge was not enough to make a simple judgment. It was unavoidable. How much could a mere cleaner know about superhumans? At best, he had only scraps of knowledge gleaned from documentaries or internet snippets.
Dawn felt the sting of lacking information more than ever. Which made Seti’s assistance all the more necessary.
“Seti.”
“…Yes.”
“Your sister says I’ve passed her test. How about yours?”
“My test… You’ve already passed. From the moment we held hands that night, I never once doubted you.”
Seti said this and hung her head low, recalling the promise they had shared… Dawn also became silent, thinking back to that moment.
A short silence filled the bar. After a moment, Siri spoke up with a slightly flustered expression.
“…Unni, don’t tell me. Did you lose your virginity?”
…
“…?”
“Why, what? Feeling guilty? Hey, oppa. Hand over Uragan’s handle to Unni. Let’s check…”
Snap!
Unable to hold back any longer, Seti struck Siri on the head. It was a thump filled with emotion.
***
“Hey! Come out! There’s chaos!”
“What is it?”
“Look in the sky! There’s something up there!”
The voices of the students echoed in the training field, and those who had been practicing martial arts halted their movements.
Whether they were swinging fists or practicing with swords, all ears perked up at the commotion outside the field.
“What’s going on?”
Among those kids, the half-dead ‘Writer’ and Jeon Yunseong was also present.
“It’s a terrorist attack! Another one’s come!”
“Shut up, man!”
“Just come out and see for yourself!”
Regardless of the chatter outside, The Writer was panting, soaked with sweat. An hour of sparring with Jeon Yunseong had left him with no energy to spare.
While he was catching his breath, the sound of students rushing out of the training field reached him.
“Shall we go out too?”
The Writer nodded without hesitation. Anything would be better than another round with Jeon Yunseong.
As soon as they stepped outside the training field, the writer couldn’t believe his eyes.
Above the academy dormitory, sparkling feathers fluttered in the air.
“Wow… What’s that? Feathers? Is it magic?”
Jeon Yunseong and the other kids were simply amazed, not discerning what it was, but the writer was different.
“The Holy Sword’s Sacred Feather Descent…?”
“Holy Sword?”
Jeon Yunseong tilted his head at the writer’s mumbled words.
“You talking about Freya Khan?”
The writer couldn’t respond to Jeon Yunseong’s question. His mind was racing.
‘The Holy Sword? Why now? The prologue hasn’t even started yet. Why?’
The Holy Sword was not supposed to appear at this time. At least, the appearance of the Holy Sword at the academy wasn’t due until he was in his third year…
“Look! Someone’s coming down!”
While he was deep in thought, three figures emerged among the fluttering feathers in the sky.
They then began to descend as if walking down invisible stairs.
Leading the trio was a woman with an eye patch over one eye, her hair tied up high.
“That eye patch… Could it be.”
“It’s Freya Khan! The Holy Sword!”
While everyone focused on her, the writer’s eyes were on the two figures following her descent.
Both women were stunning, but The Writer first checked their ears.
‘They’ve hidden their ears with magic.’
Despite not having the long, pointed ears of elves, The Writer was certain. Those two were elves.
Why would they appear at this very moment, gold and silver hair contrasting each other?
To The Writer’s knowledge, in this world, there was only one pair like them.
‘The Elven Princess Miridis and her guardian Rime.’
He absentmindedly bit his thumbnail.
What had gone wrong for such an event to unfold? He was being so cautious about the butterfly effect that he hadn’t even started the prologue!
‘Could there be another transmigrator besides me?’
While he was contemplating the worst scenarios, Jeon Yunseong beside him let out a short exclamation.
“Wow, she’s… stunning.”
…
“Could she be a prospective student here? No, she must be.”
His eyes were glued to the golden-haired beauty who had just touched the ground.
The Writer’s gaze grew colder as he watched.