545 – A New Beginning (1)

I’ve seen Lord look quite flustered during my time at the Academy so far.

Most of them are when I’ve caused a major accident. Not hitting people, but destroying property and such.

But this is the first time I’ve seen Lord panic over someone simply being brought in. That must mean that Seolhwa’s appearance was unexpected.

He had already met and fought with Seolhwa before. He said that he suffered without being able to do anything.

In Eastern terms, it’s like having your nose cut off while your eyes are open. In any case, it must have been deeply engraved as some kind of trauma.

“So······you were at the Academy once before?”

“yes.”

“When a great incident occurred in the East, a demon tried to kidnap Shivar, and this woman saved him?”

“Yes. Even two purple devils came.”

“That’s a big problem. Why did the church send an official document? There must have been a reason.”

-Brrrrrrrrr

Lord’s hand holding the teacup shook as if there was an earthquake. Anyone could tell that he was nervous.

In fact, that is a very natural reaction, because Seol-hwa is sitting in front of him. A nuclear bomb that even he cannot control.

Even an ordinary person would be nervous if a nuclear bomb button was right in front of them, but Lord was someone who had seen the nuclear bomb straight on.

It’s not just something I’ve heard about, it’s something I’ve experienced firsthand. So I can’t help but be even more nervous.

“After that, this woman took Shivar away, and they all went to the Demonic Cult to find Shivar. Is that it?”

“yes.”

“And I’m trying to get Cheonma to enroll in order to bring Shivar.”

“That too······ yes.”

The answer was given by Lize. The only ones who have a say here are Lord, Lize, and Seolhwa.

Luna and I can only watch. We can sense a strong atmosphere that tells us not to interfere.

Luna is also a problem when she opens her mouth. She is surprisingly oblivious. She must know what she did.

‘I can’t help it, but…’

It’s spilled milk. There’s nothing we can do about it unless we turn back time.

Even if I could turn back time, would I have been able to make the same choices as I did back then?

Honestly, I don’t think so. Even now, I don’t think there is a proper solution other than admission.

It really hit an unexpected spot and was the best option, even if it only delayed the ticking time bomb.

“··· ···”

Lord was silent for a while. The situation was somewhat sorted out, but his mind was still in turmoil.

It is certain that Seolhwa is deeply troubled by her admission. In reality, there are many difficult aspects to Seolhwa’s admission.

First, if you transfer to the class I’m in, you’ll obviously face a lot of opposition and suspicion. There’ll be people who will do background checks.

What if by some chance you find out that Sulwha is from the Demonic Cult? If that happens, even Lord will have a hard time escaping the pressure of the cult.

Even if she doesn’t get caught, Seol-hwa has no connections or background. Naturally, she will be the target of suspicion.

Second, no one knows what will happen if you enroll them as freshmen. There will be no one to stick by their side.

In Soul World, only students up to the grade level just below mine appeared, and I don’t know about those below that.

Originally, it was because the whole world was caught up in the horrors of war, and there was no need to memorize it to that extent.

Third and last, I was most worried about Sulwha’s sociality and speech.

‘Even nobles don’t speak like that.’

Rather, the nobles’ speech is indirect rather than direct. It seems like they are using the expression ‘ugly’ to mean ‘colorfully handsome’.

But Seol-hwa is the kind of person who will openly and blatantly say that someone is really ugly. And that’s even though the other person is right there with her.

If these problems pile up, no matter what you do, it will come at you like a time bomb.

“Your thoughts are long. May I speak for myself?”

“······Yes. Go ahead.”

Seolhwa was the first to break the long silence. At her words, Lord spoke in a weak voice.

It’s rare for Lord to use formal language, but this is the first time I’ve seen it. He might be half out of his mind.

Then, Seolhwa glanced at me and opened her mouth as if to tell me not to misunderstand.

“I have no problem if I can easily meet my partner. I am satisfied with being able to stay here.”

“?”

An unexpected word came out of Seolhwa’s mouth. If you just listen to the words, it sounds like she’s willing to give in.

I thought my social skills had improved a little, but I still don’t understand what’s going on. Still, the fact that I gave in isn’t a bad thing.

“As long as I can survive, it’s okay… What are you going to do to survive?”

“I want to do this and that.”

“Can you tell me more about this and that?”

“Why should the real woman do that?”

“··· ···”

I will correct it. I will make concessions, but I will do what I want to do confidently.

If it’s a fairy tale, it’s an extremely fairy tale-like way of thinking. But the difficulty level is like falling from hell to hell.

Lord also realized this and sighed, lost in thought. It seemed like he had aged a lot in that short time.

I was worried that my hair would turn pale like before, but that wasn’t the case.

“······I think it would be best to just wait and see how things go. The Academy is still in disarray and needs some cleanup.”

“How long do I have to wait?”

“I’ll have to wait at least until the end of this semester. Then I’ll have time to figure out whether I’ll be admitted when the next freshman comes in or if I’ll be transferring.”

Actually, that’s the best way and the way to buy time. The Academy is in too much chaos right now.

If the war had broken out when there were no students at the Academy, the worst would have happened.

Fortunately, no students were harmed, but the aftereffects are enormous.

As Lord said, what we need now is rest and organization. It is better to set priorities first and then proceed step by step.

“If possible, I would like to take the same class as my partner.”

“That would be difficult. Things could get seriously messed up if we’re not careful. I’ll have to give you a proper identity, too.”

“Status? Is it difficult to act as a proud leader of a demonic cult?”

“I think it would be better for me to resign from the presidency.”

Lord took Sulwha’s serious joke as a serious one. Judging from the way he laughed and drank his tea, it was clear that he was serious.

No matter what Seolhwa does, there’s little Lord can do to stop it. Just hope he doesn’t get into an accident.

“I will stop it.”

“No. Why you again?”

“There is no one else who can fulfill the duties of president except you.”

The system to block such a load is also going to be complicated. What a hassle this is just for one person.

But that doesn’t mean we can give up. It has been decided to put it on hold until the end of this semester.

There is only one thing to do during that time. Create a status for Sulwha and at the same time cultivate social skills.

Originally, I was supposed to be the one to delegate this, but······

“Do I have to stay in my room?”

“Are you dissatisfied since I decided so myself?”

“I like being alone······”

“It is an order.”

“yes.”

Luna decided to leave this up to her. In fact, it was more like semi-compulsion than delegation.

Since you brought her, it means you have to take responsibility for her. It’s only natural since you’ll be staying in Luna’s room anyway.

The problem is whether Luna can take care of Seolhwa well. Luna can’t even keep her own mouth shut properly.

Lize and Lord also looked at the two of them with worried eyes, but it was already a decision. It couldn’t be changed.

“Then let’s stop our conversation here for today. You’re all probably tired, so get some rest.”

“thank you.”

“yes.”

“I think I need to get some rest too.”

Lord got up from his seat and staggered back to his room. Then, I heard the sound of him falling down on the bed.

Even if your body is fine, you will have accumulated a tremendous amount of mental fatigue.

“We’ll go back too. You and Luna will go with me.”

“yes.”

“i get it.”

“I’m going to go now.”

I went straight back to my accommodation. It had been a long time since I had been back home.

It was when I finally arrived at my lodgings, walking slowly.

“Kooo······”

Grace was sound asleep. Judging from her slightly damp hair and clothes, she must have fallen asleep right after washing.

It must have been a difficult journey for her, who was relatively lacking in stamina. Still, she must have grown.

I straightened the disheveled blanket and laid Grace’s body down properly.

“Hmm. Hehehe······”

Grace smiled faintly as if she knew I was coming. I chuckled and caressed her cheek.

‘Is Dan Ye-rin sleeping too?’

As soon as that thought occurred to her, she headed straight to the next room. Dan Ye-rin usually sleeps late at night, even if it’s because of the risk of assassination.

But now, perhaps because I personally felt safe, I was sleeping in bed defenseless.

There wasn’t even a hint of alcohol. He was just sleeping soundly due to pure fatigue.

‘You must be tired.’

Just like I did with Grace, I also cleaned up Dan Ye-rin. That’s how my day ended.

I looked at the sky where the sun was slowly setting and became lost in thought.

For the time being, there won’t be any problems, but the next semester will be the problem. It will definitely be closely connected to the school.

I was already cautious about going to church, but I think I’ll have to be even more careful in the future.

‘Still, I have to······ do something.’

The die has already been cast.

******

At that time. Luna’s quarters.

“No. Why aren’t you washing? You were out and about, you need to wash!”

“I can always keep it clean. Besides, isn’t this the place you used? It’s a little creepy.”

“Why on earth are you so embarrassed? It’s not like you’ve grown up well.”

“Rather than being raised nicely, I was worshipped.”

“Ah. It’s annoying because you’re right.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

“How on earth did you hear what I said?!”

“I heard it as a compliment.”

“Why on earth?!”

The two were already getting along well.