Chapter 18. Is That How Your Master Teaches? (2)
In the end, Baek Sihyeon couldn’t succeed in the amplification until the training time was over.
“I feel like I just need a little more…”
“Take it slow, there’s plenty of time.”
Having already done months’ worth of training since the first day, I genuinely wish she’d take it a bit easier.
Martial artists usually take months to learn and use their dantian, but our student is so exceptional she finishes it in just one day.
Today, I meant to just break Abin’s magic wand and spar a little with Sihyeon, but the plans turned upside down.
Should I start teaching Buul from tomorrow?
“Getting stronger is better when it’s faster.”
“Why, do you want to retire early?”
It’s unusual since many heroes want to delay their retirement as long as possible.
To gain recognition and gather wealth during the golden years of life, and when they feel somewhat satisfied, to retire as fast as possible. Most of them choose this route, but it seems our student is different.
The Black Marauder is still lurking outside, right? Even now, they’re probably hunting someone…
Don’t worry. If it’s the Black Marauder, they’ll be right next to you.
“You want to get rid of the Black Marauder as soon as possible, don’t you?”
“Well, then you’ll retire right after! Doesn’t that feel regrettable?”
“I don’t care! As long as I can take down the Black Marauder, that’s enough.”
So, defeating the Black Marauder takes precedence over money or fame. I can’t tell if she’s foolish or just overly passionate about justice, or maybe it’s both.
“Just doing training alone won’t make you strong. You need to rest, so go wash up. Let’s head home.”
Baek Sihyeon responded cheerfully to my words and dashed into the shower room.
I leaned against the entrance of the now-quiet training hall and looked inside.
With its reasonably soft green mats and shock-absorbing devices stuck on the walls, it’s a decent training hall. The soundproofing is perfect, and it even has a shower room and storage. Not a bad place for training, even though the mats flipped on the first day, aside from that, the shock-absorbers function well enough to withstand my power.
Even if I release my limiter, I think this training hall could handle it for a while.
“So, we’re borrowing this place permanently for our exclusive use, huh? Seriously, money must be spilling everywhere.”
From what Branch Manager Hyunseok told me, they repurposed a discarded underground bomb shelter in just a week. Also, they set up a material generation device or a rebound barrier that could withstand the incursion from the Otherworld for a few weeks.
“I wonder how far they’ll go with this.”
Even if the Black Marauder is an actual A-class monster, I never expected such a good training hall would be given away like this.
Hyunseok said he couldn’t find better facilities, but I doubt that there’s anything better than this. Maybe the Association has something better.
“Are they planning to artificially create enemies for us to train against?”
I pondered, thinking it might actually be possible, and took my phone out while leaning against the wall.
Ding ding ding!
“Yes, this is Danger Rifle, the firearms specialist hero.”
A firm yet restrained female voice rang in my ears.
“It’s me.”
“Uh… Teacher? What brings you here?”
I noticed her voice faltering instantly and began stating my business.
“The position information about that guy, Taejoon Kim, I requested. Do you have it?”
“Yes, I’ve noted the locations where he goes most frequently, as you instructed.”
“Attachment of a listening device?”
“Failed.”
…The reason is probably understandable since it’s hard to target them in some places.
“He’s using lodging facilities within the Association, and he’s buying items or exercising on the Association’s premises. It’s impossible to find a suitable sniping opportunity…”
“I get it. Send the position information to this phone number.”
Is this a problem I need to solve myself now? Just as I was about to hang up, her hesitant voice came through my phone.
“Um… Teacher.”
“The person named Taejoon Kim, isn’t he the spokesperson for the Hero Association…? Why are you gathering position information on such a person…?”
“He was not acting like a hero.”
“What? Teacher, what do you mean…?”
Beep.
I hung up the phone.
I don’t need to provide her with too much information. No matter how influenced by my ideals that hero might be, she hasn’t given me trust yet, so this level of relationship is enough for now.
I closed my eyes and steadied my mind for the tasks I’d perform tonight.
After a time that felt neither too long nor too short.
Creak.
The sound of the shower door opening echoed, and my student’s voice resounded in the basement.
“Master! You waited for me! You could’ve come up first!”
“Don’t mind me, it’d be a problem if something happened while I left you alone…”
I was at a loss for words.
Her appearance after releasing her transformation was hardly different from when she was a magical girl. The only change was her gray hair turning black.
Unlike me, the only change was the hair color. In this situation, her looks remained largely unchanged.
The only difference is…
“What in the world are you wearing?”
“I always dress like this!”
A baggy oversized T-shirt that almost goes down to her thighs. Loose-fitting jeans that sag, and it even seems she’s tied her waist with a string instead of a belt.
I’m not particularly interested in fashion, but even I couldn’t call it anything close to clothing.
…Might as well wear a school uniform.
Being 18 years old, she was definitely in her third year of high school. A navy blue school uniform would suit her better.
“I’ve already graduated high school. I’ve also graduated from university!”
What on earth is this gal doing?
“Let’s not worry about high school, but university?”
“I was attending graduate school, but I awakened as a hero and took a break!”
No way, could this brat actually be smart?
Looking at her actions, it seemed unlikely…
“Let’s go upstairs for now.”
Hearing Baek Sihyeon’s energetic reply, I pressed the button for the elevator.
“Don’t you need to shower, Master?”
“I’m not all sweaty.”
“Are you not going to release your transformation?”
“I can’t.”
Just like that.
The elevator doors opened, and we stepped inside.
Perhaps it was because the elevator arrived at a sudden moment, or maybe I answered bluntly, but Baek Sihyeon opened her mouth.
A moment of awkward silence floated around us. To break it, I decided to throw out a conversation starter.
“You said you graduated, right?”
“Yep!”
“What was your major?”
“Nuclear Engineering!”
Of all things, the subject that’s practically gone to waste after the invasion. It’s absurd how she shows bits of intelligence while behaving foolishly; I seriously can’t figure her out.
Well, I guess I’ll learn about her slowly in time.
Ding.
With a sound, the elevator doors opened, revealing the home I had glimpsed briefly that morning.
An ordinary two-story family house.
I thought they’d at least give us a place in an apartment, but seeing that they built a house right above the training hall, the Association certainly has a lot of money.
“Oh, are you done with training?”
“Welcome.”
“Yeah.”
As we stepped out of the elevator, two beings came flying towards us.
A white furball who has recently started losing weight—Unho.
A fairy with long, ribbon-like wings—Lin.
“Lin! I learned a lot today!”
“Calm down, Sihyeon. Don’t cling to me.”
In an instant, Baek Sihyeon jumped out and latched onto her mascot.
Lin answered coldly but seemed to accept it nonchalantly, so their relationship doesn’t seem bad.
Being close with the mascot is a good thing. In urgent situations, a mascot can act as a magical girl’s shield.
Has Abin not returned yet?
“Abin hasn’t come back yet.”
Did Unho notice me searching for Abin? They spoke up first.
“When did she leave?”
“Around 11 o’clock.”
So it’s been about seven hours. She should be back soon.
“Let’s eat first.”
“I’ll cook!”
Lin, who had been trapped in Baek Sihyeon’s grip, flew towards the sky, and Sihyeon dashed into the kitchen.
“You’ve had a tough time too.”
I offered words of comfort to Lin, who had been hurled by Baek Sihyeon.
“I’ve gotten used to it. I have wings, so it’s no big deal.”
“If you got used to it in just a week, you must be like that normally.”
“Exactly. She always ignores her surroundings and charges towards her goal.”
Once her target is set, she becomes oblivious to everything around her.
Piece by piece, information about her accumulates. I learn her strengths while figuring out her weaknesses and tactics to twist them.
Someday, I’ll be able to fully simulate her in my mind.
“Lin, on what basis did you choose her?”
“What do you mean?”
“Don’t play dumb, I already know. Unlike other heroes who suddenly awaken, a mascot is the one that selects a magical girl.”
Unlike the typical heroes who awaken out of nowhere like being struck by lightning, each mascot finds appropriate conditions to choose their hero. That’s a magical girl.
“For instance, Unho said they chose me because of their sense of justice.”
“We agreed not to say that!”
“Be quiet.”
I kicked the white furball that had stuck to me and focused my gaze on Lin.
“Unho, did you spill that even? That’s a violation of regulations.”
“Aaaaaaah, I can’t hear you. I’m not going back anyway. I won’t be punished.”
Unho covered their ears and rolled away, turning into a piece of trash as usual.
I pushed the white fluffball outside and continued questioning Lin.
“Leave that white fluff alone. You chose her based on Buul’s standards, right?”
At my words, Lin glanced toward the kitchen. Her eyes narrowed as if seeing through Baek Sihyeon beyond the wall.
“I cannot disclose that.”
“Why not?”
“Disclosing a contractor’s emotions would violate regulations. I respect the privacy of the contractor and the rules of the magical kingdom.”
The magical kingdom?
The phrase was something I had never heard in my 30 years of being a magical girl.
“Magical kingdom? What’s that?”
“…didn’t Unho mention it?”
“…That’s a violation of regulations. Let’s say I didn’t hear that.”
Are all mascots a bit off? They act so bureaucratically while maintaining the rules but throw away significant information like it’s nothing.
As I glared at Lin, wondering if she’d get frightened and spill some secrets like Unho, she kept her face completely expressionless while meeting my gaze.
Once again, she seemed to be cut from a different cloth than my white fluffball. I couldn’t easily extract information even if I pressed her.
I’d rather not be hated by someone I’d be spending time with in the future, so it’s best to end our conversation here.
“Lin, just one last question.”
“What is it?”
“Are you a traitor?”
…You’ve seen traitorous mascots, haven’t you?”
“Yeah.”
In an instant, the magical girl fell from the air, drained of her powers.
In her final moments, betrayed and had her body taken from her.
A magical girl who had received the powers from the Otherworld and transformed into a monster right from the start.
All the works of mascots who betrayed.
“I have no intention of betraying.”
“Better keep that promise. Even if I can’t do anything about the Black Marauder, I can definitely eliminate one or two mascots.”
“I’ll remember that.”
Still, Lin showed no change in expression.
I pulled up my senses to their maximum, checking her facial muscles and heartbeat, but I found no signs of deceit.
Shouldn’t she at least pretend to be flustered? She’s so calm.
Thinking this, I looked away from Lin and buried my face into the couch.
“Sorry for being so harsh. I’ve been through a lot.”
My muffled voice blocked by the sofa must’ve reached Lin.
“It’s okay. Betrayers are a big problem for us too.”
So there is some kind of connection between the mascots. What’s this magical kingdom work?
As I buried my face into the soft couch to sort out my thoughts, Lin spoke to me.
“By the way, why don’t you release your transformation? Keeping it up must be exhausting for you.”
“I can’t release it. Unho said it’s a case of ‘five.’”
“What does that mean…?”
For the first time, I heard the beating of a fairy’s heart right next to my ear.
Glancing over, Lin’s face remained expressionless, but I could feel an unmistakable change in her emotions.
According to Unho, the essence was absorbed by the magical girl.
Thump. Thump.
The heartbeat sped up more and more. It seems she knows something. Does she know more than Unho does?
An awkward silence filled the living room.
Lin knows the truth but pretends to be unaware, and I feigned ignorance while burying my face deeper into the soft couch.
That state lasted for a moment.
“Dinner is ready!”
The strangely tense standoff ended as Baek Sihyeon dashed into the living room.
“I haven’t had a meal in a while.”
“Why have you gotten so round?”
“It’s my hobby.”
The fluffball, now round and rolling, waddled to the dining area, with Baek Sihyeon observing her in fascination.
Watching that bizarre sight, I felt a bit foolish for being so serious.
“Let’s just eat.”
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