I’ll Retire After Saving the World - Chapter 14

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Chapter 14 – The Witch Park Seohyun (3)

Magician Choi Jinwoo and Park Seohyun focused intently throughout the class, but the rest of the attendees couldn’t manage the same.

It was expected. How could knife-wielders and brawlers, who can’t even draw runes, concentrate? Even Oh Hyunwook, who had been glaring fiercely, was dozing off with his arms crossed. The piglet was still young, so in this regard, he was still soft.

On Oh Hyunwook’s left sat Yoo Hyeeun. White mana blossomed like snowflakes from her fingertips before dissipating.

This was a common training method for healers to sharpen their sensitivity in their fingers. Judging by the size of the snowflakes, she had been practicing diligently.

Unlike the kids who were goofing off, Hong Seokyoung was watching intently with a furrowed brow.

I saw something I shouldn’t have. I quickly averted my gaze.

In the front row, Park Seohyun and Choi Jinwoo were sweating profusely as they drew runes.

They drew the mana barrier rune skillfully. Even Choi Jinwoo, who had struggled to draw runes back in Myeong-dong, showed signs of much practice.

Park Seohyun was….

Park Seohyun.

“Huh… this time, I have to… get it right….”

I thought about it.

Originally, the hunter profession is a battle with oneself.

Whether you form a party with other hunters, join a guild, or even work solo, that fact remains the same.

Whether you win or lose that battle is your own problem, not something for me to worry about.

So strictly speaking, it’s not my fault that Park Seohyun ended up this way.

If you’ve become a hunter, you should be prepared for that. Even family members can stab you in the back inside a dungeon.

How can you survive in this harsh world if you collapse after being betrayed once or twice?

Moreover, Park Seohyun wasn’t betrayed by someone she trusted like other hunters. She just made a mistake that anyone her age could make.

And thanks to my help, that mistake didn’t lead to an irreversible outcome, so how fortunate is that?

And this is important: Park Seohyun, despite her mistakes, survived the Myeong-dong incident that killed forty-one people and still became a great magician.

She was an eerie woman with a mysterious smile, but still, a great magician is a great magician.

Even if I ignore her, there’s no problem. It’s a guaranteed check. Great Magician Park Seohyun. Witch Park Seohyun.

But.

But….

“Is it right this time? Teacher, did I draw it correctly?”

Her muttering grew louder. I could hear her trembling very clearly.

“I did it right, didn’t I? Right?”

Her eyes, visible through her disheveled hair, glistened unnaturally.

But soon, she looked like a puppy drenched in water, dejected.

“Did I get it wrong? Did I mess up again?”

No matter how skilled Park Seohyun is, she can’t draw a complex rune perfectly on the first try. Even adept magicians often make mistakes while drawing them.

“I redrew it! I drew it diligently. It must be right this time. Uh… here? Is this part wrong?”

Every time I pointed out a mistake, Park Seohyun redrew the rune.

Over and over again.

Again and again.

Constantly.

Even when Choi Jinwoo complained that his fingers were cramping.

Even when one of the dozing students in the back fell off their chair.

Park Seohyun kept drawing runes without a break.

Watching her desperate efforts left me speechless. No matter how much… I smashed hunters’ heads while working for the management office, I never picked a fight with a kid who couldn’t even be called a proper hunter.

“Teacher. Did I draw it right this time?”

It’s not my fault.

I don’t need to take care of her.

“I can’t mess up. If I mess up…. I… can’t mess up. Can’t mess upnoicantnoagainmessedupnoagaingetagripstupidthiswaswrongbefore.”

Smack!

I clapped my hands loudly.

“Ah! Wh-what is it?”

Choi Jinwoo, who was focused on drawing runes, jerked his head up in surprise. Park Seohyun also flinched and carefully lifted her face to look at me. Her eyes were red.

When did she even find the time to cry?

“The first class is over.”

“Huh? Why?!”

“I can keep drawing!”

The protests were intense. But I shook my head and pointed at the clock.

“It’s lunchtime.”

Realizing how much time had passed, Choi Jinwoo and Park Seohyun widened their eyes.

“Come on, go out and eat.”

“But….”

“I have a strict no-overtime policy, so there’s no use in pleading.”

Still hesitant, the two finally left the classroom with lingering looks only after Hong Seokyoung stood up.

I gazed quietly at Park Seohyun’s retreating figure.

“…….”

I hadn’t accounted for Park Seohyun’s mental fortitude being so weak. What can I do?

Anyway, I had already decided to nurture the seedlings from the start….

When a problem arises, adults must take responsibility.

* * *

This wretched school even serves lunch in lunchboxes. Can this even be called a school?

When Hong Seokyoung first came to school, I should have known from the fact that he was driving a van instead of a sedan. I should have realized when I saw the boxes in the back seat were lunchboxes.

“You seem to know runes well.”

While the kids were happily eating their lunchboxes, oblivious to my thoughts, I was miserably eating my meal with a stingy employer.

“Did you make them?”

“Runes? No way.”

I scoffed.

“Someone I know made them.”

Since we had introduced ourselves and chatted, we knew each other.

“Someone you know? Well, you’re not a magician. But you know so much about runes. That’s impressive.”

“…….”

The probing, which had seemed to die down, started again.

I considered my options and decided not to answer this time. Usually, this leads to people drawing their own conclusions.

I can also use the fact that they don’t know much about me, the insider. Maybe I should add some flair.

I avoided eye contact, looking down diagonally. Lowering the corners of my mouth. Be careful not to smile. Make my voice a bit… somber.

“…Just in case.”

“Hmm.”

“Knowledge is too valuable to disappear.”

Hong Seokyoung started to say something but then shut his mouth. I could almost hear the wheels turning in his head.

After giving him a moment to let his imagination run wild, I spoke.

“Those two magician students.”

“Oh, right. How was the class? I meant to ask, have you taught anyone before? You seemed quite adept at teaching.”

“I’ve done similar work before. How are you teaching those two magic?”

“Magic? I’ve been providing them with whatever common magic books I can get….”

Hong Seokyoung stroked his chin.

“Seohyun learned magic from her grandfather, so she’s fine. But Jinwoo is a problem. He doesn’t lack talent, but finding a teacher is tough.”

Hong Seokyoung’s eyes sparkled.

“Why, do you know any magic?”

No matter how capable I am, magic is beyond me.

…Do I have any magic books in the mana watch?

No, there are no magic books. Those can’t be digitized like that.

“I’m not a magician, I told you.”

“I thought maybe, since you know so much about runes despite not being a magician.”

This is why I shouldn’t show off.

But there’s a lesson here.

If you’ve already shown off, you need to do it thoroughly. That way, you won’t be underestimated.

I’d been considering this ever since I was asked to teach runes, and after seeing Park Seohyun, I made up my mind.

“I’ll teach those two all the runes I know.”

Hong Seokyoung didn’t hide his surprise at my unexpected statement.

“Is that okay? Those runes aren’t ordinary. Can you teach them like that?”

“You asked me to teach them, didn’t you?”

“I thought you’d teach a couple and take credit. Honestly, even the mana barrier rune you taught in Myeong-dong has great value….”

“…….”

“What about that magician you know? Did they say it’s okay to teach runes to others?”

“Isn’t it a good thing if I teach the kids?”

“It is good.”

Hong Seokyoung quickly responded.

“So good that it’s suspicious.”

He added honestly.

In return, I decided to answer honestly.

“They’re kids.”

Ah, this is honest enough. It’s not a lie. So it’s not deceitful.

What was the setting? A righteous person who risked their life to save children even in critical situations?

“The runes will help them until they can at least introduce themselves as magicians. If I supplement common magic with the runes I know, they won’t be told they’re useless wherever they go.”

Having a reputation for being soft on kids isn’t bad.

That way… there’s a reason to trust a runaway insider.

“Hmm.”

If I want to shape Park Seohyun to my liking, I need to expand my influence.

“Of course, there are conditions.”

“Conditions?”

Hong Seokyoung frowned.

“I was originally planning to teach a few runes and be done with it. But I can’t leave those kids alone after seeing them. They’ll die if left as they are.”

Given that one of the two did die, the mortality rate is quite high, isn’t it? It’s a whopping 50%! Half of them died!

“I hate seeing kids die.”

“……What’s the condition?”

He’s almost convinced.

“When the time is right, make the runes public.”

“………What?”

“Make all the runes I know public. Under your, I mean, under the teacher’s name.”

“Wait, wait, wait!!!”

Hong Seokyoung was panting, repeatedly rubbing his face in confusion. He asked me again, with a complicated expression.

“So, you want me to make the runes public? That’s the condition?”

“It would be awkward to release them under my name, wouldn’t it?”

“What about the magician who made the runes?”

“They’d be happy if it could save even one more life.”

That’s what the archmage said when we made the mana barrier runes public.

Releasing it a few years earlier should save even more lives.

“…Make them public right now? These runes were created on the Ark, weren’t they?”

Oh, that’s a good backstory. Let’s add that.

“So, release them at an appropriate time. Not now. Hmm… if there’s a trustworthy magician, you and they can use them too.”

Hong Seokyoung couldn’t hide his bewilderment at my continued words.

His inability to manage his expressions indicated that he was genuinely flustered. Although I didn’t know him personally, seeing his reaction made me feel like I’d scored a point.

Ah.

Since it has come to this, let’s push one more thing. It involves the kids, so we can tie it together.

“And there’s one more condition.”

“…What is it?”

His voice had become cautious.

If I make a mistake here, it will only raise suspicion.

But who am I? I know this guy’s weakness.

I recalled the report I reviewed last night.

“Do you like kids?”

“What?”

“I asked if you like kids.”

Hong Seokyoung blinked like a toad.

He couldn’t keep up with the rapidly changing topics. For someone who does all sorts of crazy things in a fight, he’s surprisingly weak in these areas.

At times like this, you just have to push through. He’ll end up agreeing while he’s still bewildered.

Though it’s not even necessary to be so forceful.

This guy is really soft when it comes to kids.

“I know a place with lots of children.”

Cold lunchboxes are tasteless.

But I ate it. Compared to the food at the research lab, it wasn’t so bad that I couldn’t eat it.

“I need you to go there.”

Young Woo Hwijae is set to be rescued a year early.

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