I’ll Retire After Saving the World - Chapter 22

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Chapter 22 – A Matter of Business Ethics (1)

[Lee Miseon – Class A]

[Main Weapon – Sword]

[Master of the Guild Daseon]

[Director of Hunter Academy]

[Chairman of Seungyeon Scholarship Foundation]

[Permanent Committee Member of the Pacific Dungeon Joint Countermeasures Committee]

[Director of Hunter Rehabilitation Medical Center]

……

…

* * *

“Alright, today….”

Three magicians’ eyes sparkled.

…Honestly, Park Seohyun’s eyes are hard to see. Occasionally, there are days when she brushes back her bangs, but today is not one of those days.

In contrast, Kim Chaemin is practically screaming with her whole body for runes. Considering what she used to do to Hong Seokyoung, I should be thankful she’s not grabbing me by the collar.

“…Since all three of you have gotten used to concealment and auxiliary runes, I thought I’d teach you a new rune.”

“Yes, teacher!”

Kim Chaemin raised her hand enthusiastically.

“…What is it you’re curious about, Kim?”

“I’m curious about how many runes you know.”

“And why are you curious about that?”

“A disciple could be curious about their teacher’s skills!”

“Teacher, you say.”

I was appalled.

“Don’t say scary things. I’m not a magician, so I can’t be your teacher, Kim.”

At my words, Kim Chaemin looked hurt. While her eyes were smiling. This is why magicians….

A magician’s relationship with their disciple is a legally binding contract. It’s no wonder there’s a trend of magicians finding disciples within their families.

“And, as I keep saying, I don’t know the principles behind the runes. I’m just teaching what I know.”

“That’s more than enough.”

I replied while looking at the back of the classroom.

Most of the kids who realized the rune class wasn’t as interesting as they had thought ran away after the first class. After all, all the magicians do is copy the runes I draw on the blackboard.

Even Lee Seungyeon showed up a few more times, but that was only up to three times.

The unexpected one was Oh Hyunwook. He doesn’t seem interested in the rune class nor does he listen attentively, but he shows up every time. Even when I try to talk to him, he barely answers in short sentences, so I can’t figure out what he’s thinking.

Ah, teenagers….

Was I like that? No, I wasn’t.

Anyway, Oh Hyunwook attended the rune class today, too.

Next to Oh Hyunwook sits Hong Seokyoung. Ever since Kim Chaemin joined, there were days when he felt he didn’t need to monitor me constantly, so he didn’t always watch the class.

If Hong Seokyoung were sitting there, all other classes would have to be canceled. Today, he attended my class for a change.

Probably…. I moved my gaze away from Hong Seokyoung.

Click.

The annoyingly loud sound of chewing gum.

Click.

“…….”

When Lee Miseon met my eyes, she was startled and swallowed the gum.

“Sorry. It’s a habit. I won’t disturb you.”

Ah, yes….

Trying to play the role of a teacher I wasn’t born to be is twisting my stomach. I barely managed the mandatory education for awakeners.

No….

If I think negatively, I’ll only get endlessly depressed.

Think positive thoughts. Remember the initial goal. Things are going smoothly, aren’t they?

There’s even hope to enter that damned Bangi-dong Dungeon!

“…Teacher?”

“Ahem.”

Get it together and teach.

“The rune I’ll teach you today… I call it the Shadow Rune.”

I glanced at Park Seohyun. This is a rune she developed. How could she create a rune that suits her so well?

“First, let’s draw it.”

* * *

‘This man?’

Late at night.

When Lee Miseon first saw him at the closed training center, her first thought was,

‘…He’s handsome?’

Was it because of her father’s recent nagging to meet a man? She’s busy enough with work, who needs a man.

Besides, the matches her parents suggest are always businessmen. Lee Miseon had no interest in men weaker than herself.

‘No, that’s not it.’

Given that her cute nephew talked about him every day, it was inevitable she’d be curious.

In a life-or-death moment, he saved him at the cost of his own life. She understood why her young nephew was so infatuated with him.

But she wished her nephew had a bit more caution. Her brother and sister-in-law pampered him too much, and it showed in moments like this.

She was grateful for saving her nephew.

But that was that, and this is this.

Hong Seokyoung praised him for rescuing students even while escaping from the Ark, saying he had a good character. But Hong Seokyoung is known for his overly generous praise, so he can’t be trusted.

A guy from that organization has good character? Rescuing students?

‘Anyone would be suspicious!’

Honestly, one reason Hong Seokyoung trusts people easily is because of his skills. Who would dare try to con the best hunter in South Korea? Not even Lee Miseon would do such a thing.

Oh. But the story about his brother was unexpected. Hong Seokyoung hadn’t shared that information with Lee Miseon, so she first heard it in the basement of the training center.

It’s suspicious if a guy who worked as an enforcer in an illegal organization saved kids for no reason, but if there’s a motive, it makes sense.

To save a younger brother? That’s a motive anyone could understand instantly. It’s too easily acceptable, so it still raises doubts.

‘Miseon.’

‘What.’

‘You’re too suspicious of people. Sometimes people do act out of genuine goodwill, you know?’

‘Who says they don’t?’

‘I’m telling you to trust people.’

Her brother once said that to her too.

Lee Miseon was chewing gum loudly when she met the eyes of the man in question, Woo Hwijae.

‘…What?’

Is he picking a fight now?

Frowning, Lee Miseon realized her mistake when even the two young magicians and Kim Chaemin, who were sitting at their desks, were looking at her.

Embarrassed, Lee Miseon swallowed her gum.

“Sorry. It’s a habit. I won’t disturb you.”

The eyes that had been on her finally moved away.

‘By the way, runes?’

She came all the way to this remote place because of the Ark. She was already busy enough to die, and yet they called her here for something as trivial as this? Annoyance surged within her.

‘What’s so important about runes?’

They even forcibly extracted someone related to the Ark? Because of Hong Seokyoung’s stubbornness, she had to clean up the mess again.

But the fact that Kim Chaemin was attending the class kept Lee Miseon from leaving. If the Grand Mage was there, there must be something to it.

“The rune I’m going to teach today… I call it the Shadow Rune.”

Woo Hwijae spoke slowly.

With his tall stature and broad shoulders, he wasn’t the typical handsome man sculpted out of marble, but he wasn’t someone you’d commonly see on the street either.

Even though he was wearing shabby tracksuits that seemed hastily bought from a market, he still had an aura that suggested he’d be more suited to sitting at a desk with a pen than wielding a sword.

If dressed properly and set up as a secretary, he would fit perfectly without any sense of incongruity.

Even though the hunters in the guild took care of their appearances, their roles as fighters sometimes didn’t match her standards.

If even half of what her nephew said about Woo Hwijae was true, she would want to scout him for the guild….

‘…No, I’m getting sidetracked again.’

The lack of suitable talent in the guild was a significant source of stress.

Supporting Hong Seokyoung’s demonstration project was partly due to that.

While education for her nephew was important, she also wanted a stable way to nurture talent. She had raised Soonjin from a young age by taking her everywhere.

‘Focus, focus.’

When was the last time she sat in a classroom? It had been over ten years, so it was natural not to remember. She had built a wall against studying even back then, and now, attending a class…

Woo Hwijae drew a complicated diagram of shapes and symbols on the blackboard. Just looking at it made her head spin. Was that a rune? Not just random doodles?

But Woo Hwijae spoke lightly.

“Easy, right?”

“You know that sounds annoying.”

“Easy and hard are relative concepts.”

Woo Hwijae didn’t flinch at Kim Chaemin’s complaint.

“Isn’t it simpler compared to concealment and auxiliary runes?”

“Well, when you put it like that, yes.”

“You’ll find it easier than you think once you start drawing it.”

“What effect does it have?”

“Try drawing it first.”

“What effect does it have?”

“Just draw it.”

“Can’t you just tell us?”

“That wouldn’t be fun.”

Woo Hwijae spoke calmly to not only Kim Chaemin but also the other young magicians.

“What are you all standing around for? Draw it.”

“Y-yes!”

“Okay!”

Their voices were oddly tense. Was he stricter than he seemed?

Woo Hwijae glanced back. She thought their eyes met, but it was too quick to be sure.

‘Come to think of it, this guy was an illegal awakener, right?’

He didn’t even have a proper identity, so of course. In that case.

‘How skilled is he?’

Lee Miseon recalled her nephew’s testimony and shook her head. She loved her nephew dearly, but she had a tendency to exaggerate. Tales of someone who saved her life would be even more inflated.

If he had remarkable skills, Hong Seokyoung would have mentioned it.

Of course, Lee Miseon never dreamed that Hong Seokyoung might not have checked such basic information.

“How is it? Can you draw it?”

“Uh… yes.”

Choi Jinwoo answered with a reluctant expression.

“It’s a simple rune, so you should be able to draw it in one go.”

Although only their backs were visible, the young magicians’ postures spoke volumes.

“There are so many runes to learn in the future. Are you going to spend days practicing each one? You’re already familiar with drawing runes, aren’t you? Now, you need to practice doing it quickly.”

“Yes…”

“Draw the auxiliary rune on top of it. That’s the final step for all runes.”

The magicians groaned as they drew the runes. For Lee Miseon, it was a fascinating sight. Magicians were drawing runes with such effort. She started to feel curious about what they were going to show her.

Once the rune was completed, Woo Hwijae helped Park Seohyun to stand up.

“Activate the rune.”

“…Yes.”

Woo Hwijae had said this was a shadow rune. Lee Miseon watched calmly with her arms crossed. She didn’t have high expectations, but there had to be a reason why Sukyoung Hong had specifically placed her here.

So…

“What do you think? Can you tell what effect it has?”

Lee Miseon blinked. For some reason, Park Seohyun seemed to have lower resolution compared to her surroundings. As an A-rank Hunter, her eyes were sharp. It was true that Park Seohyun appeared unusually dark.

Woo Hwijae turned off the classroom lights and approached the window to pull down the blinds. There was no other source of light in the container classroom. The room quickly grew dark.

“Still can’t tell?”

Woo Hwijae seemed to enjoy this. Lee Miseon rubbed her eyes. Her vision felt strange, like it was just before sunset, unusually dark. Especially Park Seohyun, who was holding the rune, seemed to blend into her surroundings as if her edges were erased.

“Simply put, this rune merges you with your shadow.”

“With your shadow…?”

Choi Jinwoo spoke in a doubtful voice.

“It’s not very noticeable in bright places, but… the effect is dramatic when it’s dark.”

Woo Hwijae lifted the blinds again. Park Seohyun became visible once more.

When Woo Hwijae took the rune from Park Seohyun’s hand and tore it apart, the change became even more pronounced. Park Seohyun looked at her hand with fascination.

“How do you think this rune could be used?”

“Um…”

“Teacher KimChaemin? You know, right?”

“Uh…”

“Park Seohyun?”

“…I-I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, you might not know. That’s why you have a teacher. You’ll learn gradually.”

“I’m sorry…”

“It’s fine.”

Lee Miseon pondered Woo Hwijae’s words.

Merging with one’s shadow? It seemed useless at first glance, but the key was not in bright conditions but in the dark. In a lightless dungeon…

Chewing her nails, Lee Miseon suddenly raised her head. There was something bothering her.

“Excuse me, Woo Hwijae.”

“Yes?”

“I’m curious about something.”

“Yes?”

“Could you tell me what a concealment rune is?”

“…It’s a magic concealment rune.”

“A magic concealment rune? Does it conceal magic?”

“Yes. As the name suggests, it conceals magic.”

Woo Hwijae asked Lee Miseon in return.

“Didn’t student Seungyeon tell you? They used it to rescue people in Myeongdong.”

“….”

Lee Miseon slowly inhaled.

She recalled her nephew’s awkward face every time the Myeongdong incident was mentioned.

She had been searching for a doctor who treated Hunters, thinking he might have developed trauma…!

Lee Miseon suddenly stood up and grabbed Sukyoung Hong by the collar.

“Did you already make my nephew keep his mouth shut?! How shameless can you be?!”

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