Episode 48: The Night Before (1)
They were given free time. For today, at least, skipping class was officially allowed.
A justified reason had been provided.
As mentors, they were given ample time to guide their mentees through Gaon’s infrastructure and school life. The volunteer points were a bonus.
However, I found myself deep in thought. Yoon Chae-ha was an exceptional student from the start. It was highly likely that she had already mastered most academic and magical knowledge at Kalos.
In that case, was there anything in Gaon—where the magical standards were not as advanced as Kalos—that could interest her?
…No clear answer came to mind. So, I decided it would be best to ask her directly.
“Is there anywhere in Gaon you wanted to visit?”
She was walking quietly beside me.
“Not really… I don’t know.”
Her response was exactly as I had expected.
She didn’t seem particularly interested.
In that case, I would decide.
I nodded. A place came to mind that she might like. Since she had no strong preferences, I might as well take her where I wanted.
“Then, let’s head out.”
I led her to the portal terminal.
To leave the school, we had to go through the terminal.
There, a staff member was seated at the terminal desk. I handed her my ID badge and spoke naturally.
“I’m participating in the mentor program. We’re heading out for a field experience.”
The staff checked my ID against my face.
Seeing no administrative issues, she quickly approved our departure.
“The school’s return portal closes after 10 PM. You need to be back before then~”
“Got it.”
Not that I needed to be told—I had no intention of staying out with her until 10 PM anyway.
Yoon Chae-ha looked at me from the side. Her gaze held a hint of curiosity.
“Let’s go. You’ll see for yourself.”
I was confident she would like it.
***
As we passed through the portal and stepped outside the terminal, a familiar scene unfolded before us.
Yeouido.
The streets were as bustling as ever.
And we were heading toward one of the most unusual buildings there.
“…Where is this?”
Yoon Chae-ha asked me.
Before us stood a massive penthouse.
It was the same place I had visited previously to test my Fragment.
The headquarters of Vanquisher.
I walked straight to the iron door and reached out my hand.
Before I could touch it, the door opened automatically.
“Come in.”
“….”
She continued scanning her surroundings, her eyes filled with pure curiosity.
The reason I brought her here was simple.
Gaon had nothing that could entertain her. But this place was different.
I guided her past the garden and into the building. It was unusually quiet today.
“We’re here~”
I called out naturally as we entered.
But no response came.
‘No one’s here?’
There was no sign of anyone.
Which was actually better.
I turned to Yoon Chae-ha and spoke slowly.
“Gaon and Kalos are pretty much the same, so there’s not much to do inside the school.”
She nodded in agreement.
“But here, it’s a bit different.”
I stopped in front of the deepest room on the first floor.
The library.
It housed the collection of Vanquisher’s mage, Yukal Ferman, and his master.
A treasury of knowledge, possibly on par with the greatest tomes of the Mage Tower.
And they had granted us permission to study here.
Though the only person watching over the place was the old man.
As I opened the door, I spoke.
“Feel free to look arou—Oh.”
Inside, a man was quietly seated in a single-person sofa.
Gray hair. A robe that dragged on the floor.
A book in one hand.
And without even lifting his head…
He turned the pages, as if completely unaware of our presence.
“You’re here?”
He usually wasn’t around, so I had assumed no one was here.
But I was wrong.
Despite sensing movement, he remained still.
I swallowed and spoke cautiously.
“Can she read the books? I’m mentoring her, but Gaon doesn’t really have much to—”
Before I could finish, he stood up.
Without a sound, he walked toward us, his robe sweeping the floor.
And then, he stopped right in front of Yoon Chae-ha.
She seemed surprised.
Which made sense—Yukal was a famous magician.
Even though he wasn’t from the Mage Tower, he was second to none among its best magicians.
At that moment, Yukal’s sky-blue eyes shimmered faintly. In response, Yoon Chae-ha’s orange eyes also shone intensely.
A brief silence followed. Then, he slowly closed his eyes.
Yukal nodded once more and quietly turned away without saying a word. He simply opened a book and took a seat.
I turned to look at Yoon Chae-ha. She still had a surprised expression.
“You can go in.” I said.
“…Really?”
“Yeah.”
He was too absorbed in his book to say much, but he had definitely given permission. He was just naturally quiet.
We stepped cautiously into the library. The air carried the distinct scent of an old bookstore. Her eyes were already gleaming with excitement.
“… Memoirs of the Visionary School of Kalos?”
There were even books written by the founder of Kalos Academy. That must be a rare find.
“Necromancy? The Irreversibility of Entropy and Mana???”
She had already entered her own world. I watched as she flipped through the pages one by one.
Unlike her usual cold demeanor, she seemed like a completely different person. Her hands, calm yet eager, turned the pages quickly, her focus absolute. I couldn’t help but let out a quiet chuckle.
‘Bringing her here was a good decision.’
I spoke softly.
“I’ll be watching. I need to step out for a bit.”
But she didn’t respond.
She was now juggling two—no, three books at once, flipping through their pages simultaneously like it was second nature.
As I stepped out between the bookshelves, I spoke to Yukal.
“Yukal-hyung, is the old man here?”
Without even pausing in turning his pages, he answered briefly.
“He was.”
Which meant he was here until just now. But now, he wasn’t.
I quietly left the library and wandered through the main building.
Eventually, I came to a stop in front of a particular room—the old man’s office.
I hesitated for a moment in front of the door.
Then, I turned the handle and stepped inside.
A quiet room.
Heavy bookshelves and neatly arranged documents.
And on the desk, a single document lay waiting.
I picked it up.
[Operation Plan]
I flipped the cover open.
And the moment I scanned the contents—
A warning bell rang in my mind.
It was about time. After all, this was one of the reasons I had come here.
“…”
I read through the document in silence. This wasn’t just a simple mission.
This was the event I feared the most. The one I absolutely had to prevent.
The annihilation of Vanquisher.
The operation plan detailed a mission requested by the Association to exterminate demonic humans.
The details were simple: intelligence suggested demonic human forces were active in a certain region of Hamgyeong Province. The mission was to raid and eliminate the entire settlement.
I checked the list of participants.
Aside from those already deployed elsewhere—everyone was involved.
The date and time—three weeks from now.
I closed my eyes and silently added my name to the list. Not on paper—just in my mind.
‘I will stop this.’
No matter what.
If the story followed its original course, this mission would end with Vanquisher’s total destruction.
I had no intention of standing by and letting that happen.
“Philip, are you there?”
—Hoo?
A white snowy owl emerged silently from the darkness.
Holding up the document, I asked,
“This is meant for the Association, right?”
Philip nodded.
This document would soon be sent to the Association.
There was still time.
I set the document back down and leaned against the old man’s chair. My mind was in turmoil.
I glanced down at my waist—at the empty space.
Ever since my spear was broken, I had decided to get a replacement, but I still hadn’t found a new weapon. This emptiness was only natural.
I couldn’t stay like this for long.
A few options came to mind.
Durandal.
A holy sword—but it was in a museum in France.
Longinus.
A great choice—but someone else was already using it.
Gungnir.
This one… was too tricky.
I had plenty of choices, but none felt quite right.
At that moment, something flashed through my mind—something that perfectly matched the weapon type I had recently decided on.
‘Catastrophe.’
“That’s right, that one.”
The conditions were a bit tricky, but if I could use it, it would be worth it.
It was time to go find my weapon.
I turned on the old man’s computer and quickly began organizing my thoughts in a notepad.
How much time had passed? When I looked outside, the sun had already set.
There was more to prepare than I had expected, and time had flown by.
After sending the final version of my plan to my email, I shut down the computer.
Then, I stepped outside and made my way to the study.
As I quietly opened the study door—
“Ah, seriously. What kind of nonsense is this ‘Vision School’ thing?”
‘…?’
I heard a heated argument coming from inside.
“You’re just being narrow-minded.”
Yukal’s firm voice.
In front of him was Yoon Chae-ha, who had stacked books like a mountain. She had a book open in front of her, a quill in one hand, and a frustrated expression as she refuted him.
“So you’re saying the ‘First Entropy’ is just an illusion? Can you prove that?”
“It’s already been proven.”
Yukal responded calmly.
“Vision Magic is the purest form of magic. Elemental magic, sorcery—they are all just fragmented flows derived from Vision Magic. The forms (hyeong-sang, 形象) and controls (je-yu, 制御) you pursue are ultimately nothing more than offshoots of it.”
“No, I….”
The air in the study grew tense.
She let out a deep sigh and turned her head. Then, when her eyes met mine, she flinched in surprise.
I quietly spoke.
“Looks like you were having fun.”
Yoon Chae-ha flinched again and turned away. A faint flush rose to her face.
“Well, Yukal, I think it’s time to take her away.”
“I don’t mind. This hot-blooded mage is the real problem.”
“Hah….”
She was clearly frustrated by his words, but she wasn’t the only one. Yukal, too, had the faintest hint of a smirk on his lips.
It was the first time I had ever seen him like that.
“Have you seen enough?”
“…Yeah.”
I didn’t need to ask. The sheer number of books marked as “read” beside her spoke for itself.
At Yukal’s gesture, the books floated into the air and began flying back to the shelves one by one.
“W-wait a second!”
Yoon Chae-ha sprang up and grabbed one of the books.
[Memoirs of the Vision School of Kalos]
It was the same book she had been reading earlier.
“I’ll be borrowing this one.”
“I thought you said you weren’t interested.”
“….”
“Do as you like.”
Oh? He’s even lending her a book.
“….”
As she slowly edged toward the door, she suddenly stopped right before stepping out.
Then, she quietly bowed her head.
“Thank you.”
A simple, formal expression of gratitude.
Then, she walked out.
She must have taken a liking to this place.
After she left, Yukal quietly spoke.
“…Which institution is she aiming for?”
“Not sure, but probably the Magic Tower….”
“I see.”
—Thud.
“…What a shame.”
He closed the book he had been reading.
For once, there was a rare hint of regret in his expression.