The Academy’s Deceased Ate It All

”Ji-Hyuk, what are you going to take as an additional class?”

Jin Ye-Seul, who was sitting right next to me, asked, staring at me.

In her hands, she was holding a list of classes from which we have to select two or more lectures that we must take, which were added this time when Urea’s faculty visited.

”Well….”

I muttered as if contemplating, looking at the class list.

First, all of Isaac McDowell’s classes are out.

If I could, I wanted to take only Evangeline’s classes, but there was only one class she would be teaching.

It meant that I had to take at least one class from Isaac McDowell’s gang.

“Honestly, I have no talent for magic at all, so I think I should just take the theory one.”

She nodded at my answer.

“Well, then I also should follow you and take what you’re taking, Ji-Hyuk.”

There was a snap sound at those words.

It was the sound from the mechanical pencil of Han Soo-Young, who was writing something in a notebook.

She slowly closed her notebook, raised her head, and looked at me and Jin Ye-Seul.

“Still, it’s an important class, so shouldn’t you think about it before taking it?”

“Well, but I also, like Ji-Hyuk, have no talent for magic at all. If I’m going to take it, I thought it would be better to take it together and share our opinions.”

Jin Ye-Seul spoke, emphasizing the word ’I also, like Ji-Hyuk’ to the extent that even I could understand it.

Han Soo-Young stared at her in silence.

“Because, Soo-Young, ‘unlike the two of us’, you’re really good at magic….”

Jin Ye-Seul muttered enviously.

Han Soo-Young silently stared at her and said.

“… then do you want me to teach you separately?”

“Umm, no, it’s okay.”

Jin Ye-Seul said so and smiled.

“Soo-Young, wouldn’t it be better for you to take a different class than us? I think it’d be better for Ji-Hyuk and me to just take theory. But Soo-Young, your theory is already enough.”

Han Soo-Young, who heard those words, also gave a small smile.

Seeing that, I let out a small sigh and held out my class schedule to Han Soo-Young.

It was because it seemed that Choi Hyun-Woo, who was sitting over there, would die from suffocation if I stayed still.

“Then, Soo-Young, what do you think would be good in your opinion?”

”Uh?”

“Because you definitely know magic better than us. Evangeline, you’ll take most of that person’s classes, so except... I thought it would be good if we could all take the rest of the classes together if possible.”

While talking like that, I smiled slightly at her.

“When it comes to magic, there’s no one I can trust as much as you, Soo-Young. I think I’ll owe you a lot when we study together later, so please excuse me in advance.”

”Uh….”

Han Soo-Young hesitated for a moment, then smiled slightly and nodded.

Then she came closer to me, moving her chair a little.

“Umm, then let’s see, shall we? You and Ye-Seul are the ones who are sensitive and superior in sensing mana itself, so....”

Saying that, Han Soo-Young swept her disheveled hair behind her ears.

Then, in an instant, a fragrant scent pierced the tip of my nose.

As I flinched and trembled, something glinted on one side of my field of vision.

It was the earring I had given her as a gift before.

“… you wear those earrings every day?”

”Uh?”

She blinked at the words I uttered without realizing it.

Then she soon smiled faintly and said.

“Ji-Hyuk, you said they looked good on me and gave me as a gift.”

She tapped the table with the mechanical pencil.

I did not miss that she looked at Jin Ye-Seul for a moment.

“I originally wasn’t going to get my ears pierced until I died, but I pierced them because of someone.”

”Haha….”

As I laughed awkwardly, she uttered with a grin.

“Yes, now that we’re talking about it, why don’t you buy one with me later and wear it, too, Ji-Hyuk?”

”Uh? Earrings?”

”Yes.”

She nodded.

Then she looked at Choi Hyun-Woo and Jin Ye-Seul, hesitated for a while, and continued talking.

“That, well, it doesn’t mean anything special. Friendship earrings? That kind of thing.”

She gently stared at my ear and said.

“Ji-Hyuk, your ears are pretty too, so I think they’ll look surprisingly good on you?”

“… No.”

Meanwhile, Jin Ye-Seul shook her head and said in a firm voice.

When Han Soo-Young stared at her, Jin Ye-Seul once again spat out in a firm voice, as if nailing it.

”No.”

“… why?”

Han Soo-Young erased her smile and asked Jin Ye-Seul.

Then, Jin Ye-Seul let out a small sigh and held out her hand as if asking her to lend her the notebook and the mechanical pencil.

“…….”

Jin Ye-Seul carefully wrote something down in the notebook, so that it wouldn’t be seen by me.

Soon after, she folded it tightly and handed it to Han Soo-Young.

Han Soo-Young checked it with a cold eye and immediately showed a bewildered expression.

“Uh, eh? No, wait a minute... Really?”

”Really.”

Jin Ye-Seul looked at her, who was like that, and nodded.

“It’s a bit exaggerated, but it’s really true.”

”Ah….”

As I looked at Han Soo-Young, who had a bewildered expression on her face, I could feel Jin Ye-Seul hugging my arm sneakily from the side.

I turned my head to look, and this time Jin Ye-Seul lifted the necklace I had given her as a gift before and smiled at me.

“So, I’m asking because we’re talking about it, but Ji-Hyuk, aren’t you interested in necklaces?”

I think chokers or something like that are fine too, but...….

Muttering like that, Jin Ye-Seul gently touched my neck.

“Ji-Hyuk, I think a necklace would look good on you, too.”

”No, let’s decide this first….”

Feeling the eyes around us gradually gathering here, I quickly pulled the arm she had been hugging and said.

Then, Choi Hyun-Woo, who was sitting in front of me, muttered in a low voice, chewing ice.

“… I’m sad, so I need to get a girlfriend.”

Hearing those words, Han Soo-Young tilted her head instead of facing Jin Ye-Seul.

“Come to think of it, Hyun-Woo, a few days ago, that, who was it… Was it Hye-Rin? Didn’t you talk to that child on the phone?”

“Oh, she called saying she wanted to ask me something.”

Choi Hyun-Woo nodded as if he had no intention of hiding it.

“Did we talk on the phone back then once? Oh, except for one more call later to thank me for helping her, there was no call.”

“Hmm….”

Han Soo-young nodded as if she understood.

Then Choi Hyun-Woo burst into a small laugh.

“What, Soo-Young, don’t tell me you thought like that?”

“Well, no matter who looked at it, it’s obvious that she really likes you.”

“Hey, don’t say anything scary.”

Choi Hyun-Woo said, chewing ice.

“I just helped her when she was having a hard time, so I think she’s mistaken good feeling for that kind of feeling. She’ll probably forget it after a few days anyway. Besides, there’s no way that child really likes me.”

Besides, I like older ones more than younger ones.

Saying so, Choi Hyun-Woo burst into laughter.

“…….”

Seeing him like that, I couldn’t bring myself to say that I received a text message from Lee Myung-Joon asking, ’Do you know well about your friend Choi Hyun-Woo?’ a few days ago.

* * *

”This…….”

When I returned to the dormitory and looked through what was in the envelope handed by Jin Ye-Jeong, a groan naturally came out.

Due to a magical process, the materials that could be seen after a time were now visible.

The information contained in the envelope was, dare I say, worth exchanging, even for Jin Ye-Jeong’s life.

“Those crazy people really prepared it properly….”

The materials contained information about the Big Watch, Urea, and Isaac McDowell.

And even how and in what way they tried to break the seal of the Seven Evils.

The contents related to Minerva’s seal were exactly as I remembered them, but the contents of the other two were completely unexpected.

Looking at the comment that said they seemed to have made contact with ‘Children of Milited’ along the way, but the details couldn’t be confirmed, I couldn’t help but frown.

Had I known this would happen, I would have skimmed through the story of the sequel.

With utterly meaningless regret, I continued reading the materials.

“… I see, it was synchronizing with the contents of the person’s mind in real time.”

Looking at what was written in the last part about Dmitry’s ability, I could understand why she couldn’t hand it over to Evangeline or someone else earlier.

When I saw that only the last part was particularly rushed and unorganized, unlike the rest of the content, my expression naturally contorted.

I read it one more time and began to calmly organize the contents.

This was because the variables that might occur had to be excluded as much as possible.

In the case of the other two Seven Evils, including Minerva, they were so dangerous that I could even die in an instant if I made a mistake.

In the case of Margo or Svengali, I was somehow able to solve it well through a combination of adaptation and coincidence, but there was no guarantee that it would be like that in the future.

‘… yes.’

Come to think of it, the most suitable person was right next to me.

I immediately moved the branches of the World Tree and made Svengali appear halfway.

“Huh, what? What is going on again?”

He muttered in a half-sleepy voice, as if he were in a dormant state.

I roughly explained the situation to him, who was like that, and asked.

“Minerva, Juno, Venus. Tell me everything you know about these guys.”

“… you want me to sell my colleagues?”

At those words, I burst into laughter.

”Do you guys have a sense of collegiality?”

Then Svengali also burst into laughter with a crunching sound.

”No way. On the contrary, I was just about to get an itch in my mouth to confide in you about them with a happy heart.”

Svengali’s eyes rolled with a wabbly sound as if he were really amused.

It was already a well-known fact that the Seven Evils did not get along with each other well enough to say that their relationship was the worst.

Perhaps, if I were to pick the most amicable of the Seven Evils, it would probably be Ariman, who could talk to the other six.

“Minerva, that dragon head speaks very strangely. I do not know where she watched only historical dramas all the time, but it is so strange that it strangely makes the other person feel ticklish….”

”No, not that kind of thing.”

And if you’re talking about a strange way of speaking, don’t you know that you are the same?

Svengali swayed and rolled his eyes up and down.

”Hmm? Ahh, yes...… What is there?”

He thought for a moment, then said.

”More than that, it is awkward for me to say something like this, but you would better at least not meet Minerva.”

”What?”

“I mean, it would rather be better not to let the seal get broken in the first place.”

He said, making the sound of nose blowing.

“If the seal is broken, most humans, including you, will die.”

“… Why, because her ability is perfection?”

“Oh, you know well.”

Svengali nodded.

“Yes, the only ones who can hurt her are us, the Seven Evils. However, even if we attack her and hurt her, her ability does not disappear.”

He burst into laughter.

“Isn’t it like a riddle from the old times? Her ability disappears only when she is attacked and hurt by a human, but as long as she has the ability, she cannot be hurt by any human.”

His eyes rolled and looked at me.

“It may be out of the question for you because you have my and Margo’s energy, but… Well, no matter how I think about it, I do not think your attack will destroy her ability. In any case, Seven Evils, I mean, it would be like getting hurt by our powers.”

“Then don’t you know anything about her weakness? It’d be good even if it’s a minor one.”

“Weakness….”

Svengali pondered for a moment, then nodded.

“She has a very strong pride.”

”Pride?”

”Yes, I know she has sealed herself because of that pride.”

It was the first time I heard of it.

As I listened carefully, he muttered, I am sure… and continued.

“As far as I know, she had made a bet with the human who sealed her. If they could withstand her attack for a day, she would be meekly sealed by them.”

However, that human really withstood for a day.

He laughed once more here.

“That human shouted out loud to her, who was flustered and trying to fudge it by saying she was just saying it. ‘Don’t tell me you are going to break the promise you made yourself and lie? I was stupid to share a promise with a cowardly beast!’ When they shouted like that, she got angry and sealed herself.”

“Oh, pride….”

As I muttered like that, Svengali nodded.

“If you’re okay with it, there are more extreme ways, but….”

“What’s that again?”

“Juno or Venus, either one is fine, just break the seal.”

Saying so, he quickly added.

“It does not mean anything! The three’s relationship is really so bad that my and Margo’s relationship seems funny. No, not to the extent of being bad. Every time they saw each other, they fought like they were going to kill each other, so much so that only Ariman could stop them. Anyway, when they fought, the damage around them was no joke.”

I asked back to the guy who was muttering like it was terrible.

“Then what, just release one more Minerva-class Seven Evil? Like setting a counter fire?”

”Right. If I have to compare it, it would be like making a whale fight with a whale.”

“… have you ever heard of a shrimp’s back bursting in a whale fight?”

Svengali rolled his eyes.

“Would that not be better than a shrimp fighting a whale?”

“…….”

He was right.

When I remained silent, Svengali added quietly.

“Anyway, I am telling you that there is a way. I am ashamed to say it with my own mouth, but I and Margo are so weak that it is embarrassing to even compare us to Minerva... To be honest, I do not know if it is the other two, but Minerva especially hates humans more, so much so that it can be said that she hates humans, so I am saying this because I do not want her to wake up if possible.”

”Yes… I’ll think about it for now.”

Saying that, I put the things I had taken out back into the envelope.

It was when I was about to get up from my seat to deliver it to Evangeline.

“Oh, right.”

“What, what else are you curious about?”

“Ariman.”

The Seven Evil who I know only the name and ability of.

I stared at him, spitting its name out of my mouth.

“Tell me about him. Come to think of it, didn’t you shout his name before you died?”

“…….”

But for some reason, Svengali didn’t say anything.

I stared at him, thinking something was wrong, and after a while, he barely opened his mouth.

“I can not tell.”

”What?”

“I can not tell.”

Svengali muttered resolutely.

”Even if you are going to crush me for not answering, I can not tell.”

“…….”

After staring silently at him for a moment, I had no choice but to nod, saying, I understand.

“Huu….”

Then he sighed as if he were slightly relieved, and disappeared on his own, saying he was tired.

Seeing that, I got up, thinking that I should first hand the documents over to Evangeline and then worry about it.

So I went out of the dormitory and was on my way to Evangeline’s place.

”Oh?”

Someone looked at me and pretended to know me happily.

Then he moved his heavy body to come closer to me and greeted me.

“Nice to meet you, I’m sure your name is… Was it Yoo Ji-Hyuk?”

That man was none other than Isaac McDowell.

He held out his hand with a gentle smile.

“My name is Isaac McDowell.”

Please, I hope we can have a good relationship.

He said so.