* * *An invisible force lifted Baonic’s body and sent him flying through the air as he crashed into a tree before plumting to the ground.And judging by how his body was twitching, it was fortunate that he wasn’t dead, though it would be a while before he regained consciousness.Faced with the sudden, unexpected situation, Seti and Yeomyeong had different reactions.Yeomyeong, who had a good guess as to who the invisible attacker was, sighed and stretched his hand towards them.anwhile, Seti, who hadn’t thought of the possibility that soone might be wearing an Invisibility Cloak, imdiately dashed next to Yeomyeong and swung her leg.Whoosh! She extended her leg straight and infused it with mana, slicing through the air.If Yeomyeong hadn’t used his hand, which was about to grab at the empty air, to block her kick, it would have been powerful enough to slice through the trees in the surroundings.It was a perfect execution of the Flying Kick technique, one she hadn’t perford in a long ti.“…Yeomyeong, why did you stop ?”Seti, who had her leg grabbed unexpectedly, looked at Yeomyeong with a look of surprise.In a dangerous situation where, if not handled correctly, he could have taken the full brunt of the kick…“…Seti, just hold on for a mont.”Yeomyeong, seemingly unconcerned, simply let go of her leg and turned his gaze back to where Baonic had been.“Hey, what the hell are you doing? Why did you attack an innocent person all of a sudden?”“…”“First, take off the cloak, and let’s talk face-to-face…”Just as Yeomyeong reached out to pull off the Invisibility Cloak, a loud, frivolous voice yelled from the invisible space.“The two of them were following you!”Yeah, he had a feeling that the reason was sothing like that. Yeomyeong let out a bitter laugh.“I know.”“…You knew?”“Yeah, I was just about to ask them why they were following us.”There was no reply. Puzzled, Yeomyeong reached out towards the voice, but the figure had already moved elsewhere.Yeomyeong, grasping at empty air, belatedly gathered mana to enhance his senses.However, all he could hear was incoherent mumbling.Ah, really, I, this, there, thinking, that, um, you, and Seti, that, no, relationship, truly…A brief silence ensued. A leaf fell to the ground, blown by the wind, as Seti tilted her head in confusion.Tap, tap, tap!Then, the sound of footsteps echoed. The person was running away, unable to hide their panic.“Wait… Hey! Where are you going?”Yeomyeong shouted in the direction of the retreating footsteps. But the footsteps didn’t stop. Instead, they quickly grew even more distant.“Yeomyeong, is that…?”Only then did Seti work out the identity of the invisible attacker, and she looked astonished.The Saintess and her Invisibility Cloak.Yeomyeong saw Seti’s expression and gave her a bitter smile, then nudged her shoulder and made a request.“Go after her and help her calm down. She seed pretty shaken up.”“…Only ? What about you?”“I have to take this bastard to the infirmary.”Yeomyeong pointed at Baonic, who lay twitching on the ground. He probably wouldn’t have died from those injuries, but leaving him there was a completely different issue.“Can I tag along as well? It’s not like I need to chase after her…”“…Seti.”Yeomyeong placed a hand on Seti’s shoulder.“…”“I don’t know what happened between the two of you or why things are like this, nor do I plan on asking until you’re ready to tell . But… the Saintess considers you a friend. In situations like this, shouldn’t you go after her and help her calm down?”Seti chewed on her lip for a mont, then sighed upon seeing Yeomyeong’s expression.“…Alright. I’ll go find out why she’s behaving like this.”“If possible, try to calm her down as well. Please.”“…Why would I even need to be asked to do that?”Seti gathered mana into her feet as she spoke. And just as she was about to use her Flying Kick technique to chase after the Saintess, she turned around and added.“Oh, by the way, clear your schedule for this evening. We’ll be eting my younger siblings, so be prepared.”“…Do I really need to prepare for sothing like that?”“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”Before Yeomyeong could respond, Seti had already kicked the ground.As Yeomyeong watched her rapidly receding figure for a while, he thought about the only younger sibling of hers he had t.Siri, the red-haired girl he t back in Incheon.The bold girl who had tested him on the very day they t.…Could it be that the other sisters were all like Siri? If so, re preparation might not be sufficient…With such useless thoughts, Yeomyeong walked towards Baonic.Upon a closer inspection, Baonic’s condition wasn’t as bad as he expected. Still, being a Superhuman, at least there wasn’t any broken bone.The lump on the back of his head was rather sizable, but… an injury like that could be quickly healed with the help of a priest-in-training.However, in order to avoid any complications, Yeomyeong carefully lifted Baonic by his shoulders and waist, avoiding the lump on his head.The mont he managed to prop up Baonic by letting him rest his arm on his shoulder for support…Rustle.A notebook fell from Baonic’s waistband.Whether by coincidence or inevitable fate, its lock ca off as the notebook fell to the ground, revealing its contents.It seed like the lock had broken when the Saintess threw him.“This is…”The book must have been pretty important for him to carry it around with a lock on it.Yeomyeong bent down to pick up the notebook. And though it wasn’t intentional, he naturally perused through the content of the opened notebook.The very first page of the notebook was marked with a large X… After reading what was written on that page, Yeomyeong’s golden eyes grew cold.
* * *The northern edge of the Academy.
The ‘Bob Hawke Port’1 after the Australian Pri Minister at the ti of the academy’s establishnt or commonly referred to as ‘the Port’ by its workforce and academy students, was currently experiencing an unexpected commotionShips, ships, and even more ships.From cargo ships carrying materials to repair the damage caused by terror attack to naval warships with the US flag and various fishing boats, were all docking and setting sail from the port.It looked more like an international trade port than an academy port, and the interior of the port was no different.Stevedores working diligently in the sea breeze, busy faculty mbers, and soldiers.“…Can you not feel the Academy’s determination to overco the crisis?”Sitting in a café overlooking the port and admiring the scene, dga comnted briefly.It was a statent filled with the pride of soone who held the position of Admissions Director.However, the response from the man sitting across him, sipping on fresh fruit juice, was less enthusiastic.“Well, to , it just seed like they were ridiculously busy.”dga raised an eyebrow and looked at the man.The man had an M-shape receding hairline, and a nose as sharp as a blade, leaving a strong impression.“…Wollard, you need to develop so sense of aesthetics.”Wollard, the man in question, smiled boldly.“Haha! Director dga, why would soone like need a sense of aesthetics? It’s not like I’m becoming a critic. Developing sothing like that would only interfere with my line of work.”He said this as he gulped down his drink. After slamming the empty glass against the table, he added.“Besides, you’re still on the clock right now, aren’t you? You should focus on your task instead of admiring the scenery.”“…”He was talking about work after downing five glasses of juice?dga glanced at the empty glass and Wollard’s face, ready to make a retort, but he stopped himself.It would be ridiculous to argue with a re informant, especially since his words weren’t entirely wrong.Otherwise, why else would the Admissions Director be leisurely sitting in a café at the port during such a hectic ti?As Wollard said, it was indeed because of work. The problem was the nature of that work…- A very important guest will be visiting the Academy, so Director dga, please welco them personally before any reporters or others catch wind of it.He rembered the principal’s orders and shook his head.He couldn’t understand why such a significant person required the personal attention of the Admissions Director.The principal had not even given him even the na of the guest, let alone their face.Instead, an informant from the Blue Rat who could recognize the guest was sent to accompany him.What on earth is the Principal thinking…?If not for the fact that the esteed principal herself had personally made the request, he wouldn’t have even spared a snort if soone else had asked him to do the sa.Anyway, setting that aside…“So, when is this guest supposed to arrive?”At the sudden question, Wollard’s eyebrows furrowed. He checked his watch and answered with a sigh.“She should be arriving within an hour, I suppose…”“…I suppose?”“Well, ships are quite unpredictable with their speeds depending on the currents.”“…”“But don’t worry about it too much. We’ll be able to identify her the mont she arrives at the port.”dga clenched his fists and then turned his gaze back to the port.He kept watching the scene at the port for a long ti.And during that ti, Wollard ordered several more drinks, and the café owner, recognizing him as soone important from the Academy, continued refilling his coffee. And so, the slow and uneventful wait dragged on.Then, at so point, a small boat appeared over the horizon.It was a small boat, often called a motorboat, with just enough space for one person to sit in the small cockpit.“Oh? That boat….”Wollard’s eyes widened on seeing the boat.Have they finally arrived? dga stood up from his seat, looking at the motorboat.“Is that the boat with the guest?”“Ah, yes. The fishing boat with the crow emblem… That’s definitely the one.”“Alright, then, let’s head there imdiately.”dga said this and strode out of the café. Wollard, who had been waiting for his next juice, followed him with a long face.The two walked straight across the bustling port and headed to the dock.dga walked almost at a running pace, and Wollard had to actually run to keep up with him.Because of that, Wollard was nearly out of breath by the ti they arrived at their destination ahead of the motorboat.A dock for small boats at the very end of the Academy’s port.“So, what do I need to do now?”dga, who was watching the motorboat approach the dock, asked.At those words, Wollard, who had been gasping for breath, raised his head and looked at the motorboat.“Huff… Nothing much really. We should just take a quick look at the guest as she disembarks and then escort her directly to the VIP room.”“…It seems more simple than I thought.”“Well, you might change your mind once you see the guest.”Upon hearing Wollard’s warning, the Admissions Director straightened his clothes nervously.Given that they arrived here by such a small boat, it was clear that the guest was no ordinary person.After all, weren’t they a guest the principal had personally taken care of? If it was the principal’s guest, it was usually either…A VIP, or an eccentric. Or maybe both.As he sorted out his thoughts, the boat finally reached the dock.“Welco to Lord Howe.”dga stepped forward and spoke. He straightened his back and tensed his neck to greet the guests disembarking from the ship.Let’s see how impressive this person is.However, for so reason, no one disembarked from the motorboat.An awkward silence that lasted for several seconds. Even Wollard, who had been panting, found it to be strange.“…Could it be?”Wollard suddenly realized sothing and jumped onto the motorboat.“Wollard, what are you doing….”When dga tried to stop him, Wollard had already jumped onto the motorboat and flung open the door to the cockpit.“…Oh, damn it.”An exasperated mutter. dga followed Wollard onto the motorboat and looked at the sa spot.The cramped cockpit of the motorboat was filled with leftover fish scraps and black feathers. He could understand the fish, but feathers?“…What on earth is this?”As dga, unable to make sense of the situation, asked, Wollard scratched his nose awkwardly.“Well… It seems the guest has already… headed to the Academy.”“…”“You should go after her now… If she ets the students on her own, it can be a big problem… Ugh!”dga finally gave Wollard a sharp smack on the head.1. Robert Jas Lee Hawke AC GCL was an Australian politician and trade unionist who served as the 23rd pri minister of Australia from 1983 to 1991.
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