Chapter 84: The Butterfly Effect For The Author (4)

* * *The dawn held its breath as the sky began to grow brighter.Yeomyeong got out of bed calmly and without even stretching, he scanned the room with indifferent eyes.It was a luxurious room. From the large window overlooking the academy grounds and the marble-finished floor to the antique furniture, it was nothing short of opulent.According to the staff who had escorted him to the room, this was a special room reserved for external VIPs…And from that explanation, one could easily tell that it was an excessively grand room for an ordinary student.If he were to put it in simpler terms, it seemed that the academy was treating him more importantly than just an ordinary student, perhaps even as a VIP.After all, this was the least he deserved for saving the entire batch of first-years from unknown assailants and a horde of zombies, didn’t he?Yeomyeong didn’t believe that the academy had provided him with this room purely out of goodwill.The world he knew wasn’t so sweet.Even a mere Janitor Guild was rife with political maneuvering and dirty dealings; how much more complicated would the academy be, with its hundreds of layers of intertwined interests?However, the reason the academy was treating him this way…wasn’t hard to guess.None of the staff had asked him about his connection to the Holy Sword, but he could tell from the way they looked at him.The academy—at least the staff familiar with the Holy Sword—were treating him as if he were practically the Holy Sword’s apprentice.He didn’t know if this was something that happened by chance or if it was something the Holy Sword was aiming for…Yeomyeong massaged his throbbing forehead. Being the Holy Sword’s apprentice was of no use to him, no matter how great a future it guaranteed.In fact, it was nothing but a disadvantage when taking his plans for revenge into consideration.And wasn’t the Holy Sword an artifact fiercely protected by the Australian government, despite strong opposition from religious circles?If it were to become known that Yeomyeong was the Holy Sword’s apperentice, or something akin to that… Australia would do everything in its power to prevent him from making contact with Korea.After all, even a small country like Korea employed monstrous figures like Shepperd to work behind the scenes, so what might a powerful nation like Australia do?However, that wasn’t the only problem. Even if he were to exact his revenge while under the protection of the Holy Sword and Australia’s goodwill…It would create chaos beyond imagination. Yeomyeong shook his head.…Indeed, he should stop before he became too close with the Holy Sword. Dealing with the airhead Saintess, who cluelessly tried to get closer to him, was already more than enough.After spending some time with his thoughts, Yeomyeong got dressed and left his room. He didn’t have a particular destination in mind; he just wanted to get some fresh air.Yet, unless he had alcohol, he would not be able to ease the tightness in his chest.Yeomyeong walked through the empty corridor and up the stairs to the rooftop.Was it called the rooftop garden? The rooftop, which overlooked the entire academy, was furnished with flower beds and rest areas.Given the time, it was not surprising that the rooftop was empty. Basking in the familiar solitude, Yeomyeong sat on the closest bench.Sitting alone on the rooftop while gazing at the gloomy sky, he felt the sea breeze blowing in from beyond the horizon—cold, just like the one he remembered from Incheon.Yeomyeong shut his eyes and let time slip away with the passing wind.Feeling somewhat better after a while, he was about to stand up when…“…Ah.”Sensing someone’s presence, Yeomyeong turned his head.“…”He made eye contact with a blue-eyed girl who had just stepped onto the rooftop garden. The girl, with several convenience store bags in her hands, blinked upon noticing Yeomyeong.A brief silence ensued.As the sea breeze belatedly swept between them, Yeomyeong chuckled softly.“Isn’t it a bit early to be having breakfast?”When he gestured toward the convenience store bags with his chin, the girl averted her eyes, her face turning red.“…I need to replenish my energy since I used it all.”“And you don’t usually eat instant food, right?”“…”As soon as that oddly familiar conversation ended, the girl scooted over and sat right next to Yeomyeong.“Why are you sitting here acting all miserable by yourself?”“…I just couldn’t fall asleep. But why did you come all the way up here instead of eating in your room?”“Unlike you, the girls only got one room.”She grumbled as she set the bags down at her feet.The bags, numbering more than five, were so heavy that it seemed like they contained everything from the convenience store’s food section.“I was thinking about waking you up to eat together, but as you said, it’s too early… But eating alone would be scary if I got caught.”“…Does it even matter if you get caught? You can just eat with them.”“After being caught with a mountain of food?”She muttered something about how it must be nice to be so insensitive, before pulling out a cream-filled bun.Given its large size for the price, it was a snack janitors often enjoyed.And it took her less than ten seconds to devour a bun of that size.How could she eat that quickly with such a small mouth?Yeomyeong watched her silently, and when she pulled out her third bread, he finally broke the silence.“It’s been a while, Seti.”His sudden greeting made Seti freeze in the middle of tearing open the wrapper, but then she grinned and replied.“…It’s been a while, Yeomyeong.”“We finally get some time to ourselves.”“Well… We haven’t really had the opportunity to do so, have we?”From the moment he landed at the academy airport to the attack yesterday.It was true that they had been involved in various incidents nonstop, making it difficult for them to meet in secret.However…“…If you had just used the burner phone I gave you to contact me, there wouldn’t have been a need for us to meet alone, right?”“…”Yeomyeong smiled awkwardly and looked away while Seti gazed at him sullenly.Well, she wasn’t actually blaming him. After all, hadn’t he been in the middle of the chaotic events taking place in Manchuria? It wouldn’t have been easy for him to give her a call.Still… he could have at least sent her a text, right?How many texts had she sent since he and the Saintess made the headlines? If he had at least replied to one in every ten or so of the dozens of texts she’d sent, it wouldn’t have been so frustrating!…Though she almost blurted that out, the bread in her mouth kept them inside.Seti swallowed the bread and finished off a can of cola before finally speaking.“I can somewhat understand… the reason you were unable to send a message… After all, not everything can go as per plan, even if it’s you, Yeomyeong.”“…”“So right now, just… tell me everything you haven’t told me… what actually happened in Manchuria? Is everything the articles said the truth?”“I don’t know which article you saw, but most of them are probably true.”“…So, did you really kiss the Saintess?”Yeomyeong smiled, thinking it was a joke, but seeing the look on Seti’s face, he quickly wiped the smile off his face.“…No. That’s just tabloid gossip.”“Hmm… it’s really not true, right?”“There was no reason for me to do that.”“…That’s fine then.”Fine? What was fine? Yeomyeong was about to ask, but Seti immediately started gobbling another piece of bread.She chewed the bread as if she had no intention of speaking for a while.Given the amount of things he needed to share with her, Yeomyeong decided to use that time to gather his thoughts.Starting with the mercenary recruitment test.Chasing after a member of Blue Rat and meeting the Saintess by chance.The Korean government’s involvement in Manchuria and the situation in North Manchuria.The Saintess and Kahal Magdu.The fact that his fake resume had already been exposed and that the Saintess’ mother was the president of the Blue Rat.And the story about the dragon sleeping in Manchuria.It was going to be a long story, but fortunately, Seti had brought a substantial amount of food with her.Taking a can of coffee from the bag, Yeomyeong leaned back against the bench.As the sun loomed over the horizon, he began speaking calmly.* * *The story went on for quite some time. 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It would have been a rather boring story, but thanks to Seti’s amusing reactions, the atmosphere was maintained until the end.She would flinch every time the Saintess was brought up, and when it was revealed that his fabricated resume had been exposed, she choked on her bread, causing Yeomyeong to pat her back.In any case, Yeomyeong told her almost everything honestly , without any embellishment.Except the part where he met the ghost of the Dwarf King.Because he was certain that the so-called ‘fate’ the king spoke about was ominously related to Mignium.Seti seemed to have felt some awkwardness, but she didn’t press the matter.By the time the long story came to an end, the food Seti had brought over was finished as well, as if perfectly timed.After sharing the last tuna sandwich with Yeomyeong, she shared her thoughts on the recollection of his recent experiences.“You’ve been through a lot.”Yeomyeong was about to say that it was nothing, but before he could, Seti placed her hand over his.“And… thank you.”Seti then raised her other hand to gently touch Yeomyeong’s cheek, her blue eyes locked with his.“…For coming back in one piece.”“…”“I’m not joking. With the situation in Manchuria and the resume… It all seems like all that happened because I wasn’t able to assist you properly… If something had happened to you, I…”Just as she was about to make a confession, Yeomyeong, unable to handle the awkwardness, averted his eyes.Only then did she realize what she was saying.“…”Red-faced and in awkward silence, they both turned their gaze to the sea almost simultaneously. Fortunately, dawn was breaking and the sun was rising, making their flushed faces less noticeable.Yeomyeong continued to watch the sunrise in silence, glancing at Seti occasionally.Her lips reflected the faint sunlight, and her blue eyes sparkled like jewels.As Yeomyeong gazed at her, a multitude of emotions surfaced in his mind, only to disappear beneath the surface of his thoughts, leaving only ripples behind.Although this was his first time experiencing such emotions, he was certain of one thing.After a time that could be considered either long or short, depending on one’s perspective, Yeomyeong was able to bring up the other topic he had prepared.“…Seti.”“Yes?”“I have something else that’ll make you thank me later. Want to hear it?”Surprised by the sudden shift, Seti blinked while Yeomyeong continued, suppressing a smile that threatened to form on his lips.“The ban in the minds of you and your sisters.”“…Why are you bringing that up out of nowhere?”“What would you do… if I told you that I found a way to get rid of it?”Before she could say anything, Yeomyeong began to explain about the Golden Seal—A magic item that could unlock every lock and bypass any restriction in the world.Seti’s eyes opened wide as she stared at Yeomyeong. She found it hard to believe him, even suspecting that he was joking, to which Yeomyeong simply responded with a faint smile.“…Ah.”It was unclear whether it was due to joy or some other emotions bubbling up, but Seti lowered her head.After taking some time to suppress her emotions, she looked up as if she had just remembered something.“Yeomyeong, did you… receive the Golden Seal from the dragon?”“Yes. How do you know that?”“…”Seti’s expression hardened. She tightened her grip on Yeomyeong’s hand and asked.“Did you, by any chance, receive it in exchange for saving the dragon?”“…”Yeomyeong was impressed by Seti’s deductive skills, having figured it out without hearing the story about the Dwarf King.Of course, regardless of that, Seti’s expression grew even more rigid.“…Did you give up on the dragon because of me?”“No, that’s not it. There were other reasons. I also built rapport with the dragon while dealing a blow to the Manchurian military, and…”Although there were a multitude of complex reasons that made him save the dragon, Seti seemed more shocked by the simple fact that he had given up on it.She spoke with a subdued voice.“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cause you trouble…”“It’s not like that, really.”Another bout of silence fell between them.Both of them fell silent for different reasons: Yeomyeong couldn’t find the right words, and Seti didn’t know how to repay this favor.After a moment, once the sun had risen above the horizon, Seti broke the silence with a long breath.“…Thank you, Yeomyeong.”“I’ll accept your thanks after we manage to lift the ban. As for that… let’s wait until all your sisters have gathered.”Yeomyeong brushed the bench and stood up. It was time to part ways as the staff would soon be coming to their rooms to find them.However, Yeomyeong was unable to leave because Seti hadn’t let go of his hand.“…Yeomyeong.”“Yes?”“Let’s cancel the plan to pretend that we don’t know each other at the academy.”“Why the sudden change?”“…Just because.”“Hmm, but if we become close all of a sudden, won’t the other students think it’s strange? We fought at the airport, remember?”When Yeomyeong said this playfully, Seti somehow got angry for some reason.“Let’s just tell them that we grew close after fighting. We did fight those zombies together; who would think it’s strange? And if they do, so what?”Hearing Seti’s response, Yeomyeong unconsciously raised his other hand to pat her head.Suddenly feeling the pat on top of her head, Seti tried to protest, but Yeomyeong was a bit faster.“Then let’s start by speaking more casually.”“Uh… well, that is…”“Why? You can’t do that?”“I under— no, alright.”“Oh, but don’t call me ‘oppa.’”“…Huh?”Seemingly dumbfounded, Seti loosened her grip. Yeomyeong naturally withdrew his hand and walked away from the bench.“See you later, Seti.”“Yeah, see you… later.”Following that brief farewell, Yeomyeong left the rooftop, his steps lighter than when he had arrived.Left alone, Seti gazed at the morning scene at the academy for a moment, then covered her face with both hands and stamped her feet.As regret set in and the bench rattled with her silent screams, Seti came to her senses when she heard someone approaching.She hurriedly gathered her things, got up from the bench, and left the rooftop.Then, silence descended upon the rooftop garden again.Or rather, it should have.The next moment, a frivolous voice rang out from the empty rooftop the two had left.“…Oh my God. Oh. My. God.”The voice of someone obscured by something transparent was neither words nor screams. For a while, she was just mumbling to herself before finally forming a coherent sentence.“O Five Gods, what have I just witnessed?”