“Nice to meet you, Cadet Yu Bom.”
The atmosphere of the staff room was strangely serious yet heated up at the same time and neither Yu Jitae nor Bom knew the exact reason.
[Eyes of Equilibrium (SS)]
He tried distinguishing their favourability. Between ‘like’ and ‘dislike’, a common feeling they had towards himself and Bom was ‘like’… Plus, it was extremely favourable.
“About the things that happened during the interview today, can we have a little conversation?”
That was when a bald professor with a hairy beard, as if he had moved it from the top of his head to the bottom, took a step forward.
“Professor Nakamura. Must you be like this?”
“I ask for your understanding. It won’t take long.”
“Hmm.”
Other professors seemed dissatisfied.
Meanwhile, Yu Jitae sat down on a sofa in the corner and leaned his back on it. At this point, there was nothing for him to do, and he just had to observe whether the situation was flowing properly or not.
“Was there an issue with my interview?”
“No. It’s not that big of a problem. In the previous interview, there was a question regarding how to induce concentration of non-attribute mana, and I heard you, cadet, have given a great response to it.”
He squinted his eyes.
“Let me directly ask you. Have you studied or learned about an article called Vladimir Concentration Inducement Method?”
Bom blinked her eyes before turning her head to stare at Yu Jitae for a bit.
When Yu Jitae’s eyes met hers, he somehow had the impression that Bom was caught in an awkward spot. But her expression remained the same as usual, so it was just a feeling he got.
He thought that it might be because she didn’t know who that vla blah blah guy was.
In that case, it was a troubling turn of events. Although he didn’t know what she meant by saying that she had replied ‘normally’ to the questions, it seemed to have attracted their interest more than it should have. It might end up creating a hassle, perhaps because she talked about a piece of information she shouldn’t have known about.
Even then, Yu Jitae decided to watch as Bom solved things on her own.
After throwing a glance around the staff room, Bom gave an answer half a beat late.
“I didn’t study, but I did look it up once.”
The sharp gaze seemingly in doubt of something remained.
“But why are you asking that? Is it related to the interview?”
“That’s not it and it’s just due to curiosity. You can just give us a comfortable reply. Does that mean you studied an article that had been released only two weeks ago, by yourself?”
“Yes.”
In response to Bom’s answer, the professors let out guffaws as strong favourability once again surfaced in the Eyes of Equilibrium.
As if they had fallen in love as an entire group, the professors didn’t seem to know what to do.
“I see. Then is it okay for me to ask you a few more questions?”
“Sure.”
“Good. Imagine mana was activated in a line from A, the starting point and B, the point of activation…”
Soon, complicated words started flowing out of the bald professor’s mouth. Through the repeated lives, Yu Jitae had never professionally learned magic. There was a clear limit on how strong one could get through magic so he had given up on it from the get go.
Thus, he honestly did not understand what was being talked about, but he still understood two things.
“I think it would be better to consider all the coordinates around the point of mana activation. If the coordinate of the dot is fixed, it would make it difficult to induce mana…”
One was that Bom’s response flowed naturally like a river, and second was that satisfaction was surfacing on the faces of the professors listening to her reply.
Longer the questions continued, hotter and more fevered did their gazes get. Later, it was to the point they forced a stop on the bald professor’s questions.
“Ahh that’s enough. Seriously! Professor Nakamura, come back please.”
“…Hmm. But despite understanding the theory, the explanations are too focused on practicality.”
“Ah! That’s enough so just come here please.”
Pushing the bald professor away, other professors leaned forward towards Bom.
“Reserve Cadet. The reason we called Reserve Cadet Yu Bom here is none other than to offer and scout.”
It was finally time for the main topic.
Bom threw a glance at Yu Jitae, asking with her eyes ‘What does this mean?’, to which Yu Jitae replied back, signalling ‘Something good’.
“Cadet Bom also heard about study groups right? To students of Lair, it is a place to dream of, the thing called study groups.”
She nodded her small head.
Cadets entering Lair all desired to join a good study group. A study group was a cadet’s pride and also served as a connection for them.
“So, we normally don’t give offers like this. However, we really want Reserve Cadet Bom so we must put a condition to it. If you join our White Horse study group, we will give you a full scholarship for the first grade.”
It was a shocking offer.
Lair had a huge school fee. Every year, tens of thousands of dollars were spent as a minimum and to normal reserve cadets, it was definitely not a small amount.
However, no-one there was surprised.
In fact Yu Jitae and Bom were oddly calm so the professors that had been expecting a reaction had to be disappointed.
It was when Bom made an embarrassed smile saying ‘Umm…’.
“Wait Cadet Bom. Listen to me first. If you join Le Bien study group, we will support you with a full first-grade scholarship, living expenses and other educational fees for one year.”
“Haa, Professor Wang. You can’t do this to me.”
“Uhaha! Just stay back if you can’t afford the money.”
“Cadet Bom, our Wonmyung study group will give a 2-year scholarship.”
That was the beginning of a sudden auction.
“If you join our study group, we will offer a scholarship until the third year…”
“Let alone school fees, what about a right to participate in a group research…”
“Then let me add…”
There were more and more terms being added.
Money alone wasn’t that appealing to children of rich houses, and knowing that, the professors offered connections and opportunities that could not even be bought with money.
The terms were enough to make normal students majoring in magic studies roll their eyes and even bow, but Bom remained silent whilst merely giving nods. Her attitude only made the professors more frustrated.
“Reserve Cadet Bom. Are these not enough?”
“No. It is plenty.”
“Haha, then…”
“But you see, I’m not thinking of joining a study group.”
Bom poured cold water on the atmosphere. The professors that appeared to be seconds away from running in all froze stiff where they stood.
“…Yes?”
“Uh…”
“That… what’s the reason?”
One of them asked after a while.
“The thing is, I have never seriously considered magic.”
Bom’s response made them astonished. Her words were once again outside their common sense. Even considering all the reserve cadets that had applied this year, there was not a single person with a talent at her level.
And yet a genius like this had never seriously pondered about magic?
“Reserve Cadet, that, what do you…?”
A flat voice flowed out of a professor’s mouth.
“I know this is a place where people with serious interests in magic gather. I only read whatever I found and learned them, so there’s no passion. I don’t think it is a place for a person like me to enter.”
Before long, a gasp escaped Myung Jong’s lips. The professors were all made speechless.
“Sorry.”
*
The professors tried to stop Bom from leaving while saying “Letting a talent like yourself rot is a sin. A sin!” but Bom did not change her mind.
They then turned to Yu Jitae and tried persuading him but he respected Bom’s will. Although this was definitely a good opportunity, if she said no, then so be it – he had no intention of forcing her to do it.
“Did you know about it beforehand?”
On the way out of Lair, Yu Jitae asked.
“Yes?”
“Vladi, whatever.”
“I didn’t.”
Yu Jitae became a bit more curious because of the quick reply.
“Then how did you do it. You were talking pretty well.”
“I just… read their countenances a little.”
Their countenances?
“When other professors were calling the name of the person asking questions, they called him Nakamura. I looked for a nameplate inside the staffroom and found ‘Magic Theories Professor Nakamura’.”
He remembered her looking around.
“Since he was a professor of theories, I thought he would ask questions based on that, so I dodged theory as much as possible while answering.”
“Right.”
“And when he speaks, he would sometimes make a frown with his eyes like a habit. If he does that, I shouldn’t answer that question.”
“Why.”
“It seemed like a topic that shouldn’t be known by a person with an identity like mine. After skipping one question like that, the other professors seemed to be fond of it and I thought of that as a threshold.”
Judging from their responses, it ultimately seemed that all her assumptions had been on the mark.
She was quite smart.
The attention from the professors was definitely an opportunity and could have been a natural stairway that led to higher places. But nothing including material, honour, opportunity and the approval of others could move Bom’s heart.
Perhaps due to the event that had happened today, the Regressor became more curious about the future that was waiting for Bom.
However, he decided to not worry about it too much, because out of the six Apocalypses, Bom had never been the cause a single time.
But meanwhile, it made her social talent stand out.
“…Why did you take those.”
In her hands, there were numerous business cards that belonged to the magic studies professors. On the way out, she had politely asked the professors for them and despite the disappointment, they all handed her their business cards while wishing for her to contact them any time.
“It could become a good connection.”
Rejecting their offers yet taking their favourability and forming a dominant relationship with others. It wasn’t bad.
Until the end the favourability of the professors were at extreme goodwill.
They would have trouble falling asleep today due to frustration.
***
A few days later.
Student dormitories were provided to the cadets of Lair. An officetel for four people – a large house with five rooms was provided. Bom, Yeorum and Kaeul had finally left Yu Jitae’s room and obtained their own personal spaces.
After moving, Bom brought a flowerpot from somewhere and placed a blue egg on top of it. It was the egg of the Blue Dragon that had been hanging on Kaeul’s neck.
A forced dispel of polymorph from a gem meant that the Blue Dragon would be hatching some time soon.
“Hi, our baby.”
Bom would sometimes talk to the egg or would water it with a spray.
“Why water?”
“It’s like a prenatal education.”
I see.
Since there was still some time left until the entrance ceremony in Spring, they just had to relax and play around. Bom took Kaeul and went sightseeing around Lair while Yeorum showed interest in places like sparring arenas, gyms and training rooms.
Before, Yu Jitae sensed their auras whenever he had time but lately he was reducing the frequency. In his opinion, their relationship was getting stabler.
One day, Yu Jitae left the house and entered the Blue Sky Building, which was one of the buildings used for event purposes in Lair.
[Azure Dragon Study Group Practical Interview]
Seeing the placard hanging on the entrance, Yu Jitae carried his feet. There was someone that must be gotten rid of here.
At Lair, identities were differentiated according to the colours of the name badges and Yu Jitae, a guardian, had an orange name badge hanging on his neck.
After entering the third floor, he found a crowd of people that wasn’t allowed into the auditorium room where the interview was being held. Hanging on their necks were white name badges, signalling that they were reporters and the likes. Further in, there were even people holding large cameras and boom mics.
He walked through the crowd of people and the guards that were blocking the entrance obediently made way after seeing the colour of his badge.
The interview of Azure Dragon study group was well and truly on the way. Large groups of reserve cadets in bulks of hundreds were sitting on their chairs.
The moment he entered the hall, Yu Jitae recognised the one he was looking for.
Wei Yan.
He was a Chinese professor, and despite being 38 years old, his neat facial structures made it seem like he was in mid-twenties. Fitting his embarrassing titles of ‘Gentleman of Lair’ and ‘Professor on a White Horse’ that were known in the media, a gentle leisure was behind his classy image.
Wei Yan was the chief professor of a study group focused on physical prowess, ‘Azure Dragon’.
Plus, he was the main initiator that urged a worldwide hunt for dragons in the third round of regressions, and at the same time, he wasn’t a human.
He was an aspect hastening the Apocalypse, and was a person that must be killed.
“Wahh, that person is Professor Wei Yan right? How is that a face of a professor?”
“He could even become friends with an old cadet…”
“He looks really kind as well.”
“It’s not just his personality. He’s rich, strong. He’s a hero of the war and a head professor in Lair. Young and handsome… he has everything, everything.”
Voices could be heard from the surroundings.
Let alone them, there was probably no-one from those that knew Wei Yan, that truly understood what kind of person he actually was. But they will all get to know about it in a not-too-distant future.
The interview was about to begin.
“Wah, hey look at her.”
Yu Jitae, who was quietly observing the hall, turned his eyes to a place where a little commotion was being made. A few cameras were facing that place already.
It felt like he could see a familiar hair colour. Light reflected off of her fluttering hair and revealed a sullen yet annoyed expression beneath.
Yeorum.
Yu Yeorum was a part of the group of interviewees.
When he stared deeply at her face, Yeorum’s head slowly turned towards him.
Soon, their eyes met.
Then, she formed a frown with her eyes, before turning her head away as if she had no business with him.
Now why was she here – thought the Regressor with a hazy smile.