Correcting the Villainess of the Academy - Chapter 130

Chapter 130

Fall (7)

***

“What kind of nonsense is that?”

My face scrunched up like a crumpled piece of paper in response to the absurd question. Even if I couldn’t see myself, I knew I must have looked ridiculous. What kind of person asks something like that so casually?

“I just thought I’d ask. Do you know how many guys started pestering me after your duel with Yeseo? Do you know how much trouble that caused me…?”

But Haewon, the girl with navy-blue hair, continued speaking nonchalantly.

“And their lines were all so pathetic. ‘I was captivated by her strength,’ or ‘What does she like?’ ‘Does she have a fiancé? Could you pass on a message for me?’ Ugh, cowards. If they’re so interested, why don’t they go up to her directly? It was exhausting.”

Haewon shook her head repeatedly as if she was disgusted by the memory. It suddenly hit me just how many strange people there are in the world.

“So, I wondered if you were one of them. I mean, if the ‘Crown Prince of Heukryeon’ had something to say, I could certainly pass it along.”

Her words were playful, and her eyes sparkled with mischief.

I shook my head firmly.

“There’s no chance of that.”

“Really? The way you said that almost makes me feel disappointed. Although, if you did feel that way, you wouldn’t have beaten her so thoroughly…”

“I didn’t beat her. It was a fair duel.”

Feeling a bit guilty, I defended myself, but Haewon pressed on as if she knew exactly what was going through my mind.

“That’s what I meant. I’m not criticizing you. It really was just a duel, wasn’t it? I’m not saying I can’t understand your side either…”

Her cynicism was apparent, but it seemed she didn’t care too much about her friend’s injury.

After hearing a few more jokes, I finally got to the real reason I had approached her.

What I wanted to know was why Jin Yeseo seemed to have an unhealthy obsession with the outcome of the duel. There was something more than just a simple competitive spirit driving her.

It also seemed related to the way she trained relentlessly, pushing her body to the breaking point. Even when she was supposed to be focusing on Expulsion System magic, her style often resembled that of a Circulation System mage.

“…Is that what you wanted to ask?”

“Yes. Do you know anything about it?”

Haewon frowned for a moment, as if surprised, but then she nodded.

“Well, I can tell you. It’s not like it’s a secret or anything. Most people who know her are already aware.”

But before she got into it, she gave me a word of caution.

“Just don’t tell Yeseo I said anything. I’m only telling you because I owe you my life.”

“I’ll keep my word. Don’t worry.”

No one likes to hear people talking behind their back, after all.

“Alright. So, to get straight to the point… it’s because of Yeseo’s mother.”

“Her mother?”

“Yeah. The head of the Baekgwang family. Have you heard of her? Oh, since you’re from one of the Five Families, maybe you’ve seen her at some social events.”

“I haven’t.”

“Really? That’s surprising. Were you kept indoors before you awakened? Hehe.”

Maybe I had seen her during the day of the hearing. She might have been one of those council members wearing those eerie masks.

“I’ve only seen her from a distance a few times. She’s stunning for her age. If Yeseo hadn’t told me, I would’ve mistaken her for an older sister.”

The fact that she had defied aging meant she was an exceptionally powerful mage. I knew two other such people. Hae Wolhwa, who was currently away from Cradle on an expedition to the wilderness. And the commander’s mother.

Haewon lowered her voice and continued.

“The head of the Baekgwang family is known to be cold and ruthless. She cares more about the glory of the family than she does about individuals. Most heads of noble families are like that, but she takes it to an extreme. Everyone knows this.”

“Why is she like that?”

“It makes sense if you consider Baekgwang’s past. You’ve heard about the Yamatai Scandal, right?”

“No… This is the first I’m hearing of it.”

Haewon looked at me with disbelief.

“You’ve never heard of the Yamatai Scandal? How can you be from one of the Five Families and not know about one of the biggest incidents in history?”

“…I don’t know. No one’s ever told me.”

“Seriously? You must’ve been raised in a pretty sheltered way…”

Haewon seemed to accept my excuse with a nod.

Yamatai. An island nation far to the east, beyond the sea. Along with the Flower Nation in the west and the Republic on the peninsula, Yamatai was one of the new civilizations that emerged after surviving the Ten Days of Burning. One of the three remaining powers of the Far East.

I’d first heard of them in my classes at Cradle. Apparently, there were even a few international students from Yamatai here.

The Eastern Pioneer Corps had been part of an effort to create new trade routes with them, beyond just expanding settlements.

The north was blocked by demon-infested lands, and the southern sea routes were often plagued by pirates from unmanned zones, making travel perilous.

However, the Eastern Pioneer Corps had ultimately failed due to the rise of the Five Calamities, a group of infamous monsters.

“Anyway, it became a huge scandal. A major noble family sold off a national strategic resource to a foreign power.”

Haewon continued her story.

Decades ago, Baekgwang was on the brink of annihilation.

The head of Baekgwang at the time was caught smuggling vast amounts of stellite ore, a highly valuable material, to foreign dignitaries.

Stellite ore was the only known particle conductor, making it extremely valuable. With just one kilogram, you could manufacture over a hundred high-end blades.

There was a reason the Jeokhwa family had amassed so much wealth through their exclusive rights to stellite mines, and Baekgwang had long coveted it.

When hundreds of kilograms of that ore were smuggled out of the country, all for personal profit, Baekgwang seemed destined for ruin.

And then, Jin Yeseo’s mother, who was a student at Cradle and the designated heir of Baekgwang, stepped forward.

“So, she personally executed her parents, then presented their heads to the Supreme Council before the punitive forces could arrive.”

Haewon told the chilling story with a detached calm.

That performance spared the family from total destruction, but treason was still treason.

Baekgwang was plunged into a dark period that lasted for decades, even worse than Jeokhwa’s current decline.

“Baekgwang’s recovery to its current status has only been within the last fifteen years. But even now, they’re the weakest among the Five Families. That’s why they’re often looked down upon by up-and-coming families from the Magi 27, like the Sungshan family…”

Sungshan. The family of the first-year student Choi Woojin and his older sister Choi Ireh. It made sense now why Jin Yeseo and Woojin seemed to clash so often.

“That’s also why Baekgwang clings so desperately to Paechun. After Heukryeon suddenly retired fifteen years ago, Paechun became the most powerful family. Baekgwang doesn’t want to experience another dark age. Yeseo seems to follow Baek Seoyeon out of pure admiration, but… What?”

Haewon reached up to brush away a reed flower that had settled on her head.

“Ahem. Anyway, Yeseo both admires and resents her mother.”

“Why?”

Admire and resent her mother?

I couldn’t quite understand. I had never once resented my own mother in my entire life.

“Do you remember what I said about the head of the Baekgwang family?”

“That she’s cold, ruthless, and prioritizes the family over individuals?”

“Yep. She views Yeseo as nothing more than a tool to elevate the family’s status. No exceptions, not even for her daughter. She’s pushed Yeseo into mastering the family’s lost magic, the Black Flame, and tried to arrange a marriage with a wealthy family that would benefit the Baekgwang name. Yeseo absolutely hates being treated that way.”

Haewon finally dislodged the reed flower and blew it back toward the reed garden with a puff.

“Still, Yeseo accepted the training for the Black Flame. After all, restoring the family’s lost magic—lost during the Yamatai Scandal—was a matter of family pride. Even her mother had failed to master it. But as for the marriage… she just couldn’t accept it. Would you? After growing up watching the Iron Lady, how could any ordinary man ever catch her eye?”

For a moment, her words didn’t make sense to me. Even if her mother was like that, Jin Yeseo’s current wealth and status were all thanks to her, weren’t they? She was enjoying all the privileges her mother had provided.

But after thinking about it a bit, I realized that wasn’t necessarily true.

I, too, had refused to eat the eggplant dishes my mom prepared when I was a kid. Even though I lived in her house, with food she bought and cooked with her own money.

No matter how much my mom scolded me, I stubbornly refused to open my mouth. I guess when you hate something, you just hate it.

“As far as I know, there were several marriage proposals that nearly went through. But Yeseo ruined all of them. That’s why her mother made her a final offer.”

“What was it?”

“If she loses to a male student twice in the Cradle’s ranking matches, she has to accept an arranged marriage chosen by the family. And Yeseo agreed to it. She was confident in her abilities, and it was a chance to free herself from that burden once and for all. But now… she must be desperate.”

“…Why?”

Haewon, who had been speaking so freely, suddenly hesitated and glanced at me cautiously.

Then, she spoke carefully.

“…She only has one more chance.”

It was only then that I fully grasped the meaning behind her words.

***

By the time our lengthy conversation ended, night had already fallen around us.

It had been a useful discussion, and I’d learned quite a bit. Honestly, Jin Yeseo’s situation seemed somewhat pitiful.

As I walked back to the Beech Dormitory, I found myself thinking about the commander’s parents. They were members of one of the most prestigious families, yet they were so humble. They were always kind to me, even though I was just an orphan.

When I compared them to the heads of other Five Families I had seen—like Yeon Jeongmun, Yeon Minha’s father, or Baek Ilyong, the head of Paechun—the difference was almost shocking.

At the same time, there was still something I didn’t understand. Why did the commander distance himself from such kind people?

As I walked toward the dormitory, I glanced in the direction of the main gate.

The lights in the old training room on the second floor of Section A were still on.

“…”

But even after hearing all of this, I didn’t feel any particular desire to help Jin Yeseo. It was, after all, none of my business. Besides, Jin Yeseo was in a faction completely opposed to both myself and Yeon Minha.

The only reason I had asked Haewon about this in the first place was in hopes of finding a way to get rid of that clingy blonde girl.

But none of that had come up in the conversation…

-Boom!

A faint explosion echoed from somewhere in the distance, and a headache began to creep in.

***

A blonde girl stared blankly into space.

Her body sagged like that of a mollusk, and her eyes were hollow.

In less than three months, all the effort she had put into her life was being denied. Cradle, which she had thought would be her grand stage, had instead turned her into a mess.

Her Black Flame had stagnated, unable to overcome her natural limits. She had been utterly defeated in the ranking battle, losing the chance to gain her freedom. Even her humiliating loss to a friend she had always considered beneath her had exposed vulnerabilities she hadn’t even known existed.

Jin Yeseo, lost and hollow like an ancient tree, no longer had any sense of competition or hostility left in her.

Recently, she had been acting purely on impulse, which had led her to this old training room where she sat crouched in the corner, waiting for something.

-Thunk… Thunk…

Before long, she heard the familiar sound of footsteps approaching. The door creaked open, followed by the sound of someone entering.

“Sigh…”

“…”

The person, upon seeing Jin Yeseo, let out a deep sigh, but she didn’t react at all. She only had one thought in her mind.

Show me again. Show me the way you swing that blade so lightly, as if you could soar like a bird. A movement that I, trapped in this cage called ‘family,’ could never achieve.

But this time, instead of ignoring her as usual, he walked straight toward where she was sitting.

The clumsy thumping of his footsteps seemed to carry an undeniable sense of anger.

“Hey. You seriously need to cut this out.”

A threatening and irritated voice spoke right above Jin Yeseo’s head.

End of Chapter