Correcting the Villainess of the Academy - Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Friction (2)

The induction ceremony followed by the banquet finally came to an end in the evening as the sun set. I parted ways with Ha Yena and headed towards the dormitory assigned to me.

“Please refrain from loud celebrations, ensure that no light escapes through the windows after midnight, and remember, bringing outsiders into the dormitory could lead to disciplinary actions. In particular, if you’re caught bringing a female student into the dormitory, you could even face expulsion. Oh, despite these warnings, there are always those who…heh…”

The elderly caretaker, leading the way on the forest path, recited the precautions in a gentle voice. In front of him, spheres of light magic floated gently, illuminating the dark path.

“Here we are. This is the dormitory assigned to you, Yu Jinhyun. Please make yourself comfortable as if it were your own room. Should there be any emergencies, just press the call bell. Well then…”

After finishing the introduction, the caretaker bowed his head and departed back the way he came. I greeted him in return and turned to examine the dormitory building.

The dormitory was a stone building erected on a flat land amidst tall trees. Though it was only a temporary assignment, it seemed I had been assigned a single room, perhaps due to my recommendation-based admission.

The dormitory was somewhat distant from the adjacent ones, giving it a rather serene atmosphere. At a glance, it seemed there were dozens of such dormitories. How vast must this property be…

However, according to the professor’s explanation, it’s clear that the accommodation could change depending on the rankings received later on.

This suggests that, irrespective of my intentions towards Yeon Minha, maintaining a high rank seems necessary.

I’m consciously suppressing the manifestation of my power now, but the head of the department mentioned that my power leaks out when I sleep. I’d like to avoid the nuisance of being discovered by others just because of my sleep.

Unlocking the door with the key I was given, I was greeted by the dark wooden floors and antique furniture inside.

The bed was large enough to fit two people comfortably. The room also had two separate sections, which seemed versatile for various uses.

The size of this one room alone was larger than the modest house I used to live in with my mother, not to mention the quarters at the northeastern garrison.

This level of luxury felt somewhat awkward, but I suppose I’ll have to get used to it.

I looked around the room. As requested beforehand, there was no mirror to be found anywhere. The thick blackout curtains by the window seemed perfectly capable of blocking any reflection of light.

-Knock, knock!

Pleased that all my requests had been met, I was about to draw the curtains when a subtle knocking sound came from outside.

I cautiously opened the window to check the source of the noise.

“Ah.”

Sitting on the outside sill was a crow, somehow familiar, with white feathers on its head.

It was Mok Jinwoo’s crow, which I had seen flitting in and out of the commander’s office several times during my time in the military.

Rather than having a message tied to its leg, the crow held a large, rolled-up document in its mouth. As I opened the window, it hopped inside and spat the document onto the desk.

The crow, freed from its burden, looked at me and opened its beak. However, instead of a bird’s chirp, Mok Jinwoo’s rough and straightforward voice emerged.

“Are you doing well, kid? I’ve compiled the information you requested last time. One is a summary of the introduction to basic elemental studies, and the other is a copy of a journal that was being kept separately by the Information Bureau. Elemental studies are taught even in the Cradle, but the journal belongs to top-secret classified materials, so I hope you’ll destroy it immediately after reading. And as you asked, I haven’t informed Jaehyuk, so rest assured, and if you need anything else, feel free to come by. If you ever feel lonely in a foreign place, maybe I could arrange for a woman to…”

“…If you’re done, you can leave now.”

-Caw!

The crow, acting like a tape recorder, rattled off Mok Jinwoo’s words. But it seemed there was no need to listen any further.

I threw the crow out the window and swiftly closed the curtains. The crow protested with a few cries but soon disappeared into the dark sky.

“…It’s not necessary to have a long conversation with me, it’s entirely possible to record and convey short messages. Remembering and mimicking human speech is quite easy for crows. They were smart animals even before becoming magical beasts, not to mention now, after being mutated by the particles.”

Suddenly, I recalled the words the headmaster shared in the greenhouse. I envied other sorcerers who could tame crows. For me, it was an impossible task from the start.

Taming a magical beast requires feeding it internalized particles over a long period, but I don’t possess such internalized particles.

I wonder if the head of the department and my sisters have arrived in the East by now. Recalling the head of the department, who refused to divulge the details of the mission, I felt slightly annoyed.
T h is wa s co pie d f r o m ki ng m tl . o r g

Having a personal crow would have made communication with them much smoother.

“…”

Shaking off the regret, I turned my attention to the documents the crow had left on the desk.

It seemed I wouldn’t be going to bed early tonight, so I decided to check the information Mok Jinwoo had sent.

Lying in bed would only lead to a night of brooding over depressing thoughts. Honestly, I was curious about the curse of the elementalists.

I pulled a chair up to the desk and unlocked the mask, setting it within reach.

Though I was inside, removing the mask somehow made the air feel fresher.

The documents Mok Jinwoo sent were divided into two parts. I decided to start with the summary of the elementary studies of elementalism. It seemed like it was sent to give me a basic understanding of elementalism.

With the help of the dim indoor light, I began reading the text printed on high-quality paper.

-…The exact origin of elementals has yet to be uncovered, but the prevailing hypothesis suggests that they are extraterrestrial beings that integrated into the Earth’s ecosystem alongside Vessel particles during the Stellar Fall. Their unique form, called non-typical invisibility, which cannot be explained by existing biological mechanisms, supports this hypothesis. Furthermore, their high sensitivity to particles, to the extent that they are said to swim within particles, is another strong piece of evidence supporting this hypothesis…

I had to spend a bit of time understanding the unfamiliar terms.

Stellar Fall. I remember learning in school that this referred to an event about a hundred years ago when a massive meteor shower hit the Earth.

This event led to the disappearance of over 150 countries overnight, and our country also lost significant control over its territory on that day.

Furthermore, the Vessel particles carried by the meteorites entered the Earth’s atmosphere, and humans who mutated due to the influence of these particles, gaining sensitivity, came to be known as sorcerers.

Not only humans, but some of the native fauna also mutated due to the particle’s influence, becoming the origin of the magical beasts known today.

Although I hardly knew anything about elementals before, the idea that they were not terrestrial but had traveled from beyond the stars was somewhat surprising.

-…Thus, in a way, elementals can be considered creatures that share a history with magic. To date, dozens of elemental types have been reported to academia, with new species being discovered at regular intervals. As mentioned earlier, elementals are invisible, shapeless beings that even if they entered our body, would have no effect. This is because they inhabit the space between the material world and the void, giving them unique ecological traits. However, a very few sorcerers can see these elementals and even utilize them to cast powerful elemental magic. We collectively refer to these talented sorcerers as elementalists…

The discourse on elementals transitioned to explaining the definition of elementalists.

-…Elementalists can perceive elementals because a part of their brain, which manages a specific function, opens a pathway to the outside that is normally closed to ordinary people. Furthermore, the brain of an elementalist continuously emits its unique wavelength through this pathway, attracting nearby elementals instinctively to its source. By subjugating these gathered elementals and using them as mediums to construct magical formulas, the very principle of elemental magic is formed…

I was able to gain a clear understanding of elementalists, which I only had a vague notion of before.

-…Elemental magic has several advantages over contemporary magic. It is virtually impossible for an elementalist to experience particle exhaustion in combat. Except for the negligible amount consumed by the elementals as food, the depletion of internalized particles is almost nonexistent. Furthermore, while projection magic inevitably weakens as the distance to the target increases, elemental magic does not suffer from this reduction in power because the elementals act as the medium. Moreover, since elementalists are directly connected to their subjugated elementals, their magic activation is significantly faster than that of ordinary sorcerers. Even in today’s age, where particle manipulators are invented and widely used…

-…Of course, it’s not to say that elemental magic does not have its drawbacks. Due to its complex and vast structure, elemental magic cannot be transplanted into particle manipulators, forcing elementalists to necessarily use their brain for computation. This process consumes most of the brain’s resources, resulting in elementalists being unable to use other types of magic or not being particularly skilled at them. Additionally, if an elementalist subjugates a large number of elementals or diverse types, they may experience mild nightmares or auditory hallucinations due to the mental strain of managing them. However, when compared to the various benefits elemental magic brings, these are truly minor…

In summary, elementals are extraterrestrial life forms that entered Earth from across the stars, invisible and shapeless. Thus, not only ordinary people but most sorcerers are unaware of the existence of elementals.

However, there are certain sorcerers with a ‘pathway’ opened in a specific part of their brain, allowing them to see elementals and even subjugate them through elemental magic. These sorcerers are collectively referred to as elementalists.

“…”

Yet, up to this point, there was nothing that seemed to warrant the grand title of ‘The Curse of Elementalists.’

T h i s wa s c o p i e d f rom k i n gm t l . o rg
It was mentioned that one might experience mild nightmares or auditory hallucinations, but it seemed unlikely that such minor side effects would lead people to label it as a curse.

Moreover, the term ‘The Curse of Elementalists’ wasn’t commonly used but seemed specifically associated with the Yeon family.

My gaze shifted to the ‘journal’ that Mok Jinwoo had sent. Perhaps the answers I sought lay within its pages.

Th i s w a s c o p i e d f r o m k i n g m t l. o r g
I began to read through the journal.

T h is w a s c o p i e d f r o m ki n gm t l .or g
The previous owner of the journal was Yeon Jaryu, the second head of the Jeokhwa Yeon family. Judging by the dates written, he seemed to be from several decades ago.

The journal contained records of research findings and questions regarding the establishment of elemental magic. It became clear why Mok Jinwoo insisted on immediate destruction upon review. Regardless of how it was acquired, the discovery of such valuable documents in external possession would undoubtedly cause a major uproar.

The early sections of the journal contained information similar to the introduction of the elemental studies I had just read. It appeared the theoretical concepts of elemental magic had already been established by this time and had remained unchanged.

-…We refer to it as ‘the pathway’ or ‘spiritual eye,’ but strictly speaking, it can be considered a mental disorder in a specific part of the brain. Furthermore, elementals can be extremely described as parasites. They excellently cling to humans with ‘open pathways,’ siphoning their internalized particles. Moreover, this is beyond one’s control. If an elementalist is a magnet, then elementals are iron filings, inevitably attracted to them regardless of the individual’s will. Elemental magic, therefore, is merely a method to command these already attached elementals, as there are currently no known ways to completely expel or summon them…

The radical tone of the journal, penned by the head of a prestigious family of elemental magic, felt shockingly progressive. Parasites. So, elementalists are sorcerers who control parasites…?

-…Of course, elementals are tiny beings, and even if they consume a small amount of internalized particles, it doesn’t significantly strain the body. The issue lies not in the physical but in the mental aspect…

Turning a few more pages, I finally found content not covered in the introduction to elemental studies.

-…The communication between an elementalist and elementals is mediated by Vessel particles. Moreover, this communication is not one-sided but reciprocal. Just as we use the pathway to subjugate elementals, they too use it to plunder our particles. They even share the visions they have experienced beyond our universe…

Th i s w a s c o pi ed fr om k i ng m t l . or g
-…If only a few elementals cling to an elementalist, these visions fail to penetrate the subconscious’s defense mechanisms, resulting in occasional mild nightmares or very faint auditory hallucinations. However, the wider the bandwidth and the higher the Ruben value, meaning the more talented the elementalist, the more elementals exceed the defense mechanisms…

-…When this happens, the defense mechanisms can no longer cope and collapse, eventually creating holes in the wall, allowing countless elemental visions to flood our consciousness. The most significant issue we face originates from here…

-…Our Yeon family, due to our inherently sensitive spiritual senses, was able to develop elemental magic and rise to prominence. However, we also experience side effects that ordinary elementalists do not…

-…Aside from a bit of precognition, there are no benefits, and preventing the collapse of the defense mechanisms has become our ultimate goal…

-The defense mechanisms, once breached by elementals, fail to function, leaving us completely vulnerable to danger. Not only are we exposed to bizarre landscapes sent by the elementals, but also to things from other worlds that we should have never seen. This is the fundamental reason we suffer from auditory and visual hallucinations, as well as nightmares…

-…I too have begun to notice an increase in the severity of my nightmares and hallucinations. Recently, I started dreaming of being chased by a woman standing upside down, holding a knife in her mouth, with her eyes wide open, and the distance between us is closing…

Yeon Jaryu’s journal concluded with a matter-of-fact account of his nightmares.
T h is w as c o p ie d f r om ki n gm t l . o rg

Additional documents sent by Mok Jinwoo included the ages and causes of death for direct descendants of the Jeokhwa Yeon family.

T h i s w a s co p i e d f r om k i n gm tl .or g
Dying in their thirties was common, and almost no one lived past their fifties.

The causes of death were suicide, suicide, mysterious deaths, heart attacks, suicide, accidental falls, heart attacks, mysterious deaths…

Yeon Jaryu himself died of a heart attack in his early forties, the day after the last journal entry was written.

Such side effects were naturally kept from the public, leading those unaware of the Yeon family’s circumstances to dub it ‘The Curse of Elementalists.’

It would indeed seem like a curse, given how members of a powerful family of elementalists displayed strange behaviors and died young.

Moreover, these symptoms appeared exclusively in the Yeon family’s members, known for their powerful talents, making it all the more mysterious.

T h i s w a s c o p i e d f r o m k i n g m t l . or g
It also explained why the direct descendants of the Yeon family had such notoriously difficult personalities.

If one is tormented by hallucinations and nightmares all day and cannot find peace even in sleep, where could one possibly find solace?

Of course, their arrogant and brusque demeanor might be a separate issue…

Regardless, having verified the information, I decided to follow Mok Jinwoo’s advice and burn the documents in a lamp.

-Tssk…

As I watched the papers burn, a question crossed my mind.

Even elementalists with lesser abilities experience mild nightmares, and members of the renowned Yeon family suffer far more severe side effects.

T hi s was c o pi e d f r o m k i n gm t l . o r g
Yeon Jaryu, the journal’s owner from decades ago, was tormented by severe hallucinations, nightmares, and auditory hallucinations throughout his life.

And Yeon Minha, the current successor of the Yeon family, is rumored to be the most powerful elementalist in the family’s history.

The concentrated blood and talent from generations seemed to have fully blossomed in her era.

But if Yeon Minha possesses such immense elemental talent…

What might she be seeing right now?

***

“Uh…uhh…”

In the dim light of dawn, a soft moan escaped from someone lying on the bed by the window.

“Haah! Hah…!”
T h is w a s c o p ied fr o m k i n g m t l . o r g

After tossing and turning violently for a while, the girl’s eyes suddenly snapped open. The blanket was soaked with her cold sweat.

“Haah…haah…”

Sitting up, the girl tried to calm herself down with deep breaths. It wasn’t the first time Yeon Minha had trouble sleeping; she couldn’t even remember the last time she hadn’t dreamed.

Yeon Minha’s nightmares were always filled with bizarre and incomprehensible landscapes. She dreamt of a pair of immense eyes floating in the sky, staring at her, and of something beckoning from a chasm that swallowed stars. There were days when she walked endlessly through a strange and desolate desert under two suns and moons.

“…”

Yeon Minha lowered her hands from her face and looked into the room. Suddenly, the malicious laughter lurking in the darkness ceased. Her gaze fell to the floor, where among several shadows, her own seemed unusually elongated, as if hiding something within it.

The nightmares were now encroaching on her reality. The most effective antipsychotics produced by the leading pharmaceutical companies had long since stopped working. The intervals between hallucinations and auditory hallucinations were getting shorter. The talent of an elementalist had become a curse, tightening around Yeon Minha’s neck, just as it had for her ancestors.

However, the dream she had just had felt distinctly alien. It was almost unfair to label it a nightmare. It was as vivid as reality. Yeon Minha replayed the contents of the dream in her mind.

She was alone in a mist-filled primeval forest, covered in blood. Her armored suit was shattered and useless, long past its functionality. She was surrounded by evil, red shadows, with no escape in sight.

Before Yeon Minha stood a man, equally blood-stained and broken, with no part of his body left unharmed.

Yet, his spirit remained unbroken. The man, with his back to her, continued to cut down the countless red shadows. White flowers bloomed amidst the red, and thick blood formed rivers on the ground.

“…Afraid? The elementals are…?”

Yeon Minha murmured softly. The moment she recalled the man’s back, she felt the fear transmitted by the elementals clinging to her, a powerful turmoil she had never experienced before.

“Who could it be…?”

Confused by this unfamiliar reaction, Yeon Minha desperately tried to remember the identity of the man.

His face remained unseen.

End of Chapter