Correcting the Villainess of the Academy - Chapter 56

Chapter 56

Th i s wa s c o p ie d f r om k i n g mt l.or g
Dream’s Boundary (11)

“Tsk, they’ve built it in such a high place.”

Sa Jaehyuk frowned deeply as he looked up at the mountain ridge. They were surrounded by steep cliffs, with a narrow, winding path barely wide enough for one person snaking through the valley.

At the end of that path rose a high artificial wall, clearly touched by civilization.

“Huff… so hard…”

Behind him, the short-haired Yoon Chaewon panted heavily, hands on her knees.

“Getting weak, huh? Well, I guess it comes with age. You’re getting old…”

“…Hey. Want to die? There’s only a year’s difference between us, you know?”

“Ugh…”

Yejin’s expressionless remark made Chaewon lift her head and growl menacingly. Ryu Sehwa sighed lightly, already used to the bickering, and surveyed their surroundings.

They had just arrived at the remote far eastern frontier of Saju, the easternmost limit of human territory. Their journey had taken longer than expected due to the broken road, forcing them to travel on foot for quite some time.

This place was supposed to be a rear base, not the frontier. However, the eruption of the five calamities had wiped out the eastern pioneer plan, and the already established frontier villages had retreated into the mountains, barely surviving.

Sa Jaehyuk squinted at the identification code painted on the wall. Despite the rust and peeling paint, the letters ‘C-23A’ were clearly visible.

A while ago, a letter written in red ink had arrived at an eastern district police station.

This information was soon passed to the intelligence agency’s Masada branch and eventually reached Sa Jaehyuk through Mok Jinwoo, the branch chief.

“…”

Sa Jaehyuk took a deep breath and slowly approached the wall.

C-23A Pioneer Village. The place where sightings of the resurrected dead had been reported.

This was the final journey to rid himself of regrets, to confirm the strange rumors of ghouls that had arisen in the spring.

***

“Well, well. Turns out you’re soldiers. Sorry about that.”

-Thud!

The heavy sound of the front gate closing echoed around them.

T h i s w as c o p i e d fr om ki ng m t l. o r g
The villager who had guided them inside the pioneer village chuckled heartily. He was short, with a long beard covering even his sideburns. His exposed skin was covered in grime.

T hi s w a s co p i e d f r o m k i n g m t l . o r g
“You all look so rugged that I mistook you for bandits. But no bandit in their right mind would come to this backwater.”

The villager still held a thick metal club, a reminder of the rough entrance they had just experienced.

“…Tsk.”

T h i s w a s cop i ed f r o m k i ng m t l .o rg
“Pfft.”

Sa Jaehyuk clicked his tongue in displeasure, prompting a light snicker from Chaewon beside him. Behind them, Yejin carefully scanned their surroundings.

The pioneer village was dark and gloomy, with no signs of vitality. The few villagers they encountered were as grimy-faced as their guide.

They also felt the wary, stinging gazes of an isolated community suspicious of outsiders.

“But why have you soldiers come all the way here? Hunting the five calamities? You’re too few for that, only four of you.”

“We’re just here for an investigation. How do the villagers here make a living?”

“We barely get by mining Stellite from the valley below. The quality isn’t great, so we can’t sell it for much. We trade with passing merchants for necessities.”

Sa Jaehyuk glanced around. The villagers did indeed have soot-covered faces, and boxes for sorting and storing minerals were piled everywhere.

However, contrary to the explanation, the boxes were all empty.

“…”

A sense of unease began to settle in Sa Jaehyuk’s mind.

“Old man, do you remember how many years it’s been since the last of the five calamities struck?”

The villager leading them tilted his head from side to side.

“Let’s see… I think it’s been about five years. I remember well because that monster burned our village and ate my friends.”

“…I’m sorry to hear that.”

“It’s fine. Thinking back, dying early might have been better. Living holed up in this valley doesn’t feel like living. But why do you ask?”

“It just slipped my mind for a moment.”

“Tsk, tsk. You’re too young to be forgetting things already.”

“…”

Sa Jaehyuk didn’t bother to respond. Instead of shaking off his doubts, skepticism began to creep into his heart.

Taking a deep breath, Sa Jaehyuk tried to calm himself. Nothing was certain yet.

However, the faces of his companions also grew grim. They all knew that the last of the five calamities had been more than ten years ago.

“Here we are. This is the village chief’s house. I hope you can resolve whatever business you have and leave peacefully.”

“…Thank you for your kind guidance.”

Sa Jaehyuk thanked the villager, who patted him on the shoulder with a smile before turning back. The hard, clattering sensation lingered on his shoulder, unsettling his regained composure.

They stepped into the shabby house at the village center. Sensing their presence, an old man emerged from inside and looked at them.

“Who’s there?”

“We’re from the national army. Are you Ha Seokgu, who reported to the police?”

“Ah, you’ve finally come. Yes, I’m Ha Seokgu. Please, come in.”

The old man nodded and beckoned them inside. Despite their reluctance, the group followed Sa Jaehyuk’s lead.

“It’s a humble place, so I don’t have much to offer. It’s quite embarrassing.”

The old man brought simple refreshments and small teacups to the narrow table where they sat.

“Don’t worry about that. We’re here because you reported sightings of moving corpses. Is that true?”

At Sa Jaehyuk’s question, the old man’s expression instantly hardened. He moved to the window, looked around, and swiftly drew the curtains, blocking the outside view.

After repeating the process a few more times, the room was plunged into darkness, except for the dim light from a single lamp.

Returning to the table with a tense expression, the old man whispered urgently.

“It’s true, soldiers. You must believe me. I may be a humble villager, but I’ve never told a lie in my life. So…”

“I believe you. That’s why we’re here. Calm down and explain everything.”

Relieved, the old man took a deep breath and began to speak with a determined look.

“Do you remember the man who guided you here?”

The short man with a grime-covered face but a friendly smile flashed through Sa Jaehyuk’s mind.

“Of course.”

“He’s one of them… a living corpse.”
T hi s wa s c o p i e d fr o m k i n g m t l . o r g

The old man’s confident whisper made Sa Jaehyuk clench his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white.

“And he’s not the only one. People who died and were buried in the cemetery are walking among us again. I’ve lost count of how many there are now.”

“Old man, can you take responsibility for what you’ve just said?”

The old man nodded confidently at Sa Jaehyuk’s question.

“It’s been years, but I vividly remember burying my friends with their guts spilling out. I know what I saw.”

“Why didn’t you cremate them instead of burying them? Burial is a serious crime by law, you know.”

“That’s…”

For the first time, the old man hesitated. Ryu Sehwa stepped in with a soothing voice.

“If we strictly enforce the law, we could arrest all the villagers. But it seems there’s more to the story. If you tell us the truth, we can consider leniency.”
T hi s w a s cop i e d f r o m k in gmtl.o rg

“Alright. There was a healer who traveled around this area, helping the injured. But when they disappeared for a while, we thought they might have died in an accident.”

Moved by her words, the old man continued.

“Three years ago, that healer returned. Naturally, the villagers welcomed them back. But strange things started happening after that.”

“Strange things?”

“Yes.”

“Could you explain in detail?”

After a moment of hesitation, the old man began to speak slowly.

“For example, whenever the healer sat and stood up, flowers would bloom and wither instantly at that spot.”

“What…?”

Sa Jaehyuk’s expression hardened at the old man’s words.

“May I ask… was this healer a woman?”

“Yes, a very young woman. But why do you ask?”
T h i s w a s c o p i e d f r om k i n g m tl .o rg

T hi s w a s c o p i e d f ro m k in g m t l . org
Sa Jaehyuk ground his teeth, producing an audible creak. He shook his head in response to the old man’s question.

Th i s w a s c o p i e d fro m ki ng m t l . o rg
“…Nothing. Please continue.”

“Hmph, that’s not all. She made the paralyzed walk again, restored the sight of the blind… performed all sorts of miracles.”

“…”

“She left the village long ago. But before leaving, she told the villagers something.”

“What was it?”
T hi s wa s c o pi e d f r o m k i n gm t l . o r g

The old man’s next words froze the expressions of everyone in the room.

“‘Do not turn the dead into ashes, but return them to the earth. Then they will become the first inhabitants of the new heaven and return to you with dignity.'”

End of Chapter