Correcting the Villainess of the Academy - Chapter 88

Chapter 88

The Red Flower Falls (15)

It feels like a bucket with a hole, leaking water. His demeanor was unexpectedly gentle for a moment, but his true nature was starting to seep through.

Regardless, it was clear that Yeon Minha was indeed his daughter.

Luckily, I wasn’t too emotionally shaken. It felt like I had been vaccinated against it. Yeon Minha from before was the first dose, and her mother, whom I met yesterday, was the second.

Furthermore, it was clear that the head of Jeokhwa harbored intense animosity towards the Paechun family. That much was obvious from the language he used whenever he mentioned Paechun.

It seemed to stem from an inferiority complex rather than mere arrogance.

Unlike typical magicians who emphasize magical achievements, Jeokhwa seemed to boast only of its long history and traditions. The butler who explained things yesterday did the same, as did the head of Jeokhwa in front of me now.

I recalled what I had seen and heard about Jeokhwa.

Jeokhwa, being a master of spirit magic, held a place among the Five Families.

However, I had heard that spirit magic couldn’t use particle arrays and consumed a lot of brain resources, making it nearly impossible to develop or use unique magic like other families.

Though it allowed them to command spirits of various attributes if the wavelengths matched, giving them unparalleled magical versatility, there was a limit to reaching the pinnacle due to its inherent nature.

As such, Jeokhwa had not achieved significant success in magical studies. Consequently, they were often seen as somewhat inferior academically compared to other families.

Moreover, they suffered from mental contamination as a side effect of spirit magic, and had long been oppressed externally by Paechun.

If he harbored some form of animosity and inferiority complex, it would likely stem from such circumstances.

Paechun had been overshadowed by Heukryeon and Jeokhwa for generations but had recently risen to prominence, which could make it even more painful for him.

“…Ahem. Father. Rather…”

Yeon Minha, who had been cautiously observing my reaction, finally managed to change the subject.

After continuing the dry conversation for a while, Yeon Jeongmun checked his watch and stood up.

“Ah, it’s already late. I need to leave now. Enjoy your last night here.”

As he left, Yeon Minha’s mother, who had barely eaten anything, also departed for the main building.

Left alone again, Yeon Minha sighed deeply, as if she had just endured a great ordeal.

“…Hoo.”

Then, looking at me with a worried expression, she spoke.

“Um… About what my father said earlier…”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“But still…”

“Really. More importantly, was I a hindrance to your family gathering?”

Yeon Minha shook her head.

“No, not at all. I wouldn’t have come here in the first place if it weren’t for you.”

“Is that so…”

“Yes. If we’ve finished eating, shall we get going?”

Yeon Minha stood up and, after glancing around, leaned in close to my ear and whispered softly.

“I’ll come at the agreed time later. See you at the annex.”

With that, she left, guided by a servant, to her room in the main building.

***

It was already 2 a.m. Yeon Minha was making her final preparations, looking in the mirror before leaving for the annex.

Though it was a night outing with no one to see her, she carefully applied lipstick and light makeup, then tidied her hair.

As she was busy getting ready, there was a knock on her door from the hallway.

“Miss.”

“…What is it?”

She was very annoyed by the sudden interruption but noticed the urgency in the voice calling her.

When Yeon Minha opened the door, she found a servant standing there, shifting nervously.

“…The madam has drunk quite a lot and is causing a big commotion… For some reason, she’s much worse tonight… We can’t manage her…”

“Mother’s causing a commotion?”

Yeon Minha couldn’t hide her surprise.

This w a s c opi e d f r o m k i n g mt l . o rg
She had heard some noise from the main building since earlier, but she hadn’t imagined it was her mother.
T h i s w a s copi e d f r o m k i n g m t l . o r g

Her mother had always been a strict and formidable figure, but she was also someone who never lost her elegance and solemn manners.

So when she heard earlier today that her mother had been drinking more and more, she had been skeptical…

“…Since when did this start?”
T h i s wa s c o p ie d f r o m k i n g mt l .o r g

“For about two years now…”

Yeon Minha furrowed her eyebrows slightly. Two years again.

The massive turnover of servants had also occurred two years ago. Her mother had started showing such behavior two years ago. The nun, or whoever she was, had started coming and going two years ago. Her father’s unbelievable recovery had also begun two years ago.

What on earth had happened two years ago?
Thi s w a s c o p i e d f r o m k i n gm tl .or g

“…And actually, whenever the head of the family is present, she always acts like this…”

The servant looked around and then whispered quietly enough for only Yeon Minha to hear.

Had the two of them had a big fight?

It was well known that their marriage was arranged. And it wasn’t particularly unusual.

Her mother’s family owned the giant pharmaceutical company Geukgwang Bio, but it had been suffering from severe financial difficulties due to successive management failures.

Jeokhwa had proposed the marriage in exchange for infusing some of the wealth gained from their monopoly on Stellate mining into her mother’s family, ensuring her father, then the heir, and her mother, then the young lady, would marry.

This was intended to further research into curing mental contamination through her mother’s connections, but it ultimately failed to yield any results and was considered a complete failure.

Even as their child, she couldn’t deny they were a show window couple. However, they fulfilled their duty of ensuring the prosperity of their lineage. Yeon Minha was born in the same year they married.

There were no other children afterward. Considering Yeon Minha’s inherent talent, this was a reasonable decision.

Because magicians themselves were rare, spreading their seed as much as possible was praised as a virtue, but there were cases like Paechun, where excessive obsession led to internal family disputes.

Even though she had left her family to seek treatment for her mental contamination and had returned after three years, she couldn’t think of any particular conflict between her parents.

T hi s wa s copi e d fr om k ing m tl. o r g
“…I understand. I’ll go right away.”

Thinking it wouldn’t take long, Yeon Minha dismissed the servant and quickly wrote a note. She wrote that she would go to the annex about ten minutes later than the original time and whistled.

-Caw!

Soon, the sound of flapping wings was heard from outside, and a small shadow landed by the window.

Yeon Minha gave the note to an adorably tiny crow, no bigger than her pinky finger, with a blunt beak. The crow immediately flew off to deliver the note to its intended recipient.

Yeon Minha followed the servant to her mother’s room. As she approached, the sound of sobbing and something breaking filled the hallway.

Yeon Minha dismissed the servants standing awkwardly in the hallway and stood in front of the door.

“Mother. It’s Minha. I’m coming in.”

Despite repeated knocking, only sobbing could be heard. Yeon Minha sighed and finally opened the door.

The smell of alcohol permeated the room. Several bottles were rolling on the floor, some broken into sharp fragments.

“Hic… Hic… What did I do wrong… I hate this… I’m tired…”

Her mother was slumped over the table, sobbing.

“Mother.”

At the sound of her voice from up close, her mother flinched. Her eyes, already heavily unfocused, looked at Yeon Minha.

T hi s w a s co p i e d f r om k i ngm t l. o r g
“Hic… Who… Is that you, my lady…!”

Her mother, finally recognizing her, gave a wide smile. It was more eerie than affectionate, sending a shiver down Yeon Minha’s spine.

Yeon Minha forced herself to approach her.

“Mother. You’re too drunk. You should go to bed…”

Yeon Minha tried to help her to the bed.

But the moment her hand touched her mother’s shoulder, her mother harshly shoved her away and screamed.

“Don’t touch me!! How dare you…!”

“Mother. Your health…”
T hi s w a s co pied f ro m k i ng m t l . or g

“Who are you to call me mother!! Stop it, please stop…!”

Despite repeated attempts to persuade her, her mother’s attitude remained adamant. Covering her ears, her mother shouted her final words, making Yeon Minha’s eyes well up with tears.

From childhood, her mother had never shown her any affection. She had never heard a single kind word.

While her father was mentally ill due to contamination, she couldn’t understand her mother’s coldness. As a child, Yeon Minha had thought she was lacking and had devoted herself even more to her studies and training. When she experienced severe symptoms of mental contamination, she tried to avoid causing any worry.

But even after many years, her mother had never shown any concern or encouragement.

Even now, she was rejecting Yeon Minha outright. It hurt even more because she couldn’t understand the reason.

“Mother… You’re too much. Am I not your biological daughter? How can you always be so cold…!”

Despite her tearful plea, her mother only laughed maniacally. Her drunken ramblings made even less sense.

“Biological daughter… Heh, heh heh… Who said you were my biological daughter… Heh heh…”

“Mother…!”

“Heh heh… Child… Do you know… The person you call mother… Has never been used…”

“What…?”

Despite trying to dismiss it as drunken nonsense, Yeon Minha’s heart pounded, preventing her from calming down.

She barely managed to speak.

“Mother… Such a vile joke…”

“Heh… Child. Does it sound like a joke to you… Poor thing… Not knowing who your real mother is…”

“Mother… Please stop… If you’re not my mother, then who is…”

Despite her near-crying plea, her mother continued.

“Heh heh… Don’t worry… You know her well… Hic!”

Finally losing her sanity to the alcohol, her mother revealed the secret she had been hiding.
T h i s w a s c o p i e d f ro m k i n gmt l . o r g

“Hic… The person everyone said you resemble the most…”

With her words, Yeon Minha’s heart felt like it was about to explode.

It felt like she was reaching for a forbidden fruit she should never touch. Her hands trembled, and cold sweat poured down her body.

As her mother continued to babble, an image of a man and woman closely embracing in a photograph flashed in Yeon Minha’s mind.

“Mother… Please, stop…”

“Heh heh… You seem to have figured it out now…”

Despite Yeon Minha’s plea, her mother didn’t stop.

With eyes full of sorrow, regret, and resentment, her mother finally and cruelly revealed the truth.

“The filthy result of a brother and sister copulating like animals… is you.”

***

“Running a bit late…”

The crow from Yeon Minha pecked at my shoulder just as I was preparing to leave.

I wondered if something had happened… But if it were something serious, she wouldn’t have sent such a calm note.

I thought about sending a reply.

The damp night air seeped through the open window, and once again, the smell of blood from the hill below wafted in on the wind.

I immediately went outside towards the garden. It wasn’t a mistake. The same activities from yesterday were repeating now.

What should I do? In this situation, I couldn’t just wait for Yeon Minha.

The anxiety that had been lurking in my mind since arriving here grew stronger.

I felt like I was about to miss something crucial.

In the end, I quickly scribbled a note saying I’d go ahead and check the situation and gave it to a crow before moving out.

Just like yesterday, I crawled through the bushes and shrubs, observing the scene. In the distance, I saw servants carrying several bags by the dim light of the sidelights.

The sound of their grumbling reached me clearly. They were arguing loudly enough for me to hear.

“Hungry… They don’t feed us…! Can’t even hunt…!”

Th i s w a s co p i e d f rom k in g m t l. o r g
“Shut your mouth! Those engaged in the sacred task should not complain about hunger! Endure it yourself!”

“Sacred task… Don’t know! Hungry! They only make us carry these bags!”

“Ha, so foolish… We should have brought in two more levels of these beasts…”

The voice filled with lament and curses made my blood boil.

What is this nonsense? Sacred task? Carrying bloodstained bags to the warehouse, calling it sacred? A mere servant? Beasts? Two more levels?

As I mulled over the conversation, my mind started racing.

Thi s wa s c o p ied f r o m ki ng m tl .o rg
However, I hesitated because this place was the estate of a prestigious family, far removed from such raw matters.

While the two servants were arguing, one of the stacked bags squirmed, and its opening loosened, revealing its contents.

I couldn’t believe my eyes.

No matter how many times I blinked, there was a clearly visible person trembling in fear. A small girl in shabby clothes that looked like they belonged to someone from a slum.

‘The new people are a bit strange…’

‘Their eyes are scary… They don’t speak…’

‘People are disappearing from the slums every night…’

‘Some say they heard sounds like animal cries…’

‘There are claw marks and bloodstains left…’

The testimonies I heard from the servants yesterday resurfaced all at once. I tried to calm myself and maintain composure.

But the situation continued to unfold beyond my expectations.

The argument abruptly stopped. The servants’ eyes bulged as they stared at the girl who had tumbled out of the bag.

The face of the grumbling laborer started to deform grotesquely. Eyes, nose, and ears bulged, and black fur began to sprout. His muzzle elongated, revealing sharp fangs. A long, twisted horn emerged from his forehead.

“Hungry… Can’t wait… Eat!!!”

He opened his maw wide and lunged at the vulnerable girl.

If I hesitated even for a moment, the girl’s neck would be torn apart by those fangs.

My body moved before I could think.

“Kaeng!”

I charged out and punched the creature’s jaw, sending it flying several meters back with a scream.

I shouted at the girl, still trembling on the ground.

“Run! Quickly!!”

End of Chapter