Correcting the Villainess of the Academy

“What is it?”

“…”

Jin Yeseo silently glared at me without answering.

The intensity in her green eyes is quite intimidating.

“Hmm, I should probably get going… let’s talk next time, captain. I’ll make sure to understand your request well…”

“Wait…”

And with a shifty glance, Muyeong had already disappeared far away.

He was so quick that I couldn’t even stop him.

I stared vacantly in the direction he left before turning back to Jin Yeseo.

Why is this girl so hell-bent on devouring me?

Even though we belong to rival factions, I didn’t want to carry any tiring hostility given the circumstances.

But if this keeps up… I might have to change my mind.

And on top of that, I was curious about that witch she mentioned, which has been pushed to the back burner again.

The more I thought about it, the more irritating it became, so I clenched and relaxed my fist, taking deep breaths.

I was already feeling low, having been tormented all morning.

I needed to make some effort to prevent the situation from escalating to a point where I would slap Jin Yeseo’s face.

There was really no need to stir up trouble by acknowledging her.

“If you have nothing to say, just step aside…”

“Yoo Jin-hyun, I challenge you to a duel.”

I was just about to open my mouth after calming my emotions when a completely unexpected announcement came out in a gruff voice.

A duel? Where did that come from?

“…What’s the reason?”

“I want to repay the humiliation of my defeat in the last ranking matches.”

I was finally starting to understand the motivation behind this pointless conflict.

Come to think of it, Jin Yeseo is also in training gear.

Her fitted dark gray top and bottom were so tight that her bare belly and limbs were fully exposed.

Above her well-developed physique, beads of translucent sweat were still glistening.

Did she rush out after hearing about my return from the training grounds?

Now that I think about it, she had stubbornly refused to surrender during the last ranking match and ended up losing to me after passing out.

Maybe she has even stronger competitive spirit than I thought.

“I’ll put a condition on it. If you win again, I’ll gladly step down from the student council’s first-year representative position…”

“I’m not interested, so step aside. Whether you join the student council or not is none of my business.”

“What…!”

Jin Yeseo, who had been menacing the whole time, suddenly showed a glimmer of surprise on her face.

She clearly hadn’t expected me to decline her offer so decisively.

I casually brushed past the blonde girl and stepped back.

I know she’s competitive, but there’s no reason for me to accept her challenge.

The student council stuff doesn’t suit me anyway.

I’m clumsy in social situations and shy, so it’s actually a blessing if I don’t make mistakes in such a position.

I should focus on studying hard and keep my personality in check to avoid any troubles. Instead, I should worry about protecting Minha.

“Don’t you have any pride? How can you just turn down a student council position like that…! Hey…! Hold on…!”

The blonde girl kept yelling from behind, but I ignored her.

At least it’s a relief that personal duels can’t happen without mutual consent, so for now, I don’t want to get tangled up in a duel when I’ve already got so much on my plate…

“I told you to wait!”

However, right after, a loud shout pierced the air, and I suddenly felt a presence grip my wrist.

Along with that, a slight discomfort, like a bug crawling, spread across my arm.

In that instant, I turned my body and caught Jin Yeseo’s wrist.

As I reflexively tightened my grip, she grimaced in pain, writhing in agony.

“Ugh…! You little…!”

“Don’t lay hands on me carelessly.”

“Just for a wrist, what’s the big deal…! Ugh…!”

I ignored my own discomfort and exerted more pressure on her arm.

Then, Jin Yeseo twitched like a worm.

“Haa…!”

“If you pull this kind of stunt again, next time I’ll break it regardless of rules.”

I held tight until it was almost painful for her, then pushed her away with all my strength.

Jin Yeseo nearly fell but managed to stumble back to regain her balance.

Her fair wrist bore five red indentations from my fingers.

She gritted her teeth and started glaring at me again.

“You…!”

“…”

Doesn’t she ever get tired?

But at the moment, I don’t have time to deal with her.

I brushed my hands off as if cleaning them and turned my back to her.

If she approached me again, I was really prepared to end this.

Fortunately, Jin Yeseo didn’t attempt any further moves.

The prickly stares continued even as I turned the corner.

With that uncomfortable feeling wrapped around me, I headed to the next classroom but couldn’t focus on the lesson at all.

It was my least favorite subject, particle chemistry, and the relentless stares from all around were still there.

It felt even more blatant than the beginning of the semester.

Perhaps it was amplified because I’ve been hiding my status as a recommendation student and a direct descendant.

After enduring the class without really listening, once it ended, I hurried to the Pagoda Garden sprawling behind the main building.

I intended to hear how Minha’s student council membership was progressing after this class.

“…?”

However, after standing at the bottom of the stairs for over 30 minutes, Minha hadn’t shown up.

Initially, I thought she might have confused the meeting time, but she was much more meticulous than I was in that regard.

She’d never been late, only early.

“…”

Now that I think about it, she did mention in the morning that joining the student council might not go smoothly.

Maybe she encountered some trouble on that front.

The student council room was on the third floor of the main building, right?

Maybe I should check it out…

*

Seoyeon headed to the third floor of the main building for her student council application as soon as Monday arrived.

As she descended the stairs, she was lost in thought.

Occasionally faced with other students, she was met with overwhelming looks of envy, but Seoyeon paid them no mind.

Her head was filled with worries about the masked male student.

“…”

The one who most desperately denied the boy’s death was none other than herself.

So, she had tried her best to find any evidence of survival, but every clue she discovered pointed directly to the boy’s death.

Eventually, all her attempts had been in vain.

All that remained for her was the soot-stained ring, deep despair like an abyss, and a single cat.

Thus, Seoyeon fell into unspeakable sorrow, once attempting to follow the boy in extreme self-loathing.

Just as well, the unfulfilled revenge came to mind, postponing her own death.

But now that she reflected on it, that perfection only deepened her suspicions.

It felt as if the boy’s confirmed death was being proclaimed all around her.

What if that excessive perfection was artificially created by someone?

And what if the reason was… to disguise the boy’s death?

‘Could it be that Hyun really…!’

Since that moment in Jeokhwa’s mansion when she met those clear, transparent eyes.

She continuously rehashed her doubts, but the conclusion was always the same.

The reason Seoyeon was uneasy around him was simple.

He had a different name, an incomparable height and physique.

His voice was low and deep, and he could even use magic skillfully.

Considering his appearance, it was only natural for Seoyeon to feel disgust since he continuously displayed habits and gestures that felt familiar despite being a stranger.

But if the masked male student were indeed the person she believed him to be, then all the questions Seoyeon had felt could be answered.

Height? Voice? It was possible that explosive growth and a change in voice could occur later on.

Due to chronic manpower shortages, they were legally considered adults, but physically, they were still of an age where growth could continue.

Magic? It’s extremely rare for someone to awaken to magic later in life, but it’s not impossible.

She already knew he was a rare Complete Non-Responder who didn’t respond to divine abilities, but maybe the diagnosis could have been wrong.

The day the masked male student enlisted in the 66th Division was a year prior to the boy’s death, but if they were capable of disguising death, then concocting something like that would be simple.

Seoyeon barely managed to stifle an overwhelming sense of excitement.

She couldn’t clear her head from the sweet joy that felt like cotton candy.

Colors were returning to her once monochrome world.

She wanted to quickly wrap up the bothersome task of joining the student council and focus on her own objectives.

Just as she reached the staircase where the student council room was located.

Suddenly, she heard the sound of several people arguing around the corner.

The commotion quickly revealed the faces involved.

In the midst of the crowd stood none other than Minha.

Though it had been a long time since they last saw each other, she still exuded an intimidating and haughty aura.

Minha looked down at the surrounding girls with a condescending smirk.

The group of female students surrounding her were familiar faces to Seoyeon.

They belonged to the 27th Mage Clan. The noble Chun Harin and her followers.

“…”

As Seoyeon recognized their identities, she frowned.

There was no need to mention Minha; on the surface, even Chun Harin, who was supposedly part of her faction, wasn’t someone Seoyeon particularly appreciated.

Though they pretended to get along openly, Chun Harin was utterly clueless about her standing.

Even though she barely clung on to the lower echelons of the 27th Mage Clan, her self-absorption had reached an extreme level.

Despite losing her pinky finger to Minha, it seemed she still hadn’t corrected her bad habit of causing unnecessary trouble.

Meanwhile, she always had her gaggle of fangirls trailing behind her, making the situation even more ridiculous.

“Chun Harin, you still lack dignity. It’s about time you realized that.”

“It’s you who lacks dignity, Minha. There’s no place for you in the student council. You’ve merely preserved your position by selling your blood relatives…”

Perhaps encouraged by Jeokhwa’s waning influence, Chun Harin held her ground and countered Minha’s words.

“In fact, there are rumors that you’re now leeching off a guy. That too, from someone you once looked down upon.”

“…”

Chun Harin’s mocking words aimed at Minha only made Seoyeon feel more displeased.

Soon, the hostility that originally lay with Chun Harin shifted directly towards Minha.

They’d never had a friendly relationship, but lately, it had turned to outright hatred.

There was no need to explain the reason behind it.

“I’d appreciate it if you’d refrain from filthy words like ‘leeching.’ Now, why don’t you move aside? I feel like I’m going to be late due to you. Should I cut off your other finger to make you listen?”

“You little…!”

“Why don’t you all just back off?”

“Seoyeon…!”

Chun Harin, who had been glaring at Minha, brightened as she noticed Seoyeon’s presence.

Then immediately scampered over to stand beside her and mocked Minha.

Seoyeon struggled to suppress the impulse to grab Chun Harin by the hair.

While it would be tempting to let Minha experience some hardship, engaging in a tussle like this would only yield sympathy for her.

Seoyeon chose to manage the situation before it escalated further.

“Baek Seoyeon. Have you now resorted to such petty tactics?”

Recognizing her, Minha scoffed while speaking.

Now that we were face-to-face, an overwhelming urge to throw up engulfed Seoyeon.

“Minha, it seems there’s been a misunderstanding. It’s not what you think…”

Seoyeon was just starting to smile sweetly in an attempt to smooth things over.

“What the hell is this?”

A voice came from behind, causing an inexplicable weight to drop heavily in Seoyeon’s chest.

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