Correcting the Villainess of the Academy

-What? The principal is coming to pick you up himself?

“Yeah. I guess he was curious about who I am.”

-Has that old man lost his marbles? What kind of ridiculous scheme is he trying to cook up…

Suddenly, an annoyed expression appeared on the captain’s face as his voice came through the phone line.

-So?

“Huh?”

-What’s with the “huh”? The principal wouldn’t want to see you without some scheme in mind. Did he ask you to do something strange?

“Well…”

I almost spilled the beans thoughtlessly, but suddenly I swallowed my words, struck by a thought. Given the captain’s usual attitude and his reaction now, it was clear he wouldn’t be pleased if I told him about our earlier conversation.

But I had already made my decision a long time ago. Didn’t the captain say it himself? Now, I have to think for myself and make my own judgments.

If I keep discussing everything with them like before, I’ll never be able to fulfill the captain’s orders forever.

“…Nothing happened. He just seemed to be chatting about random things. Looks like he needed someone to talk to.”

In the end, I chose to brush it off lightly. I felt a bit guilty, but technically it wasn’t a lie. Haewolhwa really babbled on about pointless things for dozens of minutes by herself.

Plus, seeing as she insisted that I come visit the greenhouse sometimes, maybe it’s true that she needed someone to talk to.

-What? That’s the most nonsensical thing I’ve heard. Be honest… Hey! Move aside! Just get lost…!

-Why are you the only one… crackle… so long…!!

–crackle… Come out…! Me too…!

-Hyun-ah! Are you okay? Our Hyun… crackle… feels lonely by herself… I really should have gone…

The captain was about to ask something incredulously. Suddenly it sounded like chaos erupted on the other end of the line, with shouts mixed in with static. Many voices shouted, making it hard to understand.

-Hyun-ah. You didn’t fall victim to anything weird from Haewol, did you? That person has such a quirky personality…

In the end, it was the older sisters who took over the conversation. Sehwa’s worried voice echoed through the phone line.

“Really, nothing happened. He just seemed nice. He even booked the hotel I’m staying at…”

-What? He booked a hotel? What happened to the original reservation?

-Hotel? What are you talking about?

Sehwa’s voice turned unusually sharp. After that, Chaewon’s voice could also be heard in the background asking questions.

“He said this place would be better than the one we originally booked. It felt awkward to refuse. And it seems like a really good place, so you don’t have to worry.”

-…Hyun-ah. Make sure to lock the guest room door when sleeping. Got it? No, better yet, a padlock…

Suddenly, Jin-hee joined the conversation, giving serious advice in a grave tone. I couldn’t figure out why the sisters were acting this way. Was it because they were disappointed that I didn’t go to the originally arranged place…?

“…Yeah?”

-Hyun-ah. People are not just about their appearances. Understand? That’s a bad product. It may look fine on the outside but it’s already gone bad inside. With you being all naive like this… is maternal affection what’s at play here…

-I let my guard down… even at my age, I still have my strengths…

-Hyun-ah. You need to be careful. Do you know what his nickname was back in our day? Really…

-Yah! Didn’t I say to stop? To others, you guys seem the weird ones! Just… stop it…!

-You, be quiet… crackle…! Just get out… crackle…! Seriously, no help at all…!

The captain’s and the sisters’ voices mixed together, making the phone line chaotic once again. The sisters, having chased the captain away, kept exchanging bewildering words.

After listening to the sisters’ scolding and worries for a while, I was finally able to break free.

-Gosh, it’s already this late. Sorry, Hyun-ah. We kept you too long, didn’t we?

“I’m fine…”

-I should hurry up and go to bed. Good night, Hyun-ah. Even if calling is not possible, you can write letters, so make sure to keep it up!

-Good night~

“I will. Good night to you too.”

-Hyun’s gotta sleep well too! Don’t forget that your sisters are always cheering for you!

Click

“…”

Once the noisy exchanges stopped, I suddenly felt like I had been thrown alone into a tranquil ocean.

The captain and the sisters were going to take a break before heading to the eastern region.

With me being in the western capital, the physical distance was only going to grow, and since the east usually lacked phone lines, it would be impossible to have direct conversations like this for a while.

Thinking about that fact made me realize that I’m truly alone now.

It’s almost been two years since I met and spent time with them.

The pain of having lost my loved ones still tortured me, but thanks to the consideration of the captain and my sisters, I could somewhat rise above my sadness now.

I’m deeply grateful to them, and all I want is to repay them somehow.

However, there were still so many things I didn’t properly understand.

First and foremost was the captain’s identity.

I was quite surprised when I learned the captain’s surname while I was just starting to learn about common sense from my sisters.

No one would expect that the rough and fierce-looking captain is a member of a prestigious family, specifically the Heukryeon family, one of the first five noble clans.

Knowing that allowed me to finally make sense of a lot of the strange events that had taken place around the captain.

For instance, how the commander of the upper echelon would actually be at his wit’s end around him.

Or how he could so easily create an identification with the highest purple seal for me.

How he boasted about being able to smooth over any incidents I caused in the cradle…

But I still had no idea why such a remarkable person willingly chose to traverse the outskirts and take on dangerous jobs.

What intrigued me the most was why someone with no ties to me would go out of their way to take me in.

I thought perhaps it had something to do with the powers and the fact that I was determined to be an insensitive person who could wield magic, but the captain frustratingly kept his mouth shut until the very end.

He even sternly warned that it must never be revealed to others, so it felt inappropriate to dig in further.

But even though he said he coveted my powers and seemed to know the truth about them, he never once asked me to use them for his own benefit.

It was solely my stubbornness that led me to the battlefield; the captain and my older sisters tried to dissuade me until the very end.

And then there were the grudges the heads of various families held against the captain.

And the incidents with the principal in the past.

So many questions remained unanswered.

However, I had no intention of prying into such matters.

Everyone has a past they don’t want to be reminded of. I’m no different. For instance, the trauma associated with the ring that slipped off my finger that day and the scars attached to it.

But the captain and my sisters never once asked about those aspects. So it’s only right for me to do the same.

Ultimately, what I need to do now is to diligently engage in academy life according to their requests, and make sure that they aren’t negatively affected in the process.

After graduating in three years, they would have no choice but to reveal the truth when I return.

“…”

As my thoughts wandered there, my gaze naturally drifted to the envelope of documents the principal had handed earlier.

Although my sisters advised me to sleep early, I found myself wide awake due to loneliness.

I opened the envelope and examined its contents.

Inside were the detailed personal records of a particular student.

I wondered if it was permissible for the same student to view someone else’s records, but I decided to think of it as just part of the job…

With that thought, I began reading through the documents. The first thing that caught my eye was a photo of a female student taken head-on.

When I first heard her name, I held my breath, wondering if it was someone I knew, but fortunately, it was clear she was a different person.

With a slender face, large, clear eyes, and pale lips…

A proudly sculpted nose and skin without a single blemish.

Her bewitching and haughty appearance certainly had the power to draw people in simply with her looks.

Yet on the flip side, I could also feel the arrogance and audacity within her as well.

I continued reading the various information listed below her picture.

-Nickname: Yeon Minha

-Current year: 2nd year

-Age: 17

-Main major: Spiritology

-Family background: Jeokhwa Yeon Clan

-1st Year Final Overall Rank: 2nd…

Spirit mage. Now that I think about it, the Yeon clan is indeed known for being an ancient family of spirit mages.

One of the first five mages who blossomed during the dawn of the era established spirit magic, and the Yeon clan, being descendants of that pioneer, has been leveraging that status to influence and draw in other spirit mages.

But whether she’s a spirit mage or not doesn’t really matter right now. What caught my attention was the information under the miscellaneous notes section.

-Has a record of receiving the highest number of duel requests in her freshman year (undefeated)

-Considered one of the masterminds behind the large-scale riot that occurred on March 4th, but the disciplinary review was dismissed due to lack of evidence.

-On July 12th of the same year, injured a classmate severely in a spontaneous altercation, claiming they attacked first. Evidence contradicts this claim, but the disciplinary review was dismissed.

-On August 23rd of the same year, inflicted severe verbal abuse on a friend, causing psychological trauma…

-On September 12th and 17th…

“…”

Despite the writing being very small, the sheet was filled with an impressive record of infractions. The fact that all of them resulted in either dismissal of disciplinary actions or very light penalties was also noticeable.

-The student is presumed to have inherited the unique ferocity of the Yeon clan, commonly referred to as the ‘Curse of Spirit Mages’. It seems this is an exacerbation of the chronic side effects of spirit mages, but it’s impossible to conclude at this time due to insufficient data.

The last paragraph unexpectedly prompted me to ponder. The chronic side effects unique to spirit mages. Did such a thing exist?

Spirit mages are rare even among mages. Moreover, since I’ve always moved through the outskirts, I only saw a spirit mage once or twice and lack proper information about them.

It seems necessary to thoroughly investigate this matter. If I can understand the chronic side effects of being a spirit mage and what this ‘Curse of Spirit Mages’ entails, perhaps it could be of assistance to me…

“Haah…”

Although I haven’t even begun yet, I already felt like I was facing a wall. The principal said to gear up, but no matter how I looked at it, he seemed like he’d reject me.

To make matters worse, even before we meet, I already had a bad impression of her.

That arrogance and haughtiness reminded me of something old and familiar.

Is it really possible for someone like this to form a friendship with me?

“…”

Suddenly, I recalled a conversation I had with Jin-hee in the past.

-We are prisoners.

-Prisoners…?

-Yeah. Ghosts stuck in the past… and the prisoners chained to them…

I still vividly remember that self-deprecating tone and bitter expression.

I didn’t pry, but just from those words, I could easily guess their relationship.

It was painfully obvious who the ghost and the prisoner were.

Yet I found myself envious of them.

At one time, I too had someone like that.

There were days filled with happiness and dreams, days that felt like they would last forever.

But now, all of that has become a ruthlessly trampled moment of the past.

My heart had long since been torn to shreds.

Thoughts that surfaced once keep curling back into themselves.

The captain said, the sisters said, Haewolhwa said.

“Hey! Isn’t it that hard to make friends and study diligently? Huh?”

“If you ever develop a crush, make sure to consult with your sisters first…”

“Our academy is quite strict about relationships. Unless you’re engaged, dating within the school is absolutely prohibited. Got it? Absolutely prohibited.”

“…”

Honestly, I could dare say that these worries were utterly useless.

There won’t be a time like that for me again.

---