Chapter 30: Leading Manager Kang Seol-yeon (1)

Naturally, Athena came to live with Yooshin.
For one, the academy believed she was a Servant summoned directly by Yooshin.
Also, the principal, Ban Serin, had personally examined her and judged her to be harmless.
Of course, the vice principal and a majority of the instructors were strongly against it.
But Ban Serin, having already decided to trust Yooshin, ignored the opposition and acknowledged Athena’s existence.
However, for the sake of the opposing faction, a few conditions were attached.
First, Athena must always stay with Yooshin.
And second, if Athena were to cause any trouble, Yooshin would bear the responsibility.
Those were conditions Yooshin could accept without difficulty.
‘There’s no way I could leave Athena alone in the first place.’
This was actually a pretty good negotiation, all things considered.
In stories about being exiled, nine times out of ten, a situation like this would end with both of them being kicked out.
However, the real problem erupted elsewhere.
Specifically, Hayoung and Yuri got furious when they saw Athena.
Suddenly, Yooshin had to desperately make excuses that weren’t really excuses to Hayoung and Yuri.
“So, she’s really the Servant you summoned, oppa?”
“I am Athena Yggribes, a demigod and child of the Moon Goddess.”
“Hmm, why would someone so amazing make a contract with you, oppa?”
“There is someone I must find.”
Though it was a brief moment, Yuri noticed the faint sorrow in Athena’s voice.
And it was the same for her childhood friend, Hayoung.
“Did you perhaps…”
…love him?
Before Hayoung could even finish her sentence, Athena smiled and shook her head from side to side.
Taking that as a silent affirmation, Hayoung nodded.
With just that very short conversation, Hayoung and Yuri were able to shake off the sticky, dark feelings they had towards Athena.
Because it wasn’t like that.
She was in love with someone other than her oppa.
Moreover, her feelings were so sincere you could feel the sorrow.
In that case, there was no need to be wary of her at all, was there?
“Oppa, but how did you end up learning summoning magic?”
“I got lucky. I was fighting a monster, and she suddenly came down from above it.”
“Humble, are we? Wasn’t it a fight you had pretty much already won?”
“Of course! Oppa is strong!”
Perhaps because she thought a demigod had acknowledged her brother’s strength, a smug Yuri smiled and nodded.
Athena smiled and opened her mouth to speak.
“You seem to care for your kin deeply. That is an admirable attitude.”
“Thank you, is it okay if I call you unni?”
“I-I’d like to, as well!”
“There’s no reason why not.”
‘So this is what they call girl talk.’
Unlike the girls who naturally fell into chattering, Yooshin just watched quietly from the side.
It was true he didn’t have much to say, after all.
Rather, Yooshin thought this situation wasn’t bad.
He might be able to pick up some unexpected information while they chatted.
And just as Yooshin expected, Athena spilled the information faster than he thought.
“He was a true hero. At first, he was insignificant and weak, but he never gave up, and in the end, he defeated countless powerful enemies to bring peace.”
“Who were his opponents?”
“At first, we only thought about the enemies right in front of us. But who would have known? The comrade we trusted was actually the mastermind pulling all the strings.”
“…”
Athena began to calmly recount what she had experienced.
Yooshin closed his eyes and just listened to the story.
Athena’s words were undoubtedly true.
It was a common story you could hear anywhere.
A demon lord who descended from the demon world to conquer the continent.
A hero who fought against that demon lord, and in the end, was betrayed by a trusted companion and even exiled.
However, the events they actually experienced were by no means a common story.
In that hell, we had to rely on each other for our very lives.
Because if we didn’t, we would die.
Crossing the line between life and death countless times, we constantly protected one another.
Before we knew it, we had come to trust each other more than our own blood-related families.
But back then, I didn’t know at all.
I trusted him completely, to the very end.
To think that the friend I considered my closest was not only the one who had me exiled, but also the very person trying to swallow the world using the demon lord.
[What the hell do you want that you’re doing this!!]
I knew.
I knew this was all the scenario of an exile story.
But, even though my head knew, my heart that had spent so much time with him refused to accept it.
[What I desire is salvation.]
Though he himself had fallen to an irredeemable point.
He actually preached that he was a god named the Savior and that he would grant salvation.
Thanks to that, as the number of believers who saw him as a real god named the Savior grew, the continent was once again plunged into chaos.
Yooshin let out a deep sigh.
‘I’d rather fight the demon lord.’
‘I never want to fight those Salvation Cult lunatics again.’
‘The ones who served their boiled child as a meal, claiming it was a custom of hospitality I mentioned before, were none other than those Salvation Cult lunatics.’
‘Thinking about it still makes me sick.’
But Yooshin soon shook off the disgust.
He couldn’t hold onto the past forever.
For now, he would focus only on the present.
The goal was singular: to go back.
*
S-Class’s first day of school was spectacularly ruined by the ogre attack.
On top of that, parents filed complaints with the academy about the security breach, and when this was reported by the media, the atmosphere became chaotic in many ways.
Public opinion had been so favorable that even the academy’s opening ceremony was reported on the news.
It was quite strange to see such a torrent of criticism pour in in a single moment.
Of course, the security breach was definitely a mistake.
But still, public opinion shouldn’t have plummeted this far.
However, Yooshin soon lost interest.
‘That’s not my problem.’
Unless the academy collapses right now and messes up the scenario, the academy’s public image isn’t something Yooshin needs to worry about yet.
They’ll figure it out.
Today, Yooshin was properly heading to S-Class.
To be precise, it wasn’t his first time, but last time, most of S-Class happened to be out for external activities.
Plus, the ogre attack had ruined the atmosphere for a proper class.
In other words, it was safe to say that today was effectively the real first day for S-Class.
The chilly autumn sky made his heart ache.
Enjoying the slight sentimentality brought on by the scenery dyed in autumn leaves, Yooshin headed for S-Class.
And then he saw it.
“Let’s end this today.”
“Come at me, you insolent fools.”
“What’s this now?”
The sight of the S-Class seniors beating each other up.
What is this?
He could have been flustered by the sudden situation, but Yooshin quickly grasped it.
‘A faction fight.’
They wore the same uniforms, but the badges on their chests were different.
One side wore a badge with a yellow, shining flag fluttering against a white background.
The other side wore a badge in the shape of a glittering black sword.
In other words, it was clear that the current S-Class was divided into two factions fighting each other.
“Stop right there!!”
However, there was a girl who instantly quelled the violent faction fight.
A girl with black hair and sharp eyes.
It was Kang Seol-yeon, the head of the Disciplinary Committee.
“A new student has just joined S-Class, and you seniors are going to act so disgracefully?!”
At Seol-yeon’s power-infused voice, not only the Disciplinary Committee members wearing the sword-shaped badges, but even the opposing faction dared not openly defy her.
“A-as expected of the Disciplinary Committee head. Just hearing her voice makes my legs tremble.”
“We shouldn’t underestimate her.”
“To have achieved so much at such a young age. A remarkable child.”
At Kang Seol-yeon’s impactful appearance, the girls who had followed Yooshin to S-Class each chimed in.
Seol-yeon, having instantly settled the situation, soon looked at Yooshin.
“My apologies, you had to witness an unnecessary disgrace.”
“I don’t think there’s anything to be sorry for.”
“Thank you for saying so.”
With Seol-yeon’s appearance, S-Class returned to a lull.
The students wearing the white badges, the Student Council members, went back upstairs, muttering ‘just you wait’.
‘Does that mean they went out of their way to come down here and start a fight?’
While thinking they must have nothing better to do, Yooshin meticulously stored information about them in his head.
It seemed their affiliation with the Student Council was not just an empty title.
Each and every one of them was a considerable powerhouse.
Against the ogre Yooshin had fought before, they wouldn’t be able to win.
But they were at a level where they wouldn’t be taken down in a single blow.
Of course, it would be difficult for them to last more than ten minutes.
Considering their age.
Just not dying instantly from a single blow was impressive enough.
However, now that the faction fight was over, he thought there was nothing more to see.
But for some reason, Seol-yeon was still lingering around Yooshin.
“Is there something you need?”
“Do you perhaps… need a guide?”
“A guide?”
“Um, yes. I can show you around well.”
The imposing aura she had shown in front of everyone earlier was nowhere to be seen.
Seol-yeon was now timidly fidgeting with her fingers as she cautiously made the offer to Yooshin.