01. A sword for you (13)

Yoon Seo-hee, who had difficulty even walking properly, fainted as soon as she lay down on the bed in the health room.

The health teacher who looked after Yoon Seo-hee, who collapsed from exhaustion, diagnosed her as follows.

“Yes, eat well and rest well, you will be fine!”

“… No, is that the end?”

I looked at the bright-looking teacher with narrow eyes.

She said that the student passed out and she needs to give her medicine or something to do with her?

“My diagnosis is correct? Do you have any doubts?”

“No, it’s not like that….”

“No, your face is honest. Aren’t our students good at lying?”

The health teacher smiles at me with the gaze of a teacher petting her little student.

“You’re young~ Are you so worried about that girl?”

“Because I fell down. That worries me.”

“Teacher didn’t mean that… Uhm. Then I’ll explain it just once, so listen carefully?”

A teacher who, like an adult, crosses her legs and slightly lowers her upper body. The name tag around her neck sways lightly in the air.

A hunter card with the name Ahn Young-mi on it. As expected of her academy, the health teacher was also a hunter, not a nurse.

“It is true that this student collapsed from magical overload, but she is not exhausted. It just freaked out and stretched her circuits.”

“Isn’t it exhaustion?”

“It may look similar, but it is different. This student isn’t exhausted from using her mana beyond the limit… The magic circuit was startled by the amount of magic power she had never used before. It’s also because the usage was so rough.”

My mouth dropped wide when I understood what the health teacher said.

I don’t think so.

“This kind of case is usually found in children who have awakened too much magical power at a young age? Usually, as you grow up, you get used to the senses to some extent, so this doesn’t happen very often….”

“Seohee is a late awakener. It’s only been about two months since I woke up.”

“Really? Was my prediction correct? Then it won’t be any more special. Time is the best medicine for calming your frightened circuits.”

Are you relieved now? I nodded my head slowly at the teacher’s question.

I thought Yoon Seo-hee’s strong point was her high agility, reaching an A rank, but that must have been my mistake.

Yoon Seo-hee’s magic power was also enormous beyond imagination. She didn’t burn out after making the building floor like that, just the circuit was a little surprised. It’s just my prediction, but it’s probably that the magical power is also A rank.

It’s only been two months since she awakened, so of course she’s not good at using magic. She had never used that amount of magic power, so her magic circuit must have been accustomed to the flow of a certain amount of magic power.

She poured her magical energy on that narrow road as if she was suddenly discharging a dam, so the circuit is truly amazing. Yoon Seo-hee’s magic circuit must be undergoing urgent repair work.

Awesome talent… I couldn’t think of a word that could replace it.

“Anyway, it’s good that he didn’t collapse because of pain.”

“Okay, so leave the rest to the teacher and you can go to class.”

When I checked the clock, it was already past the first period. If it’s too late, my score, which is close to failure, will plummet. If he is forced to fail, he will never be able to raise his face in front of his grandfather again.

Lastly, I saw her sleeping soundly on the bed and got up from her seat with her bag.

“Then let’s go, sir. Take good care of Seohee.”

“This is extremely sincere~ Okay, so stop worrying and go in.”

I bowed my head and opened the door to the health room.

Drreuk-Tak.

“Hmm?”

“Ah.”

As if I was just about to enter the health room, Mr. Park Jin-hoo, who had the body of a bear, was standing in front of the door.

Somehow, this is a familiar encounter.

I moved her seat so that the teacher could go in first, but instead of going inside like last time, the teacher called me with a heavy voice.

“How about Yoon Seo-hee?”

“I’m asleep now.”

“Really? Then Kim Ijin, talk to me.”

“… ?”

Do you have something to talk about with me? I wondered if he was trying to listen to the circumstances because of what happened earlier.

“It’s okay to talk in the health room. It only takes a moment.”

“… Yeah.”

Since class had already started, there was no one in the hallway. The teacher thought she was quiet enough, but she didn’t move away and opened her mouth.

“Um… Is your condition very serious?”

“No, not quite like that.”

As the homeroom teacher, it seemed that he was asking because he was concerned about Yoon Seo-hee’s condition.

It’s just a temporary shock caused by the shock of the circuit, and there won’t be much strain on the body.

After hearing my explanation, Mr. Park Jin-hoo nodded her head heavily.

“That’s good enough.”

“That’s right. Is this what you want to say?”

It was a way of speaking that draws a line to the extent that I wonder. Now that I’ve come to realize it, I don’t think I have very good feelings for Mr. Park Jin-hoo.

Lee Hyeon-woo’s homeroom teacher and Yoon Seo-hee’s close combat class teacher.

Is this person really unaware of the fact that Seohee is being bullied, or does he just ignore it?

Perhaps it was me who even suspected that Park Jin-hoo was acquiescing despite knowing all this, so of course my gaze toward the teacher was not kind.

Of course, I did not reveal this attitude on the outside and kept the courtesy between students and teachers. Because I’m still not sure of anything.

The teacher shook her head slowly at my words.

“Of course there is that, but I wanted to tell her that if she is worried about Yoon Seo-hee’s expulsion, she doesn’t have to worry.”

“Yes?”

“I’m saying this in case it contains what Hyeonu said earlier.”

Yes. Come to think of it, she said something like that.

Did she say that she would open a disciplinary committee and expel her under the pretext of vandalizing property?

She had completely forgotten about Yoon Seo-hee’s condition.

“Expulsion for vandalism is unprecedented. If it is possible to be expelled for such a thing, then half of the students should be kicked out, regardless of combat department or support department. Of course, since we intentionally damaged the facility, we can’t avoid the minimum punishment.”

A minimum punishment. If that’s the case, it’ll be at most a school volunteer, so if the work is done to that extent, there won’t be much. Only then could I be relieved.

Anyway, apart from the combat department, even half of the support department had to be kicked out.

Somehow, the mysterious explosions that were often heard in the Alchemy Workshop must not have been a coincidence.

Looking at me like that, teacher Park Jin-hoo smiled lightly.

“You feel relieved as if it were your job. Even if he gets expelled, you won’t be harmed.”

“What the heck… Because we are friends. I don’t want to see my friend expelled from school even in my dreams.”

“Friend, that’s a good thing. Until now, Yoon Seo-hee had no friends at the academy.”

When I heard her words, my eyebrows twitched involuntarily.

You know that far, but why?

I couldn’t stand it without being asked.

“Teacher. Did you know that Seohee Yoon is being bullied by Hyunwoo Lee?”

“Um.”

Heavy silence. After a brief silence, teacher Park Jin-hoo nodded her head.

“Yes. Know.”

You knew?

“Then why didn’t you take any action? It’s not normal bullying, no matter who sees it.”

They broke textbooks and school uniforms, stole swords, and this time they surrounded them in groups and even provoked them.

No matter how strong you are, this is not something you can endure alone. It is a situation where adult help is needed.

But the homeroom teacher didn’t do anything even though he knew.

“… ….”

I chewed my lower lip hard enough to bleed. I felt like I would lose my temper if I stayed still.

Teacher Park Jin-hoo swallowed her saliva and continued her words slowly.

“There seems to be a misunderstanding, so please correct me. I don’t particularly favor Lee Hyun-woo, nor do I neglect Yoon Seo-hee.”

“Then what is it?”

“There are two reasons. This is because the Serim Group has a strong influence on the academy, and the evidence is still insufficient.”

The teacher paused her words for a moment and pursed her lips.

“Of course, we are watching Hyeonu’s actions. But the trick was very clever. I act within the range of not crossing the line, and I am making other students do all the dangerous things that cross the line.”

I let out a deep breath in the stuffiness that was seething in my stomach.

I understood that far.

But even so, if you’re a teacher, don’t you have an obligation to protect your students?

“Then you should have prevented Seo-hee from experiencing such a thing, or you should have protected her after finding out.”

“I was going to.”

You thought so? Then why?

I couldn’t understand at all, so I frowned.

“I was thinking of changing Yoon Seo-hee’s class and giving Lee Hyun-woo a stern warning. Because it was the best at the time. But he refused.”

“… Yes? Why?”

“Then he said he didn’t like it because he seemed to have admitted defeat, and he said he would try to overcome it with his own strength.”

I lost my energy and my head went blank.

The profile of Yoon Seo-hee reflected in the dim moonlight comes to mind.

Yoon Seo-hee, who shouted that she wanted to prove herself by entering the academy, becoming stronger, and becoming a better hunter than him.

She’s really, really stupidly sincere.

“… Of course, even if Yoon Seo-hee wanted her, I didn’t mean to just watch.”

Teacher Park Jin-hoo shook her head resolutely.

“Her social status should never be regarded as a sign of impunity. Hyeonu’s actions are not light sins, so I will make sure he pays a reasonable price. Before you do anything bigger.”

Teacher Park Jin-hoo nodded her head seriously, saying that it was also for Hyun-woo.

“However, in this situation where there is insufficient clear evidence, only the perpetrators are caught and the perpetrators only end up with a light punishment. Then Hyeonu will become even more arrogant.”

The teacher was silent briefly as if hesitating for a moment whether she should even say this, then opened her mouth heavily.

“Besides, I’m not sure if even a light punishment will actually happen. Because the academy can’t be seen as clean.”

That was a real story.

The heartless and dark reality of society that adults are experiencing directly, which I do not know about.

“So, I plan to wait a bit longer. I want you to wait until then.”

[Ding-Dong-Dang-Dong♬]

An alarm signaled the end of class. The hallway gradually became noisy as students left one by one.

“Class is over. I’ll be on my way now, so you can go up before it’s too late.”

“… Yes, teacher.”

The teacher leaves me behind and leaves the hallway.

“… ….”

But despite her teacher’s words, I stood there for a long time and drew a picture of her sleeping in her health room without the world knowing her eyes.