Chapter 226. At the Academy (1)
With Rebecca's help, I quickly arrived at the dormitory.
Thanks to the absurd technique of accelerating time inside the Rune Barrier, we saved an enormous amount of time.
"...Looks fine on the outside."
From the outside, the dorm looked undisturbed.
But getting a little closer revealed the truth.
I could feel Liliana's mana.
"A barrier is up. That mana is unfamiliar, even to me."
Rebecca furrowed her brow slightly.
"Yeah. It's someone I know. We need to get in fast."
I rushed toward the dorm as quickly as I could.
Ding—
"Liliana! Nam Daeun!"
I flung the door open and stormed inside without removing my shoes.
And I saw it.
A scene hidden from the outside by the barrier.
Shattered windows and broken walls.
Torn beds, TVs, and appliances.
Even the fridge and wardrobe were split in two.
Most importantly....
In the center of the living room was a demon, limbs severed, bound by Liliana's mana.
Next to the demon lay a familiar skull mask.
"...What the hell."
I couldn't hide my shock and looked at the two standing nearby.
Liliana had some blood splatter, while Nam Daeun was drenched in it.
"Oh, you're back? We took him down. Pretty good, right?"
"...Don't stare too much. It's ugly with all the blood."
"...."
Was I worried for nothing?
No, rushing over was still the right call.
"Thank god."
I let out a breath of relief and walked over to Liliana and Nam Daeun.
"Haa, seriously. I was really worried."
"Hehe. As if I'd lose."
"There's blood on me. Don't hold me...."
I ignored Nam Daeun's protest and hugged them both.
Things could've gone really bad this time.
I was just relieved and grateful they were safe.
"Where's Dahee?"
"...Liliana put her to sleep with magic. It was too much for her to see."
"Yeah, that would've been bad for her. Anyway, seriously, thank you. Both of you did great."
"If you're thankful, then tonight... you know, right?"
Liliana poked my chest and gave me a sultry look.
"Yeah, do whatever you want. Whatever."
Seeing her joke like that, she must be unhurt.
"...Me too."
"Of course. You too, Daeun."
I made sure not to leave out Nam Daeun, who chimed in quietly.
While I was holding them both in relief—
"If it's tonight, can I join too?"
Rebecca's voice came from behind.
"Ugh! Who's that?!"
"...Hoyeon. Come over here."
The sudden appearance startled them.
Liliana hid behind me, and Nam Daeun pulled me close.
Yeah, seeing that red-haired witch out of nowhere would surprise anyone.
Especially when she appears from thin air.
"It's fine. Guys, she's someone I know."
"Someone you know? What does she do?"
Liliana, still flustered, peeked from behind Nam Daeun.
Rebecca.
How should I even introduce her? I just met her today.
"Uh... she's my magic teacher."
"I need your boyfriend's semen."
"...Please don't say it like that. Seriously."
I was trying to give a proper introduction, but she ruined it.
It's not like she's some kind of semen thief.
"Why not? It's true."
Sigh.
I turned to explain to Liliana and Nam Daeun, both wide-eyed.
"Rune Tribe...? Never heard of it."
"Me neither."
I started explaining about Rebecca.
"It's normal you haven't. Think of it like a small ethnic group."
I worried the explanation wouldn't go over well, but they accepted it easily.
"So why does this minority group want your semen?"
"Long story short... Rebecca's the last survivor of the Rune Tribe. She wants my genetics to revive it. In exchange, I get to learn magic."
It's not the friendliest explanation, but there's not much else to say.
"...If Hoyeon's okay with it, I'm fine too."
"Seriously, you've got a knack for getting girls. Whatever, I don't mind."
Nam Daeun gave her blessing, and Liliana nodded too.
They really are amazing women.
"They're definitely your girlfriends. You all look good together."
Rebecca grinned at Liliana and Nam Daeun behind me.
"Please. Don't fight, I'm begging you."
"You've got too many women thanks to your talent. Still, I want to be the first to get pregnant."
"...."
Tch.
"Hoyeon, what do we do about this?"
Liliana crouched and pointed to the unconscious demon.
"...Yeah. What do we do with this bastard."
These damn skull mask guys...
"Should we torture him? I'm a master at it."
"...You gonna stab him with your tail like you did to Scarlet?"
"If you want? It's gross, but if I keep poking, everything spills out..."
"Are you nuts? That's disgusting. And no touching other men. Don't even think about it. Got it?"
Scarlet's fine because she's a woman. No way I'm letting a guy touch Liliana.
"Hehe… got it."
Classic double standard, but she actually seemed to like it.
"Just hand him over to the Academy. They'll torture him."
The same guys who tortured Gil Steven can handle this.
"Then what about this mess? Do we have to clean it ourselves?"
"Hmm..."
I glanced at the collapsed demon.
That skull mask bastard.
Moon Surin once investigated him.
He was linked to former vice president Shin Dongmin.
'Should I tell Surin noona?'
I could quietly get rid of him or blow it up and ask Moon Surin for help.
With Rebecca here, quiet cleanup seemed possible.
Then I noticed Nam Daeun sweeping up glass shards.
"Right, we do need to clean up."
The broken appliances, the window...
We could hide the demon body, but not this.
Damn, what a pain.
Thud!
"Ugh..."
I kicked the demon in the stomach and walked over to Nam Daeun.
"Daeun. Let's clean together in a bit."
She didn't reply, just kept sweeping.
She seemed lost in thought.
"We could just use Clean magic, you know...."
Sweep, sweep—
'What's she doing?'
I opened Nam Daeun's status window.
★ Heroine Status Window
[Nam Daeun]
- [ Affection: 100 ] (+0.2)
- [ Libido: 84 ]
- [ Appetite: 40 ]
- [ Fatigue: 35 ]
Current Status: Wants to get pregnant... If I try, I could probably do it too. Then what about Dahee...?
"...."
Ugh, I feel a headache coming on.
Hold on.
I need to organize my thoughts.
This is getting complicated.
First, the skull mask guy.
"Rebecca, can you take care of this guy?"
I pointed at the bleeding, limbless demon.
He was still alive—demons have strong vitality.
"Sure. I can even clean the room while I'm at it."
"The room? I can use Clean magic myself."
"It's to get closer to baby daddy's girlfriends... Let me show you what Rune Barriers can do at their peak."
Rebecca closed her eyes and activated a Rune Barrier.
"Huh? Rune Barrier...?"
I stared at her in surprise.
With a confident smile, Rebecca spoke.
"Watch closely. With talent like yours, maybe you'll do this one day."
The mana from her hands merged with the barrier, and strange currents began to flow inside the space.
It felt like motion sickness from a long bus ride.
Tap. Thud.
Clatter.
Then something unexpected happened.
Shards of glass on the floor started trembling.
The broken TV crackled, and food from the fridge floated.
"Wh-what?"
Nam Daeun, startled, dropped her broom.
The glass she'd swept began to rise.
Even the trash in the dustpan floated out.
"What is this...?"
Buzz—crackle—
Bzzzz—
The fridge reassembled and started working again as food flew back inside.
Clack—snap—clack—
Glass shards flew into the window, reassembling perfectly.
Like a puzzle, it was flawless.
Scratches on wallpaper, broken walls, the wardrobe—everything was restored.
It was like nothing had happened.
"W-wow... what is this?! I've never even heard of magic like this! Where'd you find this teacher?!"
"That's... amazing."
Liliana and Nam Daeun watched in awe.
I was just as stunned.
No, I was the most shocked.
'Why the hell can't I use Rune Barrier like that?'
A moment later, everything was back to normal—except for the demon in the center.
A completely restored dorm with one mangled demon was a strange sight.
"...Rebecca?"
"Haa... That was tough. Haven't done it in a while. I'm getting old."
Rebecca was sweating from exhaustion.
"How is this even possible?"
That's seriously OP.
"Don't be too impressed. You can't undo life. Only objects without mana. And it's harder than it looks."
"It already looks impossible."
The mana flow of time... I can't even grasp it.
How does she rewind time like that?
"Exactly. It looks hard, and it's even harder. Learn from me someday."
"...Thanks."
If I have a kid with Rebecca, I'll never have to worry about retirement.
Honestly, the thought of how strong our child would be is scary.