Retire 254
by Cristae254 The Archmage’s Disciple’s Disciple (5)
“It seems Seohyun looks up to you quite a bit.”
Hong Seokyoung spoke languidly, leaning back in his chair.
“It’s good to see the kids trying so hard in a school with fewer than ten students.”
“…It’s also quite something to see a principal so quick to wash his hands of things that aren’t his problem.”
“How is the students’ passion a sign of me shirking responsibility?”
“I meant the part where you say it’s not your problem.”
Hong Seokyoung laughed heartily.
“I never said it wasn’t my problem.”
“But you never said it was, either.”
“That’s slander. From the kids’ perspective, the principal is just some old teacher whose job at school they don’t even know. There’s bound to be a sense of distance.”
Hong Seokyoung handed me the document he’d been reading—a report on the Jirisan Dungeon.
I was still leaving dungeon entry permissions to Lee Miseon. If Hong Seokyoung got involved directly, it would draw too much attention, and as for me, I was in a position where I shouldn’t attract any attention at all, even though these sorts of administrative tasks were supposed to be my job.
There was nothing unusual in the report, which I’d already reviewed several times. If only there had been something out of the ordinary.
“So you’re not just dumping everything on me?”
“Once the weather warms up, I’ll be spending less time at the school.”
“…Because of the dungeons?”
“There’s a lot I’ve been putting off.”
Hong Seokyoung shrugged.
“There’s also the problem of illegal awakened organizations in the country. The investigation seems to be converging on Ark as well, and it’s going to blow up soon.”
As he said this, Hong Seokyoung glanced at my expression. By now, it was probably time for them to track down and dismantle the lab I’d once been at. Unlike the original timeline, the lab had already fled, but that didn’t mean the director had disappeared. There were still kidnapped children Lee Miseon hadn’t found.
“You’re going to be busy.”
“Even aside from that, Seohyun never really relied on me.”
Hong Seokyoung stroked his chin.
“Seohyun never liked adults much… No, she just didn’t like people. It’s only gotten better because I put Hye-eun and Jieun with her.”
“Really? She seems to get along well enough.”
“I said she’s gotten better.”
“Hm.”
Thinking of the future witch, Park Seohyun, it wasn’t hard to believe. Even back in Myeong-dong, the first time I met young Park Seohyun, she’d been wary of me…
Well, it was only right to be wary of a suspicious Hunter passed out in the office. And it wasn’t just Park Seohyun who’d been on guard.
Myeong-dong was a special case, but even setting that aside, I knew from observation that Park Seohyun wasn’t the most sociable type. Her attachment to Kim Chaemin was partly because of his status as an archmage, and partly because Kim Chaemin himself was so friendly.
“But now she’s a kid who knows how to ask adults for help.”
“…Is that what this is?”
“Recognizing your own shortcomings and seeking guidance—what else would you call it?”
Hong Seokyoung turned the question back on me. I had no answer for that…
“Of course, just asking for help blindly isn’t good, but sometimes it’s important to realize there are people who can help you.”
Hong Seokyoung glanced at my face and then laughed, his shoulders shaking.
“So don’t turn away a student who’s reaching out for help.”
“This…”
I let out a sigh.
“That’s not it. I’m not even a mage… Even just handling Mr. Kim is hard enough.”
“What’s the difference if you have one archmage as a disciple or two?”
“It’s a big problem.”
“Doesn’t seem that different to me.”
After laughing for a while, Hong Seokyoung’s face was still smiling, but his voice turned serious.
“Still, Seohyun must have come to you after giving it a lot of thought.”
“……”
“So, Heejae, don’t just say no. Think about it seriously and give her an answer.”
Bang, bang, bang!
At the sound of someone pounding on the door, Kim Chaemin looked up with a laugh. She began gathering the magical formula papers scattered across the table and dispelled the soundproofing spell.
It had been days of this already.
Hong Seokyoung had told me to think seriously and give an answer, but…
“Teacher!”
Park Seohyun was determined.
Her eyes, staring straight into mine, didn’t waver. Her hair was neatly done, pulled back high in a ponytail, her bangs trimmed so her eyes were clearly visible.
Looking into those unnecessarily steady eyes, Hong Seokyoung’s words echoed in my ears.
Seriously, seriously…
“Please! Take me as your disciple!”
If only her hair had been a mess, I could have braced myself, thinking she was going through a rough patch.
I could feel Kim Chaemin struggling not to laugh. The fact that she didn’t laugh outright showed she had decent character.
“…I really don’t understand why you want to be my disciple.”
She must have overheard Kim Chaemin saying she wanted to be my disciple… Fine, if the archmage had some benefit to gain, I could understand her coming to demand an explanation. In fact, I’d expected that if Park Seohyun ever came to me, it would be for that reason. Did you know how much trouble I went through, trying to think of a reason that would both maintain my authority as a teacher and keep the story from spreading elsewhere?
But despite all my worries, Park Seohyun said something I never expected. I couldn’t even begin to guess what chain of thought led her to this.
“Well, that’s…!”
“Well, that’s what?”
“…You must have your reasons. Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone! Not that I have anyone to tell!”
Even when I asked, Park Seohyun just nodded with a subtle, knowing look, as if she understood everything.
I really had no idea what was going on in that little head of hers…
Damn it. And after Hong Seokyoung told me to think seriously and give her an answer, I couldn’t just flatly refuse.
“For now… come in and let’s talk.”
Park Seohyun quickly came into the counseling room. Yes, it was nice to see a kid who usually acted so aloof now raising her voice and showing some energy. If only it weren’t about me.
“Hello, Teacher Chaemin!”
“Hi, Seohyun.”
Park Seohyun looked at Kim Chaemin and me with bright, alert eyes, then nodded firmly.
“Please teach me too!”
“…What do you want to learn?”
Kim Chaemin asked, smiling brightly.
Park Seohyun glanced at me, then nodded. …What did she just decide? That’s unsettling.
“I don’t know, but I want to learn anything.”
“Why?”
“Because Teacher Woo said he’d make me an archmage.”
“Oh? Teacher Woo said that?”
“Yes.”
“So, what do you think?” Kim Chaemin’s laughter was audible. She was trying hard to hide it, but it was written all over her face.
I leaned my head back and looked at the ceiling.
It was ridiculous that Park Seohyun, who kept her mouth shut whenever I asked, was now spilling everything to Kim Chaemin, but what came out of her mouth—
What came out of her mouth—
…Is this why people say you should live kindly?
Yes, I suppose I did say something like that once.
I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself.
Maybe this was my punishment for claiming I’d make the future archmage my own. But if she wanted to become an archmage that badly, shouldn’t she be asking to be Kim Chaemin’s disciple, not mine?
What on earth made her want to be my disciple?
I already had enough to do. In just two days, I’d be entering the infamous Jirisan Dungeon. Do you know how hard it’s been to placate Woo Irok, who’s been fuming? I need this kid to grow up fast, so she’ll be happy when I don’t come home.
My mind spun with thoughts, trying to deny the unwanted reality in front of me.
I sighed.
“That’s…”
“You promised.”
“But that doesn’t mean you should be my disciple.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m not a mage.”
“But Teacher Chaemin became your disciple, didn’t she?”
Park Seohyun looked genuinely aggrieved.
It would be easy to deny it here. I could just say that conversation you overheard was just teachers joking around.
Yes, that would be easy. If I just ignored Park Seohyun and went into the dungeon, her determination would fade. If I avoided her for a few more days, that would be enough. I could just tell her to stop being stubborn and practice her magic, and she’d go away, shoulders slumped.
But I couldn’t bring myself to take the easy way out—maybe because of Hong Seokyoung’s advice.
No, even without that, I wouldn’t have chosen such a half-hearted approach. Even if I still couldn’t understand her reasoning, Park Seohyun was more serious than ever.
If she’d been like Seungyeon, joking with a silly grin, I could have just brushed her off, but Park Seohyun wasn’t like that.
So I had to take her seriously too.
“……”
Even without Hong Seokyoung’s words, seeing that face made it impossible to just brush her off.
Kim Chaemin just shrugged, as if leaving it all to me.
“I’m not a mage.”
“…Let’s say you’re not. But please, take me as your disciple.”
“No.”
“Why not? You took Teacher Chaemin as your disciple!”
“You’re not Mr. Kim.”
Park Seohyun’s lips parted.
I cut her off and continued.
“Mr. Kim and I aren’t… the kind of master and disciple you’re thinking of. For various reasons, I’m just teaching her a few things I know, and we drew up a contract for practical reasons.”
“That’s what master and disciple—”
“It’s a kind of confidentiality agreement.”
“……”
“So I can’t take you as a disciple. I’m not qualified to teach you.”
“……”
Park Seohyun looked at me, sulking.
Maybe because her hair was tied back, her face was completely exposed, and it was easy to read her expression. Thinking back to how the witch Park Seohyun was so inscrutable, it felt strange.
Just as Hong Seokyoung’s son Woo Heejae had disappeared, so too had the witch Park Seohyun. So had Oh Hyeonwook the “pig,” and Lee Seungyeon, who only existed in Lee Miseon’s photos, dead at a young age.
…This is the reality I created. The reality I saved. The reality I must continue to protect.
“Instead.”
I offered Park Seohyun a carrot.
“Mr. Kim Chaemin is going to start a club.”
“…A club?”
“After you and Choi Jinwoo graduate, it might be turned into a small magic society. We’ll see when the time comes.”
“We’re planning to research new magical theories and runes.”
“New…”
“Starting in March, I’ll be teaching runes again.”
“Runes?!”
Park Seohyun was visibly surprised.
“As part of club activities. I meant it when I said I’d make you an archmage. But even if it’s not me, Park Seohyun, you can become an archmage.”
“……”
“I don’t plan to take you as my disciple. But that doesn’t mean I’m not your teacher.”
I spoke to a girl who still lacked confidence in her own abilities.
“I’ll teach you everything I know that might help you.”
It was ironic, considering that knowledge would one day come from the witch Park Seohyun herself.
“This is all I can do for you. Do you understand?”
“…Yes.”
Park Seohyun swallowed hard and nodded. Even though she hadn’t understood a word I’d said.
In the end, the one who would make Park Seohyun into an archmage was Park Seohyun herself.