Chapter 18: The End of a Day (4)
As the representative of those who had suffered at the hands of Baek Hoyeon and her guards—whether in small or significant ways—Anastasia had come to confront her directly.
Yet, she found herself unsure of how to proceed.
In Anastasia’s mind, Hoyeon was a girl who, though pretty in appearance, exuded an air of danger.
However, she also reminded Anastasia of herself in certain ways.
When they first met, she’d only seen the former—a dangerous presence.
But after a single conversation, Anastasia had begun to consider Hoyeon as someone similar to her.
The awkwardness in Hoyeon’s speech betrayed the telltale signs of someone who struggled to interact with others, much like Anastasia herself.
For that reason, Anastasia had already forgiven the incident during lunch.
She understood how much courage it took for someone like Hoyeon to approach a stranger and ask a question.
Deep down, Anastasia even found herself quietly rooting for her.
However, her followers were far less forgiving. The harm they’d endured was, in their eyes, too severe to overlook—even considering Hoyeon’s status.
From the moment she first set foot on the continent, Hoyeon had ignored all protocols and bypassed borders, heading straight to the academy.
That alone was problematic. On top of that, some individuals had sustained significant injuries while trying to stop her.
There were no casualties, thankfully. If someone had died, a declaration of war wouldn’t have been out of the question.
The Baek Empire, known simply as a source of fine silk and spices, could transform into a heinous empire of malice within weeks.
Her followers seized upon the incident at lunch, where Hoyeon appeared to threaten Anastasia.
They were eager to paint Anastasia as a hero standing against the arrogant invaders from the East.
After much effort, Anastasia had managed to scale back her role, avoiding being the empire’s avenger and settling for the position of an adviser offering Hoyeon a word of caution. Even so, the situation weighed heavily on her.
“…What should I do, then?”
They demanded that Anastasia not appear weak, regardless of how impolite she might seem, and that she extract an apology from Hoyeon.
Their demands were enough to leave her at a loss.
After all, who would respond favorably to a high-handed demand for an apology? Even Anastasia, socially inept as she was, could recognize that.
The matter of how they’d found out where Hoyeon’s room was assigned wasn’t a concern. Her followers had a history of presenting inexplicably gathered information, so Anastasia accepted it as routine.
Lost in thought over what to say, Anastasia arrived on the floor where Hoyeon’s room was located—only to witness an unexpected scene.
She saw Hoyeon emerge from her own room and casually enter another.
Has she made a friend? Doubt crept into Anastasia’s mind. She had thought Hoyeon was like her, but perhaps that was her own delusion.
It might have seemed trivial to others, but to Anastasia, it was a significant issue.
However, the sight of Hoyeon leaving that room with a man left Anastasia’s thoughts utterly blank.
Her knowledge of reproductive health wasn’t entirely lacking—she knew that holding hands didn’t result in a baby.
If that were true, she would’ve had a sibling the moment her father held her mother’s hand.
But she did know one thing about how children were conceived: a man and a woman entering the same room.
She’d learned this when, as a child, she’d woken up in the early hours and wandered the manor, only to see her father enter her mother’s room. Not long after, she’d gained a younger sibling.
Of course, her father had emerged the next day looking rather disheveled.
By comparison, Hoyeon and the man had spent only a few minutes together and looked perfectly composed. Still, Anastasia couldn’t be certain.
Lacking more specific knowledge about how babies were made, Anastasia arrived at a singular conclusion:
Did Hoyeon now carry that man’s child?
Her mind spiraled into chaos. She’d entirely forgotten why she was even here, her heart pounding as she clutched her chest and observed them from afar.
The seemingly eternal moment shattered the instant Hoyeon looked in her direction.
Like someone caught witnessing the forbidden, Anastasia bolted from the dormitory, her face flushed red.
***
Anya was there just a moment ago, but now she was gone.
I didn’t know how long she’d been standing there or why she’d run off the moment I looked at her. Maybe she was curious about me as a beastkin?
But if she was curious, why run away? It didn’t make sense.
Was it one of those it’s fascinating, but I don’t want it looking at me situations? Like seeing something uncanny?
It stung. It reminded me of middle school when I was caught with otaku merchandise and the girls acted the same way the next day.
“What’s wrong?”
Dogeon, apparently oblivious, asked what the problem was.
True to his harem-protagonist nature, he lacked awareness in all the wrong places.
He could practically read minds when it mattered, but when it didn’t? Completely clueless. It was infuriating.
“Nothing. Let’s just go.”
Perhaps sensing my irritation, he quietly led the way. As I followed him, he suddenly asked me:
“…Could I ask what Magi is?”
“You don’t know?”
How could the protagonist not know? When I pressed him, he sincerely claimed ignorance.
Was he the kind to fall asleep while reading the novel? There was no reason not to explain it, though.
“Hmm… What is Magi, you ask.”
When I tried to articulate it, the words didn’t come easily.
“…It’s the power that makes the earth tremble, the skies shift, and the seas part.”
“But isn’t mana the same?”
He had a point. Mages could perform similar feats. For someone uninformed, it was an understandable question.
“It’s different. Magi isn’t a power humans can wield. It’s a force governed solely by the gods. Some call it the blood of the stars.”
“The gods, you say…?”
I nearly blurted out the fake gods you worship, but stopped myself.
Was it safe to say something like that? In stories like this, the church was often portrayed as shadowy and corrupt, waiting for the protagonist to slip up so they could declare them a heretic.
On the way to the academy, I’d even seen inquisitors dragging people off for heresy. There was no point in giving them an excuse to target me.
“…It’s not something you need to concern yourself with, so don’t bother.”
It sounded like the kind of dismissive line that annoying green cat from a game would say, but it was the best I could manage.
Dogeon looked visibly deflated, as if disappointed. I glared at him briefly, and he straightened up. Nice try, but I wasn’t about to spill anything more.
“I don’t know how your people managed it, but you’ve twisted Magi into what you call divine power or mana.”
“What do you mean by twisted?”
“It means taking a power meant only for gods and enabling humans—or other beings—to use it.”
I carefully avoided calling their gods fake, instead using vague terms like “other beings.” It wasn’t a lie—elves weren’t human, after all.
“…Isn’t that a good thing?”
“It’s like entrusting a nation’s treasury to fools. They’ll waste it on senseless things. Wouldn’t it be better to leave it in the hands of someone wise and capable?”
Probably. Humans already destroy their environment without magic. Letting them misuse Magi would only hasten disaster.
I’d seen firsthand what happened to areas drained of Magi. Though, in fairness, it wasn’t humans who depleted it—it was my mother, who’d drained an entire leyline in an instant.
I still couldn’t forget the sight of a fortress, which had withstood months of siege, crumbling to white dust in a moment. Not just the walls—the people and animals inside had turned to powder, too. It was hard to believe it was real.
“I suppose you’re right.”
“If that clears things up, let’s keep moving.”
Honestly, I’d glossed over a lot, so I felt a bit guilty. But if Dogeon pressed for details, I’d be in trouble. I tried to end the conversation before he asked more questions.
Fortunately, though he didn’t seem fully satisfied, he resumed walking.
Come to think of it, he’d stopped while I was explaining. Naturally, I’d stopped too.
Was this how social butterflies manipulated people?
I hadn’t even noticed him stop—it was that seamless. His knack for dealing with people was no joke.
I used to think mind-control scenarios in fiction were ridiculous, but watching Dogeon made me wonder if they weren’t entirely impossible.
At least there weren’t any mind-control scenes in the novel. If there had been, this guy would’ve been downright dangerous.
Actually, he was already pretty dangerous. But at least he didn’t mess with people’s wills outright.
“We’re here.”
Snapping out of my thoughts, I realized we’d arrived at the dining hall. A few people were
scattered around, but it was still mostly quiet.
I started browsing the options, trying to decide what to eat, when I remembered what had happened earlier.
Whatever I picked would probably taste terrible. Even if it smelled good, the moment I put it in my mouth, it’d be awful. The thought made me hesitate.
Glancing to the side, I saw Dogeon.
…He’s popular, so he must know what’s good, right?
Hoping for the best, I called out to him.
“What looks tasty to you?”
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