Chapter 25
I sat alone in my lodging, sipping tea. It seemed that no one noticed I had been away, perhaps because I returned right after meeting Hong-ryeon.
At that moment, the door opened. Su-hui had returned. I walked up to her and greeted her.
“Welcome back! Just a moment, I’ll prepare dinner right away.”
“Yeah, hehehe….”
As usual, Su-hui looked like a mess, disheveled and worn out.
But I could tell. Her growth had accelerated dramatically, and now she possessed enough magical power to not be overshadowed by a B-rank magical girl.
Surely, since Hong-ryeon was directly helping her grow, her growth rate had significantly increased.
I smiled satisfactorily to myself. And in that moment, I noticed someone standing next to Su-hui.
Hong Yeon-hwa. I greeted her cheerfully as well.
“Hello.”
“Ha… I don’t think there’s anyone else who greets me with such a smile.”
What’s wrong with my smile? While I was questioning it internally, Hong Yeon-hwa grabbed my clothes.
“Hey, I’m borrowing him for a moment.”
“Uh, what?”
Su-hui’s eyes widened as she looked at me and Hong Yeon-hwa. Then, an annoyed voice escaped Hong Yeon-hwa’s lips.
“I just want to talk for a bit, so don’t worry and eat.”
I was dragged outside by Hong Yeon-hwa’s grip.
Once outside the lodging, I quietly stared at Hong Yeon-hwa.
“Why? Do you have something you want me to do?”
When I asked, She snorted and replied.
“Just, someone I know contacted me, and I don’t really have anyone to talk about this with.”
“…What?”
I reflexively asked back and realized too late what situation we were in. Ah, so this is one of those moments where she says, ‘This is definitely not about me, it’s about someone I know’?
I tried to suppress the smile creeping onto my lips and looked at Hong Yeon-hwa.
“Ah, I see. So someone you know sent you a question that you can’t answer alone, and you thought of me as a last resort?”
“Yeah. That’s right. Be grateful that I specifically came to find you.”
…It’s just that she doesn’t have many friends to talk to, so I’m the only one she can confide in. What’s there to be grateful for?
As I thought this, Hong Yeon-hwa shot me a piercing glare.
“What were you thinking?”
“Nothing. More importantly, let’s talk about that question first. What’s the question that made you come to me?”
At this point, it’s highly likely that the situation is about Hong Yeon-hwa herself. In other words, by hearing about the situation, I can understand her inner turmoil.
I listened intently, staring at Hong Yeon-hwa. It seemed that staring too intently was a problem, as her face turned slightly red and averted her gaze before speaking.
“…There’s a field that’s really important to that person. A field where they don’t want to fall behind anyone else.”
After pausing for a moment, she closed her eyes tightly and continued.
“But somehow, they found out that the person they’re teaching has incredible talent in that field. Enough talent that they might be able to surpass that person.”
Hong Yeon-hwa said this, took a deep breath, and continued.
“However, abandoning someone you’ve been teaching for such a reason wouldn’t be the right thing to do, would it?”
Hearing those words, I instantly understood what she was trying to convey.
After spending several days together, she would have surely figured it out as well: Reina’s talent as a magical girl.
Reina is timid. However, she doesn’t show fear in front of monsters. Sometimes, she prioritizes the safety of others over rational judgment, but her perspective on the battle’s dynamics is more precise than anyone else’s.
Hong-ryeon must have realized this too. Reina is merely stuck at C-rank due to a lack of magical power and accomplishments, but given time, she could undoubtedly rise to A-rank or higher.
And Hong-ryeon has already experienced being caught up to and even surpassed by someone else.
Bing Seol Hwa. The magical girl who dethroned Hong-ryeon, once the industry’s top prospect, and proudly claimed the title of Korea’s greatest power.
Hong-ryeon has already lost the title of “the best” to her, which led to feelings of inferiority towards Bing Seol Hwa. In that situation… being surpassed once more by someone else would be an unacceptable experience for her.
Logically speaking, I should persuade Hong-ryeon to continue nurturing Reina’s growth.
Hong-ryeon is strong, but she’s only “just” an A-rank. Bing Seol Hwa is the same. While she carries the title of Korea’s strongest, she can never surpass the S-rank threshold. In fact, Bing Seol Hwa already has a history of losing to me.
But Reina is different. She is literally meant to be the strongest among all magical girls, positioned at the peak. The only magical girl capable of standing against the final boss is Reina.
Therefore, it would be reasonable for me to do everything possible to facilitate Reina’s growth. However…
Seeing Hong-ryeon’s sorrowful expression before me made it impossible to say such cruel things.
“If you think teaching her will make you unhappy, then you don’t have to teach her.”
“Huh? What?”
Hong-ryeon stared at me with wide eyes, surprised by my unexpected reply.
“Why? Isn’t it wrong to prevent someone from growing simply for your selfishness… especially when that someone has the potential to surpass you?”
Well, it can’t be helped. At this point, whether I directly help Reina grow or do something else, there’s no choice but to move forward. It’s impossible to utter cruel words while looking into those eyes.
“I can’t say it’s a good thing… but it’s not necessarily a bad thing either.”
“Why not?”
“People are inherently like that. Sometimes they feel jealousy towards others or get angry. Ignoring those emotions just for the sake of the greater good and insisting on teaching isn’t really a good thing, is it?”
In the original story, Hong-ryeon’s jealousy and obsession towards Bing Seol Hwa eventually led her to a miserable end. Perhaps, the reason I entered this world was to prevent such tragedies.
“That’s nonsense.”
To Hong-ryeon’s words, I offered a small smile.
“Well, that means we need to establish a principle.”
“Principle?”
Hong-ryeon stared at me intently.
“Yes, a principle. Just a guideline to help make decisions when you’re troubled. If teaching someone causes you unhappiness, then you don’t have to teach them, but—if there’s a reason to teach someone superior to you, even with the risk of those emotions, act on it without regrets.”
“…What’s that supposed to mean?”
Even as I spoke, Hong-ryeon’s expression lightened slightly.
“Okay, I think I’ve got a general idea of how to respond. Now, you can go in.”
“What? Are you just going to suck me dry since I’m of no use anymore?”
“Be grateful that I even found you useful.”
“What a princess complex you have.”
“Why? I am indeed something great.”
As we exchanged those words, Hong-ryeon and I burst into giggles.
When I tried to open the accommodation door to go back inside, Hong-ryeon naturally followed me in.
“…You’re just coming in like it’s nothing now?”
“Oh, it’s nothing special. I just have something to tell the newbie. I don’t have anything to do with someone like you anymore, so just forget it.”
With that, Hong-ryeon strode confidently into the accommodation. Su-hui, who was having a meal alone, exclaimed, “What were you two doing without me?!”
“I just said that what you do is ridiculous and talked behind your back. Why?”
“Eh? No way… No, no, that can’t be true! Don’t lie!”
“Ugh, whatever. I have something to say.”
At that, Su-hui’s eyes widened as she looked at Hong-ryeon, curious about what she had to say.
“What is it?”
Hong-ryeon closed her eyes at Su-hui’s gaze and let out a small laugh.
“…Tomorrow, I’m going to work you so hard you’ll want to throw up, so be prepared.”
Su-hui’s expression crumbled as if her world had just collapsed.
“Oh, no, wait! Hang on… Hong-ryeon, Hong-ryeon?! If you do that, I’m really going to die!”
Hong-ryeon casually responded to Su-hui’s panic.
“Well, if you don’t die by my hand, you’ll end up dying by a wild boar monster, so isn’t it better to die at the hands of a great person like me?”
I interjected in the middle of their exchange.
“Let’s keep the teasing to a minimum, Hong-ryeon. Are you having dinner with us?”
Hong-ryeon shook her head vigorously as she headed for the door.
“Why would I eat here when I have my own comfortable home and manager? I’m leaving.”
With a bang, the door swung open and closed. Left alone, Su-hui and I naturally began our dinner together.
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