Chapter 351

A few days ago, Akitaro Dangju visited the personal training room of the heir, who was practicing late into the night.

“I decided to go to Korea, Emika.”

“Korea, you say?”

Emika asked back, feeling somewhat surprised.

For three consecutive years, Korea had not been invited to the national exchange event organized by the World Sorcerers’ Alliance.

The Japanese media criticized Korea’s low educational standards unanimously.

“I don’t think Korean sorcerers are lagging behind the world. It’s just that their curriculum is different.”

Just looking at the Academy tournament, the use of wands is prohibited.

Excellent students in Korea prefer to become static theoretical mages rather than dynamic combat sorcerers.

Receiving recognition from the world is much less important than achieving excellent grades within the academy.

These factors combined meant that a national representative hadn’t been selected until now, but Akitaro Dangju discovered new possibilities while watching the Academy tournament.

“I heard that the Cardinal’s niece from Korea is sixteen this year. I was sure she would participate in the exchange. If she has the ‘sacred object,’ external manifestation would provide tremendous advantages.”

However, perhaps due to the disastrous defeat in the tournament, she disappeared without a trace.

Joseon Yeon lost fighting five to one.

Moreover, she was the one with five opponents.

Watching the Seoul regional Academy tournament, Katsuhata Akitaro was truly thrilled.

“I can’t believe that kid broke the victory sword. Noname’s ability to handle aura is almost approaching world-class levels.”

“…!”

Emika shivered.

She was also thinking that with Noname’s skill, they could hold their own against the national exchange competitors.

The fact that the Dangju officially proclaimed this was significant.

“Then the reason for going to Korea…”

Emika’s question was met with a solemn nod from the Dangju.

“I recently hit a wall. The main task of this training camp is to develop your external manifestation.”

Akitaro Dangju assigned homework to Emika.

It was to repeatedly watch the videos of Noname’s Academy tournament and sports competition dozens of times.

Emika could not agree to this.

“But in our Katsuhata School, external manifestation is unnecessary if you have a sword…”

“What’s the point if you yourself keep dropping the sword?”

The Dangju declared firmly.

“If a swordsman drops their sword, they might as well be dead. Sure, Master Otake’s teachings are famous. But what’s more terrifying than death is losing at the Tokyo Stadium.”

Emika’s gaze fell to the floor.

She realized she was not trusted by the Dangju.

If she accepted that she would drop her sword in the tournament, what would be the meaning of nearly ten years of training?

Emika bit her lip in frustration.

“Noname might participate in the national exchange within three years at the earliest. Or maybe next year; it wouldn’t be strange at all.”

“Do you not trust my talent and efforts, Dangju?”

“It’s better to have a shameful victory than an honorable defeat. The latter can always be glorified in some way, so don’t be so rigid, Emika. Once you decided to participate in the national exchange, you are representing Japan, not just the Katsuhata School. It doesn’t matter how you win, as long as you do.”

“Yes, I understand…”

Your swordsmanship skills cannot conquer the world.

Akitaro’s simple statement pierced Emika’s heart.

Nights of sleeplessness followed for several days.

* * *

The Katsuhata School contacted me secretly.

They wanted me to advise Emika on external manifestations.

[Isn’t it much easier for peers to explain things than for adults to talk about them endlessly?]

I couldn’t help but think there was a bit of an age gap between Emika and me.

Anyway, they didn’t forget to offer compensation, as expected from the Japanese.

500,000 won per visit.

They promised to pay me 500,000 won every day I came, without asking how many hours I would stay.

Two days of visiting equals one circle of magic… not a bad exchange.

With the academy finishing early on Wednesdays and using the weekends of Saturday and Sunday, there would be about 15 visits.

School would end for the summer on the last week of June, so if I added five more days, I would have exactly 20 lessons completed.

[Thank you for your various advice on external manifestations. If you succeed before returning to Japan, I will double your compensation.]

If the reward is doubled, that’s 20 million won.

Going to see a friend and being paid for it, I had no reason to refuse.

So, I headed to the Katsuhata camp with a light heart.

Adella stopped by a specialized kendo equipment store 1 hour and 40 minutes away to bring back a practice wooden sword made of ebony.

‘I hope I didn’t overburden her by asking her to pick that up on the way to camp.’

I couldn’t remember the last time I held a sword that fit my body.

Eager to swing it, I waved it a few times in the air, but the driver shot me a sharp glance in the rearview mirror, so I quickly stopped.

The Katsuhata camp was generally chaotic.

There was still a pile of belongings that hadn’t been organized by the yard wall, and camp staff were bustling here and there.

I grabbed one of them and asked.

“Do you happen to know where Katsuhata Emika’s room is?”

“Hey kid, how did you get in here… Oh, you’re the friend who was supposed to come today! If you go all the way to the back of the garden, you’ll find the junior suite.”

“Thank you.”

I followed the stream of water running through the garden and crossed the bamboo forest.

The hotel with an entire garden was truly refreshing.

While sparrows flew around chirping the songs of spring, the deep shouts of men echoed powerfully.

I entered through the half-open gate at the end of the garden to check for any presence.

“Is anyone there?”

I found a shoe placed on the hardwood floor.

Given its size, it was undoubtedly Emika’s.

I also took off my shoes and looked around the traditional Korean house.

‘It may look like a traditional house on the outside, but the interior facilities are almost modern.’

I didn’t feel anything special other than the impression of cleanliness.

“In 15 minutes, Dangju will arrive! Please prepare for Katsuhata young lady!”

I heard a loud voice calling Emika from across the garden.

Ignoring it, I moved toward the inner room.

As expected, I could see the back of a girl in a pure white uniform with a ponytail through the half-open sliding door.

‘Is she meditating?’

I approached her quietly and lightly tapped her head with the wooden sword.

“Hello, Emika, it’s been a long time. How have you been?”

“…”

“Huh?”

Emika’s body wobbled and then suddenly collapsed sideways.

“Emika?”

There was no time to be bewildered.

She rolled her eyes and started frothing at the mouth.

The timing of Emika’s seizure coincidentally matched when the Katsuhata students entered.

“Katsuhata young lady. No matter how much I call you, you won’t respond. What’s going on… Katsuhata young lady! Why are you on the ground?”

“Ahhh! Lady! Please wake up!”

I hurriedly put down the wooden sword in my hand to avoid misunderstandings.

Thud—

The sound of the sword hitting the floor seemed louder than usual today.

Several intimidating-looking men rushed over and glared at me.

“Who are you! What did you do to our young lady Katsuhata?!”

“I-I didn’t do anything…”

I pouted my lower lip and pleaded my innocence.

I felt so wronged!

* * *

I survived because I was young.

If I weren’t young, I would have been pinned down as the culprit.

Once the misunderstandings were cleared, their attitudes transformed entirely, thanking me for discovering the young lady quickly.

Anyway, I was there just to meet Emika.

“If there’s someone who thinks being comfortable in a nice place means being physically comfortable, they should leave right now. Each of you must have a goal in mind for this training camp. Be it the Emperor’s Cup, the Super League, or the national exchange! Never think you can easily seize victory. Only those willing to risk their lives can achieve their goals. Do you all understand!”

“Yes, we understand!”

“Good, dismissed!”

At Grandpa Koizumi’s dismissal order, around 30 men and women began to disperse.

I lay on the porch and watched the solemn oath of the Katsuhata students from a distance.

I could spot one or two kids of Emika’s age here and there.

Each one had been praised as the best talent in Japan.

But the only one designated as the next heir was Emika.

I suddenly thought that this little girl must bear an unimaginable burden.

Such situations always entail jealousy and resentment from the seniors.

Still, on the outside, everyone seemed to treat her as a cute little sister.

“Noname! Katsuhata young lady has woken up!”

“Oh really? I was hoping to see her before leaving now that I’m here.”

The school’s medical staff guided me to Emika’s room.

I was able to meet Emika, lying on the warm ondol floor, enjoying the cool air conditioning.

‘She’s lucky.’

When she saw me, she sprang up to greet me.

“Hello, Nameya! I’ve been waiting for you for a while!”

Her high ponytail swayed as she moved.

“You just woke up, but you’re already acting like it’s nothing. I was shocked when you suddenly fainted.”

“Haha.”

“What were you doing? Have you had those seizures for a while?”

“No, it’s not like that…”

“If it’s not that, then what is it?”

Emika looked around and whispered to me.

What was so embarrassing to say when there was no one listening anyway?

“I tried practicing the reverse manipulation of aura for the first time…”

“What? Are you stupid? Why would you reverse the aura that’s flowing fine?”

“Nameya, that’s a bad word. You shouldn’t use it.”

“Then what do you call it when someone is stupid? It sounds like something people from a thousand years ago would say.”

“Ugh…”

It’s a symptom called Chronosensitive Epilepsy.

Using the method of reversing the aura, she would have attempted to count the time in the mental world backward.

However, aura has a property that seeks to return to a state optimized for the ‘present.’

Thus, if she receives an external shock or has strong emotional turmoil during meditation, the time in the mental world flows rapidly, causing disturbances in the electrical and chemical signals in the brain.

To put it simply, it’s a downgraded version of what’s often depicted in novels or movies as not being able to find their way back.

The cure is absurdly simple.

You just have to look at a clock that shows the current time.

Therefore, it’s a disease that modern people can’t naturally develop.

It’s not like scurvy; I had never encountered anyone with Chronosensitive Epilepsy in my previous life.

As I glared at her incredulously, Emika’s cheeks turned bright red.

She really has a hidden clumsiness.

“Oh, something big! The oath ceremony!”

“It’s already over. They’ve all dispersed.”

“Ugh, what should I do? Master is going to scold me so much…”

“By the way, the Katsuhata School also conducts training camps in the city? I thought you all were holed up in the mountains.”

“That’s indeed the case, but this year is a bit special.”

This is the real deal.

Emika’s statement made me start doubting the elite education of Japan again.

Could it be that the Katsuhata School achieved great results on the international stage not because of good teaching but simply because they only selected outstanding kids?

“Actually, I decided to go to Korea because of you, Nameya.”

Emika added, and I furrowed my brows.

“Because of me?”

“Yeah. The Dangju wants me to manifest external energy. She says that’s the only way to win the exchange.”

Emika then showed me a stack of paper.

It was at least over a thousand A4 sheets.

They contained scenes of my performance during last week’s martial arts training, frame by frame.

“What’s this…?”

“I learned a lot from Nameya. It took me three days just to follow this posture?”

It was the martial arts I performed against Kim Yeeji, a second-year student, during the sports competition.

Emika abruptly got up and opened all the windows of the main hall.

“I’m going to show you.”

Emika took a deep breath.

Then, she brought her hands to her side and emitted aura from her whole body.

Boom!

She quickly stomped down alternately with her left foot and right foot.

The magically enhanced floor shook violently from the strong impact.

At the perfect timing, Emika extended her hands in the most perfect posture.

Bang!

The air in front of her palms compressed strongly, forming a turbulent wave.

The swirling wind swept through the leaves of the garden.

“How long did it take to learn that?”

I asked to confirm.

“Three days. Exactly three days and eight hours.”

“Oh, is that so?”

I slowly stroked my chin.

Indeed, she was incredibly talented.

Despite being only 15 years old, I could understand why she was chosen as the heir to the Katsuhata School.

Not only was her talent exceptional, but her will was strong as well.

There were traces of her analyzing 300 connection moves printed in red pen.

I saw potential here.

“Even though the national exchange isn’t my concern, I think we can aim for external manifestation within a month.”

“Really?”

Emika’s face lit up with a bright expression.

“Then how about we meet every Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday? Wednesdays around 4 PM for about two hours. On Saturdays and Sundays, however you feel.”

“Yeah. Time doesn’t matter.”

“Got it. In fact, I’ve roughly confirmed Emika’s level with the last move, so I’ll think about the curriculum and prepare it.”

“Hehe, that’s interesting. I’ve had guidance and sparring from seniors before, but it’s my first time receiving help from someone younger than me.”

“So, jealous?”

“No, I just wanted to say that once!”

“It’ll be so much fun to teach talented kids.

I happily contemplated the curriculum and the assignments I would give moving forward.

* * *

[Noname: Have to master the basic movements by next Wednesday.]

[Noname: (I sent the photos.)]

[Noname: (I sent the photos.)]

[Noname: (I sent the photos.)]

(…)

[Noname: (I sent the photos.)]

[Unread messages: 101]

“Huh? How am I supposed to do all of this in two days? Is this a joke?”