Ch. 80.1 - Soul Chess (3)
Crimson Hawk Club headquarters, Vice Chairman's seat.

Edmon Atalek slumped into his vice chairman's seat, exhausted and powerless.

"Ah..."

It was still difficult for him to accept reality.

‘I... lost...?’

‘And it was in Soul Chess, too?’

‘Why? How? Losing to a mere freshman... It meant losing in Soul Chess to someone so insignificant?’

‘No, even before that…’

"Did I really... have my qualification for Aslan Seminar... taken away by such a lowly commoner...?"

The Oath of Magic Power was absolute.

If one didn’t uphold it, not only would he be stripped of all his abilities as a mage, but he would also become a laughingstock in the magical world.

"Argh...!"

Bam!

Edmon forcefully slammed the desk, startling the members gathered in the Crimson Hawk Club headquarters.

They were Hong Bi-Yeon's faction members, but in reality, they were walking on a tightrope in Edmon’s line.

But no one dared to step forward hastily.

It would be an instant downfall if they were even slightly out of favor with him.

Edmon tremblingly brought his shaky hand to the telephone.

Should he explain it to his father? Should he let him know?

He couldn't even finalize the contract for the item, and now he had lost the Aslan Seminar as well.

How on earth could he explain this?

If things continued like this, the Atalek family would tread the path of ruin because of him.

The Alterisha Research Institute, which possessed the skills of the item and boasted about it, not only turned the entire Kingdom of Adolveit upside down because of him, but not he had also lost the attendance ticket for the prestigious Aslan Seminar, which proved proving them as a "Nobility of Mages,”…

"Damn it, damn it, damn it!!"

Bam! Bam! Crash!

No matter how much he slammed the desk or shouted, his anger wouldn't dissipate.

He felt like his insides were about to explode, worried about the future, and frustrated that there was no solution.

Moreover, the fact that he couldn't retaliate against that commoner who annoyed him only added fuel to the fire.

"Huff, huff...!"

While he gnashed his teeth, he reluctantly reached out his hand towards the telephone.

Clunk!

The door opened, and someone entered. Despite standing in a position devoid of sunlight, she seemed to radiate an aura, holding a silver mirror that flowed with a shimmering haze.

"Bi-Yeon..."

"Senior."

Edmon tried to gather his strength and say something, but he could only bow his head. It was no longer a situation where he could talk aimlessly to her.

‘How does she see me now?’

Edmon was aware of it himself. He had been using his authority to oppress Hong Bi-Yeon all this time.

But now, a part of that authority had crumbled. The balance of power that had been maintained between him and Hong Bi-Yeon had been shaken in an instant.

"Hmm..."

And Hong Bi-Yeon pondered as she looked at Edmon.

She couldn't strike him down here. Even though the power of the Atalek family had weakened somewhat... they still needed her, Hong Bi-Yeon.

Now, weren’t those students gathered in the room practically loyal followers of the Atalek family?

She had the intention of leading them all.

However, thanks to Baek Yu-Seol, many things had changed from now on.

She no longer had to forcibly entangle herself with the Atalek family.

She no longer had to suffocate under Edmon’s subtle pressure regarding marriage.

Now, Hong Bi-Yeon could purely treat Edmon Atalek as her "vassal" and herself as his "lord."

"Senior."

When Edmon raised his head, Hong Bi-Yeon spoke in the calmest voice possible.

"I will try to persuade that commoner on your behalf."

"That means..."

"I will ask him to cancel the statement he made about the item's trading rights and the Atalek family."

If that happened, at least within the Kingdom of Adolveit, the Atalek family's standing would no longer be rejected.

Edmon looked at Hong Bi-Yeon with trembling eyes.

"But how on earth..."

"That's..."

She made a troubled expression outwardly but inwardly, she was smiling.

She had already finished all the discussions with Baek Yu-Seol. They even stamped the contract.

At that moment, Baek Yu-Seol smiled and said,
"It's absurd for a single school to challenge Adolveit. However, I simply wanted to diminish Atalek's power and support Hong Bi-Yeon."

"Well, I suppose I'll have to pay a heavy price for it."

A heavy price. Hong Bi-Yeon deliberately said it to weigh down Edmon’s shoulders.

To make him fully realize the reality that he owed her.

"... Thank you, Bi-Yeon. I'm really grateful."

"It's just something that needs to be done, of course."

As Hong Bi-Yeon turned around, she added one last remark.

"I am destined to be a queen. So, it's only natural for me to take care of my 'vassal.'"

After saying that, Hong Bi-Yeon briskly walked away, making the sound of her heels echoing.

Edmon, unable to close his mouth, stared at her back with a dazed expression.

"'Vassal'... she said?"

Yes, originally, their relationship was akin to that of a king and vassal.

Edmon had forcefully manipulated their relationship with his power, trying to alter it.

But now that the balance of power had been shattered, they returned to their original positions.

"Ha, hahaha..."

Sinking back into the chair, Edmon grasped his own hair and remained silent for a long time.

The sense of loss became even deeper and more profound than when he had lost the invitation to the Aslan Seminar.

He felt as if everything had been taken away from him by that commoner.

———-

Stella Academy had an actual phone booth, believe it or not.

Of course, not many people used it. It required the premise that the other person also had a telephone to make a call.

"Thank you for granting my request."

-Of course I will. Who else would I do it for?

When Alterisha’s voice came through the receiver, Baek Yu-Seol burst into laughter.

Despite being exhausted, it was a voice that seemed happy for some reason.

Even though she was likely busy with research and development at the moment, he was grateful that she took the time to make a phone call.

-Anyway, you said you resolved the trade deal with the Adolveit Royal Family, right?

"Yes. Please postpone any transactions with the Adolveit Market or companies for about a month. For the time being, it will only be distributed through the royal family."

During that month, Hong Bi-Yeon would exert a significant influence on her homeland. If she could monopolize the entire Adolveit market in her name, it would be a tremendous achievement.

In truth, she might not even need this kind of help.

Hong Bi-Yeon had the true power to resist any influence or political manipulation.

She just didn’t realize it yet.

-Oh, and the response to the video you sent was really good. Honestly, it was your first time using that kind of magical tool, but I never imagined you could utilize it to 100%, no, even 200%.

"I just helped a bit."

In fact, Baek Yu-Seol couldn't say that he had already used many similar things before.

-In terms of their individual performances alone, honestly, they're still not quite there yet. Thanks to you, we received a great response from sponsors. It seems like we'll be able to accelerate development quickly.

"Oh, that's good to hear."

‘They might be able to make the items I requested soon. It's amazing that items that were only used in the game can now be used in real life.’

No wonder Baek Yu-Seol's heart was pounding.

-Um... Yu-Seol.

"Yes?"

-Thank you.

He was slightly taken aback by the unexpected expression of gratitude.

"It's actually me who should be thankful."

-Well, no. It's all thanks to you.

"Me?"

-These days, I'm happy every day.

Alterisha spoke in a strange voice she hadn't revealed before, speaking calmly as if reciting a poem.

-I've always dreamed. A dream of having my own little research lab.

"......"

-Even if the performance isn't great, having my own experimental tools... I've always waited and yearned for the day when I could do the research I wanted. But I thought it was impossible, that dreams are just dreams. And now, an opportunity has been given to me.

That... was the most precious golden thread in the world.

-Even in my dream, I couldn't have imagined this. In the best environment in the world, with brilliant professors... being able to use the best experimental tools and rare materials according to my own will.

Who could have imagined it?

Who would have thought that she, who had been conducting research in a shabby warehouse with crude experimental tools, would suddenly become the world's greatest alchemist and conduct research in a fitting facility?

-Now, no one opposes whatever I do. Everyone respects my opinion and listens to what I say.

For her, who had always been ignored, wasn’t that... the greatest happiness?

-These days, I feel the reality of being alive. When I place my hand on my chest, I can feel it pounding. This... It's all because of you.

-It's the same this time too. Once again, someone tried to take away my precious children... and you stopped them all, didn't you?

"Well, yes..."

-That's why I wanted to express my gratitude once again. Just... yeah, like that.

As her words ended, Baek Yu-Seol carefully contemplated how to respond to her heartfelt words.

"Um..."

-Oh!

However, Alterisha, who realized the belated confession of her embarrassing feelings, reacted first.

She quickly stammered and exclaimed.

-I, um, I! Dr. Beaurock is looking for me! I have to run away! I'm hanging up now!

"What? Wait, just a moment! Alterisha?"

Dial tone…

Before he could respond, Alterisha hung up the call, leaving Baek Yu-Seol feeling empty and sighing.

"Oh, really..."

After hanging up the phone, he leaned against the wall and absentmindedly stared out the window.

Ch. 80.2
After hanging up the phone, he leaned against the wall and absentmindedly stared out the window.

The sun was setting, but the sunlight was still dazzling.

"What a truly hectic person..."

Imagining Alterisha getting worked up and blushing at this moment, Baek Yu-Seol chuckled and sighed quietly.

Suddenly, the recent events flashed through his mind like a panorama.

Soul Chess.

Honestly, he was a little nervous.

Would the performance of the virtual reality glasses actually work in reality?

Perhaps it was limited to abilities within the computer's NPC.

That was a slight concern because of the spec’s performance.

But it seemed that such worries were groundless as the cheap spec boasted an incredible performance, completely tearing apart the Soul Chess prodigy named Edmon Atalek.

Well, how would a human defeat artificial intelligence?

Unless it was Lee Sedol, the 9-dan player. Anyway, discovering that the cheap glasses' performance exceeded expectations was a good harvest in itself.

{TN:- Lee Sedol is a professional Go player from South Korea. He is considered one of the greatest Go players in history. Lee Sedol achieved international fame for his match against the artificial intelligence program AlphaGo developed by DeepMind, a subsidiary of Google's parent company Alphabet. In the game of Go, players are ranked based on their skill level using a system called dan and kyu. The dan ranks indicate higher skill levels, with 1 dan being the lowest dan rank and 9 dan being the highest.}

By the way, obtaining a pass to the "Aslan Seminar" was great, but the problem was that it seemed useless.

The main characters would naturally be among the rising stars within the Twelve Constellations, so they wouldn't need it.

"Hmm, what should I do?"

While he was lost in thought, someone spoke.

"Commoner."

"Yeah?"

When Baek Yu-Seol turned to the side, Hong Bi-Yeon was leaning against the wall, gazing at him with a mysterious aura.

The gentle sunset rays filtered through, colliding with her silver hair, creating an illusion as if stardust was scattering.

Although he had never seen a real fairy, she seemed more like a fairy than an actual fairy. Her red eyes were even more captivating than the sunset, and she had a smile full of contentment.

"Why, is there another problem?"

Anyway, he had already finished the contract with Hong Bi-Yeon.

Was there any reason for her to come separately?

While Baek Yu-Seol was contemplating such worries, she hesitated for a moment and swept her hair behind her shoulder.

"......... This time, I owe you greatly. Thank you."

Wow, he thought.

Managing to receive words of gratitude from her was…

He could expect to live for a long time with encounters like this. She looked at him intently and spoke cautiously.

"You said it before. That there was a price for helping me... If you tell me what that price is now, I'll give you an immediate answer."
"Um..."

The price.

In truth, the price that Baek Yu-Seol desired was quite simple.

It was for her to stay untainted by evil and stand on the side of goodness, building a 'happy ending' together with him.

That was the only price Baek Yu-Seol wished for.

However, it would be inappropriate to outright say, "I hope you become a good person."

So, drawing from 29 years of life experience, he provided the most appropriate and exemplary response for the situation.

"Buy me a meal."

"... What?"

"I mean, since you're a princess, why don't you treat me to a proper meal where I can eat until I'm full?"

"..."

Hong Bi-Yeon made a dumbfounded expression, not expecting such an answer from Baek Yu-Seol. Then, she burst into laughter and nodded her head.

"Alright. I can treat you to a meal, no matter how extravagant."

She gestured for him to follow. It may sound outdated and even comical in this era, but the Stella Academy had a parking lot.

If cars existed in this world, it was only natural.

While cars themselves were much rarer than in modern times and mainly used by the wealthy, the majority of Stella's students had money, and the parking lot was filled with various luxury cars.

Among them, Hong Bi-Yeon's car stood out prominently, clearly indicating its exorbitant price to anyone who saw it.
Originally, the escort mage would have been sitting in the passenger seat, but they were not present today.

When the elderly driver respectfully opened the car door, Hong Bi-Yeon gracefully stepped into the car, with Baek Yu-Seol awkwardly joining her in the seat, then the car smoothly started moving.

Indeed, the sensation of riding in the car was similar to modern cars, so Baek Yu-Seol couldn't help but be slightly surprised.

He raised the corner of his mouth at the thought of enjoying expensive food.

"Hehe, what should I eat?"

While he had eaten black pork before, honestly, it seemed like a bit of a wasted menu to savor in front of Princess Adolveit.

With her wealth, she could even feed him the grandest delicacies of Aether World until his stomach burst.

However, in truth, Hong Bi-Yeon had already decided what to eat the moment she received the dinner proposal.

She didn't know much about the person named Baek Yu-Seol. He was a mysterious being with many secrets.

Suddenly, she recalled the times when he had disregarded various sponsorship offers and love calls from the famous Magic Tower.

At that time, she thought of him as an arrogant commoner who didn't know his place.

Well, it was a simple way of thinking.

But he already had a plan.

He didn't want to follow the predetermined path of the "Adolveit royal family."

He had his own path to pave.

Yesterday was despair, today was accepting that despair, and tomorrow he had to face another despair.

Baek Yu-Seol’s past, which was filled with wounds, was now revealed.

What was the most painful thing in his memories? People breathed oxygen to live, while he lived by breathing pain.

What do people do when they feel that their emotions have become too worn out and barren?

They search for something beautiful and radiant within themselves.

No precious and expensive jewels or dishes held any value to Baek Yu-Seol.

If there was one thing that had any value and could heal his torn and broken heart, it would be jajangmyeon (black bean noodles).

Perhaps... there was no one else who understood that.

[Jajangmyeon Restaurant]

They arrived at the place.

"Is it for real?"

"Yes."

Baek Yu-Seol looked at Hong Bi-Yeon and the shop alternately, unable to believe, but she walked in with confidence.

He followed her with a desolate gaze.

‘Is it really...?’

‘My foie gras entier? Caviar canapé? Black truffle cream risotto...?’

He, who had expected to taste all kinds of luxurious delicacies, weakly followed Hong Bi-Yeon into the restaurant.

"Welcome!"

Hong Bi-Yeon's elegance was enough to overwhelm ordinary people, and the owner of the jajangmyeon restaurant, who had been yawning, approached with a surprised expression.

"Menu."

"H-Here it is!"

She confidently sat down and stared at the menu board intently.

She didn't know any of the dishes.

However, there was one thing she knew for sure: jajangmyeon.

"I'll have this," Hong Bi-Yeon said as she placed her order.

She then looked at Baek Yu-Seol, who was sitting across from her.

He, too, was reading the menu board, but his expression didn't look too good.

'Why?'

Baek Yu-Seol contemplated for a while, struggling to make his choice, and finally managed to utter his words.

"Um, three bowls of jjamppong and one order of tangsuyuk."

"... Huh?"

That order puzzled Hong Bi-Yeon.

"Why? Can't you have three bowls?"

"Well... it's not that... I..."

She hesitated and quickly shut her mouth before asking why he didn't order jajangmyeon. He realized the reason.

'Could it be...?'

Hong Bi-Yeon realized her mistake.

'Why did I think that he, a commoner, overcame his past...?'

Why did he write about his mother and jajangmyeon in the assignment about his own past?

Why were all those words and writings filled with sadness?

Baek Yu-Seol... he was still haunted by that past. His mother, who had a thin and frail body, scraped and saved every penny she had and spent it all on a bowl of jajangmyeon for her son.

Baek Yu-Seol realized his mother's grace only as he grew older.

However, it was already too late.

Before he could show his filial piety... she had already left this world.

He was clearly focused on the future, otherwise he wouldn't be able to live so desperately.

But... Baek Yu-Seol was still struggling, bound by the chains of the past.

When he was young, his favorite food was jajangmyeon.

However, now the dish had become a symbol of regret for Baek Yu-Seol.

She realized this fact only now. She felt so ashamed and sorry that her cheeks turned red, and she lowered her head.

"I'm sorry. Treating you to a meal in a place like this."

"Huh? No, it's fine."

Hong Bi-Yeon lowered her head and fidgeted with her fingers.

'She's such a strange friend. But seeing that she knows that I feel sorry, maybe she understood that I must have had financial difficulties,' he thought as he chewed on the pickled radish.

'Hmm...'

‘No matter what, it should be okay to make an additional order since she’s a princess, right?’

With that thought in mind, Baek Yu-Seol shouted to the kitchen.

"Sir, we'd like to have some fried dumplings as well!"

"Fried dumplings are on the way, sir!"

"Oh."

Today, luck seemed to be on their side, at least to some extent.