Masquerade (1)

The next morning.

It was rare to see students active during the early dawn when the sun was just starting to rise.

That was why Hong Bi-Yeon preferred this time the most.

Splash!

Hong Bi-Yeon immersed herself in the Class S exclusive swimming pool, diving deeper and deeper. The cold water wrapped around her body, dissipating her heated emotions.

Phew!

After swimming underwater for a while, Hong Bi-Yeon slowly emerged from the pool, her breath reaching the tip of her chin.

Thump!

Thump!

The sensation of water droplets flowing down her cheek from the ends of her hair was vivid.

Suddenly, she wiped her own fair white skin.

Once, her skin was covered in burn scars, and she found it repulsive.

But now, the memory of her once-disgusting skin flashed through her mind.

During her childhood, she was engulfed in flames.

No, she had to walk through the fire.

"You were born with the blessing of fire."

"Mother, it hurts."

"Can't you endure this much?"

"Please, it hurts too much."

The child at that time was crying. She had to burn her body, survive in the fire, and devour the flames.

"You can do it."

"I can't."

"This is all for your sake."

"It's too agonizing."

The child screamed. Begged for mercy, for forgiveness.

But her mother didn't stop.

Whoosh!

In her memory, those dreadful red scars engulfed her mind.

"Wook..."

Swaying, Hong Bi-Yeon suddenly felt dizzy and sat down on the ground, her legs losing strength.

"Haah, ha..."

She touched her skin with trembling hands. The sensation of clean, milky-white skin could be felt.

Although the burn from that time had completely healed, the horrific memory still lingered, leaving scars deep in her heart.

Perhaps, it was a burn scar that would never heal in her lifetime.

The reason she always enjoyed diving deep into the water might be because of that past.

When she swam, it felt as if the unhealed burn scars were being washed away from her heart.

After taking off her swimsuit and entering the shower booth, she let the water run quietly. Her swollen face reflected back at her from the mirror.

It was the price she paid for shedding countless tears last night.

"Has it still not subsided..."

She tried to recall the memoir titled "Dear Mother" by Baek Yu-Seol but quickly shook her head to forget about it.

After finishing her shower and returning to the dormitory, she dressed neatly in her school uniform and turned her attention to the vanity.

There were various high-end cosmetics, but she rarely used them.

But today, she felt a bit... no, very plain. She thought it was all because of those detestable commoners as she sat down at the vanity.

She tapped the blush that she never had on her cheek and sighed.

What was she hoping for? It was her own fault.

As she did a little touch-up on her face, and her gaze fell on her hair.

At the ends of her hair, there was a very faint hint of red. It was so faint that it could only be seen under the light...

It was a change that caught her attention.

…

After quickly finishing her makeup, she checked that there was still some time before class and headed towards the classroom bulletin board.

It was time to choose a team for the Persona Gate.

Some practice gates were already full, indicating that many students had finished their applications. However, there were still some practice gates with available spots.

"Hmm..."

She slowly looked through the list of applications for the practice gates.

[Team A-3]

[Hamilla, Amila, Karujin...]

Hamilla and Amila, the sisters of Team A-3.

Hamilla from 2nd year Class S and Amila from 1st year Class S had a high chance of successfully breaking through the gate together.

Unfortunately, their positions overlapped.

Just like Hong Bi-Yeon, if she were to target the same gate as the girls who mainly used firepower-based magic, they would only end up competing against each other and reducing each other's scores.

[Team B-6]

*[Poong Harang, Delano, Pachae Ryeong...]

Here, a student named Poong Harang caught her eye. He was a 1st year Class S knight, known for using aggressive and predatory wind-based magic, unlike the composed and suppressing magic used by Knight Mayuseong.

Honestly, he wasn't a reliable knight. From the perspective of a priest, he fought too recklessly, making it burdensome.

Other mages were said to be fascinated by Poong Harang's beast-like appearance, and he had a massive number of followers, but anyway, she couldn't understand it.

Apart from that, there was Kyle, ranked 17th in Class A, who efficiently utilized strategy and tactics, and Haewonryang from Class S.

She was slightly drawn to the gate they belonged to, but as soon as she discovered another list, all those thoughts came to a halt.

[Team C-7]

[Edna, Eisel... and Baek Yu-Seol.]

'… They're here again.'

Strangely enough, that boy, Baek Yu-Seol seemed to follow Eisel everywhere.

Recently, it seemed like Eisel and Baek Yu-Seol had formed a club together. They often ate meals together, and their schedules overlapped quite a bit. They would frequently end up in the same group for team projects or during practice sessions, so at that point, Hong Bi-Yeon was convinced that there was some kind of relationship between them.

It made Hong Bi-Yeon quite uncomfortable.

Of all people, it had to be Eisel from the Morph family.

Baek Yu-Seol was an intriguing talent in his own right, so if by any chance he fell into Eisel's hands, it could be troublesome to retrieve him.

With that thought in mind, Hong Bi-Yeon quickly made her gate selection.

[5th ranked in 1st year Class S, Hong Bi-Yeon]

"You have chosen the C-7 training site."

'Yes, done.'

She stood there with a satisfied expression. This action didn't hold any significant meaning.

It was simply an effort as a princess to recruit more capable talents for her kingdom.

The day of the gate training had arrived.

All the 1st-year students gathered in Stella Dome.

Stella Dome had the shape of a vast field with gold scattered throughout its space.

That was the Persona Gate, or to be more specific, an opening to the space itself that led to the Persona Gate.

It gave off an eerie feeling.

All those numerous Persona Gates were nothing but fakes for training, except for C-7.

Edna took a deep breath. 'Phew, I'm nervous…'

There were countless hardships faced by Eisel in the original romance fantasy novel.

With no one to help her and everyone opposing her, she must overcome the real Persona Gate.

But now, it was okay.

Eisel wasn't alone anymore.

Edna caught a glimpse of Baek Yu-Seol.

By his side stood Mayuseong, with a calm and composed aura.

"It's a shame. I wanted to go to the same gate."

"Stick to your place."

"Still, it's fortunate. We decided to make a bet at the same gate as Haewonryang."

"Do you know you're seriously addicted to gambling?"

"Haha, really? I can bet money on the fact that I'm not addicted to gambling."

"Crazy bastard."

From the conversation between the two, it seemed that the story of Haewonryang and Mayuseong making a bet was progressing as planned.

Here, Mayuseong probably contributed more to defeating the demon boss, but Haewonryang received a much higher score.

While Mayuseong might have the immediate advantage in pure combat power, Haewonryang took the lead in leading people and devising strategies.

The greatest combat mage, Mayuseong.

The greatest strategic mage, Haewonryang.

That fact was taken for granted in the "original novel."

However, this world was not the original novel.

A very significant variable named Baek Yu-Seol had intervened.

'Hmm…'

That thought crossed her mind.

Even with Baek Yu-Seol's existence, could Mayuseong and Haewonryang truly reign supreme in their respective fields?

His intellect had already surpassed Haewonryang's, and his individual abilities were considered to be on par with Mayuseong's.

A knight who possessed both martial and literary skills.

'He seems like a character that would only appear in a romance fantasy.'

As Edna thought about it, she felt a wave of amusement, and a hollow laugh escaped her mouth.

"Now, everyone, please move to your designated positions!"

The assistants busily directed the students to their respective gates.

Edna noticed a familiar friend who was quietly waiting in front of the C-7 gate and approached her.

"Jecky, we're in the same group, right? Let's do our best."

"..."

Edna tried talking to Jecky, a tall girl with short black hair that resembled her, but she only briefly made eye contact and turned her head without saying a word.

Edna looked at her with a bewildered expression.

'What an attitude.'

Jecky had been unusually quiet, even pushing away the commoner friends she usually hung out with.

When Edna asked others for a reason, they could only respond with frustration and ignorance.

"I don't know. I'm getting annoyed by her too. I'm just trying to avoid her."

"She probably thinks she's awesome. And she acts so snobbish towards me. What a pain. Didn't she act like the boss until you arrived?"

"Why do you care so much about her?"

"Ugh, Edna, you're unnecessarily kind."

In truth, as Edna listened to her friends' words, her annoyance level reached its limit.

'I wish I could just pretend not to know or care about Baek Yu-Seol's words…'

But for some reason, her instincts vehemently warned her not to leave Jecky alone.

"Now, starting from now, even the first-year students will begin their Persona Gate training."

"All students, please enter the Persona Gate."

It was time.

Edna and the students of Team C-7 stood in front of the Persona Gate, and the assistant activated the gate.

Whoosh!

As their bodies were slowly sucked into the gate, a strange sensation that felt like the world was collapsing swept over them.

Clank! Clank!

The sound of collision echoed.

Lalalala!

Along with strange mechanical singing.

When they opened their eyes, the vast field of Stella Dome had disappeared without a trace, replaced by a grand mansion welcoming Edna.

"Welcome to the Aeron Banquet."

In front of her, a butler bowed and greeted her.

That was right.

This was the Persona Gate, a world separate from reality but it resembled reality so closely that even the wisest mages could get lost and become part of a fairy tale.

It was a very dangerous place.

She must remember.

'The person in front of me may seem real, but I have to be cautious.'

With that in mind, Edna took a deep breath.

By now, other mages would be analyzing the patterns of the Persona Gate, trying to identify keywords. And the discovered keywords would be lined up in order to literally 'guide' them on how to clear the Persona Gate.

But, Edna didn't bother with that.

"I wonder if my dress and shoes are ready."

With her head held high, she spoke confidently, and the butler nodded in agreement.

"You will surely be pleased. Allow me to guide you to the dressing room."

Without delay, he led Edna into a luxurious dressing room, followed by four maidservants.

The Masquerade of temptation.

She already knew how to break through this place, but she didn't need to step forward. As the protagonist, Eisel would cleanly conquer the Persona Gate.

Her role here was clear: To minimize the friction between Hong Bi-Yeon and Eisel. By doing so, they should be able to successfully overcome this episode without any issues.