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 [Chapter 157]

[Noh Eun-ha Squad (4)]

Blaze Clan.

The reason Bae Su-bin came to intern at Blaze Clan, which many students avoided among the many clans, was one.

"Even though the Clan Lord here is eccentric, they say he's unrivaled when it comes to magic handling fire..."

The person who finally reached the position of Twelve Zodiac using the gift of <Flame Flower>.

<Flame Demon> Kang Hyeon-cheol.

Because it was a clan created by such a person, most clan members used magic handling fire.

This meant there were many opportunities to see various magics and flames manifested in the world.

That was why she came to intern at Blaze Clan, which students were reluctant to apply to despite her high grades.

"...Ugh...!"

"Su-bin, you're slow! More, more, more! Right now you haven't even brought out 30% of the power you can exert! So you can't give up here!"

"...Urgh...!"

"Muscles! Don't! Lie!"

"Sh..."

"The brain! Also! Has! Muscles! Come on! More! More! You can still do it!"

But ideal and reality are different.

Actually coming to intern at Blaze Clan, she felt like cursing.

Though she perfectly carried out given tasks and received praise from clan members.

Even after work hours ended, she couldn't go home and had to do personal training with clan members.

If only personal training time was useful for learning new magic, I wouldn't curse...!

The Blaze Clan members said.

Magic originates from the mind.

Therefore, the mind must be trained.

And to do that, muscles must be trained.

The mind also has muscles.

"One more! Let's do one more!"

"Su-bin, you can do it! Go go!"

"Shibaaal...!!"

At first she was enticed by the clan members' explanation, but belatedly realized how nonsensical it was.

To create one more wrinkle in the brain, you have to train the body.

Bae Su-bin cursed up a storm.

But the Blaze Clan members were people who had been through thick and thin─.

"─Haha! That's right! You have to push yourself to the point of cursing!"

"What kind of curse is that? You'll learn much worse curses once you join here."

"...Kuhup...!!"

The clan members laughed heartily.

They cleverly promoted the clan while trying to recruit her.

Of course, Bae Su-bin gave them the double middle finger.

Nevertheless, the clan members were happy, saying a new recruit full of fighting spirit had come after a long time.

Damn, this is frustrating...!

But strangely enough.

Bae Su-bin felt that her magic casting speed had become relatively faster after receiving PT from the Blaze Clan members.

Above all, she gained muscle.

Since a mage's weakness was stamina.

She, who occasionally managed her physical condition, was surprised by the changes that occurred in 2 weeks.

"See! It works when you listen to us, right?"

"Forget it, hurry up and teach me magic. More importantly, why does the Clan Lord never show his face?"

"The Clan Lord is now.... He got scolded by the Fairy Lady again recently, so he's in the mental training room now."

"Mental training room?"

"The Great Library in the Mana Management Organization. The Fairy Lady often scolds him to read books and gain some culture."

The training was still terrible, but.

Come to think of it, Blaze Clan's training was surprisingly systematic.

It could be said to be several times better than being worked to death by Eun-ha.

Meanwhile, she wanted to see <Flame Demon> Kang Hyeon-cheol's magic with her own eyes.

"─You said your name was Bae Su-bin? Alright, good! I'll show you clearly why I'm called <Flame Demon>!"

"...Isn't that dangerous? It looks like he'll burn down another house."

"Is he trying to show that he's called <Flame Demon> because he burns down other people's houses?"

"Did you contact the fire department? And someone bring the administrator inside. He'll collapse from high blood pressure again at this rate."

Somehow time passed.

Kang Hyeon-cheol, who had been under probation from the Mana Management Organization, was released.

Kang Hyeon-cheol warmly welcomed Bae Su-bin of the Noh Eun-ha squad.

Then he snapped his fingers as she had wanted all along and burned down the surrounding area.

Mountain Spirit's Eyes

Bae Su-bin used the magic imbued in her newly fitted glasses.

Magic that could see the flow of mana.

She wanted to see how Kang Hyeon-cheol used magic.

Soon, Bae Su-bin observed Kang Hyeon-cheol unleashing magic and─.

"─He's as stupid as Pa-rang oppa. How is he still alive using magic so recklessly?"

Bae Su-bin was dumbfounded.

Kang Hyeon-cheol's way of using magic was incredibly crude.

In other words, there was nothing for her to learn from Kang Hyeon-cheol.

If there was one thing, it was the lesson that if you want to live long, don't use magic like Kang Hyeon-cheol.

"Why is he the owner of the <Flame Flower> gift..."

Su-bin clicked her tongue, feeling relative deprivation.

Meanwhile, Kang Hyeon-cheol committed arson as if celebrating going outside the clan hall after a long time.

Of course, they said they reported in advance.

But fire tends to spread.

In the end, the fire blazing in the designated area spread to the building next door.

Then clan members immediately rushed out to start firefighting─.

"─K-Kang Hyeon-cheol, you son of a bitch...! How many times do I have to tell you before you understand!!"

"Administrator! Supporter! Is there no supporter here!? The administrator collapsed again!"

"We told him to stay inside the hall..."

It was truly a hopeless clan.

Bae Su-bin regretted her past self who chose Blaze Clan.

☆

<Swift Sword> Byun Ji-seong's duel request.

And Noh Eun-ha's provocation of "Shall I teach you a thing or two?"

The Regulus Clan members present murmured among themselves.

"Isn't that a bit disrespectful no matter what?"

"What manners. Byun Ji-seong picked the fight first."

"Even so, this isn't right towards a senior."

"Why? If you're upset, you should fight. Honestly, you all disliked him too. He's been acting all high and mighty since becoming one of the Seven Lions, and he's been getting angry at the slightest things since losing to Yeon-hwa."

The Regulus Clan members' opinions were largely divided into two.

One was that Noh Eun-ha was arrogant. This was because the Regulus Clan members were thinking on the premise that Eun-ha would join their clan someday.

They say skill is everything for players.

But when belonging to the same clan, there were rules to follow within the group, and people who didn't follow the rules could potentially break down the group's discipline.

And the other was that they felt refreshed by Eun-ha's attitude.

Most of them were people who had suffered from Byun Ji-seong's tyranny.

"By the way, shouldn't someone stop this? That Ji-seong guy doesn't seem to have seen anything."

"Leave him be. He's determined to embarrass himself."

On the other hand, their attitudes were mostly the same.

Having seen Yeon-hwa and Eun-ha's match just earlier, they were somewhat predicting Byun Ji-seong's defeat.

Of course, there were also some who were half in doubt.

"But you don't know until you try, right? He said he won't use magic. Then it's advantageous for Ji-seong."

"No matter how amazing Noh Eun-ha is, he can't beat the senior without using magic or summons."

"Was <Swift Sword> an alias you could get just by swinging a sword well? They say Byun Ji-seong can swing his sword 8 times in 1 second even without using magic?"

But they were just a minority.

Above all, they couldn't refute other people's opinions─.

"─Didn't you hear that Byun Ji-seong was clearly beaten when he dueled Ryu Yeon-hwa? No, didn't you see it?"

"At that time, Byun Ji-seong said he would break Yeon-hwa's arrogant attitude, but he ended up getting badly beaten instead? He was humiliated in front of all the clan members he called..."

"You all saw it earlier too. Noh Eun-ha beating Ryu Yeon-hwa who had crushed Byun Ji-seong."

"How could Byun Ji-seong be a match for someone who can go toe-to-toe with Ryu Yeon-hwa?"

""""..."""""

Even those who were half in doubt had to shut their mouths at those words.

They too had seen Noh Eun-ha's skills.

They had confirmed with their own eyes that <Quick-witted > Noh Eun-ha was indeed not just someone with many rumors.

Therefore─.

"─What should we do about the senior..."

"I feel a bit sorry for him... Last time I saw him, he tried to challenge Yeon-hwa again but got badly beaten and seemed to be crying in a corner..."

"If only he had come 1 minute earlier. Then he wouldn't have even said he wanted to duel Noh Eun-ha..."

At this moment.

The Regulus Clan members expressed condolences to Byun Ji-seong.

But Byun Ji-seong, who knew nothing, had gotten on the dueling ground and was discussing duel rules with Eun-ha.

It was just then─.

"─It's the Clan Lord."

"The Clan Lord showed up."

"How did he come here?"

Regulus Clan Lord Gu Yeon-su.

For some reason, he had come to the underground training room.

Then they discovered.

Han Chang-jin standing like a shadow next to Gu Yeon-su.

Only then could the clan members clearly grasp the situation.

"Chang-jin ratted them out."

"Han Chang-jin snitched."

"Oh my, that... He wasn't even here... How did he know?"

This is why we can't have secret conversations anywhere.

The clan members clicked their tongues and welcomed the approaching Clan Lord.

"C-Clan Lord. Welcome."

"I heard something interesting happened?"

""""..."""""

Gu Yeon-su chuckled.

The clan members shut their mouths.

He looked playful on the outside.

But they knew well that their Clan Lord wasn't actually such a playful person.

"Why isn't anyone saying anything? I came knowing everything."

""""..."""""

There was a saying in Regulus Clan that even Gu Yeon-su didn't know.

That the reason Gu Yeon-su's eyes were squinted was because his insides were pitch black.

Also, that a lion is still a lion even when it smiles.

Gu Yeon-su strictly maintained the clan's discipline behind his playful mask.

So the clan members could easily guess Gu Yeon-su's true intentions.

Byun Ji-seong is dead...

All the clan members thought so.

Sure enough.

When the answers coming from the clan members were unsatisfactory.

Gu Yeon-su, as if he had lost interest, soon turned his gaze to Byun Ji-seong.

"Hmm..."

He opened his squinted eyes.

Then he let out a groan as if measuring something.

"─I believe I told you all. Not to lay a hand on people related to Noh Eun-ha, especially Noh Eun-ha. Didn't you hear?"

""""We heard!!""""

"So you people who heard that just watched as that Byun Ji-seong picked a fight with Eun-ha?"

""""..."""""

"You seem to take my words lightly."

""""We don't!!""""

When Gu Yeon-su spoke softly.

The clan members who were suddenly at attention answered loudly.

They knew well how scary Gu Yeon-su could be when he occasionally tried to discipline them, even though his basic policy was to leave clan members alone.

"Hah..., alright, fine. If there's any fault, it's only watching. The real fault lies not with you, but with Byun Ji-seong over there."

""""..."""""

Gu Yeon-su, who had cowed the clan members.

Soon he sighed and turned his head back to Byun Ji-seong.

"I've been increasingly displeased with how you keep disobeying my words... This time you've directly disobeyed me?"

""""..."""""

"Should I kill that or not?"

The clan members were silent.

Gu Yeon-su seemed to be in thought.

"─Right, that'll do."

Gu Yeon-su's deliberation wasn't long.

It was a swift decision, as if he had been considering it.

"If Byun Ji-seong wins, we'll pretend this never happened."

""""..."""""

"If he loses, we'll strip him of his Seven Lions position, and take back his executive position too."

""""...!!""""

Gu Yeon-su opened his mouth as if for the clan members to hear.

The clan members were greatly shocked.

Meanwhile─.

"─I'll fix that attitude of yours."

The duel began.

☆

Turning back time, the day before.

Late at night, Han Chang-jin didn't go home and had a private meeting with Regulus Clan Lord Gu Yeon-su.

"Hmm.... So that's how it is?"

"Yes. When I checked through my connections, Bebe turned out to be an alias."

"Chang-jin, you had other friends besides Eun-ah and Yeon-hwa? What connections?"

"..."

"Sorry, I'm joking. Don't be so serious, lighten up. Anyway, it means Bebe's identity was forged.... If even the academy couldn't notice, they must have greased quite a few palms?"

"Not just the academy─."

"─I know too. There are people on our side who've been bribed now too. Quite impressive lobbying."

Gu Yeon-su opened his squinted eyes.

Chang-jin flinched involuntarily when he saw the fierce light in those narrow pupils.

"Yes, that's right. The problem isn't just Bebe."

Han Chang-jin gathered himself and nodded.

It was something only a few clan members knew.

Han Chang-jin occasionally performed espionage roles for Regulus Clan.

I was told not to get involved with <Madam >...

But how could I stay still when she's monitoring Eun-ha.

After learning Bebe's true identity.

Han Chang-jin started monitoring her to prevent her from making any rash moves towards Eun-ha.

This caused some absurd rumors to arise within the clan.

But he boldly threw away his reputation to protect Eun-ha.

Then he judged that he could no longer leave Bebe alone like this and took action.

Considering <Madam >'s influence..., I can't confront her directly.

Instead I have to attack from a different angle.

What Chang-jin had been worrying about was how to interfere with <Madam > without causing harm to Eun-ha and himself.

If he carelessly interfered with her mission, he could be harmed by <Madam >'s influence or incur the enmity of her employers.

So he decided to restrain <Madam > through other means.

By using Regulus Clan Lord Gu Yeon-su.

"These guys turn into mice forgetting they're lion cubs if you give them just a little slack."

Chang-jin informed Gu Yeon-su that Bebe's identity was forged.

 At the same time, Chang-jin informed him that there were clan members who had colluded with her in some way.

Then Gu Yeon-su grumbled with an unpleasant tone.

"I was planning to set a date soon to purge those little rats anyway.... But they even brought in someone from the dark side? These guys have gone too far."

"..."

Those were the eyes of a lion.

Eyes ready to begin the hunt.

Han Chang-jin felt as if he had become prey.

That's how fierce the gaze was.

Soon Gu Yeon-su tapped on the desk and opened his mouth.

"─We must kill the little rats."

"..."

"Of course, after making them vomit up everything inside their stomachs."

Regulus Clan Lord Gu Yeon-su.

He was someone who didn't hesitate even to purge when necessary.

Not just him.

All Clan Lords would be like that.

Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to stay in that position for long.