Episode 18: Return to the Demon Academy
Swish. Swish. Swish.
Yeon-jin was sweeping the courtyard with a stiff broom, his movements mechanical and devoid of spirit. Cadets passing by cast sidelong glances at him, whispering among themselves.
Yeon-jin couldn’t bring himself to lift his head. The humiliation was suffocating, threatening to drive him mad. In his mind, he wanted nothing more than to strike down every cadet who dared to look at him with disdain.
“It’s unfair. It’s so unfair. This is unjust!”
The memory of the dark arts Sa Bi-gang had displayed the previous night haunted him. It was anything but orthodox martial arts. Yet, why hadn’t the Demon Detection Seal reacted? Could it be that the headmaster hadn’t actually marked Sa Bi-gang’s forehead? But why would he do that? The headmaster was a stickler for rules, always prioritizing regulations above all else. What reason could he possibly have to protect a demon?
Yeon-jin had seen it clearly himself—the headmaster’s fingertip touching Sa Bi-gang’s forehead. So, was the Demon Detection Seal faulty? What if it was a fake? Could it be that Cheon Se-myung had deliberately…?
Yeon-jin shook his head vigorously. No, Cheon Se-myung wouldn’t do such a thing. He had no reason to. After all, Yeon-jin had been nothing but loyal.
“Right, there’s no way Chief Cheon would do that. But then again, I have no proof to trust him either. No, I mustn’t doubt without reason.”
Muttering to himself like a man possessed, Yeon-jin swept the same spot over and over again. A group of cadets passing by snickered at the sight.
Their laughter pierced Yeon-jin’s heart like a dagger.
“You little brats! How dare you mock an instructor!”
Yeon-jin suddenly raised his head and growled. The cadets, sensing his anger, quickly moved on, though two of them continued to smirk at him. One of them was none other than Gok Bo-ok.
Yeon-jin glared at Gok Bo-ok and shouted, “You insolent brat! How dare you look an instructor in the eye and laugh!”
“Instructor? Where’s the instructor here?” Gok Bo-ok feigned confusion, glancing around as if searching for someone.
Yeon-jin clenched his fists, trembling with rage. “This young punk dares to belittle me?”
Gok Bo-ok, unfazed, looked at Yeon-jin and exclaimed, “Oh, I’m sorry. We young folks adapt quickly to new environments. I almost forgot you were once an instructor, now that you’re just a menial worker. Please forgive my oversight, senior.”
“What? Menial worker… senior?”
Yeon-jin was on the verge of losing his mind. But he knew that if he laid a hand on a cadet, his career would be over. As he trembled with anger, Gok Bo-ok continued, “You’re shaking. Are you unwell?”
“Get lost.”
“Excuse me?”
“I said, get lost. Before I kill you.”
“Oh dear, if you threaten cadets like that, how can we feel safe here? I haven’t even said anything wrong. And threatening a cadet? If I report this…”
“You little…!”
Unable to hold back any longer, Yeon-jin swung his fist. Even in his rage, he refrained from using his full strength, knowing that a direct hit could be fatal for the unprepared cadet. He couldn’t afford the consequences of such an action.
But then—
Whoosh!
His fist, slicing through the air, was suddenly caught mid-flight. Gok Bo-ok’s eyes widened in shock, and Yeon-jin’s face twisted in disbelief.
“Who dares…!”
As his last shred of reason snapped, he turned his head sharply.
“You… you!”
Yeon-jin’s eyes widened in horror. It was Sa Bi-gang who had caught his fist with a bare hand, looking at him with a cold smile.
“What do you think you’re doing to the cadets?”
Gok Bo-ok, equally surprised by the unexpected turn of events, muttered in disbelief, “When did you get here…?”
Sa Bi-gang turned to Gok Bo-ok and said icily, “Get lost. Unless you want to get hurt.”
“Are you threatening a cadet now?”
“Threatening? I’m advising.”
“Advising… what a joke…”
“Want me to make it so you can’t even laugh?”
Sa Bi-gang’s expression hardened, and Gok Bo-ok swallowed nervously. There was something about that gaze that made his knees weak. It was far more terrifying than Yeon-jin’s furious shouting.
In the end, Gok Bo-ok averted his eyes and retreated.
“Tch!”
As he clicked his tongue and walked away, Yeon-jin shook off Sa Bi-gang’s hand with a scowl.
“Let go of me!”
“No matter how angry you are, you shouldn’t lay hands on the cadets.”
“Hmph! The cadets’ rudeness is due to their instructor’s poor guidance, isn’t it? Those special class brats are all the same!”
“Hahaha.”
“What’s so funny?”
“Isn’t it amusing? You were the one who organized the special class, and now you’re blaming me.”
Yeon-jin flinched and glared at Sa Bi-gang, growling lowly, “Don’t get cocky. I saw you using dark arts.”
“Dark arts, you say…”
Sa Bi-gang trailed off, extending his senses to scan the surroundings. Then, with a smirk, he conjured a dark, swirling orb in his palm.
Crackle! Sizzle!
The orb pulsed with intense energy, its surface wrapped in a sinister black aura. Yeon-jin’s eyes widened in horror.
“You… you really are using dark arts!”
He recoiled instinctively, his body trembling. The memory of being overpowered by dark arts was still fresh, and his face turned pale.
He glanced around frantically, but there was no one in sight.
Sa Bi-gang approached with a bemused smile. “Or perhaps you mean this?”
With a flick of his wrist, a fiery spear materialized in his hand.
“Gah!”
Yeon-jin gasped, stumbling backward. It was the same fiery spear Sa Bi-gang had used against him that night.
“What… what are you?”
“Who knows? What do you think I am?”
“You really are a demon!”
“Not entirely wrong.”
“You… I’ll expose your true identity to the world…!”
Yeon-jin’s words were cut off as he stumbled and fell, landing on his backside.
Crackle!
A dark sphere formed before his eyes, the same energy that had exploded in front of him that night.
Sa Bi-gang, with a chilling smile, looked at Yeon-jin and said, “Boom!”
“Ahhh!”
Yeon-jin screamed, covering his head and cowering. But when nothing happened, he slowly raised his head.
Sa Bi-gang was laughing, covering his mouth with his hand.
Yeon-jin’s face flushed with embarrassment as he jumped to his feet, shouting, “Enough! This is the Yongcheon Academy under the Justice Alliance!”
“Who said otherwise?”
“You just used dark arts right in front of me!”
“When did I?”
Sa Bi-gang’s expression was one of genuine confusion, and Yeon-jin’s eyes bulged in disbelief.
“You’re lying again!”
Just then, a group of people rounded the corner of the building. It was Cheon Se-myung and his close aides.
Yeon-jin’s face lit up as he rushed toward Cheon Se-myung. “Chief Cheon! You’re just in time!”
Cheon Se-myung glanced at Yeon-jin with a look of discomfort, clearing his throat awkwardly. “Ahem! Ahem!”
Instructor Deung stepped in front of Yeon-jin, asking, “What’s going on, Instructor Yeon?”
“That guy just used dark arts again!”
Yeon-jin shouted, his eyes fixed on Cheon Se-myung. Cheon Se-myung glanced at Sa Bi-gang, who merely shrugged as if he had no idea what Yeon-jin was talking about.
Cheon Se-myung spoke coldly, “That’s enough, Instructor Yeon.”
“Chief Cheon…?”
“Let’s not discuss this any further.”
“Chief Cheon! Don’t you believe me? That guy really used dark arts right in front of me…!”
“Instructor Yeon!”
Cheon Se-myung’s voice boomed, laced with power, and Yeon-jin flinched, falling silent.
Cheon Se-myung stared at Yeon-jin and said, “This matter is settled. Don’t disgrace yourself further.”
“Chief Cheon…”
“And Instructor Sa.”
Cheon Se-myung approached Sa Bi-gang, who wore a look of feigned concern.
“Instructor Yeon’s delusions are becoming a serious issue.”
“Hmph! Whether it’s a delusion or reality, I haven’t confirmed it myself. But you should be careful not to overstep.”
“Overstep? I was merely on my way out when I encountered Instructor Yeon.”
“Be cautious.”
“Thank you for your concern.”
Sa Bi-gang bowed slightly and turned away. Cheon Se-myung watched him go, his body tense, eyes fixed on Sa Bi-gang’s retreating figure.
Instructor Deung and others approached Cheon Se-myung, engaging him in conversation.
“Feeling quite full of yourself, aren’t you?”
“Are you just going to let him be?”
Cheon Sae-myung muttered as if spitting out the words.
“Of course not. I’m assigning the new assistant instructor to the special class.”
“Who is it?”
When Cheon Sae-myung murmured softly, the instructors’ eyes widened in surprise.
“Is that true?”
“If that’s the case, even Sabi-gang won’t be able to hold out much longer.”
Sabi-gang slowly opened his eyes, waking from a nap on a tree branch in the forest.
Stretching, he leapt down from the branch with ease.
“If you’re not planning an assassination, you’d better come out.”
Who was he talking to?
No sooner had he finished speaking than a breeze rustled, and a figure emerged from beneath the tree.
Hong-yeom, with his hood pulled low, bowed his head.
“Assassination? Not at all.”
“Heh. Well, unless I can see inside your mind, I wouldn’t know, would I? Someone I know once said never to trust humans.”
Hong-yeom’s face turned pale as he replied.
“I’ve found the person you mentioned.”
“Took you two extra days.”
“But we did our best!”
Hong-yeom exclaimed, a hint of desperation in his voice.
Sabi-gang responded with a nonchalant expression.
“What matters to me is the result. ‘Doing your best’ is only important to you.”
”…!”
“Well, I’ll let it slide this time. I usually give one chance. But there won’t be a second.”
“Understood, sir.”
“So, what’s the result?”
“It’s Jigi.”
Jigi was one of the locations Sabi-gang had noted down.
Sabi-gang nodded slowly.
“Jigi, huh… It’s farther than I thought. But I suppose it’s good since I need to visit there eventually.”
Having finished his thoughts, Sabi-gang patted Hong-yeom lightly on the shoulder.
“Good work. You can go now.”
“Does this mean you won’t be looking for me anymore?”
“Why say something so cold? Let’s keep in touch and build some rapport.”
As Sabi-gang draped an arm over his shoulder, Hong-yeom’s face turned an alarming shade of white.