Chapter 326: One of the Two Will Die (7)

How strange.

The sound of a heartbeat echoed loudly. I couldn’t tell if it was hers or mine.

Maybe… it was both.

“……”

“……”

Although the blood-freezing cold ruled Antarctica year-round, the room felt warm. She was sitting next to me on the bed, hugging one knee with her chin resting on it.

Media’s hair slid down her slender leg, glistening as if treated with castor oil.

She kept fanning herself as if to hide the blush on her cheeks, and her gaze—lost and uncertain—held a tenderness capable of disarming anyone.

Media had been my teacher during my student days. And now being in this situation with her, how should I put it? From a moral standpoint… Well, I already had two wives.

I’ve said it many times—trying to apply Earth’s moral standards here simply doesn’t make sense. These days, the rare thing was not legally allowing polygamy or polyandry.

‘It was because of the Second Great Human-Demon War, which drastically reduced the population of heroes.’

As a temporary solution, this world approved the multi-marriage system. Call it a revolutionary spirit, maybe?

I shook my head. Suppressing embarrassment with random thoughts was one of my worst habits.

“Are you hot?”

“Ah, no. I’m fine.”

“Hmm.”

I lifted my head awkwardly. Even though the room was spacious, it was also enclosed, so there wasn’t much to look at. I just wanted to avoid her gaze.

I felt like if I didn’t, something irreversible might happen.

And the most surprising part was—she hadn’t even said why she came.

“I heard what happened just a moment ago…”

Media couldn’t hold back any longer and began to speak. Thanks to that, the heavy atmosphere didn’t become even more suffocating.

“I heard you’ll be doing an exchange with Parsy Academy.”

“Ah, yes. That’s right.”

“I knew those kids would stir up trouble, but I didn’t expect them to do it so soon.”

“Everyone’s doing their best not to tarnish Joaquin’s reputation.”

“You have Ryozo and Abel. They’ll handle it well.”

Media shrugged.

“The director over there, is it Parsy? That guy confessed to me like ten times when we were young. He even proposed to me.”

“The director?”

I was surprised, and Media turned her face toward me. She was smiling with her cheek resting on her knee.

“What? Is the generation gap that shocking? I’m telling you, that pot-bellied old man proposed to me.”

“Ah, no… I don’t doubt it.”

At least for the Ancients, the concept of a generation gap didn’t apply. Their longevity far surpassed even that of heroes, who lived on average 150 years.

Biologically speaking, Media was just over twenty.

‘She’s younger than me.’

Just as Earth’s moral standards no longer applied here, neither did my prejudices or preconceived notions.

“And besides, I’m not a director anymore, but you keep calling me that. Why? Are you trying to put distance between us?”

The physical distance between us was just about two handspans. Just enough that our pinkies could almost touch.

‘This woman is going to drive me insane…’

If you asked me if I had a first love since arriving in this world, my answer would be yes.

And that person was, without a doubt, Media.

‘Although at first I was drawn to the girls in the game for their beauty—that’s why I started playing Miracle Blessing M…’

At the time, it was more like an uncle’s affection for a niece. There were no romantic feelings. I was just a gamer enjoying the game purely.

…Honestly.

Even after being possessed, I didn’t develop any deep emotions for girls my age. There was too big a mental gap.

But Media—she helped me live a fulfilling student life with full dedication. She always came running when something bad happened to me. As a teacher, as a senior, as a protector, she gave everything she had.

“It’s not like I want to keep my distance or anything… really…”

My lips moved clumsily. My thoughts were tangled.

Media waited patiently while I mumbled. A clear smile graced her lips.

‘That smile—she only ever showed it to me.’

Her second nickname was “The Tyrant.”

They said she played favorites with me.

But then I became the protagonist of the Second Great Human-Demon War.

And with that, not only was Media vindicated, but her standing as an educator rose even higher.

‘How could I not fall for her after everything she did for me?’

In my past life and in this one, I was an orphan.

What a cruel joke from fate. And yet, it was my teachers who pulled me out of the abyss and brought me into the light.

‘In my past life, it was Balor Joaquin.’

In this life, that deadly beauty is Media.

I don’t know whether my feelings for her as a teacher are respect or affection.

That’s how emotions are. They can’t be neatly divided into simple definitions. The dynamics of feelings are like a spiral dance—coming close, then pulling away.

‘If it were that simple, I would’ve already abandoned my humanity and ascended to godhood.’

And then the end would never have come.

But Yu Sein never pressured me to give up my humanity.

On the contrary, he implied that I should remain a lukewarm, imperfect human. If Media knew the whole truth—

‘She would’ve probably said the same thing.’

Though with a much more intense reaction. When it comes to me, she just can’t help herself. I was moved by that Media.

I’m not good with words, so I struggle to express myself well.

I’ve heard of “siscon,” “brocon,” and “fathercon”… but is there a “teachercon”? I should look it up on the wiki.

“It’s just that…”

As I tried to sort out my thoughts, I opened my mouth. The only words I managed to get out as I attempted to calm my overflowing emotions were

“…I’m sorry. It’s just a habit.”

That was my level.

“In the end, that’s why habits are so dangerous. Once they take root, they last a lifetime.”

“Does that apply to Ancients too?”

“Of course! They just live longer than humans, but Ancients are people too.”

“Humans… usually don’t refer to others as ‘humans.’”

“Look at this kid! Look at this kid! That’s racism! I’ve raised you wrong!”

“You’re turning your student into a racist?”

Media wrapped her arms around my head and patted it a few times.

The tense atmosphere relaxed a bit.

After a brief struggle, Media loosened her arms. Just as I was carefully trying to pull my head away, her hands suddenly grabbed my cheeks.

Our eyes met at very close range. In a position where it felt like her words were going to stab directly into my retina, Media opened her mouth.

“It’s you, Geom-Ma.”

“…Excuse me?”

“The one who saved our Ancient ancestor from the angels.”

Ah.

My vision trembled for a moment.

An intense déjà vu sensation shook my brain. It was because Media’s image overlapped with that of her ancestor, Mesther.

“The Poet’s Blessing isn’t really about seeing the future.”

That was the first time I’d heard that.

In Miracle Blessing M, that blessing wasn’t explained in such detail. It was just one of many.

“Ancients live far longer than humans. So, the density of each individual life is immense.”

With my cheeks still caught, I managed to nod slightly.

“The Poet’s Blessing is inheriting the memories of our ancestors. And from those memories, reviewing all of humanity’s history to foresee the future as close to reality as possible.”

“A kind of déjà vu, right? But a more accurate version.”

Media smiled, as if she liked my comparison.

“You always underestimate yourself, but you were an exceptional student. I’m human too. That’s why I used to think maybe it was just favoritism…”

“…”

“…During the research I did with my father, we took the Poet’s Blessing to its limit. And in the process, my memories regressed back to our ancestor…”

I shuddered.

Media looked at me with a deep gaze and continued.

“And there you were. Saving our ancestor from the angels.”

“….”

“I’m not going to ask you for details. I just want you to know that I understood something—that you, Geom-Ma, possess reasons and powers even I can’t comprehend. And if that’s an accomplishment, then it’s mine.”

“Thank you for understanding me.”

“No, I’m the one who should thank you.”

Media brought my face closer to hers.

I tilted my head slightly downward.

“Thank you for saving my ancestor. And also… thank you in advance. Because I know you’ll stop the approaching apocalypse too.”

She then stroked my cheeks.

“And more than anything, thank you for being my student. That’s what I’m most grateful for.”

Then our lips touched.

A transparent string lingered between us when they parted.

The bluish light coming from outside reflected off that suspended curve.

Dazed, I sat there with a muddled gaze. Soon after, I coughed awkwardly and looked at Media.

She avoided my eyes and stood up from the bed.

Before leaving the room, her hand—reluctant to go—grasped the doorknob several times before letting it go.

And with her back turned to me, she spoke.

Ah.

Mmm.

Ugh.

Now what do I do?

I messed up, didn’t I?

“Let’s leave the next step for after the world is saved.”

A delayed but intense feeling of anxiety crept in.

“Are you worried that Ryozo and Abel will find out?”

Seems like her emotions were tangled too.

Media turned her head slightly and gave me a mischievous smile.

“So what if they do? What does it matter? After all…”

She was right.

Even if they found out—

‘Hmmm.’

Even if by a one-in-a-million chance…

If they happened to discover it by accident—

– One of them would die. Hmmm.

***

The father-daughter duo from Poison believed it was still too early to announce the apocalypse.

Not only was there little clear evidence, but if they were labeled as conspiracy theorists during an era of peace, their voices could lose strength later on.

“Still, I have no intention of causing a commotion like Joaquin did. As soon as we have conclusive proof, I plan to make the announcement right after consulting with you, Heavenly Sword.”

“Gathering evidence will take some time. Maybe I’m assuming too much, but I don’t think the apocalypse is coming tomorrow—although that might be a naive assumption too—so I’ll try to move as fast as possible. So you go home immediately! What will we do if we get caught up in a scandal because of you?!”

It didn’t quite sound like something someone who had just burned down their own house would say. In any case, I couldn’t resist the pressure from the Ancient duo, so I headed straight to Joaquin Academy at dawn.

I was on edge the entire way.

There were moments when weak thoughts crossed my mind, like changing course and hiding somewhere else.

But then I felt pathetic for even thinking that—was I always someone who ran from things?

In the end, I gathered my courage and entered my home—Joaquin Academy—with my head held high.

The golden time was short. Without wasting a second, I headed straight to the director’s office.

“I’ve arriv—”

Was it intentional? Just inside the director’s office, it seemed a small reunion of old acquaintances had just begun.

Leon and Speedweapon were there again. When those two get together, something bad almost always happens.

“You came?”

“We were waiting for you.”

“……”

I was expecting a cold reception.

But both Ryozo and his wife greeted me with the warmest expressions possible. It scared me.

I thought I should run away immediately. I started seriously regretting coming back so casually.

Then I felt a presence behind me.

“…!”

I lowered my gaze slightly and saw a pretty crown of hair. The color swirled around her cowlick.

‘Black?’

As if day and night were reversing, the black faded and was replaced by white.

A girl I had never seen before peeked her head out and looked at me playfully.

Then, she tilted her neck like a deer.

She blinked slowly with her black lashes. Then, she opened her mouth, slowly.

“Oppa.”

The air turned warm in an instant.

…Something, something was very wrong.

What the hell had happened while I was gone?