Chapter 83: Festival – Encounter (1)

It was past midnight on the second day of the festival.

Knock, knock.

A woman softly knocked on the principal’s office door.

“Come in~.”

Before Media could finish speaking, the door swung open. The woman bowed respectfully at the waist in greeting. Her short, orange hair brushed against her shoulders.

“It’s been a long time, Principal.”

The woman who entered was All Mute, Khan Elizabeth.

She wore a suit with the American flag emblazoned on it, fitting perfectly to her toned figure without a trace of unnecessary fat.

“That’s right! It’s been five years since you graduated, hasn’t it, Ellie?”

Media smiled warmly as she gestured toward a chair beside her. All Mute bowed again politely before taking a seat.

“In any case, welcome. Are you enjoying the festival?”

“Yes, I am.”

“You know, Ellie? You still answer just as stiffly as when you were a student.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“Are you also following current trends? What was that again? ‘Soulless’ or something?”

All Mute frowned slightly.

“Soul? Less?”

She thought over the words in her mind and replied.

“I already have a religion.”

“My goodness! You’re so literal it’s adorable.”

All Mute tilted her head with a perplexed expression. Media sighed and shook her head before returning to the conversation.

“Ellie, you came here because you want to know more about our Kang Geom-Ma, didn’t you?”

“….”

Ellie furrowed her brow slightly as she thought of a face. A black-haired cadet. According to Media, his name was Kang Geom-Ma.

‘…But.’

The “our” that Media had added before his name felt unsettling.

Media had never spoken about a student with such familiarity. In her mint-colored eyes, there was something beyond mere appreciation.

Tap, tap.

Media lightly tapped her temples with her fingers. Ellie let out a sigh, dispersing her thoughts.

“Who exactly is this student called Kang Geom-Ma?”

“Hmm, depends. In what sense are you asking?”

“He can control mental domain.”

A faint trace of hostility flickered in Ellie’s eyes. Media tilted her head.

“Ellie, you can control it innately as well, can’t you? What’s wrong with him being able to do the same?”

“Principal! I didn’t come here to play word games!”

All Mute slammed her hand onto the side table. Immediately, the atmosphere in the office grew heavy.

“Ellie.”

“…!”

Media softly spoke her name.

At the same time, a sharp noise rang out as a crack spread like a chain across the windows behind her.

“You’ve become quite disrespectful since the last time we met, don’t you think?”

Her eyes, half-hidden beneath her lashes, gleamed coldly. Seeing that expression, Ellie’s entire body began to tremble slightly.

It felt as if an invisible weight was crushing her.

Media hadn’t even lifted a finger. She simply sat there, resting her chin on her hand, looking at her. But that alone was enough to make Ellie’s heart pound violently.

After all, Media wasn’t called the Sage just for show.

She was the Tyrant, Media.

Though her relaxed demeanor masked her true power, those who knew her strength never dared to treat her lightly.

Even other Seven-Star Heroes like Changseong and Saki Kojima would break into a cold sweat when Media revealed her true nature.

The fact that the academy’s elder council couldn’t control her was proof of her power.

Ellie could feel it clearly in her very skin.

‘This pressure is overwhelming.’

All Mute swallowed with difficulty. Media watched her for a moment before smiling calmly.

“Are you going to stand there all day?”

“Ah, ah… I apologize.”

Ellie awkwardly sat back down. Finally, Media leaned back against her chair.

“Sorry, I got a bit worked up. Lately, I’ve been stressed out because of that bastard Sieg. I think I’ve become a little sensitive.”

Media smiled bitterly before continuing.

“In any case, I don’t know what rumors you’ve heard about Kang Geom-Ma, but due to my position, I can’t provide you with information on a student. As the principal, I have to treat all students equally.”

“…I understand.”

“Besides, Ellie, do you remember what I used to tell you so many times when you were a student here?”

“What was it?”

“If you’re curious about something, go and find out for yourself! Do you remember?”

Ellie reflected for a moment before nodding.

“Thank you for your time, Principal.”

“Come on, Ellie, don’t be so formal with me. How long do you plan to stay at the academy?”

“I was planning to leave tomorrow at noon, but…”

“Why the rush? It’s a festival! Relax and enjoy it.”

Media waved a carefree hand, dismissing her. Just as Ellie was about to leave, a lingering doubt stopped her.

“Principal.”

“Hmm? Something else?”

Ellie hesitated for a moment before cautiously asking,

“You said you treat all students equally… does that apply to that student as well?”

“Hmm, let’s see. To be honest, our Kang Geom-Ma isn’t just a student to me.”

A peculiar line formed at the corner of Media’s lips.

“He’s more like… a man?”

Clack.

Ellie shut the door without saying another word.

A chilling sensation ran down her spine.

“Kang Geom-Ma… what the hell are you…?”

She murmured as she rubbed her arms, her skin covered in goosebumps.

***

The festival was already coming to an end.

Last night, while resting in my dorm, I organized my thoughts. The past two days had been exhausting.

The image of the club members sweating under the sun kept lingering in my mind.

‘I feel like we’ve spent this festival just working.’

I remembered the original purpose of the festival. It was something we had started for fun, but the unexpected crowd had turned us into tireless workers.

I made a quick decision. Before opening the stall, I gathered the club members.

“Today, we’ll only work until noon. In the afternoon, everyone will have free time. What do you think?”

Hearing my words, the club members’ exhausted faces began to light up with renewed energy.

Even Speedweapon, who had originally been the one to suggest this idea, raised his arms enthusiastically.

‘And to think he was the one who insisted on doing this…’

As soon as we opened the stall one last time, customers started pouring in immediately.

Maybe because it was the last day, the crowd seemed even bigger than the day before.

However, after two days of constant work, the club members had become quite skilled. Plus, the promise of a free afternoon gave them extra energy to push through.

“Kang Geom-Ma.”

Chloe, who was skillfully chopping green onions, called out to me.

By now, she could prepare ingredients with precision without even looking at the cutting board.

It was surprising how someone who had been so clumsy in the kitchen had improved so much in just two days.

“Yes? What is it?”

“Do you have any plans for this afternoon?”

I didn’t have any concrete plans. Maybe I’d wander around the festival or go back to the dorm to rest.

But from the way Chloe was looking at me, it seemed like she wanted to spend time together.

‘Now that I think about it, she’s the one who worked the hardest.’

Chloe had handled most of the kitchen tasks, stepping in for me while I barely worked 50 seconds a day. I had only helped with chopping ingredients in moderation.

Besides, before the festival started, she had mentioned something similar. After thinking for a moment, I replied.

“I don’t have any plans. If you have time, would you like to walk around the festival with me?”

“R-Really!?”

Chloe’s big, round eyes widened even more, as if she couldn’t believe what she had just heard. I nodded with a smile.

“Would that be okay for you?”

“Of course!”

Her cheeks immediately turned red, and her lips trembled slightly.

Then, she refocused on the cutting board.

Slash, slash, slash, slash, slash.

The sound of the knife hitting the cutting board echoed in a nearly hypnotic rhythm. It was like watching a circus act.

It was hard to believe that Chloe had reached this level in just two and a half days. Some customers even started recording her movements on their phones.

‘Chloe has a natural talent for knives.’

As I watched Chloe’s profile, I suddenly felt an intense gaze piercing the back of my neck. I slowly turned around.

Ryozo was staring at me with narrowed eyes and an obviously annoyed expression.

When our eyes met, she pursed her lips tightly and turned away abruptly.

‘What’s her problem now?’

I briefly wondered about the reason for her anger but just shrugged it off. Maybe it was something related to Speedweapon, as usual.

I let out a quiet sigh and continued working. With the end so close, it was easy to get distracted, but I had to stay focused.

‘A chef must serve their customers with dedication until the very last moment.’

That was something my first master always told me.

‘For you, it may just be another customer, but for that person, it’s their first meal here.’

I could almost hear his voice clearly. A faint smile appeared on my lips.

“That man always knew the right things to say.”

I rolled my aching shoulders and kept working.

* * *

Finally, the business was over.

I told the club members to leave the cleaning for tomorrow.

There was only half a day left of the festival, after all. Their response was a unanimous “Yes!”

Everyone stretched, letting out relieved groans, before dispersing to enjoy the festival. Only Ryozo decided to return to the dorm, saying she was too tired.

She had probably been more exhausted from arguing with the journalists over the past two days than from the physical work itself.

‘In the end, mental work is more tiring than physical labor.’

I returned to the dorm. I took a cold shower to wash off the sticky sweat and left quickly.

The reason was simple—my room didn’t have air conditioning, and the inside was hotter than outside. It was… depressing.

I checked my phone for the time. There were about 30 minutes left before my meeting with Chloe.

‘I guess I should wait somewhere.’

I decided to find a place to rest my body. As I moved my legs, a street-side bench under the shade of a tree caught my attention.

It wasn’t far from the meeting spot, and barely anyone was passing by. I sat down on the bench and leaned back.

An unusually cool summer breeze brushed against my cheeks. The humidity was low, so I didn’t feel sticky, which was a relief.

“…This is nice.”

I tilted my head back and closed my eyes. The fresh scent of leaves filled my lungs.

Drowsiness slowly crept in.

I was about to drift off, but I shook off the sleepiness.

‘The meeting time is approaching.’

As I let out a wide yawn, someone stopped in front of me.

It was an old man leaning on a cane. He pointed at the empty space beside me with his cane.

“May I sit here?”

I stared at him for a moment before sliding over to make space. The old man smiled kindly, nodded in gratitude, and took a seat.

For a moment, neither of us said anything. The atmosphere was already quiet, but now it felt even more silent and slightly awkward.

The old man pulled out a handkerchief and began wiping the sweat from his forehead before breaking the silence.

“The heat gets harder to bear with age.”

“…”

I glanced at him indifferently before looking straight ahead again.

“What do you want to say to me?”

Hearing my question, the old man tilted his head curiously.

“What do you mean?”

“You traveled from far away, didn’t you?”

I spoke without looking away from the front.

The old man looked at me with a neutral expression.

“The Head of Auditore, Altair.”

A faint smile formed on his lips.

“You’re a young man with good intuition.”