There Is No World For ■■

Chapter 87: The Butterfly Effect For The Author (7)

* * *…The back of his head felt prickly.Yeomyeong had felt a constant gaze following him since the start of the temporary class.This was different from the gazes filled with jealousy or anticipation he received from the students. It felt more discreet and dreary… a watchful gaze.I never thought I’d receive the type of stares the reporters in Manchuria gave me at the academy.Of course, Yeomyeong didn’t pay it any special attention or feel tense.He continued to focus in class just like always as if he didn’t notice any stares.After all, he couldn’t just kill whoever it was outright. Besides, the gaze following him didn’t seem to be hostile.However, when the class came to an end and he stepped outside the main building, Yeomyeong couldn’t help but furrow his brows.The singular gaze that had been constantly observing him during class had suddenly multiplied.Two? No, at least three. Maybe more.Who on earth was watching him, and why?While Yeomyeong was contemplating about it, Seti, who was walking with him behind the main building, spoke up.“…We’ve got a tail.”She furrowed her brow as if the back of her head was itching.“And not just one, but two tails? Even if they’re trying to solve the case, is something like this really allowed at the academy?”“…Not two, but four.”When Yeomyeong corrected hers, Seti tilted her head.“Huh? Four?”“Two people following us from behind, and two watching us from a distance.”“…I can only sense two.”“That’s because the other two aren’t directed at you. Though you’d notice it immediately if you were in my place. It’s impossible not to notice, given how obvious they’re being.”“…Really?”While Seti blinked in surprise, Yeomyeong stopped walking and sat on the nearest bench.Then, the gazes that were fixed on Yeomyeong shifted to Seti for a brief moment, allowing her to experience the chilling stares.“…I was going to make some plans regarding my sisters, but I don’t think I can even say a word in our current situation.’”Seti sighed and sat down next to Yeomyeong.She was planning to ask Yeomyeong to use the Golden Seal to lift the ban today… but with so many watchful eyes glued on them, it seemed impossible.“You don’t have to worry much about the ban. Worst comes to worst, I can just sneak into the girls’ dormitory at night.”Yeomyeong tried to reassure her, but Seti glared at him instead.“Don’t even think about sneaking into the girls’ dormitory, not even in your dreams. If you get caught, it won’t just end with a simple expulsion.”“…Is it that serious to the point of getting expelled? No, more importantly, has someone actually attempted it before?”“Of course not! Are there any students who are skilled enough to sneak past the dormitory head and climb over the walls…?”There was one, and the person was right in front of her.Seti narrowed her eyes and warned him once more.“…Anyway, no matter what, you should never come to the girls’ dormitory.”“Okay, okay.”Only after Yeomyeong chuckled and nodded did Seti drop the subject.“Let’s discuss the ban later… For now, we need to decide how to deal with our tails.”As soon as she finished speaking, Yeomyeong turned his head.The first thing he noticed was the janitor lady picking up trash from a distance.The woman in a crisp white janitor’s outfit and a triangular headscarf was emptying garbage bins without even sneaking a glance at Yeomyeong or Seti.She might have looked like an ordinary janitor on the outside, but she was unable to fool Yeomyeong’s eyes, who used to be a janitor himself.“Look, that janitor over there.”“…Auntie Ava?”Seti also furrowed her brow on noticing her belatedly.“She’s been dragging her feet and following us for a while now. Is she an observer assigned by the academy?”“…Probably not.”Seti seemed to know something. She paused for a moment, before averting her gaze from Ava and spoke.“Yeomyeong, have you heard of the Secret Society?”“…Secret Society? It’s my first time hearing about it.”“It’s an information guild established primarily by humans beyond the Dimensional Portal. That person is affiliated to that organization.”That was all she told him. Yeomyeong felt like she was deliberately avoiding further explanation, but he didn’t press her for more details.He shifted his gaze to check on another spy.A classmate pretending to be going through his phone while taking pictures from between the trees.Turning her head to follow Yeomyeong’s gaze, Seti noticed the person, and raised her eyebrows slightly.“…What is he doing? Yeomyeong, do you know him?”“My roommate.”“Your roommate…? Why is your roommate spying on you?”Seti turned to him, expecting an explanation, but Yeomyeong didn’t really have an answer either.“…I’m not too sure myself.”Even though they were roommates, they had only exchanged a few words.And wasn’t Yeomyeong staying in a VIP room rather than the dormitory after the terror incident? They weren’t close enough to have any personal interaction—at best, they were just close enough to recognize each other’s faces.“What’s his name?”Seti asked after turning away from him.“Baonic, Baonic Lerac.”“…Lerac? Oh, from that traitorous household?”A traitorous household, she said? That seemed like a rather harsh analogy, but Yeomyeong didn’t bother to argue.“Yeah, he told me that himself.”“Well, that explains it.”Seti continued while tapping her lips.“He’s Jeon Yunseong’s only friend. I’ve never seen his face before, but I’ve heard rumors.”“…Only friend?”Yeomyeong furrowed his brows.He did notice that Jeon Yunseong was somewhat left out back at the dormitory and in class… But he was actually being ostracized? Things like that even happened in a prestigious academy like this?Seeing Yeomyeong’s puzzled expression, Seti added briefly.“…Exceptional people tend to be disliked anywhere.”“Isn’t a swan among ducks usually admired rather than disliked?”When Yeomyeong responded as if he found it difficult to comprehend, Seti simply shrugged.“If the said swan is under the protection of the U.S. military and has zero social skills, it’s certainly possible.”“…”“…And he also has a traitor’s blood.”Her tone may have seemed somewhat light outwardly, but the hostility in her voice was undeniable.This hostility was something Yeomyeong was familiar with because every Korean hated the traitor, Jeon Yongseop, and his son, Jeon Yunseong, to their very core.However… wasn’t Seti who also resented the Korean government? She must have had a different reason for hating Jeon Yunseong compared to ordinary Koreans.Perhaps the reason might have been related to her origins.Since it wasn’t a topic worth bringing up here, Yeomyeong changed the subject again.“I don’t quite get it… Is being friends with Jeon Yunseong enough of a reason to spy on me?”“Didn’t you almost get into a fight with Jeon Yunseong in class today?”“…”“Jeon Yunseong must have had some motive when he made the proposal, but it fizzled out pretty quickly, leaving the boy walking on eggshells for no reason… Maybe he’s holding a grudge because of that.”It was an unusual thing for Seti to say. There was neither logic nor a hint of thoughtful consideration in her response.“…That’s quite a leap of logic.”“Why? Don’t traitorous bloodlines usually have each other’s backs?”“…”Yeomyeong stared at Seti’s face for a moment, then raised his hand and pressed his palm against her forehead.…She’s surprisingly emotional about this.Seti blinked,  her blue eyes full of confusion, not understanding why he had suddenly placed his palm against her forehead.A brief silence descended upon them. And before the silence could drag on, Yeomyeong got up and spoke.“In that case, let’s just ask directly.”“…Huh? Ask what??”“Let’s ask him directly. The reason he’s spying on us.”Before Seti could say anything, Yeomyeong headed towards Baonic Lerac.Only then did Seti realize that she had reacted too emotionally.…This is bad. I can’t keep acting like this.She let out a small sigh and quickly followed Yeomyeong with hurried steps.

* * *Baonic was startled to see Yeomyeong suddenly coming towards him.

What the… How?Did they catch him spying on them? No, they definitely did.After all, once a Superhuman reached a certain level, even the lightest gaze wouldn’t escape their senses, let alone a presence.Realizing his mistake belatedly, Baonic quickly put away his phone and straightened his clothes.Since it was already too late to run, it was better to act boldly at times like these…“Hi, Baonic.”And before Baonic could finish his thoughts, Yeomyeong was already standing in front of him.“Uh… um… H-Hi.”Contrary to his earlier resolve, he was unable to speak properly.For some reason, facing Yeomyeong made his tongue go stiff, as if he were standing before a torturer.“Um…”“Let’s not beat around the bush. Why were you taking pictures of me?”“I… uh…”Words failed him. And on noticing Seti approaching from behind as well, his jaw seemed to be locked in place.“Well…”Baonic desperately tried to come up with an excuse, his lips twitching. Yeomyeong waited for a moment before pressing him.“Just tell me the truth. If it’s nothing strange, I’ll let you go”Yeomyeong’s words were gentle, but what they implied wasn’t. He was clearly warning Baonic that he wouldn’t let it slide if he lied.“I-I’m sorry… I was actually taking your photos to sell them…”“Sell my photos?”“You know, you’re, well… famous, aren’t you? The reporters… said they’d pay me well if I brought them pictures of you…”“…Hmm.”“S-Sorry, it’s just that I’m really really desperate for money…”It was a pretty convincing excuse, considering that he came up with it on the spot.Seeing Yeomyeong squint as he tried to discern whether he was telling the truth or lying, Baonic gulped nervously.To be honest, the real reason he was tailing Yeomyeong wasn’t for some trivial reason like selling his photos.Hidden Piece—The collective term used for hidden strange-fated treasures scattered throughout the academy, such as the demonic sword sleeping deep within the second-year main building’s storage or the Elf’s Tear buried underground in the third-year shelter.He was planning to catch Yeomyeong in the act of obtaining a Hidden Piece.No, he didn’t intend to confront Yeomyeong directly or steal the Hidden Piece for himself; he just wanted to take pictures of him doing so and expose him.Because unlike in the novel or the game, Hidden Pieces in this world were officially considered school property.If he could manage to secretly photograph Yeomyeong acquiring one and expose it, wouldn’t that be enough to get him expelled from the academy? That was what Baonic was aiming for when he started following Yeomyeong…But, as you can see, things turned out like this. Baonic shut his eyes tightly and was regretting his actions.Damn it…After confirming that some of the second-year Hidden Pieces had been stolen during the recent terror incident, he impulsively decided to track Yeomyeong, which ended up being a mistake.What if he realizes I lied?Baonic trembled unconsciously, and as Yeomyeong quietly observed his trembling figure…- Oh my!Auntie Ava, who had been cleaning up trash in the distance, suddenly rose into the air.It was as if an invisible force had lifted her, yet there was no trace of mana.It wasn’t magic or martial arts—just a bizarre phenomenon.- W-what!?The next moment, as Ava flailed her arms and legs in panic, her body flew straight into a garbage bin.Crash!The students passing by looked at Ava and the garbage bin with shock.However, Yeomyeong, familiar with that invisible force, realized who was behind it and sighed.“W-What was that?”Baonic, who had no idea as to what was going on, opened his eyes wide and asked. Yeomyeong was about to explain the reason behind it but then heard approaching footsteps and turned to Baonic.“Baonic.”“Y-yeah?”“You’d better grit your teeth.”Just as Baonic was about to ask, ‘Why—?’Whack!Something invisible struck Baonic squarely in the face.