The Conjurer of the Academy

Chapter 51

“The Jin family of shamans…”

After clearing the table and while Yomi slept soundly, I followed Seol Baek-san through an underground passage. It was a familiar place, but it felt less eerie than the last time.

‘Probably because Yomi isn’t here.’

This passage led to the shrine where Yomi had been sealed. Yes, it was around here that I first heard Yomi’s voice and moved forward.

Whether good or bad, if Yomi hadn’t called out to me back then, I wonder what might have happened by now.

“You’re probably seeing the shrine up close for the first time. Normally, I wouldn’t let anyone get near it. Today, I’m planning to replace the old talismans with new ones.”

Soon, a large shrine came into view.

At the entrance, numerous talismans were affixed at regular intervals along with ropes. On the massive shrine, Yomi in her true form had once rested her gigantic body.

“Do you know why that fox was sealed?”

“Yes, Yomi told me herself.”

“Is that so? I never imagined that yokai would speak of it directly… Truly, you live long enough to see everything.”

Seol Baek-san nodded.

Before I knew it, he held a talisman from the shrine.

“If you’ve heard the story of how the fox was sealed, you must know a bit about the Jin family of shamans as well.”

“Yes. One of the three major shaman families.”

Seol Baek-san nodded with a somewhat sympathetic expression.

“Indeed. The Seol family of shamans has always dealt with shikigami and spirits. The Jin family performed many miracles using their mystical talismans. Jin Dal-rae, the head of the Jin family, was considered the wisest woman among them.”

Seol Baek-san’s gaze drifted far away. He seemed to be reminiscing about someone from a distant past.

“She always wanted to escape.”

“Wouldn’t having exceptional talent actually be a good thing?”

It felt like there was a break in the conversation that made it hard to understand.

In any country or world, having abundant talent generally means living a blessed life.

“Normally, yes. But unlike the Seol family, who are born with spiritual abilities, the Jin family needs to receive a divine spirit to inherit their spiritual abilities.”

A process known as ‘spirit possession,’ where a shaman’s power is determined by the deity they connect with.

“Jin Dal-rae received her spirit possession from Cheonji Shinmyeong when she was young.”

“Cheonji Shinmyeong?”

“Yes. The term literally means the god who governs heaven and earth, but in shamanism, it refers to a spirit with significant power.”

When Seol Baek-san opened his hand, the talisman floating above his palm ignited with a blue flame and disintegrated into ash.

As the ash scattered like snowflakes around the shrine,

‘What is this…?’

An unknown memory flashed before my eyes.

“Ahhhh!”

I saw a woman sitting on the floor. She was young, with brown hair cascading down her back, wearing a white hemp garment. Her fierce eyebrows and firmly set lips gave her a dignified, yet beautiful appearance.

However, a dark mist crept towards her and began to envelop her entire body.

“Please! Please, just leave me alone!”

The memory of the young woman writhing in agony, tearing at her hair.

Blood tears flowed from her eyes, and her teeth chattered violently. Just watching her, I could feel the pain she was enduring.

“Spiritual artifacts contain the essence of their maker. What you’re seeing now is Jin Dal-rae’s memory left in the talisman. This is one of the better ones. There were times when the pain drove her mad.”

I glanced sideways.

Seol Baek-san seemed to be witnessing the same vision, his distant gaze tinged with sorrow.

“Spirit possession is passed down to descendants. Jin Dal-rae didn’t want to bear children, even if it meant the end of the shamanic line. She didn’t want to pass this pain onto her offspring…”

I hesitated at Seol Baek-san’s words.

Knowing Jin Dal-rae’s circumstances suggested they were close enough to share their emotions.

“Father, actually, there’s a girl at my school who seems to be Jin Dal-rae’s daughter.”

“…Is that so? The child had disappeared from the orphanage at some point. I wondered how you knew about the Jin family of shamans, but now it makes sense.”

After a brief silence, Seol Baek-san responded to me.

“As you might suspect, Jin Dal-rae eventually fell in love with a man and became pregnant. To avoid passing on the spirit possession, she had no choice but to leave the child at the orphanage.”

“I heard she gave the child a talisman to suppress her powers. If the talisman could suppress her powers, couldn’t she have raised the child herself?”

“That’s a valid point, but continually rejecting the spirit possession would have brought the wrath of the spirits upon the child.”

Through Jin Dal-rae’s memories, it became clear. The long consideration and the pain of parting with her child. Lastly,

“Take me instead, you wretched demon!”

Jin Dal-rae, vomiting blood.

With blood-soaked lips, Jin Dal-rae desperately cried out to the entity that bound her.

“She died by the hand of the deity she served, didn’t she?”

Seol Baek-san nodded.

“Yes. We shamans call it ‘Dongti 動土,’ the wrath of the spirits. When I told that fox that Jin Dal-rae was dead, it might have been a whim of that day.”

Seol Baek-san was silent for a moment.

He stroked a talisman attached to the shrine’s pillar, gently closing his eyes.

“I almost forgot the most important thing.”

Turning around, Seol Baek-san looked directly at my face.

“Why are you asking about this? It’s not mere curiosity, is it? You must have something troubling on your mind.”

“That’s correct.”

I thought of Jin Dal-rae and the student who resembled her.

“Jin Dal-rae didn’t want her daughter to follow in her steps, but her daughter is curious about her mother and is expanding her interest in this world.”

“Is that so? Such a fateful connection. I never imagined you would be tied to Jin Dal-rae’s daughter…”

Seol Baek-san stroked his beard.

“So, what do you want to do?”

“Pardon?”

I couldn’t help but frown, expecting Seol Baek-san to be totally against it.

“Jin Dal-rae took a long time to decide to leave her child at an orphanage. I’m sure you’ve had similar thoughts, Ha-baek. Don’t let others sway you; do what you feel is right.”

“Father…”

Seol Baek-san said no more. He started removing the old talismans from the pillar, slowly turning his back to me.

“You go on ahead. I’ll stay here for a while to rest.”

“Understood.”

Though he wouldn’t see it, I bowed my head to him.

Walking back through the passage, I recalled part of the memory I had seen earlier.

“Are you out of your mind?”

One of the clearer memories.

The beardless young man was none other than a young Seol Baek-san.

“What will you do if you end up dead?”

“Then that’s just my fate.”

Seol Baek-san pounded his chest in frustration at Jin Dal-rae’s words.

“And what’s the guarantee that the child will grow up to live an ordinary life? She might eventually step back into this world.”

“That would also be the child’s fate. What I can do is limited to guidance.”

Jin Dal-rae added softly,

“We can’t dictate the lives of our children.”

Jin Dal-rae’s sobs echoed through the long passageway.

* * *

Two days after returning home, I packed my bags and headed out.

“Can’t you stay a bit longer? There’s no need to rush.”

“I’m sorry, Father. I need to get back and prepare for tomorrow’s classes.”

I bowed to Seol Baek-san, who had come out to see me off. The long bag slung over my back held the newly acquired Sain-gum.

“I see. Then it’s not right to keep you here longer.”

Seol Baek-san clicked his tongue regretfully.

‘I’ll make sure to visit more often on weekends.’

I felt the same reluctance to part.

Perhaps he thought his timid son had changed, for Seol Baek-san was neither insistent nor stern this time.

‘He’s a good parent.’

My real parents had pushed me to the edge of a cliff and shoved me off the moment they deemed me a failure. They felt more like beasts than human beings.

In contrast, Seol Baek-san embodied the ideal father without needing comparison.

He scolded me to wake me from my timidity, and, knowing it was difficult, believed in me when I showed courage.

‘If he had tried to dissuade me from entering Babel, I wouldn’t have been able to even start.’

Even now, he was visibly trying to suppress his anxiety to support his son’s future.

“Ha-baek, let me tell you one thing.”

There was strength in Seol Baek-san’s grip on my shoulder.

“You have certainly become braver than before. You have more decisiveness and newfound courage.”

His eyes gleamed as they did when he used his spirit-sensing ability.

“But unlike before, you are now missing something very important.”

“Missing?”

Seol Baek-san nodded.

“It’s something very important. But it’s not something I can tell you. Ha-baek, you must realize it yourself for it to have meaning.”

What I had in the past but lack now.

Seol Baek-san likely saw more in me and Yomi than we saw ourselves. But no matter how I racked my brain, I couldn’t come up with an answer right away.

“I understand. I’ll think about it.”

Even though something was lacking, nothing felt particularly deficient at the moment, so I simply nodded.

“That’s enough then. Ahem, ahem…”

Seol Baek-san kept clearing his throat.

He awkwardly raised his hands to his belly, then lowered them repeatedly as if something was bothering him.

“Father, are you feeling unwell?”

Confused by his behavior, Yomi whispered from my shoulder.

[Like father, like son when it comes to awkwardness. He’s trying to ask for a hug.]

“Are you serious?”

Sure enough, Seol Baek-san seemed restless. If I left now, he’d likely feel very hurt.

“Take care, Father.”

I approached Seol Baek-san and opened my arms. Doing so made my ears feel hot.

“I’ll visit again.”

“Hrm, yes. Drop by when you have time. Even when you’re busy, always remember to take it easy.”

“I will.”

The hug was clumsy and not particularly graceful.

‘The original Seol Ha-baek…’

The more warmth I felt in this world, the more my curiosity grew.

‘Where could he have gone?’

According to the original storyline, Yomi would soon run amok, and Seol Ha-baek would disappear without further mention. Naturally, there was no mention of Seol Baek-san either. What could have possibly happened to them?

‘I guess I’ll find out someday.’

As I experienced this unfamiliar warmth, part of me thought that way.