The Conjurer of the Academy

Chapter 88

Finding someone in a crowded city on a weekend using only a facial description is nearly impossible. At that moment, someone came to mind.

“Excuse me.”

A person who patrols the entire expansive school grounds alone and can catch troublemakers like a ghost.

“Is Senior Seo Geum-bi here?”

“Please come in.”

After returning to school, I immediately headed to the Disciplinary Committee room and knocked on the door. When the door opened, Seo Geum-bi was, as usual, handling various tasks at the disciplinary chief’s desk.

“Long time no see, junior.”

“You seem busy even on weekends.”

“There’s not much time left for me at this school. I want to finish as many tasks within my capacity as possible before I go…”

Seo Geum-bi put down her pen and stood up. Since she’s graduating this semester, this is her final semester as the disciplinary chief.

“So, what brings you here?”

“I have a favor to ask.”

Seo Geum-bi’s eyes widened at my words.

“You are asking me for a favor? Alright, if it’s something I can help with, just let me know.”

“I need to borrow Windy for a day.”

“Windy?”

Windy is one of the spirits Seo Geum-bi commands, the spirit of wind. During the Babel Festival, Windy took on the task of patrolling the entire school grounds due to a shortage of hands.

“There’s someone I need to find urgently.”

“Someone you need to find…”

Seo Geum-bi twirled her index finger. Soon, a gentle breeze formed at her fingertip, shapeshifting into a small bird-like figure.

“Chirp chirp!”

The wind spirit, Windy, flapped its wings from the palm of her hand, looking up at Seo Geum-bi with bright, attentive eyes.

“Windy, today you won’t be helping me.”

“Chirp?”

“Here you go, junior.”

I placed my palm under Seo Geum-bi’s, and as she swept her hand downward, Windy transferred to my palm.

“Windy is a good spirit, so she’ll likely listen to you. But there are a few things you need to keep in mind.”

Seo Geum-bi held up three fingers.

“First, when calling Windy, bend your index finger and call her name loudly. Second, to avoid causing trouble, call Windy in places where there are few people. Third, never summon Windy during strong winds.”

“I understand.”

I took Windy and nodded.

“I’ll be going now, senior. Thank you for your help.”

“Wait, just a moment.”

As I was about to leave the Disciplinary Committee room, Seo Geum-bi called out to stop me.

“You said you’re looking for someone, right? Just out of concern…”

Seo Geum-bi hesitated to speak. I had a rough idea of what she wanted to say.

‘She probably suspects I’m looking for Park Jung-seok.’

Seo Geum-bi had likely seen the news articles about Park Jung-seok and, being perceptive, might have deduced that I was trying to find him. Her hesitation indicated that she wasn’t entirely sure yet.

“I don’t know who you’re trying to find, but please don’t overdo it. Remember, we’re still students, and dangerous matters outside are formally the jurisdiction of the Hunter Police.”

So she did notice. Yet her not stopping me signifies a level of trust in my abilities.

“Don’t worry, senior.”

No, I need to make sure everything goes smoothly.

Unable to outright lie, I simply nodded.

* * *

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

I approached Yomi and Do-il, who were waiting by the main gate. Both stood leaning against the gate pillars in identical poses, reminiscent of Dumb and Dumber.

“We’ve been waiting so long my neck almost fell off. Now, hand over some food.”

“Neck falling off? Even this child is so dependable, when will the self-proclaimed great yokai ever grow up?”

“Grr, what did you say!”

Ignoring Yomi, who was stomping her feet in anger, I extended my palm towards Do-il.

“This little one will help us.”

“Chirp, chirp, chirp!”

“Wow, it’s so cute!”

Do-il’s eyes sparkled upon seeing Windy.

“Windy, this is who you need to find.”

“Chirp!”

When I showed Park Jung-seok’s face on my smartphone, Windy flapped her wings and took flight. She lifted off from my palm, soaring into the sky with a strong, rising wind.

Now, Windy would traverse the city in her wind form, searching for Park Jung-seok.

“So, do we just wait for that little bird to come back?”

Yomi, arms crossed, asked as she yawned widely, perhaps thinking she was more excited than expected.

“No, we need to move too.”

I pulled out the bracelet artifact that I received from Ise-ah and wrapped it around my wrist.

‘The opponent is an awakened criminal.’

With Park Jung-seok’s abilities publicly disclosed along with the wanted alert, the chances of being caught off guard are low. This means we have the chance to catch him off guard instead.

“Do-il, I have a favor to ask.”

I made eye contact with Do-il.

To capture Park Jung-seok, Do-il’s help was crucial.

“Do-il, this might be a very scary task for you. If you don’t want to do it, it’s okay to back out.”

“…Is this something only I can do?”

“Yes, only you can do it.”

Without hesitation, Do-il nodded.

“I’ll do it! I want to be helpful too!”

“Then it’s decided.”

I stood up and gazed beyond the horizon. The construction site where I encountered the rabbit stood eerily.

“Yomi, I have another question for you.”

“What is it?”

I opened my palm, and a white fog rose from it.

“Is it possible to show more precise hallucinations to the opponent?”

“It’s impossible for you alone.”

Yomi prodded her chest proudly.

“But if this great yokai joins, what do you think?”

“Great yokai?”

Yomi nodded with a satisfied expression.

“I don’t know what kind of hallucination you plan to create, but causing hallucinations is a basic skill for a fox yokai. With me around, creating any complex illusion is no problem.”

“Good.”

I nodded.

Seeing Yomi’s confidence, I felt I could trust her abilities.

Whiiiish—!

A strong wind blew in.

‘It seems like I didn’t even need to call her.’

As the strong downward current whipped through, scattering my hair, I blinked and saw a small bird sitting in my hand.

“Chirp, chirp chirp!”

Windy flapped her wings vigorously, trying to explain something. While I couldn’t understand the spirit’s words, I could grasp what she meant to convey.

“You already found Park Jung-seok?”

“Chirp!”

“So quick.”

As expected of the wind. Unlike the confined school grounds, the open city center was like a playground for Windy.

“It looks like Park Jung-seok is nearby…”

I didn’t expect him to be so close.

Avoiding the trouble of crossing the city, now all that was left was preparation.

“Time to set the trap.”

* * *

On the outskirts, away from the city center, someone wearing a hood paced nervously in front of an old ATM situated between alleyways.

[Transaction Limit Exceeded]

With an annoying beep, the ATM ejected the swallowed credit card.

“Damn it! Decked out in designer from head to toe, and it’s over the limit?!”

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The man was Park Jung-seok.

In a fit of rage, Park Jung-seok repeatedly kicked the ATM. His frenzied kicking continued until the machine was trashed.

“This was a complete waste of effort.”

His attempt to stay lowkey by moving out of the city center had been in vain.

“No choice but to take it all.”

Park Jung-seok placed his hand on the ATM. Beginning at the point of contact, the ATM broke down into small, neatly cut cubes.

Weee-oo! Weee-oo!

As the ATM was destroyed, alarms blared, and Park Jung-seok hurriedly gathered the scattered piles of cash.

‘If only I hadn’t lost that brat…!’

The memory of that day made Park Jung-seok grind his teeth involuntarily.

It was just after he had escaped the Hunter Police’s pursuit to a rural village that Park Jung-seok, hiding in the mountains, saw a beam of light shoot up from the summit.

As if possessed by a ghost, he followed the beam to the mountaintop, where he saw something he shouldn’t have.

“A serpent? A monster, it’s a monster!”

A colossal serpent rose skyward. But after Park Jung-seok shouted,

Thud!

The serpent plummeted to the ground. It was a massive creature, several hundred meters long with a girth of a few meters. The immobilized serpent glared furiously at the culprit who had caused its downfall.

“You, you…!”

It’s unclear what about that sight triggered Park Jung-seok’s switch.

“Damn it, you’re not even lowering your gaze! Now even this snake is treating me with disrespect!”

When Park Jung-seok placed his hand on the serpent’s head, the snake let out a sharp hiss and breathed its last. Blood sprayed everywhere, and something could be seen peeking out from between the snake’s wide-open jaws.

“Gold?”

A large, spherical lump of gold that emitted light even in the dark of night. Park Jung-seok stared at its dazzling appearance, transfixed.

Just as Park Jung-seok finally came to his senses and reached out for the gold—

“No!!”

Suddenly, a young boy appeared and snatched the gold. With faded hair and sharp, glaring eyes, the boy clutched the gold and began to descend the mountain at high speed.

“What the—? Hey, you brat, give that back!”

Just thinking about that kid I lost that day still makes my blood boil.

‘If only I had gotten my hands on that, I could’ve lived in luxury for the rest of my life.’

Just think about how many items I’ve stolen and sold through my heist. With a lump of gold that size, even if I sold it for a bargain, living comfortably for the rest of my days would have been possible.

“I need to get out of here first—.”

As Park Jung-seok, who had destroyed the ATM, hurriedly tried to leave the scene,

“Hey, pig!”

“Huh?”

From the opposite end of the alley, a familiar silhouette appeared.

A boy with faded hair was clutching a gold nugget as large as the moon while glaring at Park Jung-seok.

“…Is this a dream?”

Forgetting that he should be running, Park Jung-seok scratched his cheek. It was unimaginable that the boy he lost in the rural mountains would appear here, clutching the gold nugget, as if by some miracle.

‘Forget it. Who cares?’

Park Jung-seok blinked and then quickly sprinted through the alley.

“Give that back!”

“Ahhh!”

Park Jung-seok wasn’t exactly a bright individual, nor one to cautiously test the waters even if he suspected something. Blinded by greed, he chased after the gold nugget.

“Huff huff, how is that kid so fast?”

Yet the distance between them remained stubbornly wide. It had been the same in the mountains last time. He had thought no mere child could outrun an awakened pursuer, but the boy maneuvered through obstacles with the agility of a serpent.

“Ahhh, Ha-baek hyung!”

“Construction site?”

But the chase was short-lived.

The boy had chosen the wrong place to run. He had run straight into a construction site with no exit except the entrance.

“You’re finished now…!”

Park Jung-seok’s face lit up with a triumphant smile as he stepped into the construction site.

“Fog?”

The boy was nowhere to be seen, and a dense fog had settled around the area.

“Welcome.”

From above the construction site, another silhouette emerged through the fog. A figure perched on a steel beam, glowing blue eyes glaring down at Park Jung-seok.

“It’s time for confession.”