I Became the Academy’s Genius Shikigami Summoner – Chapter 191

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟗𝟏

Arietta Morgan was waiting for Han Kang-yoon’s instructions while subduing the rampant yokai as previously agreed upon.

However, upon hearing the news of Han Kang-yoon’s imprisonment in Yangcheolgung, she judged that things had gone awry and began to act independently.

The first person she contacted was Shin No-eul from the Red Unit.

“. . . That’s pretty much what happened.”

“If Han Kang-yoon is truly innocent, then someone must have orchestrated this from behind the scenes.”

Shin No-eul was indebted to Han Kang-yoon and Arietta. That was why she left the Red Unit’s mission to the unit members and joined Arietta to gather information.

As a result, she was able to grasp several peculiar circumstances.

“If I’m not mistaken, it seems that Cheong So-ha is the one wielding the Blue Sword.”

“. . . . . . .”

Upon hearing Shin No-eul’s conclusion, Arietta suddenly recalled something Han Kang-yoon had mentioned in passing.

“. . . Come to think of it, Cheong So-ha is not a definite ally.”

It was obvious without much thought. In the end, those words had become reality.

This being the case, Cheong So-ha would have to be dealt with in order to rescue Han Kang-yoon.

“I’ll tell you this in advance, she’s awfully strong. At my level, I probably don’t stand a chance.”

“. . . That much?”

In Arietta’s opinion, Shin No-eul was a formidable powerhouse with outstanding abilities.

At least, she was among the best of those she had seen with her own two eyes.

“Remember the battle with Myudusa?”

“. . . Of course.”

“Cheong So-ha wouldn’t have taken more than 10 minutes to finish him off on her own.”

Arietta blinked her eyes.

Shin No-eul’s assessment as a fellow special-grade was certainly accurate. In that case, Cheong So-ha was an opponent who could not be dealt with by force.

“. . . This is troubling.”

“In order to confront Cheong So-ha, we’ll need more cards on our side. Furthermore, Cheong So-ha is not the only enemy.”

That was obvious.

She had a group of followers and allies with whom she had close ties.

The reason she had targeted Han Kang-yoon was unknown, but at least with their current forces, they didn’t stand a chance.

“. . . Then would the azure dragon be of any help?”

“You know the whereabouts of the azure dragon?”

“Yes. A junior from the academy has it.”

It was hard to believe at first, but in the current situation, there was no reason for Arietta to lie.

Thus, the two of them tracked Cheong Juhwa’s movements and eventually reached the hideout where Yoo Ha-on and his group were hiding.

“. . . Did you get the gist of it?”

At Arietta’s story, Yoo Ha-on and his group realized that the worst-case scenario they had been speculating about until now had come true.

“So in the end, that Cheong So-ha is really the enemy? Oh man, this is bad.”

Baek Eun-seo covered her head with both hands. She was a direct descendant of the Baek family, a rival faction to the Cheong family.

Naturally, she had heard enough about the dangers posed by Cheong So-ha, the supreme authority of the Cheong family.

“Rumor has it that she can use more than ten grand spells. . . . . . .”

That was simply absurd.

Even first-rate exorcists found it difficult to master a single grand spell in their lifetime, yet she could use that many.

However, with the name Cheong So-ha attached to it, it didn’t seem entirely impossible.

“. . . So just to confirm, do you have the azure dragon here?”

“Yes. It’s listening right now.”

At Cheong Juhwa’s words, gazes were focused from all sides. That was because it was just as much a surprising secret to Yoo Ha-on and his group.

Baek Eun-seo poked her shoulder, somewhat annoyed.

“Why didn’t you show it when you were fighting Horongkyo? I thought I was going to die.”

“Well, I didn’t want to use it in front of everyone. Of course, I did receive some help in secret.”

“Ah, was that mysterious technique that used lightning from back then?”

Cheong Juhwa, who had originally kept some distance from the group because she had mostly hung out with Han Kang-yoon, had now become a comrade who could be called a true ally through various battles.

“Then the reason the Cheong family sent an exorcist is because of the azure dragon that Juhwa has.”

Everyone nodded at Yoo Ha-on’s calm summary of the situation.

Anyway, since the azure dragon, one of the symbols of the Cheong family, was on their side, they had some means of countering her.

“. . . The junior said that Baek So-yul from the Baek family was also on our side, is it possible to contact her?”

“Ugh, that sister? I’ll pass on the message for now.”

Both Arietta and Yoo Ha-on and his group needed to join forces as much as possible.

As they exchanged information with each other, another woman appeared from the entrance. It was Shin No-eul.

“I’m sorry to interrupt your conversation, but I think you need to hear this.”

“. . . What is it?”

“I just got some new information from an acquaintance.”

The words that Shin No-eul eventually uttered to everyone contained shocking news.

“It’s war. Cheong So-ha has demanded the submission of the other elders.”

And so, the situation had entered a new phase.

🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷

Kwang!

“What in the world is this behavior!”

At this moment, the elders who had defied Cheong So-ha’s will had gathered at the stronghold of Cheong Jong-hu, the 9th elder of the Cheong family, to discuss countermeasures.

“Her ambition is not ordinary. She truly intends to take over the Cheong family.”

It was different from before. Cheong So-ha was using all her resources to pressure the elders. She was prepared to go to war if necessary.

“Several elders have already surrendered. All that’s left are the ones gathered here and the 4th elder.”

The 4th elder, Cheong Gi-beom, had always been a man who acted independently of the family.

He would not easily side with Cheong So-ha, but it was not certain that he would confront her either.

“What kind of foolish mistake is she making at such a time. . . . . . .”

Not only was her radicalism a problem, but the timing was also bad. The world was in great turmoil due to the aftermath of the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons.

“Perhaps that is why. She probably thinks it’s the perfect time to settle the score in a chaotic time.”

“Whatever the case, we can’t just sit here and watch.”

That’s right. That was why they had put aside their pride and called even those they did not usually get along with.

“What’s there to worry about? There are five elders just here. If we just push forward, even the master of the Blue-White Sword won’t be able to stop us.”

“. . . It’s not that easy.”

The one who retorted was Cheong Gil-yeong, the 5th elder who had once crossed swords with Cheong So-ha over the Cheong Juhwa incident.

“Why are you so scared when you were so confident in your abilities?”

“To be honest, even though we joined forces back then, we couldn’t handle Cheong So-ha.”

“What? You’re on her side, aren’t you?”

Cheong Gil-yeong frowned at the words of the hardliner, the 8th elder, Cheong Kang-hoon.

“Watch your words. Even if you had been in that position, nothing would have changed.”

“. . . Is that woman really that strong?”

With the two elders speaking so decisively, Cheong Kang-hoon’s momentum was somewhat dampened.

Beside him, Cheong Gil-yeong, who was stroking his mustache expressionlessly, continued speaking.

“In this old man’s opinion, at least three, and four if you want to be sure, elders must join forces to subdue Cheong So-ha.”

“However, if we assign that many people to Cheong So-ha. . . . . . .”

“We won’t have enough people to deal with the other elders who have submitted. That’s why I said it’s not easy.”

In such a situation, Cheong Do-yool, who had been silent all this time, opened his mouth.

“. . . Reinstate Cheong Woon-do as an elder.”

“That good-for-nothing? But I heard he has already fled to another country.”

“I didn’t say it before, but he’s with me now.”

There were negative reactions here and there. Nevertheless, there was no dissent.

Cheong Woon-do, the former 6th elder, was an unfortunate genius who had earned the position of elder with his abilities alone.

He would certainly be a useful pawn in the war that was about to take place.

“Ahem, if you’re confident you can control him, then I won’t stop you.”

“. . . It’s not the best policy, but in a situation like this, we have no choice.”

In the end, the conclusion was reached. The elders would not yield and would use all their strength to confront Cheong So-ha.

And for that, something was absolutely necessary.

“Unfortunately, we don’t have a single item that can be called a symbol of the Cheong family at this point.”

It was an unavoidable factor for those who commanded a large number of followers.

It could not only justify their claim to the leadership of the family, but also affect their morale in battle.

“So first, we must get our hands on the azure dragon by any means necessary.”

“However, the azure dragon is under Cheong So-ha’s control. . . . . . ?”

“The successor to the azure dragon is currently hiding from Cheong So-ha. Probably because they had a falling out for some reason.”

So this was a golden opportunity for the elders.

An unprecedented battle for the supremacy of the Cheong family was finally about to begin.

🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷

“I was only gone for a short while, but the situation has changed drastically when I returned.”

“It seems that way to me too.”

Hae Ga-ram and I, who had left Yangcheolgung unofficially, gathered as much gossip as we could from various places through our shikigami.

The results were as expected.

Jin-myeong had already completed all preparations and had declared war on the elders in the name of Cheong So-ha in order to secure control of the Cheong family first and foremost.

“Well, everything is going exactly as you said, so there’s no more room for doubt.”

Hae Ga-ram, who had been wearing a demon mask, jumped down from the tree and beckoned me.

“So, is it really possible?”

Although I couldn’t see it, I somehow felt an amused smile beneath the mask.

In response, I recalled the false identity I had told her in advance as an excuse and turned up the corners of my mouth.

“Yes. No matter what anyone says, I am officially recognized by Cheong-un and am his successor who has inherited all his knowledge.”

There is a saying that a crisis is an opportunity.

I, too, had not been preparing for the current situation just to get through it safely.

「𝙄𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙘𝙖𝙨𝙚, 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙪𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘾𝙝𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙞𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙨𝙤 𝙖𝙗𝙨𝙤𝙡𝙪𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙣𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙖𝙧𝙮.」

So on this occasion, I will seize the Cheong family for myself.

And the first key to that is still in my hands.

I took out the frame of the Blue-White Soul Mirror that had been stored in the Formless Box and shone moonlight into its empty center.

“Are you ready?”

“You’re quite presumptuous for someone who has received a favor.”

“Then I’m glad.”

One of the latent abilities of the Blue-White Soul Mirror is that it can locate the other three sacred artifacts using a special technique.

And right now, Cheong Juhwa’s Blue Heart Jade and Cheong So-ha’s Blue-White Sword should react.

“Both sides seem to be approaching each other.”

“That must mean the war has already begun.”

Jin-myeong must have known that Cheong Juhwa had the azure dragon and would not have left her alone.

“Let’s go.”

Now, the time for the decisive battle that could not be reversed had come.

Translator’s Blog

Blog

• If I Got Isekai’ed 101: Your Guide to Surviving Another World (And Maybe Even Becoming a Harem Protagonist)
• Loid Forger: The Ultimate Husbando?
• Are You Lowkey an Emo Kid, But Like, in a Good Way?
• Intrusive Thoughts: Pikachu vs Levi
• Naruto and Sasuke: Bro-mance or True Love? The Ultimate Anime Bromance Debate