I Became the Academy’s Genius Shikigami Summoner – Chapter 249

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟒𝟗

「𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨?」

To be honest, I was confused.

In the future I had seen, Echinacea Lianqi had chosen Yoo Ha-on, so I had no idea what her intentions were in saying something like this.

However, it was clear that Yoo Ha-on was indeed the right person that Echinacea Lianqi was looking for, so I was about to nod my head.

At that moment, a thought struck me.

「𝙒𝙖𝙞𝙩, 𝙢𝙖𝙮𝙗𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙚𝙭𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙡𝙮.」

Sure, in the future I knew, Echinacea Lianqi had chosen Yoo Ha-on, but that was only in the original story.

And while I had applied that experience, I had not actually seen Echinacea Lianqi’s direct future here.

Only then did I begin to understand what she was trying to say.

“. . . . . . .”

“From your reaction, it seems you have understood the gist of it.”

As I was lost in confusion, Echinacea Lianqi nodded slightly, as if she understood.

And she began to speak again.

“Certainly, as you said, she was the perfect fit for what I was looking for.”

“. . . There are some uncertainties in what I told you, but there is no doubt that she is qualified.”

“Yes. I think so too.”

However, as she said this, Echinacea Lianqi looked at me with a meaningful gaze.

“I made a promise to someone a long time ago. And at that time, that person said that they believed in my judgment.”

“. . . . . . .”

That person must have been the Taoist Ho-chung. And Echinacea Lianqi looked at me with a voice full of conviction as she said,

“The person I have chosen is you. You are the only one who can stop the coming catastrophe.”

The words that Yoo Ha-on, the protagonist in the original story, had heard from Echinacea Lianqi.

Having heard it in its entirety, I subconsciously shook my head.

“That’s impossible. Surely there’s someone better than me. . . . . . .”

“You tend to put yourself down in a strange way.”

Maybe so. After all, I had seen firsthand that Yoo Ha-on was the one who would determine the outcome of this story, and I still think so now.

However, Echinacea Lianqi continued to speak with an unwavering attitude.

“You broke through Yahwak and Luke, conquered the labyrinth with an advanced barrier formation, and never lost your wit and resourcefulness in any situation. You did all of that.”

“That was just. . . . . . .”

“Your ability to read the future aside, you have the ability and skill to overcome any obstacle.”

Just as she said that, a shadow flickered and began to convey someone’s message. It was Hwa Baek.

「𝙄 𝙩𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙤 𝙬𝙖𝙞𝙩 𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮. . . . . . .」

Clutching my aching head, I sighed and called her to this place.

Swish.

BAM!

“Well, there is a limit to patience. You are treating this lady very poorly.”

“. . . . . . .”

Echinacea Lianqi, who had been looking at Hwa Baek, who had suddenly appeared, strangely, spoke with trembling eyes as if she had realized her true identity.

“You are, can it be. . . . . . ?”

“It has been a long time. I thought I would never see you again.”

Echinacea Lianqi, who had a look of joy, faintness, and sadness in her eyes, turned her head away and looked at me, who had been trying to avoid her gaze.

She had realized the absurdity of the current situation.

“Did you know about my relationship with Hwa Baek? What on earth are you?”

It cannot be explained simply by saying that she can read the future.

I calmly organized my thoughts and opened my mouth softly.

“I saw her memories through a dagger called the Dagger of Usurpation. I learned that you were related to her at that time.”

“But. . . . . . .”

“Encountering her was a coincidence, and it was only recently. I was quite surprised as well.”

Originally, I had intended to get Hwa Baek’s help to gain cooperation if Echinacea Lianqi reacted negatively, but it seems that things are going strangely.

However, Echinacea Lianqi did not seem to take it badly.

“How strange.”

“I think so too.”

“I am becoming more and more convinced that you are the right person.”

After saying that, Echinacea Lianqi exchanged glances with Hwa Baek and rejoiced in their reunion. And she sat up, looking somewhat embarrassed.

“Let’s put off the small talk for a bit and get back to the main topic. Hwa Baek seems to have something to say too, right?”

“That’s right. I couldn’t help but feel concerned after hearing it.”

Hwa Baek, who said so, turned her head to look at me and opened her mouth as if she was suffocating.

“Thanks to my contract with you, I am now able to read thoughts and emotions to a limited extent. Strangely, you have strange fantasies about Yoo Ha-on and her companions.”

“. . . What are you talking about?”

“They are also very talented, but in my opinion, you are the most outstanding one. Why won’t you admit it?”

I could not answer Hwa Baek’s question.

There is no particular reason why I think that way. It was just something that was natural to me.

「𝙈𝙚, 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙔𝙤𝙤 𝙃𝙖-𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙮?」

I had never thought of it that way.

The reason I am able to lead the situation in a favorable direction is because I have that much experience and knowledge.

In terms of talent, I am no match for geniuses.

「𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖 𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙜𝙖𝙢𝙚.」

However, Yoo Ha-on was the protagonist and main character of the story.

Naturally, the vessel itself was different as a human being.

Hwa Baek spoke to me, who still had not accepted her words.

“You have always been wary of the coming catastrophe and have been looking for the answer.”

“. . . . . . .”

“Then go through with it to the end. Don’t expect others to meet your expectations. You are capable enough.”

The moment I heard those words, I felt as if my complicated feelings were being sorted out.

Certainly, I might have been trying to shift the responsibility to Yoo Ha-on and her party, who were originally the protagonists of this world.

Because that was the natural thing to do, and because I thought that was the only way to do it.

However, as I have said many times myself, this is reality.

There is no protagonist in reality.

Everyone just lives the life they believe in.

Now I feel like I have finally realized that.

“. . . Certainly, Hwa Baek-nim may be right.”

“You are only realizing it now?”

“Yes. I will no longer hesitate.”

Hwa Baek nodded in satisfaction at that, and Echinacea Lianqi took out a strange pouch from her bosom and continued the main topic.

“How much of the truth do you realize about this situation that the world calls the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons?”

“I have uncovered some secrets, but it is not enough.”

Strictly speaking, I knew almost all of the truth, but there could be parts that I did not know or parts that had changed from the original history.

So I wanted to hear the details from Echinacea Lianqi again.

“The yokai who cause the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons were all trapped in a sacred object called the Scapula Chamber.”

That much is exactly what I knew. The important thing is what comes next.

“Heavenly Daoist Master, Ho-chung, and his ancestors relentlessly captured and imprisoned the yokai, and they are now free in this era and running wild.”

“Why did they have to do that? If they had such abilities, they should have been able to defeat the yokai.”

“. . . It was all because of one yokai.”

The king and ruler of all yokai, the Polar Night.

“Polar Night, regardless of its strength, could use all yokai as its servants and add their strength to its own, exerting absolute power. It was not an existence that could be defeated by ordinary means.”

That much is certainly no different from what I knew.

That is why, in order to defeat the Polar Night, a strategy was needed that was not bound by common sense.

“Ho-chung’s family found a solution through the sacred object, the Scapula Chamber. Can you guess?”

“To capture all the yokai and weaken the power of Polar Night?”

“That’s right. Although ordinary yokai would quickly respawn if they were defeated by ordinary means, it was a different story if they were captured using the Scapula Chamber.”

There is a kind of balance in the world.

Just as there is darkness when there is light, and as there is yin, there is the opposite yang.

And it is said that as the number of yokai imprisoned in the Scapula Chamber increased, the number of yokai existing in the world gradually decreased.

“It was a very long and arduous task, so it continued for several generations, and it finally came to an end in Ho-chung’s era.”

“Did he fight a decisive battle with Polar Night?”

And Ho-chung fought a fierce battle with Polar Night, but in the end, he could not overcome the limits of his aging body and left the final battle to his descendants.

That was the original story of the 1st installment of the exorcism series that I knew.

And I could not help but feel my heart sink at Echinacea Lianqi’s next words.

“Taoist Ho-chung eventually succeeded in defeating Polar Night. He thought that everything would be over with that,”

I had a hunch, but it turned out to be true.

The final boss of Hell difficulty is not the Polar Night.

It was the moment when the worst-case scenario I had always imagined unfolded before my eyes.

“I honestly don’t know everything about what happened after that. Ho-chung simply realized something after defeating Polar Night, and in the end, he imprisoned the dying Polar Night in the Scapula Chamber, using up his last bit of strength.”

“And he left you with his last request.”

“Yes. That’s right. I made a promise with Ho-chung and sealed myself in the Scapula Chamber, and thanks to the precautions I had taken in advance, I was able to be released into this era a little sooner.”

And the task given to the humans of this era was simple.

“Defeat all the great yokai who are still in the Scapula Chamber, waiting for an opportunity to devour the world, and uncover the secret of Polar Night to completely defeat it.”

It is an impossible task that no one can guarantee they can accomplish.

However, someone has to do it. Otherwise, this world will come to an end.

“And this will be the key to it.”

Saying so, Echinacea Lianqi took something out of the pouch and handed it to me.

It was the one thing I had wanted to obtain from Echinacea Lianqi through Yoo Ha-on, the one thing that would make up for our lack of strength.

“The horn that contains the last technique of the great yokai Sancheon. If you have this, you can travel to a perfectly replicated past world.”

The era when there were many great yokai and Taoists who fought against them.

And Ho-chung said,

The answer lies only there.

“There is only one chance. If you cannot find the answer, it will be the end of everything.”

I raised my trembling hand and finally accepted it of my own free will.

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