I Became the Academy’s Genius Shikigami Summoner – Chapter 273

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟕𝟑

In a realm beyond the ordinary, we emerged from the Dream Space into reality, where Hong Lin gazed at Yoo Ha-on and me with disbelief.

“It seems you have truly succeeded. What of Baekryeo?”

“It is uncertain, but it appears that both her physical and spiritual forms in this reality have been extinguished.”

“. . . I see. To be honest, I believed the chances of success were slim, but you have proven yourselves to possess the qualities of heroes.”

Having initially anticipated a dire outcome, as evidenced by her cautious assistance, Hong Lin now showered us with genuine admiration.

“. . . Junior, are you unharmed?”

“Yes. There was a brief moment of peril, but I am well.”

“I have been keeping watch over here, and all seems to be in order.”

It became clear that Arietta had remained outside, keeping a watchful eye on Hong Lin to ensure she posed no threat.

Hong Lin laughed heartily, addressing us who had yet to fully regain our strength.

“I have prepared a meal. Eat and rest until you are fully recovered.”

“Yes. Thank you for your consideration.”

In her final moments, Baekryeo had left us with a cryptic warning, urging us to be wary of Hong Lin.

While I judged Hong Lin to be a figure with her own sense of justice, it was prudent to heed the warning.

We accepted Hong Lin’s hospitality, dining and taking turns to rest, replenishing our depleted energy.

As we prepared to depart from this place, Hong Lin discreetly called me aside.

“I did not mention it earlier due to the urgency of the situation, but I have something to convey to you.”

“What is it?”

“The matter of the five great yokai I spoke of before.”

Having acquired information from Hong Lin during our meal, I was now aware of their identities.

Excluding Baekryeo, with whom we had just engaged in combat, and Hong Lin, the leader of the Satou-pai, only three great yokai remained.

Hong Lin referred to them as follows:

“Are they not Guimei, who wields a thousand tricks, Taotie, a descendant of the Heavenly Dragon and possessor of the power of a malevolent spirit, and Xue Laifu, born when a renowned Taoist defied taboo?”

“That is correct. I also heard that you had accepted a commission regarding Taotie.”

Indeed, Taotie was the target of the commission Shin Pyo-eul and I had undertaken for the Pyeong Clan. Surprisingly, the creature ranked among the five yokai mentioned by Hong Lin.

Furthermore, based on her description, I surmised that Xue Laifu’s true identity was Young-wan’s master, whom he had requested to be put eternal rest

However, as this information had already been disclosed to me, I listened intently to Hong Lin’s words, my curiosity piqued.

What she uttered next was nothing short of astounding.

“It was difficult for me to discern, but. . . . . . I detected traces of their aura lingering on you.”

“What do you mean?”

“That you have encountered them in the course of your journey.”

It made no sense.

Had I encountered such formidable yokai, I would have undoubtedly noticed.

Yet, Hong Lin’s demeanor was so earnest that I could not dismiss her words lightly.

“That is a startling revelation. If true, it would have posed a grave danger to me.”

“The aura was faint, so I could not deduce the specifics. It is possible that they were aware of you but chose to conceal their presence, or perhaps they did not fully recognize your existence at the time.”

Upon further reflection, her explanation seemed plausible.

Even Hong Lin, despite being influenced by Yoo Ha-on, had taken some time to fully grasp the anomalies. It was not unreasonable to assume that the others might have been similarly unaware.

At the same time, I realized that this was a significant clue.

At least one of the three had interacted with me directly.

If I could uncover their identity, it would present an opportunity to target them preemptively.

“Thank you for informing me. I had no awareness of it. . . . . . .”

“Do not be too hard on yourself. Had they intended to reveal themselves directly, you would have known.”

“Yes. I will exercise greater caution in the future.”

From Hong Lin’s words, it seemed that the great yokai who had encountered me had not sought confrontation.

In other words, it was likely that we had crossed paths without recognizing each other’s true nature.

「𝙄𝙩 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙄 𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙮 𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙛𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣. . . . . . .」

Despite carefully retracing my memories, the pool of potential candidates was too vast to identify a clear suspect.

Deciding to set aside the matter for the time being, I bid farewell to Hong Lin and prepared to depart the Dream Space with my companions.

“Wait a moment, I have a request.”

“What is it?”

“Would you be willing to take our youngest along on your journey?”

By “youngest,” Hong Lin undoubtedly meant Echinacea Lianqi, the Satou-pai’s little boss.

“It may be difficult to believe. . . . . . but I am convinced after observing your consistent actions.”

“. . . . . . .”

“Surely, the youngest has some connection to you beyond this observed world?”

Her words were filled with such conviction that it seemed futile to deny it.

“Yes. In truth, she played a pivotal role in our arrival in this world.”

“That is indeed surprising news. While I am curious, it is not my place to know.”

Hong Lin smiled wryly, her expression tinged with a sense of regret.

“It seems that my humble existence has not been entirely meaningless. . . . . . what greater fortune could there be?”

“We would welcome her assistance, and if you wish, she may accompany us.”

“Very well. Even though the youngest here is also merely an observed existence, it may be the right course of action.”

And so, I accepted Hong Lin’s final request, welcoming the past Echinacea Lianqi as a companion on our journey.

Though I am uncertain, I sense that our mission in this realm is gradually gaining momentum.

The reunification of our scattered companions is nearly complete, we have encountered the Heavenly Taoist Ho-chung, and we have gathered a considerable amount of information about this era.

「𝙊𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙡𝙛 𝙖 𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙨. . . . . . .」

While time is not overly abundant, it should be sufficient to achieve our goals.

Mentally reviewing the objectives that lay ahead, I departed the Dream Space with my companions, where we had briefly sojourned.

Resolving to make the most effective use of the remaining half year.

🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷

“So, you received no specific instructions from Hong Lin-nim?”

“. . . Yes. The boss simply told me that this is the path I should take.”

Despite Hong Lin not revealing the full truth to Echinacea Lianqi, she had followed us without question.

That alone spoke volumes about the regard in which Hong Lin was held by Echinacea Lianqi.

“I will do my utmost to assist you on your journey, so please do not hesitate to request my aid.”

“Yes. Thank you for your cooperation.”

Although she maintained a businesslike demeanor, the past Echinacea Lianqi possessed a certain youthful innocence that differed from her present self.

This was evident in the way she occasionally stole glances at us, as if slightly awkward, and in the fact that she always wore a mask, never revealing her true face to us.

Despite this, she eagerly assisted us with tasks such as setting up camp and preparing meals.

“. . . It feels strange, thinking of them as the same person.”

“I find it refreshing.”

Yoo Ha-on muttered under her breath with a bemused expression, while Arietta seemed fascinated, constantly engaging Echinacea Lianqi in conversation.

Our current destination was the abode of the Hawon Clan, where the other three had headed.

It was a considerable distance, requiring an extended period of travel, during which I shared the events that had transpired with Yoo Ha-on.

“So, we need to locate the two who have yet to join us, and gather information about Polar Night in this era.”

“That sums it up.”

In the process, we must also evade the pursuit of the great yokai who are targeting us, and if possible, extract information from them.

“It will by no means be easy. . . . . . but it is reassuring to have a clear objective.”

“I agree. Though the term ‘information about Polar Night’ is rather broad.”

Yoo Ha-on pondered my words for a moment before clapping her hands together and speaking again.

“Speaking of which, when I was with Baekryeo, she mentioned something after learning of my purpose.”

“What was that?”

“She said that Polar Night is an extremely strange and enigmatic being, and that while its true nature is unknown, it is said to possess secrets beyond anyone’s imagination.”

“. . . . . . .”

“Baekryeo claimed to have actually met Polar Night in the distant past. It is unlikely that she was speaking idly.”

Her words filled me with a sense of unease.

Baekryeo, from my perspective, possessed immense and enigmatic powers, yet even she described Polar Night as an entity beyond comprehension.

Could it be that we had fundamentally misunderstood the nature of Polar Night from the outset?

It was impossible to know for certain at this point.

I had also inquired about Polar Night from Hong Lin, but she had surprisingly revealed that, being relatively young among the great yokai, she had never encountered Polar Night during her active period.

Feeling my unease grow, I let out a small sigh.

It was then that the anomaly occurred.

Peee-ong!

Sensing a surge of energy penetrating my mind, I immediately summoned my companions.

“The shikigami I entrusted to Seo-ah has been extinguished. It appears that she is in grave danger.”

“. . . Junior, do you know her location?”

“Yes. The coordinates were just transmitted to my mind.”

We were still over a day’s journey from the Hawon Clan’s abode.

However, under the circumstances, we had no choice but to pursue them as swiftly as possible.

“We will increase our speed from here. If we push ourselves, we should be able to reach the designated coordinates within half a day.”

“Yes. No problem.”

“I am ready as well.”

And so, the three of us took to the skies with the aid of Black Bird and Black Yin, while Echinacea Lianqi followed closely behind, matching our pace.

Neglecting meals and rest, we covered the distance rapidly, and before half a day had passed, we arrived at the coordinates where the shikigami had been extinguished.

“Most of it has been erased. . . . . . but there are traces of a battle.”

As Echinacea Lianqi had observed, there was clear evidence of a significant battle having taken place in the vicinity.

The enemy must have been formidable, as neither side seemed to have gained a decisive advantage.

“Senior, do you sense any presence nearby?”

“Faintly, from a distance. They are approaching this location directly.”

“It seems they have detected us.”

It was undoubtedly true, given that Arietta possessed the widest detection range among us.

Resolving to confront them head-on, we shared our field of vision and gradually assumed a combat stance.

Soon, a group emerged from the dense undergrowth, revealing their forms.

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