NOVEL FROG Chapter 23
“Wow…!”
“Is that person from the Baek family…?”
“The real thing is even more…”
Before Yena’s greeting could finish, admiration and friendly gasps erupted from various places in the crowd.
Compared to the principal, if anything, she was even more impressive.
Just that enthusiastic reaction alone made it clear what Yena’s position was at this Cradle.
“Hehe, thank you, my juniors. It’s so overwhelming to be welcomed like this; I honestly don’t know what to do with myself…”
In response to the cheers directed at her, Yena continued her welcome speech with her characteristic elegant smile.
It was a smile I hadn’t seen in ages, one that I had deeply missed.
After two years, Yena, who I was meeting again, was showcasing even more breathtaking beauty than the last time I saw her.
Her outstanding demeanor and graceful aura exuded nobility.
But those captivating eyes of hers were no longer looking at me.
“…”
The noble daughter of the Paecheon Baek family.
She was born with stunning beauty and possessed skills that surpassed even active military personnel or veteran hunters.
She had been so cherished by her family head that she had avoided social circles entirely, revealing her exceptional charm to the world only when it was time to enroll at the Cradle.
Yet, in contrast to her nobility, she mingled fairly and kindly with students from diverse backgrounds and ultimately became last year’s victor.
But how could I have known that person would turn out to be you?
Today, I came to understand why Yena had never revealed her origins.
I, who originated from the border with no pedigree.
The noble daughter of the esteemed Baek family…
It was a destiny we were never meant to share.
“…”
My mind was filled with chaos and agitation. The surrounding noise buzzed and gradually faded away. I sank into an endless abyss, chewing over my thoughts.
I was still dreaming of the events from two years ago.
The deafening sounds of gunfire ringing in my ears.
The acrid smoke carrying the scent of death.
The hole pierced in the barricade.
The corpse of the dead commander, glaring wide-eyed at me.
The ghastly appearance of the demons that were indistinguishable from beasts.
The gravestones of my mother and friends set up amid the ruins of the collapsed house.
And the icy, cutting words Yena had uttered, word by word,
Along with the faint remnants of forget-me-nots that lingered in the dawn hospital room.
All those things felt as vivid as if they had happened yesterday.
That day, my heart was punctured with an unfillable hole, and I couldn’t sleep at night on windy days, moaning in pain.
But unlike me, Yena simply wore a pleasant smile.
As if she had escaped from a long tormenting nightmare…
“…Huh?”
“…”
“Hyeon-Ah?”
“…”
“Hyeon~~Ah?”
“…Huh?”
The moment I recognized something passing in front of my eyes repeatedly, I was suddenly yanked out of my slumber.
I shifted my gaze and saw Yena, pouting her cheeks with annoyance and waving her hands.
“Oh, finally answering. Were you sleeping or something…?”
“…I guess I was a bit tired.”
I barely managed to open my mouth to apologize. Only then did Yena retract her hand and her overly puffed cheeks returned to their original size.
“Who falls asleep at an opening ceremony? You must really be exhausted. You didn’t hear what I just said, did you?”
“…Sorry. What did you say?”
“I was talking about Senior Baek Seoyeon. Isn’t she really cool?”
“…I guess so. I think so too.”
“She looks just like a princess out of a fairy tale. Both in beauty and personality… She’s equally fair and kind to students like us from the outskirts. You wouldn’t believe how much my friends were talking about her just now.”
Satisfied that I was back to my senses, Yena started to chatter away again.
But the moment I heard Yena’s next words,
I felt as if several heavy stones had dropped in my chest.
“Wow, I wonder how happy the fiancée of that person must be? Senior seems to really like her fiancée. Her face lights up whenever the subject comes up.”
“What…?”
“Oh, you’re hearing this for the first time? I figured you wouldn’t care about stuff like that. Seriously, who else would have told you this if I hadn’t…”
“…”
“But what’s really interesting? No one knows the identity of her fiancée yet…! I heard it’s a secret engagement arranged by her family…”
I began to struggle to breathe, and my vision narrowed. An unbearable throbbing pain surged from the scar on my face.
“There have been rumors about this too. Since she refuses to disclose her fiancée, some people were claiming to be that person. But when the senior heard about that, she ended up beating one of them half to death in a duel… and as a result, they got expelled from the Cradle…”
It felt like some giant serpent was constricting me tighter. Yena kept mumbling something beside me, but I couldn’t hear it properly.
“There are even whispers that she completely shattered the family involved… But a person like her wouldn’t do such a thing… What a ridiculous rumor…”
I gathered all my strength to stifle the rising nausea but it proved futile.
In the end, I bolted outside the Hwayangkwan.
*
“Hehe, let’s wrap up the boring stories here, shall we? Surely we won’t have enough time to laugh and get to know each other. The academic schedule starts tomorrow, so I hope you just enjoy yourselves today. Once again, welcome to the Cradle.”
Clap clap clap!
As the welcome speech concluded, applause erupted from all around.
Baek Seoyeon waved her hands with a bright smile and exited the Hwayangkwan. The other second-year students followed suit, streaming out the door.
Today’s welcome ceremony was truly meant for the freshmen. Long banquet tables were set up across the hall, and food and drink-laden trolleys rushed into the Hwayangkwan like a wave.
As if to faithfully follow her earlier words, the freshmen began to gather into small groups, introducing themselves and sharing stories.
“The voice was really amazing… I want to hear it again…”
A girl among a group sitting at one table quietly murmured. As she leaned in, her blonde hair glimmered along with her emerald-like eyes that sparkled in the chandelier’s light.
“Did you see earlier? The particles sparkling around her hair. I’ve never seen golden particles in my life. Just how talented must she be…”
Another girl sitting beside the blonde chimed in quietly.
“Seeing it in person makes me realize. She’s not among the strongest of our generation for nothing.”
“Isn’t that right? And her personality seemed really nice too. How can someone smile so elegantly? I just want to call her ‘sister’ just once…”
“Tch, I think it looks pretty tacky. Someone like that…”
Suddenly, a male student sitting at the same table interrupted their conversation. He had a short haircut and an impressively large physique for a student. His well-trained muscles made every button on his shirt scream for help.
“I think it suits Yeon Minha more if we’re talking about the strongest…”
As the male student let out a scoff, the two girls who had been smiling instantly shot him cold glares.
The exotic-looking girl with blonde hair, Jin Yeseo, who had sworn in as the freshman representative earlier, challenged the boy sharply.
“Arrogant? Hey, Choi Woojin. Have you lost your mind? How dare someone like you evaluate anyone. You can’t even touch the tips of our seniors’ toes…”
“Why are you overreacting again? Am I wrong? Isn’t it only natural that those in higher positions should display dignity, not just laughter, to the freshmen?”
“Those in higher positions? Hey, wake up. Do you not know we live in a republic? The future of your Sungsan Choi family is bleak with guys like you. No wonder you always linger at the back…”
“This brat is insane… Hey, Jin Yeseo. You should wake up too. Just because people group you with the five great families, it doesn’t mean you’re someone special. You’re competing with the Heukryeon family, which has gone into seclusion for almost 15 years. What ridiculous sense of superiority do you have?”
“This bastard, are you asking for a fight…?”
“Enough, enough! Guys, please stop! How can you fight on the day of your entrance ceremony? Can’t you hold it in today?”
Choi Woojin and Jin Yeseo shot daggers at each other, exchanging a series of insults. Just as they were about to reflexively reach for their particle controllers, a friendly male student sitting between them stepped in to mediate.
“…Sigh.”
“…Tch.”
Suddenly interrupted, both of them controlled their tempers and sat back down. They turned their heads away from each other, pretending not to see.
“Haah…”
“…You’ve had a tough time, Seunghun.”
The male student let out a breath of relief, finally sitting back down. A girl who had been sitting beside him lightly took his hand and offered words of comfort.
“It’s okay. This happens all the time… Thanks, Yeowool…”
Ryu Seunghun smiled with a boyish charm in response to Moon Yeowool’s encouragement. Seeing that smile, her face turned slightly red.
They all came from the country’s leading wizard families. The original five families, alongside the 22 prestigious houses they spawned, were collectively referred to as the Magicians’ Twenty-Seven Families.
While their dominance was not formalized, it would not be an exaggeration to say that the Magicians’ Twenty-Seven Families essentially ruled the country.
They each possessed their own private troops and operated various corporations, sucking in an enormous amount of wealth like a black hole.
Based on that massive background, they exerted significant influence over both the political world and the military, even getting their family members directly into the administration.
Meanwhile, these families had complexly intertwined relationships due to interests and numerous marriages. The group gathered here had known each other since childhood from frequent meetings. Perhaps due to their similar ages, they bonded closely.
Ryu Seunghun and Moon Yeowool were even engaged.
However, relationships between people were not always harmonious. In fact, the closer they got, the more severe the rifts that often emerged.
From that perspective, Jin Yeseo and Choi Woojin did not have good chemistry. They had been bickering since childhood, and duels were commonplace between them.
And it was always up to Ryu Seunghun, sandwiched in between them, to break up their fights.
“…Hey, look at that guy. What’s he got on his face… Hahaha…”
As Choi Woojin scanned the surroundings, his eyes widened, and then he suddenly burst into laughter. His gaze landed on a newcomer wearing a unique badge like theirs.
Despite appearing perfectly normal otherwise, the newcomer wore a smooth white mask covering the upper half of his face, making it entirely understandable why it sparked laughter.
“Ah, a bizarre one. I thought…”
As soon as Moon Yeowool identified the figure, she turned her head disinterestedly. ‘Bizarre’ was the term used to refer to students who exhibited eccentric behavior at the Cradle.
There was no shortage of unusual students at the Cradle each year. Some wore strange mechanical devices on one arm, others sported witch hats from fairy tales, and some didn’t respond to anyone, staring with an intimidating expression.
Most of them were impoverished wizards from good families trying to catch the attention of distinguished families or headhunters, while some were first-generation wizards who had developed naturally without any foundation.
Though she didn’t want to show it due to her fiancé Ryu Seunghun, Moon Yeowool also didn’t particularly like those kinds of students, secretly wishing Yeon Minha was a better option in her thoughts during the previous debate.
“Shouldn’t the Cradle cancel the admission of those kinds of guys? It is supposed to be the foremost prestigious academy.”
Choi Woojin scoffed, a smirk plastered across his face.
“My brother said it was packed when he was a student. Don’t you ever get tired of it? If you want to make an impression, do it with talent. It’s said that those kinds of guys usually drop out because of their lack of skills.”
The masked boy kept his gaze fixed on the podium where Baek Seoyeon had just been standing, standing tall as if entranced.
“Maybe he fell in love at first sight? Look how he isn’t budging…”
“Even he must have good taste. Clearly, our Senior Baek Seoyeon…”
“…”
As Jin Yeseo muttered, Choi Woojin looked at her in disbelief, not uttering a word.
“Don’t be too harsh. What if there’s a reason? We shouldn’t judge someone solely by their appearance…”
Ryu Seunghun halted Choi Woojin with a forced smile. Meanwhile, Moon Yeowool leaned closer to Ryu Seunghun and spoke.
“You’re kind, as always. But by the way, Seunghun, have you heard from your sister?”
“…I did get a letter a few days ago. She said she’ll be leaving for the east soon, so there won’t be contact for a while…”
With a bitter tone, Seunghun muttered. Hearing that, Yeowool spoke in a pouty tone.
“…Your sister is really something. How can she do that to her family? It’s been well over 10 years since she last came home.”
“Don’t be too hard on her. She’s just trying not to burden me…”
After listening to Yeowool’s words, Seunghun shook his head. His sister, Ryu Sehwa, had not set foot in the family for nearly 15 years now. The rights of succession had long since passed to Seunghun.
“That’s right. And for Seunghun, isn’t it a good thing? The heir’s position just landed in your lap.”
“…Jae-ryong.”
A different male student, who had been away grabbing some drinks, chimed in. When Yeowool saw him, she responded with a disparaging tone.
“Do you even understand what a sensitive heart is…”
“A man doesn’t need sensitivity. But Seunghun, is it true?”
The second son of the national royal family, Guk Jae-ryong, looked at Seunghun and asked.
“What?”
“I heard recently that the 66th unit pulls out the demon’s heart and drinks its blood. You know, that squad leader is famous for being a madman. Have you heard anything from your sister…?”
“…Jae-ryong. That can’t be true. Those are just ridiculous rumors, no matter how I see it.”
Seunghun abruptly cut off Jae-ryong’s words. Though his expression remained cheerful, his voice chilled like night. Seeing the rarely serious Seunghun, Jae-ryong awkwardly apologized.
“Uh, sorry… It seems those rumors really are just nonsense… I thought so too…”
“Sigh, I expected you’d say that. I’ve seen Sehwa sister once, and she’s not a barbaric person at all. Maybe someone like that could…”
Yeowool sighed and turned her gaze away once more.
The masked male student continued to gaze intensely at the podium where Baek Seoyeon had stood a while ago. Suddenly, he turned and quickly strode out of the Hwayangkwan.
Behind him, a female student who seemed to be with him, appeared flustered and was jumping up and down from where she stood.
“…What the heck? Is he really a bit off…?”
Seeing this spectacle, Yeowool muttered to herself. Then, suddenly recalling something, she turned to Seunghun and asked.
“By the way, Seunghun, which senior do you prefer more?”
“I still prefer Baek Seoyeon over Yeon Minha… Yeon Minha is a bit intimidating, to say the least… Haha…”
“…Tch.”
Hearing Yeowool’s question, Seunghun laughed awkwardly as if feeling troubled. Unsatisfied with the response, Yeowool turned away, puffing her cheeks subtly.
Next to them, Jin Yeseo gazed at the spot where Baek Seoyeon had just left and said.
“I wonder how happy the fiancée of that person must be?”