CHAPTER 482: LIKE A TIGER (6)

Even though Scarlet and Baek Yu-Seol wanted to start training together, the biggest issue was finding a location.

There were very few places where they could practice magic freely without being seen. After all, for Baek Yu-Seol to gain meaningful experience, Scarlet would have to use magic far beyond her publicly known Class 3 level.

They needed a completely secluded space.

"...There’s no way a place like that exists."

Even in the most deserted gymnasiums or training halls, there were always a few wandering students or staff members.

"Can’t we just use magic to clear them out?"

"If I use perception-altering magic, I can clear the place instantly!"

"Oh."

"But then Elthman will kick me out too!"

"...That’s a problem."

The dormitory was far too small for the two of them to spar and practice magic properly.

Even though Stella Academy had plenty of outdoor spaces, using large-scale magic outside would attract too much attention. Not to mention, powerful magic outside of official practice sessions was strictly forbidden.

"Don’t worry. I have a plan!"

"Really?"

"Of course!"

Despite her enthusiasm, Baek Yu-Seol couldn’t help but feel a flicker of doubt. Nevertheless, with no better ideas, he decided to follow her lead.

Scarlet led him to the Jungle Training Grounds, one of the Class S gymnasiums that was rarely used.

Designed to mimic a dense jungle, the area was filled with obstacles and uneven terrain. It wasn’t ideal for high-level magic training, which made it unpopular among Stella’s elite students.

Even so, the grounds weren’t completely empty. Scattered among the foliage were about a dozen students, all focused on their individual training.

Oddly enough, they were all male.

"This place is so humid and sticky that girls usually avoid it."

"...Really?"

Baek Yu-Seol had no idea.

"Well, let’s go in—"

"Wait!"

Just as Baek Yu-Seol was about to open the door, Scarlet stopped him with a cheerful smile and pointed toward the corner with her index finger.

"The trash can...?"

"No, not that! Next to it! Go hide in the corner."

"Why?"

"Because it’s better if people don’t see you."

"...?"

Though he didn’t fully understand, Baek Yu-Seol decided to follow her instructions.

He crouched behind the wall near the corner and peeked through the window to observe the inside of the training ground.

Scarlet, on the other hand, swept open the gymnasium door with a flourish, walking in with the kind of bold confidence that turned heads instantly. Every male student inside, busy honing their magic skills, stopped to look at her.

"Oh? Scarlet!"

A few first-year classmates recognized her and greeted her with bright smiles. The second- and third-year seniors, while less enthusiastic, gave her polite nods of acknowledgment.

’I recognize a few faces.’

Scarlet recognized several of the second-years, their names flickering in her memory, and recalled brief interactions with some of the third-years during overlapping lectures.

"Are you here to train?"

"Great timing! Want to join us?"

"Uh, well..."

As the students gathered around her with enthusiasm, Scarlet, who had entered so boldly moments ago, suddenly shifted. Her shoulders hunched, her gaze fell to the floor, and she began to fidget with her fingers.

"I-I did come here to train, but... I-I think I’ll just leave."

"Huh? Why?"

"Wouldn’t it be fun to train together...?"

"Well, it’s just... I was looking for somewhere quiet to train by myself. My magic is, um, a little secret... and it’s really embarrassing to show others..."

’What the...’

Watching this scene unfold, Baek Yu-Seol was utterly stunned.

Seeing Scarlet - the Witch Queen - acting shy and bashful, twisting her body with adorable gestures, was so out of character that it completely caught him off guard.

And yet...

’It suits her...?’

Her naturally cute appearance combined with her impressive acting skills was proving dangerously effective.

The male students were already losing their composure, their gazes shifting uneasily under the weight of her unexpected adorableness.

"S-Secret magic practice...?"

"Yes... But since there are so many people here, I think I’ll look for another spot..."

As Scarlet turned away with a seemingly defeated expression, the male students panicked and quickly called out to her.

"Ahem! Scarlet, I just finished my training anyway. You can use this gym if you want..."

"Oh? Me too! I’m done here. I was about to head back and shower."

"Ahem. Same here..."

As the male students began volunteering to leave one by one, even those who had no intention of leaving felt pressured by the atmosphere and quickly packed up and left the training ground.

A member of the student council even promised to hang a ’Do Not Enter’ sign to prevent anyone else from coming in, ensuring their privacy.

’Now I get why she told me to hide...’

If Scarlet had pulled off that kind of cute act with another guy standing next to her, it wouldn’t just lose its effect—it might have caused outright hostility.

"Hehe, come out now!"

Scarlet appeared quite proud of herself and called out to Baek Yu-Seol. He let out a deep sigh and stepped into the now-empty training ground.

"Do you always act like that?"

"Like what?"

"Flirting with random guys."

"I wasn’t flirting. I was just being cute. It’s funny to see their reactions."

"Hah... You’re not extorting them for money or anything, right?"

"Huh? Why would I take their money? This is entertaining enough without being paid for it."

Apparently, for someone with Scarlet’s skewed sense of finances, the idea of women sweet-talking innocent men to swindle them out of money didn’t even cross her mind.

"If it’s not that, then... whatever. Just don’t take it too far. They’re teenagers. They’d be seriously hurt."

"Please, I’m not cruel," Scarlet said, rolling her eyes. "I know my limits. I’m just having some harmless fun."

"Hmm..."

’Harmless fun, huh’

Scarlet was clueless... painfully clueless.

She had no idea that for teenage boys, even a single smile from a girl could send them fantasizing about marriage.

’This feels risky... But whatever.’

This wasn’t the time to dwell on such trivial matters.

They had finally secured an entire training ground to themselves, so they needed to make the most of it.

***

Three hours later.

Three hours had passed. An average training session length for a ordinary magic warrior.

But for Baek Yu-Seol, it was nowhere near enough.

He had expected something more from being trained by none other than the Witch Queen herself.

Instead, Scarlet was already sprawled on the ground, completely exhausted, her stamina utterly drained.

Baek Yu-Seol looked down at her with a complicated expression.

"Hmm..."

"Huff... Huff... W-What’s wrong?"

While Scarlet looked completely exhausted, her supposed student stood there without a hint of fatigue, speaking in a tone that was almost mocking.

"This is too easy."

"...What?"

Scarlet’s face went pale.

"E-Easy? But I’m giving it everything I’ve got!"

"Doesn’t seem like it. When you showed up as a professor before, I felt a much more intimidating and overwhelming presence."

"That’s because..."

Back then, Scarlet had unlocked all the power she had sealed away. Since she had infiltrated Stella Academy in secret, hiding her abilities from Elthman had forced her to partially reveal her true strength.

And unfortunately for her, that was when Baek Yu-Seol had faced her.

"Ahem. So, what do you want me to do?"

"This watered-down magic isn’t helping at all."

"Hmph. Did you really have to say it like that?"

"Your cute act won’t work on me."

"Tch..."

"Let’s change how we train."

Scarlet sat up with her legs crossed, pouting her lips.

Her short skirt shifted precariously, but it was clear she was expertly managing the angles, avoiding any unintended displays.

"Change the training? How?"

"For example... Let’s train like lions."

"Lions...?"

Scarlet tilted her head, trying to figure out what he meant.

Baek Yu-Seol added.

"You’ve heard the old saying, right? A lion trains its cubs by pushing them off a cliff."

"...Yeah, I’ve heard something like that before."

Scarlet let out a sigh.

"But lions are cats, you know? They’re famous for having strong maternal instincts. Do you really think a lion would push its cub off a cliff...?"

To this, Baek Yu-Seol replied firmly.

"No. A lion, which only gives birth to one or two cubs, wouldn’t do something like that."

"Exactly, right?"

"Besides, there aren’t any cliffs in the grassy plains where lions live, so even if they wanted to, they couldn’t push their cubs off one."

Hearing that, Scarlet was even more dumbfounded.

If he already knew all that, why did he bring up such a bizarre analogy in the first place?

"Then why did you say we should train like lions...?"

"It’s just a figure of speech. If lions bother you, should we say tigers instead?"

"..."

At that moment, Scarlet realized she had misunderstood something.

For Baek Yu-Seol, logic and reasoning were secondary. As long as something sounded convincing, that was good enough for him.

"Hmm, tigers are fine. Sure, let’s train like tigers. That does sound more fitting now, doesn’t it?"

"..."

Scarlet wanted to retort with, ’Not even a little,’but instead, she chuckled and nodded along.

Truthfully, she had already understood what he meant from the beginning.

Even so, she had let the conversation drag on pointlessly because...

Maybe, just maybe, she simply enjoyed having these kinds of meaningless chats with Baek Yu-Seol.

"How about eagles, then?"

"I don’t have wings, so pass."

"...Do you have a mane or a tail?"

Scarlet felt an unexpected pang of irritation at that remark.

"Haah, I like your enthusiasm, but no."

"Why not?"

"...Because I’m not the same as I was back then."

The truth was, Scarlet couldn’t operate freely in her current state.

Her true body was sealed away somewhere deep within the world, forcing her to wander as nothing more than an avatar.

Naturally, this limited her. Her avatar could never wield the full extent of her power. The only reason she could even spend such a prolonged period in the academy, living as a student, was because she had suppressed her magic to a mere Class 3 level.

If she dared to draw upon stronger magic, her avatar would crumble like a fragile illusion.

But Scarlet was still the Witch Queen.

No matter how much she trusted Baek Yu-Seol, she didn’t want to reveal this weakness to him.

"Ah! So it’s the limitation of your avatar."

"...Why are you only sharp about useless things like this?"

"I’m sharp about everything."

"Uh, sure... Right."

"Anyway, if you can draw a bit more power from your real body, then it’s not a problem, right?"

"That’s true, but it’s difficult in Stella. That damn brat Elthman layered so many barriers around this place... it’s driving me crazy!"

"Barriers, huh..."

Baek Yu-Seol stroked his chin thoughtfully. Suddenly, he pulled out a notebook from his subspace storage and began scribbling something with a pen.

Curious, Scarlet stood up to see what he was doing.

But since she was too short to peek over his shoulder, she had to hop up and down just to catch a glimpse.

"What are you doing? What’s that?"

"I’m designing an antenna."

"An antenna...?"

"Yeah. To help you receive your body’s mana more efficiently."

"Do you think I’m some kind of radio or something?"

"Isn’t it kind of similar?"

"What on earth do you think I am..."

Scarlet pouted, looking visibly offended.

Baek Yu-Seol ignored her reaction and pulled two wooden sticks from his pocket. Without hesitation, he plopped them onto Scarlet’s head.

"Ouch! What the heck? I’m the Witch Queen! Do you think this is funny?!"

"How does it feel?"

Scarlet blinked in confusion and looked up at the air around her, as if expecting something magical to happen.

Had he really finished designing the antenna already?

But...

"Huh? I don’t feel anything."

"...Those are just wooden sticks. I was asking if they’re uncomfortable to wear. Are you really the Witch Queen?"

Scarlet’s face turned bright red as she immediately lowered her head in embarrassment.

Meanwhile, Baek Yu-Seol couldn’t help but wonder—

’Is it really okay to learn from someone this clueless...?’