* * *

    Perched on a tree overlooking the first-year boys’ dormitory at Lord Howe Academy, Corvus, the crow Beastfolk who had come looking for of her apprentice, sat feeling dejected.

    Like most Beastfolks who tried their best to blend into human society, she was used to the wariness humans directed at her.

    However, just because she was used to it didn’t mean she wasn’t affected. Like a scar being prodded, the pain remained the same.

    Just as the students’ doubts began to deepen, she roused her mana to block her sense of hearing.

    If their doubts were simply rooted in prejudice, she could have at least tried to refute them. However, in this situation, she couldn’t, because the students’ concerns were based on reality.

    And in this self-created silence, she recalled the past.

    The memory of her kin, specifically her furry relatives, crossing the Dimensional Portal and arriving on Earth.

    To the Beastfolks of the Prairie, who considered all humans, except Superhumans and Mages, as delicacies, Earth appeared to be a land of opportunity.

    A land full of abundant feasts for the eye, spices, and mouthwatering humans.

    However, the foolish ones who had only ever lived in the wild were unaware that the human kingdoms in the northern regions, as well as the elves and dwarves, had already been crushed under the boots of Earth’s military. ???о????è????

    And so… they ate them.

    They leaped into the midst of the Earthians gathered to welcome them, chewing, tearing, and savoring.

    Unaware that this was being broadcast across the world, they roared and rejoiced.

    Those foolish relatives of hers did not understand the repercussions their actions would bring about.

    What did the collapse of the Abhuman1 equality movement on Earth and the cancellation of the UN Human Rights Agreement have to do with them?

    And was eating a few humans really that big of a deal? Wasn’t it something that happened all the time?

    However, the Earthians felt differently.

    Earthian voters were not like the nobles from beyond the Dimensional Portal who wouldn’t bat an eyelid if a few natives or serfs were eaten.

    Thus, they deployed troops to burn the Beastfolk’s grassland.

    The black muzzle of their machine guns spewed hundreds of bullets per minute, the sound of tank engines crushing the grasslands, and the scent of gunpowder as shells rained all over the Sanctuary.

    Many of her kin, who believed themselves to be wild predators—no, the foolish ones—died helplessly.

    Although the Beastfolks who were able to manipulate mana achieved military miracles, it was nowhere near enough to turn the tide of the war.

    Only then did the more perceptive Beastfolks bow down to the Earthians.

    Her feathered and scaled relatives, who did not consume humans, were forgiven.

    Although the price they had to pay was expulsion from their homeland and forced labor in protected areas, it was still better than the fate that awaited their furry relatives.

    Her furry relatives who committed cannibalism were not forgiven…

    And as Corvus was immersed in her past with her sense of hearing blocked…

    A booming voice pierced her ears.

    Perhaps it was not that unpleasant to be pulled out from the past all of a sudden; Corvus unknowingly found herself listening to the voice.

    ‘Cheon Yeomyeong’, the name of the human who would soon become her apprentice.

    * * *

    Wesley’s mana infused voice filled the dormitory.

    Yeomyeong stifled a bitter laugh on hearing the voice coming through the door.

    “…So that’s the reason, huh.”

    He was wondering why that boy had come to his room and suddenly asked him about his top choice. It turned out he just wanted to broadcast it to everyone?

    Seeing Yeomyeong shaking his head, Baonic, who was beside him, chimed in.

    “It’s probably a big deal for them. If the choices happen to overlap, it means that one of them will be kicked out.”

    Even though it wasn’t part of the novel’s original storyline, it wasn’t that hard for Baonic to imagine how fierce the battle of wits among the students was.

    To be able to receive direct training from major NPCs who would only appear much later in the story…

    If not for Yeomyeong’s orders, Baonic, too, would have been racking his brains over whom to apply to.

    Baonic thought as he folded the special class application form neatly.

    He had some strange order forced upon him, yet Yeomyeong had chosen to train under an NPC like Corvus. How could he do that?

    Bitterness and resentment began to swell within his heart, but he kept it all to himself.

    He didn’t have the courage to voice his complaints.

    To Baonic, Yeomyeong was nothing more than a merciless master who could break his neck whenever he felt like it.

    He could voice his discontent later—after all, it wouldn’t be too late if he waited until he had at least become a somewhat useful dog.

    With such thoughts, as Baonic paid close attention to Yeomyeong’s reaction, a piece of information that might earn him some points came to mind.

    “Uh, hey…”

    “What is it?”

    “About the Chapter 1 boss… He hasn’t been caught yet, has he?”

    It was a sudden question, but Yeomyeong was able to recall who the ‘Chapter 1 boss’ Baonic was referring to.

    The priest of the ‘Church’, the mastermind behind the recent academy terror attack.

    According to the story in the notebook, he was supposed to die at the hands of the ‘protagonist’ in the shelter, but he never made an appearance during the attack.

    “…We haven’t caught him yet. And given his abilities, we probably never will.”

    The Chapter 1 boss’ abilities, as mentioned by Yeomyeong, were related to his true nickname.

    The Skinwalker Priest.

    It was a nickname given due to his grotesque shapeshifting technique of skinning other beings and wearing their skins.

    “Uh, I just… I might have figured out a way to find him.”

    “…You have a way to find him?”

    Yeomyeong raised an eyebrow in response.

    Since the Skinwalker Priest wore the skin of a living person, it was nearly impossible to find him by his appearance alone.

    And seeing that even Yeomyeong had given up trying to track him, there was nothing more to say.

    Unless they did a blood test or the priest revealed his mana on his own volition, it wasn’t going to be a simple task.

    “It’s not something out of this world, but, well, it can perhaps help us find him if necessary.”

    Intrigued by Baonic’s suggestion, Yeomyeong crossed his arms, signaling him to go on.

    Seizing the opportunity, he began his explanation.

    “Actually, his shapeshifting isn’t perfect. He may be able to hide his appearance, but even he can’t conceal his unique mana thoroughly.”

    He was just repeating what was written in the notebook, but Yeomyeong decided to give him some time.

    If what he said differed from what was written, he intended to grab the boy’s neck immediately.

    Unaware of Yeomyeong’s intentions, Baonic continued speaking enthusiastically.

    “And since he is aware of that as well, he will probably shapeshift into an ordinary person who can’t use mana, right?”

    “…And?”

    “Alright, I’ll start with the actual plan now. Have you heard this saying? ‘A Beastfolk recognizes another Beastfolk.’”

    “…”

    “It’s not a false rumor; it’s true. There’s a unique pheromone, or sense, that only another Beastfolk can perceive. And that Skin Priest… he’s a wolf Beastfolk.”

    Only after hearing that did Yeomyeong realize what Baonic’s plan was.

    “Normally, there wouldn’t be a single Beastfolk at the academy, but… conveniently, there’s one here now.”

    “Right, Corvus.”

    The crow Beastfolk who had come to the academy to become a special teacher.

    Thinking of his soon-to-be teacher, Yeomyeong was lost in thought for a moment.

    The Chapter 1 boss, the Skinwalker Priest.

    There wasn’t much to gain from dealing with him. At best, they could probably obtain a few magic items he carried.

    However, allowing him to roam freely in the academy was also a problem.

    There was no guarantee that he wouldn’t instigate a second or third terror attack, and most importantly, he was the one who had targeted the Saintess in the first place.

    If she sensed the presence of a Beastfolk in an ordinary person, she could alert him immediately.

    It wasn’t a particularly difficult task, and Corvus, who wanted to repay the Saintess in some way, wouldn’t find the request unpleasant either.

    Just as Yeomyeong was pondering over this, the sound of someone tapping on the dormitory window broke his reverie.

    When Yeomyeong turned his head, he saw a large crow tapping the window—a very familiar crow.

    Ignoring Baonic’s astonished gaze darting between the crow and him, Yeomyeong stood up from his seat.

    * * *

    “I didn’t realize it, but it turns out my dear Apprentice here is pretty famous.” Sear?h the n??el Fire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Said Corvus as soon as he reached the bench in front of the dormitory.

    Thinking she was mocking him, Yeomyeong looked at the crow’s face and found himself at a loss for words.

    However, contrary to his expectations, Corvus was genuinely impressed.

    With a sigh, Yeomyeong replied.

    “…What do you mean by famous? It’s nothing like that.”

    “ excessive modesty is no different from arrogance, you know?”

    Corvus clacked her beak and continued in a voice that sounded rather amused.

    “You wouldn’t be so modest if you had seen it yourself.”

    “…What are you talking about?”

    “The number of students applying to my class shot up the moment they heard you are going to be my apprentice! Even though I am a Beastfolk!”

    Yeomyeong had no idea what part of that story was supposed to be exciting, but Corvus almost sounded like she was singing a song.

    Seeing her more exhilarating than he’d imagined, Yeomyeong couldn’t help but ask her.

    “…Don’t tell me, have you been eavesdropping on the boys’ dormitory since dawn?”

    “Eavesdropping, you say? How can I help it when it was within earshot? Don’t you know: the mice hear what’s said at night, and birds hear what’s said during the day?2”

    “…”

    “ please don’t give me that look. I was just trying to use a little Earth humor.”

    Two fake coughs followed by a brief silence.

    It wasn’t until the morning sunlight began to cast shadows over the dormitory that Corvus started speaking seriously.

    “How has your Killing Aura been after that day? Have you felt the urge to kill anyone again?”

    “…No issues so far.”

    “Hmm… It’s pretty strange. Such intense Killing Aura, strong enough to drive one mad, shouldn’t just disappear that easily.”

    Corvus eyed Yeomyeong up and down with suspicion.

    It was a natural reaction. After all, she didn’t know what Yeomyeong had done while in that state of perfect selflessness.

    And it didn’t help that he hadn’t mentioned the fact that he had battered his Killing Aura, which had taken the form of Soe Miri, or that he had released the soul of the Demonic Human Mara trapped inside him.

    He just claimed that he didn’t remember anything.

    While it didn’t seem like Corvus fully believed him, she didn’t press further.

    The truth was, after awakening from his trance, Yeomyeong’s Killing Aura had completely disappeared—at least on the surface.

    “If you ever feel like that Killing Aura’s going to resurface, let me know. I’ll make sure to heal you.”

    “Then, please use some other spell instead of ice spike next time.”

    When Yeomyeong brought up the ice spike, Corvus laughed heartily.

    “How about you shoot the ice spike yourself next time?”

    “…?”

    “Wouldn’t you like to learn magic?”

    Confusion flickered in Yeomyeong’s golden eyes upon hearing the sudden proposal before fading away.

    After a brief silence, he looked straight into the crow’s black eyes and answered.

    “Does it look like I’m not using it because I don’t want to?”

    Half-sarcastic words escaped Yeomyeong’s mouth, but Corvus tilted her beak into a smile.

    “Have you ever tried to learn magic?”

    “…”

    He had never done that.

    Unlike martial arts, which he could imitate just by watching, magic couldn’t be replicated even if he was able to perceive the movement of mana.

    However, it wasn’t simply because he was unable to imitate it that he hadn’t made an attempt.

    It was a bit hard to describe, but he had an almost instinctive conviction—A certainty that he couldn’t use magic.

    Corvus, on the other hand, seemed to think a little differently.

    “You have the delicate mana sensitivity required to read a mage’s spell and the talent to learn martial arts at a glance. I am absolutely convinced that you can learn magic.”

    It was an embarrassing compliment, but Yeomyeong shook his head.

    “…It’s not about talent. No matter how well a whale swims, it can’t fly.”

    “That’s true. However, you can’t know until you give it a try, right?”

    Corvus spoke with a subtle look. Since it seemed like it would be pointless to keep refusing, Yeomyeong finally gave her a slight nod.

    “…Well, if you insist, I’ll try learning during the special classes.”

    Only after giving her the answer she wanted to hear could Yeomyeong move on to another topic.

    The martial arts Corvus had developed on her own, the ‘Black Wing Flow,’ and the Skinwalker Priest—Those were the matters Yeomyeong wanted to talk about right now.

    “Corvus, I have some questions regarding the true intention of the Black Wing Flow that you taught me last time…”

    As soon as he brought up the Black Wing Flow, Corvus’ gaze turned toward the other side of the dormitory.

    Specifically, to the road at the bottom of the hill leading to the dormitory.

    Yeomyeong didn’t ask her why she was looking in that direction all of a sudden.

    Because just like Corvus, he also sensed the mana of two people striding toward the dormitory.

    On the sunlit road beyond the dormitory, the Saintess, wearing a pure white robe, was walking alongside a sturdy old lady.

    Upon closer inspection, the two weren’t walking together.

    The Saintess had a look of desperation as she was dragged along by the sturdy old lady.

    Feeling a strange sense of déjà vu, Yeomyeong sighed in resignation. Even without anyone telling him, he had an almost-certain feeling.

    …

    What did she blurt out this time? Surely she wasn’t going around telling people she got spanked, right?

    After massaging his throbbing temples, Yeomyeong got up.

    He was about to head toward the Saintess… but Corvus’ talon grabbed his uniform top.

    “…Apprentice, where are you going?”

    Instead of answering, Yeomyeong gestured in the Saintess’ direction with his chin.

    The crow stared alternately between the Saintess and Yeomyeong before speaking in a serious tone.

    “The one dragging the Saintess is Joanna Thule. Are you prepared?”

    “…Prepared?”

    “Prepared to overcome the trial of love!”

    Suddenly, Yeomyeong remembered that this crow was also a fanatic of the Saintess.

    Swallowing the curse rising up his throat, he shrugged off the coat caught in her talon.

    Corvus tried to add another word, but this time, Yeomyeong beat her to it.

    “I don’t know about making preparations… I’m just thinking of clearing up the misunderstanding first.”

    Although what Yeomyeong meant by misunderstanding and what Corvus was thinking about were slightly different, he didn’t bother explaining the difference. Nor did he want to.

    .

    Swallowing another deep sigh, Yeomyeong moved toward Joanna Thule.

    Footnotes

    1. The term "Abhuman" is used to refer to a type of being that possesses certain similarities to humans—such as having limbs or body parts that are noticeably human-like—but is genetically and psychologically distinct from humans to the extent that they cannot be directly referred to as humans. It''s coined by William Hope Hodgson in his 1912 novel The Night Land and his Carnacki stories.2. It''s a proverb. This means that you should always be careful about what you say, as there is always someone listening.