Chapter 24 – Rule 12. The Leader Receives Top Marks (3)

 

 

 

Whoosh!

 

Baek-seo easily dodged my sword strike.

 

Then she grabbed my extended arm, tripped my leg, and threw me to the ground.

 

“Ugh!”

 

Baek-seo twisted my wrist, took my dagger, and held it to my throat.

 

The whole process happened so quickly, it felt like it happened in the blink of an eye.

 

Although I had let my guard down, her skill was impressive even considering that.

 

If we had both used magic to enhance our bodies, the outcome would have been even more brutal.

 

“Leader, are you okay?”

 

“…I’m fine.”

 

I grabbed Baek-seo’s outstretched hand, stood up, and took back the dagger from her.

 

When did you learn that move?”

 

I asked, never expecting her to be this proficient.

 

“Wasn’t that an automatic reflex?”

 

“I didn’t learn it. I saw it in a BD and tried it for the first time now.”

 

“…?”

 

I couldn’t believe it.

 

This had nothing to do with magic talent, neither in the game nor in this world.

 

I always thought Baek-seo’s extraordinary combat ability came from strengthening her body with overflowing magic.

 

But that wasn’t the case.

 

Baek-seo had reached a considerable level of pure martial arts skill.

 

“…Again.”

 

My pride was hurt.

 

I was confident in my combat skills, having trained hard under my master.

 

‘Still, I can do it.’

 

If I focused, I felt like I could respond.

 

“Yes. Try again.”

 

I swung the dagger again.

 

Thud! Thud! Thwack!

 

Baek-seo deflected my attacks and countered, but I quickly dodged and launched another attack.

 

This repeated.

 

Neither of us could decisively overpower the other.

 

Baek-seo seemed surprised that I wasn’t easily subdued.

 

‘Why are you surprised?’

 

I felt the same.

 

I didn’t expect my attacks to be this ineffective.

 

‘This…’

 

As we continued to spar, I could see the techniques Baek-seo had internalized.

 

People naturally show their true skills without realizing it.

 

I was sure of it.

 

‘She must have received professional training.’

 

Regardless of talent.

 

Baek-seo’s agile and well-practiced movements were at a level that could only be achieved through specialized training.

 

Even if she had practiced martial arts taught at the academy diligently, it wouldn’t be enough.

 

I could tell, even if others couldn’t.

 

Still, it wasn’t something to find odd.

 

Baek-seo must have her own untold stories, just as I had never spoken of my gruelling training.

 

“……”

 

But it bothered me.

 

I suddenly remembered playing the game.

 

Oh Baek-seo.

 

Despite being a strong character, she didn’t have much presence in the game.

 

Most characters from different academies than the main protagonist were similar in that regard.

 

However, Baek-seo was a bit different.

 

Unlike other characters, she completely disappeared in the latter part of the game without a trace.

 

Could it be that the developers simply didn’t give her much importance?

 

The game community formed a negative opinion.

 

After the epilogue, Baek-seo’s name was the only one missing from the graduation list at Ahsung High School.

 

No matter which map you visited, Baek-seo was nowhere to be found.

 

Did she drop out, or was she expelled?

 

The game didn’t provide exact information, but it was clear she vanished without a trace.

 

I kept that in mind.

 

Baek-seo was my close companion, someone I cared for, and someone I wanted to marry.

 

If anything happened to her, I would do everything to prevent it.

 

So I couldn’t help but be sensitive to any suspicious circumstances surrounding her.

 

Perhaps it was linked to her disappearance.

 

“!”

 

I seized the moment.

 

Anticipating Baek-seo’s counterattack, I grabbed her outstretched arm with my preemptively extended hand.

 

“Ah!”

 

I pushed Baek-seo’s shoulder back and tripped her ankle with my leg, making her fall.

 

Thud!

 

Baek-seo lost her balance and fell helplessly.

 

I immediately mounted her and held the dagger to her neck.

 

On the mat.

 

My shadow fell over Baek-seo.

 

I held one of her arms with my free hand, pinning the other under my knee.

 

Victory.

 

I won.

 

“Hoo…”

 

I took a deep breath, calming my breathing.

 

Baek-seo also took deep breaths, her chest heaving rapidly.

 

‘I finally got one over on her…!’

 

The sense of accomplishment felt strong, likely due to my competitive spirit.

 

Even though this had deviated from our exam preparation….

 

What did that matter now?

 

I wanted to savor this moment of triumph.

 

“…I got caught.”

 

Baek-seo smiled under my shadow, then whispered quietly while turning her gaze aside.

 

“I didn’t expect to be pinned by the Leader.”

 

“Isn’t that phrasing a bit strange…?”

 

Why did her voice sound so suggestive?

 

“I meant it literally…. Were you thinking something inappropriate?”

 

Baek-seo narrowed her eyes and gave a mischievous smile.

 

Her tone was soft.

 

I flinched. She was clearly teasing me into imagining something inappropriate. Usually, when Baek-seo did this, it was a joke.

 

‘Another one of her jokes….’

 

It was common.

 

Whenever I was lost in thought, she’d occasionally ask if I was thinking something dirty.

 

Of course, she trusted me enough to joke like that.

 

I felt an urge to respond positively and hug her right away.

 

It wasn’t a new feeling.

 

Perhaps it was because I was pinning her down.

 

Baek-seo looked especially alluring today, making the urge stronger than usual.

 

‘…She’s really pretty.’

 

With her hair slightly dishevelled and sweat glistening on her forehead, Baek-seo looked truly beautiful.

 

Maybe the romantic feelings I had for her were contributing to this.

 

But at least until I prevented the dystopian future and stepped down as the Disciplinary Committee Leader, I had to suppress these feelings.

 

Dating was against school rules, and I had responsibilities as the Leader. I couldn’t just date freely.

 

Once I laid down all my burdens, if I had the chance.

 

I intended to confess to Baek-seo.

 

So now wasn’t the time for jokes like this.

 

“Enough with the weird jokes….”

 

“Huhu.”

 

My eyes avoided Baek-seo on their own.

 

Unaware of how attractive she was, Baek-seo smiled teasingly, oblivious to my burning feelings.

 

“By the way, where did you train?”

 

I changed the subject immediately.

 

“At school.”

 

“No extra training?”

 

“I just followed what I learned, and it worked.”

 

Was she pretending to be a genius?

 

That’s ridiculous.

 

Did she think I couldn’t recognize this wasn’t a matter of talent?

 

“Okay, talented one?”

 

“Thanks for the compliment.”

 

Even so, if she didn’t want to answer, fine.

 

I’ll let it go for now.

 

I’ll remember that Baek-seo is skilled in martial arts.

 

I had no intention of questioning her further on this.

 

“How about you, Leader?”

 

“I learned from my master long ago.”

 

“Master…? That sounds like something from a martial arts novel.”

 

“He liked being called that. Anyway, let’s continue….”

 

Just as I was about to release her.

 

Thud. Something fell from my school uniform pocket, hit Baek-seo’s shoulder, and fell to the ground. It caught both our gazes.

 

It was a purple peony charm.

 

I picked it up and stepped back from Baek-seo, sitting on the mat. Baek-seo sat up and stared at me.

 

“What’s that?”

 

“It’s a charm a friend gave me to congratulate me on entering Ahsung High School.”

 

Baek-seo tilted her head slightly.

 

“Congratulations?”

 

“Yeah, peonies are typically given as congratulations.”

 

“You must have really liked it, carrying it as a charm.”

 

The peony was quite large, so I had plucked off the petals and stem to make it into a small charm. It must have looked quite painstaking.

 

“Yeah, I did.”

 

This flower was from Kim Dalbi.

 

Dalbi was the first person in this city to become my ally and the first girl I envisioned a future with.

 

Regardless of her being a villain, this flower held special meaning for me.

 

Baek-seo sat demurely with her knees to the side, staring at me intently.

 

“Do you have something to say?”

 

“Do you know the meaning of ‘purple’ peonies?”

 

“Peony flower language? I looked it up before, and it meant ‘bashfulness.’ Why?”

 

“Just curious.”

 

Baek-seo gave her usual gentle smile.

 

Her expression was still difficult to read.

 

“If there’s nothing else, let’s start again.”

 

I had no intention of just chatting away the time.

 

“I got a bit competitive earlier, sorry about that. Let’s focus on studying now.”

 

I stood up.

 

“Okay, got it.”

 

Baek-seo stood up as well.

 

……