LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 96
“Take it.”
Surprisingly, the Principal handed over the key card without hesitation.
Even while accepting it, Shin Woo couldn’t hide his bewilderment and accidentally asked,
“Is it really okay to give this so easily?”
“Then, should I have to fight with you all?”
“······.”
It was confusing.
Of course, she was the Principal of the academy, so I thought she would be a puppet of the board.
Was it not really the case?
“Don’t worry. It’s a decision made with full knowledge.”
“So you knew about the board’s plans.”
“Yes. That’s right.”
The board’s plans, which were excessively extreme and cruel.
They claimed to act for humanity, but in reality, they treated people like tools for the sake of their plans.
Despite knowing all this, the fact that she remained silent and even went along with it surely deserves criticism.
“Why are you helping us now?”
“I was prepared, but… seeing it for real leaves me feeling disillusioned.”
Taking another sip of tea, the Principal continued with a bitter smile.
“I believed the world was too broken and that innovative measures were needed to fix it. Moreover, the board was the highest authority leading this world.”
Her voice was laced with deep regret and guilt.
She then looked up at the girl in front of her.
“If the world could be saved with just one sacrifice, perhaps it was a price worth paying. But the result is what you see now.”
“······.”
“It seems too late now, but if you all can make things right, I truly wish you success.”
No one could easily speak up.
They couldn’t blindly criticize her, nor could they trust and forgive her just like that.
The students maintained a heavy silence, sorting through their complex emotions.
The Principal did not wait for the children’s response.
After finishing the last of her tea, she simply placed the cup down on its saucer.
“Go back and finish your task. Aren’t you in a hurry?”
“···Yes. Understood.”
As per her words, they had achieved their purpose for coming here, so they needed to act quickly.
They couldn’t afford to waste even a moment now.
Shin Woo’s group turned to leave the Principal’s office.
At that moment, Hana, the last one remaining, stared at the Principal and nodded politely.
“I’ll see you next time, Teacher.”
“···Yes. Be careful on your way back, Hana.”
As the kids all left the Principal’s office, the now alone Principal felt the warmth of sunlight coming through the window.
Even in moments like this, the weather is still clear.
It was a nice moment to remember.
A tranquil afternoon with birds chirping.
She closed her eyes and accepted the poison that was spreading through her body without resistance.
*
“I didn’t expect you to give it up so easily.”
Yeon Hwa murmured, and Shin Woo nodded in agreement.
“She must have realized her mistake too late.”
“How stupid. I wish she had noticed the board was trash earlier.”
In response to her complaint, Si-hyun countered in a calm voice.
“Considering the board’s power, the Principal may have just been a puppet presented to the public.”
“···Tch. What’s that even worth now? Let’s just ignore it and do what we have to do.”
“Are we supposed to go to the basement like that guy said?”
As they exited the school building, the unfamiliar scenery of the streets caught their eyes.
There was no sign of life apart from themselves.
What lay before them was nothing but the devastated landscape wrecked by war and the holy water pooling on the ground.
Just a little while ago, they couldn’t have imagined this scene.
The street where students used to chatter and laugh had transformed into what looked like an apocalyptic world.
Shin Woo’s group soon reached near the main building.
It was in no better condition than before, barely holding up.
The aftermath of the battle between the Black Goat and the student council president had left it on the verge of collapse.
“What’s down in the basement?”
Shin Woo and Yeon Hwa were puzzled since they hadn’t been there before.
On the other hand, Hana and Si-hyun had visited the main building’s basement previously.
“Looks like we’re back here. Let’s go in.”
“What? Have you been here before?”
“I’ll explain once we get inside.”
As Si-hyun led, the group followed her into the main building.
In the meantime, she explained what was there and why she and Hana had visited before.
“Artificial intelligence… I’ve heard of it, but it’s coming out now?”
“Wasn’t that just a horror story or some silly rumor? That the whole academy is managed by artificial intelligence?”
“I don’t know the details. If my sister hadn’t told me, I wouldn’t have known there were Magi in this basement at all.”
From the start, students hadn’t needed to know that information, which barely circulated as mere rumors.
At that moment, everyone’s gaze naturally turned to Longinus, who had been silently following them from behind.
Among them, she was the most secretive being, presumably related to the deepest parts of the academy.
“Don’t you know anything?”
“The Magi.”
Longinus paused for a moment, as if considering how to express her thoughts, then completed the sentence.
“Poor child.”
“···Yes, that’s very typical of you to say. Are we starting a game of twenty questions now? Ugh.”
Yeon Hwa sighed, losing all interest.
Meanwhile, Shin Woo and Si-hyun pondered the meaning behind her words.
Longinus may speak in riddles, but she never lies or shares useless chatter.
They carefully navigated past the rubble and descended into the basement with great difficulty.
In stark contrast to the intense damage above, this place was remarkably clean with no visible harm.
“Are we lucky or something?”
“They might have intentionally kept this place safe.”
The basement felt somewhat desolate and cold. The only visible items were machines whose purposes were hard to guess, lined up like in a factory.
Given its considerable size, it took quite a while to reach the center.
Upon arrival, there stood a massive pillar and a solitary computer attached to it.
At that moment, Hana looked up and pointed to the ceiling with her finger.
“The ceiling is broken.”
“It looks like I can see all the way to the top.”
“I can’t even guess what happened.”
Judging by the broken ceiling, it seemed more likely that someone had intentionally protected this place from suffering damage, rather than it merely happening by chance.
Si-hyun naturally approached the computer by the pillar and attempted to connect.
The last time she came, she had logged in using her sister’s student ID.
This time, it would be the Principal’s key card.
Si-hyun reached out her hand to Shin Woo.
“Can I borrow the card?”
“···Is it okay for us to mess with this? Shouldn’t we wait for the Apostles?”
“I want to check something before waiting.”
After a moment of hesitation, Shin Woo ultimately handed over the card.
He believed that this girl wouldn’t do anything reckless.
Si-hyun immediately inserted the key card into the computer.
An alert popped up on the monitor.
[1st-level confidentiality access rights confirmed.]
Just as expected.
The student council president had a second-level access, but the Principal had first-level rights.
Which meant they could access all information held by the Magi.
This also meant that the top-secret documents they hadn’t checked last time, including Yu Hana’s information, were now accessible.
While it might not be of great importance now, Si-hyun hesitated for no longer and began typing on the keyboard to search for one piece of information.
[Search target: Yu Hana]
[Searching…]
[Codename: מָשִׁיחַ]
[Do you wish to access?]
Shin Woo, who was watching the monitor, also recognized what those words meant.
“That’s what you showed me last time…”
“Right. It’s a word that means Messiah.”
As soon as she clicked confirm, Yu Hana’s information started appearing.
[Name: Yu Hana]
[Age: 18]
[Place of origin: Hope Orphanage (LAB-3859)]
[Abilities detailed information: Savior. Awakens through the Cross of Trials. Her life span is the price for the miraculous ability to activate.]
“···Wait a second. What does this mean?”
Frowning at the last underlined sentence, Shin Woo looked back at Hana.
“Did you know about this?”
“···The miracle is much stronger and more versatile than other abilities, but it requires a steep price.”
“That price is your lifespan? You’ve been using miracles knowing that?”
Hana had used a wide-area teleportation to save them, and as a result, had overexerted herself to the point of fainting for a whole day.
So just how much lifespan had she lost for just that one miracle?
Realizing this, his expression involuntarily soured. Biting his lip, he warned,
“Don’t use it anymore. Never.”
Hana looked at Shin Woo for a moment before responding.
“It’s fine. No need to worry. Everything will be alright.”
Hearing that, Shin Woo began to feel confused.
Was there truly a clear way to solve this, or was it merely a facade to calm herself down?
If it were the latter…
Since when had it been like this?