I Escaped the Exile Story Only To Find It Was a Regret Trope

54 – 11# Their Resolve (2)

The position of a childhood friend is surprisingly ambiguous.

Maybe it’s because they’ve grown up together since childhood. There are quite a few cases where mutual romantic feelings aren’t as strong as one might think. If both sides feel that way, it’s one thing.

Unfortunately, in Hayoung’s case, it was a one-sided crush.

From childhood until now, Yushin was a hero to Hayoung. Always a helpful hero. But Hayoung had already betrayed Yushin and committed the mistake of siding with Hyunwoo.

No excuse can justify this.

From the beginning, Hayoung had no intention of making excuses. What right did she have to make excuses for what she did wrong? But that didn’t mean she would just keep her mouth shut.

‘I have to make up for my mistake somehow.’

Reflecting on her own mistake and trying to correct it. That is certainly an attitude worthy of applause. Some might say, isn’t that just a given? And they would be right.

But considering how many people don’t even acknowledge the obvious.

Surely, Hayoung’s attitude of not ignoring her own mistake deserves applause. At least, that’s what the principal of the academy, Ban Serin, who was teaching Hayoung, thought.

“Excellent, your skills are improving rapidly.”

“Thank you, teacher.”

“It’s not an empty compliment. It’s the truth.”

Even if it were someone else. Principal Ban Serin was the farthest from giving empty compliments. She only spoke facts. And in her view, Hayoung had a talent for magic.

‘The talent for simply using magic barely falls into the category of genius. But the most important talent for magical power is on a different level.’

There are two main talents in magic. One is the talent to learn and use magic. The other is the talent for innate magical power. You need both to use magic.

No matter how well you can use magic, if you don’t have innate magical power, it’s useless. Conversely, even if you have a high amount of magical power, if you can’t learn and use magic, it’s equally useless.

From that perspective, Hayoung was perfect. But if there was one thing that Ban Serin didn’t expect, it was that Hayoung’s innate magical power was beyond imagination.

‘It’s like looking into an abyss.’

As the greatest magician, Ban Serin could sense the magical power of others to some extent. But even though Hayoung clearly had magical power, Ban Serin couldn’t read it at first.

At first, she thought Hayoung, like others, wasn’t born with magical power.

In fact, it’s not that surprising. Even globally, the number of people who can use magic is much smaller than one might think. But that wasn’t the case. Hayoung was born with magical power.

It’s just that the amount was so vast beyond imagination.

Even Ban Serin couldn’t read it at first. Could this be how Sun Wukong felt flying in the palm of Buddha’s hand? The vast amount of magical power was enough to make even Ban Serin shiver for a moment.

‘If she polishes her skills a bit more, she’ll become a complete monster.’

So the anticipation grows even more. What if this child fully matures? What if she leaves a significant mark in the world of magic? What if magic advances dramatically because of her?

Just imagining it made Ban Se-rin feel good.

This child’s existence would greatly aid the growth of magic. But she also knew that she had to guide him properly. Ban Se-rin looked at Ha-young.

“What are you thinking about so deeply?”

“Nothing, teacher.”

“Your face is full of worry. How can you say it’s nothing?”

“……”

“Let me guess. It’s about Baek Yu-shin, isn’t it?”

Ha-young, struck to the core, quietly closed his mouth. But Ban Se-rin, who had already read the emotions on Ha-young’s face, nodded as if to say, “I knew it.”

“I know you want to help that child. You must be in a hurry. Everyone else is moving forward, and you feel like you’re standing still. Isn’t that right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Ha-young admitted his true feelings. He was even being pushed aside by Yu-shin’s younger sister, Yu-ri, and couldn’t provide proper help. What am I doing right?

In reality, he could only shake his head at such questions. Because he wasn’t doing anything right. Always in a position of receiving help, a burden. That was Ha-young now.

“Don’t rush too much. Everything has its time.”

“But I’ve been waiting too long already!”

“Yes, but is there anything you can do right now?”

“That is……”

“Everything has its time. And I assure you, when that time comes, you will be a tremendous force. I, Ban Se-rin, guarantee it.”

Principal Ban Se-rin’s words had power. And indeed, as Ha-young learned magic under Ban Se-rin, his confidence gradually increased. Ha-young nodded.

My magic is to help Yu-shin.

* * *

At that time, when everyone was preparing.

Yu-shin was not just idling either. He measured how much power he could exert using the awakened blooming return warrior. The result was far more impressive than expected.

“I can really recreate my strongest days.”

“Yes. It reminds me of the old you.”

“That’s a relief. With the warrior’s power, we can win anything easily!”

“But the problem is still the duration, right?”

The return warrior was great, but if there was a shortcoming, it was the duration. After all, blooming was blooming. There was a limit to how long it could be maintained.

“Then the key is how to use that duration.”

“Is there a usage limit?”

“There is no limit, but… if you use it quickly, it will be released quickly.”

“In other words, it means you need to rest for a while before you can use it again.”

Yushin had several discussions with Athena and Beris about the Blooming Return Warrior. This was because Yushin was a key force in the Mephisto subjugation party.

First, it is essential to properly understand one’s own power.

In the previous fight with the Sage, he was lucky to win before time ran out. But Mephisto is on a completely different level. The time he can maintain Blooming is about three hours.

“In other words, it means we have to settle it within three hours.”

“Someone else could subjugate Mephisto besides me.”

“No, in my experience, in such cases, you should not expect help from others.”

Beris answered Yushin’s words firmly. Listening to the story, it seemed that Mephisto had power comparable to that of the Demon King. In other words, the only person who can oppose him is the Hero.

Yushin also knew that fact well.

In the end, the only thing you can trust in a fight is yourself. Relying on others is a sure way to lose your life in actual combat. Of course, he had no intention of belittling their efforts.

It’s unfortunate, but that’s just the way it is.

Honestly, he wanted to tell Beris to return to her original world right away. But removing her level of power would be an enormous loss.

“Beris, have you thought about how to attack Mephisto?”

“I’m collaborating with a woman named Banserin, a magician of this world, on that part.”

“I see.”

“That woman knows more information than I expected.”

It was inevitable. The two had always been rivals who clashed every time.

It was fortunate for us that Banserin had information about Mephisto. Fighting an unknown enemy without any information is unimaginably terrible.

But we couldn’t talk any longer.

Ha-young and Yuri had returned from special training at the academy. Seeing them all exhausted, it seemed that Seol-yeon and the principal had pushed them quite hard.

“Brother, I’m back.”

“I also learned magic.”

“Good, well done. Was there any progress?”

“I achieved Blooming this time.”

“I, I also learned new magic!”

As if competing, Yuri and Ha-young eagerly spoke of their achievements. Watching them, Yushin nodded. Indeed, competition is better.

Certainly, both of them had become much stronger compared to before.

Ha-young, who was previously not even considered a force, had gained considerable power after learning magic. Although she still couldn’t fight properly on the front lines.

At least she could play the role of a proper supporter.

Similarly, Yuri had also made great progress. The difference between having Blooming and not having it was significant. In fact, he had always thought that Yuri would eventually achieve Blooming.

“I didn’t expect to strengthen our forces so quickly.”

“Right? Even a slowpoke has its own tricks, it seems.”

“This is all because of you. You know that?”

“Y-yeah. We won’t lose either!”

“Is that a provocation? Interesting.”

How could they have strengthened their forces so much in such a short time?

Yushin realized the reason without much difficulty.