"Bwahahaha! Top scorer! Top scorer!"
At that moment, Grandfather threw both hands into the air.
Being the top scorer of Seongmu Academy was the same as being number one nationwide among one's age group.
That meant Cheongsin had produced a national number one.
No—more importantly, why was I the top scorer?
Why, exactly?
When I looked at Kang Museong, he nodded with a benevolent smile and gave me a thumbs-up.
'…That crazy bastard.'
There was no way curses wouldn't come out.
No matter how scared he was of Grandfather, how could he just give me first place?
"The runner-up is number 179, Yoo Arin of the Hwagang Yoo clan."
Number 179 had been pushed down to second place.
Grandfather let out a cheer, scooped me up, and tossed me into the air three times before saying,
"Oh my, my precious one. I knew you'd be the top scorer. Of course! Cheongsin taking first place, as expected! Hahaha!"
After celebrating like that, Grandfather turned to Han Baeksa, whose face looked like he'd just chewed on shit, and said,
"Well, what do we do now? My grandson is the top scorer. Hahaha! Really, Cheongsin failing was never possible. Unless it was first place, that is. Hahaha!"
"…This is ridiculous."
Han Baeksa, burning with anger, strode forward and shouted,
"You there! Supervisor!"
Kang Museong looked down at Han Baeksa.
Han Baeksa, hopping mad, continued,
"My grandson says that Cheongsin's child entered the practical exam dead last! And yet you give him first place? Unless there was some kind of deal, this is impossible!"
At that moment, Grandfather's expression hardened.
Talking about manipulation or bribery in private might pass as a joke, but saying it openly like this amounted to an insult to the clan.
In other words, even if Grandfather split Han Baeksa's head in two right now, the Unseong clan wouldn't be able to complain.
I grabbed the sleeve of Grandfather, who was stepping forward.
"Please let it be. The supervisor will handle it."
"…All right. Let's watch for now, as you say."
Thankfully, Grandfather quickly regained his composure.
Now it was Kang Museong's turn to respond.
Seriously, why did he give me first place? If he'd just put me around twentieth, everyone would've been happy.
As I watched with that question in mind, Kang Museong spoke with a stern expression.
"A deal? Can you take responsibility for those words?"
"Then explain a reasonable justification! Otherwise, we'll have no choice but to conduct an investigation!"
"Very well. This test was about arriving at the destination on time without leaving traces. But personally, I was curious. Cheongsin, which has always raised its children only in its main family academy—just how remarkable a person had emerged that you'd send him to Seongmu Academy? So I checked for myself. I pursued him directly, as a Seonin."
"Regardless, it's still a fact that he came in last!"
Han Baeksa interrupted again, irritating him, but Kang Museong made an effort to remain calm.
His opponent was the head of a great clan.
And with so many people watching, he couldn't lose face as a supervisor.
"Now, now, please listen. I pursued him rather harshly. I chased him down at the slightest trace. I did my utmost, all day long… and yet."
Kang Museong let out a small sigh and continued,
"I lost him. A fifteen-year-old shook off my pursuit—me, a White-Robed Seonin."
At his words, the crowd murmured in disbelief.
"Is that true, Seoha?"
Father asked in shock, and I replied with a sigh,
"Well… yes."
It wasn't a lie.
I really had shaken off Kang Museong's pursuit.
Kang Museong continued with his final explanation.
"This exam is not about who arrives at the destination the 'fastest.' It is about returning to the destination while evading the supervisors' pursuit. In that sense, I had no choice but to give full marks to Lee Seoha, who completed the mission while evading a Seonin's pursuit. He essentially took an exam of a completely different difficulty. Do you understand, Elder?"
"You're not lying, are you?"
"To be honest, this is embarrassing for me as well. It means I failed to catch a fifteen-year-old."
By now, most people believed Kang Museong.
Above all, there was no connection whatsoever between Kang Museong and Cheongsin.
And Grandfather's reputation for being straightforward to the point of foolishness likely helped as well.
"That is why Lee Seoha was given first place. If you have complaints, you may conduct an investigation. There will be nothing to find."
"Tch, enough! I'll let it slide this time."
Han Baeksa retreated, his face twisted with anger.
If he pushed for an investigation and nothing turned up, he'd have to bow and apologize to Grandfather.
"Now, I will announce the remaining successful candidates."
Soon, the list of successful candidates was revealed.
My name at the very top.
Just below it, Yoo Arin.
Han Sanghyeok was ninth.
"…I got in."
Han Sanghyeok stared at his name, overwhelmed.
In that moment, the fate of Han Sanghyeok—who would've otherwise learned third-rate martial arts alone in the countryside—was changed.
Grandfather quietly approached Sanghyeok, who was wiping away tears by himself, and patted his head.
"Ninth place. A talent worth Cheongsin's support. Do well together with Seoha. I'll be cheering for you."
"…Thank you. I'll work hard."
First place doesn't sit well with me, but it's not the worst outcome.
Just yesterday, hadn't I been praying desperately, clinging to Sanghyeok's shoulder, just to avoid elimination?
Even if it's bitter, swallow it sweetly.
Still, I started to feel sorry for Yoo Arin.
Number 179. Yoo Arin.
If not for me, she would have taken first place.
Yoo Arin.
I had never seen her even once.
Only in records.
And she was the first reason I wanted to enter Seongmu Academy.
'No need to rush. I'll see her once I'm enrolled.'
Don't be impatient.
This is just the beginning.
"Enrollment will be in ten days. Successful candidates should return to their respective homes, gather what you need, and come back here. Once again, congratulations."
Kang Museong stepped down from the platform, and the results announcement came to an end.
"You bastard! You can't even handle something that simple?"
Han Yeongsu was hurling curses at Kim Yongho.
Kim Yongho, his arm wrapped in a cast, just listened in silence.
After all, he'd once followed Han Yeongsu, calling him Young Master. He didn't want to part on bad terms.
But this was too much.
"Die, you bastard! If you'd done it properly, do you think that guy would've taken first place? Did you see the Clan Head getting humiliated or not, huh?!"
"How is that my fault?"
Kim Yongho talked back for the first time, and Han Yeongsu immediately raised his hand.
"How dare you—!"
But Han Yeongsu didn't get what he wanted.
Kim Yongho had grabbed his wrist and stopped him.
"You bastard, let go of me!"
"Why would I let go? I should break it."
Kim Yongho mercilessly twisted Han Yeongsu's arm.
"Aaaaargh! You bastard—!"
"Do you still think you're my young master? I'm switching clans. Not some trash place like Unseong—somewhere really good. So watch your mouth from now on. You might end up dead."
Kim Yongho hadn't been getting beaten because he lacked skill.
His ability had long since surpassed Han Yeongsu's.
In the end, Han Yeongsu remained a piece of trash to the very end.
After shoving Han Yeongsu away, Kim Yongho left a parting remark to his former comrades, who looked at him with envy.
"You should all become independent soon too. With your skills, why stick with Unseong?"
Tsk, tsk.
Pitiful fools.
Clicking his tongue, Kim Yongho stepped outside and basked in the warm sunlight.
A new life was beginning for him as well.
A banquet was held at the Cheongsin mountain estate.
Grandfather went around boasting about me to everyone.
They said you could tell a promising tree from its first shoots, and being the top scorer at Seongmu Academy meant I was practically guaranteed to become at least a Seonin.
They even evaluated me as someone who could rise further—to the highest positions: Captain of the Imperial Guard in Blue, Grand General in Red, or Chief Superintendent in Black.
But the banquet lasted only one day.
From the very next day, even harsher training awaited me.
"Now that the exams are over, let's build your strength again! Hahaha! It's only ten days, so I'll teach you training methods you can do on your own. Don't skip a single day."
"Haha… yes, Grandfather."
And so ten days that felt like hell passed.
I returned to Seongmu Academy.
There were exactly thirty successful candidates.
Among them, I saw Sanghyeok.
I'd opposed sending him back to Unseong, but he insisted there was something he absolutely had to retrieve and went home anyway.
The result was bruises all over his body.
'He got beaten.'
Anyone could tell at a glance.
What kind of treatment Sanghyeok had endured.
But since he was smiling, I said nothing.
Sometimes, pretending not to know someone's wounds is necessary.
"Long time no see, best friend."
"Oh, Lee Seoha. But why do you look even more tired?"
"Don't even ask. Grandfather said if I let my guard down, I'd be overtaken in no time, so he trained me even more brutally."
"Hahaha, take it easy. Who's going to overtake the top scorer?"
You are, you idiot.
Sanghyeok's talent was something that appeared once in a thousand years.
A guy who'd trained third-rate martial arts alone and cut down those powerful Rakshasas.
That's why I sincerely hoped Sanghyeok would become stronger than me.
That way, my life would be easier.
"Grandfather taught me a new training method. Let's do it together."
"Sounds good. I'll work hard enough just to follow your heels."
"…Haha. Yeah."
He had no idea of his own talent.
Once all the successful candidates had more or less gathered and taken their seats, I looked around and asked,
"By the way, about the runner-up. Yoo Arin. Do you know who she is?"
"I don't. The Hwagang clan is fairly big, but they barely interact with us. And honestly, in Unseong I was basically treated like a servant."
"…I see."
Not wanting my heart to ache again, I quickly ended the conversation.
Even if Sanghyeok knew, it wouldn't change much.
The top scorer and runner-up had to serve as squad leaders anyway, so we'd be seeing each other often.
'I'm nervous.'
Yoo Arin.
Even knowing the future, I didn't have much information about her.
She lived a short but intense life.
The descriptions left in historical records were extremely limited.
A once-in-an-age genius who entered with overwhelming scores.
A girl of dazzling beauty.
According to some records, her beauty was enough to enchant even trees and stones.
Just how beautiful did she have to be to charm inanimate objects?
'Historians exaggerate a lot.'
They often dressed up small truths with excessive flair, so it couldn't all be trusted.
That was when it happened.
A woman walked over and sat down beside me.
The strong scent of wind orchids.
The fragrance alone made my heart race, and before I realized it, I turned to look at her.
Black hair, white face.
The words slipped out of my mouth unconsciously.
"Yoo Arin?"
The woman blinked her large eyes and turned to me.
Facing her directly, I had no choice but to retract my earlier thoughts.
The historians hadn't exaggerated.
A beauty worthy of the phrase "a beauty that topples nations."
She truly looked like someone even inanimate objects could fall for.
If Jonsun were here, he might've abandoned me to follow her instead.
I stared blankly at the genius with that radiant appearance.
'This woman…'
Six months from now.
Would become the worst mass murderer in human history.