As soon as I finished organizing the team, I headed to a nearby café.
The purpose was to introduce ourselves to each other and find a place to bond.
But there were so many students everywhere.
"This café seems to be full, doesn't it?"
"Huh... That one over there is the same."
"I guess everyone had the same idea."
From cafés to restaurants, every space in the academy where people could comfortably talk was packed.
Looking at the groups, they all consisted of six students and one mentor.
What should I do?
"Do you know any other places we can go?"
"Ha, you're the mentor, and you didn't even research something like this?"
"How was I supposed to know it would be this crowded?"
"So, what should we do?"
"Should we go to the training room? There's no way that would be full."
There was no suitable place to go.
Isabelle scolded me as I wandered around aimlessly, but I had no retort. I suggested the training room as an alternative, but it was immediately rejected.
Isabelle said she didn't want to go to a place filled with the smell of sweat.
Lee Ji added that it would be too cramped for seven people.
I was at a loss for words.
"How about the library? It's almost lunchtime, so there probably won't be many people there."
"Ah! That sounds good."
"...The library is quiet, so it's nice."
"Alright, let's have a quick chat at the library."
We immediately headed to the library.
Normally, you shouldn't make noise in the library, but there were no other students around.
It seemed like everyone else had moved to other places to talk, just like us.
Even so, we shouldn't be noisy, but thanks to my daily visits to the library and getting familiar with the librarian, we managed to secure 30 minutes.
I never thought borrowing books from the library every day would help in this way.
Once seated, I pulled out a piece of paper from my pocket.
It was a document listing the students I would be mentoring.
I wrote down each of their names and positions.
[Name: Lee Ji / Position: Tanker]
[Name: Seong Yeon-hwa / Position: Dealer]
[Name: Isabelle Sirius / Position: Leader]
[Name: Noh Yura / Position: Ranger]
[Name: Seo Yerin / Position: Supporter]
[Name: Isis Walker / Position: Mage]
As I wrote down the names of the six students, I felt a sense of awe.
Especially since half of them were foreigners, and five of them were female students.
But there was something even more shocking.
'There are three supporting characters right off the bat.'
And they're students who play the role of heroines alongside the protagonist.
Seong Yeon-hwa, who wields a sword to protect the protagonist.
Isabelle, who uses magic and her family's influence to aid the protagonist.
And Seo Yerin, who crushes enemies with a single spear.
It seems all the heroines from the early parts of the story are in this team.
'I never expected it to turn out like this.'
I thought I'd just be teaching leftover students.
I never imagined I'd be teaching talented students, let alone heroines. This feels like a bigger deal than I thought.
"But, Teacher, aren't we too all over the place?"
"...Our personalities are too different."
"Really? I think the balance is quite good."
"That's the problem."
Noh Yura's words were echoed by Seo Yerin.
What do you mean, all over the place?
I actually think it's good that each member has a clear role.
So I responded that the balance seemed fine.
Then Isabelle chimed in.
She looked at me with a suspicious expression and said.
"Let me ask you again, are you confident you can teach students with such different roles at the same time?"
"Of course. That's why I picked you all."
"You do know that other mentors picked students who fit their specialties, right?"
"Of course I know."
Mentors naturally have their own specialties.
There's a reason why they became professors and assistants at Seven Stars.
But none of them picked a team of six with such diverse roles like I did.
They plan to teach their own specialties or fields.
They don't plan to have team members complement each other and fight systematically like I do.
Well, it's unavoidable.
'I don't really have a specialty or field I can call my own.'
If I had to pick, it would be swordsmanship.
But teaching swordsmanship with this weak body isn't easy.
So I thought differently.
If I don't have a standout specialty or field, I can just teach everything I know.
'Swordsmanship, spearmanship, axe techniques, tactics, military strategy, etc. I can vividly recall most of them.'
All the knowledge and skills I learned from war.
I can teach that.
Of course, that's not all.
Hunters don't fight alone.
Later, heroines like Seo Yerin will boast the power to take on a thousand enemies alone, but right now, they're just inexperienced first-years.
Hunters basically start by forming a team of six.
This can be applied to the organization I mainly used.
Tanker: Protects the team with their own body.
Dealer: Handles close combat with weapons like swords, spears, and bows, holding back enemies.
Leader: Responsible for command and tactics, leading diverse individuals as one.
Ranger: Detects dangers and enemies from all directions based on innate senses.
Mage: A versatile magician who handles various situations and uses large-scale magic to target enemies.
Supporter: Responsible for the team's healing and buffs.
Each role is crucial, and showing one's full capabilities is the first step to being a hunter.
I plan to teach them that part first.
"Can you really do it? If it's too hard, you can tell me now."
"I can do it. You've been saying that since earlier."
"...It's just common sense that it doesn't make sense."
"Everyone, stop. You'll understand once you learn."
A girl stepped between me and Isabelle.
A girl with long black hair flowing down her back, sporting a sword at her waist.
Her name was Seong Yeon-hwa, an international student.
She was from Murim.
From a family famous for their quick swordsmanship and swordplay.
'In terms of hierarchy, she's even higher than Namgung Seong-jin.'
A status that contrasts with her innocent and bright appearance.
But what truly contrasts with her appearance is not her status, but her skill.
She's a swordsman.
And the best among the first-years.
If my memory serves me right, Seong Yeon-hwa has reached the peak of her family's secret martial arts, which only the family head can learn.
At her peak, she's skilled enough to be an active hunter.
Yet, she came to Seven Stars to learn, as per the basic setting.
Such a girl stepped between me and Isabelle.
I naturally closed my mouth, and Isabelle, not knowing who she was, fell silent due to the subtle aura she exuded.
In the heavy silence, a girl raised her hand.
Her precise movements suggested she had undergone systematic training.
In contrast, her snow-white skin made her seem unaccustomed to sunlight or outdoor activities.
Let's see, her name was Isis, right?
"What, do you have something to say?"
"I have a question."
"Go ahead."
"Teaching us according to our positions is fine. But there's a problem with that."
"A problem?"
Isis answered my question.
"Efficiency."
"Efficiency?"
She nodded.
"If you teach each position separately, the time to learn other positions will decrease. I'm worried that we'll learn less than other students."
If all six were mages, you could just teach magic, but since we're all learning different things, our learning time might be insufficient compared to others.
There's a simple solution to that.
"Don't worry about time. I can teach you on the same day and train together."
"Then the efficiency problem is solved."
Isis nodded in agreement.
But where there's someone who agrees, there's always someone who disagrees.
Bang!
"...Are you serious?"
Isabelle slammed the table and stood up.
As the atmosphere turned cold, I nodded.
I urged her to speak.
She glared at me and said,
"The older the family, the more techniques are passed down, becoming unique assets. You know that, right?"
"Of course."
"What you're saying now is about sharing those assets with others. Do you understand?"
"I understand, that's why I said it."
"What?"
The older the family, the more they accumulate information and techniques, passing them down through generations.
They may decline over time, but they can also develop over generations.
And most of the students here have inherited techniques passed down through generations.
Seo Yerin's spearmanship, Seong Yeon-hwa's swordsmanship, and Isabelle's magic.
If we all train together in one place, it's only a matter of time before those techniques leak to others.
From the family's perspective, that's a huge loss.
But that's not our loss, right?
"Family is important, but what's more important is us, isn't it?"
"Huh?"
What are you saying?
Her voice was low, so I couldn't hear properly.
If you had spoken sharply like before, I would have heard you clearly.
Why did your voice suddenly become so soft?
At that moment.
Isabelle suddenly raised her head.
Her expression was icy cold.
"How can you say something like that!"
"...Huh?"
The atmosphere turned cold.
What? Did I say something I shouldn't have?
***
We were bound by a marriage contract.
A pre-birth marriage contract. A betrothal arranged while we were still in the womb, an outdated method that didn't require the consent of the parties involved.
But Isabelle had never disliked the marriage contract.
'Well, he was just too handsome.'
At the time, she was too young to express it any better.
Appearance isn't everything, but it was the best expression a 10-year-old girl could muster.
He, Baek Seung-woo, was someone you couldn't help but love.
Not just Isabelle.
Everyone loved him.
The 40-year veteran driver, the elderly gardener, the baker who patted his head as he ate cookies.
Even her strict mother and father.
'Everyone loved Seung-woo.'
It was impossible to dislike him.
The way he smiled when the roses bloomed beautifully. The way he lay in the flower gardens, rolling around with petals scattered above his head. The way he slept by her side. His natural tendency to hug anyone, regardless of their appearance or status.
Everything about him was lovable.
How could you dislike him?
How could you not love him?
'Especially when he played in the flower gardens, even my mother said he was prettier than me.'
A man who suits flowers.
It's not an easy compliment to give.
After all, flowers and men aren't words that usually go well together.
But Seung-woo was different.
His appearance, his every gesture, was more beautiful than flowers.
Strangely, her grandmother used to watch him with a sour expression.
But that was none of Isabelle's business.
A boy couldn't possibly suit flowers that well.
Especially since Seung-woo loved roses.
He often stared blankly at the colorful rose garden.
So one day, Isabelle thought.
If he loves roses so much, let's make him a gift out of roses.
A beautiful bouquet and wreath made of roses.
Especially the wreath, with its large blooming roses, looked like a jewel-encrusted crown.
It had to be beautiful since it was a gift for someone she loved.
By the way, she removed all the thorns.
Back then, she was too young to handle magic well, and she was stubborn about doing it herself rather than asking the gardener.
As a result, her hands were full of thorns, bleeding profusely, and she cried from the pain until her mother found her and she cried even louder.
But Isabelle rubbed her eyes with her small hands and bravely put bandages on her wounds. Then, forgetting that she had cried, she ran to Seung-woo with the wreath and bouquet.
'Back then, I really wanted to be praised.'
The pain in her hands was overshadowed by her racing heartbeat and growing anticipation.
Will he smile?
Will he be happy?
Maybe he'll even kiss my cheek and say thank you.
Her heart pounded, and her face turned bright red.
"Hehehe, I hope he smiles."
She didn't expect much from him.
Just being together, watching his smile from beside him, made Isabelle's heart happy.
So please.
'I hope he smiles like he used to.'
But why──
'But how did Seung-woo smile?'
─Why can't I remember that smile?
I can't remember.
I thought I'd never forget it.
Why can't I remember? She searched her memories.
Ah, I remember.
'It was after his parents died──'
Stop.
'It feels like he never smiled again.'
Stop thinking about it.
A memory I never want to recall.
A faded memory creeps up.
At the end of the memory is a massive fire.
The purple flames spread through the garden, carried by the wind.
The beautifully blooming red roses turned into black ash, scattering across the ground.
In the center stood Seung-woo, with a cold expression he had never shown before.
He indifferently burned the garden filled with memories of us.
Then he reached out to me.
Crunch!
He casually tore apart the wreath and bouquet I made.
The vines and petals were helplessly torn and fell to the ground, burning.
The garden, the wreath, and the bouquet were burned beyond repair.
I stared blankly at the scene.
Tears welled up in my eyes.
"...Why?"
Tears streamed down my cheeks.
The tears falling to the ground seeped into the dry earth.
My shoulders trembled.
"Why are you doing this! This is the place we nurtured together."
"...Not anymore."
With a hardened expression, he stepped closer to me.
A hand's breadth away.
I tried to grab Seung-woo's hand, but his hand moved much faster.
Slap, the sound of his hand hitting my cheek, and I fell to the ground.
My cheek turned red and swollen.
I touched my cheek with a look of disbelief.
What followed was a swift series of events.
My parents, angry that he had hit their daughter, fought with Seung-woo.
He, who had taken over as the family head after his father's death, suggested annulling the engagement on the grounds of assault.
My parents agreed, saying they couldn't entrust their daughter to such a person, and everything was settled in the brief moment I was locked in my room.
After that day, I couldn't see Seung-woo anymore.
And so, my first love ended.
Leaving an unfillable wound in Isabelle's heart.
***
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