Thursday.
The night before Friday—the day Leng Smith had called the "execution day."
[Then I'll leave it to you as planned.]
I made one last call to Kim Kang-in before the operation began.
[Yes. You don't need to worry about that. As long as the intel's accurate, there's absolutely no chance of an error on our end.]
[I'll trust you, then. I'll contact you again later.]
After ending the call with Kim Kang-in,
I headed toward one of the family's branch buildings nearby.
Passing through the lobby, I took the elevator to the top floor—the place we had arranged to meet.
Opening the door to the room where my appointment waited,
four pairs of eyes turned toward me.
Two older brothers and two older sisters—
four siblings who shared the same bloodline greeted me.
"It's been a while, Hayul."
The fourth sister, Shin Min-ji, was the first to approach.
Compared to a year ago, she hadn't changed much.
Maybe her hair was a bit longer?
"It's been a while. You look the same as ever."
"Is that a compliment?"
"Yes. Of course."
"Thank you. You've grown a lot taller, Hayul."
Graceful gestures, composed bearing, and the elegance that seemed like she wore manners as clothing.
Not an ounce of youthful arrogance to be felt—just like a year ago.
'As expected, it's not Min-ji noona.'
The one who sent Leng Smith to me wasn't her.
That much, I was sure of once again.
"Damn, you really did grow up."
The third brother, Shin Min-hyuk, came next, smiling cheerfully as he offered me his right hand.
I shook it with a firm but measured grip.
"Good to see you. Honestly, I can't say I'm entirely happy about it, but still—welcome."
"Yes. Thank you."
Still blunt as ever.
He could've just said "welcome" nicely, but no—he had to tack on 'can't say I'm entirely happy about it'.
That was so typical of Min-hyuk hyung.
'His presence feels a bit heavier now.'
I'd heard he'd been put in charge of a subsidiary this past year and had developed it quite a bit.
No wonder—there was an added weight in his demeanor now.
'And yes, he's white too.'
He'd always been a gray that leaned almost pure white, but now—like Min-ji noona—he was clearly white.
"Haha. You've shed all that baby fat. You look like a proper man now."
"Hey, little brother. Long time no see."
Finally, my eldest brother Shin Ji-han and second sister Shin Se-ah approached.
They, too, were exactly as I remembered.
'Smiles on their faces, but…'
Both were radiating open dislike for me.
Their acting had improved slightly, but it was still the same as a year ago—impossible to mistake.
'It's one of these two.'
The one who made a deal with the Black Magic Tower,
the one who sent Leng Smith to me—it had to be one of them.
I was certain.
"Anyway, let's sit down. We can't stand around talking forever, can we?"
Ji-han smiled smoothly and motioned for everyone to take their seats.
Everyone agreed and returned to their places.
"So. Why don't you tell us why our dear youngest sibling called us all together like this?"
From the seat of honor, Ji-han spoke as the representative.
His look said: We're all busy—what could possibly be important enough for this?
'Why? To see which one of you sent Leng Smith after me, of course.'
…not something I could say out loud.
"I just thought it'd be nice to see my brothers and sisters' faces again after a year. So I arranged this little get-together."
I presented my prepared excuse casually.
"That's all? You gathered busy people like us for something that trivial?"
Se-ah frowned deeply.
Meeting her gaze, I smiled.
"Even if I hadn't arranged this, weren't you and Ji-han hyung planning to call a meeting eventually? I merely saved you the trouble by taking the initiative."
"…Still a smooth talker, I see."
Se-ah clicked her tongue—her expression screamed how much she disliked me.
"Fine. Then let's cut the act. What's your real plan, little brother?"
"My plan, noona?"
"Don't play dumb."
Her eyes swept briefly over the siblings before settling on me again.
"Are you planning to join the successor competition or not?"
A blunt question—straight to the point.
"If I were to say I'm not interested in the successor's seat… would you believe me?"
"No. Not at all."
"Then is there any point in asking?"
Her eyes sharpened further.
"Enough. Just answer."
"Se-ah, that's not the way to ask."
Ji-han, still smiling his same calm smile, stepped in.
"Whether he says he's joining or not means nothing. Words are cheap. Things like this—you prove through actions."
He stared straight through me.
"Hayul. I heard you got your hands on quite a fine secret spell—a transformation-type magic, wasn't it?"
His smile deepened.
"That spell. Any plans to share it with the family?"
"Ah~"
At that, Se-ah let out a sound of admiration.
She seemed genuinely impressed by Ji-han's words.
"That's a good idea. If Hayul shares his secret magic, I'd take that as proof he's giving up the successor competition."
Ji-han's smile widened as he nodded in agreement with Se-ah.
"…"
A clever move.
A secret spell was like a trump card—a hidden ace.
To "share" it with the family was to discard that ace entirely.
In other words, sharing it would be proof that I'd truly abandoned the successor fight.
But if I refused, they'd take it as a sign I intended to compete seriously—and the opposition and interference would intensify.
A sharp move indeed.
'But…'
It's not a checkmate.
"This is my only hope."
"…"
"As someone born defective, this is the only thing that allows me to survive as a mage. I can't rashly share it with anyone—regardless of any talk of succession."
A rejection not for political reasons, but for survival itself.
My final hope, my last bastion as an "incompatible one."
The reasoning was airtight.
"Well. In that case, there's nothing we can do. It's our brother's only hope, after all…"
"Thank you for understanding."
And with that, my stance toward the successor competition remained a hazy gray.
'They're already involving the Black Magic Tower just to get rid of me, so maybe it doesn't matter anymore…'
Still, it was better than giving them a definitive answer.
'In family politics, everything is about justification.'
Giving them a clear reason to suppress me and leaving things ambiguous were two very different outcomes.
"Come on now, hyung," Min-hyuk interjected, breaking the growing tension.
"Let's stop talking about that damn competition. It's not like we'll solve anything here. Let's just relax and catch up."
"Yeah. I want to hear what Hayul's been up to, too."
Min-ji chimed in as well.
"Alright then. Let's do that," Ji-han agreed with a smooth smile.
After that, the meaningless small talk began.
How Min-hyuk hyung's subsidiary had been growing rapidly.
How Se-ah noona was about to form a new alliance.
How Min-ji noona would soon be given a small company to manage.
Those kinds of trivial conversations went back and forth.
I also tossed in a few anecdotes about things that had happened at the Academy, and before I knew it, more than forty minutes had passed.
'It's about time.'
And right as I thought that—
A signal arrived.
Bzzzt—!
Bzzzt—!
"What's that all of a sudden?"
"Emergency alert?"
All of our phones started vibrating at once—including mine.
A strong vibration.
It was the kind of emergency alert the family only sent out when something serious had happened.
"What could it be, at this hour?"
Everyone frowned curiously and checked their messages.
I, too, kept a close eye on their faces as I opened mine.
[Confirmed: a Black Magic Tower criminal mage was hiding among the faculty of Obelisk Academy.]
[The arrest was made by Jung Soo-ah, a mage from the Blue Magic Tower who happened to be visiting the Academy on business.]
[The spy's name is Leng Smith, second son of the prestigious Smith family of France…]
There was no need to read any further.
Just as planned, Kim Kang-in had found proof that Leng Smith was a Black Magic Tower spy—and had successfully captured him.
The operation was a success.
I looked up from the message and quietly observed my siblings' expressions.
Shock. Panic. Fear. Disgust.
All sorts of emotions flickered across their faces—except for one expression that shouldn't have been there.
"..."
A feeling that shouldn't have existed:
flustered confusion, laid bare on his face.
'Found you.'
Shin Ji-han.
He was the one who had sent Leng Smith from the Black Magic Tower after me.
On my way back to the dormitory, I checked the news on my phone.
[Shocking! A Black Magic Tower spy uncovered among Obelisk Academy's instructors!]
Every major portal was flooded with articles about Leng Smith.
[At 10:31 p.m. today, Jung Soo-ah—sixth-circle mage of the Blue Magic Tower and secretary to Kim Kang-in—caught Leng Smith acting suspiciously in the Academy's training-materials storeroom.]
[Leng Smith was reportedly tampering with survival-test equipment. Had Jung Soo-ah not happened to pass by, we can only imagine what kind of disaster might have occurred during Friday's survival test.]
[The Korean government, the Korean Mage Association, and the International Mage Association all stated they would not overlook the Black Magic Tower's involvement…]
I scrolled down, skimming the article.
—It all went exactly as you predicted, Mr. Ha-yul.
Kim Kang-in's voice came through the wireless earphones in my ears.
—It was a job, so I simply followed your request, but I didn't expect everything to turn out exactly right.
He sounded genuinely impressed.
—Amazing. I have to ask—how in the world did you know Leng Smith would be tampering with the training-supply warehouse?
"I just deduced it from the information I'd gathered."
Leng Smith had said I wouldn't be seeing him after Friday.
That meant Friday was the day of action.
Since he'd been placed as an instructor, it was logical that the move would happen inside the Academy.
And conveniently, Friday was the day of the large-scale Battle Survival Test.
That test was the perfect stage for whatever they were planning.
To sabotage me during the test, they'd first need to meddle with the training equipment.
The survival-test support artifacts had built-in safety monitors for each participant—
so to target me, they'd have to disable those.
'And those checks are usually done the day before, during daylight.'
Meaning the best time to tamper unseen would be Thursday night.
That's why I'd set the operation for Thursday night.
'Have Kang-in secretly watch the training-materials storeroom… while I gather my siblings.'
Then, once Leng Smith was caught, I'd observe their reactions.
None of them would expect Leng Smith to be caught right then,
so whoever had sent him was bound to slip up.
That was the plan.
'And everything went perfectly.'
In the end, it all worked out.
Leng Smith was captured without issue.
I confirmed that Shin Ji-han had dealings with the Black Magic Tower.
And my own involvement remained completely hidden.
The risks were eliminated. The information secured.
A flawless operation.
'Though it's a pity I couldn't obtain solid proof of Ji-han hyung's connection to Leng Smith.'
A pity—but not a real problem.
Honestly, I hadn't expected to find any.
Someone who dared to defy Father's orders and send a Black Magic Tower agent after me
wouldn't be careless enough to leave evidence behind.
For now, I was satisfied with circumstantial proof.
'Now that I know he's tied to the Black Tower, I can take my time digging up real evidence later.'
There's no such thing as a perfect secret.
Every deal leaves a trace somewhere.
—Your deductions are impressive, but what I truly wonder is where you got the information about Leng Smith in the first place.
"I'm sorry, but as I said, that's classified under my protection duty."
—Yes, I know. I just couldn't help asking; curiosity got the better of me.
Kim Kang-in chuckled lightly.
—In any case, I seem to have profited again. Instead of paying off my debt, it feels like I owe you even more now.
Thanks to this incident, the Blue Magic Tower had gained a huge boost in reputation—
which, of course, meant an increase in brand value.
—I'll make sure you're compensated for this favor later.
"I won't refuse if you're offering."
—Ha-ha! I like your honesty.
Kim Kang-in laughed heartily.
—Well then, I'll go handle the aftermath.
"Understood. Please see it through to the end."
—Yes. I'll contact you again later. Until then.
The call ended.
I pulled out my earphones and stretched my arms wide.
"Ahhh~~"
With everything wrapped up, I could finally focus on my magic training in peace tonight.
'I have to complete resonance today, no matter what.'
Just a little more to reach Second-Circle Master Resonance.
I could finish it by dawn at the latest.
'Only thirty-eight more failed attempts to go…'
I was walking leisurely, thinking about resonance—
Whooshhh!!
'Magic!?'
Suddenly, I felt mana surging beside me.
A flame bursting with murderous intent—
a massive fireball, far beyond fourth-circle level, came hurtling toward me.
"Die, Shin Ha-yuuuuul!!"
From beyond the flames, I heard the voice of Baek Sa-hyuk.