Chapter 93

As mentioned before, in the Exorcism Academy worldview, peering into the future is considered one of the greatest taboos.

If the prophet Unyeon I met earlier were to have her Forbidden Technique Value measured, it would likely show at least a red level.

However, Yohan, who had seemed convinced, soon glanced around cautiously again and continued questioning me.

“B-but even if you are a prophet, committing such a Forbidden Technique…”

It was a valid question. But precisely because of that, I had prepared an excuse for it.

“I used this ability to avoid my own death.”

“Ah.”

At my words, Yohan seemed to find a point that made sense.

“So, you mean that since you were originally a life that should have vanished, every action you take now goes against the natural order?”

“You catch on quickly. That’s exactly right.”

Certainly, with that logic, the abnormal form of my Forbidden Technique Value could also be explained in its own way.

Simply by being alive, I was continuously committing a taboo.

‘Of course, the reality is slightly different.’

Naturally, that alone couldn’t achieve the limit value of Forbidden Arts. Probably, once it reached a certain level, the value increase would stop on its own.

However, there’s no way Yohan in front of me would know such facts.

In the first place, since no one has achieved the limit value of Forbidden Arts, how would information about it circulate?

As I expected, Yohan seemed to accept the explanation and nodded repeatedly.

“I understand. But, what’s the reason for your grades suddenly skyrocketing from this year?”

“…I saw a future where something bad would happen if I didn’t hide my abilities to some extent.”

The reason I deliberately claimed to be a prophet was simple.

Because most things could be brushed off with a single statement about having seen the future—it was practically an invincible logic.

“…I’m truly relieved it’s not the situation I was worried about.”

Only then did Yohan begin explaining the situation from his perspective.

‘…If it’s a clock, then it must be the one from yesterday.’

I hadn’t even considered that the Stone of Forbidden Karma might have been mixed in.

Also, Allen Kruger was a name I was familiar with as well.

“I’ve heard of him.”

Allen Kruger is one of the villainous boss characters appearing in Series 3.

I remember him being quite a formidable opponent because his methods were esoteric and he possessed incredibly powerful Forbidden Arts.

In fact, that was one of the reasons I had been interested in Yohan.

‘This was also a frequently mentioned hypothesis.’

The speculation that Allen Kruger, a boss character from Series 3, is an ancestor of Yohan Kruger, a supporting character from Series 1.

And that has now been revealed as fact.

“Then, have you also seen his appearance through prophecy?”

“No, I don’t particularly remember that.”

“That’s a shame.”

“If any helpful information comes up, I’ll cooperate.”

Since Allen Kruger first appears in Series 3, he naturally doesn’t appear in the Series 1 timeline.

However, as I’ve said many times, this is clearly not a game but reality. The probability might not be high, but the possibility of encountering him itself sufficiently exists.

‘…It’s better to at least remember it.’

I engraved Allen Kruger’s name once more in my mind, and after talking with Yohan for a while longer, I successfully cleared up the misunderstanding.

Although a crisis almost came from an unexpected place, in the end, I gained a useful card I could ask for help from in a pinch without needing detailed explanations.

Especially since the power of the Kruger family, to which Yohan belongs, will undoubtedly be of great help at some point.

‘Even if I don’t know his hiding place, I have various useful information about Allen himself.’

That much would clearly be usable as bargaining material.

Feeling reassured, I sent Yohan off and moved on again.

Feeling the need to grasp in more detail the inner circumstances not heavily focused on in the main story, like Seo Jian’s Daejin Industries or Yohan’s Kruger family.

As I had decided earlier to pay attention to the real-world backstories not covered in the game, I began organizing questionable points worth investigating with time.

And in fact, surprisingly, the epitome of a mystery full of blanks in such areas existed right nearby.

Namely, the second-year top student, Sophia Charlotte.

‘She’s incredibly strong, but she didn’t appear that much in the original work either.’

Of course, there were mentions of her occasionally getting involved with the protagonist Yoo Haon’s group and being active here and there, but stories about her herself were never unraveled in the main story.

So, I decided to investigate Sophia a little first.

“Sophia? I heard she became a member of the Charlotte family as an adopted daughter.”

“Really?”

“I heard she was originally from the streets and doesn’t even properly know her parents’ faces.”

As expected, even just by asking students around, unknown pieces of information kept popping up.

‘Sophia also doesn’t know her parents?’

What on earth is wrong with this worldview? Already, including me, there are four people around me with similar circumstances.

Knowing that not only Yoo Haon’s past but even my own origins held secrets, I was already extremely sensitive to that kind of inner story.

‘…Could it be that she also has something?’

Frankly speaking, since two such people already exist, there’s no law saying it can’t become three.

Feeling the increasing questions, I became more enthusiastic about gathering information about her.

“Junior, are you curious about Sophie?”

“Yes. Just telling me the facts you normally know would be helpful.”

“If it’s you, junior, it’ll be fine. I’ll cheer you on.”

“…It’s not particularly like that.”

Having found Arietta, who frequently interacted with Sophia as the top of each grade, I asked about Sophia’s appearance during her first year, which neither the original work nor my current self knew well.

“Last year’s Sophie, well, she was quieter than now.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. Should I say she lacked vitality? At least she wasn’t that bright.”

This is also the first time I’m hearing this.

Because the Sophia in my memory always had a bright and harmonious feeling.

‘In the community, she was only remembered as a senior-position character with a natural charm.’

As expected, in this world, there are quite a few inner stories you can’t know just by memorizing the original work.

At this level, it seemed like there was no harm in knowing a bit more information.

To me, lost in thought, Arietta offered another piece of advice.

“If it’s about Sophie, it would be best to go to Grace.”

“Grace, you mean?”

“Yeah. It’s not certain, but I heard they’ve been together since their street days.”

“…Thank you for telling me.”

I knew Grace and Sophia were close friends, but I had no idea their connection went back to the streets.

‘Does that mean Grace is also an adopted daughter?’

That could be, or it might simply mean they first became friends back then.

It was clear I probably couldn’t get more information by searching around anymore, so I decided to go directly to Grace without hesitation.

“Sophie’s past?”

“Yeah. I thought you might know. You don’t have to talk about sensitive parts.”

Hearing my words, Grace made a troubled expression and let out a deep sigh.

“It’s not that I can’t… But isn’t there something you need to do first?”

“Something to do?”

“What, that reaction means you really didn’t know? It’s a problem concerning Sophie, whom you’re curious about right now.”

Does that mean something happened to Sophia? There was no such event in the original work?

Flustered, I was led by her hand and began moving somewhere.

And during that process, Grace calmly explained the things I had been curious about.

“Sophie is amazing, of course, but if you look closely, she’s surprisingly ordinary too. She’s always been like that.”

The image of Sophia heard through Grace’s mouth was indeed quite different from what I knew.

Natural stories about her sometimes crying like a child, throwing tantrums, and getting angry.

But still, it’s an expression hard to imagine.

“Do you know that since that last exam, Sophie has been in a subtle state?”

“…Now that I hear it, she was somewhat unlike herself.”

“It’s gotten worse, and now she’s completely digging herself into a hole. Half of it is because of you.”

“Me?”

It seems Sophia had lingering regrets about being tricked by me twice without even getting to fight properly.

The place we arrived at shortly after was a small detached house near the Academy grounds.

According to the explanation, it was a space Sophia visited when she wanted to relax leisurely.

“Here.”

“…You want me to go in alone?”

“At times like this, shock therapy is necessary.”

Beep.

Beep beep beep beep.

Ding-dong.

Literally inputting the door lock password in an instant and letting me in, Grace closed the door just like that.

As I, flustered, was uncharacteristically frozen, Sophia’s sleepy voice came from the direction of the living room.

“Graceee… I said I’d sleep all day today. Sigh.”

I didn’t know she was this type, but Grace really has a pushy side.

First, I had to avoid the worst-case scenario, so I cleared my throat softly to let Sophia know I had come.

“I, uh, came on an errand.”

“…Huh?”

Sophia, pausing for a moment, soon made an indescribable sound and spoke to me in a voice that trailed off.

“Why, why is Kangyoon here? Wasn’t this my house? No, it is my house…?”

Sophia, momentarily half-asleep, soon recognized reality, got up noisily, and spoke to me from an unseen place.

“Uh. Wait a moment. I’m in my pajamas now.”

“……”

About 10 minutes later, I was finally able to face Sophia, who had fully regained her senses.

“Ah, really. Grace, sigh…! She’s really pushy, I tell you.”

Sophia grumbled, seeming quite angry, and repeatedly muttered Grace’s name.

Yet, she quickly brewed a cup of coffee each and prepared the seating—truly like Sophia.

Accepting the coffee, I took a sip and opened the conversation, keeping in mind what Grace had said.

“I heard you’ve had a lot on your mind lately.”

“It’s not like that. I just suddenly lost some energy…”

“Because of the exam?”

“Umm. That too. And other various things?”

Although usually so bright, Sophia too must have various worries in her heart.

Sophia, taking a sip of coffee, let out a sigh and moved her lips again.

What came out of Sophia’s mouth then was, frankly, a completely unexpected statement.

“Is it right for me to keep attending the Academy?”