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Lee Ha-Eun, examined by the government agency, had officially been recognized as possessing awakened magical abilities.
Well, anyone could have guessed that—after all, she had summoned fire in kindergarten.
The problem was, it hadn’t been revealed that she had not only awakened her magical abilities but also her Auror abilities.
Even if government agencies test someone’s abilities, they can only estimate the type of power based on where the energy is concentrated. They can’t precisely distinguish between magical power, aura, mental energy, or elemental power.
If the Korean Awakening Association had performed the test with state-of-the-art equipment, they might have detected it. But the district office’s machinery could only confirm that energy was concentrated in her heart.
Since both magic and aura are similar in nature—and both gather in the heart—it would have been nearly impossible to differentiate them.
It’s fortunate for Lee Ha-eun.
The government wouldn’t trouble her just for being the first to awaken, and she hadn’t been discovered as an Auror capable of revenge—yet.
Well… that was only a matter of time.
Lee Ha-eun was too young to understand the knowledge engraved in her mind. But if she realized the existence of Aurors and innocently revealed it later, it would become known that she possessed the Awakened Ability for Revenge.
That can’t happen.
For her sake, and for mine.
In that sense…
“Ha-eun, there’s nothing strange about the energy in your body except for magic, okay?” I asked.
“Yeah, okay.”
“And it’s not strange that you have knowledge besides magic, right?”
“Yeah, okay.”
“And that energy and knowledge, while not strange, must be hidden from others, understand?”
“Yeah, okay.”
“Good. Forget.”
“…Huh? Why were we doing this?”
Whenever I could, I whispered this to Lee Ha-eun using a magic spell that implanted the suggestion into her subconscious—and then erased her memory of me saying it.
It might not make sense at first, but by repeating it and engraving it into her subconscious, she would follow it naturally.
This method was merely a hint. Once her level surpassed mine, the spell would lift automatically—but by then, she would understand how dangerous it would be to reveal her Ability for Revenge.
“By the way, Geonwoo, I’m so glad we get to go to the same elementary school!”
“I know.”
Three years had passed since I had guided her to hide her Awakening. Now, we were old enough to enter elementary school.
Of course, Awakened children couldn’t study alongside non-Awakened children. So we were enrolled in a specialized elementary school for Awakened children.
That’s why I deliberately pretended to have awakened abilities too.
Lee Ha-eun had been pestering me to go to school with her. And, truthfully, I thought it would be more efficient to attend an Awakened-specialty school rather than a normal one.
The curriculum was largely the same as regular schools, but specialized schools were rich in magical energy, making it easier to cultivate internal energy and magic power.
Above all, I didn’t want to send Lee Ha-eun to school alone.
“Oh, right. That’s our school.”
“Oh. You came to the entrance ceremony last year too.”
“At that time, I held my mother’s hand, so I didn’t really notice…”
I had been worried. My child was timid. Would she manage to socialize if I left her alone? Kindergarten was one thing—elementary school was another.
“Hey… take this!”
“Yay! Got it!”
Lee Ha-eun and I turned toward the commotion. Older kids were fighting, using their powers.
When children gain power before learning proper morals… this is what happens.
It was natural—they were intoxicated by strength. Teachers at the school were either Awakened themselves or strong enough to subdue them. But even so, there were more children than teachers, so daily chaos was inevitable.
If Ha-eun had come alone, she’d have been bullied and wouldn’t have had a proper school life.
That was another reason I enrolled alongside her.
By the way…
I felt a subtle current of magical energy. It was being pulled toward the school, almost as if the building itself drew it in.
Ah, so this is why Awakened-specialty schools are known for abundant magic.
Before my regression, I had attended a high school for Awakened individuals. Now I understood. These schools artificially concentrated magic in the air to boost the power within their grounds.
I should check where this energy is concentrated.
Perhaps there’s a magic circle or device enhancing the flow. If so, I could improve it in my own way. Even if I didn’t find a device, the center of concentration would still be perfect for cultivating internal energy.
Originally, I came here for Ha-eun… but I might benefit too.
“Let’s go quickly. I’m scared of those kids…”
I nodded. Ha-eun and I headed to our assigned classroom. For reference, we were in the same class.
No—more precisely, there was only one class per grade. If you were the same age, you were in the same class.
Children awakening before eight years old went to elementary-level Awakened schools. Those who awakened later attended Awakened-specialty schools starting in middle or high school.
Our homeroom teacher was none other than the principal.
It seemed strange for the principal to teach a single class—but for unruly first graders, he was the perfect choice.
“Class will begin.”
He radiated an aura of authority that imprinted the idea into our minds: Teachers are powerful. Adults are scary.
Parents might have protested, but children quickly learned their place. Teachers liked it, parents liked it, and the kids… well, they learned they couldn’t get away with acting out.
Of course, this worked only for lower grades, which explained the chaos among older students earlier.
By the time morning classes ended…
We first graders were supposed to eat lunch and go home. But instead…
I headed toward a secret spot in the school. Naturally, Lee Ha-eun followed.
“Geonwoo, where are we going?”
“We’re going treasure hunting.”
“Treasure hunting? I want to do it too!”
Her eyes sparkled, excited.
Honestly, the treasure I had in mind was very different from hers—but I didn’t stop her.
…No one seems to be watching us.
Teachers were busy managing other students or handling administrative duties. They weren’t paying attention to us—and it didn’t matter. We weren’t doing anything wrong.
Let’s see…
I traced the flow of magical energy. The concentration I had felt this morning.
“Geonwu… look, there’s the teacher.”
“Ah… yeah.”
At the source of the energy stood the principal, our homeroom teacher.
“Ah, Ha-Eun, Geonwu. Well, hello.”
He greeted us kindly, unlike his strict classroom demeanor.
“How did you know to come here?”
“We were treasure hunting, together!” Ha-eun replied without hesitation.
The principal chuckled.
The magic is definitely concentrated here… still is.
This place had the highest magical density in the school.
…If I could train here…
“Sir, what is this place?” I asked.
“This is a training room for the teachers,” he replied.
Ah… now it made sense.
The teachers knew the magic concentration here, that’s why they trained in this room.
“Can we come in?” Ha-Eun asked timidly.
“You may, but don’t disturb the teachers. Understand?”
“Yes!”
“And be quiet. Don’t make noise, or you’ll interrupt them.”
“…Okay…”
Ha-Eun whispered so softly I could barely hear her. She was so cute that the principal handed her a piece of candy. She grinned and declared she had won the treasure hunt.
I smiled.
Thank you.
To her, the candy was the treasure—but for me…
This place itself is a treasure.
I had been pondering how to gain access to it, and Ha-Eun had unknowingly solved it for me.
Grateful doesn’t even begin to cover it.
