I'll Retire After Saving the World-Chapter 124: Sprouts (4)

TL: SHW

“Fine. I’ll approve it.”

Only after a couple of faculty meetings and Lee Seung-yeon’s desperate persuasion was the first club of the Hunter Training Pilot High School finally created.

“Finally! It’s done! Thank you, teacher! I’ll work really hard!”

Lee Seung-yeon returned to his friends with a triumphant look. Soon, a loud cheer erupted.

Lee Mi-seon, who had been quietly listening to the children's laughter, looked back at me with somehow fed-up eyes.

“You were going to allow it anyway, so why did you reject him so much? The kid looked totally discouraged.”

Of course I’m biased since he’s your nephew.

“Did he look discouraged to you? He was practically flying around.”

“He kept watching your reaction, though.”

“If you get something too easily, you won’t appreciate it. You only realize its value when you struggle to earn it.”

“…You do realize this is just a school club, right?”

Lee Mi-seon said reluctantly.

That’s what I should be saying.

“You, Hunter Lee, also made quite an interested expression, didn’t you?”

“Oh my….”

Lee Mi-seon flinched her shoulders and quietly averted her gaze.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Yeah right. Bullshit.

She was indifferent when Lee Seung-yeon first mentioned it was a club, but the moment she heard the word guild, her eyes changed. Even though she’s the chairman of the Pilot High School, Lee Mi-seon is fundamentally a master of a guild. Never mind the fact that the guild is the Korea branch of a certain international association.

Look. From the beginning, Lee Mi-seon didn’t hide her hope that Sun Sun-jin would join their guild. When she got the chance, she also approached Oh Hyun-wook and Park Seo-hyun. She even asked me, didn’t she?

Hong Seok-young tends to let the kids do what they want, so he would just go along with it if they said they were joining Lee Mi-seon’s guild.

And even if I say this now, it’s not like Lee Mi-seon’s guild is bad. In fact, it’s a good opportunity.

So Lee Mi-seon must be thinking something like this.

‘My nephew is starting a guild? If I raise it well, couldn’t I absorb it into our guild later?’

Well, if it were an official guild, Lee Mi-seon wouldn’t even think like that.

But this is just a club. She doesn’t know how serious the kids are, and it might all end as a short-lived pretend-play that lasts a month. If Lee Mi-seon is targeting that gap, I don’t have much to say. I mean, it’s Daseon, right? If that guild is scouting them and I block it, then I’d be the bad guy.

But Lee Mi-seon continues to miss the point. Even after everything she’s gone through with Lee Seung-yeon these past few days, she’s already forgotten again. I’m telling you, she’s still got a long way to go.

Kids grow up in an instant.

‘I was talking with Han Eun-young, and I realized something.’

The more unstable the child, the more noticeable their growth becomes.

‘I think, if we do it right, we might be able to raid a dungeon even without actually entering one.’

The kid who once hid his anxious tears now stands upright and meets my eyes directly as he speaks.

‘Everyone’s good at something. Sun-jin is fast, Hyun-wook has good combat sense. Park Seo-hyun… well, she’s a mage so let’s exclude her. So, I thought it’d be better to develop the things I’m good at.’

This was probably the best workaround Lee Seung-yeon could come up with to preserve his pride while taking a detour toward his dream.

He couldn’t bring himself to admit he lacked ability, but he had to face the reality.

‘What do you think that is?’

‘I’m going to find it now… Ah, don’t make that face! You look scary when you do that! Saying I’m going to find it now isn’t completely wrong, but, um… A raid doesn’t work with just Hunters. It’s not something you can do without spending a lot of money.’

‘Are you bragging about being rich right now?’

‘It’s not my money. It’s my grandfather’s and father’s. But still, I have quite a bit of property under my name. Isn’t it my choice how I use it?’

I let it slide, pretending not to notice. He had come up with a way to remain a Hunter without entering a dungeon, and I couldn’t pour cold water on that.

‘Yeah… that’s important too. It’ll only become more important in the future.’

Due to the Myeong-dong incident, dungeon management was transferred to the government, drastically changing the raid landscape. And once the mana meter is developed….

If Lee Seung-yeon manages to maintain the guild properly until then, it will surely shine. At the very least, that guild already has an S-Rank Hunter and an Archmage secured.

“Do you think those kids will join Hunter Lee’s guild? And is that even a proper guild? Isn’t it just disguised employment?”

“What are you talking about! It’s a properly licensed guild, you know?”

“Actually, Hunter Lee might lose guild members to that kid. You better be careful.”

“To that kid?”

Lee Mi-seon laughed as if she had heard something absurd. I shook my head.

“You’ve already lost Sun Sun-jin, haven’t you.”

“Ah.”

“At that age, hanging out with friends is the most fun thing, after all.”

Lee Mi-seon exaggeratedly shivered her shoulders.

But soon, she smiled sweetly.

“If she wants to join another guild, I should support her. She’s like a niece to me too.”

“I thought you would say that.”

“And our Sun-jin is not the kind of kid who would betray me, you know?”

“You won’t know that until it happens.”

Well, anyway, it looks like Lee Seung-yeon has found his place in his own way, which is good. Sometimes, even kids need time to organize their thoughts on their own.

“From what I can tell, you were planning to approve it from the beginning. Why did you oppose it, really?”

“Life needs an appropriate amount of hardship.”

“There you go again, saying weird things.”

Weird, huh.

I let out a sigh.

Lee Mi-seon was so relieved that Lee Seung-yeon had brightened up again that she had completely forgotten to ask why he had been that way in the first place.

As for Hong Seok-young, as I said earlier, he’s the type who agrees to whatever the kids want to do.

And then, Kim Chae-min….

“A club, huh. That sounds really fun. If the club eventually turns into a guild, wouldn’t something like a magic society be possible too? Start with a magic research club with Seo-hyun and Jin-woo… and by the time they graduate, it could be turned into a formal society….”

She’s casually saying something terrifying.

A magic society with two Archmages? No thanks.

“I just wanted to hear about Lee Seung-yeon’s plan.”

“So that’s why you opposed?”

“See what happened when I did. He even made a presentation and explained for 20 minutes. You need to show at least that much passion.”

“Teacher Woo, don’t you think your standards are strangely high?”

"I'm not sure about that."

Even if the presentation had been subpar, I would have let it pass. Isn’t that such a generous standard?

Besides, I did hear one of Lee Seung-yeon’s real goals. Not that the contents of his diligent presentation were a distraction, but….

'It's about Tae-woo.'

After the 20-minute presentation. Lee Seung-yeon cautiously approached me and brought up Kang Tae-woo’s name.

I had been wondering what the two of them had talked about. Because whatever it was had changed Lee Seung-yeon’s heart.

'He said he wants to find the other children who were at the research lab together.'

'...The other children, you mean.'

'Yes. Honestly, Tae-woo didn't really know what that research lab was for either, but it wasn't an ordinary place, right? You know, don't you, teacher?'

'.......'

'Ah, I know. You can't tell us. I know because I sometimes I see my aunt helping catch illegal Awakened, so I get it. This is one of those things, right?'

I avoided answering.

'I… um. I want to help Tae-woo. I’m not confident I can fight those scary people, but if I look into orphanages or places like that, maybe I can at least find the kids.'

'So that’s why the foundation? To search through sponsored organizations?'

'I think that’s the fastest way.'

'Why not ask your aunt for help?'

'My aunt? Even if she’s a rich guild master, this is a different domain.'

…Yeah. That’s true.

Still, the kid trying different approaches made me feel both proud and a bit sorry, so I gave him a light pat on the shoulder.

'By the way, Teacher Hong is looking into various things, so you don't need to worry too much.'

'…Yes. Tae-woo told me that too. That’s why, after talking to the others, we changed it to what it is now. The guild.'

'Call it a club.'

'It’s the same thing.'

I recalled the moment the kidney bean I had planted first sprouted. It was a flowerpot I had left in the corner of the veranda, thinking it had rotted.

…Not that these kids were rotten, but somehow, it felt similar to that time.

‘So, you’re approving the club then?’

‘I’ll talk with the other teachers.’

‘Ah, why! The mood was just getting good!’

‘That’s that, and this is this.’

That was the end of the conversation with Lee Seung-yeon.

He said himself that he wouldn’t enter dungeons. He didn’t throw a fit and talk about dropping out like Han Eun-young did….

Sending a kid like that to a regular high school now would be nonsense. Maybe I should ease up on the combat training and teach him law, administration, and clerical work. Honestly, that’s my area of expertise. If I put my mind to it, I could make them cry far more than anything they’re dealing with now.

“He’s trying to do something on his own. It’s not that my standards are high, it’s that he has to raise his own standards.”

“If his own standards are too high, wouldn’t that also be a problem?”

“It’s the teacher’s job to judge that and adjust the difficulty accordingly.”

“……”

“What?”

“…Was rejecting the club part of that as well?”

“Why are you so obsessed with the club anyway? Do you want to be the club advisor, Hunter Lee? I’m the only teacher available for it, so I was going to take it, but if you want to, I’d be grateful.”

I waved my hand to dismiss Lee Mi-seon.

Only then did she laugh heartily and wave goodbye, saying she had to leave because of the forum.

So she had time to pull a joke like that even though she was busy?

“It’s because of your brother, isn’t it?”

“Huh?”

“I-rok.”

On the other hand, Hong Seok-young quietly hit the mark.

“Every time you say no to Seung-yeon, your brother’s always there.”

“……”

“Am I wrong?”

I shrugged my shoulders.

“He just wants a bit of attention.”

“Attention?”

“Nothing big. He just wants me to put him first. I don’t intend to keep indulging him, but… for now, he’s probably feeling insecure, so I’m trying to accommodate him a little.”

“A real spoiled brat, huh.”

“Don’t call him a spoiled brat. It’s natural for him to lean on his older brother, Teacher! He only recently met Teacher Woo again after the orphanage. Can you imagine how uneasy he must have been?”

Kim Chae-min had a sympathetic look on her face.

“Are you sure it’s okay for you to take on the club too? Wouldn’t it be better to spend more time with I-rok?”

“A club’s just an elective activity. Those kids need something to do besides their regular classes. Honestly, this place isn’t exactly built for fun. We just let the kids loose and let them figure it out.”

“Teacher Woo. They’re not a flock of sheep.”

“If they were sheep, at least they’d be cute.”

Sheep would at least have more intelligence than kidney beans or amoebas.

I looked out at the still noisy outside. Bright, and full of playful laughter. freewēbnoveℓ.com

A sound light and cheerful, unlike the work that lay ahead.

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