The Heroine Stole My Regression-Chapter 48

We were given free time. For today, we could skip class—legally.

There was a valid reason for it.

As mentors, we were allotted ample time to show our mentees around Gaon’s infrastructure and introduce them to general campus life. Volunteer points were a bonus.

However, I was conflicted. Yoon Chaeha was an exceptional case to begin with. It was highly likely that she had already mastered most academic and magical knowledge back at Kalos.

If that was true, would there be anything here at Gaon—less advanced in magic compared to Kalos—that could actually interest her?

...No answer came to mind. So I decided it was best to ask her directly.

“Is there anywhere you wanted to go inside Gaon?”

She walked quietly beside me.

“Not really... I’m not sure.”

Her answer wasn’t far from what I expected.

She didn’t seem particularly interested.

In that case, I’ll decide.

I gave a nod. One place came to mind that she might like. Since she didn’t have any strong preferences, I’d take the lead.

“Then, let’s head out.”

I took her to the portal terminal.

To leave campus, you had to pass through the terminal.

There, a staff member sat at the desk. I handed over my badge and started speaking casually.

“I’m on mentor duty for the Exchange Hall. We’re heading out for a field learning session.”

The staff member compared the badge to my face. There didn’t seem to be any administrative issues, and the approval went through smoothly.

“Just a heads-up—the return portal closes after 10 p.m., so be back before then~”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Like I needed to be told. It’s not like I was planning to spend all day out with her.

Yoon Chaeha looked at me from the side. A curious look, like she found the whole thing oddly fascinating.

“Let’s go. Wherever you want.”

Pretty sure I got it right.

***

Once we passed through the portal and stepped outside the terminal, a familiar sight spread before us.

Yeouido.

The streets were as bustling as ever.

And among them, we headed toward a building that clearly stood out.

“...What is this place?”

Yoon Chaeha asked me. In front of us stood a massive penthouse—the same one I had visited when testing the Fragment. Vanquisher’s base. I walked straight up to the iron doors and reached out to them. Before I even touched them, they opened automatically.

“Come in.”

“...”

Yoon Chaeha kept scanning the surroundings. Pure curiosity.

The reason I brought her here was simple. Gaon didn’t have much to offer her. But this place was different.

I led her through the garden and into the building. It was unusually quiet today.

“We’re here~”

I announced as we entered, but there was no response.

‘No one’s around, huh.’

Not a single sound. Actually, that worked out better. I began speaking to Yoon Chaeha calmly.

“Gaon, Kalos—they’re pretty much the same. There’s not much to do inside either place.”

She nodded.

“But this place... is different.”

We walked to the deepest room on the first floor of the building.

The library.

The one where Vanquisher’s mage, Yukal Ferman, and the old man had gathered documents over many years. The collection here could probably rival the best books in the Magic Tower.

They had given us permission to study here. The only one who ever really watched us was the old man.

I opened the door and said—

“Feel free to look aroun—ah.”

A man sat quietly on a single-person sofa.

Gray hair. A robe that trailed along the floor.

A book in one hand. He didn’t even lift his head.

As if he hadn’t noticed us, he quietly turned the pages.

“You’re here?”

He usually wasn’t around, so I figured the place was empty—but here he was.

He didn’t react to our presence.

I swallowed and continued cautiously.

“Mind if she reads a few books? I’m her mentor now, and there’s really nothing to see in Ga—”

“...”

Then he stood.

Dragging his robe, he silently walked over to us.

No sound at all.

He stood before Yoon Chaeha. She looked startled. Yukal was a famous mage, after all. Not from the Magic Tower, but no mage there could surpass him.

At that moment, Yukal’s pale blue eyes shimmered faintly. In response, Yoon Chaeha’s orange eyes flared brightly.

And then, silence.

Yukal slowly closed his eyes.

Then he nodded quietly and turned away. He didn’t say a word.

He opened his book and sat down again.

I looked over at Yoon Chaeha. Her expression still showed surprise.

“He says you can go in.”

“...Really?”

“Yeah.”

He was too focused on his book to say anything, but he had definitely given his approval. That was how he was.

We quietly stepped into the library.

The air carried that old bookstore scent. Her eyes were already sparkling.

“...A Retrospective on Kalos’s Visionary School?”

Even a book written by the founder of Kalos Academy was here. That had to be a rare one.

“Necromancy?? The Irreversibility of Entropy and Mana???”

She was already lost in her own world. I watched her flipping through the pages, one after another.

She seemed like a completely different person from her usual composed self. Her fingers moved with calm but urgent speed. Hyperfocused. I barely held in a laugh.

‘Good call bringing her here.’

I spoke softly.

“I’ll be back. Just keep reading.”

She gave no reply.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Eventually, she opened two, three books at once, reading them simultaneously with practiced ease.

As I walked out between the shelves, I spoke to Yukal.

“Yukal hyung, is the old man here?”

He didn’t even pause his page turn as he replied briefly.

“Just a moment ago.”

So he was here—but not anymore.

I quietly stepped out of the library and walked through the main building.

Eventually, I stopped in front of a certain door.

The old man’s office.

I hesitated for a moment.

Then turned the knob and stepped inside.

A quiet room.

Heavy bookshelves and neatly organized documents.

And on the desk, a single sheet of paper lay waiting.

I quietly picked it up.

[Operation Plan]

I turned the cover.

And the moment I skimmed through its contents, alarm bells rang in my head.

It was about time. One of the reasons I came here in the first place.

“...”

I silently read through the document. This wasn’t just another mission.

It was the one I feared most—one I absolutely had to stop.

The annihilation of Vanquisher.

The operation plan detailed a demon extermination mission requested by the Association.

The contents were simple: intelligence had reported demon activity in a region of Hamgyeong Province, and the goal was to raid and eliminate the cluster.

I checked the list of participants.

Aside from those currently dispatched elsewhere—everyone was involved.

The date and time... three weeks from now.

I closed my eyes and quietly added my name to the list—not on paper, but in my heart.

‘I’ll stop it.’

I would stop it no matter what. If things followed the original story, this mission would end with Vanquisher being wiped out. I had no intention of standing by and letting that happen.

“Philip, are you there?”

—Hoo?

A white Eurasian eagle-owl silently emerged from the shadows.

I held up the document.

“This is headed to the Association, right?”

Philip nodded.

This document would soon make its way to the Association.

There was still time.

I placed the paper back down and leaned into the old man’s chair. My mind was a mess. I slowly looked down at my waist. Empty.

After my spear had been destroyed, I had chosen a new weapon type, but hadn’t acquired the weapon yet. That emptiness was only natural.

I couldn’t remain in this state for long. Several options came to mind.

Durandal.

A holy sword, but it was in a museum in France.

Longinus.

Good, but someone already had it.

Gungnir.

That one was... too much trouble.

There were many options, but none felt right.

Then something clicked—something I had decided on recently that matched my weapon preference perfectly.

‘Catastrophe.’

“That’s right.”

It came with some tricky conditions, but if I could wield it, it’d be ideal.

It was time to go find my weapon.

I turned on the old man’s computer and began quickly jotting down a plan in the notepad.

Who knew how much time passed? By the time I looked outside, the sun was already setting.

There was more to prepare than I thought.

After sending the finalized plan to my own email, I shut down the computer.

Then I stepped out and headed back toward the library.

As I quietly opened the door—

“God, seriously. What’s with this whole Visionary School nonsense?”

‘...?’

Voices. A heated exchange echoed inside.

“You’re just narrow-minded.”

Yukal’s firm voice.

Across from him, Yoon Chaeha sat surrounded ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) by a mountain of books. She held a quill in one hand, her face flushed with irritation as she retorted.

“I’m telling you—it’s all theoretical! The origin entropy? Can you even prove it?”

“It’s already been proven.”

Yukal responded calmly.

“Visionary magic is the purest form of magic. Elemental spells, sorcery, all of them are fragmented derivatives of visionary flow. Even the constructs and control methods you pursue are ultimately offshoots of that origin.”

“No, I... ugh.”

The air in the library had grown hot with tension.

She let out a frustrated sigh and turned her head. Then, spotting me, she flinched.

I spoke calmly.

“Looks like you had fun.”

Yoon Chaeha quickly turned her head away. A faint blush colored her face.

“Well, Yukal, I think it’s time for me to take her back.”

This content is taken from fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm.

“Doesn’t matter to me. It’s this fiery young mage that’s the problem.”

“...Ha.”

She was visibly riled up by his remark. But she wasn’t the only one. Even Yukal had the corners of his mouth slightly raised. I’d never seen him like that before.

“Seen enough?”

“...Yeah.”

No need to ask. The stack of finished books beside her said it all.

Yukal gestured, and all the books levitated into the air. One by one, they flew back to the shelves.

“Wa—wait!”

Yoon Chaeha suddenly sprang up and grabbed one book.

[A Retrospective on Kalos’s Visionary School]

The same one she’d been reading earlier.

“I’m borrowing this.”

“I thought you said you weren’t interested.”

“....”

“Do whatever you want.”

Oh? Even letting her borrow a book?

“....”

And yet, she slowly made her way toward the door.

Just before stepping out, she stopped and bowed her head.

“Thank you.”

A neat, brief show of gratitude.

Then she left.

I guess she liked the place more than she let on.

After she was gone, Yukal quietly spoke.

“...Where’s she aiming?”

“Not sure. Probably the Magic Tower...”

“Hmm.”

—Thump.

“A shame.”

He closed the book he was reading.

On his face—rare for him—was an expression of faint regret.