The Returnee Wants to Live Comfortably

From Now On, Call Me Master (3)

On the streets, cherry blossoms—symbols of spring—had begun to bloom.

As if marking the true end of winter, the wind was no longer as cold as before.

It only tickled their noses compared to the way it once dropped body temperatures.

In fact, some people could now be seen walking around in just long pants and sleeves.

It had become a season where parkas were no longer needed.

"Hoo...."

Karen let out a long sigh as she walked down the street.

Like everyone else, Karen dressed comfortably now.

However, unlike those still shivering in the lingering chill, Karen didn't feel cold at all.

As someone with an undead body, cold had no effect on her.

Even so, Karen walked as if she were in a foul mood.

"Sweetie, I'm cold."

"Then should we share my scarf?"

"Okay!"

"Hehehe!"

She caught sight of couples huddling together as they passed by.

Having accidentally witnessed that, Karen's expression fell even further.

As her mood soured, she muttered quietly,

"Vern, that bastard."

What was troubling Karen now wasn't the cold or the couples.

It was the people she was about to meet.

Karen pushed open the door to a café and glanced around.

After heading upstairs to the second floor, she finally found the people she had an appointment with.

"Oh my, aren't you Teacher Karen?"

"Over here! Here!"

A large number of aunts sitting at a massive table responded to Karen's entrance.

The moment her eyes met theirs, Karen forced a bright expression and joined the table.

She couldn't let her previous sullen attitude show in front of these parents.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all for the first time."

"We're glad too. Since we've met, let us buy you something delicious."

"No, there's no need for that."

"It's fine. We're using our husbands' credit cards anyway."

In the end, following the parents' orders, a giant chocolate bingsu was placed on Karen's table—enough that at least two people would need to tackle it together.

"You really didn't have to do this."

"Of course we did. You need the energy to take care of our kids."

"That's right. I poured all my effort into raising my child, but as their teacher, you must have it even tougher."

Karen could quickly grasp how the parents felt.

It was only natural to be worried when a dearly cherished child was living away from home in a dormitory.

Though Karen had grown up on battlefields from a young age, she'd adapted to Earth's unique peacefulness.

Now she could understand the mindset of people living in peace.

Like that, Karen evaluated the students for the parents as their homeroom teacher.

Though it was her first time as a teacher, Karen had learned a few things watching Vern communicate with others.

Thanks to that, she could naturally discuss students' strengths and problems.

"Teacher, you really see the kids well, surprisingly."

"It's nothing. I'm just a new hire who's only just started..."

"I just don't understand why someone as good as you cursed at the kids on the first day of the semester."

"Ah... about that..."

She remembered the words she'd blurted out back then.

This was the part she'd been most anxious about before meeting the parents.

"I apologize for that. The kids asked me if I had a boyfriend..."

"Do you not? Or did you just go through a breakup?"

"That's..."

She couldn't say it.

Her past was just too embarrassing to mention.

"Ah! I think I get it!"

"Hm?"

"You're so scary, all the men must run away as soon as they see you!"

"...!"

At that, the last of Karen's rationality nearly snapped.

But the parents, unaware, just continued chatting among themselves.

"Look at her. Her face puts folk horror stories to shame."

"Her skin's so pale—she just looks like a ghost."

"Seriously! If I met her under a streetlamp at night, my knees would give out from fright."

"Maybe we should introduce you to a nice guy sometime?"

"What for? They'd just run off as soon as they saw her face."

Their insulting remarks about her appearance pressed Karen's patience, but she managed to control her breathing and endure.

Her self-restraint even surprised herself.

"By the way, teacher... You're not teaching our kids anything strange at school, right?"

"Something strange?"

"My daughter told me. Apparently, some crazy kid drew weird paintings in the art club."

"Ah..."

Karen knew who that was.

She'd learned somewhat from the Demon King, but the painting incident confirmed everything for her.

"Why did that kid draw something like that?"

"It's probably a side effect from being swayed by their traits. It's quite common among less mature middle schoolers."

"Awakened kids are a complicated bunch. You never know when or how they'll lose their marbles."

Simply having an awakened child was a major source of parental concern.

The stronger a child's traits were, the more unpredictable their actions could be.

No wonder Hand called the school a psych ward in disguise.

"And it seems there are more and more groups lately who dislike awakened people."

"I know, right? There used to be couples who hurled insults when we said we had a kid with powers."

"Why did those people suddenly change? They used to be so nice to us."

"Ha! If it weren't for hunters, they would've been dead long ago."

Lately, open hatred had grown more frequent.

There were multiple reasons.

One was the S-rank gates—the greatest disasters now appearing worldwide.

There are many claims that, as these gates grow weaker, there'll soon be no place for awakened people.

But that alone isn't enough to change people's hearts so easily.

Not unless someone's behind the scenes stirring things up.

"The one getting the worst of it is Mutamit. And do you know Assemblywoman Kang Minji?"

"Of course! She's the one who called Mutamit failures even among the awakened!"

"So my son, whose horns stick out from his shoulders, is a failure too? Ugh! Disgusting!"

"How is someone like that even in office... Unbelievable!"

Surprisingly, there were more than a few people supporting such an assemblywoman.

Even when she spouted nonsense, they constantly shielded her.

"But here's some good news: Kang Minji suddenly became a vegetable."

"Really? No idea why, but that's so satisfying!"

"I bet her supporters are shedding tears of blood right now."

"So now they're fundraising for revenge. I hear they're even begging for money everywhere."

"As if they'd get much! Puhahahahaha!"

The sudden surge in discrimination made Karen furrow her brow.

Because their bodies were different, mutamit were easy targets for ridicule.

But those differences hid tremendous advantages.

Mutamit mixed with fish, for example, could dive for twenty-four hours straight without using magic power.

Mutamit mixed with cheetah had rapid acceleration from birth.

Karen herself, with undead traits, didn't feel cold or heat at all.

In short, mutamit excelled above most awakened in every field, especially in combat.

It made them perfect targets for jealousy.

"So, teacher. Nothing else strange has happened at school, right?"

"No, that's correct."

"This may be just a rumor, but they say more and more people are approaching awakened students and trying to recruit them for some weird cause."

"Recruit them?"

"Well... they say things like 'doesn't it bother you to be compared to Mutamit?' and try to entice them."

"Compared...?"

So they were only approaching non-Mutamit awakened students.

They agitated those students' weaknesses—being weaker than Mutamit—to try to win them over.

Especially naive kids, who were easily stimulated and swayed.

"It feels like ever since that assemblywoman collapsed, strange things are starting to happen."

"Please keep an eye on our kids so they don't get caught up in anything weird."

Karen smiled at the parents' request.

Then, having finished the enormous chocolate bingsu, she spoke.

"Leave it to me."

Utter confidence shone on her face.

That short reply was enough to reassure the parents.

After the lively talk ended, Karen left the café and started walking by herself.

"So they said someone was recruiting the kids?"

Recalling what the parents had just said, Karen smirked.

She took out the previous homeroom teacher's phone—killed by Vern—and muttered,

"It's already happening, Ma'am."

On the message screen was a line of text like a brick wall.

Interpreted in Mewzealand-style code, it meant:

[How many children have you recruited? I want a report.]

They'd surely used Mutamit comparisons to stir up jealousy among ordinary students.

It would be easy to sway those with the desire to drag higher achievers down.

'But still...'

Sura guild. Why were they so intent on interfering with Hand?

Was it because Sura (Ah-rin) had enrolled?

What would Sura gain by sowing discrimination?

Karen was on her way to meet someone to find out.

[Meet here.]

The coded message included not just instructions, but a meeting place.

Karen, concealing her face with a hat and sunglasses, headed to the destination.

As she entered a quiet alley, a man with his face hidden by a coat and hat appeared before her.

He took out his phone and displayed a long, brick-like block of text.

It was obviously a coded message, and Karen quickly deciphered it.

"Boiling emotions overflow like a kettle. Correct?"

"So, you're the mercenary who infiltrated as the homeroom teacher."

"Then you're my handler? You're the only one who knows who I am?"

"That's rig—wait a minute!"

The man was startled when he heard Karen's voice.

"But I hired a man for this job?"

"..."

Karen sighed inwardly at his words.

No matter how much she hid her face, she couldn't disguise her voice.

But in a way, it was for the best. This guy was the only one who knew the truth anyway.

Whoosh—!

An ice spike shot from Karen's hand and pierced the man's heart.

Even after Karen withdrew the spike, the man did not fall.

Instead, he seemed perfectly fine as he knelt before her.

"From now on, act on my behalf."

Karen commanded her newly born vassal.

****

Day twenty-eight at the recovery center.

Eunseol completed etiquette classes and adapted to the mountain training as well.

Seongjin, who called himself Cheonma, looked more ridiculous the more Eunseol saw him.

But every time she felt like laughing, he would whack her on the head with his staff.

Maybe he thought wearing a Hahoe mask mask and bowing his back made him look like an old man.

Still, the training Seongjin provided was effective.

—Don't run from the vengeful spirits inside you! It's because you ignore them that you avoid meeting others!

The magic power dwelling in her body from those she'd killed.

Handling it filled Eunseol with guilt.

But simply ignoring it didn't rid the spirits of their grudge.

To truly apologize, she had to bring them over to her side.

Seongjin taught her how.

—Magic power is still part of your body. What's the point if you can't master what's created within?

The origin of magic power generation is the heart.

Its strength varies with pulse rate as it flows through blood.

She learned to absorb the fiercely rejected magic power in her body by raising her heart rate.

Seongjin could even absorb living beings because his heart was so well trained.

Eunseol's heart wasn't strong enough, so just a little absorption left her exhausted.

—What are you doing! Your legs are sluggish!

So improving her stamina was essential.

After twenty-eight days, Eunseol had fully adapted to the harsh training.

Now she could even run with metal shackles on her arms and legs without trouble.

"You worked hard enduring all this grueling training."

"I'm only grateful, Seongjin... no, master."

Calling him Master was now almost familiar.

Before, she kept calling him "Seongjin" out of habit, earning her repeated smacks on the head.

"Do you understand now why I told you not to use your wings?"

"Yes, because it doesn't help strengthen my heart."

Her reliance not on legs but wings.

This was one reason Eunseol couldn't properly absorb others' magic power.

It allowed her to travel long distances instantly without getting tired.

Her heart never had a chance to strain itself.

This had been instilled by Angel guild training, which prioritized flight skills.

"You've barely ever experienced exhaustion. Never collapsed, so you never discovered how to pick yourself up."

"...."

"But now that you've realized this, I'm glad. Now only the final test remains."

Final test?

As Eunseol wondered, Seongjin exchanged a look with Sang-ah.

During training, Sang-ah had been a great help to Eunseol.

Once again, Sang-ah was moving to help her.

Fwoosh—

Flames burst from Sang-ah's hand.

Sensing the danger, Eunseol's body twisted on its own, dodging the fire.

Shocked to realize she'd been targeted, Eunseol looked around.

A giant barrier now enclosed Eunseol and Sang-ah.

[Protect]

Thanks to the barrier skill Seongjin cast, there was no forest fire.

Inside this enormous barrier, facing off against another trapped person who attacked without warning...

Eunseol understood exactly what this meant.

"Don't tell me..."

"You'd better start fighting."

Even as he spoke, her opponent was already fully prepared.

Scales grew on Sang-ah's arms, and her gaze began to boil like molten lava.

Moments later, Sang-ah's magic power erupted like a volcano.