There Is No World For ■■

* * *The plane carrying Yeomyeong and the Saintess landed gently on the runway.It was such a smooth touch-down that if they hadn’t been looking out the window, they wouldn’t have noticed that the plane had landed.“That’s a good start.”Margan commented briefly before turning his gaze in the same direction as the Saintess and Yeomyeong.Beyond the small airplane window was the view of the entire airport.Though the airport at Lord Howe Academy was smaller than most international airports, it was no less beautiful.According to the famous architect who designed it, he wanted it to be a place that radiated the vitality of youth…Just as he said, the view outside the window was brimming with youthful energy.It was not in a metaphorical sense but in the literal sense.“Uh… is it always this crowded?”The Saintess, who was looking out the window, asked in a startled voice.Hundreds, possibly over a thousand people, were swarming around the airport and the runway.“…It’s not what I think it is, right?”Unable to hide his flustered expression, Margan didn’t respond.“You told me that there wouldn’t be a welcoming ceremony!”Unable to hold back any longer, the Saintess screamed, and a drop of cold sweat ran down Margan’s forehead.“Well… the school didn’t specifically make an announcement about your arrival today, Saintess…”“Then who are all those people? They’re all staring at our plane!”“Well, to be honest… I myself am not sure as to how the students and staff found out about it and gathered here like this…”Seeing Margan hesitate, Yeomyeong intervened.“It’s probably because of the reporters back in Manchuria.”“…The reporters?”“Why else would they have been swarming around the Manchurian airport? They were probably planning to write an article or inform their fellow reporters about our departure.”There was no need to guess what happened next.Given the nature of flights, once the destination and time of departure were known, it was not hard to predict the time of arrival.Of course, understanding the situation and accepting it were two completely different things.“Ugh…! I would have just attended the entrance ceremony if I had known that this would happen…!”As if embarrassed by something, the Saintess covered her face and stomped her feet.She continued behaving like that until the plane finished landing and was being towed to the airport.And just as the oblivious captain announced, ‘The airstair will be ready shortly…’ over the intercom…The Saintess spoke in a feeble voice.“Yeomyeong, what are you thinking right now?”“…Why do you want to know about my thoughts?”“Because you don’t look scared or nervous in the slightest… I’m just curious about what’s going on in your mind.”“Hmm… actually, I’m thinking about how I’m lucky to have you with me.”“What?! Wha-what the hell… are you saying all of a sudden…?”Startled, the Saintess raised her head. Yeomyeong shrugged and added.“Well, with the Saintess here to draw everyone’s attention, I should be fine. Isn’t that something to be grateful for?”“…”Perhaps the joke meant to ease the tension worked, as the Saintess let out a wry laugh.However, immediately after that, she threw a punch at Yeomyeong with an expression mixed with laughter and anger.* * *…Anyway, while the two of them continued bickering, the plane came to a complete stop.And only after the plane’s exit door was opened did the Saintess stop punching Yeomyeong.It was because the once-absent sounds filling the airport became clearly audible—the noise of people rushing, shouting, and camera shutters clicking. All these sounds, filled with anticipation and chatter, mingled together.“Arghhh, seriously….”The Saintess glanced at her suitcase. More precisely, at the Invisibility Cloak inside it.Until the time she headed to Manchuria… she always wore an Invisibility Cloak at all times out of fear of the prejudice for being a half-Earthian and the pressure from the expectations placed on her as the Saintess.However, after going through various experiences in Manchuria, she decided to make a change. No, she had already changed.Just as she hadn’t fled from the war correspondents, she would be able to handle the attention from the academy calmly.Although she still sighed heavily, the Saintess steeled herself. Also, Yeomyeong’s indifferent expression was making her annoyed…“…Shall we go now?”As soon as she stood up, Yeomyeong also got up and grabbed his bag.Margan, who had been watching the two of them, took the lead, with the Saintess and Yeomyeong following behind. And just as they were about to disembark from the plane…Someone stepped in through the plane’s doorway.A middle-aged man with a face full of wrinkles, dressed in a neatly arranged suit.Seeing the angry look on his face, Margan shouted.“Admissions Director Medga?”And before he could complete his sentence, Yeomyeong quickly glanced over at the middle-aged man.The Admissions Director? Why was someone this important, the person who oversaw all admissions at the academy here?“Admissions Director, what brings you here….”Before Margan could even finish his question, the Admissions Director strode straight into the plane and bowed his head to Yeomyeong and the Saintess.“I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused to the Saintess and the transfer student. This matter is entirely our fault.”“Pardon? No, no. It’s fine. There’s no need to apologize.”The Saintess looked at Yeomyeong with an expression that seemed to say, ‘You agree, right?’ and Yeomyeong nodded in response.However, the ‘mistake’ the Admissions Director was talking about was more than that.- We oppose the transfer!- Get out, you fraudster!- Cancel the unfair admission!A sudden outburst of protests. The hostility it contained was not directed at the Saintess but at Yeomyeong.From cries about the unfairness of the transfer examination to jeers about why a Dragon Rider bastard was using a plane.“What the hell are they talking about…!”Having finally understood the meaning of the protests, the Saintess tried to step outside the plane, but the Admissions Director reached out to stop her.“Saintess, before you get angry, could you please hear me out?”“Hear you out? What more do you have to say? Yeomyeong is being insulted publicly at this very moment…!”And before the Saintess could say more, Yeomyeong gently held her by the shoulder.“…Let’s listen to what the Admissions Director has to say.”Since the person who should have been worked up was saying so, the Saintess had no choice but to swallow her anger.As she quickly turned her away, Yeomyeong calmly asked for an explanation.“So Director, what on earth is going on down there? Why am I being insulted?”“Well… it’s because of the transfer examination.”Transfer examination? What did that have to do with anything?As Yeomyeong furrowed his brows, the Admissions Director began his explanation.Even though one of the requirements was that applicants had to either be Superhuman or, at the very least, able to sense mana, the interest in Superhumans among the general public meant that the number of people applying to the academy never decreased—if anything, it kept increasing exponentially every year.Because of that, all sorts of temptations lurked around the Admissions Office, which handled the Academy’s admissions.Famous celebrities, politicians, and even nobles from beyond the Dimensional Portal openly solicited backdoor admissions.Bribes of stocks or cash were just the start; there were also those who promised elixirs or power.Of course, none of those illicit requests were approved over the past 12 years.This was partly due to the founder’s resolution for the academy’s admission process to be fair and also thanks to the stubbornness of Medga Dubois, who had held the position of admissions director for 12 years.However, had those 12 years been too long? Or was the lure of bribes and illicit requests simply too strong?Over the years, those eyeing Medga’s position began to appear within the academy.Nikolay Tcherny, an Academy board member, was a prime example.For the last few years, he made brazen attempts to place his own person in the position of Admissions Director.And the only reason he failed was because Medga, the current Director, never showed any flaws, but it was widely believed among the teachers that he could take over the Admissions Office at any time…“…Um, Director?”“What is it, Mr. Cheon Yeomyeong? Is there something you haven’t understood?”“No, not that, but it’s a bit long. Could you just get to the point?”“…”As soon as Yeomyeong finished speaking, the Saintess let out a soft chuckle.Momentarily at a loss for words, Megda then nodded upon hearing the insults coming from outside.“…It seems that I’ve been lacking in consideration. You’re the one being insulted. My apologies.”He cleared his throat before continuing.“To put it briefly, this whole situation is a scheme to use your transfer as a pretext to humiliate you and oust me from the position of admissions director.”“…Is my transfer really that big of an issue?”“Originally, our Academy never had a transfer system. You’re the first and… likely the last.”“…”Yeomyeong was already aware that his transfer was unprecedented.After all, even Margan, who had come to authorize his transfer, only had a single piece of paper with the words ‘Transfer Admission Examiner’ written on it.However, he never imagined it would lead to such a big issue.Considering all his achievements and the skills he had demonstrated.…I never thought I’d end up getting entangled in the Academy’s internal politics. This is truly beyond my expectations.Yeomyeong massaged his temples for a moment. The voices outside the plane continued to criticize him.“Mr. Cheon Yeomyeong. I’m sorry that you have to go through this ordeal because of my selfish desire to have you transferred here as soon as possible. I hope you don’t get hurt by the foolishness of the adults.”“No, well…”“And just in case you’re worried, I can assure you there’s no chance you’ll be expelled. Your entire transfer process was conducted under the legitimate authority of the Admissions Director and approved by the Principal.”Medga offered both an apology and reassurance in a polite tone. Hearing this, the Saintess raised her head.“Then wouldn’t it be enough to just explain the reason behind Yeomyeong’s transfer? People aren’t fools; he defeated a dragon…”Before she could finish speaking, Medga sighed.“Saintess, when faced with something they find hard to believe… some people will simply assume it to be false.”“…”“And there are also those… who turn away from the truth due to jealousy.”The people cursing Yeomyeong from outside were surely such people.Having understood this, the Saintess simply pursed her lips without saying anything.As everyone on the plane fell silent for a moment, Yeomyeong suddenly began rummaging through his bag.“Yeomyeong?”“What?”“What are you doing?”“I can’t just sit around and do nothing, right?”Saying this, Yeomyeong pulled out a standard-issued iron sword from his bag.Since the Academy prohibited sharp blades, this sword had been dulled on purpose.While Medga and Margan stared at the sword with puzzled looks on their faces, only the Saintess realized his intention and opened her mouth in shock.“Hey! What are you planning to do now? You’re at the Academy!”“The simplest solution?”Simple solution, he said? Only then did Medga guess why Yeomyeong had drawn his sword, and joined the conversation.“…What do you plan to do, Mr. Cheon Yeomyeong?”“If they’re making all this fuss just because of my transfer, shouldn’t I just prove my abilities?”“You’re right. That’s why we’re also planning to arrange an opportunity for you to do so. We’ll be gathering the staff and the press in a few days…”“…But aren’t they already gathered outside?”And before Medga could do anything to stop him, Yeomyeong quickly turned around and walked toward the back door of the plane.“W-wait! Yeomyeong! Just hold on for a moment!”Margan, who had been watching them until now, tried to stop Yeomyeong, but this time, the Saintess raised her hand to block him.“Leave him be.”“B-but, Saintess! If Yeomyeong loses like this…!”“He might injure his opponent, but Yeomyeong won’t lose.”“…”“Oh, and even if he does injure his opponent, I can heal them right up. So, it doesn’t matter if he cuts off a limb or two!”After the Saintess said so, practically shouting loud enough for everyone to hear, Yeomyeong exited the plane through the rear door.Since there was no stair truck at the back door, he had to jump down from a considerable height, landing on the ground with a thud.- Stop the illegal transfer!- Admissions Director, you should resign!- Come out, you fraudster! Come out and… huh?The moment he landed, everyone’s eyes were immediately drawn to him.Not only the reporters and external figures stationed at the Academy, but also the various staff members and students gathered there.Before the eyes of a crowd with more than a hundred people, Yeomyeong calmly raised his sword.“Hello, everyone. I’m Cheon Yeomyeong, the newest transfer to the Academy.”Compared to the murmurs of the crowd, his voice was soft, but the Superhumans gathered at the airport gathered their mana to listen to Yeomyeong’s voice.“To all those who have been doubting my abilities, those who have called me a fraudster… whoever you are, I will give you the opportunity to back your claim.”As he spoke softly, mana began to gather around his sword. It was a gesture more convincing than a thousand words.“If anyone wants to fight me….”As silence filled the space between the crowd at the airport, Yeomyeong’s declaration resonated in their ears.“Step forward.”