I'll Retire After Saving the World-Chapter 134: Witch’s Lantern (3)

TL: SHW

“What, how old are you that you're still afraid of the dark?”

“You can still be scared even when you're older!”

Han Eun-young shouted in outrage at Han Tae-kyung’s words.

“And I’m not scared!”

“Ah, yes, yes. Of course. If madam says she’s not scared, then she must not be.”

Han Tae-kyung replied sarcastically.

Unlike his voice, which was annoying even to unrelated people, Han Tae-kyung’s sunglasses glimmered. Thanks to that, they could at least vaguely make out their surroundings. Mini-me, dangling his legs from Han Tae-kyung’s shoulder, also looked a little relieved. The same went for the other kids who must have found it uncomfortable to grope around holding hands or each other’s clothes.

However, there was one thing that bothered me.

Han Tae-kyung, twenty years in the future, also wore sunglasses. Maybe not to the extent that he desperately guarded them like now, but he was definitely more familiar with wearing them than showing his bare face.

But were those sunglasses the same ones?

Doesn’t seem like it. Those were just plain black sunglasses. The ones Han Tae-kyung is wearing now have a bit of pink in them.

Well, that makes sense. With Han Tae-kyung’s personality, there’s no way he would have kept the same kind of face-worn item intact for twenty years. He must’ve broken them at some point. Once my thoughts reached that far, I felt rather relieved. Though I didn’t know the exact function yet, those sunglasses didn’t seem like ordinary items, so they’d definitely be helpful somehow.

Even now, look at this. At the very least, they were helping to locate the people scattered in the darkness.

“How many Daseon Hunters have yet to be found?”

“Two people remain.”

Ji Yoo-geon, who was with Lee Seung-yeon, quickly answered.

Though I see him more often in the kitchen, but Ji Yoo-geon was also a Hunter experienced enough for Lee Mi-seon to take him along. Like her, he said he grabbed Lee Seung-yeon the moment their vision went dark.

Indeed, one must work with competent people. They handle everything even if you do nothing.

“Teacher Hong was... with Seo Han-seong and Sun Sun-jin in the garden, so...”

Among the people Han Tae-kyung hadn't found yet, I was less worried about those three.

What I was worried about was...

“Does anyone know where Yoo Hye-eun and Yoo Ji-eun were? What about student Kang Tae-woo?”

There was no answer.

The Daseon Hunters gulped and watched me cautiously, and the kids looked around at each other with worried faces.

Thanks to Han Tae-kyung, they had light now, which was good, but this was inconvenient. I should’ve asked earlier. At least if they could see each other’s faces, there wouldn’t be this anxiety spreading among them.

“Then when was the last time they were seen? No, did anyone even see them today?”

“I saw them at breakfast.”

“I saw them go out to the garden.”

“No, they came back in. Only Han-seong and Sun-jin were left in the garden.”

The children began frowning and talking among themselves. In the meantime, I signaled to Han Tae-kyung with my eyes. It meant to follow either the next inhale or exhale.

“Huh? What did you say, sunbae?”

This idiot...

“Huh?”

“What did you say, teacher?”

The kids quickly lifted their heads and looked at her. They looked exactly like baby birds waiting for food. I wasn’t kind enough to feed them straight into their open mouths.

“Who was the last one to see those three? Even if you saw just one of them, speak up.”

“Uh...”

Among those strung out holding onto each other, Oh Hyun-wook, standing at the very end, carefully raised his hand. It was a hand not holding onto anyone.

“I think it might be me.”

When the darkness engulfed the villa, Oh Hyun-wook was resting alone in his room. He said he was changing into his gym clothes, thinking of joining Seo Han-seong and Sun Sun-jin who were training.

Wasn’t that a real stroke of luck? He only got swept into the darkness after he had finished changing.

Han Eun-young, who was with me, also panicked, and Lee Seung-yeon, who was with Ji Yoo-geon, was also quite flustered. But unlike those two, Oh Hyun-wook was a kid who had experienced dungeons.

There was no way out of this darkness, but he calmly waited, believing someone would come find him. Han Tae-kyung, who discovered Oh Hyun-wook, grumbled that je was no fun, but the fact that he wasn’t scared was far more important. After all, developing trauma from a friend’s magic would only make things worse.

“Really?”

Still, seeing his tense face relax at the sight of Han Tae-kyung’s glowing sunglasses, and then completely drop his guard when he heard my voice, it made me feel… feel strange.

Just as strange as Han Eun-young clinging to my clothes so tightly it seemed they’d tear.

It really hit me that I’m a teacher to these kids.

…I don’t think I’ve acted like one enough to earn that level of trust, though.

“Uh, Ji-eun said she had to do the homework you gave her, teacher. As far as I know, the homework was….”

"Homework? There should only be meditation."

If we’re to manage the fiery temper that the future Yoo Ji-eun will possess, then meditation is the only way.

Not that I think this small Yoo Ji-eun will become that Yoo Ji-eun, but considering how she still occasionally begs me to take her on as my disciple, it’s a lesson that’s absolutely necessary. And it’s not entirely useless either.

Hmm. To be honest, meditation is actually more helpful for Kang Tae-woo, but since it was too much trouble to create a separate curriculum for Yoo Ji-eun, I just made them do it together.

“Then who was the last person to see Kang Tae-woo? Lee Seung-yeon?”

“Why do you think I was the last one to see Tae-woo?”

“Weren’t you?”

“I was.”

Lee Seung-yeon had recovered enough to joke around as usual.

“I asked him to eat something together, but he said he wasn’t hungry and refused.”

Lee Seung-yeon spoke in quite a disappointed tone.

…What? Why are they suddenly this close? I did think they’d grown closer, but this much?

It’s good news when it comes to Kang Tae-woo, but I still feel uneasy. Unless it’s someone as sociable as Lee Seung-yeon, I can’t think of another student from Pilot High School Kang Tae-woo would grow close to.

“I asked if he was going to do meditation, since he does it so much. But he said no….”

“So where did he go?”

“Uh… I think he was headed to the gym.”

As expected of a chaebol’s villa, this place has a gym. Though I doubt Chairman Daseon would exercise here. At that age, swimming would probably be better than working out, yet oddly enough, there’s no swimming pool here.

“Sunbae. Even if we find out where the kids are, isn’t everything all mixed up here anyway? Asking like that won’t help.”

Han Tae-kyung spoke with a subtly conflicted expression, one between saying, 'What would a former D-rank Hunter like me know?' and 'Would knowing that even solve anything?'

“Rather than just sitting around waiting like this, why don’t we hurry and get out of here? If you’re worried about the kids we haven’t found yet, that would be much better.”

Because of the glowing sunglasses stuck to Han Tae-kyung’s face, his expression was unintentionally easy to read.

I know what Han Tae-kyung is saying.

We’re deliberately staying connected so we don’t get separated, so of course I know.

If I were in a position where I had to resolve this quickly, I would’ve thought like Han Tae-kyung and already gone ahead.

It’s just that what I’m worried about is.

“If we do that, it could end up harming Park Seo-hyun.”

Even if it takes some time, there’s Kim Chae-min, who can resolve this safely, so there’s no need for me to overdo it.

I’m not just the teacher of these kids, I’m also the teacher of Park Seo-hyun, whose mana went out of control. What if I ignore this and get chewed out by Hong Seok-young later?

“Hmmm. Well, I suppose that’s true.”

“Teacher Han, you’re a teacher at Pilot High School now. You shouldn’t think like a Hunter.”

“I am a Hunter, though?”

Han Tae-kyung responded blankly. Chances were, his eyes behind the sunglasses were also wide open. If it weren’t for Han Eun-young standing between us, I might have kicked him once.

“You’re a teacher now.”

“Come on. I don’t even teach classes. How can that be called a teacher? I was still out raiding a dungeon just a few days ago.”

Han Tae-kyung burst out laughing.

“You’re the teacher, sunbae. You care about the kids so deeply.”

“…….”

“If there’s a teacher who genuinely cares about the students, then from a parent’s perspective, it’s a relief! Be proud! You’re a great teacher, sunbae!!”

“Who’s a parent here?”

“Obviously, me! My beloved sibling, I’ve been given full authority over you by our mom and dad.”

“What?!”

“Well, that's what you get for not answering mom's calls."

The siblings bickered. Though, really, it was just Han Eun-young raising her voice unilaterally.

I didn’t know how to respond.

Is that so?

Even if Han Tae-kyung tells me to take pride in it, it’s still something coming from Han Tae-kyung. I can’t just accept it as a straightforward compliment.

But.

But…

I remembered why I was trying to determine the kids’ locations.

It was in case there were any who had gotten separated and were alone.

In case someone was all alone and panicked, putting themselves in danger.

I mean, think about it. These are kids who haven't even been able to raid dungeons. If these bean-heads are tumbling helplessly toward a cliff without even knowing what’s in front of them, doesn’t it make you want to stop them?

Not that I’m saying I’m attached to the bean-heads or anything!

At least beans can be harvested when the time comes. These kids, I can prepare them all I want for the future, but there’s no guarantee when, or even if, they’ll reach that point…

…If investing in such risky assets is considered a sign of attachment, then I have nothing more to say.

I’ve been teaching them closely for several months. If I weren’t attached by now, would I even be human?

“Ahem. Anyway, let’s go look for the others. The Hunters might be fine, but I’m worried about leaving the kids alone.”

Han Tae-kyung looked at me again with a subtle expression. Just as I could see his face, Han Tae-kyung could see mine. No, thanks to those sunglasses, he probably could’ve seen even without light.

"They all got their hunter licenses, right? Then they're hunters, and Hunters should overcome trials like this with sheer grit.”

“They’re minors.”

“What minors? A Hunter has to be able to take care of themselves.”

“This is a school.”

This is a world without even a law to protect underage Hunters.

More and more, I understood why my father created the Ability Management Agency. Even Hunters need laws and systems.

The conversation kept circling. Han Tae-kyung shrugged. After a short pause in movement while we talked, we started walking again.

“If you say so.”

Yoo Hye-eun and Yoo Ji-eun. Kang Tae-woo.

At the very least, if the kids were together, it would ease my mind. But there’s no way to know even that.

Worse, if they were in the same space but got separated, they might be even more panicked.

The only relief was that this space within the darkness wasn’t completely divided. As long as we had Han Tae-kyung guiding us, we could find them. The best-case scenario would be Kim Chae-min calming Park Seo-hyun and pulling us out from the outside before then…

But if more time passed, it might be better to get out even if it puts some strain on Park Seo-hyun. Even if it would be unfortunate for Park Seo-hyun’s development.

“Huh?”

“What is it? What’s wrong?”

I asked urgently.

“Did you find the kids?”

“No, it’s not that.”

Then don’t make sounds that give people heart attacks.

Han Tae-kyung walked quickly forward. To not lose Han Tae-kyung, I had no choice but to stick close behind him with the kids.

“Huh? Uh?”

“What is it?”

Han Tae-kyung tilted his head.

“Uh… I just saw something, and then it disappeared. What was that?”