Chapter 41: Crash.

Tap, tap, tap. Knock knock.

No sooner had Yeonkyung tapped the desk than someone knocked on the headmaster’s office door.

‘Director, Kang Yoona-sensei has arrived.’

“Let her in.”

With Yeonkyung’s permission, the door opened and Kang Yoona revealed herself.

“It’s already time.”

“Yes, Director.”

“How is the search going?”

“Th, that’s….”

Yoona trailed off at Yeonkyung’s question.

That alone was an adequate answer.

It had already been two months, it had already been two months since Jeon Chayeon disappeared with the two students.

The search was facing difficulties.

It wasn’t that they couldn’t grasp the whereabouts of the three at all.

Even though Seohee, who had excellent search skills, was in a situation where she couldn’t use those skills, it was strange that not even a shadow could be seen even though Jindal was searching so thoroughly.

Either they had crossed over to the demon world altogether.

Or someone was backing them up.

In Yeonkyung’s opinion, the latter was more likely.

Since the person who left with her was Han Byul.

The Jindal side had formally requested information and search assistance from the Han family several times, but they were just denying it, saying they didn’t know anything.

Like the foolish humans they are.

It was a matter of the survival of the Ineungnyeokja, or perhaps humanity.

It was more dangerous than you could imagine for an existence that could threaten Baekgumiho to be wandering around in the world.

However, the non-ability users did not understand this.

They had no sense of crisis.

They didn’t know at all thanks to whom humanity was living a healthy life.

“I can’t help it. I have no choice but to bet on the other side,”

Yoona’s face was shadowed at Yeonkyung’s words of the other side.

“Let’s go.”

Yeonkyung and Yoona left the headmaster’s office and headed for the deserted old building.

Two men naturally followed behind them.

After leisurely arriving at the old building, which was quite a distance away, they went up to the upper floor following the winding corridor.

In front of the stairs leading to the 4th floor, past the hidden passage inside the 3rd floor, Yeonkyung lightly gestured and the barrier surrounding the stairs was lifted.

Creak, creak.

Passing the old wood smell and the creaking of the decaying stairs, Yeonkyung and Yoona entered the room inside.

When they opened the door, a completely different sight from the wooden-smelling building outside unfolded.

White. A room with no windows, with the walls, floor, and ceiling all painted white.

In the middle of it, Seohee was hanging on a pillar.

Light did not enter Seohee’s pupils.

It was the result of having done this and that to break down her mind for a long time.

However, Yeonkyung knew.

Seohee was not losing consciousness.

Since she was captured, Seohee had been tightly closing her mouth.

Was it the doing of someone who had placed mental manipulation on Seohee, or was it Seohee’s own will that she wouldn’t open her mouth?

It was difficult to judge.

Either way, Seohee’s mind needed to be opened.

Not only to find out the identity of the ‘M’ who had placed the mental manipulation, but also to obtain information.

“Kang-sensei, try it.”

“Yes, Director.”

No sooner had Yeonkyung’s order fallen than Yoona approached Seohee and began to delve into her mind.

Yoona’s energy, which forcibly dug into the inside of the human consciousness and subconsciousness.

Yoona’s power, which forcibly stirred the brain, caused Seohee’s lips to tremble on their own.

Two months.

For two months, Yeonkyung had been trying to figure out who was the subject who put Seohee under mental domination.

However, this attempt was not very successful, and there were several reasons for that.

First, the existence that had placed mental domination on Seohee was too powerful.

The same intensity as with Uroboros and Rubrum-Luna.

If she made a mistake, she could get caught in the geas and the real Seohee might die as it was.

Yoona was delving into her mind more carefully than ever.

Secondly, it was because Seohee’s mental strength itself was considerable.

In order to find out who had placed mental domination on Seohee, she eventually had no choice but to split and dissect Seohee’s mind.

However, Seohee was the owner of a mental strength that was so strong that it was hard to believe she was human.

Finally, someone might find it hard to believe if they saw this scene, but Yeonkyung was hesitant to use cruel methods on Seohee.

There was a possibility that she was really possessed by a demon or that she was a human who had stood on the side of the demon from the beginning, but Yeonkyung was only hoping that Seohee was just a victim of mental manipulation.

For that reason, Yeonkyung was keeping a line that she had set herself.

It was a scene that could only evoke regret in Yeonkyung as well, that a doll with the appearance of an old colleague was having her mind forcibly rummaged through while she was awake.

“…How is it?”

“It doesn’t work. I couldn’t find out anything. I’m sorry.”

The usual method failed again this time.

“I can’t help it. Prepare the next step.”

“Yes.”

At those words, Yoona unconsciously let out a sigh full of regret.

The energy she would inflict on Seohee from now on was more direct.

Such blatant interference with the mind was a method that could only be used on demons, whose psychological structure was different from humans.

“Kang-sensei, awaken Jeong-sensei.”

“…Yes.”

When Yoona flicked her finger, light began to enter Seohee’s eyes.

It wasn’t that she had lost her mind.

Seohee had not lost consciousness for a single moment since she came to this room.

No, she couldn’t lose consciousness.

What Yoona had done was to forcibly gather the torn, crushed, and fragmented consciousness and stitch it back together roughly.

“I’m sorry, Jeong-sensei. It can’t be helped.”

Yeonkyung carefully caressed Seohee’s cheek, saying that.

Seohee’s body twitched every time her fingers touched her.

“Do you understand?”

Yeonkyung’s eyes, saying that, were staring at a distant place as if she was possessed by a ghost.

“Start it.”

“I understand.”

At Yeonkyung’s instruction, Yoona looked into Seohee’s eyes.

Starting with that, Yoona’s energy began to ransack Seohee’s head.

“How is it?”

“…Not yet.”

“I see. Continue.”

The method that she had used on Rubrum-Luna and Uroboros before.

This method put a considerable burden on Yoona as well.

In the silence, only Seohee’s groans occasionally echoed through the room.

“How is it?”

“Not yet.”

At Yoona’s answer, Yeonkyung let out a regretful sigh.

How could her mind be so firm.

Whether it was because the mental manipulation was working so strongly, or because Seohee’s mental strength was so strong, or perhaps both, it was an unfortunate thing for Seohee either way.

“Director, shall we proceed to the next stage?”

Yoona turned her head and asked her.

The next stage.

If she went beyond this, Seohee’s mind might have aftereffects.

If Seohee was really just being controlled, as Yeonkyung hoped, she couldn’t leave aftereffects.

“No. For now, repeat it to this extent.”

When Yeonkyung gestured once, the discharged moisture and nutrients were filled and Seohee’s body regained its best condition.

It was the ability of Yeonkyung, who was holding Yggdrasil, the Shinryeong who had distributed her ability to all the healers of Jindal.

Her cheeks took on a red hue in an instant.

And again, the repeated ‘interrogation’.

Yoona’s intangible fingers that ransacked her mind.

Yeonkyung’s cruel method, which had been used on captured demons or traitors, was now tormenting Seohee with a knife blade held to the tip of her nose.

It was nine days after adding a new method and repeating it that they achieved results.

“Huk, huk!”

When Yeonkyung gestured to Yoona, who was panting next to her, her breathing returned to normal quickly.

“Did you find out about the mental domination entity?”

“No. Not really. However…”

“However?”

Yoona, who had regained her breath, continued her words.

“I succeeded in reading some of Jeong Seohee-sensei’s memories.”

“I see. Was there any important information?”

“I found out the location of student, no, Jeon Chayeon.”

At those words, Yeonkyung’s eyes shone.

“That’s good news. Let’s leave right away. Summon the teachers.”

“Are you, by any chance, thinking of going yourself?”

“I’m going to leave with the minimum number of people. Please call Wolmyo-nim too.”

“Of course.”

“Um, then the academy is…….”

Yoona asked back worriedly.

The last time most of the teachers went out, Jindal would have suffered great damage if it weren’t for Seohee.

“Don’t worry. Jindal will be safe.”

At the same time as Yeonkyung’s words ended, the sound of footsteps echoed from behind her.

Yoona’s eyes widened as she hadn’t even realized that a person existed there.

“Please take care of Jindal while I’m away, Melara-nim, Meridi-nim.”

“Eung!”

“Leave it to us!”

A cheerful and lively voice that did not suit the terrible place where the interrogation was being performed.

The two black-haired twin girls, who had popped out as if they had been in that place all along, answered with bright smiles.

Melara, Meridi.

The twins who each contained half of the soul of the Shinryeong King, Heukgumiho.

They cannot surpass the Baekgumiho Jin Sira alone, but if they combine, they were the strongest Ineungnyeokja in the world, who could block even several royalty-class demons if they were to attack.

“You’re back?”

“Eung!”

“Yesterday!”

At Yoona’s words, the two twins answered energetically.

Yeonkyung gently stopped the two twins, who were approaching Seohee, who was slumped over, with curious eyes.

“It doesn’t look good.”

At those words, the twins, who were tilting their heads, soon lost interest and ran out of the corridor with a crash.

The sound of cackling and giggling echoed through the room.

Although they were children, their force was unmatched by anyone.

Moreover, Yeonkyung believed that Heukgumiho would possess them in case of emergency and do something somehow.

Jindal is safe as long as they are there.

Now that she had captured Jeon Chayeon, she could know, she was expecting.

What is Jeon Chayeon’s identity, which is enough to threaten the Baekgumiho, and why did she attack.

And, the name that Seohee had been mentally dominated by, the name that came out of Uroboros’s mouth.

Who is ‘M’.