The Academy Geniuses I Raised and Dressed-Chapter 188 : Return to the Academy (3)

The hotel corridor.
Lumina stood there with her luggage.
Door’s shut. Got the keycard. Packed everything… perfect!
After checking one last time that nothing was missing, she smiled.
At that moment, a door opened behind her.
It was Yein’s room.
“Ah, Yein! Good morni—huh?”
She greeted him but froze mid-sentence.
“Yein… did something happen?”
His expression looked as if he’d just woken from a nightmare.
“Uh… no. Just slept wrong, I think. My neck’s a little stiff.”
“What? Are you okay? Wouldn’t a potion help?”
“I already took one earlier. I’m fine now.”
He smiled.
Seeing that, Lumina relaxed.
“That’s good.”
Just then, another door opened and Seo Yui came out with her bag slung over her shoulder.
“Good morning, Senior Seo Yui.”
“Morning. Sleep well?”
“Yes!” Lumina answered with a bright grin.
Soon after, Meiling also emerged with her things, and the four of them headed down to the hotel lobby.
While Yein handled the checkout, Lumina ordered a taxi.
“All set.”
As she slid her phone back into her pocket after seeing the confirmation, Meiling suddenly stepped close.
“Lumina.”
“Hm?”
“Something’s up with him, isn’t it?”
“What? Why?”
“His face. It’s off.”
“I noticed it too.”
Seo Yui joined them, lowering her voice.
“I asked earlier—he said he just slept wrong. That his neck hurt.”
“…Hmm.”
They both glanced at Yein, still speaking with the receptionist.
“If that’s all, then it’s nothing serious,” Meiling muttered.
But her eyes betrayed a faint trace of worry.
“For someone with a sore neck, he looks perfectly fine posture-wise.”
Seo Yui added, “He said he took a potion. Maybe it already worked.”
“Maybe…”
Even so, her gaze didn’t leave him.
On the ride back to Gwangcheon, a message arrived.
[Nam Yein, when you arrive at the academy, please come directly to the principal’s office with your squad.]
The principal’s office, huh.
Im Seongyeon—really Hanye—had exposed all of Gwangcheon’s corruption and stepped down.
Riyu had tried to reinstate Kim Sang-sik, but most likely not Im Seongyeon. Unlike Kim, who resigned for external reasons and had no part in the corruption, Im Seongyeon had actually committed wrongdoing, even if she later confessed.
No matter how remorseful, reinstating someone who had sinned while in office was unthinkable.
As far as I know, the only clean people at Gwangcheon are Kim Sang-sik and Jeong Yeongyeong. Could she have become principal? No… that seems impossible. They must’ve brought in someone from outside.
I’ll know soon enough.
I pushed the thought aside and looked out the window.
The academy gates were drawing near.
But unease tightened my chest again.
Breaking news echoed in my mind—Nadia Hassan had arrived in Seoul.
She must not meet Cheon Jiweon.
Thankfully, Jiweon was still in London, meeting with Chairman Porter to finalize the magic-stone power plant project.
He won’t be back until tomorrow morning. Which means… until then, there’s still a chance to prevent it.
The taxi stopped.
“You’ve arrived.”
Outside the window, the gates of Gwangcheon Academy loomed.
I tapped my phone on the terminal to pay, then stepped out.
As the taxi drove away, Lumina came closer.
“Um… Yein?”
“Yeah?”
“Are you really okay?”
“What do you mean?”
“You… look like something’s weighing on you.”
“Your face has been off since we left the hotel,” Meiling said bluntly.
Without thinking, I touched my cheek.
Seriously?
Not Seo Yui, not Lumina, but even Meiling noticed?
Had my feelings shown on my face? Even with Nadia’s sudden arrival rattling me, I should’ve kept it hidden.
I need to do better.
I forced a wry smile.
“I was just worrying about the second Demons Class meeting this weekend.”
“Oh… I see.” Lumina nodded.
“What’s worrying you?” Seo Yui asked gently.
“Just whether things will go according to plan.”
“Come on, it will.” Meiling waved it off.
“Everything you’ve planned so far has worked out. This will too.”
Her tone was curt, but I could tell she was trying to encourage me in her own way.
“Yeah. I hope so. Anyway, let’s head in. The office messaged us—we need to to the principal first.”
“P-principal’s office?” Lumina tensed.
“Wait, who’s the principal now?” Meiling asked.
“We’ll find out soon,” I answered, leading the way.
We walked through the first-floor corridor of the main building, but encountered no one.
Are they all gathered elsewhere?
Reaching the principal’s office, I knocked.
“Come in.”
A voice I’d never heard before.
When I opened the door, the first thing I saw was an old man with a long white beard.
“Chairman Riyu. How are you?”
I bowed lightly in greeting.
Riyu was seated on the sofa.
“Ah, hello!”
Lumina’s voice trembled as she greeted him, and Seo Yui bowed her head.
Meanwhile, Meiling was staring at the man sitting across from Riyu.
Blue hair streaked faintly with violet, a face that looked to be in his forties. He was short, but his build was solid.
“So, did you enjoy your hotel stay? Must be a shame to leave that behind for boring school life again.”
At his words, Lumina’s eyes widened.
“Chairman, please don’t tease the students. They’ll think you mean it.”
“Hmph.”
Riyu wrinkled his nose.
“Already acting like a principal, are you?”
“You’re the one who brought me here, Chairman.”
“Yes, that I did. Kah-hah!”
Riyu laughed heartily.
“Introduce yourselves. This broad-shouldered man here is Ji Haeseok, starting today the new principal of Gwangcheon.”
An unfamiliar name.
“He used to be a teacher at Crystal Academy, then spent about ten years on the HAUT executive committee. I figured he’d be the right one to take charge of Gwangcheon.”
Ji Haeseok stood and walked toward us.
“I wanted to see your faces in person, which is why I called you here first.”
He smiled.
“Your feats were truly impressive—the most outstanding team in HAUT’s history. But what struck me even more was how you, coming from Gwangcheon, stood up against Forward and Black Hound.”
His expression grew serious.
“You knew full well what it meant to oppose them, yet you refused to endure injustice and revealed the truth. That courage was admirable. I’ll strive to be a leader worthy of you. Please take care of me as well.”
He extended his hand to me.
“Thank you for saying that.”
I shook his hand.
Ji Haeseok went on to shake hands with the others.
Lumina stiffly, Seo Yui calmly, and Meiling reluctantly.
“Now, head to the auditorium and follow your teachers’ directions. The ceremony is about to begin.”
“Yes, sir.”
So that explained why the corridors had been empty—everyone was already gathered.
We left the principal’s office and made our way toward the auditorium.
“The new principal seems like a good person,” Lumina said brightly.
“At least easier to talk to than Im Seongyeon. That woman always carried an icy wind about her.”
I swallowed the words,
so did you,
before they left my lips.
The moment we reached the auditorium—
“Ah!”
Someone by the door cried out.
“Kids!!”
She ran toward us.
“Teacher! Oof—”
Lumina, caught in her arms, froze for a moment before smiling.
“You’ve come back. Thank goodness. Truly, thank goodness.”
The wavering voice belonged to Jeong Yeongyeong.
I took a cautious step back, half afraid she might hug me too.
Meiling looked disgusted, while Seo Yui’s face held quiet warmth.
“You’re all right, aren’t you? Not hurt anywhere?”
Jeong Yeongyeong checked Lumina’s shoulders anxiously.
“Yes, I’m fine. Perfectly fine, Teacher.”
Lumina answered with a wry smile.
“That’s good.”
Jeong Yeongyeong hugged her again, then turned her gaze toward me.
“When Yein said that day it wasn’t over, that we’d meet again, I wondered what he meant. I never imagined things would turn out like this.”
“Honestly, neither did I,” I said with a laugh.
“All I meant was that I’d return to Gwangcheon someday.”
“Well, you did. Welcome back.”
Tears glimmered in her eyes as she smiled.
“Ahem. Teacher Jeong Yeongyeong.”
A cough came from inside.
A middle-aged man with ash-brown hair and tanned skin, dressed in a suit, stood watching us.
Who was that?
The face tugged at my memory. Then Jeong Yeongyeong spoke, looking flustered.
“Ah, Teacher Allen.”
Right—Allen.
He’d replaced Jeong Jooil, the dungeon practice instructor Han Ye had expelled.
Since he was an NPC who hadn’t appeared in the game, it took me a moment to recall.
“The presentation is about to begin.”
“Yes, understood. Come, let’s take our seats.”
Jeong Yeongyeong took Lumina’s hand and led the way.
As we followed, all eyes in the crowded auditorium turned toward us.
Then came a roar of applause and cheers.
“What the—??”
Meiling looked around, bewildered.
Seo Yui also stared in shock, while Lumina blinked furiously.
“The heroes of Gwangcheon have returned!”
“You drove Forward back! Thank you!”
Ah.
So that was it.
They thought we were the ones responsible for Forward’s downfall.
Well, they weren’t wrong.
“Meiling, you’re so cute!!”
“Senior Seo Yui, we love you!!”
“Yein, look over here!!”
Ugh. Their shouts made my skin crawl.
Meiling and Seo Yui didn’t look any happier.
Especially Meiling, who was glaring murderously in search of whoever had just called her cute.
Lumina, whose name no one had shouted, looked equally displeased.
After that, the new principal himself gave a speech about Gwangcheon’s new direction.
In short: eliminating past corruption, modernizing training equipment and methods, and strengthening support.
Then the new teachers were introduced.
Of the old staff, only five remained—Jeong Yeongyeong, Allen, and three others. The rest were new hires.
“Formal classes resume tomorrow,” Ji Haeseok announced from the podium.
“If you have any suggestions, you may come to the teachers’ office or my office at any time. For those who find that difficult, a suggestion box will be placed in the dormitory. Write freely and drop it in. That concludes the assembly.”
The students erupted in applause.
Their eyes shone with expectation.
Afterward, I parted ways with the others and returned to the dormitory.
My room was untouched, still mine. Naturally—no transfer students had come to Gwangcheon.
“Feels like I’m back at square one…”
That day came to mind. The day I crafted spike bombs and escaped crisis, the day I scoured this very room for information about Nam Yein.
But now, even my own identity was in doubt.
“Tch.”
I clicked my tongue and shook my head hard.
No use dwelling on useless thoughts.
With Nadia Hassan here, the timeline had to be pushed forward.
I pulled out my tablet and opened the news.
To track Nadia’s movements.
“…Damn it.”
My heart sank.
[Mayor Cheon Jiweon returns to Seoul. edly to meet his former Seven Pioneers comrade.]
So word had reached him even faster than I’d feared.
The article said he’d already landed ten minutes ago.
“No…”
This wasn’t the time to pick and choose methods.
I grabbed my phone and made a call.
[Oh! Yein! What a pleasant surprise!]
The voice on the other end was full of warmth.
“Mayor. Do you remember what you told me last time?”
[Hm??]
“You said you trusted me.”
[Ah, yes. Of course. Is something wrong?]
His tone sharpened with concern.
“I’m truly sorry, but I need to speak with you alone. Right away.”
[…]
Silence.
[That’s difficult just now. Have you seen the news?]
“Yes. I saw the bulletin that your old comrade, Nadia Hassan, visited City Hall.”
[That’s right. After decades, she’s finally sought me out. I rushed back from London just to see her.]
“I know.”
[Then why—]
“Nadia Hassan is dangerous.”
[…]
This silence was far heavier.
“Mayor.”
[…Yein.]
“Yes.”
[Can you stand by those words?]
I drew in a deep breath, then let it out.
“…Yes. You must not meet her. I’ll explain everything if you agree to see me privately. If your words about trusting me were sincere, then please—grant me this.”
[…Hmm.]
I heard his troubled sigh.
[Very well. If you’re speaking so gravely, this must be no small matter. I’ll come to you.]
There was muffled speaking on his end.
[Where are you now?]
“At the Gwangcheon Academy dormitory.”
[Stay put. I’ll be there shortly. Be ready to come out.]
“Yes, sir. Thank you.”
The line went dead.
Good. That’s one fire put out.
Now came the hard part—how to explain it to Cheon Jiweon.
That Nadia Hassan is a spy sent by the Latessai.
(End of Chapter)