Since I’m a Time-Limited Princess Who Has No Tomorrow - Chapter 133
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 133
“You are the talented individuals who will stand at the forefront of the coming war against Doo-eok-sini. I trust none of you are ignorant of the devastation wrought by the Kim Satgat War of old. That creature is the worst yokai in recorded history and the mightiest of monsters—a being whose mere gaze can shatter a human skull.”
“….”
“Beyond such abilities, Doo-eok-sini possesses raw combat strength sufficient to overwhelm countless members of the Gwae-ryeok-nan-sin through sheer power alone. Moreover, he possesses the trait of consuming humans to grow stronger. And two years ago… Doo-eok-sini’s resurrection was confirmed. Now, no one knows when or where this nightmare will begin. It’s possible that tomorrow, somewhere, a corpse with a shattered skull could be discovered.”
The director’s dry, chilling voice created an atmosphere as though Doo-eok-sini might emerge from behind us at any moment. The children who had been murmuring fell into tense silence.
“…It is abundantly clear that Doo-eok-sini harbors resentment toward Yun Kingdom, toward our nation’s Gwae-ryeok-nan-sin, toward us and our families and loved ones. This is because our ancestor Kim Satgats achieved victory against him. Through their sacrifice and triumph, Doo-eok-sini lost his power and vanished from this land.”
“….”
“However, regrettably, our ancestors’ victory was not complete. A hundred years have passed, and Doo-eok-sini has been resurrected. Therefore, we require new Kim Satgats to face him. That is precisely what you must become.”
“…!”
“So then, students, hone yourselves with desperate determination. Cultivate the strength to protect those you love. And I hope you will achieve results surpassing your ancestors, attaining a more perfect victory. That concludes my remarks.”
The director turned and ascended the stone steps. Only after her silhouette disappeared into the Seongsul Academy Halls did the children begin murmuring among themselves once more.
‘This atmosphere is certainly different from what I expected. Far more serious… and it seems I’ll have my hands full in many ways.’
Yet I found myself pleased.
Even without my stepping forward to seek out humans willing to risk their lives fighting Doo-eok-sini and training them separately, it seemed I could gather candidates simply by dedicating myself earnestly to life at Seongsul Academy.
‘I’m not just searching for Straw God candidates—I need to work hard too!’
As I steeled my resolve, the languid-looking female instructor who had triggered the hallucination in the courtyard earlier approached the Plum Blossom Class.
“Hello….”
The instructor greeted us slowly, then surveyed our group before continuing.
“I’m Bae So-wol. My subject is Taoism… and I’m the homeroom instructor for Plum Blossom Class.”
“H-h-hello!”
Je-gal Pyo, standing at the front, bowed stiffly with exaggerated formality. Instructor Bae So-wol glanced at the bespectacled boy and spoke.
“You’re the class representative.”
“Pardon?”
“You’re the class representative of Plum Blossom Class from now on.”
“P-pardon?”
“You’ll do well.”
“W-wait, Instructor? M-me? C-c-class representative?”
“Class representative… bonus points. Check attendance daily and report to the teaching assistant. Stay after today for instructions. Heo Gye-gyo? Please teach him about the representative duties.”
“Yes, Instructor Bae. I’ll teach him well.”
Heo Gye-gyo answered with a smiling face. Je-gal Pyo’s complexion turned ashen. Something about him… made me feel a little sorry for him.
Having appointed the class representative so arbitrarily, Instructor Bae So-wol let out a long yawn, then raised her hand with a vacant expression.
“What you must understand going forward. First.”
Her index finger extended fully.
“What you yourself are capable of.”
Then another finger extended.
“Second. What your fellow students are capable of.”
And the third finger.
“Third. What you must learn further going forward.”
The instructor blinked slowly, then folded her fingers back as she spoke.
“These are this month’s objectives. Keep them in mind and prepare for the end-of-month examination… Further details are in the Seongsul Record. Course registration with the teaching assistant. After registering, you’re dismissed.”
After rattling off the announcement in the briefest manner, she turned without hesitation and disappeared into a nearby Palace Hall.
“Now, now, Instructor Bae is always like that, so don’t be too startled. Come up one by one and receive this.”
Heo Gye-gyo soothed the dazed children and distributed small pouches that could be attached to their belts, along with thin booklets small enough to fit inside them.
The booklet had a dark blue silk cover similar to indigo robes, with the title “Seongsul Academy Miscellaneous Records” written on it. Below the vertically written title, I noticed an embroidered pattern.
‘It looks like a small rank badge. A Four Gentlemen rank badge?’
On all four sides of the square badge were simply rendered plum blossoms, chrysanthemums, orchids, and bamboo, while in the center was the character for “Art” engraved alongside a round cloud pattern. This appeared to be the symbol of Seongsul Academy.
Heo Gye-gyo explained to the children, who were curiously flipping through the booklet.
“The Seongsul Academy Miscellaneous Records serves as both a guide and a student handbook. The academy map is on the first page, and it also contains information about various facilities and the academy’s regulations, so take a look at it carefully later. For now….”
He pulled out bundles of paper and fine brushes, then sat on the wooden floor of the Palace Hall where Instructor Bae So-wol had entered and continued speaking.
“Come up in order, register for your courses, and then you can go home. Oh, the class representative stays.”
“R-r-register for courses?”
Je-gal Pyo stammered out the question. Heo Gye-gyo answered with a kind smile.
“You’re all Gwae-ryeok-nan-sin, right? Each of you has your own specialty, yes? Use that as your major, and for your minor… if you’ve already learned another technique, use that. If not, you can choose another technique you’ve been interested in. The list of available courses is on page eight of the Miscellaneous Records, so refer to that.”
The children all flipped through the booklet together.
“Ah, don’t worry about the general education course list that comes with it for now. You’ll be choosing those a few months from now. Once you decide on your major and minor, come tell me.”
Some children approached Heo Gye-gyo immediately after seeing the list and finished registering. It seemed they already had techniques they’d been learning.
‘What should I choose?’
My major would naturally be Shamanism, but… the minor is ambiguous.
I glanced up slightly at the Crown Prince beside me.
“What will you be choosing, Your Highness?”
“My major will be martial arts, and my minor will be swordsmanship.”
“Ah, I see. Since Your Highness uses the Dark Spirit Sword….”
I pondered and looked at the list again. Suddenly, Instructor Bae So-wol’s words from earlier came to mind.
‘You must first know what you are capable of doing.’
The power I can currently use as a human shaman without burdening my original body is the Heavenly Eye, the Feathered Robe, and conceptual attribution of divine power.
‘The concepts I currently possess are healing, passion, opportunity, hope, and judgment.’
Among these, the ability most useful in combat, least likely to be viewed as strange by those around me, and most naturally suited to me is….
‘Healing, of course. The rumors have already spread since I’ve healed both the Crown Prince and the Queen.’
I chose medical arts as my minor and reported it to Heo Gye-gyo. The winged boy examined the paper I’d written with a subtly chilling gaze.
“Shamanism as your major, medical arts as your minor… that’s a choice that makes me quite anticipate your future.”
“Pardon?”
“Hmm? I’m saying I have great expectations for you.”
Heo Gye-gyo, whose coldness had vanished, smiled warmly with his eyes as he took my paper.
“You did well. See you tomorrow!”
My first day at Seongsul Academy ended like that.
* * *
After that, a considerably busy life followed. Seongsul Academy began its daily schedule early in the morning. First, we gathered in the designated Palace Hall for each class where the class representative confirmed attendance, and then the homeroom instructor or assistant conducted a brief morning assembly.
‘Heo Gye-gyo conducts most of our assemblies. At this rate, I’ll forget what our homeroom instructor looks like.’
After the assembly, mornings consisted of major and minor courses, and afternoons had different general education classes depending on the day. Major and minor courses were held in dedicated Palace Halls where multiple classes mixed together, while general education was taught with instructors visiting each class’s Palace Hall, though it seemed each class had slightly different subjects.
‘It seems all classes take the same subjects like Korean language, mathematics, etiquette, history, self-defense, and basic clothing fundamentals… but subjects like military strategy or tracking are taken by some classes and not others.’
My Shamanism coursework wasn’t particularly difficult since I’d already learned the basics from Baek Tam-sol beforehand. With Princess Onseol as the instructor, the lessons were considerate and easy to follow, and the small number of students meant I could concentrate well.
‘It makes sense—people with a shaman’s constitution are rare.’
While the shamanic dance was challenging, I had no real problems since I could perform spirit possession and wield divine power without needing to master the dance itself.
The medical arts elective turned out better than expected too. Unlike the major medical coursework, it started from the fundamentals of human anatomy for beginners, and it was surprisingly engaging with plenty of knowledge that would prove useful later.
Most of the liberal arts courses were manageable as well. The basics of monster subjugation that Director Sung Jeong-sim taught directly were quite fascinating since we could hear actual stories from her experience fighting monsters.
What truly tormented me was self-defense martial arts.
“…Student Se-ru-hwa, are you truly doing your best?”
“Yes….”
The self-defense instructor furrowed his brow in layers, much like Ki Ho-cheol had done before.
“Good heavens, no amount of training will help at this rate.”
“…Is it really that bad?”
“The goal of self-defense martial arts is to learn techniques that protect your body without martial prowess… but Student Se-ru-hwa, instead of defending yourself, you just flail about and fall over, making yourself more injured… ahem, let’s simply aim to build your physical fitness through exercise.”
“….”
Though the conclusion was disheartening, I’d honestly anticipated this outcome the moment I saw the subject, so I accepted it humbly.
‘Fine, let’s just build stamina. So what if I’m clumsy with movement? As long as I stay healthy and pain-free, that’s enough!’
The first month passed in a blur as I adjusted to Seongsul Academy and my new courses.
The first examination began on March 29th. As announced in mid-month, it was a four-day outdoor survival test in groups of four in the mountains outside Wun City.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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