The Heretic of Cleric Academy-Chapter 40

Jeong In-ah simply stared blankly at the fusion blessing circle that Seong Ha-yeon had deployed. Seong Ha-yeon held the microphone and pointed to various parts of the fusion blessing circle with her hand as she continued her presentation.

"The low-grade blessing circles you see here that connect the core blessing circles serve as ’bridges.’ They act as devices to prevent ’collision’ phenomena from occurring between blessing circles. Also..."

Jeong In-ah had prided herself on being quite good at handling blessings. In fact, Jeong In-ah was good at handling blessings, and within the Charity class, she had skills so outstanding that no one could dare to compete with her.

That was only "within the Charity class."

"Rather than forcibly combining blessings, I let similar natured ones fuse naturally among themselves to reduce divine power loss and maximize efficiency. Looking at the big picture, it was designed to highlight the characteristics of each blessing circle while compensating for their weaknesses. Additionally..."

Several students tilted their heads as if they couldn’t understand Seong Ha-yeon’s words. Jeong In-ah barely understood what Seong Ha-yeon was saying, but literally, understanding was all she could manage.

Seong Ha-yeon was truly a genius. However, her genius wasn’t limited to just handling blessing circles.

’58.41 seconds.’

When Seong Ha-yeon finished her presentation, Ha Ye-jin immediately stopped the timer and checked the time.

Seong Ha-yeon’s presentation time was 58.41seconds. She had utilized the given time to the maximum, but still hadn’t exceeded the allotted time.

The requirement to present within 1 minute was unreasonable to begin with, but Seong Ha-yeon had explained everything that could be explained within that 1 minute.

Even when the Q&A time came, all the students remained quiet. There was nothing to ask about because there were few students who had completely understood Seong Ha-yeon’s presentation in the first place.

"I have a question!"

Even so, there were those who stubbornly threw out questions. They were the presenters who had unfairly received point deductions because of Seong Ha-yeon’s questions.

They raised their hands just out of ill feelings toward Seong Ha-yeon, desperately trying to find something to ask about.

"The junctions seem loose! Was this intentional?!"

"Yes, it was intentional. If the distance is too tight, ’collision’ phenomena occur as I mentioned earlier."

"Th-then doesn’t that reduce efficiency?"

"I compensated by having low-grade blessing circles serve as ’bridges’ connecting the two. This was content I covered in my presentation. Didn’t you understand it properly?"

"Ugh...! Th-then! That thing...!"

One student briefly debated with Seong Ha-yeon, but the result was disastrous. The student soon couldn’t find anything to ask and awkwardly sat back down.

Seong Ha-yeon had answered questions as perfectly as her presentation. It was undoubtedly a perfect score.

’Amazing.’

Ha Ye-jin inwardly expressed admiration and was about to give Group 1, which Seong Ha-yeon belonged to, full points.

"Actually, teacher. There’s something I’d like to mention."

Ha Ye-jin’s hand, which had been busy scoring, stopped.

"Yes, please go ahead."

"I drew the fusion blessing circle by myself, and I prepared the presentation alone too. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t give points to the other group members."

A cynical tone. Gu Jun-hyeok, who had been listening while dozing, suddenly jumped up from his seat.

"Huh?! Hey. No, you told us not to interfere and just stay still..."

"I didn’t know you’d actually just stay still. Anyway, it’s true that I did everything by myself, isn’t it?"

"..."

Gu Jun-hyeok, who was about to protest, sat back down. It was annoying, but it was true.

Ha Ye-jin frowned slightly watching them. When group members lack communication, point deductions should normally be given, but Seong Ha-yeon’s presentation was too perfect to give deductions.

"I can’t give no points at all, but I’ll consider it. Oh, student Seong Ha-yeon."

"Yes."

"Your presentation was so good that I’d like to use it as reference material for other classes’ practicals. Could you submit a presentation outline or cue cards?"

"Ah. I’m sorry, but that would be difficult."

Seong Ha-yeon firmly declined. Ha Ye-jin tilted her head.

"Is there a reason?"

"I don’t have an outline. If you want, I could write one now and give it to you."

"I see.... I understand~"

Ha Ye-jin spoke calmly but felt fear inside. Seong Ha-yeon had given such a perfect presentation without any outline or cue cards.

She still had many immature aspects, but someday she would definitely become a priest who surpasses herself. That’s how Ha Ye-jin evaluated Seong Ha-yeon.

"Ah! Then next. The 24th... Group 46? Who’s the Group 46 presenter?"

Ha Ye-jin, who had been staring at Seong Ha-yeon for a while, belatedly resumed the practical. Jeong In-ah, the Group 46 presenter, cautiously raised her hand and received the microphone.

Even holding the microphone, Jeong In-ah couldn’t easily bring it to her mouth and caught her breath several times while standing. Her face was pale to the point of being blue.

"Group 46 presenter, Jeong In-ah. I will... begin the presentation."

Soon, she started her presentation.

"First, the keywords for the fusion blessing circle deployed by our Group 46 are ’wide-area,’ ’recovery,’ and ’mental’..."

Jeong In-ah, who had been trembling for a while, spoke fluently once the presentation actually began. She appropriately utilized silence and emphasis to increase listener concentration, and when explaining difficult parts, she helped understanding by providing examples.

"This blessing circle was conceived from the point that injuries occurring during combat can be quickly recovered through ’healing,’ but mental fatigue cannot, and focuses on practicality..."

Looking only at the completion level of the fusion blessing circle, it was below Seong Ha-yeon’s. However, in terms of presentation that considered the listener’s perspective, Jeong In-ah’s presentation level was higher.

Comprehensively speaking, Jeong In-ah presented as well as could compete with Seong Ha-yeon.

"This concludes my presentation. Thank you."

Like that, Jeong In-ah successfully finished her presentation without making a single mistake.

Ha Ye-jin checked the timer. 56 seconds 13. Excellent time management too.

"Yes, other students. If you have questions for Group 46, please ask~"

Ha Ye-jin looked around as she spoke. It was quiet. Just like right after Seong Ha-yeon’s presentation.

Even Seong Ha-yeon, who would immediately pounce on opponents like a hyena during Q&A time, was quiet for once.

A brief silence fell over the Sacred Training Ground.

"None? Then, next group..."

"I have a question."

Just as Jeong In-ah was about to move the microphone away from her mouth, Seong Ha-yeon, who had been tilting her head thoughtfully while seated, raised her hand and spoke.

Jeong In-ah, who had been letting out a sigh of relief, hiccupped in surprise.

"Hic, yes. Please go ahead."

"Upper right, intermediate recovery enhancement. And intermediate... Blessing of Peace, is it? The junction of those two blessings seems a bit unique. Could you explain it?"

Jeong In-ah quickly scanned her group’s fusion blessing circle. As Seong Ha-yeon said, the junction of that blessing circle was a bit strange. However, Jeong In-ah didn’t have the ability to explain it.

’What. Why is that like that...’

Because it wasn’t intentional.

Jeong In-ah tilted her head and stared intently at the part Seong Ha-yeon had pointed out.

Only that part had junctions that were particularly complex and stickily connected. She didn’t know exactly what phenomenon it was, but thanks to it, the blessing circles seemed to be tightly connected without ’collision’ and efficiency was maximized.

So, ’she didn’t know exactly what phenomenon it was.’ There was no way she could explain it.

"Ah, that part is."

It seemed better to just honestly say it wasn’t intentional. At least that way she wouldn’t be embarrassed.

"I’m sorry, but it was intended..."

"That’s a really good question~ You could say the core of Group 46’s blessing circle is right there! I was impressed by that part too. Ah, sorry! Please continue!"

Ha Ye-jin interrupted Jeong In-ah’s words. Ha Ye-jin was smiling brightly. Somehow Jeong In-ah found that smile annoying.

Because of Ha Ye-jin’s words, it became awkward to speak honestly.

A long silence flowed. Jeong In-ah’s face gradually reddened and soon turned bright red like a tomato.

She had a constitution where her face would quickly turn red in difficult situations.

’I’m screwed...’

Jeong In-ah’s head dropped with a thud. When she felt her face burning, she would bow her head deeply to hide her reddened complexion.

Meanwhile, Seong Ha-yeon, who threw the question, chuckled watching Jeong In-ah’s expression.

Group 46’s fusion blessing circle, especially the junction part she had pointed out, had quality far exceeding student level.

Should she say it seemed artificial yet natural? Conversely, it was natural yet also artificial. It had the delicacy of precariously crossing the line between artificial and natural.

She wondered if it was intentional, but as expected, it wasn’t.

"You’re not going to say it wasn’t intentional, are you? That part is the core."

"..."

Seong Ha-yeon immediately launched her attack. Jeong In-ah couldn’t answer and just stayed still with her head bowed.

She couldn’t figure out how to respond, and even when she tried to say something, words wouldn’t come out. Her burning face showed no signs of cooling down.

But she couldn’t keep avoiding answers like this forever.

Don’t drag it out, just honestly speak and then cleanly step down. She’d receive some point deductions. It would be a bit embarrassing too. But she couldn’t think of any other method.

Jeong In-ah brought the microphone to her mouth.

"I’m sor..."

Snatch.

"...ry?"

At that moment, Do Seon-woo snatched Jeong In-ah’s microphone. Jeong In-ah stopped speaking and looked up with a puzzled expression.

Her burning face instantly cooled due to confusion.

"I’ll explain."

Do Seon-woo confidently continued while holding the microphone.

"The main, axis. Ah. The junction that serves as the main axis of our Group 46’s fusion blessing circle utilized the ’tangling’ phenomenon, which is a subcategory of ’collision.’ Thank you~"

After finishing his brief explanation, he sat back down as if nothing had happened. Everyone stared blankly at Do Seon-woo with lost expressions.

In the flowing silence, Seong Ha-yeon suddenly stood up. Her face looked slightly excited, unlike usual.

"W-wait a moment. The explanation is insufficient. How did you utilize the tangling phenomenon?"

"If tangling becomes excessive, collision phenomena occur, right? But if it’s not excessive, it actually enables efficient fusion."

"No, that’s... correct, though."

Seong Ha-yeon stammered as if flustered.

Do Seon-woo’s words were theoretically correct. Skilled high-ranking priests sometimes utilize tangling phenomena to deploy fusion blessing circles more easily and efficiently.

However, Do Seon-woo wasn’t a high-ranking priest. He wasn’t even a high-ranking Holy Knight or Holy Warrior. There was no way he could utilize tangling phenomena.

"Then now, are you saying you intentionally used tangling phenomena? How?"

"First I caused tangling phenomena to occur, then intentionally broke the strokes to control the degree."

"Strokes? Intentionally? How does that make sense."

Seong Ha-yeon examined Group 46’s fusion blessing circle again, especially the junction she had pointed out. She could see traces of intentionally broken strokes as Do Seon-woo said.

At that point, she had no choice but to acknowledge it. Whatever trick he had pulled, Do Seon-woo had intentionally utilized tangling phenomena.

"Then, then. What is the principle behind tangling phenomena?"

Therefore, Seong Ha-yeon threw out another question. It was a question absolutely impossible to answer at student level, with clear malicious intent.

Do Seon-woo tilted his head thoughtfully for a moment, then opened his mouth.

"I don’t know. That’s all."

It was a very shameless and confident attitude. Seong Ha-yeon was dumbfounded yet happy to have found a weakness, wearing a shallow smile.

"Then, saying you intentionally caused tangling phenomena in the first place..."

"Enough. Student Do Seon-woo gave a very clean and clear answer!"

Ha Ye-jin interrupted Seong Ha-yeon’s momentum. Ha Ye-jin smiled brightly while subtly glaring at Seong Ha-yeon.

"Regarding the principle of tangling phenomena, nothing has been clearly revealed yet. That’s a question I can’t answer either. Student Seong Ha-yeon, please sit down."

"Ah, yes..."

Seong Ha-yeon sat down with a disgruntled face.

"Student Do Seon-woo, how did you come up with the idea of using tangling phenomena? YouTube wouldn’t teach things like this."

"Ah, yes. YouTube doesn’t cover things like this."

Do Seon-woo playfully responded to Ha Ye-jin’s playful remark. He was unbelievably relaxed.

Do Seon-woo pointed casually at Jeong In-ah, who was standing holding the microphone.

"It was an instruction from our group leader, student Jeong In-ah."

"What?"

Do Seon-woo said it was Jeong In-ah’s instruction, but she herself tilted her head in confusion. Ha Ye-jin looked back and forth between Do Seon-woo and Jeong In-ah with an interested expression.

"Hmm. I see. Yes, I understand. Both the presentation and Q&A were excellent. Let’s move on to the next turn."

Ha Ye-jin nodded slightly while keeping her gaze fixed on Do Seon-woo.

No matter how she looked at it, it didn’t seem like Jeong In-ah had given Do Seon-woo instructions. Using tangling phenomena to deploy fusion blessing circles seemed to be purely Do Seon-woo’s idea.

Yet Do Seon-woo had passed his credit to Jeong In-ah.

Why?

She couldn’t guess the reason at all.

* * *

Fusion blessings have different properties from fusion sorcery. But the method and principles of creation are similar.

Tangling phenomena also exist in spell circles, and when deploying fusion sorcery, I often utilized tangling phenomena.

That’s why I could answer Seong Ha-yeon’s question.

[You almost made a slip of the tongue. Be careful next time. You handled it well with quick thinking though.]

Because of that, I almost made a mistake by confusing spell circles and blessing circles while answering. Legba scolded me about it. Since it was a valid point, I just nodded.

During that time, presentations continued, and after about 2 hours, the practical ended.

[40 minutes.]

It was 40 minutes, not 2 hours. I thought at least 2 hours had passed because it was so boring, but only 40 minutes had actually gone by.

While newly pondering why time feels different depending on the situation, Gu Jun-hyeok approached with angry strides.

"Is Seong Ha-yeon always like that? I really want to slap her forehead..."

It was a complaint mixed with anger. He had briefly argued with Seong Ha-yeon after the practical ended, and judging by his expression, he hadn’t won. His face was full of injustice and resentment.

But to me, Seong Ha-yeon and Gu Jun-hyeok seemed about the same.

Seong Ha-yeon who told group members not to do anything and tried to monopolize points, and Gu Jun-hyeok who actually did nothing and just fiddled with his hair in the bathroom.

Of course, I too had done nothing except answer Seong Ha-yeon’s question. I wasn’t in a position to say anything to Gu Jun-hyeok either. So I just listened quietly.

"But if she’s going to act like that, why use formal speech? She doesn’t respect the other person. What’s the point of just using formal speech?"

Until we left the Sacred Training Ground, Gu Jun-hyeok continued badmouthing Seong Ha-yeon. He seemed really quite angry.

"Her expression is just, like she’s looking at people like bugs..."

Gu Jun-hyeok’s endless complaints soon ended.

Right in front of the training ground, someone was standing with arms crossed, looking at us.

"Ah! I suddenly want to run today."

Gu Jun-hyeok said awkwardly. He scratched his head while reading the situation, then eventually ran away frantically as if fleeing.

Tadadadada...

I blankly watched Gu Jun-hyeok’s retreating figure. When it came to running away, he was about two to three times faster than usual.

"Do... Seon."

In the silence, Jeong In-ah, who had been standing with arms crossed, awkwardly called my name.

Last time she dropped the ’u’ to call me, and this time she decided to drop ’Do Seon’ to call me. In a way it was similar, but the nuance was completely different.

I didn’t answer and just nodded. I had nothing particular to say. Silence passed between us, and as always, Jeong In-ah was the first to speak.

"I didn’t instruct you to do that, so why did you lie?"

Her voice trembled and her tone was awkward. She seemed to be claiming "I’m still not over being angry."

"You told me to find something to do myself, so I did."

I tried to answer as if it was nothing, but perhaps because the atmosphere was so awkward, my words came out awkwardly too. The silences were longer than the exchanges.

It seemed like we weren’t having a conversation, but rather opening our mouths occasionally to break the silence that found us.

"...Fine!"

I don’t know what kind of answer she had expected, but Jeong In-ah spoke curtly as if sulking and went up to the classroom.

It seemed like she was pouting rather than angry. At least she seemed to be in a better mood than in the morning, which was fortunate.

When I belatedly went up to the classroom, Jeong In-ah wasn’t there and only Gu Jun-hyeok was.

"She just went to the faculty office to leave early. Said she’s going to see her sibling."

Gu Jun-hyeok approached and said. Come to think of it, I vaguely remembered hearing this morning that she would do morning practicals and then leave early.

"She seemed to be in a better mood. I think by tomorrow things will just return to normal?"

"That’s fortunate."

"She usually gets angry quickly and gets over it quickly too. Let’s go grab some food."

Gu Jun-hyeok spoke as if it was nothing. We ate as usual. We didn’t take a walk and went straight back to the classroom for afternoon classes.

Today Gu Jun-hyeok was quieter than usual. I don’t know if it was because Jeong In-ah wasn’t there, but except for occasionally playing pranks on me, he didn’t open his mouth otherwise.

The next day, Jeong In-ah didn’t come to school.