A Fairy Tale and a Demon

That very hour, at the president's office of the Korean Awakened Association headquarters.

Ryu Sungho, who had been staring down at the document, asked, "The media?"

"So far, only Association insiders and the production staff of <NEW TOP 50> are aware."

"Raise our internal security clearance immediately. And put an embargo on the production staff too."

"What if inquiries come in from outside?"

"Tell them it's a provisional ruling pending detailed examination."

"Understood, sir."

"When is the policy meeting?"

"The day after tomorrow."

"Then I'll need to see this before that."

Ryu Sungho's hand, moving to close the file, froze mid-motion.

Beneath his fingertips, the two characters of Seongyeon in the affiliation field had been obscured.

"Tell him to be here tomorrow morning at ten. I'll observe the examination personally."

Ring.

With a text alert, Sihyun's phone screen lit up.

Having read the message to the very end, the corner of Sihyun's mouth curled up ever so slightly.

"Well, how convenient."

A cramped studio apartment would have been far too tight a stage for summoning an evil spirit — the Association's examination hall would serve beautifully.

The next morning.

The examination room in the basement of the Korean Awakened Association headquarters was larger than most gyms.

Mana absorption devices had been installed across the ceiling without a single gap, and the walls and floor were finished in a special alloy capable of withstanding even high-grade magical beast attacks. Between the examination zone and the observation room stood a thick, transparent protective barrier.

Sihyun looked around the interior and gave a small nod. Even if the evil spirit throws a fit, this place won't come down.

"Awakened Lee Sihyun."

At the staff member's call, Sihyun turned. That was when the back of the observation room stirred with activity.

Aides in crisp suits filed in one by one, and in their midst a man made his appearance.

Neatly combed-back hair. A deep navy suit that looked expensive at a glance. A shirt without a single wrinkle and a silk tie.

It was Ryu Sungho.

Ten years had left their mark on his face as well. Fine lines had settled around his eyes, and he'd gained a little weight since the old days.

But that kindly, good-natured face was exactly as Sihyun remembered it.

So that was the face that called me a traitor, day after day.

And even then, did he cry at my funeral?

"It's a pleasure."

Ryu Sungho approached with a gentle smile.

"I'm Ryu Sungho, president of the Association. You're the first S-Rank to appear in ten years — I wanted to meet you in person."

Sihyun looked down at the outstretched hand for a moment before taking it.

"I'm Lee Sihyun."

"I look forward to today's examination."

Ryu Sungho wore a warm, amiable smile.

He'd always been good with that face. Thanks to it, people took Ryu Sungho for a mild-mannered, thoughtful man.

Once upon a time, so did I.

The handshake was brief.

With a slight bow, Ryu Sungho took his seat in the observation gallery, and his aides settled naturally into place behind him.

"We will now begin the examination."

The staff member set a tablet down in front of Sihyun.

"First, we will confirm your currently contracted summons."

"I don't have any yet."

The staff member's eyes widened slightly.

"Then you'll be proceeding with your first summon today?"

"Yes."

A low stir rippled through the observation room.

A first summon.

And not just any — the first contract of the S-Rank summoner who had appeared after a decade.

It had already been years since a summoning-type awakened had even shown up in Korea. Most of the Association staff had never once witnessed a first summon measured in person.

The staff member gripped the tablet tighter, and a new force had entered his voice.

"Have you decided on the being you will summon?"

"Yes. I plan to call the water evil spirit, Vodyanoy."

"Vodyanoy..."

The staff member searched the Association database. No matter how he adjusted the parameters, no results came up.

"There is no registered information. Is this perhaps an entity managed separately by Seongyeon?"

"No."

"Then where did you discover it?"

Sihyun pretended to think for a moment before answering.

"I saw it in a fairy tale book."

"...I beg your pardon?"

"It was featured as a fearsome monster that lives in water."

The staff member's hand froze above the tablet.

A strange silence settled over the observation room.

"Hold on. Then did you at least confirm the true name and the contract terms?"

"Not really."

"The catalyst required for the summoning?"

"Don't have one."

"The expected price?"

"No idea about that yet either."

The anticipation that had lit the staff member's face only moments ago drained away fast.

Low whispers rose from around the room.

"Did Seongyeon really prepare nothing for her at all?"

"They were a famous summoning house, though."

"That was years ago. There's barely anyone left there now, they say."

"No matter how bad things are, are they really letting an S-Rank rookie summon straight out of a fairy tale book?"

The staff member looked helplessly back and forth between Sihyun and Ryu Sungho.

"Awakened Lee Sihyun. Calling an unregistered being without preparation is dangerous. If the true name is even slightly off, an entirely different entity may answer, and it may demand a price beyond what anyone can pay. A contract, once made, lasts a lifetime."

"I know."

"And you still intend to proceed?"

"Yes. That's exactly why I want to try."

The staff member's face stiffened. At last, he turned toward Ryu Sungho.

"Mr. President. I recommend we run only the basic wavelength examination today and schedule the first summon for another time. It appears the examinee has not properly prepared for a contract."

Ryu Sungho did not answer right away.

Gazing at Sihyun through the transparent barrier, he leaned back slowly in his chair.

In the Seongyeon of the past, such a scene would have been unthinkable. The system for finding a being that matched a summoner's wavelength and establishing contract terms — that was the very foundation that had made Seongyeon a legendary summoning house.

And the one who had perfected that system was Sung Jeyeon.

The one who erased its equipment and records was himself.

The moment Seongyeon's headquarters was seized, Ryu Sungho had scrapped every remaining device, document, and server without leaving a single one behind. He had no intention of leaving them a guild that could rise again the moment money came in.

Even so, he had assumed he could not erase the experience of the ones who had learned directly from Sung Jeyeon.

And yet the leftovers had let the S-Rank summoner — the first in ten years — go digging through fairy tale books instead.

So they've collapsed even more thoroughly than I imagined.

A faint smile spread across Ryu Sungho's lips.

"Proceed."

The staff member stared at him, flustered.

"But Mr. President—"

"Is it really necessary to clip the wings of a fledgling taking its first steps, simply because they don't meet the standards of their elders?"

Ryu Sungho smiled warmly at Sihyun.

"This examination hall was built precisely for situations like this, after all."

"Unregistered beings carry unpredictable danger."

"If anything happens, I will take full responsibility."

The expressions of the staff in the observation room gradually softened.

Ryu Sungho spoke to Sihyun in a tender voice.

"Don't feel too much pressure. A first summon is, by nature, a difficult thing to prepare for alone."

His gaze lingered briefly on the Seongyeon emblem pinned to Sihyun's chest.

"Even if you don't get the result you want this time, don't be discouraged. The Association will help you start over — aptitude testing first."

"The Association will?"

"Yes. You needn't worry about catalysts or contract costs either."

Ryu Sungho's smile grew softer still.

"No great talent should go unbloomed simply because of its circumstances."

Another round of quiet admiration flowed through the staff.

Sihyun studied that face in silence.

'Circumstances,' is it.

It was the equivalent of snapping someone's ankle, then being the first to sprint over and help them up.

"Thank you."

Sihyun smiled meekly.

"But I probably won't need any of that."

Ryu Sungho's eyes narrowed, imperceptibly.

"You're brimming with confidence."

"I am."

Sihyun walked to the center of the examination room.

"I didn't come here planning to fail."

As she stepped onto the summoning point marked in red, the reinforced door connecting the examination room and the observation room slid shut, and a heavy locking mechanism engaged with a deep thunk.

Beyond the thick protective barrier, the staff powered up the measuring equipment.

"Mana absorption systems: nominal."

"Barrier output rising to maximum."

"Upon detection of anomalous wavelengths, the summoning zone will be sealed immediately."

Ryu Sungho settled comfortably back into his chair.

Sihyun drew in a slow breath and closed her eyes.

Alright. Let's see what we can do.

And the moment her eyes opened—

Blue light rippled within Sihyun's pupils, and a vast magic circle spread outward from beneath her feet.

The staff in the observation room all turned to their instruments at once.

"Water evil spirit, Vodyanoy."

Plop.

A single water droplet fell out of empty air.

The water that touched the floor spread outward in a widening circle. What began as a thin film of water blackened in an instant, deepening into ink.

Something moved beneath the surface.

Something vast enough to fill the entire examination room turned slowly in waters of unknowable depth.

The measuring equipment in the observation room began to shriek in unison.

Beep—!