Actually, Dad Was a Hero

Chapter 59: Sage’s Insight

“Come in.”

Lee Sang-Jun shouted in a loud voice after hearing a light knock.

Jin Beom-Min, who entered the room after opening the door, asked with a sense of urgency.

“Did a monster appear?”

“No, it’s not that.”

“That’s a relief……”

Jin Beom-Min scratched his head and sat on the sofa opposite Lee Sang-Jun’s desk.

The gloomy NIS Director’s office, which Kim Gil-Ho used until just two weeks ago, had been transformed with a fresh interior.

NIS Director Kim Gil-Ho resigned from his position after the Sydney incident, having received an offer to join the Blue House. Yoon Pil-Ju, the 1st Department Head, who was nominated as the next NIS Director, was impeached and dismissed after various scandals were revealed during the National Assembly confirmation hearing.

Kim Gil-Ho, who became a private citizen, was also investigated by the prosecution due to his involvement in Yoon Pil-Ju’s corruption, and naturally, his position in the Blue House Secretariat was lost.

Everything went as Shim Jung-Min had promised.

All that remained was Lee Sang-Jun’s inauguration as the NIS Director, and this was only a matter of time.

“……It’s strange…… It’s been almost a month, and there’s still no news……”

Lee Sang-Jun answered Jin Beom-Min, who was speaking anxiously while leaning back on the sofa, in a calm voice.

“Well, isn’t it good to have some time to rest?”

“It’s unsettling that the guys who used to attack every week aren’t coming.”

“Well, that’s true. It feels like the calm before the storm.”

Lee Sang-Jun got up from his seat, approached the sofa, and handed something to Jin Beom-Min.

“By the way…… I called you today to show you this.”

“This is……?”

What Lee Sang-Jun handed him was a palm-sized human-shaped figure. Wearing dark gray armor and holding a long sword.

“It’s the Grey Knight figure that will be released next month.”

“Huh?”

Lee Sang-Jun added with a mischievous smile to the surprised Jin Beom-Min.

“I thought it would be good to show it to you before its release.”

“This is…… Hmm……”

Jin Beom-Min carefully examined the figure in his hand. Jin Beom-Min’s sword and armor were reproduced quite precisely, but…… the physique was completely different.

The Grey Knight figure had a perfect muscular body reminiscent of a superhero.

Although Jin Beom-Min has been working hard to build his body recently…… it wasn’t to this extent.

“……Isn’t the body a bit…… unrealistic?”

“That’s pretty mild. You’ll be surprised when you see the Ghost Squad figures that are currently being designed. Reaper’s chest is just…… Oh……”

Lee Sang-Jun laughed, exaggerating the gesture by bringing both hands to his chest.

“……Wouldn’t she dislike it?”

“Reaper requested it herself. She’s a crazy one……”

“……I see.”

Jin Beom-Min immediately understood and nodded. He felt that she would be capable of such a thing.

“Orders are pouring in from all over the world. The profit from merchandise sales will be quite substantial.”

Jin Beom-Min couldn’t help but chuckle at Lee Sang-Jun’s words. Even when he signed the contract for the use of his Grey Knight portrait rights for character merchandise a few days ago, he hadn’t expected that the merchandise would actually be produced.

However, seeing the actual product in front of him was fascinating.

“……I didn’t know WECRO would actually make and sell character merchandise.”

Lee Sang-Jun took the figure from Jin Beom-Min’s hand and spoke.

“It’s better to create official merchandise than to crack down on every pirated product that comes out every day.”

“……Are there that many pirated products?”

“These days, Grey Knight is the hottest selling item. Not only figures, but swords, armor, even masks have been made.”

“The world is truly……”

“Well, isn’t it good that it’s good? It helps with managing our public image.”

As an international organization operated by donations from the UN and various countries, WECRO also needed to approach the public in a friendly manner.

The more public opinion in favor of WECRO, the more budget support they could receive and the wider the scope of their activities could be.

Still, it was a bit embarrassing for Jin Beom-Min that such image-making was being done through character merchandise.

“They’re also developing a smartphone game in Korea, so I’ll show it to you when it’s released.”

“Yes…… Well, my son will like it.”

At Jin Beom-Min’s reply, Lee Sang-Jun put the figure down on the table as if he had just remembered something and asked.

“Oh, are your children doing well?”

“Yes, well…… They seem to be getting used to life here. They’ve started going back to school……”

After awakening their Mana, Su-Yeon and Seong-Gyun became important protectees and lived with Jin Beom-Min in the headquarters’ dormitory.

This was because the fact that there were others besides Jin Beom-Min who could use Mana absolutely could not be known to the outside world.

The NIS actively intervened to cover up the incidents that occurred at the time of Mana awakening and controlled the information.

The PC room blackout and the strange blue light were interpreted as abnormalities caused by a transformer malfunction and static discharge, and the accident during fencing practice was reported as being caused by faulty equipment.

Thanks to this, Su-Yeon and Seong-Gyun were able to return to school last week. Of course, they had to be under strict NIS surveillance and protection, but it was still fortunate.

“That’s a relief. If you had told me beforehand, I would have prepared somehow……”

“……It was an unavoidable situation. Actually, I was scolded a lot by my children.”

“Haha, even the mighty Grey Knight is helpless in front of his children.”

“Well, is there any parent who can win against their children……”

Jin Beom-Min sighed with a bitter smile.

***

“I’m telling you again, you shouldn’t use it anytime. I’m telling you this so you don’t hurt anyone.”

“Ah, I know! How many times have you said that?”

When Seong-Gyun answered in an annoyed voice, Su-Yeon slapped the back of his head with a loud smack.

“This kid is being disrespectful to Dad……”

“Ah, stop hitting me!”

“If you two keep fighting, I won’t teach you.”

Jin Beom-Min sighed again, seeing Su-Yeon and Seong-Gyun shut their mouths and correct their posture.

In truth, he didn’t want to teach his children how to use Mana. But since they had already awakened their Mana, there was no other way.

It was much better to teach them the proper way to use it than to have them unknowingly hurt someone because they didn’t know how.

“……So, you absolutely shouldn’t use it unless it’s a very urgent situation. Can you promise me that?”

“Of course!”

“Okay.”

Jin Beom-Min shook his head. Although they said that, they were still young children, so he was doubtful whether their judgment would be appropriate.

But there was no other way. Jin Beom-Min took out a blank sheet of paper and drew a simple pattern with a pen. It was a shape with several lines and dots extending from a triangle at the center.

“Now, the easiest way to learn how to use Mana is to use patterns. Like this.”

Su-Yeon tilted her head as she looked at the pattern Jin Beom-Min drew. She seemed to have no understanding of what it meant.

However, Seong-Gyun was different. As soon as he saw the pattern Jin Beom-Min drew, his eyes widened and he uttered a single word.

“Uh……?”

“Why?”

“I don’t know…… For some reason…… I think I know this.”

“You think you know it?”

“Yeah…… This…… Isn’t this something that shines? Like this……”

Seong-Gyun said that and stretched out his hand. A faint halo of light appeared in his palm, illuminating the surroundings with a white glow.

“Uh……? How did you…… No, even if you understood the pattern, how did you know it was Light magic?”

“Th-this?”

As Seong-Gyun clenched his hand in surprise, the light emanating from his hand disappeared in an instant.

“Just…… I knew it when I saw it……?”

“……That can’t be……”

Jin Beom-Min muttered blankly.

The pattern he had just shown was ‘Light’, one of the few magic spells he could use. It was the beginner magic that was practiced first when learning to use Mana.

As it was beginner magic, it was easy to use as long as one learned the Mana pattern, but…… that wasn’t the problem.

The problem was that Seong-Gyun figured out what the magic was just by looking at the pattern.

“Hey, then do you know this one too?”

Jin Beom-Min flipped the paper over and began to draw a more complex pattern.

Complex shapes and lines were intertwined, making it a much more complex pattern than the previous Light.

Seong-Gyun, who was staring intently at the pattern Jin Beom-Min had completed, opened his mouth again.

“Hmm…… This is…… Something that shrinks things…… That feeling? Is it Shrink, right?”

Jin Beom-Min felt goosebumps rise on his arms and back.

“……That’s right…… Shrink magic……!”

To the startled Jin Beom-Min, Seong-Gyun asked back with a nonchalant expression.

“Just by looking at it…… I naturally recall what it is…… Is this normal……?

“That can’t be……!”

Jin Beom-Min stroked his chin and fell into thought for a moment. Then he slowly opened his mouth again.

“……Sage’s Insight……?”

“……What’s that?”

Su-Yeon, who had been silent until now, looking dejected, asked.

“……It’s a story passed down like a legend in the place where Dad lived.”

“A legend?”

“800 years ago…… There lived a person called the ‘God King’. He was the one who drove the monsters to the southern part of the Loralt Continent and created the Jindar of today.”

After the Mana awakening, Jin Beom-Min had briefly told his children about his past. However, he had never spoken to anyone about the history or figures of Jindar.

“……And Carol, the daughter of the God King, was the most powerful mage in Jindar’s history. And the talent she possessed was…… ‘Sage’s Insight’. The ability to grasp the essence of magic just by looking at the pattern.”

“Are you saying Seong-Gyun has that ability now?”

“Yay! I knew I was a genius!”

Seong-Gyun shouted triumphantly, but Jin Beom-Min shook his head and said.

“That can’t be……! Sage’s Insight is a talent that no one has possessed since Carol 800 years ago……!”

“Wow, as expected…… He’s not just any genius!”

“Tsk. This is no fun. I don’t know what it is even if I look at it……”

When Su-Yeon muttered dejectedly, Jin Beom-Min placed his hand on her shoulder and said.

“No, Su-Yeon. You’re normal. He’s the strange one.”

“Great Mage Jin Seong-Gyun! Isn’t that cool?”

“He’s definitely a weirdo……”

Jin Beom-Min continued, looking Su-Yeon in the eye as she glared at Seong-Gyun in frustration.

“I think Su-Yeon is similar to Dad in style.”

“Similar to Dad? But I can’t do it even if I see it.”

“Actually…… Dad didn’t know at first either.”

Jin Beom-Min slowly recalled his past memories.

“Dad…… learned magic for nine years. But there were only three magic spells I could use.”

“……Three?”

Jin Beom-Min said, pointing to the patterns drawn on the white paper.

“‘Light’, ‘Shrink’, and ‘Mana Seal’. That’s all I learned in nine years.”

“……Why?”

“Dad was also a dud at magic, just like Su-Yeon. But instead……”

Jin Beom-Min added with a grin.

“……I learned how to use Mana without knowing the patterns.”

Using patterns wasn’t the only way to utilize Mana. Using physical activity and concentration to intuitively utilize it was also a way to use Mana.

“I’ll teach that to Su-Yeon. Okay?”

Only then did Su-Yeon regain her smile and answer.

“Okay.”

“……No, is Archmage cooler than Great Mage? Black Mage? Sorcerer? Dad, which one is cooler?”

Jin Beom-Min shook his head at Seong-Gyun, who was babbling nonsense.

‘My son has a talent for magic…… What a strange thing……’

The talent for utilizing Mana was generally known to be inherited from parents. Jin Beom-Min had strong innate Mana, but his ability to utilize magic patterns was among the lowest in the academy students.

So it was hard to understand that his son had a talent for magic patterns.

And it wasn’t just any talent, but a very special talent that hadn’t appeared for 800 years.

Surely, it must have some significance.

But he didn’t know what it was yet.