Heroine Hunts Heroines

The heat of June was gradually building up. Academy Head Kim Young-hee received a document from Ping Tao, who had come to visit her.

The document was from the Beijing warlord faction, and it contained a request for Ping Tao to return to his home country. While the Beijing faction likely had ulterior motives, Kim Young-hee felt that Ping Tao would have some insight into the matter and glanced at him.

"Hmm, you're saying you're going back?"
"Yes, Headmaster."

It was around the time the summer break would overlap. Still, Kim Young-hee wanted to hear the reason directly from Ping Tao, even if it was just for formality's sake.

"Didn't you originally come here to compete with Shin Geom Choi Si-woo or Baekhwa Yoo Eun-ha?"
"That’s part of it, but there was another reason as well."
"It must be because of the sin."

This was something that both the governments of China and South Korea knew, even if they didn’t speak of it.

"Yes, but I also want to face those two and settle the competition."

So, is he saying he wants to settle things before he leaves? Honestly, from Headmaster Kim Young-hee’s perspective, Ping Tao didn’t seem like someone who could win against Choi Si-woo or Yoo Eun-ha at this point. Even if they were from different backgrounds, Ping Tao was still far behind them in terms of magical power and speed.

"I’m sorry, but there’s a rule here at the academy. Especially since you’re a Chinese student, the rules are stricter for you. You know this, right?"
"Yes, I understand. And I’m only going back for a short while due to some work. Since I’ve already enrolled at Hanseong, I will definitely graduate."

It wasn’t a bad idea to focus on academics either.

"So, why are you going?"
"General Zhang Wei told me not to mention it. I apologize."

If General Zhang Wei said so, then Kim Young-hee knew better than to ask further. It was probably related to state secrets. Ping Tao might not even know the full details. Given the way Beijing was calling him back, it seemed unlikely he would return to Hanseong anytime soon.

"China really has it tough. People from Beijing are trained from a young age, and the best of them never even go to the academy, working as hunters right out of general schools."
"That’s why China is such a great power. They always prepare for threats by nurturing elites."
"..."

Considering all that, how is it that there are fewer talents than in Korea? Kim Young-hee bit her lip, trying not to voice her thoughts.

The problem was that she couldn’t figure out the reason Ping Tao was leaving, even if just for a brief moment.

‘Could China be plotting something?’

It wasn’t long after South Korea had reached the peak of power in the East Asian Hunter world that China began to lose ground to Japan. That was when the resurgence of Chinese nationalism and Han Chinese ethnic pride became more pronounced. Naturally, anti-Korean sentiment started to rise as well, further straining the relationship between China and South Korea.