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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 95
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The warm morning sunlight slowly began to embrace the land that had been held captive by darkness.
Passing through the dim dawn, as warm light now settled across the land, the sunlight extended its warmth even into the luxurious, reddish-hued mansion.
And that warmth soon brought about a change.
Soft, steady breaths...
After a moment of continuous, gentle breathing, Cheon-seong was slowly able to open his eyes.
"..."
The first thing he felt upon regaining consciousness was this: his entire body was incredibly heavy.
His body was as heavy as cotton soaked to the brim with water. So, even as he opened his mouth, his eyes instinctively crinkled.
"...Ah."
His voice was deeply hoarse. Even as he blankly blinked his eyes, a completely unfamiliar interior came into view.
Where could this be?
For one, it was an incredibly white space.
The interior had so few furnishings it could be called simplistic. The entire feel was different from the dormitory where he stayed. Moreover, even the blanket currently covering him was a light pink, making it utterly foreign to him.
It was enough to bring back the feeling of stepping into his girlfriend's room for the very first time...
'A girl's room?'
He blinked, startled by the implication. Now that he thought about it, this space really did look like a girl's room.
Then he let out a hollow laugh and slowly shook his head.
"What absurd thoughts..."
He figured he hadn't fully woken up yet.
There was no way he'd be in a girl's room. Why was he even thinking such nonsense?
A rustle.
Slowly pushing the blanket aside, he lightly stretched both arms upwards.
"...Whoa. Insane."
The moment he stretched his arms, an exclamation he couldn't even comprehend himself escaped his lips.
He had stretched his arms to relieve his heavy body, but it felt as if countless nerves in his arms immediately sent out signals.
Go on, try more.
As if to show him how much more pain he could feel, telling him to move more, his body seemed to be speaking through pain.
At that fierce provocation, he retrieved his fully extended arms with extreme caution.
"This is truly insane... isn't it?"
Even as he spoke, it wasn't just his arms that felt this way.
Soon after, an uncontrollable groan escaped him.
It wasn't just his arms that ached.
His feet, legs, shoulders, waist, chest, head... As one part sent a signal of pain, it was as if a chain reaction began, and every part of his body pleaded with him in agony.
It was as if his body dared him to move further if he truly intended to endure this pain. Nevertheless, he had to get his body up. He needed to figure out what was happening.
A thud.
Even as he carefully took a step through the terrible pain, his own appearance belatedly caught his eye.
His wrinkled dress shirt and black cadet uniform trousers were clearly the same as he'd worn last night. Only his cadet jacket had been removed.
"Yesterday...?"
As he mumbled, he felt a strange shift.
Right, he had met Karite yesterday, and then continued his training with Kali.
Towards the end, he had further concretized the concept of his skill. He had begun to infuse that concept into his spear.
Then, it felt as if everything clicked into place.
"Did I lose consciousness?"
He clearly remembered gripping the spear imbued with the spiral, and taking a powerful step forward.
But after that, it was as if someone had erased the events from his mind; he couldn't recall a single thing.
And the person who would have looked after him when he lost consciousness...
The only one who would have thought of him in such a state was Kali, and no one else.
"...Then this room, too..."
As he mumbled, the situation slowly began to make sense.
This inner room, which gave off such an oddly strong feminine vibe that it came into his sight, could it be Kali's personal space?
Click.
Just then, the door opened, and he involuntarily froze.
"...Cadet Han Cheon-seong. You're already awake?"
"Ah, yes. Instructor Kali."
Even as he replied, he was surprised by Kali's appearance.
There stood Kali, not in her uniform, but in a completely different outfit, an appearance he couldn't even get used to.
To put it simply, she was wearing a red fabric dress that could be considered light attire, and the feeling was vastly different from her usual rigid uniform.
"Don't force yourself to get up right now."
She said this as she placed a tray with steaming stew on the table. He naturally let his body, which he had raised, settle back onto the bed.
...Honestly, he didn't dare take another step with his body in its current state.
"Instructor. Did I lose consciousness?"
"That's right. The moment you actualized the concept last night, Cadet Han Cheon-seong, you lost consciousness."
"I'm truly sorry."
"That's... not something to apologize for. It's just that Cadet Han Cheon-seong's will was too strong."
He looked at Kali, who spoke with a small smile, and his gaze soon fell on her red hair, tied up high.
Unlike her usual style of naturally flowing hair, with it in a ponytail, her fair neck was subtly revealed, and even that was so different from her usual image that it felt like he was looking at a completely different person.
A rustle. Kali settled into a nearby chair, gazing intently at him.
"Cadet Han Cheon-seong."
"Yes, Instructor."
"Where do you think you are right now?"
She asked with a faint smile, and he blankly surveyed the room once before opening his mouth.
"Isn't this Instructor Kali's dormitory?"
Just as there were cadet dormitories within the academy, he naturally assumed there would be instructor dormitories too.
"It's not a dormitory."
"...Huh?"
At the unexpected answer, he was involuntarily surprised.
If not a dormitory, then where? At that moment, Kali quirked the corner of her lips.
"This is my home."
Tap.
As she spoke, lightly tapping the table, he momentarily failed to grasp her words.
'My home?'
Homeownership... a phrase he once dreamed of in reality, fleetingly came to mind, but that wasn't quite the feeling.
Because Kali had said 'home' so naturally, as if it were obvious.
Then perhaps she meant the literal meaning of the word.
"When you say home..."
"Should I say, the mansion I purchased?"
As Kali added a detailed explanation, he was finally able to properly understand.
And yet, he was even more bewildered.
Though he had lost consciousness, to be staying in her mansion...
"Surely, this isn't outside the academy?"
"Yes. It's outside the academy. It felt strange to take Cadet Han Cheon-seong, who had collapsed yesterday, anywhere else, so I brought you to my home."
Even as he watched her speak so calmly, he was a little surprised.
'Well, then again...'
Given Kali's renown, it was unlikely she lacked such wealth. Her family, the Ishtar family, was also known as a prestigious household, so it was only natural.
As he thought this, a sense of apology arose in one corner of his heart.
...Lately, he felt as if he was constantly bothering others.
"I'm sorry."
"...Hm?"
"Instructor Kali, you explained so much about power control yesterday, but I recklessly overexerted myself... and lost consciousness like this."
Thinking back now, the sensation that his body had improved and felt lighter before he lost consciousness had been a complete delusion.
The moment he gripped the spear imbued with brilliant blue light and stepped onto the ground, he had felt a great sense of strangeness, even if only for a moment.
A feeling so alien, as if his body wasn't his own. Looking back now, that was merely the moment his senses went awry.
Yet, he had ignored that misalignment, and tried to confront the massive wall that was Kali.
For that moment... he had believed his spear could reach that wall.
He simply couldn't give that up.
"..."
Watching Kali look at him with a strange expression, a feeling of apology welled up in him.
Not only had she gone out of her way to train with him at night on the weekend, but even afterward, she was taking care of him like this.
How much of a nuisance must he have seemed to Kali, who had to bring him even into her private space?
"Cadet Han Cheon-seong?"
"Yes, Instructor."
"...Do you know that every time I see you, Cadet Han Cheon-seong, you give off a different impression?"
"A different impression, you mean?"
"Yes, I'm not trying to compare you to other cadets, but Cadet Han Cheon-seong, you are definitely different from other cadets in many ways. Whether it's the power you possess, your will, or even your unique personality, like now."
As she repeatedly told him he was different, he could only manage an awkward smile.
It didn't feel like a compliment, nor did it feel like a reprimand, leaving him unsure how to take it.
"And don't apologize so much. I could have taken you to the infirmary, Cadet Han Cheon-seong, but I brought you to my personal space because I wanted to."
"Is that... so?"
Even as he replied, he could feel her subtle consideration.
That she was saying this now so he wouldn't feel burdened was evident from her face and her gentle voice.
'She's truly a kind person.'
How many instructors would truly show such consideration and care for a cadet?
"And Cadet Han Cheon-seong. It's a bit soon to say this after you've just woken up, but could you listen to me for a moment while you eat?"
As she offered him the still-steaming stew, he naturally accepted her words.
"Yes. I'll engrave every word in my mind."
Even as he picked up the spoon to eat the stew, his gaze remained fixed on Kali.
There was a clear difference between training his skill alone and achieving it while receiving her advice like this.
Right now, every word from Kali was an immeasurably valuable help to him.
And.
'Just a little more now.'
He instinctively felt that he was only a little away from reaching his skill.
He was already certain that he could acquire the skill.
He could complete the skill as early as today, or at the very least, within two days.
"For the time being, Cadet Han Cheon-seong, you must focus on resting your body. It's very regrettable, I know, but that means you'll have to stop your training for a while."
But.
...The words he heard from Kali were completely beyond his expectations.
He stopped in the middle of scooping the stew, and blinked blankly.
"I have to rest my body?"
"Yes. You need at least a full day of rest today, and if you do that, you should recover enough to hold your spear again tomorrow. But Cadet Han Cheon-seong. Aren't you feeling how unstable your body is right now?"
"But... it's just a little more. I can definitely awaken the skill. I'm sure of it. So if I just push a little more..."
He couldn't stop now.
It was truly... just a little.
If he just pushed a little further, he could fully obtain the concept of the skill as a complete power.
Then, finally, he would be able to protect Karite even in the crisis next week.
So...
"Haa."
At the sight of Kali letting out a deep sigh, his thoughts momentarily broke off.
She hadn't said anything to him just now.
But.
Yet, from that single sight, he felt so much.
"Cadet Han Cheon-seong."
"...Yes, Instructor."
"Awakening a skill is certainly a very important matter. It holds even greater significance than evolving a trait. Throughout the academy's history, awakening a skill at Trait Level 4 is probably an unprecedented feat. I know that you, Cadet Han Cheon-seong, stand at a major crossroads, capable of marking a new chapter in the empire's history. I know it very well... But even so, that's not more important than your body, is it?"
...Facing her eyes, filled with concern for him, he couldn't bring himself to speak.
That his body had been continuously deteriorating lately.
He certainly knew that.
And that he had tried to force himself forward despite it...
"..."
Even so, he couldn't easily give up.
Even as he hesitated, his lips trembling, the reality he had to face immediately... was already casting a long shadow before him.