episode_0117

‘As expected, there are no injuries.’

Using the power of observation, I closely examined the condition of my body. Check carefully to see if there are any permanent scars or aftereffects.

As a result, I couldn’t find even a small scratch. Only then were the observations centered on the outside and inside the body released.

This is thanks to the tower of growth. Just like inside, all the damage received on stage was blown away.

If these measures had not been taken, there would have been countless casualties.

And I would have suffered the aftereffects too.

The advantage of Changhae is its versatility through water and ice.

It is true that its attack power is lower than that of Gyeophwa.

But that doesn’t mean Changhae… To be exact, there is no crazy person who ignores Changhae’s freezing.

Once a frozen part has been hit by Changhae, it is difficult to revive it.

The ice in the Chang Sea cannot be melted by any means.

The ice used for restraint is so strong that it is difficult to break, and even if it is broken, the entire frozen part will shatter.

That’s why it’s difficult to deal with Changhae.

Even when ice attacks, it is difficult to break. Once hit, he freezes around that area, and if you break him, the frozen part shatters together.

Here, when the memoirs are woven together, there is nothing more dirty.

There is a lot of fluid magic around you, but it is absolutely terrifying to think that it is all converted into cold energy and attacks.

Baek A-rin’s freezing is especially dangerous.

Just as Hong Yeon-hwa’s output of Gyeophwa is at an unprecedented level, Baek A-rin also receives the same evaluation.

The children of two of the three major families were born with an unprecedented level of unique ability in the same generation.

It will be a toast in Gyeophwa and Changhae, and in Taesan… it will be a complicated feeling in many ways.

Especially the children of Taesan, who are of the same generation as Hong Yeon-hwa and Baek A-rin.

Anyway.

For that reason, I was careful about freezing throughout the sparring… but for some reason, Baek A-rin continued sparring mainly using water techniques.

Ice was also used in the second half, but it still felt meaningful.

and…

– Do you have some free time tomorrow?

‘What is that?’

The reason for such a bet is also questionable. I don’t know why I bother to walk all the way to the bet to make my day.

…I also couldn’t figure out why he hugged me so tightly…

The feeling from before still lingered on my face.

As the absurd thoughts kept coming back to me, I shook my head roughly and massaged my cheeks.

As I massage my cheek so hard that it hurts a little, I feel like the tingling feeling is going away.

He was sighing deeply at that.

“Hayul, why are you acting like this all of a sudden?”

Elia, who was sitting next to me, looked puzzled and stretched out her hand.

A soft hand was placed on my cheek, which was red from massaging it.

Soon, a bright light came out from the hand that was gently stroking it.

It was a weakly expressed unique ability called ‘healing melody’.

[I think of something else for a moment]

[It’s okay now]

It was only when my cheek was stroked in a daze that I came to my senses.

He shook his head and said it was nothing. Naturally, my hand dropped.

The cheeks healed by the healing melody were still red.

Feeling a strange sense of regret, I glanced at my surroundings.

There wasn’t just one look on me.

Besides Elia sitting next to me, there were others sitting across from me and looking this way.

Middle-aged men and women. And three young children…

Among them, a middle-aged man smiled brightly. It was similar to the lively smile that Elia often sees.

“Hahaha. I was worried that my daughter might have misbehaved, but I am relieved to see that they seem to be getting along well.”

[no]

[I am being rude to Elia]

It was Elia’s family who came to see her after being betrayed by Baek A-rin, as she was too scared to see her teacher right away.

When I asked when we could meet, I was told that it was possible right away even though the tournament was in progress, so we sat down separately.

So, I met Elia’s parents in the room… I got the impression that they were just Western parents.

On my father’s side, Brian Threid.

He was a middle-aged man with blonde hair and golden eyes, but he didn’t give me the impression of a bald eagle or a pot-bellied man.

The body itself is tall. There are no wrinkles on your face compared to your age, so you look much younger.

The mother next to him is Ayla Threid.

It was a woman with the same blonde hair as Elia and clear sky blue eyes. He looks very young for his age.

I was also able to find out who Elia inherited her body from.

“Dad, do you think I’m that loud? How careful am I usually when I walk around?”

As I smiled awkwardly, Elia made a rare, sad expression.

Then this time, my mother responded as if it was ridiculous.

“I can’t believe that these are the words of the person who toppled the thousand-year-old tree, the pride of my hometown…”

“Ahh! It’s against the law to bring up old mistakes from childhood!”

“Isn’t it too recent and a bit too recent to dismiss it as a childhood mistake? Just like the year before last, I smashed the fence at Mr. Billion’s ranch─”

“Ha-yul, ha-yul! That’s all from the past! Cover your ears. Don’t listen…”

It was awkward at first, but Elia’s nature may have been inherited from her parents, and she was friendly with both of them.

Also, I guess he noticed from the first greeting that I felt pressured when it came to thanking people, and after that, I didn’t even talk about the topic of gratitude.

Thanks to this, we were able to talk in a reasonably gentle atmosphere.

In the process, I also heard similar stories about Elia’s dark history.

I was only judging from the story… It seems that Elia’s childhood behavior was quite unconventional.

It did not match the soft and considerate atmosphere I had seen so far.

“Ugh… When are we going to bring up the enemy story…”

Elia sank due to her parents’ attack. He appears to be mumbling with his head on the table.

I gave him an awkward smile and slowly turned my head.

The parents sitting across from each other were holding a boy and a girl.

Both of them had yellow hair and a cute appearance reminiscent of yellow chicks, and their eyes were closed, breathing evenly as if they were tired.

And although she couldn’t occupy the lap, the girl who occupied the middle of her parents’ seat… was staring intently in my direction.

Hair the color of a chick’s fur and half-open eyes as if he had no interest in anything going on in the world.

Her name is Adela Threid.

I met him in Sifnaha… Elia’s younger brother that I saved.

“……”

The room became quiet at some point. As the mother patted his back, the child, who had been blinking, bowed his head.

[Thank you for saving me]

A hologram with a thank you note appeared next to the bowed head.

I received many thanks.

The mailbox is full, and handwritten letters are safely stored in the dormitory.

On the way out of the hospital, several people thanked me for recognizing them.

Just now, I heard Elia’s parents bow and express their gratitude.

“……”

Still, my mind was agitated.

It is said that many people were saved by the actions taken in Sifnaha. I even acted with that in mind.

But at the same time, I regretted it.

When I first took my steps, I used magic to tear the circuit, flew away after being hit by Aerus, and even when I blocked the entrance to the shelter and faced death, I regretted it.

I felt proud when I received a thank you note, but I regretted it again when I felt phantom pain.

“……”

I took a quick look around.

People who had been laughing and chatting happily while being polite just a moment ago were looking at us with strange eyes.

One of them was Elia.

The first person in this world who helped me out of good will, and who helped me in many ways while I was living in the city cradle.

The person I thought I had become very close to here was laughing and chatting, and now he was smiling.

If… the child in front of her had been involved in an accident and died, Elia wouldn’t have been able to meet her family and laugh and chat like she does now.

I would never have been able to smile as happily as I do now.

After thinking for a moment, I smiled brightly and tapped the necklace.

[Thank you very much]

Regrets decreased and pride increased.

* * *

The tournament continued even after Lee Ha-yul’s elimination.

The game is played, and after a short break, the next cadets come up and play.

A grueling schedule from the round of 16 to the final in one day.

A few hours passed quickly, and the final stage of the tournament was finally held.

A one-minute countdown rings out on the stage.

“Hey fuck you.”

Hong Yeon-hwa, who went on stage, immediately started swearing.

Baek Arin, who was coming up to the stage from the other side, made a strange expression.

Lately, he has been restraining himself by keeping an eye on Lee Ha-yul’s thoughts, but now he is calmly spouting off again.

While feeling quite a bit of nostalgia, Hong Yeon-hwa opened her mouth again.

“Why did you do that to Hayul?”

Baek Arin answered without delay, as if she knew such a question would be asked.

“What am I? I only accepted it because Hayul was about to collapse.”

“Really? It looked fine to me? There was no sign of falling at all? And…”

Grumble! A fire broke out from about the shoulder area. The surrounding stage shimmered like a haze. The momentum is quite fierce.

Hong Yeon-hwa’s eyes turned red.

“Just before the evaluation started, what did you say?”

“Uh… let’s play together next time?”

Audio between cadets is not transmitted. Baek A-rin said, avoiding eye contact.

“I will take Hayul’s day?”

“Ah.”

You can see the shape of the mouth.

This is hot. An awkward smile appeared on Baek Arin’s face.

11─! 10─!

The countdown is slowly coming to an end. Hong Yeon-hwa nodded.

“Are there any more excuses?”

“…Now that I think about it, I wonder if I really need to make an excuse~”

“What?”

Baek A-rin exclaimed and raised her spear.

Seeing that, Hong Yeon-hwa’s spirit became even more fierce.

“I just asked my friend’s friend to hang out for a day. Where are you going to get criticized?”

“…Aha. Is that so?”

bang! Hong Yeon-hwa slashed the sword over her shoulder. The sword hit the floor with a loud noise.

1─!

[Evaluation begins─!]

The countdown is over. The start signal sounds.

Grumbling!

“Then die first.”

Terrible expansion ability

flowering

A huge flame burst out from the ground where the sword was stuck.

“This is a test, Yeonhwa…”

Window expansion capacity

tsunami

As if in response, a vast expanse of water and cold air flooded from the other side.

The finals, which will be recorded as the most intense since the founding of City Yoram, have begun.

* * *

[Player Correction System: Favorability]

Lee Ha-yul → Elia Threid

●●●●●●●○○○(73▷75/100)

｢Likes｣ ｢Proud｣ ｢Gratitude｣ ｢Chick｣

…

Lee Ha-yul → Baek A-rin

●●●●●●○○○○(56▷60/100)

｢Favorable｣ ｢Doubt｣ ｢Confusion｣

…

[The requirements for ‘Curse of Silence’ were not satisfied]

[The requirements for “Curse of Solitude” were not met]