Ch.44The Adenia Pursuit

The Blue Wing Advancement Test had ended. Se-erin returned to her room with her peers. Though the test results hadn’t been announced yet, everyone had received positive feedback during the combat demonstration.

The seniors congratulated them, saying that barring any special circumstances, all three would be promoted to intermediate members. However, Se-erin couldn’t properly accept their congratulations.

“Growing pains…?”

She tilted her head while looking in the mirror. Their cultural backgrounds were completely different. She wasn’t even that angry that Reynard didn’t know the White Frost tribe’s greeting customs.

But. His words bothered her.

Se-erin knew well what growing pains felt like, having experienced them in the past. Her whole body would feel stiff, and her joints would seem to creak uncomfortably.

“Strange…”

That’s why it was odd. It had been almost a year since she was reborn in her younger sister’s body. She had eaten a balanced diet for her growing body. She had trained her body daily without fail to stimulate growth.

Despite this, her sister Se-iram’s body wasn’t growing at all. Her height remained the same, and her overall muscle mass hadn’t increased. Why was that? Her peers who had joined the order with her were growing noticeably day by day.

Just look at Theo. He had grown considerably in the past few months. When they first met, there was only about a finger’s difference in height, but now he was more than a hand span taller. Muscles had begun to develop all over his body as he gradually shed his boyish appearance.

“And my chest too…”

Flora was the same. She too was shedding her girlish appearance and growing into an attractive woman.

In comparison, what about herself, Se-iram’s body? Her chest hadn’t developed. It remained flat. Considering her physical age, this was impossible.

“Hmm…”

That evening, as soon as Se-erin received her feather badge—the symbol of an intermediate member—she headed to the infirmary. Se-erin rarely visited the infirmary. The doctor on duty opened his eyes wide in surprise when he saw her.

“Are you here because of today’s combat demonstration?”

“No.”

Not because of the combat. Se-erin shook her head.

“My body isn’t growing.”

“Eh…?”

The doctor tilted his head and looked at the girl before him. Working at Blue Wing, he knew the personal information of most members.

Name: Se-erin, age: 15 this year. Considering her age, she did have a smaller build than her peers. But it didn’t seem particularly problematic. Some people simply experience delayed secondary sexual characteristics.

However, since Blue Wing’s future was concerned about this, he felt he should do something. The doctor conducted a simple physical examination with Se-erin.

The examination didn’t take long. The result: no abnormalities. Se-erin was an exceptionally healthy girl. The doctor stroked his chin and said to her:

“There’s nothing wrong with your body. I suspect it might be due to psychological factors…”

“Psychological factors?”

“It’s not a definitive diagnosis. After all, my specialty isn’t psychiatry…”

“Hmm…”

Se-erin nodded. The human body is greatly influenced by the mind. Most of the White Frost tribe’s magic works in this way too. Perhaps it was a side effect of her soul inhabiting her sister’s body.

“Thank you.”

Se-erin nodded. Though the problem wasn’t completely resolved, some of her frustration had eased. Rummaging through her pocket, she handed the doctor a candy.

“This is my thanks.”

After giving him the candy, Se-erin walked out of the infirmary with measured steps.

The next place Se-erin headed was the library. It was a place where various books were kept for the members’ knowledge, and where she had often visited to learn reading from Flora.

Despite the late hour, quite a few members were using the library. Se-erin moved quietly, pulling a large ladder cart around.

The books Se-erin sought were mainly about the mind, body, and magical knowledge. Now that she could read on her own, she didn’t need Flora’s help.

The small girl’s gaze quickly scanned the large books. The old pages fluttered, revealing dense text.

***

Though she had become an intermediate member, her daily life at Blue Wing headquarters hadn’t changed much. The errands from seniors had decreased, but that was all.

Se-erin still ate meals with her peers.

“Ah… two feathers…”

Throughout the meal, Theo proudly displayed his new intermediate member badge on his shoulder. He would blow on it and wipe it frequently.

Se-erin stared at him blankly. It was just a promotion to intermediate member, why was he so happy? The other members who were promoted with them acted as usual. Only Theo was like this.

Se-erin, who aimed for at least the vice-captain level, didn’t feel much excitement about the intermediate promotion.

Unable to watch anymore, Flora said to Theo:

“Is that really so great?”

“Of course it is! My salary increases, and I can take vacations to other countries.”

Vacations to other countries. Se-erin recalled the image of her siblings whom she had to leave behind on the snowy mountain. She had been driven solely by revenge. For immediate survival, she couldn’t properly collect their remains.

Now it was different. She had gained strength and knowledge, becoming stronger than her past self. If given the chance, she wanted to visit her homeland again and build proper graves for them.

“Theo. How long can one take for vacation?”

“Um… I think it’s one month per year…? But you can’t use it right away. Since we just got promoted.”

It was information she would have missed if she hadn’t known. Se-erin remembered the details about vacations.

After finishing their meal, the trio naturally headed to the training ground. By now, spending time together had become second nature.

‘It’s like being with my siblings…’

She wasn’t sure how her peers felt, but that’s how Se-erin felt. After risking their lives together and crossing the line between life and death several times, a feeling beyond camaraderie had naturally sprouted.

In the evening after training, when Se-erin returned to her room, she found an envelope placed in front of her door. It bore the seal of Blue Wing. It was undoubtedly a mission document.

Se-erin picked up the document and entered her room. She checked its contents. Her cold, calm eyes lightly scanned the target’s information.

Age 20. Male. Named Partman, a commoner who was revealed to be a reincarnator through a report from a colleague at the same workplace. The estimated time since recalling his past life memories was no more than 6 months, and his place of origin was written as “Korea.”

‘Korea…’

Partman had killed his workplace colleagues and fled, currently hiding in a forest called Adenia, making tracking difficult.

Due to the need for an intermediate member skilled in wilderness tracking, Se-erin had been selected. What was unusual was that only one person was being dispatched for this mission. It was Se-erin’s first solo mission.

Se-erin looked out the window. The soft moonlight scattered slowly into the room, riding the wind coming through the window.

She wasn’t sleepy anyway. There was no reason to hesitate. Se-erin put on her uniform and grabbed the bag she had stashed in the corner. She finished her preparations by stuffing in spare clothes, travel money, and various medical supplies.

Late that evening, Se-erin left Blue Wing headquarters alone. The cold winter wind gently wrapped around her body.

***

The late-rising sunlight raced across the vast plain. Shadows were erased. The figure of a girl on horseback appeared on the rapidly advancing light.

Se-erin unfolded a map from her small bag. The map fluttered wildly as she galloped, but it wasn’t a major problem.

‘Almost there.’

She had been riding non-stop for about two weeks. She had stopped at post stations along the way to change horses. She hadn’t slept much either. The cold winter air had transformed Se-erin back into the hunter who once roamed the snowy fields.

This would be the final sprint. Se-erin swung the reins she was holding forcefully. The small girl galloped away with the light.

Before long, Se-erin arrived at her destination, the entrance to Adenia Forest. As she approached the entrance with her horse, some people came toward her.

Their breathing was steady and even. Their gait was balanced, and they were deliberately suppressing their presence. But that was all. They weren’t strong. They weren’t people trained for combat, but for information gathering.

They recognized each other. The emblem of the Karma Empire engraved on their chests was unmistakable.

Se-erin relaxed and jumped off her horse.

“Intermediate member Se-erin of the Blue Wing Order.”

“Red Griffin No. 3 of the Imperial Intelligence Department. Due to the nature of our department, I cannot reveal my name. I ask for your understanding.”

“Red Griffin No. 4 of the Imperial Intelligence Department. For the same reason, I cannot reveal my name. I ask for your understanding.”

Se-erin engaged in light conversation with the two and received additional information. No special movements. The reincarnator had not been seen since he went into hiding.

“Let’s depart immediately.”

“You’re going right now…?”

“Yes.”

Se-erin moved forward without hesitation. The forest’s distinctive smell and humidity enveloped her body. The mud sticking to the soles of her shoes was squishy.

‘It’s hot…’

Despite it being midwinter, the forest was hot. Small beads of sweat rolled down her cheeks.