Episode 464. School Starts (6)

Thump. Thump.

Lee Hoyeon’s heartbeat quickens.

His eyes glowed golden, and a blue sphere of magic enveloped him.

Deploying the Sky Palace while summoning an Arc was quite burdensome, so he had to finish quickly.

Fzzt. Crackle.

When Lee Hoyeon raised his hand, the flow of magic within the training ground shifted.

Sharpened blades dug into Rebecca’s opening.

CLANG!

He deflected the attack once, but Lee Hoyeon’s magic didn’t stop.

Barely defending against the storm-like onslaught, Rebecca forcibly burst her barrier and retreated.

‘…I can’t win this battle of wits against Baby Daddy.’

Was Baby Daddy always this strong?

Rebecca was confident in her own skills.

Ever since the Rune clan perished, she hadn’t had a single day of rest.

However, in the strategic battle against Lee Hoyeon, she was consistently pushed back, making it difficult even to attempt an attack.

Setting aside the unreasonable magic known as the Sky Palace, the spheres of magic floating around Lee Hoyeon’s body gave the feeling of confronting multiple mages simultaneously.

“Baby Daddy. Just a second. Please go a little slower….”

“Don’t say things that could be misunderstood.”

Lee Hoyeon gave a wry smile and seized the flow of the attack.

Even asking with a nasal voice, he had no intention of going easy.

“Aish, really…!”

Rebecca also tried to seize the offensive, but it wasn’t easy.

Even while being pushed back, she continued attacking using her barrier, but Lee Hoyeon’s Sky Palace was too impenetrable.

It was difficult to overcome Lee Hoyeon’s Sky Palace with the Rune barrier, which wasn’t focused on offense.

‘If I could just stall for time, I could win….’

Such immense magic couldn’t be sustained for long.

The Sky Palace and the Rune barrier had a significant difference in sustainability.

If just 10 minutes passed, Rebecca could gain the upper hand.

“This is why I should have run away….”

“Stop saying strange things, Ms. Rebecca.”

“Baby Daddy is truly too much.”

But this was a confined training ground.

Rebecca swallowed her disappointment and blocked the brutally incoming magic.

She wanted to find an opening somehow, but Lee Hoyeon had already figured out all the attacks made of the Rune barrier.

‘Ms. Rebecca certainly has a lot of magic.’

Rebecca’s Rune barrier was strong, but her attack methods were limited.

Knowing the Rune barrier and having deployed the Sky Palace, it was almost ineffective against Lee Hoyeon.

Crack. Snap.

The freezing magic that dug into the Rune barrier melted, obscuring Lee Hoyeon’s vision.

Lee Hoyeon already held the flow of the battle.

Rebecca slowly stepped back, biting her lip.

It felt like a giant wall stood before her. Lee Hoyeon, with the Sky Palace deployed, was that strong an opponent.

‘This won’t do.’

Rebecca decided to resort to her final measure.

As a mage, being pushed back like this was an insult to her pride.

She didn’t want to admit defeat disgracefully after being pushed back like this.

Snap-

Rebecca instantly retracted the widely spread Rune barrier.

As wide as the Rune barrier had been, a massive amount of mana instantly gathered to her, and Rebecca charged at Lee Hoyeon, wrapping the Rune barrier around her body like armor.

‘… Huh?’

Lee Hoyeon couldn’t hide his momentary surprise.

He had never imagined Rebecca would charge in the flesh.

“No, what is that….”

The moment of panic was brief.

Lee Hoyeon’s eyes widened at Rebecca, who appeared before him in the blink of an eye.

‘Acceleration.’

Whoosh-

Rebecca’s fist grazed Lee Hoyeon’s temple.

He was lucky. A slightly slower reaction would have meant a direct hit to the face.

‘… Did she manipulate time within the barrier?’

Rebecca, having reached the pinnacle of the Rune barrier, could achieve a similar application to Nam Daeun’s space acceleration if she limited its range to her own body.

Of course, it was weaker in power than casting magic, but it was incredibly effective in exploiting openings.

It was Rebecca’s secret weapon, kept hidden for truly dangerous situations.

Lee Hoyeon slowly deployed a magic circle.

The panic was brief.

The moment he dodged the first attack, sealing Rebecca’s limbs was not difficult.

THWACK-!

Rebecca twisted her body and kicked towards Lee Hoyeon’s lower abdomen, but.

Lee Hoyeon lightly blocked it using Cotton Guard.

Creak. Crackle.

Vine-like tendrils climbing up Rebecca’s leg slowly sealed her movements.

The moment one foot was caught, it was over.

Rebecca also realized her predicament.

“Ugh, ughh… Baby Daddy… stop. It hurts….”

Sparring in the training ground doesn’t endanger life, but the pain is felt fully.

Rebecca let out painful groans from the vines tightening around her body.

Beep- Beep- Beep-

At the same time, the notification that the spar had ended rang out, and Lee Hoyeon, with an apologetic expression, approached Rebecca and slowly released his magic.

“You could have taken one hit for me, Baby Daddy.”

“I’m sorry. I was just too surprised myself….”

“Mhmm, this isn’t bad either. Having a strong husband is lucky….”

Thump-

As soon as the vines binding her limbs disappeared, Rebecca slumped onto the floor.

Rebecca cupped her cheeks with both hands, her face flushed red.

‘What exactly is embarrassing about this.’

Lee Hoyeon offered his hand to the slumped Rebecca.

“…It’s good that you’re optimistic. But I didn’t expect Ms. Rebecca to charge in bare-handed.”

“You wouldn’t expect a frail woman to throw punches, right? It’s good for stabbing like a hidden dagger, so I’ve been secretly practicing for a long time.”

“Is this Ms. Rebecca’s secret weapon?”

“It’s one of my secret weapons. I saw on the internet that men like women with many secrets.”

As soon as Rebecca got up, she hugged Lee Hoyeon.

Although she lost due to the circumstances, the spar was very satisfying. She figured she wouldn’t get beaten up somewhere else now.

How sad would it be if her husband got beaten up?

Rebecca felt happier that her husband had become stronger than having her pride as a mage trampled.

She also thought the outcome might have been different under other conditions.

“Ms. Rebecca. You’re not hurt, are you?”

“My leg hurts a little, but I’m okay. The pain in the training ground is just tricking the brain, right?”

“Still, just in case.”

“Mhmm. Baby Daddy. Thanks for worrying, but… can we go back to your room for now?”

“Why my room?”

“I went all out for the first time in a while, so my body feels hot….”

“….”

Lee Hoyeon inwardly agreed.

After feeling the thrill of battle, his body always felt hot.

Feeling Rebecca subtly rubbing herself against him, Lee Hoyeon swallowed hard, nodded, and left the training ground with her.

*

Rebecca lay on the bed, a happy smile on her face.

The spar with Lee Hoyeon was fun, of course, but she showed even more sincerity on the bed.

She felt like she was definitely going to get pregnant today.

“Ughh-hmm…. See, good food for the body really works.”

“Maybe so… sigh.”

Lee Hoyeon sighed as he looked at Rebecca, who lay with his arm as a pillow, smiling.

His stamina wasn’t an issue, but ejaculating multiple times right after a spar that used up all his mana was taxing even for Lee Hoyeon.

Rebecca rushed at Lee Hoyeon without showing any signs of fatigue, and eventually, Lee Hoyeon was experiencing ‘Sage Time’ for the first time in a while.

“Perhaps the result might have been different if it were the real thing.”

“What are you talking about? You won, Baby Daddy.”

“…I’ve used all my mana and have no strength left, but Ms. Rebecca is full of energy.”

“Hehe. Maybe so?”

Lee Hoyeon pulled Rebecca, who burrowed into his embrace, closer.

As expected, Rebecca was much more submissive in bed. As a man, he couldn’t help but like it.

“Should we lie down and rest until dinner? I feel like I’ve already received everything we’ll do tonight.”

“Mmm… just for a little while. I have something to check, too.”

The magic circle for the fake dungeon plan was almost complete, but as it was an important plan, checking it was never enough.

It would be better to check the magic circle’s stability during this downtime.

Seeing Lee Hoyeon’s face, Rebecca’s expression briefly stiffened.

There was something that had been bothering her.

Rebecca pondered what to do, then, with a playful smile, clung to Lee Hoyeon’s arm.

“Baby Daddy. Aren’t you overdoing it lately? You barely have any downtime….”

“Well, it’s always been like this. And right now, I’m resting while being held by you, Ms. Rebecca.”

Lee Hoyeon buried his face in Rebecca’s chest.

He was used to not having downtime.

Ever since transmigrating into this world, the time he spent alone with Liliana in the dormitory was the last time Lee Hoyeon felt any leisure.

Now, he was incredibly busy with schedules involving the heroines and preparations for the fake dungeon plan.

Of course, meeting the heroines could be considered a form of rest, so was saying he had no downtime incorrect?

“Taking care of my husband’s mental health is my duty as a wife. You seem to be struggling so much lately, Baby Daddy.”

“…Thank you for your concern. But you have no idea how much you’ve helped me, Ms. Rebecca. You helped a lot with creating the magic circle, too.”

Lee Hoyeon was genuinely grateful to Rebecca.

Without Rebecca, who was knowledgeable about barriers, the fake dungeon plan couldn’t even have been executed.

“Mmmhmm….”

Rebecca looked around Lee Hoyeon’s room, her lips pursed.

Lee Hoyeon always appeared bright and cheerful. Of course, he was sometimes pathetic, but she could even find that endearing.

However, the room he lived in was empty.

The thing that took up the most space in the otherwise empty room was this bed.

Other than that, it was just Liliana’s clothes and Rebecca and Scarlet’s clutter piled up in a corner.

The only things Lee Hoyeon used were a desk and a coat rack.

Lee Hoyeon fell asleep as soon as he entered the room and got dressed and left as soon as he woke up.

He spent his remaining time researching magic circles, so he had virtually no personal time.

‘… Something is wrong.’

Rebecca understood Lee Hoyeon quite well.

While making the magic circles, Lee Hoyeon seemed like he was being chased by someone.

He suddenly created an incomprehensible magic circle and asked for help, yet ended up hiding crucial details, but Rebecca hadn’t minded because she could feel his strangely urgent emotions.

That wasn’t all.

Lee Hoyeon’s emotions were somehow strange.

He sometimes showed a cute innocence befitting his age, with his emotions evident in every action, but at crucial moments, he could be sharp like a machine devoid of emotion.

Rebecca couldn’t know the cause.

However, the severity was increasing, and she didn’t want to just stand by and watch her husband become strange like this.

“I like you, Baby Daddy. I don’t know what you’re thinking. But don’t be too hasty. You shouldn’t make rash judgments, Baby Daddy.”

“…Ms. Rebecca.”

“If you have worries, it’s okay to talk about them. If not me, then Daeun or Ms. Scarlet is fine too.”

“… .”

Rebecca hugged Lee Hoyeon’s head sincerely.

Held in Rebecca’s embrace, Lee Hoyeon felt an involuntary ache in his chest.

Lee Hoyeon was always surrounded by women, yet he couldn’t honestly confide his worries to anyone.

A feeling of loneliness despite not being alone.

Lee Hoyeon wanted to pour everything out into Rebecca’s soft embrace.

“I, I…”

Hesitation mixed into Lee Hoyeon’s voice.

He himself felt suffocated by all this.

He didn’t know where things started going wrong.

No, perhaps it was designed to go wrong from the start.

The growing closeness between the heroines, the burden of a harem with many women.

Furthermore, he couldn’t neglect his training because of the Demon King who could appear at any time.

The pressure placed on one person, Lee Hoyeon, was immense.

“I, ah…”

Lee Hoyeon opened his mouth while held in Rebecca’s embrace.

He couldn’t articulate the thoughts in his head coherently.

To be precise, he knew deep down that he shouldn’t express them.

“It’s nothing….”

Therefore, he eventually fell silent.

Confess the fake dungeon plan to Rebecca?

Anyway, even without her help, the magic circle was already complete.

It was a meaningless action now.

Besides, Rebecca was, after all, a woman and a heroine.

He didn’t want to be caught doing the bad deed of forcefully manipulating situations to capture the heroines’ hearts…

“…Really? If it’s not you, Baby Daddy, then I must have misunderstood. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. Like you said, Ms. Rebecca, I’ve definitely been lacking rest lately. I should rest a bit today.”

Lee Hoyeon gave an awkward smile.

He had caused Ms. Rebecca worry, so he needed to be more careful from now on.

“…Yeah. Baby Daddy.”

While Lee Hoyeon was thinking he needed to be careful, Rebecca looked at him with calm eyes.