episode_0096

I feel like I’ve become arrogant these days.

I pretended not to, but since they praised me as if I were a great person, did I secretly develop bad habits?

I heard that controlling the Confession Necklace can be a bit difficult, and I actually experienced it.

However, when on/off control became possible, I didn’t pay much attention to it.

It wasn’t that filtration was completely impossible, and I thought that the words that shouldn’t be spoken could simply be disconnected.

It didn’t go as well as I thought.

This necklace… expressed to the world the absurd thoughts that passed by in a split second.

[Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry]

“Ah, why do you apologize so much? It’s okay, so raise your head.“

I repeatedly lowered my head as if I was going to hit the ground. Next to it was an apology written on a hologram.

That… The moment the necklace spit out the unspeakable words, the confession necklace was stopped, albeit belatedly.

However, even if the hole in the bottle was blocked, the spilled water could not be collected.

To be honest, I was scared that an ice spear might come flying at me from Baek Arin. Even if that wasn’t the case, I thought I would get cold looks and emotions.

“It’s really, really okay, so you don’t have to do that. You didn’t have any bad feelings. Right?”

[sorry…]

However, Baek A-rin did not show any signs of being offended.

Instead, he comforted me as if he understood everything.

I was a little moved by that sight. I was so thankful and sorry that they ignored the unpleasant words and thought about this.

“It’s natural for babies to seek out breasts. So there is no need to be shy.”

[Sorry… okay?]

‘?’

While I was typing out the apology by hand instead of copying and pasting it to show my sincerity, I heard something strange.

The confession necklace is obviously closed… but is my ear broken?

A question mark appeared above my head.

Baek A-rin saw my reaction and burst into laughter.

[A baby?]

“He is exactly the baby that Mr. Hayul thinks. It’s not a ‘story’, it’s a baby crying.”

‘?’

A question mark was added. I interpreted Baek A-rin’s words in a crooked manner.

They say I’m a baby.

baby…

baby?

Are you going to say it’s a young baby?

Looking at me?

It was absurd.

A feeling of resistance rose up inside me.

There was also a sense of shame and embarrassment about hearing such things at this age.

No matter how short I was, I wasn’t the size to be treated like that.

In the previous world, the birth registration was incorrect, but he was an adult, and his status in this world clearly made him an adult.

Of course, it wasn’t the size or age to be called a baby, and there was no reason for it.

“What can you do when your baby is looking for your chest?“

‘……’

“Right?”

But when I remembered the mistake I had just made, the backlash naturally subsided.

It’s my fault, but it’s ridiculous to protest against being teased like that.

Baek A-rin kept teasing me with a grin.

Sometimes, there were mischievous jokes that emphasized the chest, so I wanted to run away… but I couldn’t because I had committed a crime.

However, as I was immersed in the endless hell of pranks and unable to react, the cadets arrived one by one.

They didn’t come between me and Baek Arin, they just kept their distance and watched as if it was someone else’s business.

There were also people I knew.

Attila and Aiden were observed sitting a short distance away.

Attila still had a sharp look on his face, and Aiden had a blank expression on his face.

It was nice to see a face I hadn’t seen in a long time, but more than that, I desperately needed help.

‘help…’

Attila, who was scribbling down on his smartwatch, probably sensed my earnest feelings and turned his head. Although we didn’t make eye contact, he definitely looked this way.

She trembled. The slightly trembling pupils glanced at me and Baek Arin in turn, then slowly turned around.

‘?’

Aiden, who was next to him, blinked, then suddenly noticed and turned to follow Attila.

‘?’

I was shocked by the blatant rejection.

Still, I thought we were close friends, but I didn’t expect him to turn away from me so quickly.

It was around the time when I was shaking from shock.

A person trudging towards the park was caught in the observation range.

The cadet uniform outerwear was thrown away, a red jumper was worn roughly, and a sour face…

It was Hong Yeon-hwa.

‘……!’

My complexion brightened immediately.

Although Attila and Aiden, who mistakenly thought they were close friends, were ignored, Hong Yeon-hwa had faith that this would not happen.

“Ah.”

As if repaying my trust, the face of Hong Yeon-hwa, who was walking towards me while chewing something, immediately brightened when she saw me.

Soon, her steps became several times faster, and Hong Yeon-hwa approached me at once, reaching out her hand and stroking my head as if it was natural.

The corner of his mouth twitched as a hand touched his hair.

“Did you leave the hospital well? Are there any aftereffects?”

– Doridori

“Really? Isn’t it a lie? Looking at your face, I don’t think so?”

A hand came down from my head and grabbed my cheek.

I pushed my cheek into his trembling hands. As the touchable area increased, satisfaction also increased.

As I was enjoying the satisfying sensation, a thin finger stole the shadows that had formed under my eyes.

She narrowed her eyes, as if my answer was not entirely trustworthy, but then looked at the spot where her left arm was and made a gloomy expression again.

I didn’t want to see Hong Yeon-hwa make that kind of expression.

When he tried to turn his gaze away, Hong Yeon-hwa’s gaze had already moved.

His gaze hit the back of my neck.

“Huh?”

Her eyes blinked. A strange emotion appeared in his eyes, and he stretched out a thin finger and tapped the confession necklace.

“What is this?”

The voice that asked that question was delicate. But it was something. It feels like there’s something I don’t like about it.

“Who did you get it from?”

Don’t like the necklace? I think the design is neat and good.

“Artifact. It’s a psychological expression function, and you got it from Elia.”

“…Elia? Artifact?”

“Yes. But now you can’t control it, so you’re turning it off.”

Baek A-rin, who was looking at me and Hong Yeon-hwa with strange eyes from behind, explained on my behalf.

Because of the function of the confession necklace and the incident that just happened, it has now stopped functioning.

Fortunately, when I was explaining the incident just now, Baek Ah-rin noticed the signal I was anxiously sending and edited it with a grin.

Hong Yeon-hwa listened to the answer and looked down at the necklace again.

“……”

Her gaze lifted. A subtle gaze fell on me.

Even though it wasn’t a chill, it was a strange look.

He tilted his head and expressed doubt, but Hong Yeon-hwa said it was nothing and just stroked his cheek.

What would they have said if the confession necklace was on?

I didn’t want to think about it.

.

.

.

“Now, is everyone gathered?”

Soon after, Professor Liana arrived.

There were approximately 10 minutes left until the announcement time.

Using the power of observation, I counted the number of cadets and found that no one was missing.

Professor Liana was standing with her back to the lake, doing final checks, while the cadets were sitting around her in a semicircle.

I was one of them. I was sitting at the very back of the class and rummaged through my pockets.

– Squeak

I took out the candy I had in my pocket and tore open the bag. I took out the contents and ate it and put it in my mouth.

It didn’t taste good, but it was given as a gift and it wasn’t easy to store.

Also, although I was not diagnosed with malnutrition, I was told to put something in my mouth periodically, so I brought nutritional bars and candy.

“……”

‘?’

As I was doing that, a glance came from the side. When I observed something, Hong Yeon-hwa was looking at my lips… or more precisely, the candy sticking out because it couldn’t fit all of it.

Candy of various colors.

This is Okchundang, a gift from Baek A-rin.

The way I looked at him was similar to the way I looked at the necklace just now.

“…No. That’s it.“

I held out an extra Okchundang just in case, but Hong Yeon-hwa just shook her head.

– mate!

Then, Professor Liana, who had completed the final inspection, touched her palm.

The sound of applause spread among the cadets.

“It’s time and everyone has arrived, so let’s start simple!”

I also adjusted my posture again.

The progress is already behind. If even this is delayed, the mid-term evaluation scores will fall into the basement.

Professor Liana, who attracted attention, began to explain with her back to the lake.

Today’s lecture was ‘Understanding Spirits’.

“Let’s start with the definition of a spirit. It’s simple! We call a mass that operates with little self-consciousness and uniqueness a providential spirit. And the art of contracting with spirits and dealing with them is called elemental magic.”

It is a spirit commonly seen in the fantasy genre of the original world.

Basically, there are spirits with basic attributes such as water, fire, wind, lightning, and earth.

In addition, there are spirits with special attributes, but most spirits belong to the basic attributes.

“You all know the theory, but let me ask you a question. What are the advantages of elemental magic?”

“This is the output and volume that comes from handling multiple spirits.”

“Yes, as Cadet Isabelle said, the main advantage of elemental magic is quantity.”

Professor Liana smiled and said at the words of a female cadet.

“Spiritualism does not deal with a single spirit. If you have affinity, a magician’s vessel, and operational magic, you can contract with any number of spirits.”

Of course, it depends on the qualifications, but most elementalists contract and deal with dozens of spirits.

It is very rare for dozens of spirits to have a single attribute.

Although there may be differences in the strength of the spirits, it is easy for elementalists to attack the castle because they are dragging spirits of different attributes.

You can also order the spirits to engage in individual battles, and since the spirits basically have immortality, they can be pushed into battle multiple times.

Also, in the meantime, it is not impossible for the elementalist himself to be active. You can also fight with your body, strength, magic, or other unique abilities.

“I am a very accomplished elementalist, and a superhuman who became a high-level hero in the field of large-arms warfare.”

Combat heroes are performance-based. No matter what your immediate skills are, first build up your performance and determine your grade based on that.

Among these criteria, combat heroes are broadly divided into three categories.

Against people. The ability to deal with human-sized enemies.

Great tragedy. Ability to subdue monsters.

And the great army.

Grand Army War heroes have unique standards for designation.

On the battlefield alone, can you have a significant influence on maintaining the front line?

It is a more stringent standard than Daein or Daegoe.

Because of this, most heroes upgrade their ranks through anti-human and anti-ghost warfare.

And Professor Liana was a hero who actually rose to the highest level in the great army war category.

Just before retirement, he was a hero who single-handedly blocked one axis of the front line where monsters were flowing back.

“I don’t know what else to say, but elemental arts is a skill in which innate qualities are especially important.”

Professor Liana’s calm voice echoed throughout the park.

“Why? A contract procedure is required for races other than special races such as fairies to deal with spirits, and if they do not have affinity, they cannot even attempt a contract.”

Spirits are difficult to use.

This is because there are only a few people qualified to use it in the first place.

Those qualified to use it are those who have spirit affinity as their unique ability.

Among the first-year cadets at Siyoram, which immediately attracted talent from all over the world, there were only a few who had mastered elemental arts.

As such, elementalism is an extremely rare quality.

“What is today’s learning goal? It’s a test of friendliness! You never know. You may have an affinity that you didn’t find at the time of admission!”

Professor Liana smiled brightly and snapped her fingers.

thud! One of the boxes placed nearby shook, and a multi-colored sphere popped out and flew into Professor Liana’s hands.

Professor Liana, who grabbed him, trembled.

“…?”

Professor Lyanna looked down at the crystal ball in her grasp.

On the outside, it looks like light five-colored energies are rushing from the crystal sphere.

It looked similar to the crystal ball she used to teach me magic, except for the color.

The difference is that it is smaller than that, and inside it is floating a collection of strange energies rather than magical energy…

The point was that it was shaking slightly.

‘Is that energy a spirit?’

From earlier… I was concerned from the moment I realized it.

I kept feeling like those energies were trying to escape by hitting my body against the wall, but the direction seemed to be in this direction.

“…Of course, there is no problem at all in taking this lecture even if you are not familiar with it. The 『Understanding Spirits』 lecture is not about how to deal with spirits, but rather about understanding the concept of spirits and learning how to deal with them.”

Professor Liana looked at the faces of the cadets who were listening.

Then, after looking down at the crystal ball again, he raised his head and looked to one side.

“But…”

My gaze stayed in one place for a particularly long time.

“Still, it would be nice to have some friendliness, right?”

The direction I’m in…

No, he was just staring at me.

* * *

[Player Correction System: Favorability]

Lee Ha-yul → Baek A-rin

●●●●○○○○○○(51▷53/100)

｢Likeable｣ ｢Doubt｣ ｢Confusion｣ ｢Sorry｣

…

Lee Ha-yul → Attila Blaro

●●●●○○○○○○(49▷48/100)

｢Friendship｣ ｢Disappointment｣

…

Lee Ha-yul → Aiden Reynolds

●●●●○○○○○○(45▷44/100)

｢Friendship｣ ｢Fool｣ ｢Disappointment｣

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

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