episode_0165

In the middle of a garden full of blooming flowers, a group of female students in white uniforms were chatting about this and that.

“Where’s Ayuni?”

Someone asks a question after noticing that one of their usual friends is missing. The other girl shakes her head slightly.

“Still hospitalized.”

“Still…?”

“Where is the one that isn’t dead? If I traded two fingers for my life… I got it for cheap.”

The conversation continued in a generally subdued atmosphere. Through external requests, they could clearly feel the recent chaotic situation. The demons that were appearing from the outskirts to the capital, the black magicians plotting in the dirty and smelly sewers, and the mutants whose appearances were becoming more and more bizarre by the day.

Fortunately, no one has died yet, but some of the students who fought against such enemies had to return to their cradle with serious injuries, almost critical.

“By the way… What will happen to the first city now?”

“I’m screwed, what the heck.”

The flow of conversation naturally led to the topic at hand.

“My cousin who works at the administrative office told me that the purification unit completely sealed off the city. Not a single ant could escape.”

“What the hell is going on… ”

It was already known to everyone that chaos had broken out in the first city.

The students were naturally curious about the inside story, but due to the strict control of information, all they could know were rumors that were like clouds. That the entire population had turned into hideous mutants, that a secret society that had been plotting a plot underground had caused a riot, etc.

“I’m curious… Should I ask senior Baek Seo-yeon?”

Meanwhile.

When a female student suddenly mentioned someone’s name, a blonde and green-eyed female student who had been sitting silently flinched slightly.

One of the few things they knew was that Baek Seo-yeon, an idol from the second year of Cradle High School, had received an emergency request for assistance and had gone to the First City to help calm the situation.

“Oh, leave it alone. Will you answer me?”

“I’m curious… Then should I ask him a little bit?”

“Him?”

“That, you know… Black Lotus… ”

A masked male student who was once known as a wanderer.

There are rumors that he, who was awarded the Gold Star for his work in the South, is also deeply involved in this matter.

“Hey, hey… ”

A friend next to her quickly stops a female student who was rambling without thinking. Only then does she hurriedly turn her head with an expression of “Oh no.”

Dazzling blond hair that reflects the afternoon sunlight, emerald eyes of indecipherable depth.

A school girl with an exotic and extremely beautiful appearance was sitting with her legs crossed, clearly showing that she was not pleased with something.

“Ah, ahaha… ”

The atmosphere became even more gloomy. Jin Ye-seo was the one who didn’t like men as creatures in the first place.

Among them, the fact that the masked male students, commonly known as eccentric students, were hated with a degree of disgust was known to almost all the students of the cradle.

Even after it was revealed that he was the direct descendant of Heukryeon and a strong successor, nothing changed. After all, it was that male student who blocked Jinyeseo’s path at every turn.

During the last duel, the image of the male student beating Jin Ye-seo like a dog was still deeply engraved in everyone’s minds.

Needless to say, the person involved suffered an unforgettable humiliation and shame, and as a result of the injuries she received in the duel, she suffered a shocking defeat from Moon Yeo-ul, who was considered several levels below her.

In that way, his ranking quickly fell below the top 10, and he failed to obtain the qualification to carry out the missionary work, which was the first step towards his future success.

Although he has recovered somewhat now, Jin Ye-seo had to go through a period of time where he avoided people and looked almost like a wreck due to the shock.

Even the male students are said to have made great contributions by completing the designated requests during this week’s request period. There are rumors that they will receive additional honors.

Although they were admitted to the same ward, Jin Ye-seo’s situation was very different from mine, as she had only suffered a minor injury while carrying out a B-class request.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that he was the one who took everything away from Jinyeseo.

“Ahahaha… Yeseo… ”

The schoolgirl who had first mentioned him desperately tried to pick up the pieces of her mistake.

“Still, it’s fortunate that you weren’t hurt too badly… Right… ?”

“That’s right… I almost got in big trouble… ”

“I’m so glad your face didn’t get hurt… ”

The female students lined up to applaud, but Jin Ye-seo’s sullen expression did not improve at all.

Instead, she narrowed her eyes and gave an insincere answer.

“… Okay.”

In this sterile social gathering, she was simply thinking of someone else.

***

-Crash… Crash…

As Jin Ye-seo waited for the end with resignation, an ice rink suddenly appeared before her eyes. Along with that, a terrible cold seeped into her body. The vicious monsters that seemed to have risen from the depths of hell were frozen solid and did not move at all.

“Ah… !”

She could immediately tell that it was the snowfield, the unique magic of the Fallen Heavens. And who had come as reinforcements.

-Thump…thump…thump, thump, thump.

Soon, they hear the sound of someone approaching them. The footsteps that had been vaguely anxious soon turn into urgent running.

Jinyeseo had to hurriedly sweep away the word ‘sister’ that was rising to her throat. This was because she immediately realized that she had come here and kept it a secret from everyone.

Cold sweat pouring down, heart pounding against her body. Embarrassment filled her. Her mind was frozen, so she couldn’t even think of a proper excuse.

-Slimy…

But soon, a bitter and lukewarm sensation ran down Jin Ye-seo’s palm. At this, she turned around in a hurry.

“Huh… ?”

And only then did he become aware of the deep hole in the boy’s stomach, from which crimson blood was gushing out.

Plus the fact that he was attacked while trying to protect himself.

Soon, his large, sturdy body loses its balance and tilts down towards Jinyeseo.

“Hey, hey… ! Wake up… !”

“Get out of the way.”

But before Jin Ye-seo could take any action.

Then came the unfamiliar, cold tone of a familiar voice.

Baek Seo-yeon only focused her gaze on the masked man, as if she had no interest in Jin Ye-seo. She hurriedly laid the man down on the floor.

Then, without a moment’s hesitation, he took off the gas mask and examined his complexion.

His skin was already so pale that it was almost blue. The shadow of death was clearly hanging over him, but the faint breath escaping from his lips showed that there was still a glimmer of hope.

“Alive… ”

-Sigh…

Baek Seo-yeon muttered something softly and quickly continued with additional measures. She froze the entire wound to delay the bleeding, and then naturally gave instructions to the soldiers who approached her.

“Every second counts. Please hurry and get him there.”

“Ouch!”

“And… ”

Soon after, Baek Seo-yeon’s gaze turned to Jin Ye-seo, who was sitting on the floor. To Jin Ye-seo, who had always been met with her warm gaze, it was a very unfamiliar coldness.

However, Baek Seo-yeon, who noticed that Jin Ye-seo was neither sick nor injured, quickly turned around as if she had no interest at all. Then, she followed the male student who was being carried away and disappeared in a hurry.

“There! It’s dangerous here now. Hurry up and evacuate… ”

And until the soldier who approached tried to drag Jin Ye-seo away, she was left alone, blankly staring in the direction he had left.

***

On the way back from the social gathering, Jin Ye-seo was thinking back on the situation she had experienced in the first city.

Fortunately, Baek Seo-yeon’s attention was focused on the man, so she was not questioned or her identity was discovered.

However, the new side of Baek Seo-yeon that she had shown that day continued to make her head spin.

“… ”

Of course, considering Baek Seo-yeon’s gentle nature, it is not a completely absurd sight.

Even though she was his junior with whom he had fierce conflicts throughout, she was a person who had the capacity to embrace him more than enough.

“Still, I think that’s a bit too much… ”

The hurried footsteps, the hands that caressed him affectionately, the pale face, the lips that automatically bit at him as soon as he saw him, and even the faintest breath, the expression that seemed to jump for joy.

“Haa… What am I thinking… ”

Jin Ye-seo suddenly stopped walking and let out a sigh of deep sorrow. Of course, there was a limit to delusions of grandeur.

She looked at the cradle ward in the distance, lost in thought. Something was bothering her, as if she had left something behind.

“Lady. Here is the medical opinion.”

A few days ago, the servant who had been dispatched to monitor her under the pretext of being a guard suddenly handed her a piece of paper.

“Minor bruises and sprains. He said he is already able to do daily life and light training without any problems.”

The servant who served her mother, who was not Jin Ye-seo, was treating her very harshly.

“I will proceed with the discharge procedure right away. Isn’t this the time when you should be concentrating on your studies?”

“But…!”

“The master is very disappointed.”

But despite her protests, a single, heavy, bone-chilling word is heard.

“Not only was he pushed out of the top 10, but he was injured and hospitalized in a mere B-level request. What kind of shame is this? He laments… It’s a situation where every second that could be spent on training the Black Flame is a waste… ”

“… ”

A voice that repeated his mother’s opinions like a parrot. However, the part that left me speechless was that his words actually had some truth to them.

Because he is a wizard who recovers quickly, he has even stopped wearing bandages on his wrists.

Moreover, the relationship between Jin Ye-seo and the man, and the fact that she followed him to the First City, were all kept secret, so from the perspective of someone who didn’t know the circumstances, it would have been obvious that she was pretending to be sick or was just joking around.

In the end, Jin Ye-seo had to quietly leave the ward without being able to say anything else.

I couldn’t even keep my promise to come see you again next time.

But she shuddered even more at the feeling of being suffocated. It was as if the chains of her family name were squeezing her neck. This was a feeling that had become even more pronounced since her return.

It was a part where she naturally missed the past few days when she lived as a lower-class woman. At least back then, she was free from her family.

Naturally, Jin Ye-seo’s resentment was directed at the man.

In fact, the confusion she was experiencing these days was likely caused by him.

To be honest, I thought it was a bit too much.

Before I knew it, we had overcome so many near-death experiences together. To be honest, I had no ill feelings toward him anymore.

Jin Ye-seo felt even more sorry. Although she had saved his life, he too had been attacked by a monster while trying to protect himself at the end and was on the verge of death.

In addition to that, the pleasant tingling sensation I felt when I saw him safe, the resentment that melted away just by exchanging simple greetings, and the useless irritation I felt when he was mentioned by another woman earlier.

These were sensations I had never felt before.

And after deducing the reason in her own way, Jin Ye-seo was able to conclude that all of these feelings arose because she and he had become very close ‘friends’.

We slept in the same room for several days. One day, I even rolled around in his arms on the bed, and in the process, I was able to feel his human side.

Dare I say, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the closest ‘friend’ he has in the cradle right now is himself.

Even though it was only for a little while, she even acted like a ‘wife’ to me. If we weren’t close, how could it have happened?

So that’s why you feel so sad.

Why is he treating me like this? He didn’t even know that I was hospitalized in the same ward. He probably doesn’t even know that I’ve been discharged.

“… Wait a minute.”

But in the midst of the pouring stream of thoughts, Jin Ye-seo suddenly thought of a possibility.

It wasn’t a very pleasant thought. On the contrary, it was a delusion that had a terrifyingly strong destructive power.

“Are you saying… you’re already sick of it…?”