episode_0245

The day I returned to Shiyoram after completing my training at the Tower of Knowledge.

I will definitely remember this day as a happy one.

When I came down from the floating island, the first thing I met was Elia.

I had a happy time, being held tightly in her arms and being gently stroked.

When I returned to the mansion, I met Baek A-rin.

I was relieved to see that there were no abnormalities in the crisis observation, but I was so shocked to see that Baek A-rin was lying in bed sick.

Fortunately, it wasn’t the worst case scenario, and we were able to quickly melt the cold and hug each other tightly.

He returned to the mansion, hugged Seo-yool tightly, and hugged Yeon-hwa too, sharing a lot of affection.

I also shared a warm hug with my teacher and Professor Riana, who came back late in the evening, and received a lot of affection that I had not received during the time we were apart.

So we all gathered around the table and had a hearty dinner together.

Although we only had dinner together, the warm and cozy feelings I felt at that moment are still vivid in my mind.

So if someone asks me if I was happy that day, I will definitely answer that I was happy.

‘Fuck… ‘

Regardless of being happy, regrets are inevitable.

I was just dazed for a moment, but memories from yesterday came flooding back to me.

Between the happy and warm memories, I see myself nodding in Hong Yeon-hwa’s arms, saying that I will participate in the cross-dressing competition…

I feel like my head is going to explode from the shock.

‘Crossdressing, crossdressing? Me…?’

My teeth chattered in eerie fear.

My awareness that I am an adult, that I am an adult… honestly, it’s not that big.

As I had done before, I eventually gave up on my tendency to nag others.

Thanks to that, aren’t we now being more open about our desires and demanding to be hugged, stroked, and patted?

Certainly, when I put it down, my mind and body felt at ease. I was happy…

But he didn’t give up his sexual identity.

I have a clear sense of being a man.

This will probably never change…

But cross-dressing?

It’s not like I’m going to make a hundred concessions and play around with it by myself and then feel self-loathing.

It’s an official part of the birth ceremony schedule… Going to the competition and showing off to the world dressed up as a woman…?

‘This is crazy…’

I couldn’t help but be astonished. I’m afraid of the future.

But what’s even more surprising, shocking, and maddening is that I accepted it myself.

Although Hong Yeon-hwa pressured me, I was the one who ultimately gave in and accepted.

At that time, Hong Yeon-hwa’s loving touch was more important than that future.

After that, before I could regain my senses and regret it, the Master and Professor Riana came to visit me one after another, and my intelligence melted again.

After finishing a cozy dinner, I chatted with Seo-yul and put her to bed.

After spending such a happy time at night, I opened my eyes in the morning.

The opposite sex who had been in love came back with regret.

‘Ugh…!’

I was writhing as if I was having a seizure…

“Woof… Dad… ?”

… I tried to, but my body froze at the sensation of Seo-Yul in my arms.

Seoyul flapped her wings tightly around me and buried her face in my arms.

[If you’re sleepy, you can sleep more]

[It’s still early, so I’ll wake you up later.]

“Yeah… ”

I gently patted Seo-Yul’s back.

Then, Seo-Yul, who had been writhing, soon fell back into sleep, breathing evenly.

[phew…]

I almost committed the sin of waking up a sleeping child for no reason, so I let out a sigh of relief.

– Oh, hic, euuhng… Ah, Arasayo…

‘Kkaaaak…!’

And then again, my mind was torn by the pain and regret that came rushing back.

.

.

.

“Good night…?”

Seo Yul slept for another 30 minutes and woke up.

Since you were with me, it would have been okay if you just fell into a deep sleep.

The right-living child, Seo Yul, woke up right away.

[Yes, I slept well thanks to Seo-yul]

[Did you have a good dream, Seo-Yul?]

“Hehehe, I enjoyed sleeping with dad too!”

Seoyul, who had a bashful smile on her face, ran over and rubbed my cheek.

I smiled back at the puppy-like appearance and gave him a peck on the cheek.

[Hey… Who told you to only choose such pretty words?]

“Hehehe, Dad said!”

[Oh, I was the culprit?]

“Oh my gosh, Dad is the culprit!”

Seo Yul opened her eyes wide.

Anyone who sees and hears it can tell that it’s an act.

He must have found it funny too, because he ended up giggling from the corners of his lips.

[cute]

I hugged her tightly because she looked so cute.

It’s already been 10 minutes since I woke up and started tossing and turning in bed.

You can’t stay in bed forever.

I carried Seo-Yul in my arms and went out to the balcony attached to the room.

– Phew…

As I opened the door, the early morning breeze brushed my body.

It seems like only yesterday that we were breathing in the muggy air, but now the autumn breeze is quite cool.

And around the time when the birth ceremony is in full swing, it will be winter with heavy white snow falling.

[If you feel cold or anything, you have to tell me right away, okay?]

“Yes.”

Seo-yul and I are both wearing thin pajamas. There’s also a spell on the balcony, but just in case.

He covered Seo-yool with a blanket along with some instructions and sat down on a chair placed on one side of the balcony.

The view from the balcony in the early morning…

If you just listen to it, it’s a description that sounds quite romantic.

Of course, I am looking at the background through observation, not visual.

I was going to go right in if I got bored or didn’t like it, but I was relieved to see him enjoying the breeze with only his head sticking out of the blanket.

After enjoying the breeze for a while, we spread a tablecloth on the table.

“Wow! A sandwich! Did dad make it?”

[yes]

[I made a lot, so you can eat plenty]

“Yes! I’ll eat a lot!”

[But don’t force yourself to eat it]

Seo-Yul’s eyes sparkled as she poured milk to drink along with the sandwich she had prepared in advance.

You must have woken up early and be hungry.

The body of Seo-Yul in my arms shook. Soon, both hands burst through the blanket wrapped around them like caterpillars…

“… Oh, I’m not missing it.”

[yes?]

… didn’t pop out.

To be exact, Seo Yul, who flinched just before coming out, slowly put her arm in.

And then he tilted his head back and looked up at me.

“… … ”

A silent gaze.

But the requirements contained within were immediately apparent.

[Oh my, Seo-Yul’s arm won’t come off?]

[What should I do… Should I have someone else feed me??]

– Nod nod!

Seoyul nods her head vigorously as if to say, “Well said.”

In the end, I couldn’t hold back my laughter and picked up the sandwich.

[Okay, ah… do it]

“Ang.”

A small mouth gaped open, biting into the sandwich.

Soon, the mouth holding the sandwich began to twitch, and soon light began to shine in both eyes.

“It’s delicious!”

[thank you]

As someone who has cooked, how could I possibly feel bad when the person eating the food smiles and says it is delicious?

[Okay, another bite… and milk too]

“Ang… ”

I also smiled and continued to move my hands.

‘… Then, what should we do… ’

At the same time, I rolled my head and thought about my future plans.

I got what I needed from the Tower of Knowledge.

My magical skills have improved a long time ago, and I have also acquired much information that can only be obtained from the Tower of Knowledge.

I also found a clue about the Jewel of Haeju, and brought back many precious things that Ariel had packed for me.

Above all, I also learned Ariel’s unique magic.

It’s still lacking, but I’ve at least gotten used to the outlines.

In my head, and also in the subspace, there are copies of the unique magic formula and interpretation that Ariel personally wrote down.

You can follow the path that Ariel has pioneered.

I can create my own unique identity by mixing it in.

In addition, I even received the Purification artifact that Ariel used.

If we look at it one by one, we have obtained so much that it far exceeds what we had planned.

‘Now, what should I do next?’

I have gained and learned a lot, but of course I cannot stop here.

Despite it being a great achievement, there is still much I can achieve at my level.

So, we just have to make plans for future growth.

‘The first thing that comes to mind is… a spirit?’

The number of spirits I possess is in the hundreds.

Some people would spend their entire lives wandering the world and still not have enough. I just took in the kids who followed me around on their own, and this is how it is.

The only regret is that they are still small children who are at the bottom?

Even those small regrets will soon end.

‘We’ll all be promoted soon. Should we get some help from Professor Riana?’

He summoned a spirit and gave Seo-Yul a sandwich and milk.

– Phew…

A wind spirit with a light green tint.

He’s a fairly senior guy who was there when I first started collecting spirits.

A spirit that lays its body on the back of my hand while scattering a halo of light as I tap it with my fingertips.

At first it was the size of my fingernail, but now it’s bigger than my head.

As I sympathized with the guy for a moment, a strange thought rang in my head.

If you interpret it… I wasn’t small… It was a similar will.

‘How is this not small?’

In this way, most spirits became self-conscious.

He shrugged his shoulders and pushed away the spirit that was rushing at him, telling him to take back what he had said.

That is, the conditions for promotion were already met.

If we leave it like this, they will be promoted one by one, but… since there is a difference between the spirits, it would be better to promote them all at once.

I also came up with other plans.

Several words came and went in my head.

By combining them appropriately, an effective plan was established.

‘hmm.’

Establishment complete.

I’ve roughly decided on a plan.

Since I have a lot to do, I’d better do it all at once.

With that thought, I tapped my smartwatch.

* * *

– Kick… Kick…

“Wow, what is that?”

“… Didn’t you lower the weight?”

“I saw it and it’s true.”

“That’s even creepier. Just tell me it’s fake.”

This common training room is located on the second-grade grounds.

Because 99% of the users are second-year students, it is a shared training room that is perceived as being exclusively for second-year students.

– Squeak…

Everyone who was using the public training room had a similar expression on their face.

Shock, amazement, trembling…

A fairly common sentiment.

The places it was headed to were also all unified.

“Hoo… ”

– Creak…

Lee Ji-yeon, the person who was receiving all the attention, didn’t really pay attention to him.

She used all her body strength to lift the weight she was holding in one hand.

– Kirik…

The weights of the weight machines installed in the training room vary.

There are light weights that you would see in a gym for the average person, and there are also weights that a superhuman dedicated to body training would have a hard time lifting.

But nothing is as heavy as the weight that Lee Ji-yeon is carrying.

She visited the gym in casual workout clothes.

A lump of iron larger than a human torso hanging on either side of a thin horizontal bar.

It is a metal that is twice as heavy as ordinary metals.

Even if it is processed into a suitable plate and hung, it is a weight that even an average student would have difficulty lifting.

Lee Ji-yeon was hanging it as a whole lump of iron and lifting it with one hand like a dumbbell.

“… Jiyeon-ah, aren’t you heavy?”

The friend who followed Lee Ji-yeon was tired of her extraordinary appearance… and asked with a worried look.

In her hands was a pair of cute dumbbells.

Despite its appearance, it is a fairly heavy dumbbell, but it is so shocking to see it doing such an antics next to me.

If Lee Ji-yeon were to swing that thing right now… I think the defensive magic would be destroyed as well…

“Yeah, it’s okay, no problem.”

At the worried look in his eyes, Lee Ji-yeon nodded calmly.

A drop of sweat dripped from his chin and soaked into his sternum.

Lee Ji-yeon took a deep breath for a moment and then put the barbell she had lifted with one hand down on the floor.

– Kwung!

Even though I clearly put it down slowly and carefully, the sound of it shaking the floor so loudly made my friends nearby tremble in shock.

If several spells hadn’t been activated before hitting the floor, the floor would have sank…

“Hoo… ”

Lee Ji-yeon closed her eyes again, caught her breath, and looked down at her hands.

Kwak… As I clenched my fist, I could guess at the force I was holding in my hand.

What is certain is that it has significantly increased since the last time it was measured.

It’s not just physical ability.

In addition, the growth curves in various sectors are clearly on the rise.

Her professor even asked her what happened.

Of course, Lee Ji-yeon was originally one of the cadets representing the current Siyoram.

The eldest daughter of the head of the Taesan family.

The qualities he inherited are excellent, and he himself is not the type of person to slack off in his efforts.

With the added protection of growth, growth cannot be slow.

…even taking that into account, the current growth rate is very fast.

The growth curve is now more evident than it was in the first year of school.

“… … ”

It wasn’t long before growth gained momentum again.

So, about a month ago…

– Tiring

‘…Alarm?’

That’s when my smartwatch rang.

Even though I had most of my calls set to silent to focus, the alarm still rang.

In other words, it is an important alarm.

Lee Ji-yeon emptied a bottle of water and tapped her smartwatch.

A hologram appeared in her vision.

[Contact: Junior Lee Ha-yul]

‘ah.’

You’re my junior.

Her friends around her whispered or not at her sudden positive mood change.

Lee Ji-yeon stretched out her finger and pressed the hologram.

The hologram has changed.

Soon, the text conversation with Lee Ha-yul came to mind.

▶Lee Ha-yul: Yes (a long time ago)

▶Lee Ha-yul: Okay (long time ago)

▶Lee Ha-yul: Yes (a long time ago)

…

▶Lee Ha-yul: Yes (6 weeks ago)

▶Lee Ha-yul: Thank you for your concern (6 weeks ago)

▶Lee Ha-yul, junior: Have a nice weekend, senior (6 weeks ago)

…

▶Lee Ha-yul: I just got back! (Yesterday)

▶Lee Ha-yul: I’m sorry that the mentoring schedule was delayed because of me! (Yesterday)

▶Lee Ha-yul, junior: (Acria five-colored fruit candy exchange voucher) (Yesterday)

▶Lee Ha-yul: Hehe… I’ll treat you to a meal next time! (Yesterday)

It’s all a thing of the past.

For a moment, I felt a sense of satisfaction at the increasingly soft and gentle tone of speech.

Lee Ji-yeon diligently moved her fingers to reach the recent history.

▶Lee Ha-yul, junior: Leaning (a little while ago)

▶Lee Ha-yul, junior: (Emoticon of a dog sticking its head out from around a corner) (A little while ago)

▶Lee Ha-yul, junior: Senior, would you mind solving the mentoring progress by doing a dungeon together? (Right now)

“Dungeon?”

Lee Ji-yeon tilted her head.

Behavior that is questionable.

Then, as if confirming her reaction, additional explanation came flying in.

▶Lee Ha-yul: I chose the dungeon (right now)

▶Lee Ha-yul: For two days (now)

▶Lee Ha-yul, junior: Oh, it’s just me and my senior (right now)

“… … ”

There is… no need to add an explanation like that.

It’s something… um… hard to describe.

Lee Ji-yeon stared at the hologram with a strange expression.

* * *