Chapter 75
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: Blue Pine Festival (16)
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No matter what you do, time keeps flowing. The moon sets and the sun rises. In other words, the morning of the next day inevitably arrives.
Today was no different. Even after clashing fiercely with my master, I still welcomed the dawn.
Mom says she wants to see you a bit.
As soon as possible, preferably.
"……."
While receiving that message from Cheon So-yul, no less.
It was truly an eye-opening morning.
A summons from Cheon Se-hee. I'd heard about it beforehand through my conversation with Cheon Woo-hyuk the other day, but this time, the weight felt entirely different.
Back then, it had just been a light request to see the face of her daughter's friend—or potential lover(?). But not now.
"Haa."
I pressed my forehead against my smartphone with a short sigh. What was there to say?
This was undoubtedly my karma.
The lightning spell Heavenly Thunder. Thinking back on that signature magic of the Cheon family, which I'd unfortunately unleashed during yesterday's tournament match.
Even though it had taken on a cyan hue infused with my own affinity, its structure hadn't changed at all, no matter the color shift.
Of course, plenty of people would have noticed something off about it, and at the very least, a fair number of high-rank awakeners would have seen right through to the truth.
After all, was a violent signature spell like Heavenly Thunder something you saw every day?
How could they not realize it was suspiciously similar?
Above all, those proficient in the spell itself would have pierced the truth without a doubt.
Yes—Cheon Se-hee, Cheon Woo-hyuk, and likely Cheon So-yul's older sister, the eldest daughter of the Cheon family, who must have come with them.
People like that couldn't have missed it even if they tried. They'd have known at a glance.
-Cheon So-yul leaked her signature magic.
'What a real idiot.'
Something like that. Since she was direct lineage and the daughter of a grand magic user, it probably wouldn't blow up into a huge issue, but she was surely getting an earful right now. I could picture it all too well.
I let out a wry chuckle and inwardly berated my own foolishness.
I wanted to win, and at the time, no other options came to mind...
What use were such excuses now?
In the end, I'd put Cheon So-yul in a tough spot. If I'd thought about her position, I should've just lost right then and there.
Because of my pointless pride and competitive spirit, I'd pushed too far, and now things had gone awry.
"……."
After a brief silence, I clenched my fist tight and rose from my seat.
Either way, I had to take responsibility. What was done was done, and cleaning it up was on me.
It was while I was steeling my resolve with those thoughts.
"Shall I come with you?"
Suddenly, a voice stopped me in my tracks. It was the languid tone unique to 'her' in the morning, still a bit sleepy.
I turned with a hollow laugh. There she was—my master, naked and hugging a pillow, gazing hazily up at me.
Her expression carried considerable fatigue, the result of our second round lasting through the night.
Even so, I'd thought it wasn't right to spend our first night together purely outdoors.
So we'd ended up booking a room inside the academy dorms. Needless to say, we didn't just hold hands and sleep...
The mattress, bedsheets, and parts of the blanket still bore traces of last night's intense lovemaking.
In that situation, my master had spoken to me. Offering to come along.
There was no subject, but I knew she'd grasped my situation completely.
Of course she had. If even others had noticed without much trouble, how could she not?
On the contrary, as the one person who'd once known my trait, she'd likely gotten even closer to the deeper truth.
'...That might be part of why she was crying about it too, but anyway.'
I had no intention of dragging her into a confrontation with Cheon Se-hee. Everyone knew the two grand magic users didn't get along.
I had zero interest in witnessing an academy showdown of 'Ice vs. Lightning' for no reason...
I gave her head a few gentle pats with a faint smile to say it was fine.
"Mm..."
She squinted one eye pleasantly at my soft touch and lay back down.
She'd probably fall asleep again soon. I decided to quietly leave once her eyes closed.
Screech—
Stepping out of the unmanned hotel building into the light, bright sunlight greeted me. On any other day, it would've felt like a refreshing start.
But now, somehow, that sunlight seemed like it might turn into lightning and melt me away.
I didn't know Cheon Se-hee's personality in intricate detail, but I doubted she'd welcome the punk who'd seduced(?) her daughter and stolen her signature magic with a cheerful laugh.
The more I thought about it, the more my stomach churned. But what could I do? It was unavoidable.
If you can't avoid it, enjoy it. If you can't enjoy it, give up. The deed was done, and now I had to go meet the grand magic user of lightning.
Taking a deep breath, I steadied my turbulent heart and checked the location Cheon So-yul had sent on my smartphone.
'Ah.'
Was this coincidence? It was a place I knew.
A high-end restaurant in the shopping district on the east side of campus...
It was the one Cheon So-yul and I sometimes visited when we had something good to celebrate. Like acing midterms together.
Maybe her recommendation had influenced the choice of location.
Harboring such trivial thoughts, I dragged my heavy steps forward.
Gazing blankly at the blue sky, watching people wander the campus.
Before I knew it, I'd arrived. The destination. The entrance to the restaurant where Cheon Se-hee waited.
After several deep breaths to calm myself, I made up my mind.
Just go in. How bad could it be? If I get scolded, I get scolded. If I die, I die.
Maybe bowing my head repeatedly would sort it out. Probably?
'...Hoo.'
Yeah.
'Let's do this.'
With that, I opened the restaurant door.
And came face-to-face with Cheon Woo-hyuk.
"……."
"……."
A moment of quiet silence.
No warning.
Crackle—!
"Holy—"
In an instant, a bolt of azure lightning flashed, and I reflexively twisted away, dodging the lethal path grazing past.
Baek A-yun's instinctive reflexes had saved me. A sharp sting as it brushed my cheek.
Wearing a bewildered expression, I turned to Cheon Woo-hyuk, who was soon grabbed firmly by the arms from behind by a certain woman.
Light brown hair and deep golden eyes.
"Now, now, Woo-hyuk. Calm down and let's head back? Yeah, good boy. He's a guest, after all."
I'd never seen her face before, but I had a good idea who she was. Cheon So-yul's older sister, whom I'd heard about a few times... the eldest daughter of the family, Cheon Hyun-ah.
She shot me a friendly wink before dragging Cheon Woo-hyuk away.
A reaction quite different from Cheon Woo-hyuk's.
I blinked in confusion.
'...Better than I thought.'
Maybe the atmosphere here wasn't entirely hostile. That hopeful notion had just crossed my mind.
With Cheon Hyun-ah reacting that way, perhaps Cheon Se-hee didn't see me as someone to utterly devour either.
For some reason, my heart settled. I might've even felt relieved deep down. After all, they were Cheon So-yul's family—I didn't want to leave a bad impression.
With those thoughts, I turned toward the spot radiating the strongest golden mana, along with Cheon So-yul's presence.
No doubt about it. The nation's mightiest grand magic user sat beyond.
From what I'd heard, she wasn't the passionate type.
Putting together Cheon So-yul's stories, she seemed surprisingly mild-mannered, even more than I'd imagined.
Clutching that hope tightly, I rounded the corner into the restaurant.
No other customers in sight—it was probably fully reserved.
Not strange if she wanted a quiet talk.
Now that I'd steadied my mind and body, there was nothing left to fear. I headed straight for where Cheon Se-hee sat.
And that's when my eyes met Cheon So-yul's.
"……."
"……."
So.
Um.
There she was, kneeling before her own mother, sweating bullets...
Eye contact with my prospective wife in that state.
'Aha.'
My judgment was swift. Hey, I was a genius young magic user, after all.
I immediately dropped to my knees beside Cheon So-yul, mirroring her.
I had no idea what was going on, but starting with my forehead to the floor seemed the way to go.
And that was because.
Rumble, rrrumble...
Right now, a massive storm of lightning loomed before my eyes.
There wasn't a trace of gentleness in Cheon Se-hee's gaze.