Chapter 213
Chapter 213
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 213
Chapter Title: When Tilting the Glass (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"What a sight this is."
I gazed at the mansion from a safe distance away.
A massive outer wall woven with all sorts of spells.
I spread out my magic power to check for any presences nearby.
Whoa.
I couldn't help but admire it the moment I saw it.
If artifact traces appeared as red dots, then the area around the mansion was completely covered in red.
And every single one was top-tier magic crafted with advanced spells.
On top of that, hired hunters were constantly patrolling the perimeter.
Getting in stealthily won't be easy.
Breaking through a security system created by hundreds of mages working together would be tough.
And I couldn't just walk in openly and say I was Cornus's friend, asking to see her face.
I circled around the outer wall of the mansion, searching for any gaps.
They've even blocked mana interference, so even memorizing coordinates won't let me use spatial magic.
I walked slowly, carefully inspecting the wall.
What if I got caught? I'd flipped my mask over my face just in case.
After a long while.
I spotted a faint crack in one corner of the wall.
A hole?
A perfectly round opening, hollowed out.
-Rustle.
When I rubbed it with my hand, the wall crumbled away like dry sand.
When I pulled my hand away, it slowly repaired itself.
This section of the wall had sloppy magic treatment. Confirming no one was around, I crumbled the wall along the circle.
-Crackle!
Like smashing a cookie, the wall broke apart like sand, revealing a fairly large hole.
A crack big enough for a 15-year-old child to slip through easily.
If I widened it a bit, it might even fit an adult's body.
Perfect for that guy.
It seemed like a hole just right for that person to crawl through.
And it probably was.
Ji-ho had said that Chempy appeared out of nowhere in random places.
He must have secured at least one way to sneak into the mansion.
I wrapped my hand in mana and gently widened the hole.
Once I'd found the flaw in the spell, expanding it wasn't difficult.
Peering inside from outside the hole.
The back of the mansion. A place with no signs of people.
Slipping into the mansion through the hole, it clearly looked like an intrusion route.
Cornus's room is...
Third floor, rightmost room.
Did I really have to risk my life like this just to check on a kid?
Suppressing my presence as much as possible, I climbed up the wall.
-Knock knock knock.
Three knocks on the window.
I wedged my fingers into the window crack and held on with raw strength.
At the same time, I removed my mask with my other hand and tucked it into my pocket.
A full moon in the night sky. Clouds scattered just right.
Like a thief breaking into a fancy mansion, I clung to the wall, vigilantly scanning the surroundings.
A breeze blew by, tousling my hair.
-Slide!
The window opened, and her bright yellow hair whipped out.
Cornus, in semi-transparent silk pajamas, placed her hands on the window and her chest, peering at me cautiously.
Bright early dawn.
"Ah."
Cornus's clear eyes sparkled once under the moonlight.
Her sickly skin had paled even more, losing its health.
"Siheon—"
I clamped my hand over Cornus's mouth and slipped inside.
I closed the window first.
"Anyone outside?"
I whispered softly, and she shook her head.
I'd wondered if there were guards outside the door, but it seemed they weren't that overprotective.
My hand over her mouth was damp. When I removed it, she coughed.
"Cough, cough."
I straightened her posture and sat her on the bed.
Just in case, I stashed the booze and snacks I'd brought under the bed, then placed my hand on Cornus's forehead, which looked pale.
Her forehead was ice-cold.
"How could you try to drink in this condition?"
I scolded her, and she sniffled.
Half-lidded eyes stared blankly at me, drowsy.
It hurt seeing her unable to complain even when sick.
What could a kid do wrong?
Still, trying to drink in this state wasn't right.
"How... cough... did you get here?"
"Is that what you ask right now? Are you in a lot of pain?"
Cornus blankly looked over her body, then furrowed her brow.
She seemed disoriented.
Even breathing looked hard. Her chest heaved irregularly. Her eyes lacked focus.
Sweat soaked her pajamas, clinging stickily to her skin in places.
No underwear, so certain areas were exposed.
Given the situation, my eyes didn't wander there.
"Close your eyes."
"Okay."
I activated the power of healing in my hand and told her.
She closed her eyes without a word. I placed my hand on her forehead.
-Hum!
The power drained out through my palm.
-Suuuck!
Huh?
And rapidly at that.
It felt like her body was grabbing my soul with both hands and yanking.
In the blink of an eye, the green power was sucked into Cornus's body.
This power had grown by healing my body dozens of times in the Peach Garden, yet... In other words, her physical condition was that wrecked.
-Flash.
Cornus's closed eyes snapped open with a glint.
"?"
She stared at her hands, touching her body all over with a confused face.
A faint color returned to her cheeks.
"Siheon. What did you do?"
Meanwhile, my body sagged like someone had cast a debuff.
So that's the backlash from suddenly expending so much power.
"It doesn't... hurt... doesn't hurt."
Still, seeing her amazed made me feel good.
"You okay?"
Cornus pressed her palms to her cheeks like Pikachu and blinked.
"You did it, Seon?"
"Yeah. I'm beat."
"...Amazing."
It was amazing.
That much power could revive someone on the brink of death.
The fact that Cornus's body was still a mess despite absorbing it was the weird part.
I reached for her forehead again.
She squinted her right eye slightly but didn't resist my touch.
Her forehead was still cold.
"Go to sleep for today. Not a good day for drinking."
I patted the sweat-soaked blanket.
Each touch released a thick, fragrant floral scent.
But Cornus caught a different scent first, despite her body not fully recovered.
Her eyes lit up like a ghost's.
"Tteokbokki smell."
"Hey... later."
"I wanna drink."
"You sure it's okay to drink?"
I'd been about to say it was an experiment, but I stopped midway and sighed bitterly.
Cornus was already rustling the plastic bag, pulling out the booze and tteokbokki.
Holding the tteokbokki, she looked like a kid greeting her dad coming home with chicken for dinner.
"Still no."
I snatched the tteokbokki from her hand, and the excitement vanished from her face instantly.
Her dejected expression was cute.
I pulled my hand from her forehead and stretched her cheek like mochi.
-Smack.
"You touched my cheek again..."
Cornus swatted my hand and fiddled with her stretched cheek.
Sullen face.
"Heh heh. We'll drink after everything's done."
"After everything? What?"
"Who knows. What could it be."
I grabbed the plastic bag, took out just the tteokbokki, and put the booze back inside.
I left Cornus sitting on the bed and climbed to the window ledge.
"Message me right away if it hurts. And Cornus, if anything happens, tell me it happened."
"Anything?"
"Uh... wait. Yeah. Consult me about anything even slightly off or annoying."
"Really?"
"Really."
Ji-ho would contact me ahead if something came up, but hearing from Cornus first would be faster.
"Got it?"
"...Got it."
When tilting the glass.
I hoped it wouldn't be long.
I couldn't just give booze to a kid who wanted to drink.
With the drug experiments in full swing, who knew what effect the alcohol might have.
"Siheon's acting weird."
At least her personality hadn't changed.
That was positive.
Before leaping down from the window, I told Cornus.
"See you tomorrow then."
Cornus blinked, then nodded without changing expression.
"Yeah."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Miss."
Ji-ho bowed his head and whispered into young Cornus's ear.
"Miss?"
-Flash!
Her eyes snapped open at the second call.
Not a single pout on her childlike face as she got up and rubbed her eyes.
"...Is the secretary here?"
A bright, joyful voice slipped out.
Angel-like white pajamas. Dainty hands and feet.
"It's time to get up."
"I slept in weirdly late today... I'll get ready quick."
As soon as Ji-ho left the room, Cornus got up, washed, changed into hard-to-put-on formal clothes neatly, placed a hand on her throat in front of the mirror, and practiced her voice.
"Ah ah. Ah! Ah~ Cough cough. Good."
She buckled a child-sized sword to her waist, loosened her throat once, and opened the door.
"Let's go to breakfast, Miss."
"Good morning."
Ji-ho followed behind her.
Cornus walked toward the dining hall with elegant, refined steps, one foot at a time.
Despite the long distance, not a hint of disarray in her gait.
Her golden hair swayed in time with her steps.
Every two steps, flower pots and vases bore bright yellow artificial flowers symbolizing her name.
Everyone passing bowed their heads to Cornus.
Grace. A commanding presence amid the crowds.
A golden light that drew people in.
-Clack, clack.
Each step echoed loudly through the silent hall.
Shoulders back, she stood before the dining hall, and the secretary flung the doors wide.
-Creak.
"Hello, Father."
"Yeah."
San Hyeok-won focused on his meal with a stern face.
Her mother had left her arms long ago.
Cornus sat in the chair beside her cousins' families with perfect posture.
The food before her was...
"......?"
Something white soaked in bright red broth.
Skewered fish cakes loaded with cheese on top.
Cornus blinked.
-Pierce.
She speared a piece of tteok and put it in her mouth. Her body reacted.
-Chewy.
An irresistible taste.
-Pierce, pierce.
Spicy-sweet-savory.
-Chewy chewy.
A word that didn't exist in reality popped into her head.
"Um... Miss."
Ji-ho spoke to her, flustered.
She didn't hear. Cornus focused silently on the tteokbokki.
Tteokbokki. Tteokbokki... The abundance of my life. Dizzying spiciness reminding me I'm alive.
"Miss?"
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"Miss."
-Flash.
Cornus opened her eyes and blinked blankly.
"...Tteokbokki."
"Pardon? Tteokbokki?"
Cornus stood, sweating on her face.
Her face was puffy, cheeks much softer than before. She caressed them.
What kind of dream was that?
It felt like recalling something from long ago.
But it all got buried in tteokbokki.
"...Miho?"
"It's Ji-ho."
"Siho."
"Ji-ho, I said."
The tteokbokki scent tickled her nose.
Cornus turned her head, chasing the aroma.
An empty tteokbokki bowl sat on the nightstand.
"...Miss, didn't I tell you no late-night snacks? Especially when you're not well."
Rubbing sleepy eyes, recalling last night, Lee Si-heon's face clearly imprinted in her mind.
Her body felt lighter than before.
Moving had been a chore previously.
Ji-ho looked at her puzzled, then sighed inwardly.
"Anyway, get ready."
"......Huh?"
Forest Keeper selection tournament.
"Time to go."
It was the day.