Chapter 34
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 34 - How to Prepare for the Exam (9)
“Yes. I was fine!”
“…Yeah.”
Lee Hana listened to my answer and obediently retreated.
However, I was concerned that her expression was still stiff. There’s no need to worry that much. I thought she was a surprisingly affectionate person.
Calmy, who was listening to our conversation next to me, seemed to be thinking about something and then he said to me.
“Kang Nahyun, if tomorrow…”
“Hm?”
“…No. I’ll tell you separately.”
What? Why did you stop talking?
I was overwhelmed with what they asked vainly about Park Yoola.
Is everyone concerned about Park Yoola? Is she that much of a person of interest?
I felt uncomfortable for no reason, but decided to exchange it for an equivalent price anyway. I just ignored the club members’ concerns.
Not knowing what would happen the next day.
The next day.
After lunch time as usual, I headed to the lab calmly.
Without noticing that someone was following me.
“You came today too! I’m happy!”
Park Yoola, who looked more excited than yesterday, greeted me.
“Mmhm. It’s not a burden.”
I answered calmly. If I pretend to be fine and not know anything, I will be able to get everything I want from Park Yoola.
“Still, you have to wake me up if I fall asleep today, got it?”
“Yes. I understand!”
Following Park Yoola, who smiled brightly and answered quickly, I sat down in the same chair I sat in yesterday.
As was the case yesterday, the blood and mana collection procedures were completed,
“Will you excuse me again today?”
As I predicted, when I was about to lose my mindㅡ
Baaam!
The laboratory door flew off.
“What is it? Who disturbs my happy time!”
What?
I made an effort to turn my head and look towards the door. Park Yoola used a skill to slow down my movements, so my body didn’t listen well.
Through half-closed eyes, I could see Lee Hana.
“It looks like you’re skilled at using ice attribute skills, Park Yoola.”
She came this way and created ice spears.
“Looking at how many traces of the curse were left behind.”
“Why did you come here? This is a laboratory. No one except authorized personnel can enter!”
“I’m here to stop the mad scientist’s experiments.”
Lee Hana looks at me. There is a faint hint of worry beneath her usual blank expression.
“…And rescue the victim.”
As if she sensed that she had been caught, Park Yoola immediately revealed her true colors and nervously waved her wand. Red flame magic swirled around her.
“Don’t take Miss Nahyun away from me!”
“…That can’t be possible.”
In an instant, dozens of ice spears appeared in the air, and she aimed them at Park Yoola. It was Lee Hana’s unique ice attribute attack skill.
As if in contrast, a hot red storm raged inside the laboratory.
The cool ice spear was shot towards the center of the red storm, and at the same time, the red storm exploded as if engulfing all space.
At the end of the sight of the ice spears clashing with the storm of flames, I fell into the darkness and fainted.
.
.
.
I feel a hand gently caressing my cheek.
I remembered a time when I was being petted by the orphanage teacher, so I cupped my cheek against her hand.
A small laugh is heard. Are you happy?
“…You woke up?”
Through my still hazy vision, I could see long silver hair and ice-blue eyes.
“…Where am I…?”
And then I realized that I was lying down on the pillow-thighs Lee Hana provided.
“Huh?”
She smiled at me as I looked at her dazed and trying to get my still head to roll again.
“We’re in the laboratory.”
I turned my head and looked around the room.
Laboratory? This mess? Not ruins?
“Mmmmph! Mmmmph!”
And in the corner, Park Yoola was writhing, her mouth shut and her body tied with rope. It seemed like the fight ended with Lee Hana’s victory.
I carefully lifted myself up from Lee Hana’s thighs. I felt like I lost some sleep.
“Senior, what is all this about…?”
“…Hmm.”
Lee Hana looked troubled for a moment, then made a hand with ice and ripped off the tape covering Park Yoola’s mouth.
As soon as the blue tape was removed, Park Yoola screamed for her life.
“Miss Nahyun! “It’s all a misunderstanding!”
…You are truly you.
Lee Hana spoke to me while completely ignoring Park Yoola.
“She put a curse on you. Although I don’t know why…”
“…Curse, you say?”
I acted confused.
“It wasn’t a serious curse, but it was a curse that slowed people down.”
Slowing curses have ice properties.
“And I’m a bit sensitive to ice-related magic… I noticed something was wrong with you.”
Indeed, that’s why she was worried during lunch time.
“I just! I just let you sleep for a little, little bit!”
Park Yoola fluttered.
“Why did you make me sleep?”
“T-That’s… Because mana remains most stable during sleep…”
After saying those words, she cut them off with a single sword.
“Mana remains stable even when one’s mind is calm, even when one isn’t sleeping. I don’t think Nahyun was particularly excited. What’s the real reason?”
“…”
Park Yoola looked hesitant.
If she were to give a reason, she would also have to say that she is of mixed race, but it would be difficult for her to give up the advantage she now has in being recognized as a human.
…Let’s save her.
I opened my mouth cautiously.
“Is it difficult to say why?”
“…Yes.”
“Then let me ask you this. Are you doing this to hurt me?”
“No. Never! “I just liked you so much.”
That seems like a very misleading statement.
I wonder if Lee Hana misunderstood brilliantly and pointed the ice spear at Park Yoola with a blank expression.
“No matter how much you love someone, you shouldn’t try to control them as you please.”
“I’m sorry! But!”
“…Are you making excuses?”
“I’m sorry!”
What a mess. I laughed out loud.
“It’s okay, Senior.”
I squatted down next to Park Yoola, who was lying tied up.
“If you didn’t mean to hurt me, that’s enough.”
Still, since this has already happened, let’s make sure to block the possibility of something like this happening again.
“But please don’t do this again. Understand?”
“Yes!”
Park Yoola looked up at me with her wide eyes.
She may be a bit grumpy, but she’s not inherently a bad kid.
Besides, if I build up debt like this, I will be able to get help at any time.
“Senior, I think you can release her now.”
“…Alright. If you say so.”
Although Senior looked shaken, without saying a word, she swung his ice spear and cut the rope.
“Well, instead… Can I ask you to help control the situation?”
I shyly spoke to Park Yoola, and she nodded.
That’s a relief. I left Park Yoola behind and walked out of the (place which was a) laboratory, holding Lee Hana’s hand.
Cough.
At that moment, Lee Hana suddenly vomited blood.
The blood she vomited out soaked her jacket. As soon as I saw that scene, my expression immediately hardened.
Could it be that the curse was activated due to the intense battle?
I urgently helped Lee Hana up.
“Senior, what’s going on? Are you seriously injured?”
“No. It’s just… Because of the curse.”
“Let’s go to the hospital!”
“Not to that extent.”
I remembered the curse of fire on Lee Hana.
Hereafter, the curse of fire brings burning pain to the person with the curse.
The way to suppress it is to use ice magic or water magic. Or one can use artifacts related to it.
Park Yoola possesses the mana of fire attribute. As everyone knows, fire is the polar opposite of ice.
Therefore, during the battle with her earlier, Isheprobably had to use more of her own ice attribute magic, and as a result, she ended up using the power to suppress her fire curse.
Then, the current situation is because of me.
After seeing my worried expression, she seemed to think it would be better to explain her curse, and she began.
“…For some reason, a curse of fire occurred on my body.”
“H-How can you get better?”
“If I use water or ice attribute items, I’ll be fine.”
At those words, I opened my inventory without saying a word.
I could see the ice attribute bracelet and tail feather trinket that had been stored away.
Objectively speaking, the tail feather trinket, which provides immunity to all status ailments, is a much more valuable item. If I don’t want to take any losses, it’s best to hand over the ice attribute bracelet and end it.
However, I couldn’t forget Teacher’s teaching that favors must be repaid with sincerity.
If I tell this story to Teacher, Teacher will definitely tell me that you did a good job. Thinking about that makes me laugh without realizing it.
Without hesitation, I took out the tail feather trinket and handed it to Lee Hana.
“Senior, take this.”
“This…”
“You heard it before, right? It’s a trinket that wards off all unpleasantries.”
I grinned. This is because Lee Hana’s wide-open eyes felt quite pleasant.
“I recently found out that this trinket negates all status ailments just by holding it. So, it might be useful for Senior’s curse.”
I put the trinket in Lee Hana’s hand.
“I’ll give you this.”
As soon as the soother was in Lee Hana’s hand, her coughing subsided.
Lee Hana’s surprised expression distorted as she pressed her chest.
As if an improbable miracle had happened.