Chapter 117
Chapter 117
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 117
Chapter Title: Spear and Shield (1)
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Energy surged through me.
My body, which had been too weak to even lift a finger, was now overflowing with vitality as if it had never been sick.
My mind, hazy from the high fever, became hazy in a different sense.
It felt as if every corner of my body was awakening.
It was beyond a sense of fullness; I even felt a rush of euphoria.
“Ah…”
No matter how hard I tried to hold it back, a gasp escaped through my parted lips.
I realized.
Why Jamal Rudiger and Udo, who had tasted this elixir before me, had worn such ecstatic expressions.
It felt like being reborn.
The problem was the high probability that it wouldn't just end with a feeling.
The image of their heads, as bare as a newborn's, flickered before my eyes.
The crown of my head grew hot.
It seemed as if all the heat that had been coursing through my body had gathered at the top of my head.
I reached up and covered the crown of my head.
It felt thick with hair.
But I couldn't be relieved.
It wouldn't be strange if my hair started falling out in clumps at any moment.
My hand on my head tightened instinctively.
But there are some things in this world that you can't stop, no matter how hard you try.
This was one of those times.
“Huh? Huh?”
The top of my head suddenly felt cool.
Strands of hair rained down before my eyes.
“Ah, no!”
A scream tore through my clenched teeth.
I pressed down on my head with both hands.
The more I pressed, the more hair fell out.
*Swoosh.*
The heat that had gathered at the crown of my head began to gradually subside.
And then, it finally vanished.
But unfortunately, the heat wasn't the only thing that had vanished.
“My, my head! My hair!”
Along with the heat, my once-thick hair had disappeared.
“Why am I bald!”
I fell into despair.
“Oh, my. What is all this?”
Professor Yuria hurriedly swept up the hair, as if she'd found gold coins scattered on the street.
* * *
*Rub, rub.*
Professor Yuria stroked the crown of my head.
“Professor? Does a diagnosis usually take this long?”
A long time had passed since she began the examination.
But she showed no sign of taking her hand off my head.
“Diagnosis? Ah, right, I was examining you.”
“…?”
“No need to glare like that. I did the examination. It finished a while ago.”
“Then why are you…”
“It's just that the prickly feeling is nice. I think I could get addicted to this.”
When I gestured to her hand, still resting on my head, she replied shamelessly.
I felt a surge of anger.
“The hair follicles are fine. It's different from Cadet Udo. This is a temporary phenomenon. It means it'll grow back on its own over time without any special treatment.”
If it hadn't been for what she said next, I would have been genuinely appalled by her irresponsibility.
Of course, I had also given the elixir to Jamal Rudiger and Udo, but at the time, I had prioritized their consent above all else.
I fully explained the side effects and received their confirmation that they would accept them.
Professor Yuria and I were different.
In any case, it was a relief to hear my hair would grow back, but it wasn't much of a consolation.
Even if my hair would grow back eventually, it meant I'd have to walk around with a shaved head for a while.
“What's with the long face, like the world is ending? It suits you. You look like a newborn baby, cute and all.”
I scowled at Professor Yuria's words, unable to tell if she was comforting me or teasing me.
“So, how's your body?”
“Ah…”
Only then did I remember the curse.
The shock of the hair loss was so great that I had forgotten why I was in the infirmary in the first place.
“I think I feel better… but I'm not sure yet.”
“This time, I don't have much to tell you. I haven't delved deep into curses, but it was clear at a glance that it wasn't an ordinary one.”
My heart sank at her words that it was fortunate the immediate crisis had passed.
There would be nothing more galling than losing my hair and still not being free of the curse.
“Baegya, Baegya… Handing such a terrifying demonic sword to a cadet was clearly the Vice-Director's mistake. I didn't think he had such a reckless side to him.”
“I was the one who chose it, though…”
“You may have made the choice, but it's our duty as professors to correct a cadet's wrong decisions.”
Professor Yuria's expression was unusually firm as she spoke.
“If anyone other than you, an ordinary cadet, had received that curse, there would have been no time to act. Gaecheondan's effects include resistance to curses and diseases. The fact that it pierced through such resistance and drove a person to near death is enough to call that sword demonic.”
It was a surprisingly sensible reaction from her.
As I stared at her blankly, she furrowed her brow.
“You'd better watch your expression until your hair grows back. With nothing to hide it, your face is an open book.”
“Ah, ahh.”
At her subtle rebuke, I hastily composed my features.
“Anyway, it's a relief the medicine was effective. The side effects were milder, too. I'm not sure if it's because of the changed formula or because the key ingredient of the elixir came from your body. It's likely the latter, but I'll need more samples to be sure.”
Professor Yuria licked her lips.
It was the same vaguely sinister expression I had often seen on her.
At any other time, I would have been repulsed by that look, but this time was different.
“Samples…?”
A light bulb went off in my head.
“Professor. I have a great idea…”
And so on and so forth.
I explained the plan that had just popped into my head to Professor Yuria.
“That's a very long-winded way of saying you don't want to die alone, so you're dragging everyone else to hell with you.”
“No. This isn't about dying together. It's about all of us succeeding together.”
I wasn't just saying that.
Excluding the side effects, the elixir's effects were indescribably magnificent.
Jamal Rudiger and Udo had proven it, and I, too, had experienced its shudder-inducing effects firsthand.
To think I'd take something this good all by myself.
Weren't the kids already being overworked by the newly introduced intensity of the Cradle's classes?
“I plan to explain all the side effects and give them a choice.”
If, despite my explanation, they willingly accepted the side effects.
“Then, our Squad 3 can truly become one.”
That wasn't a bad outcome either.
In this world, there were cases where people showed their resolve by symbolically cutting their hair short or shaving it off completely.
Our Squad 3 would simply become one of them.
“You have a talent. For making bullshit sound plausible, I mean.”
Professor Yuria let out a dry laugh at my words.
“…Anyway, you don't have any complaints, do you, Professor?”
“I have no reason to refuse.”
Her tone suggested she didn't care either way.
After concluding our mutually satisfactory transaction(?), I lay back down on the bed.
I intended to check if the curse had been lifted.
If I felt sleepy, it meant the curse was broken. If I didn't, it meant the cure wasn't complete.
The result came quickly.
Wide awake.
No matter how long I waited, there was no sign of sleepiness.
“Looks like the cure failed.”
Professor Yuria, who had been watching me, took out a few more vials of the elixir from her pocket and handed them to me.
“For now, take one if the symptoms worsen. It should buy you some time. I'll look for other methods in the meantime.”
Her words—that she would contact her family if necessary to find a clue to breaking the curse—were my only hope now.
“…?”
“…?”
As I lay wide awake on the bed, Professor Yuria gave me a quizzical look.
“Ah, I was planning to wait for the kids here and see them before I leave.”
“…You're really something else.”
Having figured out my true intentions, Professor Yuria spoke with a tone of disbelief.
Regardless, I lay in bed and waited for the kids to arrive.
“Yan?”
“What on earth happened?!”
The kids, who must have heard the news from Lian, came running as soon as their duties were over and were horrified by my appearance.
It wasn't strange for them to be surprised, seeing as I had gone bald in an instant.
“You…”
Only Udo, who had taken the elixir before, looked at me with a knowing expression.
Right then and there, I handed the elixirs to the kids.
Of course, I didn't forget the explanation.
“Hmm.”
After a long moment of contemplation, the kids finally made their decision.
“It's just hair. It'll grow back.”
It seemed they, too, had weighed the benefits of the elixir more heavily than the side effects.
“I'm not drinking it.”
“Me neither.”
Only the sisters, Selma and Emma, refused to take the elixir.
I didn't press them any further.
“*Gulp, gulp.*”
Lian and the other kids downed the elixirs on the spot.
And on that day, our Squad 3 truly became one.
* * *
Leaving the infirmary, I went to my dorm room and immediately opened the door.
A chill hit me the moment I opened it.
It was a coldness that didn't belong in the Cradle's dorms, which were supposed to maintain a constant temperature under all circumstances.
“Really, one thing after another.”
The culprit, without a doubt, was Baegya.
*Yom, yom.*
The Mandragora seedling, its leaves drooping, cried pitifully.
It was suffering in many ways after getting the wrong roommate.
I moved the Mandragora seedling to a sunny windowsill and sat down on a chair.
“Let's not overdo it.”
I said, glaring at Baegya.
Of course, there was no reply.
The pure white longsword simply lay where it was, radiating a cold aura.
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*To the one who is unworthy, the trial of the ‘Unsetting Sun’ is given.
*To the one who is unworthy, the curse of a ‘Sweet Midsummer Afternoon’s Dream’ is given.
*To the one who is unworthy, the curse of a ‘Harsh Winter’ is given.
*To the one who is unworthy, the trial of the ‘White Night’ is given.
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I tried using the blessing of 「Morbid Curiosity」 just in case, but nothing had changed.
As expected, the curse was still in effect.
As proof.
“*Cough, cough.*”
My throat started to prickle the moment I returned to my room.
A chill ran through my body.
It was exactly like when I was first cursed.
At this rate, I was beginning to doubt if this was even the same Baegya I had honed to perfection in my past life.
No treasured sword in the world tested its master like this.
Unless it was a magical weapon used by mages.
“Of all the things to get stuck with, why is it always these cursed objects…?”
Muttering to myself, I suddenly remembered something I had forgotten.
I got up and walked to a corner of the room.
There lay the misshapen crossbow I had tossed aside, the legacy of the Faceless Witch.
The Faceless Witch condemned your indifference.
She is genuinely hurt that her goodwill and patience have not been rewarded.
But despite this, the Faceless Witch has indicated her willingness to help you.
The moment I touched Barisada, thoughts flooded my mind.
Nine-tenths of the curses spread throughout the world originated from witches.
Sulking on her own and then getting over it on her own, the Faceless Witch suddenly asked me.
Wanna lift the curse?