Grade Evaluation (1)
Grade Evaluation (1)
After returning to the mansion.
'It still feels like I've only just gotten back.'
Even after twelve hours of rest, my body remained sluggish.
This wasn't the languor caused by a burden on the soul.
The price I should have paid for this incident was shouldered once again by the Void sleeping inside me, so I suffered no real damage.
But the reason I still felt so sluggish was that when the Void awakened, its energy—which had been contained until then—spread throughout my body.
'Even that is thanks to Greed, I suppose.'
If any other living creature were encroached upon by the same concentration of Void, they would have collapsed into lethargy, been forgotten by those around them, and met their end.
I could resolve this without much difficulty if I set my mind to it, but this time I would carry this sluggishness for a little longer. To balance the scales as much as possible.
'I'll have to cut down on sleep too.'
Before, unaware of Greed's side effects, I had focused on recovery. But having now experienced a critical side effect firsthand, I couldn't just prioritize recovery blindly.
Annoying as it was, I had no choice but to adjust the balance of my body appropriately, as needed, according to plan.
-Beep... beeeep....
"This is unusual."
The creature that usually climbs onto my chest the moment I lie down in bed was, strangely, curled up in its own nest today.
'It looks like things will be manageable until next summer.'
A presence fading little by little, however faint.
Leaving behind the creature that would serve as fuel for my plans, I exited the bedroom.
Claire's mana, palpable from the kitchen.
I headed there and found Claire slumped over the kitchen table, sound asleep.
'Seems she's been affected by the Void.'
Unlike before, when it had been enough to simply block my cracked eye, the remnants of the Void had now spread evenly across my entire body—that appeared to be the cause.
For if that weren't the case, there was no reason for her, someone who wouldn't tire even after a month without food or rest, to be asleep like this.
"Claire."
I called her name right next to her.
Hoooh, hoooh....
She gave no response, only continuing to breathe evenly.
I glanced at the clock on the wall to check the time, then lifted the sleeping woman into my arms.
"Just like back then."
Five years ago, one summer day, I had thrown her into the pool set up in the yard. She hadn't changed at all since then.
Returning to the bedroom, I laid her down on my bed.
"It seems the balance really has been adjusted."
Her sleeping face, perfectly serene.
My old self would have thought first of wanting to monopolize that sight, but now I simply found it beautiful.
After pulling the blanket over her, I left the mansion and headed toward the old building where the two were confined.
Arriving at the Alchemy Workshop, I climbed the stairs while pulling out my smartphone and sending two emails.
One about Ha-na, to Claire, who would still be sleeping.
The other for a different Ha-na—to Baek Ha-na, who had just woken up.
After sending both, I stepped into the rift.
"Bring them."
The creature, floating in the same spot as yesterday, began emitting an intense blue light the moment it received my command.
Ptui—
Accompanied by a sound like a person spitting, Yoon Do-sik and Jaden dropped from the ceiling.
Thud—!!
"Argh?!"
Yoon Do-sik slammed his backside against the floor and groaned in agony, while Jaden manipulated mana without difficulty and landed safely.
"I chose not to resist, just in case, and sure enough, it was you, Professor."
At Jaden's remark, I nodded, retrieving and flipping through the notebooks they were holding.
"How far along is the work?"
"First, we've got a handle on the overall structure."
True to his word, the first page of the notebook showed a top-down view of the terrain I had drawn, rendered with no significant errors.
"We've finished selecting monsters suitable for the first-year students' level, and were just about to discuss placement and traps. By the numbers, I'd say we're about twenty percent done."
"Not bad."
To complete terrain analysis and achieve twenty percent progress in just twelve hours meant the two of them could likely finish on time even without my interference.
"Continue the remainder starting this afternoon."
"Yes."
"......What?"
Unlike Jaden, who answered dutifully, Yoon Do-sik rose while rubbing his backside and glared at me.
"This afternoon? What's that supposed to mean?"
"Is your watch just for show?"
Granted, the scenery here just repeated what I had designated, but while communication with the outside was cut off, any electronic devices brought in would still function normally if they had power left.
Meaning, since both of them wore smartphones and smartwatches, they could check the time whenever they wanted.
'I suppose this space really was that fascinating to them.'
Yoon Do-sik furrowed his brow and operated his wrist-worn smartwatch.
"......?"
He blinked as if he'd seen something wrong, then grabbed Jaden's wrist and operated his smartwatch to check the screen. And then.
"...What the hell?!"
Eyes wide enough to pop out, Yoon Do-sik rushed toward me, shouting.
"Th-the exit!! Where's the exit?!"
At his demand, I gave the Crystal an order, creating an exit leading outside right next to him.
"Damn......!! I didn't even finish taking my notes!!"
Yoon Do-sik immediately flung himself toward the exit.
Jaden watched him for a moment, checked the time again, then approached me.
"I have a joint lecture for third and fourth years as well, so I'll take my leave."
"You two have free access to come and go. Don't bother asking for my permission; just enter and leave as you please."
"......Thank you!!"
From my perspective, I was merely offloading my work onto them, but this one, who possessed great scholarly curiosity about this space, even bowed to me to express his gratitude for that alone.
"Hoo, now that I've checked the time... fatigue is suddenly washing over me. Looks like I'm getting old after all. Haha."
"Jaden."
"Yes?"
I spoke to him, pausing in front of the exit, putting a little force behind my words.
"Deliver this to your master, straight."
"......Yes."
When I nodded, he swallowed once and vanished through the exit.
'I'm affecting the people around me more than I thought.'
"Biche."
【Yes, Master.】
She, who had been hiding inside the ring, appeared before me.
Unlike the others, she—who must have been with me ever since I came to my senses—greeted me with the same upright posture as yesterday.
"Your condition?"
【I am fine.】
"Understood. Return inside."
She bowed her head and hid herself back inside the ring.
I couldn't know the exact reason, but I suspected it was because the elements comprising her existence were composed of my Innate Mana.
I placed the two notebooks I was holding onto the desk and walked out through the still-open exit.
-Ding.
The notification sound Baek Ha-na had set rang from my coat.
Without bothering to pull it out and check, I descended the stairs.
"Ah......."
As the locked door opened, Baek Ha-na, standing before it, opened her eyes wide and quickly scanned the surroundings.
"I'm alone."
"......Woo-jin!!"
Only then did she smile brightly and leap toward me.
"Get off."
"No......."
Like a sloth, she clung tightly to me with both arms and legs, whining.
With the door closing behind me, I moved to a spot without glass windows and smoothed down the hair of the child clinging to me.
"I'm pretty sure I told you not to rush over."
"I-I didn't really rush...."
Her hair was still damp here and there, and yet she was lying.
The sight, unchanged from all those years ago, almost made me laugh.
'That's right.'
Even before Greed ran rampant, she was the only one who could provoke my dried-up emotions.
"...This feels like old times."
She, who had buried her face in the nape of my neck, lifted her head and looked me straight in the eye as she spoke.
"It feels...... nice. No, I've always liked it, but it's even better... mmph."
"Stop talking nonsense and get down already."
"Eeh~"
Baek Ha-na released her arms from around my neck and slid down off my chest.
I caught her left hand as she finally stood on her own two feet.
"......Why?"
"Hold still."
I cautioned her as she wiggled her fingers for no reason.
'Biche.'
Swish—
I transferred Biche, who had been concealed in my ring, to the silver ring I had gifted Baek Ha-na.
I released her hand and spoke.
"Go back now."
"...Already?"
"It's almost seven."
"It's okay if I don't eat breakfast...?"
She furtively stretched out her arms and wrapped them around my waist.
"Can't we just stay like this a little longer?"
"No."
"Whyyy~!!"
When I pushed her forehead away with my hand, the pouting began. I pressed her lips softly with my index finger and answered.
"I believe we agreed that whining is for at home."
"Muu...."
"And also."
"Nyaa!!"
I only flicked her lightly on the nose, but she still made a noise like a child and exaggerated the pain.
"Pulling a stunt like that and then not contacting me even once."
"Ah......."
She stopped her act, eyes wide, rolling her round pupils to avoid my gaze as she mumbled.
"Th-that's, Big Sis Claire was obviously supposed to...."
"Baek Ha-na."
"...I'm, I'm sorry."
And then, in that fully-grown form, she wiggled her fingers and hung her head.
I placed a hand on her snow-white hair and said,
"Write a letter of apology before you come home."
"...One page?"
I answered, playing along with her reaction as she rubbed her head against my palm of her own accord.
"One notebook."
"......Huh?"
I wrapped the dazed, staring girl in mana and lifted her into the air.
"O-one notebook?! Who, who even does that?!"
"Don't think about coming back until it's done."
"Aaaah!!"
I shut the door on her as she yelled noisily, shooing her outside.
I watched her sulking through the ring for a moment, then took the stairs at a leisurely pace.
'Considering she doesn't do things halfheartedly, it'll probably take a little over a month.'
Demanding an entire notebook's worth of apology from Baek Ha-na wasn't meant to torment her or because I was cross. I just needed a little time.
Time to observe and test how the Power of Void, now dispersed through my body, affected my surroundings.
The content of the mail I sent to Claire was about that as well. Something along the lines of: I'll be away from home for a while preparing for the Grade Evaluation, so don't worry about it.
"Three weeks should be enough."
They achieved twenty percent of the workload in just twelve hours, so even factoring in the changes caused by Void's influence as a variable, three weeks would be more than enough to finish.
I stepped into the rift, waiting for the two who would serve as both workers and test subjects to return.