Build Injection (3)
After the sparring match ended, Adelia Laden clenched her fists tightly in frustration.
'I let my guard down completely. What a pathetic display.'
It was only after the match concluded that Adelia Laden realized she had fallen right into Lee Si-han's trap.
When Lee Si-han had struck her on the rear, Adelia Laden had been utterly flustered.
The dignity of the Second Princess of the Laden Kingdom.
For someone in that position to be struck on the rear was an experience Adelia had never encountered in her entire life.
Especially when she heard him say that was how one disciplined a misbehaving child, a fierce wave of shame and anger welled up inside her.
'I've never even been struck by Father!'
Unlike her usual self, Adelia had reacted to Lee Si-han's words and revealed the secret technique she had sworn never to show recklessly.
And when the Dance of Water Blossoms, empowered by the Blessing of Water Record, had knocked the spear from Lee Si-han's hands—
'I won!'
Adelia had completely let her guard down.
Before she could even savor the victory, Lee Si-han had swiftly moved to retrieve his spear.
In that moment, Adelia Laden vividly recalled the three painful strikes from his spear shaft that had landed on her rear.
That was why she had spun around without properly tracking his movements.
The instant she turned and saw he was no longer there, Adelia Laden realized her mistake.
Even as she tried to react, Lee Si-han had already pressed his spear to her throat. The match was over.
Reflecting on the sparring session, Adelia Laden felt nothing but humiliation.
'In the end, Lee Si-han was right. I was arrogant and foolish.'
Her sword had clearly reached him.
If she had activated the Blessing of Water Record the moment she realized that, she might have stood a chance.
At the very least, she wouldn't have suffered such a pathetic outcome, Adelia Laden thought.
Because of the foolishness Lee Si-han had pointed out, she had been struck on the rear three times, and her mind had been so fixated on it that she had stupidly left herself open.
In short, Adelia Laden now felt like she wanted to crawl into a mouse hole and disappear.
But losing the match was bad enough—she couldn't add to her shame by running away.
Stepping down from the training ground, Adelia Laden spoke to Lee Si-han.
"Thank you for sparring with me. Thanks to you… I was able to realize my own foolishness."
The stage she had chosen to display her skills had instead become the place where she recognized her own stupidity.
"I'm glad you realized it. Though it's not really my place to say…"
Adelia Laden felt Lee Si-han's gaze flick toward her rear.
"Is your rear all right?"
"Ugh…"
At Lee Si-han's question, Adelia Laden reflexively reached back to touch her rear.
"It still… stings a little."
"U-um, I have some good medicinal herbs for that kind of sting. W-would you like to try them?"
At Pamela's cautious offer, Adelia Laden nodded.
"Please."
"L-let's go to the club room. There are too many people watching here."
The members of the Portis Group, including Adelia, returned to the club room.
Once there, at Pamela's request, the male members Lee Si-han and Atsbal stepped outside. They couldn't stay while Adelia Laden's rear needed to be treated.
"Please l-lie face down on the bed."
"Understood."
As Adelia Laden lay prone on the bed, Pamela lifted the fabric covering her rear.
Her pale skin was beautiful even where the important parts were modestly covered by the high-leg swimsuit-style garment.
However, three vivid red marks from Lee Si-han's spear shaft remained in the center.
Seeing them, Shu Yeon-hwa remarked,
"They left quite clear marks."
"Are they that bad?"
"No, not that severe, but noticeable enough."
"S-still, with the ointment, the marks should fade completely in a few hours."
"But if I apply the ointment, does that mean I have to stay still like this?"
"You don't have to. I said herbs, but it's actually an ointment made from them."
Pamela scooped up some of her homemade ointment and carefully spread it over the marks on Adelia's rear.
"Ugh…"
'It stings a bit.'
Applying the ointment inevitably required touching the marks, and Adelia Laden endured the resulting pain.
"I-I've applied it all. If you stay like this for about three minutes, the ointment will absorb properly. Then it won't stain your clothes much when you sit."
"Thank you."
Following the advice, Adelia Laden remained lying still for three minutes.
'The stinging sensation is fading quickly. This must be quite an effective ointment.'
"Where did you get this ointment?"
"Huh? Ah, um, I-I made it myself."
"You did? You have impressive skill."
"I-impressive skill? N-no, that's not true~ Heh, hehehe~."
"Ohohohoho! Pamela is exceptionally talented at making medicines!"
"Y-you too, Yeon-hwa~ Hehehehe~."
'She really is weak to praise.'
After three minutes, Adelia Laden pulled her top back down and sat up on the bed.
The sharp stinging in her rear had noticeably lessened.
"Si-han! Atsbal! You can come in now!"
The moment Shu Yeon-hwa called out, Lee Si-han and Atsbal entered the club room.
Adelia Laden looked at Lee Si-han and asked,
"Si-han. Did the assessment… go well?"
Adelia Laden hadn't forgotten the purpose of the sparring match.
This had been a match to show her skills and reveal what abilities she used.
But in Adelia Laden's mind, Lee Si-han was already recognized as someone stronger than herself.
She was waiting for his evaluation rather than a simple assessment.
"Yeah, I confirmed everything. The Sword of Severing, Dance of Water Blossoms, Rain of Rapids, and… Blessing of Water Record. All of them are excellent and powerful techniques. I'm looking forward to fighting monsters together from now on."
"What?"
Adelia Laden had expected Lee Si-han to point out her flaws and scold her, just like during the match.
Instead, she received the opposite—praise and approval.
"You're not going to criticize me?"
"Of course there were points I could advise on. But you don't seem to need that advice anymore. You've already realized them yourself."
"Ah…"
"Rather, I was impressed by your attitude. Even though you're royalty with a high status, you accepted and understood the points I pointed out. That's… admirable and remarkable."
Upon hearing Lee Si-han's words, Adelia Laden felt a strange and flustered joy well up inside her.
'W-what is this? Why is this happening? Why… does hearing Lee Si-han call me remarkable make me so happy?'
When Lee Si-han said she was remarkable, the joy of being acknowledged by someone spread through Adelia Laden's heart with surprising speed.
"R-remarkable?"
"Yes. Even without a high position, many people struggle to accept criticism about their mistakes or shortcomings.
Yet even as royalty, you clearly understood the points I raised after the match. The mindset to accept your own flaws and move forward—that's essential for becoming stronger. You have it."
With every word Lee Si-han spoke, Adelia Laden desperately tried to suppress the joy bubbling up inside her.
'What is this? Why does this feel so good? This feeling…'
A joy that was both unfamiliar and bewildering.
Adelia Laden had felt this kind of joy once before, long ago.
It was when her older sister, Adelin Laden, was still alive.
-Sister, look at this! The Dance of Water Blossoms!
Back then, young Adelia Laden had performed a clumsy imitation of the Dance of Water Blossoms.
Her older sister, the First Princess Adelin Laden, had gently patted her head and said,
-Well done, my adorable Adelia. You'll surely become a splendid swordswoman.
-Wow! Really? Can I become a great swordswoman like you, Sister?
-Of course. After all, Adelia is my precious little sister.
Happy memories with her sister.
Now, that faint pride and joy she could only recall from distant memories washed over Adelia Laden once more.
"With that alone, you're undoubtedly a splendid swordswoman."
-You'll surely become a splendid swordswoman.
"Ah…"
For a moment, Lee Si-han's figure overlapped with the image of her beloved sister in Adelia Laden's eyes.
"I look forward to working with you, Adelia Laden."
Adelia Laden stared blankly at Lee Si-han's outstretched hand before snapping out of it and hurriedly grasping it.
"Y-yes! I look forward to working with you too!"
After the handshake, Lee Si-han suggested they go to a café to bond now that they were in the same group.
Adelia Laden had wanted to immediately take on the request for the suspected rampaging monster region.
But considering the lingering sting in her rear, she wasn't in peak condition, and she worried about making mistakes.
More than anything, she didn't want to show any foolish blunders or pathetic sides to Lee Si-han, who had given her that nostalgic praise.
Adelia Laden spent time with the Portis Group members at the academy café, drinking tea, eating cookies, and chatting.
They talked about the festival, past requests the group had completed, everyday life, recent classes, and how unique and delicious Poison Boar steak was.
Since most of the stories were ones the existing Portis members had already experienced, Adelia mostly just nodded along except when discussing classes or daily life.
For Adelia, who had always strived for perfection, polished herself to fit the role of Second Princess, minimized interactions with others, and devoted herself to training—
'This kind of time… isn't so bad after all.'
The space where their conversation flowed felt warm and comforting.
It felt as if the sting in her rear was fading even faster.