Chapter 101
Chapter 101
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 101
Chapter Title: Time is Running Out
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***
Fresh greenery filled her vision.
Nature, whose mere sight could purify negative thoughts and impart a fresh, serene feeling. The space was filled with lush plants and flowers.
To be able to be with someone in such a refreshing place.
For Karite, it was an incredibly new and wondrous experience.
As she spent time in the academy's botanical garden, Karite's gaze suddenly shifted to the person beside her.
*Rustle.*
The sight of Han Cheon-seong gently fiddling with a violet petal seemed to blend strangely well with the space.
His signature black hair and eyes, which seemed to hold the darkness, were calm. Yet, at times, those same eyes would emotionally assert an opinion, reflecting his inner strength.
Just as he had with me today.
That moment when he grabbed my shoulders and made me look at him. I could do nothing but stare at Han Cheon-seong.
“…”
Recalling the moment he spoke so sincerely… a strange feeling seemed to surge in my chest.
‘He called me a friend.’
*Thump.*
Just looking at Han Cheon-seong like this made my heart feel like it was beating faster and faster.
A peculiar warmth circulated through my body, and during this time together, I felt not even a hint of anxiety.
It was like this during our first meeting, but compared to that day, our next meeting, and then today, my heart felt an even greater sense of stability, to the point of feeling happiness.
So much so that I had recently come to realize how easily my emotions could change…
Then, as Han Cheon-seong’s head slowly turned toward me, the pounding in my chest grew even more intense.
“Karite.”
Meeting his gentle voice with my gaze, I opened my mouth.
“…Yes.”
“This flower petal really feels strange. It’s rough, but also soft? It’s a complete contradiction, but that’s really how it feels.”
At the sight of him speaking with a gentle smile… I found myself smiling without realizing it.
“It certainly must feel strange. The petals of a Filasia have a unique surface compared to other flowers. But they say the reason it gives that sensation hasn't been discovered yet.”
I carefully shared the knowledge I possessed.
“There really seem to be a lot of amazing flowers and plants here."
I nodded as he spoke, looking around the area.
Having frequented botanical gardens in various regions with my parents during my childhood, I had a fair amount of knowledge. To be honest, the plants in the academy weren't that surprising to me.
Rather, I found the man named Han Cheon-seong standing before me more amazing.
“Noble ladies really are different, I see.”
“What do you mean all of a sudden?”
“It’s just that, in contrast to me being amazed by all these different plants, you’re barely surprised at all, Karite."
“That’s… I don’t know all of them. I just happened to see something I recognized.”
“Really? For someone who says that, you seem to know almost everything.”
His inquisitive gaze was about nothing important, yet it made me smile for some reason.
I then looked around, searching for a plant I didn't know.
Soon, I saw several people gathered around a golden flower.
“This is my first time seeing an Esilita flower, too.”
“An Esilita flower?”
“Yes. That’s the name of the flower. I’ve only seen it in encyclopedias; today is the first time I’m seeing it in person.”
Unlike the Filasia flower, which Han Cheon-seong had been able to touch just a moment ago, my gaze fell on the golden flower enclosed in a transparent barrier.
The flower named Esilita was treated as a special specimen in this botanical garden, so even light contact was not permitted.
“I know about the Esilita flower, too.”
Han Cheon-seong, who had been marveling at the other plants until now, answered that he knew about the Esilita flower, and I felt a spark of curiosity.
“You do? Then do you know the language of the Esilita flower?”
“I do. The meaning of the Esilita is eternity. An eternity that never changes.”
…The moment Han Cheon-seong said that while looking at me, my heart wavered immensely.
He knew the meaning of the Esilita flower perfectly.
But… I couldn't help but have a strange thought about his words.
This time, where I could talk with someone so casually without feeling anxious, this time where I even felt happiness…
I wished it could last for an eternity…
***
The time for parting swiftly approached.
At some point, Cheon-seong no longer felt that spending time with Karite was something he had to do.
Being with her, he too found his mind feeling at ease.
“Well then, Karite. You should head in.”
“Okay. Today was really fun.”
Seeing Karite smile with such newfound comfort, a smile escaped my lips as well.
Unlike the anxious, trembling figure I first saw, Karite, now free of negative emotions, seemed to show off her charm like a flower in full bloom.
That’s why I, too, found this Karite much better to see.
“Yeah. I had fun too, Karite.”
As I replied, I no longer felt like I was forcing myself to accommodate her.
I also enjoyed the time I spent with Karite. It even felt like I was healing.
Visiting various places to care for someone, to give them peace of mind, ironically had a great effect on me as well.
*Click-clack.*
Watching Karite’s back as she slowly walked away, my heart felt strangely satisfied and at ease.
“It wasn't my intention, but I feel like I’m the one who received more help.”
I was meeting her to help her, but it felt like the roles had been reversed.
Seeing someone gradually get better and brighter held an indescribable, peculiar warmth.
“…”
As I watched Karite disappear completely into the distance, my heart gradually settled.
Karite, who had now brightened up, a significant amount of her negative energy gone.
And yet, in just two days…
No, in terms of time, in just over a day, she would face a life-or-death crisis.
*Clench.* I clenched my fist, calmly steadying my breath as I shifted my mindset.
“I must…”
I muttered the words as if vowing to myself, coloring my relaxed mind with tension.
Now that I had parted with Karite. This was where it truly began.
…
The cold night air wrapped around me as it passed.
I had gone to my dorm, taken a quick shower, and come back out to the park. The spear that was usually in my hand was missing.
Because I had broken it during my training with Kalli.
But it didn't matter.
“I can still train.”
I believed I could continue my training even without a spear.
While intense training that involved wielding a spear was impossible, I felt I could still train to reflect on and solidify the concept of the skill.
—Stab a single point and twist.
I already understood that concept far better than before.
So much so that I felt I had passed the eighth station and was now approaching the ninth.
It was possible to manifest the concept even without holding a spear.
*Snap.*
A faint smile emerged as I picked up a long branch that had fallen in the bushes.
“Maybe it was a good thing my spear broke.”
Since I couldn't pour the immense power I would put into a spear into a tree branch, I was in a situation where I was forced to control my strength.
Unintentionally restricted from using enough excessive power to lose consciousness, I actually considered this situation meaningful.
*Shhh.* I pointed the blunt end of the branch toward the empty air and calmed my mind.
“…”
Even as a cool breeze brushed against my cheek, I focused my mind.
—!
Gradually, a blue aura began to gather at the tip of the branch.
A spiraling blue mana.
That blue aura was incomparably smaller than the one I had unleashed in the training hall before.
It was merely a faint, blue spiral current, gathering as if flowing.
And yet.
The mental strain I felt was almost no different from when I was pouring all my strength into it.
‘Why is this so difficult?’
Restraining my power so that the branch in my hand wouldn't break was much harder than I had thought.
And I could understand why.
Until now, I had always envisioned powerful opponents and tried to face them with my full strength.
A more developed Leonhardt.
The absolutely powerful Kalli.
Thinking about it, it was only natural. They were powerful individuals who were always too much for me to handle, even at full strength.
That was why I had never tried to control my power.
“…”
How long had I been struggling to concentrate like that?
Just maintaining the spiral around the branch, my body slowly began to change.
*Tremble, tremble, tremble.*
Despite limiting my power, the branch was shaking violently due to the spiral current.
Etching that sight into my eyes, I tried to gradually reduce the spiral's energy.
Even though controlling the power was incredibly difficult, I had to do it.
‘I can’t always clash with my full strength.’
The first enemy I would face was the Apostle of Sacrifice, Leteia. I didn't know if there would be fiends assisting the apostle, or what other variables might exist.
But if I lost consciousness after a single encounter, it would be completely meaningless.
If I truly wanted to protect Karite, I had to be able to control this power now.
…
As Cheon-seong devoted himself to training, a blue spiral current repeatedly gathered around his body and then scattered.
Even as the pile of branches, broken from failed attempts at control, grew larger, Cheon-seong continued to regulate his energy, engrossed in his training.
Hoping that the power he desired could reach the level of a skill.
As the night in the park deepened.
“…”
Han Cheon-seong was completely unaware that someone was watching him.