Chapter 125
Chapter 125
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 125
Chapter Title: Do You Know a Student Named Glacia?
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***
*Click.*
Even as he returned to the infirmary with Adelia, Cheon-seong felt a profound sense of dissatisfaction.
A moment ago, his body seemed to rejoice at the movement. Moving was far better than lying still in the infirmary, but if asked whether that brief activity was enough, Cheon-seong was far from satisfied.
‘Just a little more…’
He could move his body, yet he wasn't allowed to.
...Though his mind understood his situation, a corner of his heart was filled with lingering dissatisfaction.
He knew that rest was important. Yet, he had a faint feeling that his body had already returned to its normal condition.
With his body in this state, he could resume his training, even push himself a little harder…
Compared to the training he was used to, the movements from a moment ago were nothing more than a light warm-up.
"Cadet Han Cheon-seong. I'm going to brew some tea, so please rest for a moment."
"...Yes, Instructor."
As he replied naturally, he watched Adelia slowly walk away.
It was certainly something to be grateful for, that an instructor like her would care so much for a mere cadet like him.
She was looking after him in so many ways that he felt a simple thank you wasn't nearly enough.
Realistically... it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Adelia had saved his life.
And yet.
He was realizing just how fickle the human heart could be.
Because now, he found himself wanting more.
*Rustle.*
As he slowly sat down on the infirmary bed... a small sigh escaped his lips.
‘Is there any way to convince Adelia?’
He knew his senses hadn't fully returned. And that he had to stay in the infirmary longer under the pretext of rehabilitation.
But... spending the day like this felt like such a waste.
The physical therapy, as they called it, seemed like something he could finish in two hours at most.
That meant the rest of the day was time he could spend attending lectures like the other cadets, or doing something else...
"Come to think of it, I should stock more varieties of tea next time. I only have black tea because it's my favorite, but a cadet might prefer something different."
"Ah. I'm fine with any kind of tea."
"Aren't you just saying that because you're a good kid, Cadet Han Cheon-seong?"
As she smiled brightly at him, he smiled back... and his thoughts deepened.
—He wanted to convince Adelia.
He had been very careful for the few days after regaining consciousness. But just last week, he had lived a life where every day, every hour, every minute and second was precious.
But now, having to spend most of the day just resting, the gap was so vast that he couldn't get used to it.
*Rattle.*
As Adelia approached with tea on a rolling table, he slowly gathered his thoughts and looked at her.
"Cadet Han Cheon-seong. What are you thinking about so hard?"
"It's just... I'm not used to spending my days like this."
As he spoke awkwardly, Adelia, the corners of her lips curling up, slowly offered him a teacup.
*Clink.*
"Not used to it... I can see that. But in your case, Cadet Han Cheon-seong, you didn't get to rest properly over the weekend, so can't you just think of today as a day to get some real rest?"
"On a weekday, you mean."
"That's right. You need to recover, and it's not like you're resting for no reason. You were gravely injured trying to protect Cadet Karite from an apostle, and you're recuperating. Who's going to say anything? I, your instructor, am telling you it's okay to rest."
As Adelia slowly tilted her teacup, he awkwardly lifted his own.
...*Sip.*
As he tasted the bitter black tea, which had nothing added to it, his eyes turned to Adelia.
‘This is going to be hard to convince her.’
He had only thrown out a light comment, but Adelia was already responding with the logic that it was right for him to rest.
It almost felt... as if she knew what he was about to say.
*Clink.*
As they both set down their teacups at the same time, Adelia suddenly gave a bright smile.
"Why? Are you getting antsy?"
...She asked as if she had read his mind, and after a moment's hesitation, he nodded.
"Yes. To be honest, they say my body isn't fully recovered, but I feel like I'd be fine living as I normally do."
It seemed like she'd given him an opportunity to speak his mind, so he revealed his true feelings. But as soon as he said it, he regretted it.
"Hmm…"
Adelia's eyes narrowed as she stared at him with a strange hum, and that look hit him harder than any words could have.
It was a strange sort of provocation... as if she were daring him to say more if he had the mouth for it.
So, he quickly changed his mind.
"...Of course, Instructor Adelia. I also think that resting is the best thing for me right now."
"Is that so? You really do have a clever side, Cadet Han Cheon-seong. I'm glad you seem to understand your situation so well. I was about to... say something harsh."
She smiled so sweetly, her lovely eyes curving. But to him, facing that smile, it felt like her words had a hidden edge.
‘If I had said I wanted to train…’
*Gulp.*
Swallowing hard, he picked up his teacup again.
It was a huge relief that he had immediately dropped the idea.
*Knock, knock.*
At the sudden sound of knocking, Adelia frowned for a moment, then nodded.
"Well then, please drink your tea. I'll be right back."
"Yes, Instructor."
As Adelia drew the curtain to hide him and left, he let out a faint breath.
...He felt as though his heart had suddenly tensed up, and then just as quickly relaxed.
"This time isn't so bad."
He couldn't say that the time spent in the infirmary was truly bad.
It was time for his body to recover. And whether by choice or not, he was spending a lot of time with a beautiful woman like Adelia, talking with her, and receiving so much of her attention.
The truth was, as a man, there was no way he would dislike receiving attention from a beautiful woman with a great figure like Adelia.
The more kindly she treated him, the more he sometimes found himself wanting to lean on her kindness.
To be perfectly... honest, there were moments when he found himself captivated by her sensual figure.
"But I just don't know if it's okay for me to be resting so comfortably."
A small chuckle escaped as he kept muttering to himself.
Just last week, with worries about Karite, the instability of the future, a sense of crisis, and constant vigilance... his body had been through a period of great tension.
In fact, even before meeting Karite, he had been training diligently, so he had never let his body rest for such a long time.
He had pushed his body to its limits, trying to move forward no matter what.
Because he had tried not to stop for even a moment.
After entering the academy, it had been a relentless series of moments, as if he were whipping himself to go faster.
*Swish.*
Suddenly, the curtain was drawn back, and his thoughts were cut short.
Standing there, alongside Adelia, was Karite.
"Karite?"
"I came to check on you."
As Karite replied with a bright smile, he nodded blankly.
The more he looked at Karite's distinctly brighter face... the harder it was to get used to.
‘Was Karite always this pretty?’
He knew that a person's expression greatly influenced their impression, but Karite's change felt like it went far beyond that.
...It was as if she had done a complete 180.
"Well then, I'll step out for a bit. You two cadets can talk."
"Thank you, Instructor Adelia."
*Bow.* Karite lowered her head in gratitude, and Adelia, with a benevolent smile, cleared her own teacup and gave them space.
*Swish.*
As the curtain was drawn again, he found himself naturally facing Karite.
It felt awkward to be sitting up and facing her like this, rather than lying in bed as before.
"Did you come to the infirmary right after your lecture?"
"Yeah. I just wanted to check on you again, Han Cheon-seong. So, how are you feeling now?"
As Karite asked in a bright voice and sat down beside him, he lightly raised his arm.
"I'm almost completely fine now. I still lack some sensation, but I think that'll recover within a few days too."
He waved his arm to show he was okay.
"I'm so glad you're okay. But Han Cheon-seong, what exactly does it feel like to have no sensation?"
At her cautious question, he nonchalantly held out his hand.
"Want to try holding my hand?"
"...Huh?"
Seeing the surprised look on her face at his sudden words, he extended his hand further.
"Go on."
At his insistence, Karite took his hand with a dubious expression. He could clearly feel the sensation.
But in a few spots where their hands touched, he couldn't feel her grip at all.
"You're holding my hand right now. But I can't fully feel your hand holding mine."
"Then... isn't your condition still serious?"
She asked with a look of great concern, and a laugh escaped him before he knew it.
"It's not that serious, it's just a partial loss of sensation. It's actually gotten a lot better. A few days ago, I couldn't even feel more than half of it when Instructor Adelia held my hand."
"More than half..."
As Karite's eyes continued to fill with worry, he gave her hand a gentle squeeze.
"Ah."
A natural laugh escaped him as he saw Karite's startled reaction.
‘Really, who's worrying about whom here?’
The whole situation seemed quite funny to him.
Just last week, he had been the one constantly worrying about Karite and taking care of her.
But now, the roles were completely reversed.
Karite was worrying about him like this. And he didn't really want to see that expression on her face.
He'd rather people look composed than wear such worried expressions for his sake.
Especially if that person was Karite.
"Karite."
As he called her name slowly, their eyes met, and she nodded blankly.
"Yeah…"
"You've gotten really pretty. Do you know that?"
"I've... gotten pretty?"
"Yeah, I was really surprised when I saw you just now. Your expression is so much brighter, and you look about ten times prettier than you did last week. You have no idea how surprised I was."
As he continued to praise her, Karite's eyes widened.
She avoided his gaze, seemingly embarrassed by his words. He found it endearing for some reason.
"So... you're not feeling anxious or anything like that anymore, right?"
He asked with a sort of conviction, and Karite slowly nodded.
"It's really lessened a lot."
"...A lot."
"Yeah. Lately, I can hardly believe I can spend my days so peacefully. It's not completely gone yet, but even just this much makes me so happy…"
As she cautiously shared her feelings... his heart was instantly filled with a sense of pride.
‘Leteia's interference has really decreased.’
Protecting Karite was the most important outcome, but in the process, he believed he had nearly destroyed Leteia's avatar.
When they had both collapsed as if in mutual destruction, he had been sure that Leteia's power had been greatly diminished.
Even if he couldn't kill Leteia's main body, Leteia was one of the apostles who poured a great deal of their power into their avatars.
Just reducing the avatar's power was a significant blow to Leteia.
‘What a relief.’
And that meant her influence over Karite had also been greatly reduced.
"Um... Cadet Han Cheon-seong?"
Suddenly hearing Adelia's voice from beyond the curtain, he wondered what it was but answered anyway.
"Yes, Instructor."
"...Do you know a student named Glacia?"
"What?"
Why all of a sudden...
...did her name come from Adelia?