Chapter 136
Chapter 136
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 136
Chapter Title: Did You Really Not Feel Anything?
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***
"Instructor Kalli. I'm going to be completely honest."
"...Yes. What is it?"
Looking at Kalli, who answered cautiously, I intentionally let my gaze wander over her body.
Kalli sat beside me without hesitation, her body unguarded. The pale skin visible through her loose cloth robes certainly had a distinct feminine charm.
It felt all the more pronounced because it was a side of Kalli I rarely saw.
"......"
Conscious of it, I stared at her body even more overtly.
Did Kalli notice my gaze?
I could feel her eyes on me change, but right now, I needed to give her a kind of 'warning.'
‘She’s probably acting this unguarded because she simply sees me as a cadet.’
But that in itself was a problem for me.
Kalli needed to be a little more conscious of me.
Not as an instructor to a cadet, but as a man…
I knew that seeing each other as instructor and cadet and acting without distance was the right thing for our relationship. But there was still a line that had to be drawn.
No matter our relationship... there were things that were acceptable to show and things that were not, and Kalli's current state was clearly closer to the latter.
I lifted my head, met her eyes, and spoke.
“I know what I'm about to say may sound rude. But, Instructor. Is it possible... that you don't see me as a man?”
“...Cadet Han Cheon-seong?”
Kalli’s question was filled with surprise.
Her expression seemed to ask why I would suddenly say such a thing. I could feel her trust in me.
And that surprised even me.
'I stared at her body so brazenly.'
How could she look at me so calmly?
I let out a soft sigh and continued.
“I won't be polite or try to sugarcoat my words for your sake, Instructor. That's how much I trust you. Which is why I'm saying this. The way you look right now is too... provocative for me.”
“Wh-what…?”
“What I mean is, you're being far too unguarded, Instructor Kalli.”
I told her directly.
That she shouldn't be dressed like that right now.
On one hand, I enjoyed seeing Kalli with her skin exposed like this. It meant she felt comfortable around me, that she had let her guard down.
But if someone were to ask.
Who I was to Kalli, I was just 'one' among many cadets.
That meant she might show this unguarded side of herself to someone else, not just me, and I hated that more than anything.
“...”
As I continued to hold her gaze, Kalli blinked blankly before finally looking down at her own body.
Even that was strange.
A moment ago, I had stared at her body with unconcealed desire, yet Kalli hadn't thought to check her appearance at all.
I had expected my stare alone to make Kalli furious, but strangely, she accepted my gaze calmly.
*Rustle!*
Belatedly, Kalli gave an awkward laugh and adjusted herself, finally seeming to pull together the cloth robe that had been revealing her skin.
“Oh... so it was because of my clothes.”
"Yes. It's not that I would dare harbor any dark intentions toward you, Instructor, but I hoped you would be a little more aware of me as a man.”
Even the moment just before, when she had ruffled my hair as if proud of me, had been deeply unsettling.
How was I supposed to interpret Kalli’s unreserved actions while she wore such revealing training attire…?
Honestly, for a second, I even had strange thoughts.
Kalli, with an awkward laugh, slowly nodded her head.
“Sorry, I failed to maintain my decorum as an instructor.”
“It’s fine with me. Still, I just wanted you to see me as a man, at least a little. If my gaze just now made you uncomfortable……”
“No, it wasn't particularly unpleasant. I trust you, Cadet Han Cheon-seong.”
Smiling faintly at my words, Kalli reached for the uniform hanging on a nearby rack.
*Rustle!*
She then immediately draped the black outer coat over her shoulders, and even that sight struck me as somewhat sensual.
Although the exposed skin was now mostly covered by the uniform coat, the outline of the slightly tight cloth underneath was, to be frank... very suggestive.
*Swish.*
Kalli came and sat beside me again, but the atmosphere was considerably different from before.
“There, is this better now?”
She asked if it was okay now that she had put on her uniform coat, and it seemed uncharacteristically cute of her.
She was so compliant, I was almost grateful. I had been prepared for her to be not just angry, but to look at me with contempt. Yet, she accepted it all so meekly.
“Yes. It’s fine.”
“That moment just now was certainly... a surprise. When you suddenly looked at me like that, Cadet Han Cheon-seong, it felt very out of character.”
“...I apologize.”
“No. Don't apologize. I already told you I wasn't offended. It’s just that the Han Cheon-seong I know isn't that kind of person... so I wondered if there was some other problem I wasn't aware of.”
As she continued to show her trust in me, I wondered where I had earned so much of it from her.
‘All I’ve ever done is focus on sparring and training.’
Then, I suddenly recalled the day we first met.
—*You have to face reality to move forward.*
Perhaps the words I had let slip by mistake had become a major turning point between Kalli and me. Thinking back, she had often gone out of her way to accommodate or look out for me since then.
When I thought about it, her attitude over time was astounding.
The reality that Kalli, who was called a pillar of the Empire, was investing her personal time to watch over me.
When I realized it, it was as if I was receiving an unspeakable privilege from her.
As I was lost in thought.
Kalli suddenly smiled.
“...?”
I thought it was a beautiful smile, but I didn't know why she was suddenly smiling.
“Cadet Han Cheon-seong?”
“Yes, Instructor Kalli.”
“Still, I must admit, it was quite unexpected. I never imagined you’d say something like that.”
Her words were incredibly peculiar.
I blinked at the way she looked at me askance, a faint smile playing on her lips.
“Did I say something that strange?”
All I had said was to ask if she saw me as a man. In truth, it was an incredibly presumptuous thing for a cadet to say to an instructor.
“Not strange, exactly, but your expression just now was fascinating. Asking me to see you as a man, and on top of that, it’s been so long since I received such a blatant stare.”
"I felt it was something that needed to be addressed."
Since she had assured me it was fine, I didn't offer another apology.
Instead, I couldn't help the feeling of embarrassment welling up inside me.
...Even I felt I had done something quite presumptuous.
“Actually, since I started fighting on the battlefield, almost no one has looked at me so brazenly. Once they witness my power, they all just look at me with fear. And you, Cadet Han Cheon-seong, you were beaten by me dozens of times today. Yet you still looked at me like that... Isn't that just fascinating?”
The way Kalli spoke, glancing at me sideways, seemed both like she was playing a mischievous prank and expressing her astonishment.
And to that... I had nothing to say.
“...”
I just endured the rising embarrassment.
“And normally, if I received such a blatant stare, I'd retaliate immediately.”
“Retaliate, you say...”
“Meaning I'd inflict physical harm, or with words, or whatever it takes to make sure they never look at me that way again.”
Her voice suddenly turned cold, and my body seemed to freeze.
"Pfft..."
But when Kalli burst out laughing, I felt a great sense of relief.
“Don't be so tense. I have no intention of retaliating against you, Cadet Han Cheon-seong.”
Kalli slowly shook her head, and the crimson hair that swayed with the movement strangely drew my eyes.
“It’s just... somehow, it didn't feel bad. The feeling of someone seeing me as a woman like that. I'll admit I'm teasing a bit before I say this, but as I received your gaze, Cadet Han Cheon-seong, I felt a strange emotion myself, you know?”
“Excuse me, Instructor? If you say it like that…”
Her very peculiar words made my eyes widen, but Kalli only smiled faintly.
“You really looked at me so brazenly that I felt that way. I know you're telling me to be a little more careful, but be honest, Cadet Han Cheon-seong. When you looked at me, did you really not feel even a little something strange?”
The way Kalli spoke, glancing at me sideways, was completely different from her usual demeanor.
So unlike the Kalli I knew... her attitude had suddenly changed so drastically.
It was as if the distance between us had completely vanished, and for a joke, the line she was crossing was too much.
“How could I possibly... harbor such feelings while looking at you, Instructor.”
Therefore, I gave Kalli a proper answer.
...I couldn't say that I had felt lust for Kalli. That was something that should never be said, not even as a joke.
To feel lust in the middle of a spar, that would be the talk of a madman.
Then, suddenly…
‘Could it be?’
It occurred to me that Kalli might be testing me right now.
Because I had acted so strangely, she might be checking to see if I was harboring any strange intentions.
“Is that so? I see.”
At her skeptical, sideways glance, I answered more confidently.
“Yes. I have never felt any strange emotions during our spars, Instructor Kalli. Even now, you're investing your time and consideration for me, so how could I have such irreverent thoughts……”
In truth, I had never felt any lust for her during our spars.
That was 100% the pure truth.
However, right after the spar ended, in a moment of laxness, I had felt a small bit of lust at the sight of an unguarded Kalli...
“...Hmph.”
Kalli, answering as if she understood, slowly turned her head to look at the training hall, which was enveloped in light.
The hall was slightly damaged from the hours of sparring.
The self-repair process was underway, and the hall was shrouded in a white light, creating a mystical atmosphere.
“Well then, that’s a bit of a shame.”
“...Pardon?”
“No, it was just a lighthearted joke. Don't mind me.”
Smiling, Kalli looked back at me... and I just nodded blankly.
‘A joke…’
If Kalli said it was a joke, then it was a joke... probably.
In that case, I shouldn't overthink the strange feeling I got from Kalli just now.
For a moment, it had clearly seemed as if Kalli had feelings for me.
'She definitely seemed disappointed...'