Chapter 27
Chapter 27
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Because You Must Face Reality to Move Forward
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"Instructor Kalli, already bringing a cadet to the instructors' dining hall... my, my."
"Well, well. Don't they make a lovely pair?"
"After talking so much about that cadet, she's finally got her claws into him..."
I was in the middle of filling my tray with food when a comment from an instructor I didn't know made me pause.
...It was hard to just laugh it off as a joke, but it was also hard for me to say anything in response.
A C-Class cadet talking back to an instructor could be seen as arrogant. So, like a cat had my tongue, I could only manage an awkward smile.
Kalli, on the other hand.
"Does it look that way?"
"Well, he's handsome enough, so I don't mind."
She met the instructor's playful teasing with a lighthearted jest of her own.
And it seemed strangely natural.
...Come to think of it, Kalli's true personality wasn't as cold or rigid as she claimed. In fact, she was quite popular with her peers for her playful nature.
There were even a few instructors who had crushes on her without her knowledge; she was the kind of woman who unknowingly scattered her charm wherever she went.
*Clink.*
As I sat down across from Kalli at a table by the window, I swallowed hard, feeling the gazes of the other instructors.
'Freshly baked garlic bread, a huge steak... a hearty meat stew, and a delectable block of cheese.'
I'd only taken what I could eat to avoid overindulging, but it looked more appetizing than any food I'd ever seen in this world. Even the aroma was sweet.
"Cadet Han Cheon-seong, the instructors can be a bit mischievous. You don't have to be so tense."
"Ah, it's fine. I'm not tense."
"Really? To me, you look incredibly tense, Cadet Han Cheon-seong."
She asked with a smile, as if she knew I was trying to sound more relaxed, and I found myself avoiding her gaze.
'Seriously...'
How can someone be so approachable?
Especially when it was a woman as beautiful as her speaking so kindly. It created a strange atmosphere... one that would make anyone's heart flutter, not just mine.
"See? You're avoiding my gaze again, Cadet Han Cheon-seong. And you still say you're not tense?"
...she asked, picking up her fork as if she'd taken it another way.
I couldn't exactly say my heart was fluttering 'because of you.' I just gave an awkward smile and picked up my fork and knife.
"Then let's just say I'm tense."
"Oh? Well, that's not so bad. A cadet who isn't a little reserved around an instructor would be odd, too."
She seemed to take whatever I said in a positive light, and while my heart was fluttering, I honestly felt quite at ease.
I had expected a heavy, awkward meal, worrying about how to respond to her, but that wasn't the case at all.
It was just... nice.
...Really, just nice.
Just the fact that I was eating with a woman I'd admired while reading the novel was enough to make my heart pound with joy. And as I could clearly feel her consideration for me, I found myself enjoying this time.
*Glance.*
As I carefully cut my steak, I couldn't help but steal a glance at Kalli eating.
The amount of food she had was similar to mine.
Not too much, not too little. Just right, I suppose.
The types of food she'd chosen seemed similar, too. Some meat and a simple soup. The only difference between her plate and mine was the cheese and garlic bread.
"Ah, and Cadet Han Cheon-seong. I'd like you to listen while you eat, no pressure."
At her words, I calmly nodded.
"Yes, I understand."
"It's about yesterday's duel... To be honest, there's a lot I want to ask you. I couldn't quite understand it just from what I heard."
I had expected this, so I met her gaze as I brought a piece of cut steak to my mouth.
Meeting Kalli's eyes, which held curiosity, goodwill, favor, and a strange hint of doubt, I could guess what kinds of questions I would have to answer.
"I heard quite a bit about the duel. They said you were on the offensive against Cadet Leonhardt from start to finish. And that... was only possible because you use a spear, right?"
Her words made me pause, the savory juices of the steak still in my mouth.
*Gulp.*
I swallowed the delicious steak and marveled inwardly.
In this world that looked down on Spearmanship, a Common-grade art.
Without even seeing the duel, Kalli had pinpointed its core in a single sentence.
'...As expected of a named character.'
She doesn't disregard something as basic as weapon matchups.
In fact, most of the key figures in this world were like that. When something happened, rather than dismissing it as impossible, they would think rationally about how it could have occurred and try to understand the principles behind it.
"Yes, that's right."
"I see. I thought as much... Yes. Still, you're quite impressive, Cadet Han Cheon-seong. To think you accepted a duel with Cadet Leonhardt."
She praised me with a light smile, and I felt embarrassed and looked away.
"That's... simply because I felt I couldn't avoid it."
And I found myself unintentionally voicing my true feelings.
The duel may have started because Glacia practically forced me into it, but looking back now, I probably would have made the same choice.
Even if Glacia hadn't been the cause, if a similar situation arose in the future, I wouldn't have avoided the duel.
—It's okay to lose.
Right. It's okay to lose. I had to face it. If I wanted to get stronger, if I wanted my trait to evolve and advance, I believed it was crucial to face crises and powerful foes—the walls in my path—without avoidance.
Thinking about it carefully, I truly feel that way.
That's why after the duel, all the resentment I held toward Glacia vanished. In fact, I even felt grateful to her for creating such an opportunity.
That duel was like the most important turning point for me.
"...'Couldn't avoid it,' you say. You felt that way against a cadet with a Legendary trait, Cadet Leonhardt?"
"Yes. Because if my trait is to evolve and I am to grow stronger, I can't avoid it. Even if it hadn't been Leonhardt, my choice would have been the same, no matter who it was."
As I answered Kalli, who looked intrigued, my own heart felt clear.
No doubts, no hesitation, no reluctance.
I just accept and acknowledge it.
The path I can take in this reality.
I know it's right in front of me. Even if it's a thorny path, difficult to even take the first step on, I... I was able to set foot on that thorny path.
That's why I enrolled in this academy.
"......"
But perhaps my answer was unexpected.
For the next few bites of my steak, Kalli didn't ask any more questions. Still, she kept her eyes fixed on me.
Finding it awkward to meet her gaze, I kept my eyes down and continued eating.
A natural silence fell between us.
But it wasn't an unpleasant silence.
I knew she didn't see me in a bad light. And I knew she bore me goodwill.
I now naturally, very naturally, realized I didn't need to act unconfident or stammer.
If anything, I wanted to show Kalli more of my true self.
'With her.'
I can become much stronger than I am now.
Not stopping at my current growth.
I can achieve unbelievable growth, like in yesterday's duel with Leonhardt. After all, Kalli is an instructor who will one day be renowned for accelerating her cadets' development.
Filled with a faith that bordered on certainty, I could meet her gaze.
"..."
Then, my eyes drifted to her lips. A faint trace of the red sauce from her steak lingered at the corner of her mouth. Seeing it made my heart waver.
*Thump!*
The heart I thought had calmed... began to pound again, shamelessly.
I tried to calm myself as I continued to eat.
But it wasn't as easy as I'd hoped.
'This is why beautiful people are dangerous.'
It's nothing, really. A trivial action, a word, a moment of unguardedness...
Looks weren't important for nothing.
The important thing was that everything, even things done unconsciously and unintentionally, could be seen as charming by the other person.
"How should I put it..."
When her lips parted to speak, I flinched for a moment but didn't look away.
"You're a curious one, Cadet Han Cheon-seong."
"You find me curious?"
"Very curious, in fact. Honestly... I never expected you to answer like that. My impression of you during the entrance exam was certainly good. Your confidence and hard work are aspects I value. But I never imagined... you had such profound thoughts. To be honest, it's truly surprising."
As Kalli spoke calmly, she even set down the fork she was holding.
In response, I... kept my mouth shut, feeling that anything I said might sound boastful.
Instead, I simply met her gaze with a faint smile.
Kalli returned my gaze with a gentle smile of her own.
"And 'couldn't avoid it.' Hmm... Those are very good words. Honestly, if someone were to tell another that they can't avoid something, it would sound irresponsible and deceptive. But if you feel that way yourself, then those words carry great meaning."
"...Irresponsible and deceptive?"
"Yes. I want the cadets to work hard and improve more than anyone, but that doesn't mean I can easily tell them to 'try harder.' My position is different from the cadets'. To some, it might seem like I was born with my trait and talent. And in truth... I sometimes think there's a bit of that, too."
As Kalli spoke calmly, her gaze was soft.
"..."
Her eyes seemed to say she was proud of me, and I found I couldn't look away.
It wasn't the playful tone she'd been using until now...
Her voice was soft and sincere. In this moment, I could feel her genuineness. It resonated in my chest, and I couldn't bring myself to break her gaze.
Because you can't turn away from someone's sincerity.
'Can someone really express such goodwill with just their eyes...?'
Meeting her gaze made one side of my chest feel all tingly.
To be able to say such things so casually... it was so like Kalli. No wonder there were complaints in the original story that she wasn't one of the heroines.
'No, she's not a character.'
...Now, she was a living, breathing person in front of me.
Because I've come to live among them.
And I understood perfectly what she was saying now.
Kalli was someone who valued effort more than anyone in this world, but she rarely spoke of it to her cadets.
Because she herself knew how deceptive those words could sound coming from her.
And the reason I loved the world of that novel was because of characters like her, not just the protagonist.
"Because you have to face reality to move forward..."
Without even realizing it, I had spoken those words.
Words someone in the original story had said.
Words spoken by an ill-fated character who was no longer alive, one who had faded on the battlefield.
The words that had been a major turning point for Kalli...
I had uttered them without thinking.
Seeing Kalli's eyes widen, I instantly realized my mistake, but I couldn't take back what I'd said.
"Cadet Han Cheon-seong... have we, by any chance, met before?"
Kalli's cautious voice was trembling.