Chapter 30
Chapter 30
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: Magitech Item: Ellimiang's Consideration
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***
—Men do not wear accessories.
It was a common saying in the world of the Grand Royal Academy.
An era where men did not wear accessories. Even as time passed and values changed, the world itself was built on this premise, so men rarely bought accessories.
Thus, for generations, accessories had been the exclusive domain of women. Every piece seemed to exist to flaunt its beauty for them. Furthermore, the few men who did buy accessories almost always did so for a lover, a wife, or another woman in their life.
And because that was so universally accepted,
Kalli, too, naturally assumed it to be the case.
That Cadet Han Cheon-seong was the same.
That he wouldn't have a clue how to put on an earring.
So…
It would be better if she did it for him.
…
With a soft touch,
I gently brushed aside his black hair, exposing the cadet's ear. When my hand touched him, the cadet flinched for a moment, and a strange feeling washed over me.
It was such a simple thing,
yet I felt an odd hesitation, a strange reluctance to move.
Nevertheless, feigning composure, I carefully brought the earring in my hand to his ear.
Then, it suddenly struck me. How had things come to this?
‘This wasn’t what I intended.’
Stopping Cadet Han Cheon-seong as he was about to leave had been an unintentional act.
It was… an act of pure instinct.
That was why I hadn’t known what to say afterward. After blurting out whatever came to mind, I had ended up revealing my private training room—something I would never disclose to an ordinary cadet.
And now, I was about to place a magitech item of inestimable value on a cadet.
Even to my own mind…
this version of myself felt incredibly strange.
“…”
The cadet's faint breath tickled my ear, and in return, I gently touched his.
“I should warn you, this might hurt a little.”
“…It’s fine.”
A faint smile touched my lips at the cadet's awkward reply, and without hesitation, I fastened the earring.
*Click.*
As the sound of the earring clicking into place echoed, I saw the cadet flinch.
I slowly pulled back, moving to fasten the other earring on the opposite side, but Cadet Han Cheon-seong remained perfectly still.
“…”
He let out a shallow breath, his gaze wandering as if he didn't know where to look. I found his flustered expression fascinating.
‘He isn't asking anything.’
I had expected some kind of resistance to my sudden approach, or at least a peculiar reaction to me putting an earring on him, but Cadet Han Cheon-seong simply accepted my actions.
He could have questioned me, asked why I was doing this, but instead, he seemed to trust me, quietly allowing it.
It was as if… he was fine with whatever I chose to do to him.
…The sudden thought sent a very strange feeling through me.
‘What am I thinking?’
Cadet Han Cheon-seong and I… were simply ‘instructor and cadet.’
‘Right. That’s all we are.’
Perhaps Cadet Han Cheon-seong accepting my touch… wasn't so strange after all.
I carefully fastened the other earring to his opposite ear.
*Click.*
The earring clicked shut, and Cadet Han Cheon-seong flinched again. For some reason, I found the sight of it endearing.
Seen this close, he was clearly taller than me. His body was lean, with fine muscles visible all over.
It seemed to offer a faint trace of how hard the cadet had worked, how much he had trained his body in the short span of two months.
Even if it wasn't yet perfected… the thought suddenly struck me as absurd.
‘To think I find a cadet like this endearing.’
I gave a slight shake of my head and spoke.
“Cadet Han Cheon-seong. Don't do anything. Just stay still for a moment.”
“Yes. Understood.”
I watched the cadet, who replied calmly, and carefully observed him.
I had to be meticulous for a short while to see if the magitech item caused any adverse reactions or abnormalities.
—Magitech items.
Generally, all magitech items were special. So special, in fact, that one could say there was no such thing as an ordinary magitech item. They could only be created by a handful of artisans born with magical aptitude, and fewer than ten such artisans existed in the entire Empire. For this reason, some referred to magitech items as treasures.
Treasures that were difficult to obtain even with money.
As they were items of such extraordinary power, they could sometimes cause adverse reactions between the wearer and the item.
Right now, I was checking to see if that was happening with Cadet Han Cheon-seong.
“…”
“…”
About five minutes passed as we stood in silence, our gazes locked.
Cadet Han Cheon-seong, caught in my stare, seemed unsure where to look, his eyes constantly shifting.
I was finally able to relax a little.
“This should be fine. There are no adverse reactions. You can move now, Cadet Han Cheon-seong.”
At my words, he let out a great sigh and moved his arms and legs. I couldn't help but smile at the sight.
Other cadets would probably listen to me, but he seemed to follow my words a little *too* well.
Somehow, the cadet seemed innocent.
“The earring I just put on you is a magitech item called ‘Ellimiang's Consideration.’”
“Ellimiang's Consideration.”
He repeated my words as if hearing them for the first time. I nodded and added a more detailed explanation.
“It's one of the items created by the Unique-grade magitech artisan, ‘Ellimiang.’ As the name ‘Consideration’ suggests, it has the special power to increase the wearer's natural recovery rate. While wearing the earrings, you won't tire easily, and you'll have more vitality in your daily life, which has many advantages.”
As I explained, my eyes met the cadet’s.
Surprise and wonder filled his distinct black eyes.
At the same time, I sensed a slightly impertinent question in them, as if to ask, ‘Is that all?’
In truth, this effect alone made it a treasure sought by many, but I understood the look in Cadet Han Cheon-seong's eyes.
The reason I had said this magitech item suited him wasn't just for that.
“And if the user wishes, it can also maintain a more strenuous state.”
“A strenuous state… does that mean it can increase the load on my body?”
He seemed to have grasped it already. I smiled and nodded.
Cadet Han Cheon-seong had immediately understood why I gave this to him.
“That's right. Just as the name implies consideration, it can make life easier and more comfortable, but the opposite is also possible. It can make daily life more difficult and arduous. For example, it can make even the simple act of breathing a conscious effort."
At my words, Cadet Han Cheon-seong touched the earrings with a dazed expression.
As if the sudden presence of these accessories on his ears felt foreign and unfamiliar. Yet, at the same time, his gaze was strangely probing.
‘…Probing?’
Just as I wondered why his gaze seemed probing,
“Ugh!”
Cadet Han Cheon-seong let out a sudden groan of pain and dropped to one knee.
…Seeing that, I was utterly astonished.
‘I didn’t even tell him how to use it properly. How on earth…?’
I had only explained the effects of Ellimiang's Consideration.
But now, Cadet Han Cheon-seong seemed to have skipped several intermediate steps and activated the item directly.
And he had done so to push himself to the absolute limit.
“Hah… hah…”
He was panting heavily, even biting his lip. The more I watched him, the more dumbfounded I became.
I, too, had worn Ellimiang's Consideration and used it for training on several occasions.
So I knew full well just how difficult it could become if you earnestly wished for it.
I also remembered how many days it had taken me to get used to it…
And yet,
not only had Cadet Han Cheon-seong activated the magitech item's effect shortly after putting it on… he was now ‘adapting’ to it.
His ragged breathing, his unstable posture.
They were gradually stabilizing, as if returning to their proper place.
“Hoo…”
He seemed to be regulating his condition with slow, deep breaths, and even that was impressive.
When I first wore it and struggled to activate it, I had failed to control the intensity and had to suffer in that state for nearly half a day.
‘He did it on his own…’
How was this even possible?
Cadet Han Cheon-seong had not only activated it himself but had also immediately adjusted the intensity.
And at an unbelievable speed…
“Instructor Kalli, I apologize. I’ve shown an unsightly side of myself.”
Having regained his composure, he offered a careful apology. I just shook my head, still dazed.
“It’s fine. There’s no need to call it that. But, Cadet Han Cheon-seong, how did you manage to use the magitech item and adapt to it so quickly? It shouldn’t be… that easy.”
With magitech items, it typically took a long time just to get a feel for them if you didn't understand how they worked.
“I just thought about what you said, and the strain was immediately applied to my body. I think it will still take some time for me to handle this magitech item properly, but…”
“Well, of course it will. So, you’re saying it just worked because you thought about it?”
“Yes. By any chance… Instructor Kalli, was my answer strange?”
Perhaps I had a very strange expression on my face in response to his answer.
He asked so cautiously that a dry laugh escaped me.
“No. It’s not strange or anything. I’m just… a little surprised. It’s rare for someone to adapt to a magitech item so quickly. Even I struggled a bit at first.”
“Then I guess I was just lucky.”
He replied with an awkward smile, and my gaze was drawn to him once more.
—Han Cheon-seong.
His trait was Common, but no matter how I looked at him, this cadet was anything but ordinary.
The way he thought, the way he acted, his mindset, his values, and even his current appearance—not a single aspect of him could be called ordinary.
It made me wonder why the world had given such a cadet a low trait like Common…
“Cadet Han Cheon-seong?”
“Yes, Instructor.”
“I’m sorry, but… that doesn’t mean I can just give you those earrings. I hope you can understand that.”
I felt embarrassed even as I said it.
He was an admirable and praiseworthy cadet, but the magitech item was simply too valuable to give away.
“Of course, I understand. How could I possibly just receive an item like this?”
Even as I watched the cadet smile in understanding… I had a strange feeling. I felt a desire to look after this cadet, to do just a little more for him.
And at the same time, I was now certain.
No matter how I looked at it, this cadet…
‘Seems like a genius.’
When it came to talent, he was nothing short of a genius.
Even now, before I had even witnessed his skills firsthand,
I already felt it.