Chapter 44
Chapter 44
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: The Rumor Mill
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A refreshing morning.
It was truly the first time I’d ever woken up to such a refreshing morning in the dorms.
A smile escaped me as I stretched my arms wide.
My mind and body felt so refreshed, with not a trace of fatigue.
I had sparred with Luna yesterday, but I hadn't pushed my body any further after that. It was amazing that waking up could feel this good.
“...”
Then, my eyes fell upon a coin glittering brilliantly on the table.
Its radiant golden hue, catching the morning sun, captivated me. As I naturally picked up the gold coin, a different kind of satisfaction filled my heart.
“What a damn windfall.”
Five months' salary, all at once. And so easily, too. People say that happiness earned too easily isn’t as joyful, but in my opinion, that was bullshit.
Easy or not, joy was joy.
Why wouldn't a sudden fortune make someone happy? I couldn't help but smile as I looked at the gold coin, shining even more brilliantly in the sunlight.
“I should treat myself to a nice lunch today.”
When you start living in the dorms, cadets receive a stipend for their first month at the academy. As a C-Class cadet, I had received 20 silver.
The money I had saved for months outside the academy amounted to barely 10 silver. Considering the costs of the trait inspection and inn stays, I had barely managed to save anything.
That was why I couldn't bring myself to spend even that small amount easily.
To advance to the next class, B-Class, as quickly as possible, good equipment was essential. A better spear. I believed I needed to acquire better gear to increase my strength, so I had been meticulously saving my silver.
To someone like me... the 1 gold Glacia had so readily given me was a sum of immense value.
It was enough to not only give me financial breathing room but also make me feel rich at heart.
“...Still, just how much money does she have to give away gold so casually?”
I unconsciously recalled the words Glacia had spoken to me last night.
-How much would it take...?
-Han Cheon-seong. I want to buy your time.
-Please, I’m begging you. Han Cheon-seong... stay with me. I’ll pay whatever it costs.
Recalling her words one by one, I instinctively ran a hand over my face.
Just thinking about what she said made my heart flutter again for a moment.
The image of Glacia approaching me, speaking as if she were desperately pleading, did make my heart race a little again.
Then, a dry laugh escaped me.
“Just hearing the words... anyone would think she was confessing to me.”
She’d said she would buy my heart with money if she had to, and she kept telling me she wanted to be with me.
It was as if Glacia was clinging to me. And to be honest, a part of me did feel that way.
In fact, when I thought about it, that was... kind of true.
“The problem is that it’s not romantic affection.”
If I had seen affection or love in Glacia’s eyes yesterday... perhaps my heart would have been shaken even more.
But the more we talked, the more I sensed Glacia’s boundless ambition for self-improvement.
That desperate, intense will to push forward, even at the cost of torturing her own body. Seeing that, how could I stupidly continue to feel flustered?
The fluttering in my chest gradually subsided.
“...I should stop thinking about it.”
I shook my head and got ready for the academy.
Even as I quickly showered and changed into my cadet uniform, the feel of the gold coin in my hand was... special.
Glacia had given it to me casually, as if it were nothing more than a simple reward...
But to me, it was a large sum of money with a rather special meaning.
***
“Well, well. Look who it is. The man of the hour, isn't he?”
David spoke the moment I sat down next to him, and I shook my head before I knew it.
“Man of the hour? Hardly.”
“So, what happened yesterday? I heard you sparred with Luna.”
“...Has that rumor already spread?”
“Of course. There isn’t a single cadet in this lecture hall who doesn’t know. There was so much talk about you, I found out everything even though I didn’t want to listen.”
I let out a small sigh at David’s words.
I thought I was feeling more stares because the news of my duel with Leonhardt had spread, but the real reason was something else entirely.
‘…Luna Vermont.’
My spar with Luna, who was now sitting at the front of the hall. No, it was what happened after that had started the rumors all over again.
“David. Whatever you’re thinking, it’s not true.”
“...Pfft. Han Cheon-seong, what was I thinking?”
“You’re obviously imagining something weird between me and Luna.”
I could tell what he was thinking just by looking at his mischievous smile.
He probably thought some strange feelings had passed between me and Luna.
...Besides David, the other cadets were also stealing glances at me, which felt strange.
—Rejected before I could even confess.
From a distance, it might have been a comedy, but up close... no, experiencing it firsthand was a bewildering situation that left me so flustered my mind went blank.
“Han Cheon-seong. Really? You don’t have even the slightest ulterior motive toward Luna?”
“Yeah. I really don’t.”
“Really? I think it’s perfectly understandable with someone like Luna. She’s gorgeous, after all.”
David’s words, which seemed to assume I liked Luna, made me sigh again.
‘How on earth am I supposed to clear up this misunderstanding?’
If even David, who had no prejudice against me when we first met, thought this, it was obvious what everyone else would think.
“Do you... really think I like Luna?”
“I’m not certain. I just think it’s possible. No, I’m not saying you’re weird, okay? I’m just saying it’s natural for a guy to fall for a female cadet as pretty as Luna. You know it too, right? As the days go by, more and more guys pretend not to, but they’re always looking at Luna. I mean, she’s that pretty, who wouldn’t look? It’s only natural for a guy to be interested.”
But contrary to my expectations, David’s calm explanation made me see things a little differently.
Hearing him say it was possible, that it was perfectly natural, I found myself, funnily enough, agreeing with him.
I glanced toward the front of the classroom.
I saw Luna, smiling gently as she talked with Millia. Honestly, based on looks alone, she was undeniably beautiful.
It wasn’t for nothing that she was cemented as the main heroine in the world of Groa. She had been quite popular in reality, too.
Though, the problem was that she was a classic example of the now-clichéd tsundere archetype, which made her a very love-or-hate character.
‘Well, she is... pretty.’
Yesterday, seeing how childishly Luna thought had dissipated a lot of my resentment, and while I was flustered by the sudden rejection-without-a-confession, my intention to get closer to her hadn't changed.
That was how important her trait, Battle Cure, was.
If it could save my life... a rumor like this was worth enduring.
“...Hey. You’re staring at Luna like that and still saying no?”
David’s voice made me flinch, and I immediately shook my head.
“I’m serious. I really don’t like Luna. And I have no idea why she even thought that... Besides, my ideal type is completely different.”
“Completely different? What, is there someone in this lecture hall who’s close to your ideal type?”
“Yeah. There is. She’s right next to Luna.”
Since I was just talking to David, I said it casually.
—Millia Ebelon.
No matter how I thought about it, she was the closest to my ideal type.
She smiled warmly, accepting Luna's energetic conversation. Just that sight alone conveyed her kind and affectionate personality.
And on top of that, she had a cute face. She was the very picture of my ideal type.
For now, because of Luna, I couldn't get any closer to her, but...
“Huh. You mean Millia?”
“That’s right.”
“Millia, huh... Hmm, in my opinion, Luna is way prettier, and has more charm, too.”
“Ideal types are subjective. Even if Luna is prettier, who you like is a different matter.”
Just as I was having this light chat with David.
“The conversations of commoners are so base... Tsk.”
A sudden, ice-cold voice cut through the air.
My gaze instinctively shifted toward the sound.
I saw a cadet with light blond hair. Jerad was clearly looking at me, a sneer twisting his lips. For a moment, I was too dumbfounded to speak.
‘Commoner?’
To openly use a word like ‘commoner’—not even about a trait—in the academy. Had that bastard lost his mind?
“That’s enough, Jerad. Birds of a feather flock together anyway. Why do you care? Let’s not get involved.”
Another cadet, who seemed to be with him, dissuaded Jerad and led him away to their seats. In that instant, my heart sank with a cold fury.
Yesterday, too, he had looked at me with inexplicable malice and hostility.
But if he was going to be this blatant about it, I had no intention of just sitting back and taking it.
I was about to stand up and approach him myself.
*Thump.*
A hand suddenly grabbed my arm.
“Han Cheon-seong. Hold back for now.”
“...David.”
“The practical sparring lectures start next week, right? We can pay that guy back properly then. There’s no need to cause a scene.”
Seeing David’s eyes turn cold, all traces of his previous playful demeanor gone, I let out a soft breath and nodded.
As David said, starting next week, the curriculum would focus mainly on practical application.
There would surely be scheduled spars between cadets then.
...No need to cause a scene. When the stage was set, I would just crush him in front of everyone.
Just as I was calming my boiling anger.
*Screee.*
The classroom door slid open.
*Click, clack.*
As Kalli entered, dressed in a black suit, I straightened my posture and reset my mindset.
Wasting my attention on trash like Jerad was a waste.
And today was a rather important day.
I had to have a proper conversation with Kalli and figure out how I could use her private training room more. I had to convey my intentions clearly...
“...”
My thoughts came to a halt, and my breath caught in my throat.
“Hey. Did you... do something wrong to the instructor yesterday?”
David whispered to me, but I didn't know the reason either.
"......"
Kalli’s gaze was incredibly sharp. No, it was colder than that. It definitely hadn’t been like this when I turned in my test paper yesterday.
‘Why now...’
Why was she looking at me so coldly?
…
The moment Kalli entered the lecture hall, a hush fell over the room.
*Thwack!*
After sweeping her gaze over the cadets, Kalli casually placed the teaching materials she'd brought onto the desk.
Even though her gaze had long since moved away from me, I continued to feel an inexplicable chill.
A sense of unease crept over me.
‘This isn't good.’
I had to have a proper conversation with Kalli today. But right now, she seemed to be in a very bad mood.
So much so that I was even starting to worry about whether I should even try to talk to her...
“Cadet Han Cheon-seong?”
When she called my name, I swallowed hard and opened my mouth to speak.
“...Yes, Instructor Kalli.”