Chapter 47
Chapter 47
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: The Truth Behind the Rumors
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***
"...Cadet Han Cheon-seong."
Watching Kalli answer blankly, I felt as though I'd somehow gotten swept up in the mood.
Kalli had absolutely no reason to be looking for a magitech artifact, yet I was just going along with it.
“Forgive me, Instructor. But I didn't come here to train, did I?”
“Ah, ah. Right. Of course... I wasn't thinking straight. I'm sorry.”
Kalli gave an awkward laugh, clearly flustered. Even that looked incredibly unnatural.
So much so that I wondered if what I'd said was really something to be so flustered about.
Still, clearing up the misunderstanding was the priority, so I had to talk to her.
*Clack.*
As Kalli approached me again with an awkward gait, I calmly collected my breath and spoke.
“Things have gotten complicated, but first, I want to say that the rumors circulating about me are not true.”
I had to clear up the truth about the rumors before anything else.
“Not true?”
“The rumors that I like Luna, or that I confessed to her. All the rumors involving me and Luna. None of them are true.”
“All lies...”
“Yes. They're all lies. I don't like Luna. It's true that I sparred with her yesterday, but it seems there was a misunderstanding in the process. A very strange misunderstanding that made her think I liked her.”
“...”
She seemed so shocked that she couldn't speak, and only then did I feel a sense of relief.
To be honest, I was surprised that Kalli had come to apologize, but this whole thing should never have blown up like this in the first place.
I had planned to let it go, thinking the false rumors would die down in a few days, but I had to set the record straight with Kalli.
Of course, it would have been best to clarify things in front of the other cadets. But at the time, there was no opportunity to speak up, and denying it later wouldn't have meant much anyway.
The most frightening thing about rumors.
Is that once they've spread, it doesn't matter if they're not true; what matters is that many people have heard them.
My belated explanations would be largely meaningless.
'And now, out of sheer injustice, I can't just let it be.'
Throughout the lecture today, I clearly felt Luna glancing at me.
It wasn't my imagination; I saw her looking over several times, as if she was truly sorry. Realizing that, I had to use the rumors to my advantage as well.
Rumors born from misunderstanding are impossible to contain. It's like spilled water. So, rather than trying to scoop it back up, I'll turn it into a kind of debt.
'I will get treated by Luna, no matter what.'
After all this, if something were to happen to me, Luna wouldn't be able to turn a blind eye.
In fact, I planned to use this as leverage to tie Luna firmly to me.
So that if I get hurt, she'll have no choice but to heal me.
“Cadet Han Cheon-seong. Is what you said... all true? No, since you said it yourself, it must be true... but then, what have I...”
Seeing Kalli's utter confusion, I gave a light nod.
“It was all just a misunderstanding. Neither of us is at fault. Of course, I didn't expect you to say what you did in the lecture hall...”
I looked at her with a hint of disappointment, and Kalli became visibly flustered.
“I-I'm so sorry! I don't know what to do, I'm so sorry. Then I really... did something stupid.”
“It's alright now, Instructor. This might sound like I'm asking for compensation, but I'd like to ask a favor of you."
“A favor? Tell me what it is, and I'll listen carefully. I made a huge mistake. As long as it's not an unreasonable request, I want to grant it if I can."
As I met her gaze, which repeatedly conveyed her apology... I suddenly found her rather cute.
'...She's five years older than me.'
Not even an hour had passed since she'd been so cold in the lecture hall. But now, seeing her so restless, wanting to compensate me somehow, was such a drastic change that she seemed like a different person.
Nevertheless, I began to speak with extreme caution.
“My request is this: I'd like to use your personal training room... twice a week. Yes, just twice a week. If you permit it, I will always ask for your permission before using the room in the future.”
My tone was calm and serious, yet it conveyed a strong will.
Although this incident was caused by rumors stemming from Luna's misunderstanding, and my heart had been greatly shaken, I had ultimately gained a 'great opportunity'.
A great opportunity to confidently request the use of the training room.
“My personal training room...”
Kalli didn't answer right away.
Her gaze shifted to the various magitech artifacts inside, and I understood her hesitation.
Magitech artifacts couldn't be bought, no matter how much money one had. They were treated as treasures among treasures.
Even for Kalli, known as the 'Pillar of the Empire,' they were only provided on loan. Their value was immeasurable.
It wouldn't be easy to let a mere cadet come and go from a space containing such treasures.
And yet, I needed this space.
To keep moving forward without falling behind the other cadets, if I could just use the magitech artifacts, I wouldn't fall behind them.
'Perhaps I could even advance faster.'
As I met her gaze, filled with earnestness, Kalli slowly nodded her head.
“Thank you so much!”
At that moment, an overwhelming feeling surged through my chest.
“...You don't have to thank me that much. I did do you a great wrong, after all."
“I learned and felt so much while training in this room. The memory of that moment has stayed with me for days... I wanted to come back here, no matter what.”
A smile kept escaping my lips as I spoke, revealing my true feelings.
A blessing in disguise. Could there be anyone who fit that phrase better than me?
Today had been a major crisis for me, and I was even worried my relationship with Kalli would be completely severed.
But now, I had not only repaired our relationship but also gained permission to use the training room.
“The reason you want to be in this training room... it's because of the magitech artifacts, isn't it?”
“Yes, that's right. The tangible effects of using Ellimiang's Consideration last time were amazing.”
“I thought so. I figured that would be the case for you...”
Kalli muttered to herself with a faint smile, and for a moment, I was puzzled.
'Did Kalli already expect me to ask about the training room?'
Just as I was thinking that.
Kalli suddenly walked to one side of the training room.
And just like a few days ago, she picked up a pair of exquisite, ruby-studded earrings and approached me. I couldn't help but feel a flutter in my chest at the sight.
But that feeling was fleeting. I remembered my schedule for the day.
“Um, Instructor Kalli?”
“Yes?”
“...I have another appointment today, so I don't think I can train right now. Thank you for your consideration, though.”
“Ah... I see. I'm sorry, I got ahead of myself again.”
“No, not at all. I'm just grateful for your kindness. And I know that the reason you were angry with me today was because you care."
As I spoke lightly, Kalli paused before giving an awkward laugh.
“...Even thinking back on it, I'm truly sorry.”
“No, it's fine. I'm not one to dwell on the past."
As I answered, almost all of my disappointment had vanished.
—Do not cling to the past. Do not regret, do not linger.
These words were like a creed in my life.
Clinging to the past with regret doesn't change it. In fact, the more you look back, the weaker your heart becomes, and the more foolishly you act.
...At least, that was how it was for me. I didn't want to be like that anymore.
Realizing this, I thought it was time to leave.
“Well, I'll be going now. Thank you again for the training room."
"Alright. I'm so sorry about today."
"It's really okay now."
*Thump.*
Even as I left, I felt a twinge of regret.
The misunderstanding was cleared up, and it would have been a good training session if I had stayed with Kalli. But I had a prior engagement with Glacia today.
The appointment was at 2 PM. If I had a late lunch and then headed to the park, I'd be cutting it close.
*Click.*
***
*Click.*
As Han Cheon-seong left the training room, Kalli was left alone. She stood there for a moment, motionless.
Standing there with a dazed look in her eyes, she seemed as if a storm had just passed.
"..."
While talking to and answering Cadet Han Cheon-seong, my heart had been stirring strangely the entire time.
It wouldn't calm down, as if massive waves were crashing against my chest.
Moreover, when I realized I had done something absurd because of a misunderstanding, I felt so flustered that I wanted to find a hole to hide in.
“I'm so glad... it worked out.”
As I uttered the words, I felt drained of all energy.
The time I spent with Cadet Han Cheon-seong was brief, but it shook my heart intensely.
...Looking back, it was all so foolish.
I had wronged Cadet Han Cheon-seong greatly, and I apologized for it. And he had graciously accepted my apology. That was all.
"It's strange."
The more I thought about it, the more I felt that Cadet Han Cheon-seong was mature for his age.
Mentally... he felt distinctly different from the other cadets.
Another cadet wouldn't have accepted it so easily. It wouldn't have been strange for them to hold a grudge against me.
“Twice a week, he said.”
What Cadet Han Cheon-seong asked for wasn't as unreasonable as I'd thought it might be. To be honest, the moment he said he had a request... a strange thought had crossed my mind.
*Whoosh.*
I shook my head and let out an involuntary, hollow laugh.
“What kind of ridiculous thought was I having...”
I had a strange thought for a moment, but Cadet Han Cheon-seong's request was both reasonable and admirable.
His desire to use the training room to move forward.
At the same time, the strands of hair brushing against my face felt particularly ticklish today.
I unconsciously brought a hand to my cheek.
'It's hot.'
It wasn't just my cheeks that were hot. My whole body felt feverish, as if flushed with heat.
The kind of heat I would normally feel only after hours of training strangely filled my body.
“I must have been... really embarrassed.”
I laughed awkwardly, thinking the heat must be from embarrassment.
After all, I had shown Cadet Han Cheon-seong far too many sides of myself that I shouldn't have.
I showed him none of the dignity, authority, or prestige of an instructor... only countless foolish moments.
Even if I weren't an instructor, wouldn't I have seemed utterly pathetic in his eyes?
I had mistaken baseless rumors for the truth, misunderstood, and gotten angry like a fool. On top of that, even though I was older, I hadn't acted maturely at all.
Then, a sudden question arose.
“Why... am I thinking like this?”
I felt like my thoughts were constantly straying from the point.
Cadet Han Cheon-seong and I... were just an instructor and a cadet.
But my thoughts kept going beyond that, as if feeling something more...
"..."
Shaking my head, my gaze suddenly fell to my hand.
The pair of ruby earrings I had picked up to put on him myself.
I gently brought Ellimiang's Consideration to my ear.
“Today, I need to focus on training.”
When my mind was this full of distracting thoughts, training was the answer.
Just as Cadet Han Cheon-seong had burned with determination in the training room before, I too had to focus on my training and move forward.
A cadet is trying so hard to improve; I, his instructor, cannot afford to stand still.
...
*Click.*
After putting on Ellimiang's Consideration, Kalli began her own training, setting extreme limits for herself.
—! ———!!
Her true power, which she hadn't shown in her previous spar with Han Cheon-seong, was revealed.
It showed just how powerful and destructive her 'Vibration' trait, a part of the Super-Phenomenon class, truly was.
*CRASH!*
As she continuously unleashed her power within the specially designed training room.
Kalli was completely unaware.
That even in this moment, as she focused solely on her training to clear her mind...
She was thinking of 'Han Cheon-seong'.