Chapter 63
Chapter 63
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 63
Chapter Title: Does a Student Intend to Disobey His Instructor?
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"...We'll take a ten-minute break, then resume the lecture."
Kalli's calm voice echoed through the lecture hall.
*Thud.*
As she placed her textbook on the lectern, signaling the official start of the break, most of the students rose from their seats and headed out of the room.
The atmosphere in the lecture hall was certainly not as cold as last week. Kalli, aware that she had been treating the students too coldly, was trying to change.
*Rustle.*
Kalli sat down near the lectern and let out a faint sigh.
"..."
It wasn't that she was physically tired or exhausted.
Compared to a few months ago when she had to stand on the battlefield every day, standing at a lectern in the academy was laughably easy.
The academy provided detailed support for everything from the lecture content and textbooks to other supplementary materials and schedules, so there wasn't much she had to prepare.
And yet... her heart was heavy.
'Should I have ended the spar sooner?'
The duel between Student David and Student Jerad still weighed on her mind. She had believed it would be an opportunity to further temper David's spirit... so she hadn't stopped it, even while sensing Jerad's malice.
And after that, the duel between Student Han Cheon-seong and Student Jerad had followed.
Han Cheon-seong, who had seemed on the verge of causing an incident against Jerad... had unbelievably held onto his reason, finished the duel quickly, and calmly looked back at her.
At the same time, the move Han Cheon-seong had shown at the end...
"..."
She let out a small breath, still unable to fully comprehend it.
'It was an unbelievable result.'
She had wondered how Han Cheon-seong would counter the gale Jerad had unleashed, and when he chose to face it head-on, she had thought he'd made a clear mistake.
But.
The result was completely different.
'To erase the wind itself by intensely twisting and thrusting the spear.'
It wasn't something that could happen through ordinary principles.
The trajectory of blue light, seemingly drawn in a single instant, and the spear's speed were certainly overwhelming compared to other students. But that alone couldn't have erased the wind.
And yet, Han Cheon-seong had done it.
He had thrust his spear as if to burst the wind in an instant, and the gale had twisted violently on the spot and vanished.
If one were to consider how that was possible, there was only one explanation.
"A skill."
She muttered, but still couldn't understand.
During her early graduation from the academy, she had encountered students with monstrous traits and talents, and in her two years on the battlefield—not a short time—she had faced countless monsters even greater than them.
The world was vast, and geniuses were all too common. She had lost count of how many times she had been reminded of that fact in recent years.
But. Even taking all that into account...
"It... doesn't make sense."
A skill didn't make sense.
The vast majority awakened their skills upon reaching the high trait level of 7, and she was no exception.
But to acquire a skill through one's own enlightenment... As far as she knew, that was a feat bordering on a miracle, achieved by only a handful of people in the Empire.
Their names were those of legendary figures, known to all.
'And yet, that...'
Was she supposed to accept that Student Han Cheon-seong was walking that path?
She found herself shaking her head.
'No matter how high my expectations for Student Han Cheon-seong are.'
It was too much of a stretch. No matter how highly she rated him. No, she would have to view the student on an entirely different level to even consider it.
She didn't want to disappoint the student again with her foolish expectations.
"..."
Her gaze drifted to Han Cheon-seong's empty seat.
She had heard he went to the infirmary to see David, and he still wasn't back in the lecture hall.
She had been so surprised when Instructor Adelia came to her personally to explain the situation.
And she recalled the praise Adelia had for Han Cheon-seong.
—It's been a long time since I've seen a student with such an upright heart. So, Kalli, could I ask you for a favor?
Adelia's voice seemed to echo in her mind.
She had asked for a bit of leniency, saying it had been a while since she'd seen such a praiseworthy student. As Adelia was her senior instructor, she had naturally accepted.
After all, she had heard of Instructor Adelia's reputation. The number of lives she had saved was immense. She was an instructor and an officer who naturally commanded respect.
*Clack. Tap.*
As students began trickling back to their seats, she cleared her thoughts.
'If he doesn't return by the end of the lecture, I'll have to go see him myself.'
There were too many things she needed to discuss with Han Cheon-seong, including what happened last weekend.
"Everyone, please take your seats."
As Kalli resumed the lecture, her voice was even more subdued than before.
***
—The Academy Infirmary.
Though it was well past lunchtime, Cheon-seong was still in the infirmary.
Aside from the occasional student who visited, there were technically three people in the infirmary, including the unconscious David. In reality, however, it was just Adelia and Cheon-seong spending time together.
"Hmm. So Kalli treats her students better than you expected?"
"...Yes. She's a really good person. No, a good instructor."
Even as he answered Adelia's question, his mind was in a daze.
Was this what it felt like to be bewitched by a nine-tailed fox? Everything he'd been thinking had turned to nothing, and now he couldn't even tell what was what.
For hours, the strange situation had continued: Adelia would ask him questions, and he would answer. She seemed full of curiosity and wouldn't let him go.
...And the foundation for this situation was clearly his own mistake.
"......."
Adelia's eyes, staring directly into his, shimmered strangely. A mix of gold and jade, her pupils were both beautiful and mysterious.
He couldn't look away from her.
It wasn't a matter of whether he wanted to or not.
Adelia had demanded it of him.
She'd told him not to look away from her eyes when she was asking questions, so now they were holding each other's gaze, almost forcibly.
"..."
He found himself recalling what happened a few hours ago, during lunch.
...
—My. Student Han Cheon-seong, where are you looking right now?
—...What?
—I'm asking where... you were just looking on your instructor's body.
—That's... um, Instructor?
—Surely you didn't think I wouldn't notice? Student Han Cheon-seong... I'd like you to answer properly.
—Ah, no! Of course not. I'm truly sorry, Instructor. I have no excuse.
Throughout the meal, his gaze had instinctively been drawn to her chest, which was pressed against the table.
And it was truly something he couldn't help. He could swear to that.
If any other man had been sitting in his place, he would have undoubtedly stared at Adelia's chest far more than he had. In fact, he thought he'd made a tremendous effort to look away as much as possible.
But instinct... was a terrifying thing.
It was one of those times when any man would be helpless. It wasn't just a simple visual temptation... it was a primal instinct welling up from deep within.
—Haa... To think a student would harbor such lecherous thoughts toward his instructor. Student Han Cheon-seong, what do you think would happen if I told your supervising instructor, Kalli, about this... Aren't you curious about the outcome?
Even though Adelia asked lightly at the end, as if it were a joke, he felt a chilling dread wash over him.
His mind went blank for a moment, and before he knew it, he was practically begging, saying he would do whatever Adelia wanted.
—I'm sorry, Instructor. I'll do anything you ask...
—I didn't mean to look. It's just that you're so captivating, I couldn't help it...
—Instructor Adelia. What should I do? If there's anything you want, whatever it is...
Looking back, the words that had poured out of him then were like a subconscious reaction to a crisis.
Even if Adelia was just teasing him, the mere thought of her telling Kalli sent a feeling through him as if his life were over.
—Pfft. Really, Student Han Cheon-seong. You don't have to be so flustered. I was just teasing because you looked so restless. To be honest, this isn't the first time this has happened, and I understand a man's struggles to some extent. And you, Student Han Cheon-seong, are actually quite innocent. You're aware of where your eyes are going and you're trying so hard not to look... Watching you struggle was, frankly, quite cute.
After she confirmed it was all a joke, he had let out a huge sigh of relief, but...
—Instead, spend some time with me. It gets quite boring being in the infirmary all the time. I needed someone to talk to.
After that, Adelia had kept him there with a strange look on her face.
......
Recalling that moment again, he felt as if he had been caught in a trap.
A subtle yet powerful trap that had ensnared both his arms and legs.
"Student Han Cheon-seong?"
"...Yes, Instructor."
"What on earth were you thinking about to have such a strange look in your eyes?"
Had she been waiting for him to emerge from his thoughts? As she asked gently, he gave an awkward laugh.
"A strange look... I was just thinking about what happened today. I'm sorry if I offended you."
"No, you don't have to apologize like that. Did my joke really feel that mean? I didn't realize you'd be this flustered..."
As Adelia looked at him with a hint of apology, he slowly shook his head.
He had only spent a short time with her today, but he could clearly sense that Adelia was a kind and affectionate instructor.
Therefore, he knew that when she said it was a joke, it really was, and that she wouldn't tell Kalli.
Instead, he was bothered by his own actions.
Even if she was used to such gazes, his staring must have been unpleasant for her.
He felt sorry for that.
"The fact that I looked at you that way... I know how rude and unpleasant it must have been for you.”
He may have looked instinctively, but that was his side of the story; for Adelia, it must have been truly upsetting.
As he met her gaze,
"You're truly a rare kind of student these days."
Adelia chuckled and then stretched languidly.
"Haaah..."
She let out a strange moan for a moment.
At the sight, his eyes instinctively started to drift downwards, but he managed to stop them by some miracle.
Still, her chest was visible in his peripheral vision. No matter how consciously he tried not to look, whenever he looked at her, his eyes would naturally catch sight of her chest.
He knew there was something there that led to a paradise beyond reality, something that could shake his heart to its core just by looking, but he desperately held back.
In the end, unable to bear it any longer, he forced himself to turn his head away and clenched and unclenched his fists.
"..."
His palms were soaked with sweat, and he couldn't relax for a single moment.
Every one of Adelia's light movements, her small actions, had an unbelievable destructive power.
"Pfft..."
Hearing her stifled laugh, he clearly sensed that Adelia was teasing him now.
She was trying to move past the situation with a lighthearted joke instead of just accepting his apology.
But.
'This isn't a joke.'
Did Adelia even know what kind of thoughts men had when they looked at her... to be acting so mischievously?
"Student Han Cheon-seong?"
"...Yes, Instructor."
"Hmm. That's strange~ I'm sure I told you to meet my eyes when I'm speaking. Does the student intend to disobey the instructor's words?"
At her words, he turned his head as if it were on rusty hinges.
It felt like his gaze kept drifting downward. He fought back the strange feeling of instinct trying to overcome reason and met her eyes.
"How can he be... so cute."
Hearing her strange murmur, he had no choice but to bite his lip.