Chapter 64
Chapter 64
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 64
Chapter Title: I'm Only Joking Like This Because It's You, Cadet Han Cheon-seong
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***
“Seriously, how… how can you be this cute.”
Adelia’s eyes were full of mischief as she said that.
But her words struck me so fatally that I couldn't help but bite my lip.
Despite possessing such a devastating figure, her actions were playfully mischievous, not at all matching her appearance, and she approached me without hesitation.
It was so hard to maintain my composure.
No matter how hard I tried to accept her actions calmly, it felt like she was constantly tempting me.
No, it felt like I was already enduring her seduction.
Even between an instructor and a cadet, there are clear lines that must be maintained, and it felt as though Adelia had crossed them far too easily.
How the other person would take her words,
How their heart would be swayed by her actions…
A beauty like Adelia should know the meaning of such things. I couldn't understand why she was acting this way toward me.
‘Right. Since I really can't figure out her intentions…’
I had to endure it, somehow.
Meeting her sparkling, star-like eyes, I found myself wanting to approach her without even realizing it…
I forced my reluctant lips apart and spoke.
“…Instructor Adelia.”
As I called her name cautiously, Adelia’s lips curved into a faint smile.
“Cadet Han Cheon-seong. Are you feeling a little better now? I told you not to be so tense.”
“…Instructor. Still, your teasing is a bit too much.”
It was the most gentle way I could put it.
"That's because... you're just so cute, Cadet Han Cheon-seong. It was just a lighthearted joke. And Cadet Han Cheon-seong? If it's too hard not to look at my chest, then just... don't be too obvious about it. I know how hard you're trying and how conscious you are of it, so I won't judge you too harshly for something you can't help, you know?"
“But…”
“No buts. It's just that you look like you're struggling too much. I'm fine with it. Got it?”
“…Yes. Thank you.”
“Then rest here for a moment. I'll go make some tea.”
As she left, seemingly out of consideration for me, I could finally breathe easier, but…
My heart was shaken even more.
She had told me it was okay even if my gaze fell on her chest. She was being so direct, saying she was only teasing because she found me cute.
And anyone would interpret those words as…
‘Couldn't this be seen as her having feelings for me?’
She went so far as to say she'd accept me looking at her chest as long as it wasn't too blatant. How could I possibly take that calmly?
Staring blankly at Adelia making tea in a corner of the infirmary, I slowly steadied my breathing.
“…”
I managed to calm my racing heart a little.
I was confused myself, wondering why my heart was so fickle.
—Adelia Evangeline.
Her name had appeared a few times in the world of Groa. However, her role wasn't very significant, so her name hadn't come to mind right away.
Right now, it was safe to say I knew almost nothing about her.
Every word she said, every action she took, felt magnified, leaving me unable to get my bearings.
It felt like a beautiful woman was flirting with me, showing her interest. I couldn't help but wonder if this feeling was real or just my own delusion.
‘…I must be overreacting.’
Before entering the academy, I had spent several months earning money by doing menial tasks at an inn and odd jobs at a blacksmith's.
And even the gazes I received back then… they weren't exactly kind.
To them, my origins were unclear, and there was a strange wall that kept them from mingling with me freely.
So now, having someone treat me so kindly felt a bit unfamiliar.
And when a beauty like Adelia seemed to be showing me such favor, it was only natural for my heart to be shaken even more.
The interest she was showing me now felt as if…
She had feelings for me, as if she were trying to seduce me.
With a soft clink,
Adelia returned with the tea and placed a cup in front of me.
“Thank you.”
“I'm the one who should be thanking you for keeping me company.”
As the gently smiling Adelia lifted her steaming teacup, all sorts of thoughts ran through my mind.
‘Could it be that Adelia doesn't realize it?’
How much her casual actions could shake the heart of the person she's with.
Adelia took a sip from her cup and spoke lightly.
“My, time has passed so quickly.”
“Ah, you're right. Well then, Instructor Adelia, I'll just finish my tea and get going…”
“It's fine. Just stay a little longer.”
“…What?”
“It's already so late. Do you think you'd be able to focus if you went back to the lecture hall now? Just stay here in the infirmary until the afternoon lecture is over. I'll talk to Instructor Kalli about it later, so don't worry.”
As Adelia said this with a small smile... I found myself hesitating before accepting.
“If you insist…”
I checked the clock inside; it was already close to 4 p.m.
There was really no point in me going back to listen to the lecture now.
Facing Kalli this late didn't seem like a good idea either... It would be better to see her after tomorrow's lecture.
“By the way, Cadet Han Cheon-seong. The more I see you, the more curious I get. Even if Instructor Kalli treats you better than expected, her lectures are rumored to be difficult among the cadets, yet you were determined to go back... People like you are truly rare these days.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, really. And it's been a long time since I've seen a cadet worry about a friend and silently stay by their side like that.”
As she continued to express her peculiar impressions of me... I was finally able to get a handle on my shaken heart.
‘So that's... why she's been so kind to me.’
I had been wondering why Adelia was being so generous, and she had just told me the reason herself.
My unintentional actions had seemed different to her, and that was why she was showing me such kindness.
As our eyes met again, I could finally look at her properly.
Her mysterious eyes, a mix of gold and jade, were still looking at me.
And the emotion within them toward me... it wasn't at all what I had thought.
Just pure goodwill and kindness.
‘It's obvious when I think about it.’
I had only just met her today, and we had only spent time together by chance.
I felt like a fool for thinking she had feelings for me and was trying to seduce me.
"..."
A laugh escaped me unconsciously. It felt like my confused heart was finally settling down.
“Oh? Cadet Han Cheon-seong. Why the sudden laugh?”
“No reason. I just found this situation a little strange.”
My heart felt much lighter as I answered.
“Hmm? What's so strange about it?”
Looking at Adelia, who showed curiosity at my words, a slightly different thought crossed my mind.
If she and I…
‘Weren't in a relationship of instructor and cadet…’
Given how she treated me today, I might have genuinely developed feelings for her. I couldn't deny that she, radiating such pure kindness, was incredibly... charming.
“Cadet Han Cheon-seong~ Your instructor just asked you what was so strange. You should give me a proper answer, you know?”
Her whining tone made me laugh again.
“It's really nothing. It's just that you've been so kind to me today, Instructor Adelia, that this whole atmosphere felt strange. Ah, which reminds me... do you treat other cadets like this too?”
I was suddenly curious.
I was able to somehow control my heart and my body in her presence.
But if other cadets were to experience this side of Adelia, would they be able to restrain themselves? I didn't think so.
“Well now. Do I look like an instructor who would do that, Cadet Han Cheon-seong?”
At my question, Adelia suddenly blinked, and for a moment, I wondered if I had misspoken.
She seemed to joke around so freely that I assumed she'd naturally act this way with other cadets too.
‘Was I wrong…?’
Suddenly, Adelia's gaze grew strangely somber. I couldn't answer easily.
Truly... Adelia's entire aura had suddenly changed.
“I suppose it could look that way. Cadet Han Cheon-seong. Do you think you know how other people usually see me?”
“No. How could I possibly know what kind of attention you receive, Instructor Adelia?”
“Exactly, right? You and I, Cadet Han Cheon-seong, are of different genders, different positions, and so many other things are different between us. It's only natural that you wouldn't know the kind of attention I get. And to answer your earlier question, I don't joke around with other cadets like I do with you. Especially not by using my own body.”
...Adelia's calm voice made me snap to attention.
What was Adelia trying to say? I didn't know, but the sudden shift in atmosphere made me tense up instinctively.
“This might sound a little strange to you, but... I'm only joking like this because it's you, Cadet Han Cheon-seong. Because you try so hard not to look at my body, and you're aware of your own actions without me having to say anything. I found that so endearing about you, which is why I teased you. If another cadet were to blatantly stare at my chest…”
Gulp.
As I listened, I swallowed hard, but for a different reason than before.
And then, Adelia blinked once.
"..."
I felt an inexplicable chill. My body suddenly felt heavy. Even breathing became difficult, and my vision of Adelia started to blur.
A strange sense of danger washed over me instinctively.
“Cadet Han Cheon-seong. How do you feel looking at me right now?”
Adelia's voice was undeniably gentle as she asked. But her eyes were not smiling.
She looked at me with cold eyes that could only be described as indifferent.
I should have answered, but my lips wouldn't move. And I had experienced this strange sensation before.
‘It's the same as what I felt from Kalli.’
It was the same feeling I got when she first entered the lecture hall and her gaze fell on me.
The gaze of a predator, lightly pressing down on its prey…
“……”
“……”
As our eyes met in silence, it felt as if time itself had stopped.
In this moment, as she looked at me and I looked at her, I could feel my senses gradually dulling.
It felt as if I was about to be crushed.
—Knock, knock.
At the sudden sound of a knock, Adelia, who had been staring intently at me, blinked again.
“Ah, Cadet Han Cheon-seong. I'm sorry. Was I too harsh?”
As she spoke with her usual gentle smile, I was finally able to open my mouth.
“……”
Just gasping for air to desperately replenish the lack of oxygen was all I could manage; my entire body was already drenched in a cold sweat.
“I'm sorry. Cadet Han Cheon-seong, just take a moment to catch your breath. I'll go treat the cadet who's here. Again, I'm sorry for what I just did.”
“Yes. Instructor Adel…ia. I'm… fine.”
I managed to reply while watching Adelia rise lightly to her feet.
With a soft rustle,
She then drew a white curtain to conceal the space I was in before disappearing, leaving my mind blank.
The strange atmosphere that had existed between us until now felt like a fleeting dream.
‘Instructor.’
And I was brought back to reality. No matter how much Adelia's specialty was related to healing, an instructor was an ‘instructor’.
There was still a vast, insurmountable gap between a cadet like me and an instructor like her.
Just by her closing and opening her eyes, by meeting her gaze, I had been rendered completely helpless.
Click.
Then came the sound of the door opening. I let out a small breath and wondered which cadet it could be.
“Oh. Instructor Kalli?”
At Adelia's surprised voice, my body…
seemed to freeze all over again.