Fin?als
Fin?als
'No injuries after all.'
I used the Observation Authority to examine my body in detail, meticulously checking for any permanent wounds or lingering aftereffects.
Not a single scratch. Only then did I release the observation I'd been rotating through my body, inside and out.
Thanks to the Tower of Growth, just like inside the tower itself, all damage sustained on the Stage had been rendered illusory.
Without that safeguard, there would have been countless casualties.
And I'd be carrying the aftereffects too.
The Azure Sea's strength lies in its versatility through water and ice.
It's true that its offensive power falls short compared to the Calamity Flame.
But even so, no one in their right mind disregards the Azure Sea—or more precisely, the Azure Sea's Ice Purity.
Once you've been struck by the Azure Sea and a part of you is frozen, it's nearly impossible to restore.
Ordinary methods cannot melt Azure Sea ice.
Ice Purity used for restraint is so impossibly strong that breaking it is difficult, and even if you manage to break it, the frozen area shatters along with it.
That's what makes the Azure Sea so troublesome to fight.
Even when the ice attacks come at you, breaking them is hard. One hit and the spot freezes over; shatter the ice and the frozen body part shatters too.
And when Water Energy is woven into the mix, it becomes utterly dirty.
Fluid Water Energy blankets the area around you, and just knowing that all of it can convert into Cold Energy and attack is nothing short of horrifying.
In particular, Baek A-rin's Ice Purity is dangerous.
Just as Hong Yeon-hwa's Calamity Flame output is unprecedented, Baek A-rin receives the same assessment.
Two heirs of the Three Great Families, in the same generation, born with unprecedented levels of their unique abilities.
For the Calamity Flame and Azure Sea, it's cause for celebration. As for Taesan... they must be feeling complicated in more ways than one.
Especially the Taesan heirs in the same generation as Hong Yeon-hwa and Baek A-rin.
In any case.
For those reasons, I was on guard against Ice Purity throughout our sparring... yet for some reason, Baek A-rin mainly used Water Energy as the match went on.
She did use Ice Purity later on, but it still left me with an odd, lingering impression.
And...
- Keep tomorrow free.
'What was that about.'
The bet itself was puzzling. I don't understand why she'd wager to claim a day of mine.
...And why she suddenly wrapped me in a hug—I truly couldn't figure that out either...
The sensation from earlier still lingered on my face.
I roughly shook my head to scatter the absurd thoughts that kept surfacing and scrubbed at my cheeks with both hands.
As I kneaded my cheeks hard enough to sting a little, the lingering sensation seemed to fade at last.
I was letting out a deep sigh when—
"Ha-yul, what's gotten into you all of a sudden?"
Ellia tilted her head from the seat beside me and reached out.
A soft touch settled over my cheeks, flushed red from all that rough kneading.
A gentle stroking hand, glowing with a warm cluster of light.
It was her unique ability, faintly manifested: Recovery Melody.
[I was just thinking about something else]
[I'm fine now]
Only when she began to stroke my cheek did my mind fully catch up.
I shook my head, indicating it was nothing. Her hand naturally withdrew.
My cheek, healed by Recovery Melody, was still red.
Feeling a strange sense of regret, I subtly checked my surroundings.
I wasn't the only one watching.
Besides Ellia beside me, there were people seated across from us, looking this way.
A middle-aged man and woman. And three young children...
The middle-aged man smiled brightly. It was similar to the lively, warm smile Ellia often wore.
"Haha. I was a little worried my daughter might have imposed on you, but it's a relief to see you two get along so well."
[No]
[If anything, I'm the one imposing on Ellia]
After my swift defeat at Baek A-rin's hands, I'd been too scared to go see my teacher right away, so I'd come to meet Ellia's family instead.
When I'd asked when they might be available, the answer was right away—even during the tournament—so we'd arranged a separate meeting.
And so, sitting across from Ellia's parents in a private room... my impression was simply that they were exactly what you'd picture as Western parents.
Her father was Brian Srade.
A middle-aged man with blonde hair and golden eyes—not at all the balding, potbellied uncle type I might have imagined.
His build was tall and lean. His face had few wrinkles for his age, making him look considerably younger.
Beside him was her mother, Aila Srade.
A woman with the same blonde hair as Ellia and clear sky-blue eyes. She looked remarkably young for her age, far beyond what I'd heard.
I could also see exactly where Ellia had inherited her figure.
"Dad, do I really look like such a troublemaker to you? Do you know how careful I am normally?"
As I smiled awkwardly, Ellia pouted—a rare display of peevishness from her.
Her mother fired back with an incredulous look.
"I can't believe those words are coming from the person who toppled our hometown's pride—the Millennium Tree..."
"Aah! Bringing up mistakes from when I was a tiny kid is cheating!"
"You've had a bit too many to write off as childhood mistakes, and they're a bit too recent, aren't they? Just the year before last, you absolutely destroyed Mr. Billion's ranch fence—"
"Ha-yul, Ha-yul! All of that is ancient history! Cover your ears. Don't listen..."
It had been awkward at first, but Ellia's easygoing nature clearly came from her parents—both of them were remarkably warm and sociable.
They'd also picked up from our first greetings that I felt burdened by expressions of gratitude, so afterward the topic of thanks rarely came up.
Thanks to that, we were able to talk in a reasonably easy atmosphere.
During that time, I also heard stories that essentially made up Ellia's dark history.
Going by the stories alone... it seemed Ellia's childhood exploits had been rather... dramatic.
They didn't match at all with the gentle, considerate demeanor I'd always seen from her.
"Ughhh... how far back are you digging these up..."
Ellia sank under her parents' offensive, her head planted on the table as she muttered.
I gave her an awkward smile, then quietly turned my head.
Across from us, the parents were each holding a child—a boy and a girl.
Both had yellowish hair, like little chicks, with adorable looks—and they were both asleep, eyes closed and breathing evenly, probably tired out.
And the girl who hadn't claimed a lap, sitting between her parents... was staring straight at me.
Chick-down-colored hair, and half-lidded eyes that seemed utterly indifferent to the world.
Her name was Adela Srade.
Ellia's little sister—the one I'd met in Sipnaha... and saved.
"......"
The room had grown quiet at some point. As the mother patted her back, the girl who'd been blinking slowly lowered her head in a bow.
[Thank you for saving me]
Beside her bowed head, a hologram rose bearing words of thanks.
I'd received a lot of gratitude.
My inbox was packed full, and handwritten letters were carefully stored in my dormitory.
On the day I was discharged, a few people had somehow recognized me and came to express their thanks.
Just moments ago, I'd also received thanks from Ellia's parents as they bowed their heads to me.
"......"
And yet my heart still felt unsettled.
They said many people were saved because of what I did in Sipnaha. I had acted with that intention.
But at the same time, I had regretted it.
When I first stepped forward. When I fired off magic until my circuits felt like they'd tear. When Aerus struck me and sent me flying. When I blocked the shelter entrance and faced death—I regretted it.
When I received thanks, I felt proud. But when the phantom pains came, I regretted it again.
"......"
I glanced around.
The people who had been laughing and chatting cheerfully just moments ago, while still maintaining decorum, were now looking at me with curious eyes.
One of them was Ellia.
The first person in this world who'd helped me with genuine goodwill, someone who'd given me so much support during my life at Siyoram.
A person I felt I'd truly grown close to, at least on my side—she had been laughing and chatting, and now she was wearing a gentle smile.
If... the child in front of me had died in that incident, Ellia wouldn't have been able to meet her family and laugh like this.
She wouldn't be wearing that happy smile she has now.
I thought for a moment, then smiled and tapped my necklace.
[No—thank you]
The regret lessened, and the pride grew.
* * *
Even after Lee Ha-yul's elimination, the tournament continued.
Match after match was fought. A brief rest, then the next cadets took the stage for their match.
A brutal schedule that compressed the entire bracket from the round of sixteen to the finals into a single day.
Hours slipped by like that, and at last the tournament's final stage was set.
A one-minute countdown echoed across the stage.
"You fucking bitch."
The moment she stepped onto the stage, Hong Yeon-hwa spat out the curse without preamble.
Baek A-rin, ascending from the opposite side, wore an odd expression.
Lately she'd been restraining herself, saying she was mindful of Lee Ha-yul's presence, but now the words were coming out clean and free.
As I found myself feeling something almost like nostalgia, Hong Yeon-hwa spoke again.
"What was that about with Ha-yul?"
As if she'd expected the question, Baek A-rin answered without hesitation.
"What do you mean? Ha-yul was about to collapse, so I just caught him."
"Oh, really? Looked perfectly fine to me. Didn't seem like he was about to fall at all. And..."
Whoosh! Flames erupted from around her shoulders. The stage around her shimmered like a heat haze. The intensity was fierce.
Hong Yeon-hwa's eyes flared red.
"Right before the evaluation started—what did you say to him?"
"Um... let's hang out together next time?"
Audio between cadets wasn't broadcast. Baek A-rin answered while averting her gaze.
"'I'll take Ha-yul's day'?"
"Ah."
Mouth shapes would be visible, of course.
She was caught. An awkward smile surfaced on Baek A-rin's face.
11—! 10—!
The countdown was nearing its end. Hong Yeon-hwa tilted her head.
"No more excuses?"
"...Now that I think about it, I'm not sure I need to make excuses~"
"What?"
Baek A-rin let out a lilting sigh and raised her spear.
At that, Hong Yeon-hwa's intensity sharpened, turning murderous.
"All I did was ask a friend's friend to hang out for a day. Is that something to get cursed out over?"
"...Aha. Is that so?"
Boom! Hong Yeon-hwa slammed the flat of her sword against the stage. With a deafening noise, the blade embedded itself in the floor.
1—!
[Evaluation start—!]
The countdown ended. The start signal rang out.
Whoooosh—!
"Then die first."
Calamity Flame Expansion Ability
Flame Bloom (開火)
A colossal eruption of flame burst from the ground where her sword had struck.
"Yeon-hwa, this is an exam..."
Azure Sea Expansion Ability
Tidal Wave (海溢)
In answer, a vast flood of Water Energy and Cold Energy surged from the opposite side.
The finals—destined to be recorded as the fiercest since Siyoram's founding—had begun.
* * *
[Player Correction System: Affection]
Lee Ha-yul → Ellia Srade
●●●●●●●○○○(73▷75/100)
｢Fondness｣ ｢Pride｣ ｢Gratitude｣ ｢Chick｣
...
Lee Ha-yul → Baek A-rin
●●●●●●○○○○(56▷60/100)
｢Fondness｣ ｢Curiosity｣ ｢Confusion｣
...
[Conditions to lift the ｢Curse of Silence｣ have not been met]
[Conditions to lift the ｢Curse of Solitude｣ have not been met]