Soundless
Soundless
A dormitory provides room and board to the members of a group.
Siyoram offers cadets top-tier dormitory facilities, entirely free of charge.
I was assigned a dormitory too.
The facilities were so excellent they couldn't be compared to an ordinary hotel.
But I'd never really used it much.
I'd barely visited the attached amenities either.
I didn't even go to the dining hall often. Just once every two days or so, dragging myself there with the mindset of injecting nutrients.
My dorm room was similar.
I hadn't brought in any personal items, nor had I packed any extra belongings.
Compared to when I first received it, nothing had changed.
That didn't mean I slept there often either.
Mostly because of nightmares. Or even when I could sleep, I had no time to relax, so I often holed up in the library or spent all night in the personal training rooms.
I also never once visited my dorm room during the entire midterm evaluation. Showers could be handled with magic, so there was even less need.
During the written exams, I was at the library, and after the tournament preliminaries, I woke up in Hong Yeon-hwa's dormitory.
And now that the main rounds are over—
I regained consciousness in my master's arms.
At this rate, it seemed like I didn't even need a dormitory.
'.......'
I didn't even need to cast Observation.
Just the sensation and warmth enveloping me told me immediately who it was.
There was also a gaze fixed on top of my head.
I had a guess where this was, but just in case, I activated Observation around me.
It wasn't a dormitory. Not even a dormitory building.
It was a two-story detached house with a yard. From the exterior, it seemed to be faculty housing provided to professors.
In other words, this seemed to be my master's quarters.
It was an embarrassing situation in many ways... but I'd had quite a bit of experience waking up in a different place after falling asleep, so I managed to stay calm.
Still cradled in warm arms, I quietly retraced my memories.
I'd met Ellia's family, then swallowed my nerves and went to see my master.
Honestly, I'd been afraid.
In the sparring match with Baek A-rin, I thought I'd done the best I possibly could.
I'd used Homogenization without resorting to Calamity Flame or Azure Sea, and I'd deployed Myriad Transformations to imitate and learn the martial techniques Baek A-rin showed me.
I'd racked my brain to cast spells, and I'd operated my still-unpolished spirit arts as a support.
We exchanged blows like that, and in the end, I lost.
I wasn't too upset. I'd expected to lose from the start. If anything, I was surprised the fight had been so intense.
Part of it was because Baek A-rin seemed to be holding back a little... and she stuck to textbook techniques, but still.
Anyway, I'd gained a lot from the process.
I'd fully absorbed how Baek A-rin used Azure Sea, and I'd picked up quite a few techniques using water energy and cold energy.
If I could imitate and wield Azure Sea instead of an ordinary unique ability like 'Water Current', it would be far more powerful.
For me, it was a satisfactory result. Even though I'd lost and would have to let Baek A-rin drag me around for a day, I didn't mind.
But from the perspective of the master who'd taught me, the story might be different.
Especially since my master had said at the start of the semester that many great expectations were directed at me... it made me worry that I might be scolded for being eliminated in the round of 16.
I was scared.
Just imagining those warm, gentle eyes becoming filled with disappointment... glaring at me coldly, made my breath catch in my throat.
I didn't want to go. But I couldn't just run away, so I went to see her.
And then I was held and comforted by my master.
In the face of that gesture, which seemed to wash away all my fearful worries, I relaxed and fell asleep without realizing it.
That was all I remembered.
'...Not much to it.'
When I thought about it, there really wasn't much to it. I'd simply fallen asleep while acting spoiled with my master and been moved, hadn't I?
Since it was my master, it was fine. She was someone who cherished me and claimed the role of my guardian.
I buried my face back into my master's embrace.
Then I heard a soft laugh from above, and a tender hand began stroking my head.
"You woke up early. How's your body?"
[I'm okay]
[Good]
A soft, warm sensation spread through my entire body, and I naturally went limp.
[Happy]
[Languid]
At times like this, held in my master's arms, both my body and mind grew languid, and I felt as though I were drifting away from complicated, frightening issues like destruction or lifespan.
It might be nothing but escapism, yet it felt like my mental strength was being restored.
I was petted like that for a while and continued to heal.
.
.
.
I looked around my master's quarters with a strange feeling.
The layout of the two-story house with a yard.
The second floor had guest rooms, a study, a workshop, and such, all relatively small rooms.
The bedroom where my master and I had slept was also tucked in a corner of the second floor.
Going down the stairs led to a spacious living room.
Morning sunlight streamed in brightly through the large windows, so even without turning on any lights, a cheerful atmosphere prevailed.
Besides that, there was a kitchen equipped with all sorts of cooking utensils and appliances, as well as various utility rooms... The ground floor seemed to have everything you'd expect.
'There aren't really any decorations.'
Looking around, I thought it was quite spacious. It gave off a neat impression, with hardly any ornaments, as if reflecting my master's taste.
My master had gone into the bathroom a while ago and sent me to the living room.
'Should I make some food?'
The refrigerator was fully stocked with ingredients. There were all sorts of vegetables, fish, and meat, along with plenty of sauces and seasonings.
There were no signs of anyone having used them. I worried they might have spoiled, so I carefully used Observation and was relieved to find no problems.
I didn't have any special talent for cooking, but I could manage decent home-cooked meals.
Honestly, I had a small desire to cook for my master and receive her praise.
But the problem was my tongue and nose, which couldn't taste anything... and the absence of one hand.
I was slightly worried, but with the Authority of Observation and the Sky Wing Feather, maybe I could compensate...
'Ah, right.'
I lingered in the kitchen, fiddling with the utensils and worrying for a moment.
A thought suddenly crossed my mind, and I tapped the hologram projector hanging around my neck.
[Contact: Baek A-rin (3)]
▶Baek A-rin: Notice! The loser must fulfill their promise!
▶Baek A-rin: Arrive at (map) by 12 o'clock!
▶Baek A-rin: We'll eat lunch together, and you can wear whatever you want~
The first message I saw was from Baek A-rin.
As we'd agreed right after the sparring match, I'd be spending the day with Baek A-rin today.
I tilted my head with a wry expression.
Even when I'd asked why she wanted to meet, or whether there was really a reason to go so far as to make a bet, Baek A-rin had only evaded answering with an ambiguous smile.
'...She wouldn't do anything weird, would she.'
Before even considering personal trust, this was Siyoram.
A cradle of ironclad security where neither internal schemes nor external invasions had ever succeeded.
It was one of the few places where I could live with peace of mind.
The more I lived here, the more I felt the name 'Cradle' was well chosen.
If cadets were likened to sprouts before they grow or to little babies, then the Cradle was the optimal place to guide them to grow safely and properly.
'I'd like to meet the Tower Master of Growth too, if possible... Huh?'
While I was thinking that, below Baek A-rin's message count of 3, I saw a notification reading 99+.
99+. Meaning there were more than 99 unread messages.
'Why so many?'
I was utterly bewildered. Hardly anyone knew my number, and any junk ads would all go to the spam folder...
I hurriedly brought up my message history.
[Contact: Ellia Srade (4)]
▶Ellia Srade: My parents went home after a pleasant chat
▶Ellia Srade: It was thanks to you coming to meet them. Thank you!
▶Ellia Srade: I'll definitely repay you next time!
▶Ellia Srade: (chick saluting emoji)
A message from Ellia. It was the sort of exchange you'd expect.
I sent a suitable reply, then continued checking my history.
[Contact: Liana Bellus (7)]
▶Liana Bellus: Cadet Lee Ha-yul, excellent work during the midterm evaluations! ꒰(ノ⁾⁾˙∇˙)꒱乃
▶Liana Bellus: There may be many disappointments, but let's keep striving for even better results!
...
▶Liana Bellus: Also, I plan to intensively focus on guiding Cadet Lee Ha-yul and Cadet Ellia in spirit arts during the break period before vacation!
▶Liana Bellus: I've coordinated the schedule with Professor Atra, so please confirm!
▶Liana Bellus: (Break period schedule.mng)
A message from Professor Liana.
It was just as I'd been told before.
The midterm evaluations are over, so vacation is coming soon. The period immediately after the midterms, before vacation begins, is commonly called the break period.
During this time, the academy tends to loosen the reins on cadets a bit.
Simply put, class hours decrease a little and we gain some free time.
Several weeks ago, Professor Liana had suggested that Ellia and I learn spirit arts briefly during that period, and we'd both nodded.
From my standpoint, with Professor Liana—who'd achieved greatness in spirit arts—offering to teach me personally, there was no reason to refuse.
'So I'll learn a bit before vacation.'
The sparring match with Baek A-rin had really made me feel the usefulness of spirits.
I hadn't even operated them like a full-fledged spirit caster; I'd only used them as support, but that support had made things so much easier.
If I hadn't had spirit arts, my nerves would have been even more frayed in many ways.
I nodded to myself and continued going through my messages.
There were a few other minor contacts.
There was a reply from the Association regarding compensation schedule coordination with Harmonization, and a few brief congratulations from cadets I had some acquaintance with about the main round match.
The message from Aiden, filled with confusion and shock asking how on earth I'd imitated things, drew a small laugh from me.
That volume wasn't that big. Not enough to fill over 99 messages.
'?'
My hand, which had been scrolling down, came to an abrupt halt at a certain point.
[Contact: Hong Yeon-hwa (99+)]
▶Hong Yeon-hwa: Ha-yul
▶Hong Yeon-hwa: What did Baek A-rin say right before the sparring?
▶Hong Yeon-hwa: She didn't say anything weird, right?
▶Hong Yeon-hwa: If she spouts nonsense, you can just ignore her
...
▶Hong Yeon-hwa: Ha-yul, where are you right now?
▶Hong Yeon-hwa: Ha-yul?
▶Hong Yeon-hwa: Ha-yul?
...
▶Hong Yeon-hwa: (Missed call (0:01:39))
▶Hong Yeon-hwa: Ha-yul
▶Hong Yeon-hwa: Where are you right now
▶Hong Yeon-hwa: Why won't you pick up?
▶Hong Yeon-hwa: Is something wrong?
...
▶Hong Yeon-hwa: (Missed call (0:02:10))
▶Hong Yeon-hwa: ?
...
"...?"
Over 99 messages and missed call logs from a single contact.
The oldest record was from last evening, and the most recent was just an hour or two ago.
I gaped blankly.
The sheer fact that there were well over a hundred unchecked logs was staggering.
'What's this?'
I was also puzzled.
There was no way I wouldn't have noticed if messages kept pouring in and calls kept ringing like this.
At the very least, they'd vibrate against my body, so it would be impossible not to know.
Even if I become a little oblivious to my surroundings when I fall asleep in someone's arms, I'm not the type to ignore alarms going off this regularly.
I hurriedly tapped my hologram and went into the alarm settings.
[Alarm Settings]
[Alarm Sound: OFF]
└[Alarm Tone: Default]
└[Volume: 0]
[Vibration: OFF]
└[Vibration Intensity: 0]
'Huh.'
And I was met with an alarm and vibration that were completely switched off.
A question mark floated above my head.
'Why is it off? I turn off the sound in public spaces, but I always leave the vibration on...'
It was baffling in many ways. I kept tilting my head, then snapped to my senses and tapped the hologram.
This wasn't the time. I needed to send Hong Yeon-hwa a message right away saying nothing was wrong.
My fingers flew in a hurry.
* * *
[Player Correction System: Affection]
Lee Ha-yul → Atra Clyde
●●●●●●●●○○ (83▷84/100)
｢Master｣ ｢Expectation｣ ｢Stability｣ ｢Affection Seeking｣
[Condition for lifting the ｢Curse of Silence｣ not met]
[Condition for lifting the ｢Curse of Solitude｣ not met]