So Many...

'Auuugh...'

I'd made a pathetic spectacle of myself first thing in the morning. I clutched my head and groaned.

'Not only did I fall asleep with my mouth hanging wide open all night, I was drooling all over the place...'

And it wasn't even onto a pillow or blanket. It was all over Baek A-rin's chest.

I was so mortified I couldn't even lift my head.

It would've been awkward enough if I'd done that while sleeping alone, but I'd gone and inconvenienced someone else...

"It's fine. A little drool isn't going to ruin my day."

Baek A-rin let out a soft laugh at the sight of me squirming on the edge of the bed. She straightened her disheveled clothes, then came over and patted my back reassuringly.

I turned away, too mortified to face her.

Even though the victim herself said that, the embarrassment didn't fade.

Hong Yeon-hwa was still sound asleep, breathing softly. Normally, even Hong Yeon-hwa, a heavy sleeper, would have sensed the movement and woken up, but it seemed the fatigue from using Harmonization on my volatile Calamity Flame yesterday had caught up with her.

'Hoo boy...'

A heavy sigh escaped me.

A short while later, Hong Yeon-hwa woke up as well.

"Looks like the trial is over."

That was Hong Yeon-hwa's verdict after checking my condition before breakfast.

It wasn't just a simple visual inspection.

She sat me in her lap, and her hand slipped under my clothes to rest on my stomach. Mana seeped from her soft palm and meticulously examined my entire body.

"The heat has settled nicely. I don't feel any signs of an outbreak, and your mana's calmed down too."

The Trial of Calamity Flame was over.

Coming from Hong Yeon-hwa, who handles Calamity Flame at a level beyond mastery, it was certain.

More than anything, I could feel my own condition. Until yesterday, even when I stayed still, my mana had been converting into flame energy and stirring up my emotions. Now it lay calmly settled.

'......'

Typically, superhumans who awaken a unique ability can perceive their own Innate Talent.

I'd heard that they don't feel every tiny, countless piece of Innate Talent the way I do, but they can perceive the ones that protrude significantly and have become "abilities."

It was the same for me. I could feel it just by focusing my mind, without even resorting to the Observation Authority.

There was a strange sensation I'd felt since waking up earlier.

I pressed a hand to my stomach, my expression odd.

Countless Innate Talents. Two that protrude significantly. Around them, many others clustered closely, steadily growing.

And near them, I perceived a newly protruding Innate Talent that hadn't been there before.

The sensation was a fiercely blazing flame.

'Calamity Flame.'

I could perceive it, but I couldn't understand it.

'I don't have Homogenization active right now. But...'

I could feel the Calamity Flame.

Even without going through Homogenization, the Calamity Flame was blatantly asserting its presence.

It wasn't an illusion. Both my senses and the Observation Authority were clearly perceiving the Calamity Flame.

I couldn't grasp it, but what this phenomenon signified was clear.

I had manifested Calamity Flame. Not an imitation through Homogenization, but Calamity Flame had taken root within me.

'How?'

My face twisted with confusion.

When I thought about it, it had been strange from the start that I even faced the Trial of Calamity Flame.

The 3rd Iteration was the cycle where I had manifested Calamity Flame. Back then, I was the first to manifest it—though only a half-baked version—and I used it meticulously whenever I acted alone. According to that iteration's timeline, I even used it well after graduating from Siyoram.

I'd handled it for that long. But I'd never faced the Trial of Calamity Flame. I figured that was because it was a half-baked version achieved through a shortcut, so there was no trial.

So I naturally assumed I wouldn't face one this time either.

In the first place, for me, it wasn't even half-baked. It was just a temporary imitation.

No clumsy Innate Talent had settled inside me. I was simply momentarily altering my mana's properties to resemble Calamity Flame and manifesting its blaze.

And yet I'd faced the trial, and genuine Calamity Flame had settled within me.

'So do I have to be wary of Calamity Flame from now on?'

Before, I hadn't paid it much mind. I only needed to temporarily regulate my emotions when I summoned the flames, but from now on, I might be influenced by Calamity Flame even in daily life.

'If Azure Sea and Taesan end up settling in me as well... will I become a mental patient with my emotions swinging wildly at the drop of a hat?'

The dream I'd had earlier suddenly came to mind.

Like most dreams, the memories weren't vivid, but some fragments surfaced.

Lee Ha-yul, who wielded Calamity Flame, Azure Sea, and Taesan, and ultimately died in the Demon Realm's Deepest Core... the memories of the 3rd Iteration.

And the 2nd Iteration I witnessed in the Tower of Growth.

'...I'd better be able to find something in the Tower of Knowledge.'

Though, of course, it was uncertain whether I could even enter right now.

Either way, the Trial of Calamity Flame was over.

Thanks to that, my emotions were back to normal, and I wasn't having any lewd thoughts.

"It took longer than I thought. I figured it would be over in a few days, like mine..."

- Squirm... squish...

"Nngh..."

...I wasn't.

It was just that the hand rubbing my skin tickled, making me wriggle a bit. Ticklishness is a physiological reaction, so there was nothing to be done.

The train of worry I'd been following snapped off abruptly.

"It took close to ten days? It's finally over!"

Clap clap— Ellia's eyes sparkled as she brought her hands together. A bright smile bloomed on her lips.

Hong Yeon-hwa and I weren't the only ones gathered in the living room.

Baek A-rin, who had been sleeping in the same bed, was with me, and Ellia and Seo-yul, who had slept in another room, had come out as well.

"So the Calamity Flame won't rampage anymore, right?"

"Uh... well, for now. But that doesn't mean it's completely harmless. With Calamity Flame, even outside a trial, you never know when it might erupt..."

"So you're saying it's the same as it's always been? That's great! Then now Ha-yul and Seo-yul can all sleep together again, yes?"

"W-well, yeah, but..."

"Seo-yul's been looking so lonely for a while. Right, Seo-yul?"

"Yes, I want to sleep with Dad."

At Ellia's prompting, Seo-yul answered clearly and precisely, as if she'd prepared her reply in advance.

Her sullen gaze bored into me. My ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠shoulders hunched involuntarily.

For a while, I'd been too listless from managing the Calamity Flame to play with her. And whenever I could move, I'd devoted that time entirely to training to acclimate to the Calamity Flame.

It seemed Seo-yul had built up a fair amount of discontent during that period.

"......."

Hong Yeon-hwa, with a complicated look in her eyes, looked back and forth between me, nestled in her arms, and Seo-yul, nestled in Ellia's arms.

It was a complicated gaze, seeming both somewhat displeased yet reluctant to separate parent and child.

After those words, a strange silence fell over the living room.

"Now that the trial is over, Ha-yul's Calamity Flame must have changed as well, right?"

[Yes, it probably has.]

Through the silence, Baek A-rin's easygoing voice rang out.

With the mood being somewhat odd, I had been rolling my unseeing eyes around, gauging the atmosphere along with everyone besides Hong Yeon-hwa. Now I brightened and responded.

Then I stretched one hand straight forward.

Partly to change the subject, and partly to check the state of the Calamity Flame. I knew Calamity Flame had settled in me, but I needed to manifest it directly to clearly pinpoint the difference.

I was also curious how the Calamity Flame had changed.

For Hong Yeon-hwa, didn't it just end with an increase in output? Maybe my output had similarly increased. If so, had the side effects increased along with it?

'Manifest, Calamity Flame.'

- Fwoosh

Calamity Flame filled my palm.

In an instant, the bright morning sunshine was pushed back, and the hue of the flames dyed the surroundings.

The flames rose. The Calamity Flame that had been lying low stretched upward as if waking from slumber.

"Whoa..."

Squirm... The arm wrapped around my waist tightened. It was Hong Yeon-hwa, who still held me in her lap. She let out an awed breath, her mouth hanging slightly open.

The others' reactions were much the same. Rounded eyes stared at the flame, and soft exclamations of wonder escaped their parted lips.

"It's beautiful..."

That was Ellia's assessment.

Even I, while observing the flame, found myself agreeing vaguely.

The fire lashed fiercely as if bursting with vitality one moment, then twisted gently as though acquiescing to the world's cycle the next. It felt almost like watching a dance.

The color was still red, but it felt brighter and warmer, the hue emphasizing warmth over danger.

Before any such evaluation, the flame itself was aesthetically beautiful. That was how my brain was processing it.

"Wow, woooow... so pretty..."

"...Yeon-hwa. Does it... does it, change like this, sometimes?"

"Huh? Uh, well... it's not unheard of for it to show changes in properties... but I've never heard of a transformation this unusual."

Hong Yeon-hwa, who had lifted my hand with its dancing flame, answered falteringly. It seemed she was completely captivated by the sight.

And it wasn't just Hong Yeon-hwa. Before I knew it, everyone had clustered close to me, admiring the Calamity Flame from up close.

'...For something that's just fire, why is it this pretty?'

I tilted my head, bemused. I'd expected nothing more than a possible increase in output, but suddenly the flame's entire presence had shifted dramatically.

On the surface, these were elegant flames that looked more suited for ceremonial use than combat.

And so, everyone continued to admire the flame until I finally extinguished it.

.

.

.

With the trial over, the time bomb strapped to me had disappeared.

Of course, the danger wasn't completely gone.

Unlike before, when I could use Homogenization to employ Calamity Flame only when I wanted to—bluntly put, only when I needed to—and avoid its side effects, now I'd have to be mindful of them even in daily life.

Regardless, the immediate risk of it blowing up like a bomb was gone. Thanks to that, Hong Yeon-hwa and Baek A-rin no longer needed to be glued to my side at all times.

For some reason, Hong Yeon-hwa and Baek A-rin looked somewhat regretful about it, while Ellia was simply glad the trial had ended safely.

At any rate, I was now able to resume my activities.

There was a mountain of backlogged tasks.

First, I needed to tackle the thick pile of assignments from the lectures I'd missed, and I absolutely had to attend the important lectures I couldn't afford to skip.

But more than anything, there was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠one thing I had to do first.

"It's been a while, Cadet Lee Ha-yul."

[Yes, hello.]

The top floor of the Central Administration Building, which I was visiting for the first time in a while.

The person seated across the table... the Vice Headmaster, distinguished by violet eyes and hair, bowed her head in greeting.

This was the meeting I'd arranged with the Vice Headmaster beforehand.

I bowed my head in return, but a hint of sulkiness slipped into my expression before I could stop it.

There ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was so much I wanted to say, so many grievances I wanted to air.

And beyond that, the matter of entering the Tower of Knowledge. Would she even let me in? If she wasn't planning to, what was the reason?

The matter of the 2nd Iteration I'd encountered in the Tower of Growth. What even was that guy's identity? Why did I feel pain? Why did you show me the 2nd Iteration? Are there other iterations? Why did the Headmaster bring me here?

All the things I'd wanted to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ask, the things I'd held back but now had to ask, were about to come pouring out—

"First, this."

[?]

Just before I could erupt, the Vice Headmaster abruptly reached into the air. A subspace unfolded. I could have blocked it with the Authority of Space, but I let it be.

The Vice Headmaster's hand, which had been rummaging through the subspace, emerged. Between her slender fingers, she held two keys.

One was a fancy golden key, and the other was an elegant silver key.

The Vice Headmaster held out both keys to me.

[What are these?]

At my question, the Vice Headmaster answered as if it were nothing special.

"They are the keys to the Siyoram Secret Storage and the Tower of Knowledge."

[Pardon?]

My mind, which had been fully braced to confront her, ground to a halt.