Prerequisite of Happiness
Prerequisite of Happiness
I'd been wondering if it was about time to head back, but the moment I sensed the magic in the lab had broken, there was no reason to hesitate.
"Well then, I'll take my leave. Travel safely on your way back."
[Yes, thank you again for today]
First, I dropped Maxwell off at the Association.
It was a spacious park near the Association headquarters. When a figure popped into existence out of thin air, the people strolling through the park jolted in alarm.
"Huh, that person...?"
But the moment they confirmed the figure who'd appeared from nowhere was me, their eyes rounded and they started murmuring my name.
Lately, I'd been gaining quite a bit of fame, and my appearance is distinctive, so they must have recognized me.
Given the urgency, I couldn't respond to everyone individually. I gave Maxwell a cursory reply and activated Spatial Leap.
The now-familiar vibration of space coiled around my body. My feet lifted from the ground, and my surroundings shifted abruptly.
- Thump
My feet pressed into a lawn that was excessively brimming with vitality. Flowerbeds in perpetual full bloom and sparsely planted trees offering patches of shade filled the space.
It was one of the ordinary gardens on the mansion grounds.
"Ah! Your Majesty! You're back?"
A tiny fairy who'd been watering the flowers nearby, Rudi, beamed a smile and fluttered toward me, but then a thought seemed to strike her, and she conjured an exclamation mark above her head.
"Right! Your Majesty! Just now, Queen Consort Hong Yeon-hwa was acting strange."
A danger signal flashed above my own head too.
[Oh? How so?]
"Well... it was like... looking at a dead flower. Like you don't want to see it, don't want to get close..."
[Hmm]
As my expression clouded slightly, clear worry surfaced on Rudi's face as well. She was always playfully bandying about the title of 'Queen Consort' and following Yeon-hwa around, so she'd clearly grown quite fond of her.
First, I composed my expression and stroked the top of Rudi's head with a finger.
[It'll be alright. For now, Rudi, keep attending to what you were doing.]
"...Yes!"
Rudi, seemingly free of doubt, gave a vigorous reply, having neatly set aside a fair amount of her worry. I offered her a faint smile and turned away.
I confirmed everyone's locations and status with the Authority of Observation. I also checked the state of the destroyed magic.
Analyzing the residue, it had indeed been broken by the Calamity Flame. It was magic I'd put considerable effort into, but it wasn't at a level that could withstand the Calamity Flame.
'Why did she do it?'
I don't know the reason. What possible reason could she have to suddenly barge into the lab, break the magic, and gulp down some unknown potion?
A side effect of the Calamity Flame? Yeon-hwa has been handling the Calamity Flame for over a decade now. It doesn't seem likely she'd suddenly be helplessly swept away by side effects...
- Whimper... woof!
[Yeah, yeah, it's alright...]
Setting my questions aside for the moment, I soothed the spirits gathering around me and entered the mansion.
In the living room full of sofas, several people were gathered.
Ellia, Baek A-rin, Master, Professor Liana, and Lee Ji-yeon.
Some were seated on the sofas, others standing beside them, all talking with grave expressions. They turned their heads at the sound of my presence.
"Ha-yul!"
"Pfft."
Ellia called out to me, her face lighting up. I walked briskly toward her, and she urgently pressed my cheek.
"Yeon-hwa apparently picked up and ate some kind of drug off the ground, and maybe because of that, her condition has gotten strange!"
"Yes, yes. I confirmed it too."
I already knew what kind of magic had collapsed, and I'd also been informed of the situation through a text that arrived shortly before.
"It's not the kind that makes you sick, right? No, seriously, what kind of drug has an effect like that? Just looking at her, I felt this weird revulsion and my stomach got queasy..."
"Pbbbt... pb, there are no side effects, so it's fine. The effect only lasts a few hours, and if I go to her and take measures, I can shorten it even more."
"Ah, well that's a relief..."
At my explanation, Ellia's hand, which had been repeatedly prodding my cheek, stilled.
The potion Yeon-hwa drank is tentatively called the 'Potion of Being Hated,' and it was a batch I had prepared for later concentration.
The concentrated dose was tested on the 5th Iteration in the Tower, and once we left the Tower, it was restored.
The concentrated batch is still safely stored within my subspace.
'Thank goodness it was before concentration, at least...'
This is why, even though I was horrified when I realized the true identity of the potion Yeon-hwa had consumed, I didn't just dump Maxwell in the wasteland and rush off immediately.
The dosage itself is small enough that I can dispel it quickly, and I already know the efficacy of the pre-concentrated version. It's not a dramatic effect that would make someone suddenly stab you with a sword or spear.
Moreover, I'm observing her location and status in real time even now, so if I sense any anomaly, I can leap right to her side.
"Junior, that potion... could it be the one from that dungeon back then?"
[Yes, that's right]
As I briefly explained the circumstances, Lee Ji-yeon, who had been sitting and listening quietly, raised her hand to ask.
The Potion of Being Hated was obtained in the dungeon 'Hansaek Dongsan,' which I'd entered with Lee Ji-yeon, and she seemed to remember me roughly explaining its efficacy at the time.
"My disciple, just what were you planning to use such a drug for, that you were handling it in the lab?"
That was when my master, who had been standing quietly with her arms folded, suddenly spoke up. At that, the gazes of the others landed on me as well.
I closed my mouth for a moment at the sudden topic.
"Uh, well... I've been learning alchemy and herbology, and while running various experiments, it just sort of happened... I'll go right now to Yeon-hwa, resolve this, and be back."
Under my master's calm gaze, my eyes darted around shiftily before I discreetly turned my body around.
* * *
"Augh, aaaahk... Guaaaaaaah..."
A scream filled with grief and despair whined from within the pillow. With her face buried in it, Hong Yeon-hwa writhed in agony, kicking her legs.
- Wham! Wham! Wham!
Short, heavy thuds rang out from her formidable leg strength. The bed taking the hits creaked. Along with it, Hong Yeon-hwa's heart shook as well.
"Gruaaaaah..."
"Young lady, no matter that it's Siyoram property, I do wonder if taking out your frustrations by damaging it is quite appropriate."
At the voice that sounded beside her, the kicks battering the bed stopped.
A brief silence passed, and Hong Yeon-hwa slowly turned her head.
Near the door, some distance away from the bed, stood Eriel, clad in a modern maid uniform.
Eriel shrugged her shoulders under the gaze that fell upon her.
"Of all things, to pick up and eat that. Have you still not corrected your habit of meticulously eating snacks that fell on the floor?"
"Oh, for fuck's sake, that was ages ago!"
Bringing up some past I can barely even remember anymore, what a load of bullshit. Hong Yeon-hwa's legs once again abused the bed.
But soon, she turned her gaze back to Eriel.
Eriel tilted her head.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"...It doesn't affect you?"
Hong Yeon-hwa asked, her face buried back into the pillow. She hadn't gotten a precise explanation, but she'd roughly grasped the potion's effect.
A kind of curse... or perception manipulation.
While she'd fled the mansion and sprinted through the streets to avoid Lee Ha-yul, she could feel the uncomfortable, averse looks flying her way.
She received looks like that normally, too.
Hong Yeon-hwa was a person with many merits, but the karma of her past remained. There were bound to be people who held bad memories and feelings toward her.
But every single person in the crowds gathered for the Birth Festival was looking at her that way. She couldn't help but notice the effect then.
"Hmph. Young lady, you do have a tendency to underestimate me excessively."
"What?"
"I was once a hunter who held the prized label of 'Top-grade.' I am the very one who used to venture into those perilous, unknown Demon Realms. Do you think someone like me would fail to control one measly negative emotion and shamelessly glare at you?"
In response to Hong Yeon-hwa's question, Eriel puffed out her chest as if boasting.
"Of course, it has an effect, but I'm not so weak as to be swept away by this level of efficacy."
"Then why are your eyes closed?"
Eriel wasn't meeting Hong Yeon-hwa's gaze and had her eyes shut. Also, she was holding her breath.
"My eyes have been a bit fatigued lately. Even with artificial tears, there's been no particular sign of improvement."
"Really? Anyway, we seem a bit far apart. Want to come closer?"
"For personal reasons, I must decline. Either way, I never imagined the young master was researching such a potion."
Sensing the tide turning against her, Eriel shifted the topic of conversation.
"Could he perhaps have someone he wants to marinate? If so, I believe I could be of great assistance."
"Guess you aren't called a former assassin for nothing. Your talk is blood-chilling as hell."
"Oh my. I was not an assassin, but a romantic hunter and adventurer."
"So how many daggers are on your waist right now?"
"Around eighty are attached at the moment, and there should be about four hundred or so left in my subspace pocket."
"Crazy."
Hong Yeon-hwa let out a hollow laugh. Having successfully diverted the topic, Eriel glanced over at the closed door.
"It seems the years I spent serving you have not been in vain. I get the feeling I can read the brazen and sly thoughts you're harboring, young lady."
"Brazen? Sly? Don't talk nonsense."
"Hmm, then please listen to my deduction and judge for yourself. The reason you are currently not outside Siyoram, but rather insist on being in your own utterly predictable old dormitory, is because someone is coming to find—"
"Gyaaaaaak! Shut uuup!"
"Oh dear."
Something flew at her, cutting through the air. Having engaged in more than her fair share of blade-fights with daggers in the past, Eriel was all too familiar with it. She calmly moved her head, and a lump of cotton passed right by her ear.
"Stop getting on my nerves and get out! I'm already feeling like shit, and you're right next to me chipping away!"
At the shrill shriek that followed, Eriel even covered her ears and shook her head from side to side. With that, Eriel had restricted her sight, smell, and hearing.
"Yes, yes. This employee, Eriel, shall go wait outside as per the employer's instructions. Ah, and I'll also need to explain the situation to the Siyoram side, so please fill me in on the details later, even if only briefly."
Eriel bantered as she opened the door.
- Click
The door closed. Once again, only Hong Yeon-hwa remained in the room.
"...Haa."
Hong Yeon-hwa, who had been rubbing her face against the pillow, flipped her body over.
A perfectly spotless, clean ceiling. It was the penthouse dormitory where Hong Yeon-hwa had been housed at the beginning of the semester.
She'd moved into the mansion with Lee Ha-yul, so it was empty now, but the academic year hadn't changed yet, so it was still registered as Hong Yeon-hwa's dormitory.
- The reason you are currently not outside Siyoram, but rather insist on being in your own utterly predictable old dormitory, is because someone is coming to find—
"......"
Eriel's words echoed in her ears.
She was right. Brazen and sly thoughts. Hong Yeon-hwa was indeed harboring such thoughts.
She understood the potion's effect. It would apply to Lee Ha-yul too.
She was afraid. She didn't give a damn about other people, but from Lee Ha-yul alone, she never wanted to receive such a look.
So she had fled because she didn't want to see him right now.
And yet, deep down, she hoped Lee Ha-yul would come find her and treat her as if nothing was wrong, just like always.
Maybe because Lee Ha-yul has a peculiar constitution, this kind of effect wouldn't apply to him, or something like that...
"Haa..."
A sigh escaped her involuntarily. Even by her own estimation, they were just too absurd, too childish.
Hong Yeon-hwa blankly buried her face back into the pillow.
She felt utterly drained.
She didn't know how long this effect would last. It might even continue until tomorrow, and if that happened, the plan for the big operation would be completely blown to hell.
She felt like shit.
- Yeon-hwa. The Calamity Flame is a blaze. We are a bloodline born of the flames, but we cannot be free from the threat of the fire. So you must always handle the fire, be wary of it, and be careful.
Her father's words came to mind.
"...I tried hard too."
Be wary. Be careful. Be cautious.
Who wouldn't know that? Side effects of the Calamity Flame? Frankly, no one suffers the side effects of the Calamity Flame more intensely than she does.
As the output is powerful, so too is the blaze. Hong Yeon-hwa knows that, and the world knows it.
That's why she'd done that damned mental cultivation like it was a daily meal. How many hours had she spent suppressing her desires, sitting straight in meditation when she wanted to go out and play?
How many times had she held back the urge to just smash everything to pieces? How many times had she endured the impulse to crush the throat of that cocky bastard instead of just his flapping mouth?
She had tried that hard.
And still, one slip-up might ruin an important day.
Thinking that, she felt so pathetic and hateful toward herself. It felt like the flames would surge up fiercely and devour the ceiling.
She was seriously so unfairly wronged, yet the only person to blame was herself. But even by her own reckoning, Hong Yeon-hwa had tried incredibly hard...
- Footstep
"...!"
Her sinking thoughts were yanked back by the sudden sound of footsteps.
The light presence that had appeared in the hallway without any warning was intensely familiar to Hong Yeon-hwa.
Her heart pounded. Honestly, she'd expected it, but he had really come.
Startled, she raised her body halfway. Tap-tap... By then, the presence was already right in front of the door.
"Gulp..."
Leaning her body against the headboard, Hong Yeon-hwa swallowed dryly. Knock knock— Her shoulders flinched at the knock.
- Yeon-hwa, can I come in?
At the clear, beautiful voice that came from beyond the door, the corners of her lips trembled. Joy, anticipation, fear... her emotions tangled into a complicated mess.
"Uh... no. Just a moment."
The fear grew larger. Hong Yeon-hwa stammered out her words.
"Th... sorry. The stuff in the lab, I just went and ate it without thinking..."
- That doesn't matter. I'm just glad Yeon-hwa is safe. I can dispel the potion's effect right away.
"Ah...!"
A lament spilled from Hong Yeon-hwa. Expectation surged at his words that he could dispel it right away.
"Uh... but... wait a sec. Since it's still in effect..."
The fear grew again. Right now, not facing him directly, he seemed perfectly normal, but what if that changed the moment the door opened?
She was afraid that the voice dripping with affection, even through the door, would change.
Afraid the gentle smile like that of a docile child would fade, and terrified that the beautiful eyes usually overflowing with affection would turn cold...
"Wait, couldn't we just... wait until the effect ends like this...?"
- I want to come in.
"Ah, no! Just a moment..."
- No. I'm coming in.
Lee Ha-yul rarely stubbornly insisted on something.
The room door swung wide open. Hong Yeon-hwa, who had been frantically waving both hands, hurriedly pulled the blanket over herself.
She felt his gaze through the thick blanket. She tried to gauge the emotion in his stare, but she couldn't manage it.
- Footstep... footstep...
His steps approached the bed. He was right in front of her. Hong Yeon-hwa's eyes trembled uncontrollably.
Suddenly, she arrived at the thought that her current state was truly ridiculous. Since when had she become so fragile and cowardly?
In the past, when she'd met an unexpectedly formidable foe that was hard to beat, she was the one who would grit her teeth and conjure the Calamity Flame without any notion of giving up...
- Tug...
"Ack."
An external hand grabbed and pulled the blanket. Startled, she yanked the blanket back toward herself.
A tug-of-war with a strength that was positively dainty compared to the power each of them possessed ensued.
"Yeon-hwa, I want to see you."
"Huhk..."
Even that dainty strength released involuntarily at Lee Ha-yul's words. In the end, the blanket that had wrapped Hong Yeon-hwa was slowly peeled away.
A bright light struck her face. When she opened her momentarily scrunched eyes, she found herself facing the gray eyes right in front of her nose.
'Ah.'
Dreamlike, deep eyes, from which it seemed you could never escape once you fell in.
She'd always felt such secret satisfaction seeing her own reflection clearly shining in those eyes, so deep they usually reflected nothing at all.
She'd been so happy that those eyes, which looked upon others with indifference, held so much affection just for her.
Right now, she couldn't read any emotion in them. It was as if emotion itself had been swallowed whole into those deep eyes.
Or perhaps, she was just desperately blocking it out, too afraid to read them.
[-]
Lee Ha-yul tilted his head quizzically. At that small, cute gesture, Hong Yeon-hwa's heart plummeted.
This time, his head tilted to the other side. At his seemingly puzzled reaction, Hong Yeon-hwa's eyes trembled faintly.
After blinking a few times, Lee Ha-yul suddenly leaned his face in close.
"Sniff sniff..."
Her body involuntarily shrank back at the tickling breath on her neck. Normally, she wouldn't have minded at all, but right now, she was so, so self-conscious about it...
Like a puppy confirming something, Lee Ha-yul pressed his nose here and there against Hong Yeon-hwa's body and sniffed.
Just as Hong Yeon-hwa's anxiety was peaking from his wordless actions, Lee Ha-yul's firmly closed lips parted.
"I like Yeon-hwa's scent."
[Like]
"......"
"Because it's Yeon-hwa's scent, I like it."
[Like]
Smiling bashfully, Lee Ha-yul snuggled right into Hong Yeon-hwa's arms.
The potion's effect was ongoing, but it didn't matter.
The scent he perceived from Hong Yeon-hwa had changed.
So what? To begin with, the only scents I can perceive are the body odors of a few people.
I do have scents I prefer, but what I like the most is Hong Yeon-hwa's scent.
I like it because it's Hong Yeon-hwa's scent.
I don't particularly like the color red, but I like the color of Hong Yeon-hwa's hair and eyes.
I don't know about the past. At the very least, in the happy life I envision this very moment, Hong Yeon-hwa's existence is essential.
To end up disliking that Hong Yeon-hwa? It's preposterous. Just like a building collapses if you pull out its pillar, it's an impossible premise to begin with.
"Ehehe..."
The unconcentrated Potion of Being Hated, at least, couldn't exert a significant influence. To be precise, while it tries to twist my perception, it can't break through the intense sense of incongruity.
Though unintended, I've obtained a sort of test data.
I buried my face in Hong Yeon-hwa's chest and rubbed my head against her. I sniffed the scent of 'Hong Yeon-hwa' blooming deep within.
"I'll dispel it right away."
Fwoosh! The bright Calamity Flame kindled from Lee Ha-yul and gently clung to Hong Yeon-hwa.
It couldn't be erased in an instant, but I could just burn away the potion's influence with the Calamity Flame.
It's a similar type to what I practiced on Baek A-rin as a test subject, but far easier. If I just take a little time, I can burn it all away.
- Fwooosh...
"......"
"Hm?"
Near my own Calamity Flame clinging to Hong Yeon-hwa, something sticky and viscous, a Calamity Flame, flickered to life.
On top of that, a strangely sticky, heated gaze was fixed squarely on the top of my head.
I blinked.