Re...union (3)
Re...union (3)
The Freshman Welcome Party leaned heavily toward being a social mixer.
It was a traditional event meant to break the ice and let cadets—most of whom were meeting for the first time—begin building connections.
This 122nd Cohort freshman welcome party was no different.
After a brief address from the Vice Headmaster, the gathering shifted into an open mingling session.
At occasions like this, conversation is usually led by cadets from prominent backgrounds.
The sort who are well-informed and sensitive to world affairs, having naturally absorbed a great deal of intelligence through their families and affiliated factions.
As a result, the topics they bring up tend to be varied and substantive.
"What about your family? You're close enough to have been affected, right?"
"Don't even get me started. It wasn't just 'a little'—the whole manor got flipped upside down at dawn because they thought a dungeon rampage had broken out. Ugh."
"Did you look into the byproduct market? Supply is flooding in like crazy right now."
"Ah, that. I heard some 3rd-Rank byproducts even showed up, so things are pretty chaotic."
"What about the families in that area? Feels like they won't be getting a peaceful night's sleep for a while."
"Still, word is it's been mostly suppressed, and the Association is stationed there now, so..."
But the trend had shifted. Nearly every topic of conversation was converging on the same thing.
The Reverse Side. A catastrophe publicly acknowledged by the Association—an event that, with a little exaggeration, had happened practically the day before yesterday.
A catastrophe in an era of peace? Peace was nearly torn apart.
Had things gone badly, the incident might well have become the harbinger of a new Chaos Period.
Everyone, without exception, had no choice but to chatter about it.
However, there was another reason the Reverse Side had become the topic of the hour in this banquet hall.
"...Did you hear about that? The Spell Workshop deployed on the front line there."
"...Yeah. A returning squad member showed me the footage."
The incident was literally of catastrophic scale. Since gathering intel on it—like it or not—was advantageous, information from the battlefield inevitably spread.
And so, word got around about a particular Spell Workshop deployed at the very front line of the Reverse Side's defense perimeter.
A towering rampart that stood firm and defiant against the catastrophe.
Semi-automatic expansion and reinforcement functions. Armored Golems and undead soldiers generated from the rampart itself.
It resembled—no, was practically identical to—the Spell Workshop someone had unfurled at last year's Birth Festival.
"And there were those spirits that were suspiciously powerful, too..."
Though many spirit casters distinguished themselves given the battlefield environment, the spirits that stood out were disproportionately powerful for their apparent grade—and disproportionately took the shape of small dogs.
"Once you saw them merging with the Golems, it was a dead giveaway."
"Couldn't other spirit casters do that too?"
"Can they do it by the hundreds?"
The decisive blow was the sight of those spirits melding into the Golems. Only one superhuman had ever openly displayed that particular feat.
Lee Ha-yul.
The 121st Cohort's Special Admission Cadet. In other words, a direct upperclassman to all the 122nd Cohort cadets gathered in this banquet hall.
"I've thought so ever since I saw the Birth Festival footage, but he's on a completely different level."
Those who came across that information could do nothing but click their tongues in disbelief.
Even by the lofty standards of Siyoram cadets, Lee Ha-yul's feats were on a transcendent, heaven-beyond-heaven level that was difficult to comprehend.
"You think he's a Special Admission Cadet for nothing? The Tower Master didn't seat him there without reason."
"As expected of the Tower Master... I worship them."
The more Lee Ha-yul distinguished himself, the more the Tower Master of Growth's judgment and credibility—entirely unintentionally—soared.
"But I still haven't seen Senior Lee Ha-yul in person even once."
"I heard he's been staying exclusively at the mansion lately, convalescing. What was it, he got younger again..."
"What do you mean 'got younger again'? And what's with that 'again' in front of it?"
Plenty of people wanted to build a rapport with Lee Ha-yul, yet among the 122nd Cohort cadets, those who had actually met him face-to-face could be counted on one hand.
That was because Lee Ha-yul resided not in the dormitory facilities, but in a mansion within the Central District.
A grand mansion known to have once housed the Headmaster. Situated at the very heart of the Central District, it was a mysterious place that outsiders had no proper pretext to approach.
"......"
"......"
The ongoing conversation lapsed momentarily.
A mansion outsiders had no proper pretext to approach.
However, among the freshmen attending this welcome party, one cadet had reportedly been witnessed freely coming and going from Lee Ha-yul's very mansion.
The group, rolling their eyes and realizing they had all arrived at the same thought, subtly shifted their gazes in one direction.
"......."
Off to one side of the banquet hall, Daera—who had been picking at the food—felt a choking sensation as gazes began to pour toward her.
.
.
.
'Whoa, this place is especially glitzy.'
The moment Daera stepped into the banquet hall, she had secretly let her mouth hang open.
A golden chandelier dangling from the ceiling.
The long tables filling the spacious interior were laden with lavish delicacies, and even to Daera's untrained aesthetic sense, the artworks and ornaments adorning them looked priceless.
She had been astonished several times already over the past few days just seeing Siyoram's facilities, and now she was stunned all over again by a venue they had put serious effort into decorating.
'This really is Siyoram.'
She had never felt dissatisfied with the academy facilities she'd grown up with since childhood, but compared to Siyoram, they now felt barren.
"Is that her?"
"Looks like it. But what's with her arm..."
'......'
As she took in her surroundings, she could feel gazes inspecting her in return.
Daera Celeste. Though she herself wasn't fully aware of it, she was already rather famous in the industry.
The Heavenly Thunder she had displayed on the battlefield where the catastrophe occurred had been extremely powerful, after all.
An output that did not fall behind the Calamity Flame manifestors on that same battlefield—in fact, it sometimes outpaced them.
That singular, out-of-spec output was more than enough to spread rumors.
And now that very Daera had enrolled as a Siyoram freshman. On top of that, the place she was staying was Lee Ha-yul's mansion.
How could people not take an interest? Alongside the 122nd Cohort's Top Seat, Daera was drawing the most attention of anyone.
'This is so uncomfortable...'
To her, that attention was nothing more than a burden. She was not the type to enjoy or feel accustomed to the stares of others.
Just then, a tasty-looking dish caught her eye.
Partly to occupy her restless palate, Daera skewered a piece of food with a fork and placed it in her mouth.
It was delicious. For that moment alone, the surrounding gazes briefly faded. Eyes brightening, Daera savored the flavor spreading across her tongue.
'...Not as good as my junior disciple's cooking, though.'
Savoring it in her own way, she couldn't help but compare it to the food she'd eaten recently.
Having unwittingly weighed them against each other, Daera's expression turned rueful.
Why was her junior disciple's cooking so good?
Weren't the people who made this all famous chefs? Well, maybe her junior disciple was simply a better cook than the chefs...
"Good grief."
Outside and inside, it all came back to Lee Ha-yul in the end. Draining her glass, Daera shook her head.
'So my junior disciple really was an amazing person.'
A realization she had arrived at over and over again. Her junior disciple, Lee Ha-yul, wasn't just amazing—he was really, truly amazing.
Siyoram's first-ever Special Admission Cadet.
The young cadet who suppressed the unprecedented dungeon rampage in Sipnaha with minimal casualties.
The vanquisher who single-handedly beheaded the nightmare of the Chinese lands revived as an undead—the Twin-headed Poison Dragon.
And this time? One of the primary contributors who held back the catastrophe called the Reverse Side.
Plus, the full story that no one else knew.
That Lee Ha-yul had detected the catastrophe called the Reverse Side early on, and had personally entered it to resolve it.
He was the benefactor who had saved Daera.
The more of it you recited, the more surreal it became. And all of it had been accomplished within roughly a year of his Awakening.
You couldn't dare quibble with calling it an illustrious achievement.
'...So that might be why he has so many women?'
Isn't it said that a hero who accomplishes great things keeps many women by his side—three wives and four concubines or whatever?
It was more common than you might think for powerful factions to have multiple wives and concubines.
Looking at it from that angle, there was nothing strange about Lee Ha-yul having a lot of women around him.
"Hm... is she one too?"
"Who knows? Probably, don't you think?"
"Just how many women does he have..."
'Oh for fuck's sake, I'm not one...'
But being lumped in among those women was a bit much.
At the whispers reaching her ears, Daera swallowed down the protest rising to her throat.
"Hello?"
"Uh, yes?"
It was right then that someone approached Daera, who had been twitching the corners of her mouth.
A sensation as though the surrounding air had cleared. Daera blinked and turned her head to find that at some point Lee Ha-sol had come up beside her.
Daera's shoulders jolted.
"Would you perhaps care for someone to chat with while you eat?"
"Someone to chat with... Yes, I'd be glad to have someone to talk to."
"That's a relief. I was just in need of a conversation partner myself! My name is Lee Ha-sol. Pleased to meet you, and let's get along well as cohort-mates from now on."
"Ah, yes..."
Lee Ha-sol spoke with a bright smile. As the saying goes, you can't spit on a smiling face, and Daera, though awkward, couldn't refuse the friendly overture.
'Lee Ha-sol.'
She'd heard the name. It was the name of the 122nd Cohort's Top Seat among the incoming Siyoram freshmen.
'...If you really want to point fingers, shouldn't it be this one rather than me?'
More vivid than the title of Top Seat, however, was the image that surfaced in her mind: Lee Ha-sol entangled with Lee Ha-yul in some alleyway, the atmosphere between them dripping with emotion.
On reflex, she dropped her gaze to scan Lee Ha-sol's chest. Enormous. Something inside her hardened with conviction.
By now, Lee Ha-yul's sheer prowess was starting to become frightening. Granted, considering his abilities and his looks, it made perfect sense! But still, it was getting scary...
"Oh, that's right. Miss Daera, after you've finished eating, how about a simple sparring match to loosen up?"
"Sparring?"
"Yes, there's a friendly sparring session toward the end of the Freshman Welcome Party."
Shrugging her shoulders, Lee Ha-sol indicated the stage at the center of the banquet hall.
"We're obviously not trying to fight seriously, of course. The allowed methods are limited to Body Reinforcement Techniques or thereabouts, and the idea is just to build camaraderie by syncing up our movements a little."
Last year, Hong Yeon-hwa had relentlessly pushed back Katsuki Yusei, who'd stepped up as her opponent, and ultimately smacked him away like a baseball.
"Sparring, sparring, huh..."
Daera tilted her head.
Of course she'd done sparring back in her academy days.
But right now, she wasn't so sure.
What she'd fought inside the Reverse Side were monsters. Some of them had been roughly human-sized, but ultimately they lacked higher reasoning like a person.
In other words, Daera's combat skills had inadvertently developed in the direction of anti-monster combat.
Fighting against a person—anti-personnel combat—she had no confidence in.
Setting down her empty glass, Daera took a sip of a different drink and sank into thought.
Was it all the thinking? She felt a little dizzy. Still, the sweet drink in her mouth made things manageable, and...
"Then how about this?"
Just then. Sensing Daera's hesitation, Lee Ha-sol raised a single finger.
Curious, Daera cocked her head, and Lee Ha-sol's lips curled into a smile.
"One friendly sparring match. We'll both hold back so neither of us gets embarrassed. In exchange, I'll overlook what you were just peeking at."
Wind-attribute ability users often display considerable skill in detection through wind manipulation.
"...Yes, I'll do it. But I'm not very good at holding back."
"Well, that's what practice is for. But I do have one question—what's your relationship with Ha-yul...?"
"Huh?"
'Guess she really is another one of my junior disciple's women.'
Inside, Daera's faith in Lee Ha-yul dipped a notch.
* * *
The ground was slowly being dyed by the sunset glow. The sun was gradually setting.
'It's about wrapping-up time.'
The Freshman Welcome Party would be ending soon.
Since I was already near the banquet hall due to various preparations, I thought I might go and meet her.
'Senior Daera might seem fine on the surface, but who knows what's going on inside.'
She'd spent years forcibly trapped inside the Reverse Side. That's more than enough time for a heart to fester, then rot, then fall apart.
In fact, Senior Daera's mental state at the time had been fairly unstable.
Every time she slept, she'd toss and moan from nightmares, and even when awake she couldn't relax and showed symptoms of anxiety.
Though, perhaps because she'd been starved for human warmth, she'd calm down when she held me tightly in her arms.
That was the reason I hadn't resisted when Senior Daera clung to me.
'Now that she's reunited with her master, she's gotten a lot better... but there's no harm in being mindful anyway.'
Nodding to myself, I turned my steps toward the First Banquet Hall.
And so I arrived at the First Banquet Hall.
As it happened, I ran straight into Senior Daera, who was just coming outside.
"Oh, uh-uh? Ah, my junior disciple! Heellooo...? Hic! Oof, everything's spinning..."
But the state she was in was strange.
A flushed face. An unsteady, staggering gait far from demure, and eyes that couldn't focus and kept swimming.
Almost as if she were drunk...
"......"
My own lips trembled in response.