The Teacher's Grace (3) - Minor
The Teacher's Grace (3) - Minor
- Ah, ngh, aaah...!
'...?!'
Daera flinched at the unexpected sound and stumbled back from the door.
'Wh-what... what is that sound?'
How could such a bestial noise be coming from her master's room?
Unable to hide her bewilderment, she hastily cupped both ears.
Of course, other species lived in this mansion. Fairies, spirits, even a unicorn roamed here as if it were some enchanted garden.
But even considering that, it made no sense.
Could that young unicorn possibly make such a sound? And would anyone even let a unicorn into a room at this late hour...?
- Oh, ngh, uuuh, aaah...!
'......?'
She thought that only for a moment. Even with her hands clamped over her ears, her amplified hearing clearly collected the sounds inside the room.
As she listened to the bizarre cries echoing in her ears, Daera realized the voice was somehow familiar.
Or rather, the owner of the voice...
'...Master?'
Her master, Atra.
Daera's eyes widened the moment she recalled that name. Simultaneously, as if a veil had been lifted, the voice came through clearly.
'...Ah...'
Though Daera's time surviving on the Reverse Side had forced a sort of wild adaptation, she still remembered the basic common knowledge taught at the academy.
Major historical events, distinctions between dungeons and monsters, mana and unique abilities, how to make a bank account, how to read a contract.
How to conceive a child.
The sound she was hearing now...
'Hugh...'
Thunder crashed in Daera's mind as she arrived at the answer.
Her breath caught in her throat. Worse still, her mouth fell open from shock, and she clamped a hand over it.
'Oh god, oh god, oh god...!'
She had known for a while that Atra and Lee Ha-yul were involved in that way. They made no effort to hide it, nor did they deny it, so it was obvious.
But she never expected they had already gone to bed together.
'No... they might have done it long ago...'
Just look at Atra's sudden behavior today.
The way her master had grabbed the complaining Lee Ha-yul firmly by the chin and half-forced a kiss upon her disciple's lips...
That shocking, coercive act from the Atra she had always deeply respected—maybe it came from intimacy.
'Then summoning me earlier... was that also...?'
After Lee Ha-yul had apologized to her, he had been called into the room at Atra's summons. The reason for that summons must be the very scene before her.
Daera's eyes darted around wildly once her train of thought reached that conclusion.
She had overheard something she should never have heard.
Daera, who prided herself on being a sensible person, knew perfectly well that the intimate matters of a man and woman were not for eavesdropping.
I should leave...
"......"
Though Daera had rationally reached that conclusion, her legs refused to move, held fast by the provocative sounds reaching her ears.
Atra's voice, so familiar. The voice of the master she had clung to, refusing to forget even as her memories blurred during her isolation on the Reverse Side.
That voice was a stranger now.
No, at first she hadn't even recognized it.
She had mistaken it for a beast's cry, and that said everything.
'...What on earth makes that kind of sound come out?'
Even now, doubt lingered.
Is it really Atra? Am I mistaken? If it really is that Atra, then what is she doing to produce such a noise?
A primal curiosity had surfaced faster than the common sense telling her she must leave this place.
That emotion stirred her Innate Talent, which was already in a state of intense activity.
- Crackle...!
In an instant, the sound of lightning filled her head, drowning out all other noise. Tendrils of electricity branched out before her eyes, crackling as if expanding.
It was truly an instant.
The moment Daera's eyes flew open at the sudden phenomenon, her gaze pierced straight through the door and into the room.
Her vision had sharpened, transforming to penetrate matter and magic.
But she had no time to be surprised.
Daera's eyes shot wide as she registered the scene in her sight.
As if looking down from above, she could see everything—whether she wanted to or not.
'H-hugh...'
Horrified by the sight before her, Daera's eyes met Atra's for an instant.
She reflexively swallowed a breath, but quickly realized something was off.
Those were not the glinting golden eyes she knew.
They were golden, yes, but they did not gleam. These were not the eyes of the master who had always embodied reason and composure.
They were unfocused, molten and languid. Half-lidded, they held no trace of Daera's presence—or any sense of reason at all.
Even if Daera had opened the door and looked at Atra, her master likely would not have seen her.
'......'
Crackle... Daera's lightning-charged eyes trembled violently.
To Daera, Atra was a precious person.
She was an orphan who had lost her parents in an accident. But fortune had smiled, and she awakened, entering the academy.
Even with such luck, young Daera's future had been just as dark.
It was around that time that she met Atra by chance.
She learned so much from her. Not just the training for basic strength—though that too was essential—but simply being with Atra had given her an immense sense of emotional fulfillment.
Atra was the master who taught Daera, and the guardian of the lonely Daera.
Going by Atra's own philosophy, you could even say, with a bit of exaggeration, that she was the parent who raised her.
- Crack...!
Inside Daera's mind, the perception and respect she held for her master, Atra, began to fissure and crack.
Her perception had already changed this morning, when Atra had unilaterally stolen Lee Ha-yul's lips. But now, it transformed with far greater intensity.
For a long while, Daera stood rooted to the spot as if nailed there.
* * *
- Chirp-chirp!
The sound of a bird singing. A sparrow, perhaps? The call was as sweet as a musical instrument.
The mansion was protected by powerful magic, yet there were birds that lived on its grounds. That was the source of the chirping every morning.
'......'
The chirping filtered through the window. Atra had drawn the curtain aside and now blinked vacantly, the morning sunlight spilling across the bed.
She glanced around quietly.
A white bed without a single stain. A bedroom without the slightest disarray. Clean, crisp air.
Humans are creatures of forgetfulness—ordinary, unremarkable memories fade easily.
Which means... intense memories linger for a very, very long time.
'Oh, fuck.'
For Atra, the memory of last night was an intensely vivid one that would stay with her forever.
Her face flushed hot as the shameful memory surfaced in her mind.
'Dear god...'
Denial washed over her unbidden.
Such an intense, vulgar, and degrading memory... had that truly been her?
She couldn't believe it. She didn't want to believe it. Yet the memory—the pleasure and the heightened euphoria she had felt at that moment—remained far too vivid to deny.
Plenty of physical evidence lingered on her body as well.
The sensation of being pressed firmly still tingled along her lower belly... and... that...
"Mmnnn..."
"Hik..."
When Atra had unconsciously brought her hand to her hip, a quiet 'Hik...' from her arms made her flinch.
The warm skin nestled tightly in her embrace. As she lowered her gaze, she saw the pure white hair tickling her chest.
"Koo..."
There lay Lee Ha-yul, sleeping more peacefully than anyone in the world.
His face wore an expression of such pure innocence, it was impossible to believe this was the same person who had gifted Atra such unforgettable pleasure and humiliation the night before.
"Pff-ee..."
When she idly pressed his cheeks, his lips pushed out into a pout. His white eyelids quivered faintly, and soon, gray irises slowly revealed themselves.
A small light flickered into those slowly blinking eyes, and then Atra's face filled his vision.
"He, hehe... Masteerrr..."
At that, Lee Ha-yul's relaxed lips curled upward, and he snuggled deeper into her embrace, acting spoiled.
It was the usual Lee Ha-yul.
"Did you sleep well...?"
A morning greeting murmured as he peeked his face out from her chest. He seemed properly awake now, his pronunciation clearer.
"...Yes. Did you sleep well too?"
"Yes, I slept well! Hehe..."
A bright, clear smile spread across his face, shining brighter than the morning sunlight.
Smiling even more foolishly, Lee Ha-yul pressed tight against her. Atra habitually held him as he snuggled in, though it seemed he was being clingier than usual.
"Little one, do you remember what happened yesterday?"
"......"
When she asked the question while stroking his hair, the clinginess came to an abrupt halt. After a moment of sheepish hesitation, Lee Ha-yul buried his face deeper.
"Th-that, um... yes..."
Lee Ha-yul let out a tiny mumble, his face buried in her chest.
Between the strands of pure white hair, she could see his ears burning red hot.
She couldn't help but laugh at the behavior so thoroughly drenched in embarrassment and shyness.
"...You aren't in pain, are you?"
"You ask me that after spanking your master's backside like that?"
"Nngnn..."
When she playfully took hold of his cheeks and stretched them, Lee Ha-yul whined and played up his suffering. Atra chuckled softly, then gently cupped his cheeks and pressed her lips to his.
"Mm, mmn... smack..."
Lee Ha-yul gave a small tremble, but unlike yesterday, his eyes softened gently at the tenderly continued kiss.
He seemed so different, it was hard to believe he was the same person.
"Pah-ha..."
Though last night had been embarrassing, the feeling that the meager walls between them had crumbled away was deeply satisfying.
They had deepened their bond while still remaining master and disciple.
Atra, who no longer had any confidence in living without Lee Ha-yul, chose to think positively about it.
- Bang-bang!
It was right at that moment.
Someone, deliberately ignoring the magic tool, knocked on the door with force.
- Ms. Atra? You of all people sleeping in? Even if you have no lectures today, shouldn't you be getting up soon?
"Ah."
It was Liana's voice. Atra flinched and looked for the clock on the wall.
It was late morning. If she didn't throw on her clothes and rush out right now, she'd be cutting it dangerously close for her academic schedule.
- Oh, that's right! Our Ha-yul is late getting up too, isn't he! He's usually such a punctual child even if he struggles in the morning. I wonder who he slept in so deeply with today?
"......"
The voice was clearly muttering loud enough to be heard.
Sensing the numerous presences beyond the door, the culprit kept her mouth firmly shut.
.
.
.
That afternoon.
"Daera?"
"Y-yes?"
While Atra stood in the training yard reviewing the material she would teach, she tilted her head at Daera's odd gaze.
"Is something the matter? Are you feeling off today?"
"Ah... uh... um, no. Nothing."
Daera's eyes rolled every which way, and she subtly avoided Atra's gaze.
Staring straight at Atra's face made the melted expression she had witnessed last night resurface in her mind...
For a long while, Daera couldn't look Atra in the face.