I Like the Professor (3)
I Like the Professor (3)
Though she had accepted the drink, Liana didn't gulp it down. Rolling the wine in her glass, she stroked the head of Lee Ha-yul nestled in her arms.
"Dear, if you start feeling queasy, you must tell me right away. All right?"
"Yesss..."
Lee Ha-yul buried his nose deeper into her soft flesh and breathed in.
A sweet, milky scent. The unpleasant odor that had crept between them was barely a trace. Even that was diluted by the milky fragrance, rendered harmless.
...Still, a faintly unpleasant smell drifted in. The scent caught on the Calamity Flame, and calmly burned away.
Lifting his head, Lee Ha-yul glared at the shirt wrapped around her chest.
- Pop, pop.
Thought turned to action. Starting near her collarbone, he unfastened a few buttons, and the front panels fell open to either side.
A deep cleavage came into view. And with it, the milky scent that had pooled within wafted out thickly.
Lee Ha-yul wrapped his arms around Liana's back and pressed the bridge of his nose firmly into the valley where her warm scent gently diffused.
"Sniff sniff..."
[Milk smell]
"Ah, ahem... I see. I'm glad you're all right..."
No matter how many times she heard it, that blatant voice-over was embarrassing.
Clearing her throat, her cheeks flushed, Liana carefully raised her glass.
A purplish liquor nearing crimson. The scent touching her nose was that of damp grapes.
Her gaze shifted between the ice bobbing in the drink and the crown of Lee Ha-yul's head, then Liana brought the glass lightly to her lips.
- Gulp.
A brief swallow of sweetness. Then a faint bitterness lingered, and the grape scent remaining in her mouth filled her throat.
"...Ahem."
It was delicious. Suppressing a smirk that threatened to curl her lips, Liana patted Lee Ha-yul's back.
"I like alcohol. When I was young, I didn't think much of it, but later I happened to try it and it tasted good."
However much she liked drinking, she wasn't so crazy as to ignore Lee Ha-yul in her arms for it.
So instead of focusing on the drink, Liana held Lee Ha-yul gently and calmly began to talk.
Lee Ha-yul, who had been rubbing his face against her chest, poked his head up slightly.
Curiosity flickered in his eyes. Smiling softly, Liana brushed the corner of his eye and continued.
When had it been? It was back when she was heavily active on the Demon Realm Frontline. After going through hell, she'd managed to get leave and came inland.
She couldn't exactly run around outside. Her mind and body, worn ragged, wanted nothing more than to laze about during that sweet rest.
So she was sprawled out at home, when her palate grew bored.
"So at the time, I had them bring me things I'd never tried in my life."
She sent various aides on errands.
Among the haul was alcohol. Something-or-other, aged forty years. It was quite expensive, but compared to Liana's income back then, it was nothing.
"Heh, it was absolutely terrible. Just bitter... it felt like powdered medicine dissolved in water. I took one sip and set it aside immediately."
She hadn't liked alcohol even as a child. The smell of drink on the frontlines hadn't been very pleasant either. Wondering if alcohol meant for enjoyment might be different, she tried it, but that wasn't it either.
"But the next drink was sweet. It was a wine, and the sweetness was strong, like a soft drink."
"...Sweet?"
"Yes. The first sip brought up a rich, deep sweetness. Then a bitterness followed, but it actually cut cleanly through the cloyingly lingering sweetness."
The sweetness wasn't excessive, and the bitterness blended appropriately with it. Liana's eyes had gone wide, and she drank glass after glass.
"As I savored the taste, my mood lifted. What people call getting tipsy. I liked that feeling of clarity rising."
She downed several bottles on the spot. Normally that would be considered excessive drinking, but Liana, a superhuman close to Great Sage level, was completely unaffected. The intoxication couldn't ruin her body, nor could it shake her mind. If she put her mind to it, she could shake off the tipsiness in an instant. Thanks to that, she could enjoy drinking to her heart's content during her leave.
"I packed up all the tasty things I'd tried and took them back to the frontline. The plan was to have a drink during breaks after battles."
Alcohol is common on the battlefield. A mind hazy with drink helps you forget the pain. Makes the dread of tomorrow feel distant.
It was the same for Liana. She was confident she could preserve her life, at least, but the fear of the worst case wasn't absent.
Alcohol was perfect for that. It let her fall deeply asleep, without restless nights or nightmares. It tasted good, and it was practical. There was no reason not to drink.
After that, drinking became Liana's hobby.
"...Well, that's all. There's nothing special about why I like alcohol. It just suited my taste."
Shrugging her shoulders, Liana brought the glass to her lips. Glancing down, she saw a pair of slightly hazy eyes flicking between her lips and the wine glass.
'It's not my body, but he can see as far as the glass?'
Tilting her head internally, Liana took a sip, then carefully pressed a kiss to Lee Ha-yul's hair.
"So that's why I like alcohol... Later on, tell me why you dislike it, dear."
Their eyes met in the empty air. Lee Ha-yul's face had grown a little flushed. She pressed his head down and buried him against her chest.
"And tell me about the circumstances that keep you from speaking right now, too. As much as you can. When you can say it yourself without it hurting, without it burdening you. I'd like to hear it then."
With a soft smile, Liana took another sip of her drink. Of course, if Liana pressed him hard, Lee Ha-yul would likely recount his circumstances down to the last detail, but she didn't want to hear them that way.
In her arms, Lee Ha-yul stirred restlessly.
"...My parents, drank a lot."
"Hm?"
At the voice suddenly resounding from within her cleavage, and the breath ghosting against her skin, Liana's shoulders twitched slightly.
"They were already bad people to begin with, but when they drank and got drunk, they became even worse people."
"Ah..."
A brief explanation. It wasn't difficult to understand. It was a common enough reason. But it was sufficient, and it was also the reason she had expected.
"So I hated it. I hated it back then, and I hated the thought that other people, that the people around me might be the same way if they drank."
"Mmm..."
At the continued explanation, Liana's eyes shifted. The wine glass in her hand suddenly felt heavy to hold.
"Still, none of the people around me are like that. I already know, so... it's okay."
It's okay. Words Lee Ha-yul had been repeating since earlier. Poking his head up, Lee Ha-yul gave a bashful smile and then pressed his lips to hers.
A kiss that was both slow and sudden. In Liana's rounded gaze, Lee Ha-yul's curved eyes filled her view. Eyes that were as gentle as a puppy's yet felt as sly as a fox's.
"...Mwah... a lick?"
A kiss given thoughtlessly, simply on impulse. Letting out a chuckle at the deeply affectionate gesture, Lee Ha-yul blinked suddenly.
Damp lips. A sweet and bitter taste slipping in faintly, mixed with Liana's saliva...
"Urk...?"
His face flared hot at the taste seeping onto his tongue. Whoosh! Droplets dripping down, the Calamity Flame blazed up fiercely. Hands reacting to desire wriggled and moved.
- Squeeze...
"Ahh...?!"
Liana, who had been savoring the kiss, flinched.
Lee Ha-yul's hand had slipped inside her shirt and was now tightly gripping her voluptuous breast.
- Knead, knead...
"Hn, ngh, nngh..."
Liana's body twisted at the touch that greedily kneaded the soft flesh.
- ...Hey, hey. Let's go inside.
The spirits who had been chattering and playing among themselves nearby rolled their eyes at the suddenly charged atmosphere. After exchanging glances, they carefully dissolved their manifestations and returned to their places.
* * *
The lower the rank of a spirit, the more likely it is to have no name.
That is because their sense of self is faint. Unless their self-awareness is exceptionally strong, they do not recognize or accept names.
By the time they reach the rank of an Upper Spirit, they somehow acquire a name. It may be given by a being around them, or they may designate it themselves.
The Upper Earth Spirit, Terramor, was a case of being granted a name upon reaching the upper rank.
- ...Ah!
A consciousness that had been drifting serenely surged sharply as the name surfaced.
A hazy mind snapped awake. Her eyes also opened simultaneously. She saw a blue sky. Terramor's motion to bolt upright froze stiff.
- Whoa...
The sky reflected in her wide-open, earthen eyes.
A clear, blue hue spread out amply. White, fluffy clouds swam lazily across the heavens.
The firmament she had been unable to face while holed up in the dungeon, passing the time. Looking up at the sky for the first time in so very long, it was singularly beautiful even among her returning memories.
- Ah! You're awake!
A voice reached Terramor's ears as she trembled with emotion.
A bright, welcoming will-thought brimming with familiarity. Having stared blankly at the sky, Terramor turned her head.
- She's awake!
A cluster of earthen light sparkled. She had sensed their identity before even looking. Lower Earth Spirits. Blinking, Terramor looked around.
She was surrounded by clusters of dark brown light.
- Nice to meet you!
- Are you all right?
- Hello!
They all scattered light as they conveyed their will-thoughts. Perhaps because they were lower spirits, only brief intent and emotion were transmitted.
Even so, Terramor's eyes went round. For beings of the lower rank, their self-awareness was remarkably well-developed.
Lying dazedly on the grassy field and receiving their welcome, Terramor slowly sat up.
Only then did her own changed body come into view.
An ocher-colored body formed of materialized mana and soul. Long hair reaching past her hips and distinct curves...
'...I feel good.'
The color wasn't dark, but clear. The energy wasn't murky, but sharp. The turbidity had completely vanished, and her body was composed of an exceedingly gentle energy.
'My condition is so good.'
Comparable to the past... no, it was clearly better than back then. Compared to the absolutely wretched state she'd been in recently, this was a world-shaking transformation.
- Come this way!
The spirits that had been circling around her moved off in one direction.
'Mid-Rank?'
Among them, one spirit with a particularly dense self-awareness stood out. Likely a Mid-Level Spirit. But its aura was so strong it was hard to believe it was merely mid-rank.
Terramor, who had been checking her own condition, obediently followed the guidance.
Questions lingered about the sudden situation, but she had no desire to suspect these kin who were so full of affection and welcome.
- Where... is this?
She followed their guidance across the grassy field.
Even passing over the occasional gentle hill, the land did not end. A vast grassy plain stretched beyond the horizon.
And above it all lay a blue sky, so that merely looking at it naturally soothed the mind and body.
It wasn't simply a mood.
The vitality and earth energy palpable throughout the area were tremendous. A colossal energy that seemed like it could never run dry was welling up from the ground.
- It's the King's space!
- The... King.
The reply came from the spirit guiding the way ahead. At that, Terramor closed her mouth.
The memory from just before she lost consciousness surfaced more vividly as time passed.
Snow-white hair. An appearance that seemed not of this world. Three pairs of wings...
'Right.'
Terramor looked around further. Beyond the endlessly stretching horizon. She subtly assimilated her toes into the earth.
Whoom! In an instant, her perceived world expanded. Senses flooding in from all directions, Terramor's mouth fell open.
To one side lay a world of fire. Red or blue, calm or violent. All the divisions of flame that could possibly exist were spread out.
To another side lay a world of water. A space of creation like the earth. A space containing a vast, fathomlessly deep ocean.
Smaller than the others, but in one area was a world of wind, and in another a world of lightning where thunderbolts fell like rain.
All of them were familiar, comfortable worlds for a spirit of that respective attribute.
- The King...
The King's space. Hearing those words while groping through her senses, she found her answer.
'Is this place... a Mental World?'
They said it was a space akin to the inside of the mind. And the feeling she got was indeed that of a Mental World.
'Something so vast?'
It was unbelievable. However much a Mental World it was, could it truly be this expansive?
Moreover, examining further, she realized worlds relating to the five great attributes weren't the only things present.
What was that over there? In the distance, some rough-hewn, pure white temple stood tall.
It was too much, too vast. There were places that were empty for now, but she could clearly sense the potential for them to be filled with something someday...
'I suppose I should go out first...'
This was a Mental World. She needed to go outside first, meet this, this King, explain her circumstances, and pay her respects.
- Ah! Just a moment! You can't go out right now!
- What? Why not?
- Um, well...
At that moment. The Earth Spirit stopped Terramor as she tried to manifest to the outside.
A spirit shaped like a puppy even jumped up and down on the spot to deter her. Terramor tilted her head.
- ...The King is currently, well... outside with the Queen. It's a situation where it would be... troublesome if you went out.
- Queen? He is already wed? ...More importantly, troublesome?
Terramor's expression hardened.
That powerful King, in trouble? What on earth was the situation? She had been so captivated by this world that her perception of the outside had been delayed.
If the King was in a dangerous situation? Her recovery was still incomplete, but Terramor had to help the King somehow.
Terramor closed her eyes tightly and perceived the outside world.
- ......
She opened her eyes.
- Trou... bled indeed. Mm...
Terramor stared at the distant mountains. She also severed her faint perception of the outside.
Perhaps because she was a spirit body, a faint rosy glow rose distinctly to her cheeks.