Many Enemies
Many Enemies
By unanimous vote, Lee Ha-yul was now under mansion-wide house arrest. Still, they couldn't just keep him cradled in their arms all day, feeding him and cooing over him.
Weekdays meant classes. Leaving the mansion was unavoidable.
Of course, they didn't just let him wander around alone.
Someone always stuck close to Lee Ha-yul's side, and the winged garment was wrapped securely around his waist.
If he had a class he attended alone, someone would be there to pick him up and gently rewrap the winged garment around his waist.
Privacy?
There was no such thing for a man who had blown up his own body in the name of an experiment.
If their anxiety faded with time, this overprotectiveness might ease up—but now wasn't that time.
"Yeon-hwa, I'm going to go out and greet a guest."
"Ah, that visitor from a few days ago? Lee Ha-sol... the first-year top cadet, right?"
"Yep."
Thanks to that, Hong Yeon-hwa instantly understood who Lee Ha-yul had invited and who was arriving.
"...Let's go together."
"Huh?"
As if she'd been waiting, Hong Yeon-hwa rose from the sofa. Perched on her lap, Lee Ha-yul was lifted up with her and blinked.
"Suddenly? Wouldn't you be more comfortable relaxing here?"
"Nonsense. A guest for my husband is here; of course I should go greet them."
"......"
[%#$@@?]
Before Lee Ha-yul could refuse, she buried his apple-red face against her chest. The cute sight of him hiding like that made her snort softly. Hong Yeon-hwa moved toward the main gate.
.
.
.
"...It's a pleasure to meet you, Lady Hong Yeon-hwa. Ha-yul has told me a lot about you as well."
The mansion's main gate.
A brief silence passed. A gentle breeze blew, and Lee Ha-sol smiled softly, accepting the greeting.
"Has Ha-yul talked about me a lot?"
"Of course. I heard plenty of praise, saying you're a very kind and good person."
"Ah, is that so?"
A smooth smile, perfectly suiting her gentle impression, bloomed without a trace of awkwardness.
But Hong Yeon-hwa didn't miss the fleeting twitch at the corner of her lips.
[Hello, Miss Lee Ha-sol]
"...Yes, it's the first time I'm seeing you since the Tower entry. Have you been well?"
[Yes, without any major prob... prob...?]
"Pardon?"
[Prob... Yes, I've been well]
Lee Ha-yul, who had been frantically fanning his flushed face after her earlier remark, barely managed a greeting.
Lee Ha-sol smiled back, her expression looking a bit brighter than before.
Hong Yeon-hwa's eyebrow twitched.
"I heard you came to prepare for the midterm evaluations. Make yourself comfortable. The mansion grounds are quite a walk, so we'll have plenty of time to talk on the way."
Gently pulling Lee Ha-yul into her embrace, Hong Yeon-hwa gestured toward the interior. Lee Ha-yul obediently offered no resistance.
A subtle twitch passed at the corner of Lee Ha-sol's eyes.
"Thanks for the guidance."
The mansion itself was only a short walk away—but the flower garden and yard between the gate and the mansion were so vast that it hardly felt short.
However, the well-kept grounds were a pleasant sight, and the occasional glimpse of frolicking spirits meant the walk wouldn't be boring for a guest.
"To think I'd get to meet the famous Heir of the Calamity Flame like this."
Lee Ha-sol said as she briefly admired the flower garden. Hong Yeon-hwa shrugged.
"Famous, huh... I'm sure the nicer stories aren't the ones everyone spreads, right? I used to run around pretty wild back in the day."
"Really? I've heard so many wonderful things. Besides, would any news outlet be brazen enough to spread bad rumors about the Heir of Calamity Flame?"
She had a point.
She was called a mad dog in private, but rumors of her being a crazy woman never spread publicly.
Because the moment anyone shot their mouth off, they'd be receiving a special invitation from the Calamity Flame Family.
"I've heard rumors about the Tower Faith too. Your order is truly full of amazing stories, isn't it? The enormous donations, regularly operating subjugation squads in the Gray Zones... Ah, you're also part of a subjugation squad, right, Miss Lee Ha-sol?"
Lee Ha-sol.
The name of the first-year top cadet was something she couldn't help but hear. The intel passed on from her family had contained the name Lee Ha-sol as well.
A promising talent belonging to the Tower Faith.
There were many young superhumans touted as promising, but she was a cadet with the potential to achieve the Siyoram top seat upon admission.
Yet there was almost no information available compared to that evaluation.
It was said this was because she had been active in a Tower Faith subjugation squad cleaning up the Gray Zones until recently, and had even spent a period isolated inside a dungeon.
Still, her name had been popping up lately thanks to intel suggesting her attribute ability output now far exceeded the average.
"Yes, yes, I was with a subjugation squad until I entered Siyoram."
"Ah-ha... And you spent time with Ha-yul before that?"
"That's right. Before I awakened... back when we were at the orphanage together."
That wasn't the main reason Hong Yeon-hwa had deliberately come out to greet her.
Lee Ha-sol replied with a gentle smile. That smile suited the colors of the flowers and garden perfectly.
Light green hair and eyes.
A beauty with a soft impression that left no room for fault. Even among superhumans with unique appearances, she was a strikingly eye-catching type.
Hong Yeon-hwa racked her memory.
Early in her first year. She had asked the family... asked Choi Ji-yeon for information about Lee Ha-yul.
'There wasn't a name like Lee Ha-sol back then, was there?'
No, mulling it over, it had been there.
But it hadn't carried any significance.
Nothing more than the fact that she'd become a superhuman and joined the Tower Faith. And since there were a lot of similar names with that 'Ha-' or '-yul' ring to them, she'd just glossed over it.
'Looking at her now, she seems like a promising talent the Tower Faith has been nurturing since childhood. Did they thoroughly manipulate the info?'
A small orphanage on the outskirts.
A place that had eventually even received sponsorship from the Tower Faith. It would've been easy for them to doctor the information of a key figure.
'Tsk...'
But that part wasn't all that important. Meddling with the identity data of their own key figures was common.
'She's looked after Ha-yul since he was little?'
That was where her guard went up. Hong Yeon-hwa subtly lowered her gaze.
Below the face one could proudly call beautiful, a large bosom was visible. Flesh that made its presence heavily known even through clothing.
Her wariness shot up sharply.
She knew perfectly well by now what kind of woman Lee Ha-yul liked.
Kind to him, gentle, spoils him like a mother... and has a big chest.
'Seriously?'
That was the part she doubted, too.
Furrowing her brows internally, Hong Yeon-hwa recalled Lee Ha-yul as he was when they first met.
A timid, little puppy. A child who thirsted for affection and desperately craved human touch and hugs.
Though that was pitiful and endearing, no matter how she looked at it, he hadn't seemed to have been in a state of having a guardian's care at all.
'......'
So she'd been suspicious she might be a fraud.
There was... somewhat of an intention to come out and keep Lee Ha-sol in check, driven by a little spike of jealousy, but that wasn't everything.
But...
"Yes, it's the first time I'm seeing you since the Tower entry. Have you been well? I wasn't late or anything, was I?"
[Of course not. There's still plenty of time until the appointment]
"Ah, speaking of which, you came out to greet me before I even called... Was there some crime-prevention magic set up around here?"
[Yes, several layers of crime-prevention magic are laid around the mansion. But even without that, it all falls within the range of my detection ability]
While Hong Yeon-hwa was lost in thought, Lee Ha-sol was chatting lightly with Lee Ha-yul.
She seemed awkward here and there, but Hong Yeon-hwa could read various warm emotions within those sparkling light-green eyes.
Those emotions... were hard to dismiss as an act.
And to begin with, Lee Ha-yul was showing her goodwill as well.
'...Just what is it.'
Hong Yeon-hwa let out a deep sigh.
Since using her head was never her specialty, seeing through this by deduction seemed a distant hope.
...That was that. But it also seemed incredibly disagreeable to just watch them chat so amicably.
[Yes, I invited you to thank you for that as well. Is there any help I can pro—!?]
"Eeek...?!"
Having been conversing calmly, Lee Ha-yul flinched in shock and shot ramrod straight. His shoulders stiffened for a split second, trembling faintly.
Only after the trembling subsided a little did he turn his head. A face colored with fluster and redness. After lowering the hand that had been squeezing his butt, Hong Yeon-hwa tilted her head ever so innocently.
"What?"
[Flabbergasted]
[Embarrassment]
"...Don't tease me."
"I didn't do anything, though?"
"No, with the detection ability... Yes, yes, yes, you didn't do anything...!"
"Right?"
His answer changed the moment her hand rose. Grinning, Hong Yeon-hwa wrapped her arm around Lee Ha-yul's waist again. Just like before, there was no refusal.
"What do you want for dinner?"
"Mm... If Miss Lee Ha-sol is staying, I might add a dish or two... But as always, there will be side dishes you like, Yeon-hwa."
"There are a few dishes I like. But with your skill, Ha-yul, it's hard to find something that tastes bad."
"Heehee, if you think complimenting me will get you more food... well, you're right. I'll try to prepare dinner even more diligently tonight."
His fluster had been brief. Leaning into her embrace, Lee Ha-yul smiled brightly and said that.
A sense of satisfaction welled up. Hong Yeon-hwa pressed a small kiss to Lee Ha-yul's hair while sneakily glancing sideways.
"......"
Lee Ha-sol's brow had furrowed deeper than before.
.
.
.
Entering the mansion under Hong Yeon-hwa's watchful guidance, Lee Ha-sol met more people inside.
"I'm Atra Clyde."
Atra Clyde.
From what she'd heard, she was the professor in charge of teaching the special admission cadets like Lee Ha-yul.
Golden hair and golden eyes. A tall woman, even among superhuman females of above-average height. She had quite an aloof and fierce impression.
But her expression softened infinitely when she looked at Lee Ha-yul.
Also, her chest was big.
"I'm Ellia. It's been a while since I've seen you in person."
Ellia, whom she'd met before and exchanged contact info with.
They'd been in frequent contact ever since. Long, yellow hair and eyes. A kind, warm atmosphere surrounded her.
Also, her chest was big.
"Cadet Lee Ha-sol. It's been a while. Ah, now that I recall, you dropped by the lab a while back. Have you resolved the business you came for?"
Liana Bellus.
A professor she'd already become acquainted with through various consultations about spirit arts.
Black hair and clear green eyes. Just as she'd perceived before, a pure, innocent aura surrounded her within the mansion as well.
Also, her chest was big.
'There are even more here?'
Hong Yeon-hwa, whom she'd met from the main gate. Hair and eyes as red as fire.
Contrary to the past rumors of her rotten temper, she was completely coddling Lee Ha-yul, even roughly squeezing his butt as if showing off their relationship.
And, her chest was big...
'That's already four of them?'
Hong Yeon-hwa, Atra, Ellia, Liana.
According to the rumors, the Heir of the Azure Sea, Baek A-rin, and the Successor of Taesan, Lee Ji-yeon, were also here.
The two she hadn't met yet were also superhumans with no shortcomings in terms of appearance, potential, and status.
And reportedly, their chests were big, too...
'Well, then.'
So many enemies. Lee Ha-sol massaged her spinning head.
No, was it right to call them enemies? But there were already too many people by Lee Ha-yul's side, way too many...
She'd already heard the rumors, but witnessing it directly made her head tingle.
'On top of that...'
Memories from earlier surfaced, and she bit her lip lightly.
The way his gaze had sought them out and met theirs everywhere. The lips that had moved, pouring out a refreshing voice.
How could this be? What was the reason? How had it been resolved?
Lee Ha-yul could meet the eyes and listen to the voices of a select few.
She'd already confirmed it applied to Ellia, but it was also applying to Hong Yeon-hwa, Atra, Liana, and the rest just the same.
"...What's with your face?"
It was at that moment.
Lee Ha-sol, who had been seated on the sofa cooling her head, turned around.
Coming from a distance, Daera, a damp towel draped around her neck, was wearing a disgruntled look.
"It's nothing. I just get small headaches sometimes. Still, I'm fine. It's momentary and goes away on its own after a few min... Let's sit down."
The tail end of her nonchalant sentence dragged as her gaze, which had been fixed on Daera's face, drifted slightly downward.
A light, sleeveless black top. Her heated skin, beaded with sweat, and the generous swell of her bosom were clearly visible.
Her chest was big.
"Wha, what are you staring at?"
The way that gaze clung to her chest stung.
Wiping her sweat with the towel, Daera flinched and covered her chest.