A Bit Sentimental (2)
A Bit Sentimental (2)
"You little bastard. You've really set your mind on surpassing your teacher."
The 8th Iteration scowled and shook out his cloak. Crackle! As the lightning energy clinging to the cloak scattered, his lips pushed out in a slight pout.
[That thing is way too tough. I landed several hits, but most of the damage was negated... such a cheat item.]
"Take off that armor stuck to your left arm first, then talk. You handed an artifact a freaking Authority? I nearly threw up trying to punch through it."
Clicking his tongue, the 8th Iteration plopped down onto the ground.
Saying the surroundings were a mess was an understatement. The once-towering, jagged mountain had been shaved down to less than half its original height.
"Time's almost up. Get ready to go."
The hours had flown by while we fought relentlessly. By my rough estimate, about twenty minutes remained.
I closed my mouth firmly, gathered up artifacts into my subspace, then sat down right where I was.
The 8th Iteration narrowed his brow and flicked a finger. A pebble shot forward and struck my head.
"What're you doing? I said go."
"Drop the question marks. Don't wait until the tower time runs out — go to her."
I realized who he meant and shook my head slightly.
[I'll stay here and leave later.]
"Before I bother being considerate, let me say you're making me uncomfortable. Move aside, I'd like to have some time alone to reflect."
When he put it like that, I had nothing to say. It stung a little, too. I pouted slightly, and the 8th Iteration shrugged.
"Are you really going through with that insane plan? No matter how I think about it, it just looks like suicide."
[...Yes. It's the only way.]
I suppressed my pout and answered in a serious tone. The 8th Iteration, who had been staring right at me, tilted his head.
"Do you absolutely have to take on that kind of risk? Couldn't you manage by giving up a few things?"
[That would increase the burden on Baek A-rin. Even if I expel it, permanent aftereffects could remain...]
"Ah, geez. Yeah, yeah~ How utterly devoted of you."
The 8th Iteration heaved a deep sigh and waved his hand.
This was a question and answer we'd already gone over several times. The result hadn't changed. It couldn't be changed, and I didn't want to change it.
"Fine, do whatever you want. You've got enough tricks, so I'm sure you'll manage."
He knew that too, which was why he was just asking one last time.
"You've learned everything I had to teach, and I've said everything I needed to say, so there's nothing more to discuss."
The 8th Iteration shooed me away with a wave of his hand, as if telling me to get going.
His actions might have felt a little too cold, but I wasn't entirely hurt.
After all, he was being deliberately indifferent and gruff on purpose.
Hadn't he already told me that he was finished? Hadn't he said not to grow attached to fated ties?
And considering how the 8th Iteration had sincerely helped me over the past week, that wasn't quite true either.
[...I was truly grateful.]
"Hey, hey, hey. Don't cry again. Your face looks like a girl's, and it makes me feel weird."
[I'm not a girl.]
"...With that face...?"
.
.
.
Normally, moving between floors inside a Tower is impossible.
That's true even if you've learned Spatial Magic. Whether because of the Tower Master's arrangements, outward spatial leaps were blocked.
'But now it works.'
Floating through the pitch-black darkness, I wiggled my fingers. The space rippled as if I were moving my hand through water.
'It must be because my skill in handling the Authority of Space has increased.'
The meeting with Lady Sierra had been especially significant.
Receiving direct instruction from the very person who wields the Authority of Space had caused my proficiency to surge rapidly.
Enough that I could now infuse a spatial slash into an edged weapon and swing it.
It might require some strain, but I could now land an armor-piercing blade on an opponent relying on sheer endurance.
'While I'm out, shall I stop by the Tower of Space and deliver that book?'
My toes touched a wall. As I exercised my Authority, the rippling space swallowed my foot.
- Whooosh...!
A fierce, biting wind scraped past my ears. Plummeting downward while slicing through the wind, my body descended lightly onto a snowy field —
Something leaped up toward me.
I held back the mana I'd been about to fire off as a spell, and hands found the backs of my knees and the small of my back.
"What's this? Why are you here now? Isn't this still your training time?"
The person who had leaped up was Baek A-rin.
Baek A-rin, having caught her wind-tossed hair with one hand, looked down at me in her arms and lifted the corners of her mouth.
I shook my head gently.
[It ended early, so I got kicked out.]
"Ahaha. You weren't kicked out, you were just released early, wasn't it?"
Chuckling, Baek A-rin landed softly in the snow.
A white field flecked with crimson. Around us, the corpses of dozens of monsters lay scattered on the snow.
[We're about to exit soon — were you fighting?]
"I had to deal with the monsters that came looking. Well, there wasn't much for me to do, anyway."
- Ruff!
Shrugging her shoulders, Baek A-rin looked down. Before I knew it, puppies of all shapes and colors had gathered at our feet.
They were the spirits I'd released to grow the last time I was here.
Perhaps because it was Baek A-rin, the water spirits especially had taken the lead and rushed over in numbers.
- Pant, pant...!
- Woof-woof!
As I gently lowered my hand, they all busied themselves rubbing their faces against it and licking. At the bouncy sensation against my palm, I giggled, and Baek A-rin tidied my hair for me.
"With the little ones swarming around, what would I have left to do? If anything, I had to tell them to stop catching them so I could actually train."
[They really have... grown a lot.]
Baek A-rin walked toward a nearby cave. A cavern opening at the base of the rocky mountain, it had been our temporary shelter for the past week.
Baek A-rin sat down onto the hide laid out over the flat floor.
I wriggled in her arms to shift my seated position, then used my Winged Garment to scoop up one of the water spirits that had trotted after us.
- Grrmble.
A mid-level water spirit.
Unusually, this one wasn't shaped like a puppy, but like a seal.
Its gentle, docile eyes seemed utterly adorable and harmlessly inviting, but its rank and mana reserves had clearly grown far beyond what they'd been a week ago.
'At this rate... is it going to ascend to high-rank?'
Instinctively, I felt it had reached a growth level close to the limits of a mid-level spirit.
But I couldn't be certain.
[Terramor. You said that for high-rank and above, innate quality matters, right?]
- That is correct.
As I returned the seal spirit to the ground and called his name, Terramor, who had been quietly at my side, approached softly and knelt on one knee.
...It's a little overwhelming, but after some time passed, I'd grown slightly used to it.
- Upon reaching high-rank, an individual's inherent quality heavily dictates ascension.
[I thought as much...]
So reaching high-rank truly is difficult for all of them? As I was thinking that, Terramor quietly added an afterthought.
- However... with His Majesty the King, it may be different.
[What do you mean by that?]
- Each of my compatriots who received the King's pure mana has undergone unique growth, developing a distinct Innate Talent and sense of self even when compared to their rank.
A spirit's inherent quality is, in the end, its Innate Talent.
The deeper the Innate Talent, the more clearly a sense of self emerges. Thus, spirits whose ego is distinct even at lower ranks have a higher probability of reaching high-rank.
[Meaning?]
- I dare not assert it with certainty, but I believe the compatriots under the King's banner hold a high likelihood of reaching high-rank.
That was good news.
I had been wondering whether my mana might be having an effect, and hearing the same thing from Terramor, who was already a high-ranking spirit, put my mind more at ease.
[That puts my mind at ease. If many children reach the higher ranks... that would be even better, of course.]
I smiled brightly at Terramor as I gently stroked each spirit huddled together inside the cave.
[You've all worked so hard this past week... thank you, truly.]
- Not at all. We simply did what we should...
[I'm simply grateful, just as I should be. Your knees will get cold. Please, get up.]
Terramor, who had been averting his eyes as though overwhelmed, carefully rose to his feet.
'Having an upper spirit really does make things so much better.'
Especially because Terramor had also taken on a role akin to a commander.
Even if I wasn't there, Terramor could lead the spirits in my place.
[I hate to ask, but may I ask you for one more thing?]
- Yes, anything at all.
Terramor nodded firmly. Seeing him muster such resolve, I shook my head gently.
[It's not something I need right now. It's something I'll need to discuss once we're out of the Tower... with the other spirits as well.]
- You would ask... the other kindred as well?
[Yes. I'll explain everything once we're outside.]
"Oh, come on. I was listening so carefully. Now you've just made me curious."
[Abub? Ebehbehbeh...]
Baek A-rin, who had been quietly perking up her ears, pressed her fingers firmly into my cheeks.
- Whooosh!
A frigid snowstorm raged outside the cave. Though it was comparatively warm inside, the cold air was still there.
In the old days, this was the kind of cold that would turn you into a frozen tuna, sending you scampering away.
Now, I wasn't particularly cold.
[Ubeub... let go of me...]
The Azure Sea had gradually settled, and I'd grown far too accustomed to Baek A-rin's body heat.
- Queen Baek A-rin... His Majesty appears to be in distress...
"Not at all, Terramor. Take a good look. He's squirming, but he isn't actually resisting. It means he's pretending to hate it while secretly enjoying every moment of it."
[Stop twisting my words...]
- ...Is that so?
[It's a lie. Don't believe... mub.]
"Ah-ah, quiet."
I'd come all this way for nothing, only to be thoroughly teased.
The torment only stopped when we were finally about to leave the Tower behind.
* * *
"Hmm..."
Inside the spacious training chamber, Hong Yeon-hwa stared at the mirror before her, her eyes narrowed into slits.
- Whorrrrk!
The Calamity Flame coiled around her body, surging in deep crimson waves, as fierce as if it were drenched in blood.
"Hoo..."
The fiery heat mingled with her breath, rippling like a living flame.
Hong Yeon-hwa exhaled the built-up fire energy within her and began to steady the Calamity Flame.
- Whorrrk...
At some point, the Calamity Flame trembled. Its color softened slightly, its violent rippling transforming into something more gentle. Hong Yeon-hwa smiled slyly.
"You little brat, I knew you could behave."
Considering the name Calamity Flame, being wild and ferocious was technically fitting, but for the wielder, a docile and obedient flame was far more convenient.
Like Lee Ha-yul's Calamity Flame.
'...Is it because I've received so much resonance? It feels like it's gradually becoming more alike.'
Yet its output hadn't diminished. In fact, it was only growing stronger; from every angle, it was nothing but a benefit.
The Calamity Flame flickered to life at her fingertips, moving freely. Hong Yeon-hwa stared down at it with an odd expression, her eyes narrowing.
'Flame Bloom.'
Whorrrk! The Calamity Flame blooming from her fingertips swelled in size. The flames surged high enough to nearly reach the ceiling.
'Flame Advance.'
The Calamity Flame receded. The compressed fire coiled thickly around her fingers, rippling in a syrupy, viscous wave.
'Sacred Flame.'
A brilliantly shining Calamity Flame burned against her fingers. The slightly tingling muscles grew warm, and the stiffness began to ease.
Flame Bloom, Flame Advance, Sacred Flame.
Those three were the entirety of the Calamity Flame's expansion abilities.
More precisely, those were the only three expansion abilities that had been passed down.
There were rare cases of manifestors creating different expansion abilities, but none of their successors had managed to embody them.
'Hmm... I wonder if I could make one.'
After all, wasn't she the one hailed as the greatest prodigy in the family's history? If she truly set her mind to it, she could surely forge an expansion ability that was hers alone.
- Perk.
"Hm?"
That was the moment. Hong Yeon-hwa, who had been manipulating the Calamity Flame with her fingers, suddenly pricked up her ears.
Pitter-patter-patter—a presence was rapidly approaching. The light, familiar footsteps reached her sharpened senses.
"Ah."
Her serious expression instantly brightened into a radiant glow. Hong Yeon-hwa hastily extinguished the Calamity Flame and turned her gaze toward the door.
- Knock, knock...
"Yeon—"
"Come in."
She replied as if she had been waiting, and the door swung open. The sight of that adorable face peeking through the gap brought an involuntary, soft smile to her lips.
"Did you get back safely?"
"Yeon-hwa!"
Lee Ha-yul grinned brightly and came dashing over.
She naturally opened her arms, and Lee Ha-yul leaped right into her embrace.
"Whoa there... hehe, you missed me that much?"
"Yeah... I missed you so much..."
"Oh my, it was only a week."
"It was way too long..."
Lee Ha-yul wrapped both arms tightly around her slender waist and buried his face in her full chest.
She'd just been training, so her skin was still heated, and the warmth pressed against his face. As a bonus, a deeper, headier scent of her skin wafted up from her body.
[Softness]
[So warm...]
[Smells so good...]
Burrowing into Hong Yeon-hwa's arms, Lee Ha-yul unleashed all the affection and childlike clinginess he'd been holding back for an entire week.
"Heh, yes, yes. It was way too long for me, too. You have no idea how much I missed you."
That clinginess was nothing but a delight for Hong Yeon-hwa.
Giggling, she pressed his head down and pulled him into a deep embrace.
Naturally, his face sank deeper into her chest, and he would be breathing in her raw, natural scent... but she had long since cast aside any such embarrassment.
"There, there... you worked so hard this past week... yes, yes, such a good boy..."
She gave his bottom a gentle pat, and he happily burrowed even closer. As she adjusted her hold on him, she naturally buried her nose in his pure-white hair.
"Snfff... haaah..."
[Ticklish]
That honeyed scent she hadn't been able to properly enjoy all week filled her nasal passages. As Hong Yeon-hwa gave a slight shudder, Lee Ha-yul, who had been nuzzling his face against her chest, peeked his head up.
"Oh, now that I think of it, Yeon-hwa. Why were you training here instead of back at the mansion?"
This was a self-training room located near the Siyoram Central District.
Thanks to that, he'd been able to walk over and arrive shortly after leaving the Tower.
When he asked, Hong Yeon-hwa rolled her eyes and shrugged her shoulders.
"Well, you know... I came out to see some friends for the first time in a while, spotted this place, and figured I'd do some light training."
"Aha... mmm, smooch..."
Placing a light kiss on him, Hong Yeon-hwa pressed his head back down into her chest and held him close.
Lee Ha-yul, having received the kiss, accepted the touch with a silly, blissful grin.
Rather than questioning exactly why Hong Yeon-hwa was here, the more urgent priority was letting out all this pent-up affection right this instant.
* * *
[The Tower Master of Observation glances around nervously.]
[I-If I can j-just fix the St@tus Wi*ndow... w-why is this # damned thing broken...]
[The Tower Master of Harmonization glares sharply.]
[Are you... are you picking a figh# with me right now?]
[The Tower Master of Observation flinches his shoulders.]
[I-I mean, b&ut... the foundation of our p@lan is the Sta&us W*ndow... and the St@tus Wi#dow was broken fr*om the very s#tart...]
[The Tower Master of Harmonization averts his gaze, making excuses.]
[Strictly sp#eaking, it is not a malfun*tion... The curse was semplicemente far stronger than an%ticipated...]
[The Tower Master of Observation mumbles.]
[Fixing th&t is supposed to be Gracia's j*ob...]
* * *
