Kkonnim (4)
Kkonnim (4)
▶No. 1 Shut-In Idiot: E rererel
▶Me: E rererel?
▶Me: What do you mean?
▶No. 1 Shut-In Idiot: (puppy sticking out its tongue and vanishing beneath a wall emoji)
▶Me: ?
A puppy poking its tongue out and disappearing beneath a wall. A sudden bit of mischief—but the reason was easy enough to guess.
▶No. 1 Shut-In Idiot: Thank you for the advice
▶No. 1 Shut-In Idiot: I'll make good use of it
▶No. 1 Shut-In Idiot: I hope you have a good day too, Agapanthus
That exchange had happened in the morning. Now, Neriel wore a subtle expression as she gazed out the window. Outside, the sky was pitch-black night.
As night fell, Lee Ha-yul's stiff manner tended to loosen considerably. Or maybe it was more accurate to say he turned half-asleep.
▶Me: It's late, aren't you sleeping
▶Me: Aren't your eyes starting to close by now?
▶No. 1 Shut-In Idiot: Not sleeeepy
▶No. 1 Shut-In Idiot: Documentari intrestig hehe
▶No. 1 Shut-In Idiot: Agapanthas wach if ur bord too
- Ding, ding, ding
The moment she suggested he get some sleep, a flood of replies burst out. The abundance of typos made it obvious: he was sleepy but refusing to surrender to it.
Living with nightmares made that unavoidable.
▶Me: If you don't sleep well tonight, you won't have a good day tomorrow either
▶Me: It's late, so how about you start winding down for bed?
▶No. 1 Shut-In Idiot: I don't wannna...
▶Me: If sleep still won't come, try taking one of the supplements I recommended and go to bed
▶No. 1 Shut-In Idiot: I hate medciene too...
▶Me: Tomorrow isn't just today, right? Go to sleep now, and let's see each other again tomorrow
Lee Ha-yul's messages deteriorated into a mess of typos. Neriel's fingers moved busily as she guided him toward sleep.
▶No. 1 Shut-In Idiot: Yeash... I'll really slep now
▶Me: That's the spirit! See you in the morning!
▶No. 1 Shut-In Idiot: Okay hav a good nite to yu too Agapnthass...
With that farewell—its original form nearly unrecognizable—the replies stopped. He was probably curled up in bed by now, stubbornly fighting to settle into sleep.
"Hoo..."
After steadying her breathing and waiting a moment, Neriel gathered her things, took up her crutches, and stepped out the door.
With her limping gait, it took roughly ten minutes to reach the front door of the studio apartment where Lee Ha-yul lived.
She placed her hand on the doorknob and let a minute trace of mana flow out.
- ...Clack
The digital lock disengaged without resistance. Even the sound of the door swinging open was swallowed by magic, rendered utterly silent.
The spell she had used was only the lowest grade—but in a world bereft of magic, the lowest grade was more than enough.
The same went for the eyes of the people she had passed along the way, and the security cameras too.
Once inside the entryway, Neriel removed her shoes and stepped carefully inward.
The living room visible beyond had faint wheel tracks marking the floor, and the kitchen was spotless—without a single trace of use.
After glancing around and confirming nothing was out of place, Neriel opened the firmly shut bedroom door.
The room held a desk and a bed. Beside the bed sat a wheelchair.
Curled up atop the bed was a rounded lump of blanket.
Neriel checked the spell she had placed on herself, then gently lowered the blanket, revealing Lee Ha-yul, asleep and curled into a tight ball.
"Hoo... ngh..."
"......"
To be precise, it was more accurate to say he had fallen into a nightmare. Her expression darkening, Neriel surveyed the room.
'He didn't take the medication.'
She spotted the bottle sitting on the shelf.
It was the supplement Neriel had recommended—a stabilizer she had personally manufactured by combining locally sourced ingredients with Word Command.
'Ideally, it's best not to take stabilizers if he can avoid them... but it would be good if he took the other supplements regularly.'
Neriel raised her hand, covering Lee Ha-yul's eyelids, and called up her mana. She blended her Innate Talent into the mana rising from her throat and spoke it forth.
『Let nightmares subside, and let mind and body find peace.』
- Ooom...
The billowing power of Word Command seeped into Lee Ha-yul's body.
"...Mm."
The furrow between Lee Ha-yul's brows soon relaxed. His irregular breathing steadied, and his trembling stilled.
Letting out a small breath of relief, Neriel followed up with another Word Command.
『Let the damaged flesh be replenished with new tissue and blood, and let it find its correct form once more.』
A Word Command laden with the intent of recovery and regeneration.
The newly manifested command seeped primarily into Lee Ha-yul's lower body, rather than his mind. Lee Ha-yul wriggled a little, as if it tickled.
Given the circumstances, there would be no immediate visible change, but with sustained treatment, she would be able to see measurable progress.
Neriel checked Lee Ha-yul's condition and nodded with satisfaction.
The Word Command had taken hold exceptionally well. Lee Ha-yul's flesh and body, having drawn in her projected will-thought and mana, regained a temporary vitality.
'Even taking that into account, the effect is excellent. Perhaps it really is because he's in spirit-body form.'
It was a silver lining amid the misfortune—that the insufficient Word Commands of an Incarnation that could break at any moment were being absorbed so readily.
The consecutive use of Word Commands had drained the strength right out of her. After steadying her breathing, Neriel took the food she had packed from her bag.
It was a bottle filled with warm milk. Not just any milk—this was nutritionally flawless milk, thoroughly enriched with nutrients through alchemy.
...She had no choice, given the way Lee Ha-yul kept refusing to eat proper meals.
At first, she had intended to feed him normally with porridge. But whenever she brought a spoon to his lips while he slept, Lee Ha-yul would clamp his mouth shut and shake his head in refusal.
She had tried offering a bottle on a hunch, and he had drunk from it without any trouble.
"...Excuse me."
Neriel sat on the edge of the bed and checked the temperature of the milk. She gently propped up Lee Ha-yul's upper body and brought the bottle to his lips.
"Snf..."
Lee Ha-yul's nostrils twitched. After she waited a moment, his mouth parted slightly and closed around the nipple.
At the same time, his lips began working, drawing in the warm milk.
"Glp... glp, gwulp..."
"......"
Lee Ha-yul drank without pause. He was eating earnestly, even in his sleep. How wonderful it would be if he ate like this when he was awake, too.
'I'm glad he's eating well this way, but...'
Neriel's expression grew complicated.
The act had become familiar now, after so many repetitions. That very familiarity felt strange.
She had never once raised a child in her life, yet here she was, growing accustomed to cradling someone in her arms and guiding a bottle to their mouth...
"Ptu..."
"Oh. You mustn't spill..."
Already having emptied the bottle, Lee Ha-yul spit out the nipple.
A bit of milk dripped onto his chest. Neriel took out a handkerchief and wiped around Lee Ha-yul's mouth with care, then produced a fresh bottle and guided it back to his lips.
Lee Ha-yul lost himself in drinking once more. In the meantime, Neriel placed her hand on Lee Ha-yul's stomach and sharpened her concentration.
Though the process and their meeting had been deliberately thrown off course, her fundamental role was that of a terminal.
'The suggestion and the authority have been delivered.'
The terminal's highest-priority objective had been met.
She had singled out his soul and implanted the authority.
Now, drawn by the suggestion, Lee Ha-yul would gradually acquire information about the original world and the incursion—in the shape of a game.
Through that process, he would naturally come to understand how to grow stronger, and when the time arrived, the summoning would proceed.
'We must assist his growth. With Sir Lee Ha-yul's potential, given enough time, he should be fine... safety and time really will be the priority, I suppose.'
Establishing the planned Siyoram would suffice.
Massively scattering the Authority of Growth to aid his development, and gathering the full strength of the Five Towers to construct a secure cradle.
Even if the three hostile Tower Masters were to launch an assault at any moment—if she and her allies responded with full force, they could certainly protect Lee Ha-yul at all costs.
So long as he remained within Siyoram, they could safeguard Lee Ha-yul against any threat.
-
- ...We deeply apologize.
- Please, don't say that. I am the one who should be apologizing for failing to predict Lee Ha-yul's actions.
There was another problem.
Lee Ha-yul's body had been born carrying a curse.
The curse was so vicious that even the Tower Master of Observation could not fully see into it, but some of its symptoms had been identified.
A continuous drain of vitality energy. The depleted vitality invited misfortune, and any life-threatening injury would burn vitality to regenerate.
'If the soul returns to the physical body, the curse could intensify.'
Currently, the five Tower Masters could suppress it by expending a little power at a time, but the curse would grow stronger once spirit and flesh merged, making that difficult.
Of course, if he remained inside Siyoram, Neriel could suppress it alone.
By the time he set foot outside, the Tower of Harmonization and Knowledge, with its loosened constraints, would suppress it.
- ...I am so sorry...
- ...It is our fault for being unable to inform you due to the constraints...
They also had to prepare for whatever tricks the invading Tower Masters would pull.
They would certainly sense Lee Ha-yul's existence and scheme accordingly. The most likely course was to bestow a curse.
'I must keep in mind the possibility of a synergistic effect between the curses.'
The Tower Masters would estimate generously and suppress Lee Ha-yul's curses. Even if a curse that restricts sensory perception were placed, it could not block the touch of the Authority of Harmonization.
- ...We sincerely apologize. The synergistic effect of the curses has far exceeded our expectations...
- Um...
'Based on the last true body's memories, they were devising a plan to transfer the Authorities of Observation and Space...'
They would likely design it so that an Authority with greatly restricted initial performance would be granted, and its limits slowly drawn out as time passed.
Since he obviously could not handle the Authorities at their original, full performance.
Safety was not an issue. The Tower Master of Observation and the Tower Master of Space themselves would devote great care to locking down the output.
- We have no excuse to offer. This is a miscalculation on our part for failing to gauge Lee Ha-yul's potential and affinity for the Authorities...
- Hmm... Honestly, that was a bit excessive.
Neriel cut off the thought. She retrieved the now-empty bottle and gently patted Lee Ha-yul on the back as she held him.
"Urp..."
Lee Ha-yul's body lurched as he let out a burp, then quickly went limp and drowsy.
Thankfully, it seemed he had been well fed.
Neriel let out a sigh of relief and wiped Lee Ha-yul's mouth with a handkerchief. It was the moment she began to slowly lay him down on the bed.
"Mmm..."
- Squeeze...
A tiny hand reached out and grabbed Neriel's sleeve.
"......"
"Mm, eh, ehehe..."
It was a hand covered in horrific burn scars. Though the grip was light—the hand of someone reaching out in sleep—to Neriel, it felt heavier than an iron weight.
Her eyes, shifted to brown, wandered for a moment. In the end, she slowly stroked the head of Lee Ha-yul, still cradled in her arms.
It was an exceedingly awkward touch, yet Lee Ha-yul smiled softly even in his sleep.
He seemed to draw more comfort from this touch than from the Word Command she had used earlier.
That smile was so very bright. So happy and innocent—as if a single touch had granted him all the happiness in the world.
How revolting.
Neriel thought so anew.
The hands that had drawn out that bright smile were filthy beyond compare.
'......'
The world is not as bright and sunny as a picture book. Neriel, who had lived in such a world, was not herself a purely good human being.
She knew of irrationality and sacrifice.
Countless people had died on the battlefield. Neriel had not. Incomplete as she was, she was not one who played the role of sacrifice, but a hero who fed on sacrifices and staked her claim on the future.
As a result, Neriel had saved countless lives. Yet she could never dare to be certain that every sacrifice made for her had been justified and worthwhile.
The current matter was an extension of that.
To save the world, she would nurture this frail, pitiful child and then push him onto a terrible battlefield against outer-realm Tower Masters.
A deep sense of doubt spread across Neriel's face.
It was a position in which one must weigh benefits against costs. The stakes were human lives and happiness. And it was Neriel—not the one involved—who held and decided those stakes.
Indeed, being a ruler was not a worthy calling.
Nor did she wish to be one.
But Neriel was the only one with the qualifications and aptitude for the Tower of Growth.
If Neriel ran away, the value of those who had sacrificed themselves for her would be trampled into filth.
"...I am sorry."
The murmured apology scattered hollowly.
With a trembling hand, Neriel stroked Lee Ha-yul.
Lee Ha-yul was such a pure and kind child. The more she interacted with him, even without facing him directly, the more that conviction grew.
And so, she could hardly dare to stand before him.
Though practical constraints also made it difficult to face him, smiling in front of Lee Ha-yul while the whole purpose was to use him was simply, emotionally impossible.
Yet vile as those hands were, since Lee Ha-yul seemed to feel comfort from her touch right now, Neriel held Lee Ha-yul through the night. She stroked the head in her arms until the hazy moon sank and the sun slowly rose.
Such a task would have to be repeated until this broken Incarnation fell apart completely.
"...Mwehmum..."
Outside the window, it grew brighter.
As Lee Ha-yul stirred in her arms, Neriel's face twisted with pain.
Currently, Neriel's true body was slowing the invasion and confining itself through a restriction that constrained its Authority and power. That restriction, though weaker than on the true body, also touched the Incarnation.
"...Huu..."
Her breath trembled faintly. With shaking hands, Neriel laid Lee Ha-yul on the bed.
The process was terribly arduous, but if Lee Ha-yul woke up it would normally turn into a tremendous ordeal, so she covered him with the blanket and fled the spot.
"...Mwehng?"
A short time later. Lee Ha-yul slowly lifted his eyelids and blinked.
His body was pleasantly warm. Not hot—heated just right, feeling nice.
That was not the only strange thing.
"Muh-muh-mum..."
He smacked his lips and swallowed his saliva.
The saliva was sweet and savory. It tasted like milk, but far more delicious than ordinary milk. His head felt clear. The headache had nearly completely faded. His stomach held a pleasant and happy sense of fullness, not any discomfort.
'What is this...'
He stared blankly up at the ceiling, question marks floating in his mind.
A mysterious phenomenon. The issue was that such occurrences had happened a few times before.
'What on earth is it... Should I go to the hospital...?'
He did not want that.
He did not want to go outside. Realistically, moving was difficult with his legs in this state, so it couldn't be helped.
Lee Ha-yul shook his head vigorously and looked around.
The unfamiliar wheelchair was pressed right up against the bed. Now he had to begin the struggle of getting into the wheelchair.
"...This spot is warm, too."
Lee Ha-yul, who had been crawling prone, blinked.
At the edge of the mattress where his chin had rested, there was one spot pressed down unusually deeply and widely. Warmth radiated from it.
With a subtle expression, Lee Ha-yul buried his face in the spot where the warmth remained.
Sure enough, a pleasant warmth spread across his face.
"...Sniff sniff."
For some reason, a nice scent drifted up too. Lee Ha-yul sniffled softly, catching the fragrance that lingered in the spot.
- Wait a moment...?! Wha, wh, wha...?!
- Ah...
As that memory was replaying, Neriel let out a horrified shriek.