Welcome Ceremony
Welcome Ceremony
Setting the next destination aside, I spent the remaining time working with soul ingots.
We still had some leeway before I needed to start dinner.
I stored Sicarius's corpse in my subspace, then brought over several monsters the academy raises and used them as materials.
A few results did come out of it.
"You made dough out of monsters?"
Senior Daera looked at the results with a baffled expression.
[Dough?]
"Anyone would call that dough. Or modeling clay."
I couldn't exactly deny it.
Pouting slightly, I nudged the failed product at my feet.
The lump of dough, a mix of violet and blue, rolled away with a clatter.
Turning monsters into soul ingots had worked reasonably well, but I'd screwed up when curiosity led me to try mixing two ingots together.
[The later one turned out pretty well, though.]
"That's the success?"
Senior Daera shrugged and looked ahead.
A four-legged beast bound in pure white mana chains. An 8th-Rank Monster, a Yellow Beast, with yellow fur and prominent fangs on full display.
[...At least as far as the goal I set?]
Its size was considerable.
A normal Yellow Beast is about the size of a large, brawny ox. This one was big enough to compare to a cargo truck.
As a bonus, a pair of undersized wings fluttered lightly on its back, comically small for its frame.
It was the result of excessive modification by fusing soul ingots—in short, a soul hybrid.
'Though calling it a soul hybrid is a stretch, considering how crude it is.'
A soul hybrid's strength lies in combining various elements to create a creature that never existed before, making it possible to shore up strengths and weaknesses.
This thing, by contrast, was just an inflated Yellow Beast with nonfunctional wings slapped on.
Still, since I'd managed to accomplish something with soul ingots, there was no cause to mope.
- Fwoor...!
[You don't like it?]
I was satisfied, but the baby unicorn that had quietly come up beside me was glaring at the hybrid Yellow Beast and the dough with blatant disapproval.
After scanning the hybrid with a vaguely displeased look, Seo-yul rubbed her own forearm.
[You too, Seo-yul?]
"Yes. I get a bad feeling from it, instinctively."
[Hm... I feel it too.]
An unpleasant presence radiated from the hybrid. A fundamental discordance and incompleteness. I didn't even need to use Observation. Its very existence carried an aura of wrongness.
It was a reaction similar to how I perceived undead.
'I guess a soul hybrid really does clash with purity-type beings.'
Fairies and spirits are born from the pure energy of nature. Unicorns are also creatures that favor pure essence.
Like undead—which are fundamentally corpse dolls—soul hybrids are still alive but spiritually turbid, and they seemed to provoke instinctive rejection.
"Do they call that a chimera? Then I suppose it makes sense fairies would dislike it... but can't you make one easily with your magic, Junior?"
Senior Daera, however, tilted her head, unable to share our distaste. I shook my head.
[That wasn't made with magic. I used my unique ability, so no.]
"Ah... good grief, what kind of unique ability is that..."
Senior Daera's muttering died abruptly.
When I tilted my head, a glance tinged with a hint of suspicion landed on me.
"...Uh, Junior... you know. That thing when you turned into a dragon."
[Ah.]
A dragon... She probably meant when I was grappling with the Tower Master of Evil Dragon.
[That's similar, but different. That was a technique I created by referencing this unique ability.]
"...Am I really supposed to just sit here and watch you practice this?"
[?]
Senior Daera trailed off with an ambiguous tone and stared fixedly down at the top of my head.
Her face was full of worry and concern. In response, my own expression took on a hint of aggrieved innocence.
[What exactly did I do to make you look at me like that?]
"To me, Junior, you sometimes look like a mad scientist. You're definitely kind, but you also seem like the type who'd claim it's fine as long as it only affects you, and then cut off your own arm to use as a weapon."
[What kind of, uh, utter slander—]
It was absurd defamation. Groundlessly painting someone as a freak with no evidence at all.
I was about to respond with righteous indignation when a certain memory suddenly unfurled in my mind.
The memory of fighting the Tower Master of Bitter Cold who had possessed A-rin's body.
When the Authority of Bitter Cold began encroaching on my arm, the choice I'd made was to preemptively blow my own arm apart, then weave the bone and flesh together into a net...
[...I don't do that kind of thing, for the record.]
[That's a lie— kuek!]
"Junior, there is zero sincerity in that necklace's voice. And it looked like it was trying to say something just now. Lie... what?"
[It's a misunderstanding.]
I used my mana to suppress the unruly necklace that was carelessly broadcasting its owner's intentions.
- ...Wooong, woooong...!
The necklace pushed back with considerable force.
Inside it, I could sense a distinct ego. For a moment, I was startled by a will that almost felt like a sense of mission.
[Kuek, kkuek, kkooek... false speech...]
[When necessary, lightly expend... the self... kaak!]
You crazy bastard. Shut up.
Immediately, a surge of mana swallowed the necklace whole.
"......"
"......"
But it was a bit too late.
I turned my head stiffly to find Senior Daera and Seo-yul staring down at me with expressionless faces.
Their suddenly dull eyes and the weight of the silence were crushing.
Just as a drop of cold sweat traced down my neck, my head swiveled toward the main gate.
My master and Professor Liana, who had said they were running an errand, had arrived first.
The other two sensed their presence as well and turned toward the gate. Senior Daera nodded to herself and drew in a breath.
"Master—! Junior just said his own body is...!"
CRACKLE! Senior Daera shot forward, becoming a bolt of Heavenly Thunder.
[Gyaaahk! Don't say iiiit...! Urk, kkoaeeng!]
"Now, now, you mustn't block it."
I tried to chase her down immediately with my own Heavenly Thunder, but Seo-yul wrapped her arms around me and thwarted the attempt.
At the gentle pressure massaging the back of my neck, my body went slack.
* * *
True to Lee Ha-yul's aspirations, the dinner spread was magnificent.
The normally spacious table was completely filled.
It wasn't just a bounty of delicacies. The feast of dishes spanning East and West, now so thoroughly blurred, was enough to make mouths drop open on their own.
"Cadet Ha-sol, I thought you'd be late. How did you manage to arrive on time?"
"Ah, don't even ask. I almost didn't make it out of there."
A horrified Lee Ha-sol shook her head. Liana, who chuckled as if she'd expected as much, smiled faintly and tilted her glass.
"I saw from a distance on my way past. You were incredibly popular. With how wide your social circle is, didn't they just mob you and barrage you with questions?"
"A lot of friends I'm close with did ask... But Professor Liana, aren't you just as well-connected?"
"This one doesn't really meet people, contrary to how she looks,"
Atra answered for her. With a flush of alcohol warming her cheeks, Liana gave a snort.
"And you, Atra, don't meet people just like you look."
"Beats pretending to be all demure when you're anything but."
"Still, my chest is bigger than yours, right?"
"You... bitch. Why the hell is chest size suddenly coming up?"
The verbal strike, a killing blow rather than a mere check, slammed straight into her solar plexus.
Atra, whose expression had twisted violently, caught herself and relaxed her grip.
She'd nearly crumpled the tableware as well.
A fairy who had been standing by hurried over to retrieve the barely-intact dish and immediately set a new one.
"It's not unrelated. It's about our baby's meals, you see~"
Liana, who had chuckled to herself, shrugged.
The motion made her full, voluptuous breasts sway, drawing the eye. Atra's brow twitched at the gesture, which came across almost like showing off.
"Fufu, I see. You were comparatively on the smaller side here, weren't you, Atra?"
Nonsense.
Atra, who had been about to retort, suddenly closed her mouth.
Large and small were relative concepts. Naturally, after nursing Lee Ha-yul her own breasts had grown larger, but that held true for all the others as well.
In truth, compared to the others seated at this table...
"......."
"W-why are you looking at me like that?"
Atra's sharp gaze landed on the person across from her. Lee Ha-sol, who flinched slightly, surreptitiously covered her chest with one arm.
- Squish...
Contrary to her intent, the movement only accentuated the fullness of her breasts. Naturally, not only Atra's eyes but everyone else's turned sullen with resentment.
"Good grief, look at that, even puffier than a few days ago. Just how much has she been fed lately for them to grow that much?"
"I didn't... feed him that much."
"Seems like you fed him an awful lot."
A noticeably sulky voice answered.
It was Lee Ji-yeon, who had taken a seat at the table despite her busy schedule.
She glanced around self-consciously and then gently patted the small of Lee Ha-yul's back, who was cradled in her arms, with a little force.
Lee Ha-yul's shoulders gave a slight twitch, and his mouth opened a tiny bit.
"Keuuek..."
"See? There it is again. Just how much did you stuff him with for him to still be burping even at dinnertime?"
"...Uhm, he wouldn't unlatch, so I had no choice."
Lee Ha-sol's face flushed as she averted her gaze.
Eyes narrowing sharply, Lee Ji-yeon lightly smacked Lee Ha-yul's bottom as he let out a comfortable breath after his burp.
- Smack
[Hik]
Startled, Lee Ha-yul tightened his arms around Lee Ji-yeon's waist, hugging her desperately, and wriggled slightly while gauging her mood.
[Uuuung...]
"Trying your aegyo now... uhm, n-not right now."
"Wow, you're actually holding out."
After finishing her words in a trembling voice, Lee Ji-yeon squeezed her eyes shut. The willpower was so strong that even Baek A-rin, who was watching, was impressed.
Lee Ji-yeon took a spoonful of the food on the table.
It was the gratin that Lee Ha-yul had carefully prepared while nestled in her arms.
And its taste was incredible.
It felt as though her tongue was gently melting away. The ingredients and the chef were both the best in the world, simply because the person who made it was Lee Ha-yul.
Letting out a suppressed sigh, Lee Ji-yeon patted Lee Ha-yul's bottom.
"...We'll see on the day of the Inheritance ceremony. Really."
[...!]
[Yes! I'll prepare diligently and come to see you!]
Delighted, Lee Ha-yul beamed and pressed his lips to Lee Ji-yeon's cheek.
- Smooch
"...Hm hm hm."
"He says he's dying of happiness."
Even at Hong Yeon-hwa's teasing, the corners of Lee Ji-yeon's lips kept twitching upward.
"Alright, now come over here~"
"Ah."
Before the finally freed Lee Ha-yul could even take a single step, Ellia swiftly came over and scooped him into her arms.
Lee Ha-yul looked up at Ellia, his eyes drooping.
He looked just like a puppy, soaked by the rain, whimpering without a sound. Ellia bit her lip firmly and, with a pitying look, gave him a light, quick motion with her hand.
- Smack
"Hik..."
"You have to take care of your body. I taught you that all night last time, and you still treat it carelessly?"
"No... my body is precious..."
[......]
"Yes, I believe in you, Ha-yul. So stop tormenting the necklace over nothing, and try opening it."
"Hng."
During the meal, Lee Ha-yul was being passed around into the women's embrace, fed, and scolded.
The cause was, naturally, the revelations the necklace had blurted out.
'...Isn't that just collective sexual harassment?'
Daera, the original informant, found herself blinking.
She had belatedly grasped that the scene unfolding before the dinner table was, by any common-sense standard, quite risqué.
The realization sent a shiver through her.
To only now recognize something that should be common sense was a shocking matter for Daera, who prided herself on being a sensible person.
'...Good grief.'
But that was only for a moment.
Daera took a bite of her food and stared blankly into the air. Her consciousness focused not on her vision, but on her own innate talent.
Heavenly Thunder.
Quietly acknowledging her unique ability, she recalled a few days prior.
The moment Lee Ha-yul had subjugated the 2nd-Rank monster. What had unilaterally overwhelmed that creature was none other than Heavenly Thunder.
- ...─
'Huh.'
All she was doing was reflecting on the past and contemplating.
Yet, even so, Daera let out a humorless laugh at the feeling of Heavenly Thunder steadily growing.
They say precedent is crucial for the growth of an innate talent. Those exact words seemed to fit. With Lee Ha-yul showing the way, her growth was accelerating like this.
'Though it's not just that my junior disciple simply showed me a path.'
If she had to put a name to it, it was a kind of ultimate destination. Since it was the extremity that Heavenly Thunder could reach, the enlightenment gained was immense.
'It's distant.'
Thanks to that, she could tell.
The realm Lee Ha-yul had shown was very distant.
Was it unreachable? It wasn't quite so bleak as to feel that remote, but she could tell it would be a difficult and time-consuming road.
'And who knows when my junior disciple might have to fight a major battle again.'
What she knew for now was the end of this year.
He had said he would wage a war against that Tower Master of Bitter Cold. As she was now, she couldn't offer meaningful help before then.
A strange feeling of impatience pressing on her chest drew her brows together.
[Tch]
"Ah."
- Bump
Her stream of thoughts was broken as a weight settled onto her shoulder. Turning her head, she saw the pure white crown of his head firmly rubbing against her shoulder.
"What are you doing, my junior disciple?"
[Tch, tch, tch...]
Lee Ha-yul offered no reply, merely nuzzling his head against her shoulder. At the half-pushing tantrum, Daera smiled wryly and ruffled his hair.
[Graaahht]
"You can't pout about this. You're the one who did wrong first, aren't you, my junior disciple?"
[You went and told on me right away, between senior and junior disciple! Where's your loyalty gone?]
Lee Ha-yul glared at her in defiance. Daera tilted her head. His emotional expression was bouncier than usual.
'Ah, he must've gotten tipsy from the alcohol smell again.'
Curious, she examined his face and it was indeed redder than usual.
Daera, having smiled, was kneading Lee Ha-yul's cheek when she suddenly flinched.
Because the hand that had cupped his cheek was not a hand of flesh, but her prosthetic arm.
The soft and slightly springy texture was being felt by her prosthetic hand. No matter how realistically Daera manipulated it, the material was a false hand made of metal.
[Don't worry]
In the split second she naturally tried to withdraw her hand, Lee Ha-yul, who had suddenly grabbed the prosthetic arm resting on his cheek, beamed a soft smile.
His face was red from the alcohol, but the smile was still so bright and pure that Daera blinked.
[I'll definitely fix it for you]
[Truth眞實]
The truth.
Just like before, emotion came through thickly in his voice.
Saying he would somehow fix her. That she shouldn't worry.
Lee Ha-yul rubbed his cheek firmly against the prosthetic arm, then turned his head completely and planted a soft kiss on the metal artificial hand.
- Smooch
"...!"
It was soft and moist. The prosthetic arm transmitted those sensations with perfect clarity. Daera's mouth fell open and her eyes trembled violently.
'...Is he really putting on a show on purpose?'
A genuine question crossed her mind.