Chapter 56
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: Wol Family (2)
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The grand gates of the Wol Family manor opened without a sound, ever so slowly.
As we stepped inside, the first things that caught my eye were the impeccably manicured gardens, the perfectly tended trees, and the luxurious yet understated mansion architecture.
But something was off. There wasn't a single bird chirping anywhere around.
No wind rustling, either.
It felt like this place existed in a space where time flowed at a different speed from the rest of the world.
I swallowed unconsciously.
"......Wow. It's huge. But why does it feel so quiet?"
Wol Ha-yeon walked ahead as if it were nothing unusual.
"Grandpa's especially sensitive to his senses because of his unique trait, so he's set up the surroundings to muffle even the tiniest noises."
"Should I be quiet, then?"
"Hm......"
She stared intently at somewhere in the mansion for a moment before shrugging it off.
"He's probably already heard every word we've said, but since there's no reaction, I guess it's fine."
"...Really? That's a relief."
"But the closer you get to Grandpa, the more suffocated you'll feel. It seems like he wants to test you—the entire mansion is thick with his mana. With a dash of killing intent?"
"...I see."
No wonder breathing felt so hard...
So he's already started testing me.
My lungs already felt half-compressed.
In any case, I followed Wol Ha-yeon through the central courtyard and into the inner building.
The corridor was long.
The walls were a mix of premium black stone and white jade, and the floor seemed made of some special mineral that muffled our footsteps almost completely.
The more we walked, the more I could feel it.
The entire space was overlaid with a deliberate flow of power.
It was like invisible swords were silently aimed at the nape of my neck from the ceiling and walls.
'...This isn't just a simple test. One wrong move, and I'd be sliced.'
Concentrating a bit more, it became clear.
It wasn't just my imagination—countless invisible blades of mana were layered throughout the surroundings.
This place was designed so the family head could sense everything without even opening his eyes.
Wol Ha-yeon, walking ahead as if it were the most natural thing in the world, glanced back at my expression.
"Not too tough?"
"...A little?"
"Liar."
"I feel like I'm gonna suffocate and die. Was there really any need to test me this harshly?"
Wol Ha-yeon let out a small chuckle.
That laugh was the only thing making it possible for me to breathe in this place.
We inched along, one painstaking step at a time, until the end of the corridor came into view—the family head's chamber.
The door was plain.
No fancy decorations.
Not even a handle.
But the moment we stood before it, an overwhelming pressure hit me—one incomparable to the bloodlust I'd felt from Wol Ha-yeon after she dealt with that demon.
No. This wasn't mere pressure.
It was the presence of a human standing at the pinnacle of the world.
Cold sweat trickled down my spine.
Wol Ha-yeon spoke lightly.
"Take a deep breath and go in."
"...Will that make it better?"
"No."
"......"
"It's just to help you relax a bit. Once that door opens, your breath really will catch in your throat."
"...Okay."
I inhaled—exhaled—and slowly reached out.
But before I could touch it, the door opened on its own.
Ssshh—.
The room beyond wasn't dark or bright.
It was just still.
And in the center sat a single man.
A plain wooden chair.
A single plain sword.
Plain attire.
Yet that plainness was devouring the world.
The moment I cautiously stepped inside, my knees buckled naturally, and my gaze wanted to drop to the floor.
As if every instinct screamed that survival meant staying low.
I gritted my teeth and resisted the pressure, holding my stance.
Then, he—Wol Cheon-mu—slowly raised his head.
And spoke.
Calmly, emotionlessly, yet with a voice that carried unmistakable weight.
"You're... Kang Hyun-sol, right?"
His voice was low and quiet, but even his single breath seemed to shift the very air in the room.
I slowly lifted my head.
"...It's an honor to meet you, Wol Cheon-mu."
"Good to meet you too."
He scanned me from head to toe, then turned to Wol Ha-yeon, who was smiling brightly beside him.
"You, wait outside. I need to speak with this young man alone."
"Aww~ Can't I stay and listen?"
'...Huh? Did I hear that right?'
Wol Ha-yeon with a coquettish tone? That's rare... no, not the point.
Even Wol Ha-yeon, with her supreme talent, turns into a normal 20-year-old granddaughter in front of her grandpa...
"No amount of aegyo will work today. Out with you."
"Fiiine~"
While I stood there frozen in shock, Wol Cheon-mu waved her off familiarly, shooing her away.
Once Wol Ha-yeon had left the family head's chamber, he stared intently at her retreating figure.
Then he fixed his gaze straight on me, stiff as a board.
"Do you drink tea?"
"...I'll have whatever you offer."
"A polite one, I see."
He rose and fetched some tea leaves from a drawer in the corner, beginning to brew.
Three minutes later, after steeping the tea fully, he set the cups on the obviously expensive table before him and said,
"Sit."
"Yes, sir."
"How's the tea? To your liking?"
"Delicious. It's different from the tea Student Council President Yoo Ji-an brewed for me."
"Yoo Ji-an? Ah, Yoo Tae-min's granddaughter."
"Yes."
After a few sips, I carefully set my cup down and spoke.
"...More importantly, I heard you wanted to see me."
"Straight to the point?"
"Given the circumstances..."
I scratched the back of my head awkwardly, tapping the table.
Wol Cheon-mu closed his eyes briefly, as if organizing his thoughts on how to broach the subject.
"I called you here for two reasons."
"I'm listening."
"First... you probably expected this, but I want to know exactly what your relationship with my granddaughter is."
"I see... so not 'or', but 'and'?"
Who expected what now?
Caught completely off guard by the unexpected question, I stared at him, unable to mask my surprise.
But Wol Cheon-mu continued unfazed.
"I've heard the rumors. You train swordsmanship with her every morning."
"Well..."
"I didn't believe it at first. That child, born with talent surpassing anyone, who lost her parents and lived her whole life in loneliness—I never imagined she'd let anyone get close."
"......"
Lost her parents? Who? Wol Ha-yeon?
This was news to me.
The setting never specified anything like that, so I'd assumed her parents would show up after perfectly clearing her route and reaching marriage.
Who knew she'd lost them already.
As I panicked and lost my words again, Wol Cheon-mu gave me a look of understanding.
"I was worried. That she'd live out her days alone, die harboring only hatred and vengeance against the demons. But then..."
She made a friend right after entering the academy. A friend of unknown origins."
"Don't tell me... you called me here because...?"
"Exactly. I summoned you urgently today to confirm your exact relationship with our Ha-yeon—what your intentions are for the future. And to dig into your suspicious past, to see if you're someone who might hurt that child."
"......"
I took a very deep breath.
This wasn't someone I could fool with lies.
They wouldn't work anyway.
So I had no choice but to be as honest as possible, mixing in just a tiny bit of deception.
"First... about my relationship with Ha-yeon."
Wol Cheon-mu's eyes darkened ever so slightly.
A signal he was listening.
"For now... we don't have any formal status. Training partner, classmate... and one of the most important people to me. I'm too incompetent right now to promise anything. But I absolutely won't hurt her. I'll take responsibility for my choices and their outcomes."
"Responsibility."
He murmured shortly.
"Anyone can say that."
I nodded.
"As for the second—my suspicious past... I can't explain everything. But I have no intention of hiding it."
"......"
He took a sip of tea.
"Won't hide it, but can't tell?"
"Yes. But one thing I can say clearly: I've never sided with demons. Quite the opposite."
"......"
A brief silence.
He set his cup down and spread thick mana around me.
"That day in the artificial dungeon—your demeanor didn't surprise you. You expected it. And you were familiar with death. Not your first time."
"...Yes."
I didn't evade.
"It wasn't."
"You say you stood against the demons? Simple. Show me your mana right now."
"......"
Showing mana.
It sounds like just revealing my mana.
In truth, it was entrusting my life to the other person.
Because showing mana meant exposing one's heart—one of the most vital weak points.
But since I was innocent, it didn't matter.
I stood, placing my right hand over my chest.
Two rings of mana rose around my heart.
Two circles.
Starlight-like radiance flowed faintly between the mana lines.
He tilted his head slightly.
"You possess a very unique mana... it glows on its own. Heterogenous, but pure. Though there's tremendous power interfering near your heart—what's this?"
My heart sank at the sharp question.
'As expected, full exposure reveals traces of the Book of Restraints.'
"It's related to the past I mentioned. That's why I can't explain."
"...Fine. That's enough for the first reason. The second is simple. I want to see with my own eyes if you're fit to stand beside a child learning the sword."
He snapped his fingers lightly.
The entire room filled with an inky stillness.
"Ten Breaths."
Wol Cheon-mu closed his eyes while seated.
"Stand there and endure. Don't take a single step back. If you fall, promise to step away from her and go home."
"That's... grk!!!"
My breath was instantly crushed.
My knees buckled.
My brain replayed 'bow down' on loop.
First breath.
Agonizing pain surged.
I pushed my starlight mana into the circle, syncing it with my heartbeat and breath.
Second. My soles felt like they were stepping on blades.
Third. A sharp edge pressed against my nape.
I gritted my teeth, endured, and adjusted my stance.
Fourth, fifth—my heart lost its rhythm.
That's when the Crisis Overcoming trait intervened subtly.
Just enough to keep me from falling. From dying.
Sixth, my vision narrowed.
I barely clung to consciousness and spread a thin mana field, forming a barrier just outside my skin.
Seventh, eighth—my knees trembled like aspen leaves.
I layered a protective barrier over the mana field and barely held on.
"Grrgh...!!!"
Ninth—my lungs burned. My vision flashed white.
Tenth—everything ended, and I still stood.
The stillness lifted.
Everything returned to normal.
I inhaled deeply, hugely.
Wol Cheon-mu slowly opened his eyes.
His expression barely changed.
But his gaze had softened slightly.
"You could've gone to twelve."
"Hah... thank you."
"You have many unique talents—magic, even barrier arts..."
He leaned back against the chair.
"You pass. You're qualified to stand by her side."
He pushed a cup toward me.
"Drink. It'll help circulate your energy and steady your breath. Keep your hands steady."
He glanced at the back of my hand as I took it, then spoke casually.
"There's a condition."
"I'm listening."
I straightened my posture.
"From now on, help her keep that hard-won smile. Help her live a happy life. Don't make promises you can't keep, and don't break the ones you make."
Short and clear.
"Can you do that?"
"...Yes. I will."
He nodded.
"Good. That's enough for today. Stay for dinner. The Wol Family doesn't send guests away on an empty stomach."
A light knock at the door.
"Grandpa."
The door opened, and Wol Ha-yeon poked her head in.
"All done? It felt like you even used Silent Deployment—Hyun-sol's not dead, right?"
Wol Cheon-mu replied without looking at me.
"Take him with you. He's your guest."
Ha-yeon's eyes lit up slightly.
I stood and bowed.
"Thank you for summoning me."
"You've earned a bit of that gratitude."
He lowered his head again, lifting his teacup.
"Next time, if there's a chance, we'll cross swords."
"Understood. Then."
The family head's chamber door closed.
Only in the corridor did I cautiously brush off my shoulders.
"Ha... I survived."
Wol Ha-yeon grinned beside me.
"How long did you last?"
"Exactly ten breaths."
"Short."
I shook my head.
"No, it was way too long for me."
Instead of answering, Ha-yeon gave a small thumbs-up.
"You did great, Hyun-sol."
That single thumb made my heart pound harder than the silence had.
"Let's go!"
Ha-yeon jerked her chin.
"Our family food is delicious."
I nodded.
And with steps far lighter than when I'd arrived, I walked the corridors of the Wol Family manor.