Chapter 91
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 91
Chapter Title: Seol Ye-eun (2)
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The moment I stepped into the family head's chamber, an immense pressure washed over me, as if I'd been hurled into the ocean depths. My breath caught involuntarily.
"Long time no see, Hyun-sol."
Seol Ye-eun's gaze pierced straight through me.
It wasn't sharp, but utterly inescapable.
Like a silent blizzard swirling right before my eyes.
"...Yes, it's been a while. Lady Seol Ye-eun."
The voice that left my lips was so deferential, I wondered if it was really mine.
My body reacted first.
I bowed deeply at the waist.
"You can raise your head. Didn't I tell you before? You don't need to be so formal."
At her brief words, I cautiously lifted my head. For some reason, Seol Ye-eun wore a contented smile.
A surprisingly soft expression, mismatched with the icy atmosphere.
"More than that, your face... has changed quite a bit."
"Not in a bad way, right...?"
The words slipped out before I realized.
After saying it, I tensed, wondering if I'd messed up—
"Hehe."
She let out a short, soundless chuckle.
"If it were bad, would I have called you here like this? Sit. No need to stand long."
Only then did the room's layout come into view.
Tea was already prepared on the central table. Unlike the cool air swirling with chill, the aroma was subtly warm.
I glanced at Seol Yu-bin.
She gave a slight nod, signaling it's fine, and only then did I carefully sit across from her.
"Long time no see, Mom."
"Yes, good work. You must be tired driving straight here from Yu-ga."
After a brief exchange of greetings with her daughter, Seol Ye-eun's gaze shifted back to me.
"I heard you had your trait extracted at Yu-ga."
"Ah, yes. This morning."
"How's your condition?"
"Better than expected. Recovery's going well... Senior Yoo Ji-an said so."
"That sounds like her. Treats people like half-experiment subjects, but her results are always accurate."
Her words were a bit sharp, but her tone carried subtle trust.
"No overexertion?"
"No. Well... the sensation of the mana circuits being pulled out was unpleasant, but bearable.
Not like I was dying—just literally the feeling of mana being yanked out."
"'Not like I was dying'? That phrasing doesn't sit well with me."
Seol Ye-eun's eyes narrowed briefly before relaxing again.
"Still, your complexion is better than I thought. Looks more like post-training than hospital."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
For a moment, small talk flowed.
Process at Yu-ga, recovery room status, even today's lunch menu—mundane chatter.
Yet beneath every exchange lurked an undercurrent of mutual probing.
'...Not a place for carefree laughter.'
Holding the teacup transmitted subtle warmth to my palm.
True to an ice mage household, even the heat felt precisely controlled.
In the midst of it, Seol Ye-eun subtly shifted topics.
"How's academy life?"
Here it comes—the main point.
"It's... hectic, in its own way."
"With your name popping up so often, 'in its own way' doesn't cut it. Sounds downright flashy."
"...Is that so."
"Even association reports confirm it. Descent-type gates, multi-gates, now trait extraction."
She set her cup down slowly, her words chillingly cool.
"I knew you entered the academy safely—"
Her gaze deepened further.
"But I've never heard directly what you've been up to inside."
Not up to—more like dragged into.
Objectively... maybe half and half.
I took a sip of tea, gathered my thoughts, then spoke slowly.
"Well... less by choice, more circumstances unfolding."
"The knack for bending circumstances is skill itself."
It struck home; I cleared my throat.
"So, I want to hear it from you."
Seol Ye-eun leaned back slightly in her chair.
"How you entered the academy, what happened after, how deep you've waded."
"'How deep' sounds ominous."
"Skip anything hard to answer. But—"
She smiled faintly.
"I want to reassess you. You've changed since then. For my daughter's sake... anyway, go ahead."
That then.
For my daughter—why bring that up?
'What does gauging me have to do with Seol Yu-bin?'
I forced calm and began slowly.
"First, academy... yes, entered safely. Scores barely scraped by."
"I know. Last place admission? Quite lucky."
"Y-yeah. Cough, anyway—no major incidents right after enrollment.
Then demons at artificial gate, dragged into descent-type gate,
latest S-rank gate... that's the rundown."
"Any normal days at all?"
"Hm, more than you'd think."
A natural laugh slipped in, then faded.
I picked out key events and explained concisely.
Academy friends, class commotions, barely surviving descent-type gate, recent Yu-ga ties.
Seol Ye-eun listened silently without interrupting once.
Subtle nods or slight eyebrow raises at most.
As I spoke, it suddenly flowed quite naturally.
That was when.
"I see."
Seol Ye-eun swirled her teacup once, then spoke slowly.
"Still... after that incident two years ago, it's good to see you overcoming injuries and holding strong. Even achieved your academy dream."
"...Pardon?"
I thought I'd misheard.
Two years ago incident? What was that?
"Surviving that wrecked state was a miracle alone.
First time I saw your mana circuits, honestly, I half-gave up."
"W-wait a moment."
The words burst out reflexively.
"Two years ago... that incident?"
"......"
The room's air grew subtly heavier.
Seol Ye-eun's gaze slowly swept my face again.
"Yes. I thought you avoided mentioning it deliberately, hating the memory."
Her voice remained calm.
But her eyes clearly checked my state since then, if I seemed okay.
"Perhaps that two-year accident—"
My mind went blank.
I still knew nothing of Kang Hyun-sol's past.
Barring that 10-year-ago accident glimpsed in a dream.
...Hold on.
So the two-year accident wrecked his mana circuits? Something the original Hyun-sol endured.
'Big trouble.'
My breath hitched awkwardly.
I tried controlling my expression, but my fingertips trembled faintly—I felt it.
And Seol Ye-eun noticed.
Her gaze flicked to my trembling fingers.
Not suspicion.
Rather, quiet... worry? Flashed in her eyes.
"Hyun-sol, what's wrong?"
No scolding, no wariness.
Simple curiosity.
Why is this kid so rattled?
That innocence threatened me most.
I swallowed hard.
Brain raced through responses.
'Wrong words, exposed.
Deny knowledge, plants doubt.
Total ignorance push, its own risks.'
One option remained.
Not full lie—half-truth close to reality.
"...Actually, I..."
Stifling my quivering lips.
"After fighting a general-rank demon in the descent-type gate... I suffered severe head trauma."
"Head trauma...?"
"Yes. The shock's aftermath... memories are fragmented in places."
Seol Yu-bin stared at me in shock.
"Wait, first I've heard of—"
But Seol Ye-eun raised a finger, silencing her daughter.
"Continue."
I exhaled deeply, lowering my gaze to seem sincere.
"...So that two-year incident you mentioned... I don't recall it properly.
Felt I should react hearing it, but didn't know how..."
I couldn't be sure my face looked natural to the end.
However—
"I see."
Unexpectedly, Seol Ye-eun's response was entirely gentle.
No trace of suspicion.
"Why not say so from the start."
Her tone held more understanding than blame: must've been hard to voice.
"No, with trauma like that, hard to bring up casually. Fuzzy memories aren't your fault."
For a brief moment, Seol Ye-eun's eyes fixed precisely on my head.
"...Severe head injury. Worse than that kid described."
That... kid? Probably association staff.
Or guild members on site.
Seol Ye-eun set her cup down, laced her fingers, and gazed quietly at me.
"Topic's out, so I must ask. With memories gone, do you want to hear about that incident? Honestly, I'd prefer you stay in the dark."
She tilted her head slightly.
I swallowed, pondered, then nodded slowly.
"...Yes, I want to hear."
"The painful, forgotten two-year incident? Even if it hurts?"
"Yes, I want to know."
Her expression screamed trauma on par with losing parents.
The real Hyun-sol might break; I wouldn't that badly.
Seol Ye-eun spoke as if unsealing a long-buried tale.
"That day was an ordinary weekend. Yu-bin nagged to tour the Ice Castle guild gate with Hyun-sol, so you tagged along."
Seol Yu-bin scratched her head beside me.
"Ah... I was so persistent then. Looking back..."
Seol Ye-eun nodded faintly.
"Gate difficulty wasn't high, guild deemed it safe, so we brought you."
She nudged the teacup with her fingertip.
"But that day—suddenly, without warning or precursor, a descent-type gate opened."
The room's air sank gloomily.
"No heralds, no signs. As if targeted precisely."
Chilling from the words alone.
"And that wasn't the end."
Seol Ye-eun's gaze sank deeply.
"Two lord-rank demons descended simultaneously. Even with Ice Castle's elites present—it was pure catastrophe."
She closed her eyes briefly, then opened them.
"And you—at the forefront, sword drawn to protect civilians—took massive injuries.
Helplessly watched dozens, Ice Castle guild members, die before your eyes.
Cried out once more."
Seol Ye-eun's voice lowered.
"We knew your 10-year trauma—parents lost before you, desire to spare others—
Still, reckless. Healed external wounds mostly,
but after losing precious ones again to lord-rank demons, mana circuits shattered—you lost all will thereafter."
"......"
I was speechless.
My mind numbed.
Only sparks crackled in my head.
Two years ago, Hyun-sol had lived a utterly different life... endured that too?