It Was Good
Leon let out a long sigh as he stood beneath the shower in the male dormitory’s shower room, letting the water stream over him.
The memories of the underground prison kept resurfacing.
Back then it had been only a slight shock, but now, in this moment when everything had finally stabilized, it came back unbidden.
Just… the feeling of loving the lower ones.
Hugging a man. It wasn’t exactly pleasant, but having grown up in the slums he had developed a different set of values from ordinary people.
The words he had spoken while embracing her had been purely to comfort himself. It had brought him some solace. The words of someone who carried the blood of the Saint carried weight.
Well, it was all good. It was all gratitude and a sense of honor.
But he still couldn’t understand why the body he had been hugged by had felt so warm.
A chest that didn’t evoke the image of muscles. An abdomen. It was soft and tender as it pressed against his own body.
Moreover, there was a good scent. The fresh floral aroma still lingered in his nose—
Leon switched the shower to cold water. Then he scrubbed his face with soap to wash away the lingering scent. After this shower his mind felt clearer.
Study. I need to study.
Because during the day he hadn’t been able to study properly because of that strange couple.
When he sat at his desk his mind would naturally settle, leaving him feeling empty for having been so conscious of everything.
Has he been stressed a lot lately? Just thinking nonsense.
Leon shook his head and opened the herbal dictionary. He needed to memorize the effects and usage methods well so he could utilize them.
By focusing his mind like this, the sound of the door opening reached him.
Don’t look. Concentrate.
He didn’t want to break the flow of his thoughts. This much, he hoped you would understand, as he continued his memorization.
“Hey… Leon.”
But if the other side spoke first, he had no choice.
“Yes. What is it?”
“Were you studying? Sorry. But I have something I want to say.”
Ian slowly approached Leon.
Her long platinum hair tied into a single ponytail. A high-quality black suit that screamed quality at first glance. No curves in her chest. Below that, her waist seemed to curve in or her hips protruded a bit, giving a delicate line. But anyway, she was male.
A male living in the male dormitory.
While Leon let out a small breath, Ian came right up beside him.
“… About what happened in the prison earlier. Can I tell you?”
“… Yes.”
Of all things, the prison story. Slightly tense, he looked at her, and soon Ian opened her mouth. The fidgeting energy reached Leon.
“Was the thing I hugged you… unpleasant?”
“Huh?”
Now he thought he had forgotten it, but the memory resurfaced.
The warm body. The warm… soft… floral scent…
“I hugged you, right? Did you find that unpleasant?”
Her purple eyes met his as Ian leaned in while Leon’s mind was distracted. The eyes glowing faintly in the weakly lit magic light for studying were mysterious.
“Ah, no… It’s not that.”
“You can speak honestly. I heard something from Ryly earlier… That I only live in the Holy City, so I don’t know proper distance with people. So… if you didn’t like it, I won’t do it again.”
The sight of Tianzi speaking in a deflated manner made his gaze drift. The slumped shoulders. The face that had been smiling coolly became slightly teary.
“… I didn’t have a bad feeling. I was really grateful then.”
“Not that. Was it good, or not good. Tell me one of the two.”
The world wasn’t black and white. This person seemed to have no middle ground.
Heat rose in Leon’s head. The herbal effects he had memorized earlier seemed to evaporate one by one in his mind. At this crossroads, what choice should he make?
Then Ian leaned in close. The fact that she didn’t know distance was true.
Her long eyelashes framing purple eyes. Her lips looked very moist and lightly pink.
And the floral scent. Fresh yet somehow bewitching, an alluring aroma. His mind grew hazy as if facing a flower of intoxicating effect.
“Ah… a…”
As Leon continued to falter, Ian pressed her body closer.
A slender body with narrow shoulders and overall soft lines.
At that, he let go of his mind.
“I-It was… good.”
He didn’t realize the words came out first, but he hadn’t harbored any strange thoughts.
He couldn’t wound Tianzi’s heart. He respected her innocent and noble spirit. That was all.
“Really? I’m glad…”
As if answering, Ian smiled brightly. It was the cool, refreshing smile he had seen before.
Then she placed her hand on his head. Naturally, she rested her hand on Leon’s head and gently stroked it a couple of times.
“If there’s anything hard in the future, tell me. I’ll comfort you anytime.”
With a voice that wasn’t too high or low, pleasant to hear, she suddenly stepped back and headed to the shower room.
Leon was left alone, staring blankly into space.
He had been dazed for a while.
Then, after school one day. Stille sparkled.
It wasn’t that the building suddenly emitted light or anything. Of course, such things happened sometimes, but not today.
It was because someone shot a massive spell at the outdoor practice field prepared for students’ magic training.
“Um… Shall I shorten the gathering time a bit?”
“You have to consider that there are many mages here. The ambient magic power is rich. In a normal place, it should take this much time.”
Sugar and Ryly were practicing joint magic while holding hands tightly—recognized as a magic casting action.
Professors were engraving the scene into their eyes around them.
“Records aren’t needed. Just watch with your eyes.”
Because of Sugar’s museum-like words, no one took out a recording orb. She even added that if anyone took one out, the practice would stop.
While such attention poured in, Ryly opened his mouth.
“Again. I want to try other forms too.”
“What form?”
“Up until now, it’s been focusing on one magic orb. But a way to create multiple at once, distribute, and fire them.”
Although each one’s power would be lower, it would be pushing with range and number.
Then Sugar answered quite seriously.
“Ryly… The idea is good, but there’s a problem.”
“What?”
“I can properly control only three.”
Mages value multitasking. So, multi-tasking.
The mental strength to use one magic while using another at the same time, and the ability to distinguish skill through that magic power.
Depending on the maximum number of spells usable simultaneously, ranks like Single, Double, Triple, Quadruple are divided, but magic orbs don’t require memorizing spells, so they don’t base on the number.
But three is not a small number?
Generally, students coming to Stille can make five magic orbs as a base.
Ryly looked down at Sugar, then gently stroked her white hair. He had no intention of saying anything if she couldn’t make them. As long as he filled in the shortage, it was fine.
“… Just to be sure, let me say it again. ‘I can properly control’ three.”
Then Sugar emphasized and said it again. There was some strange nuance. The expression holding the staff tightly was oddly hesitant.
It wasn’t that important to Ryly. He would just continue doing what he was doing.
“It’s fine… You’ll know when you see it later…”
Muttering, Sugar pointed the staff forward again. In front were several targets with special magic circles engraved. When you hit the attack magic on them, the magic is instantly directed to the ‘power core’ by the magic circle, becoming Stille’s mana. What self-generation!
Practice continued like that, and as evening time approached, they ended the practice.
Immediately, Sugar ran to the professors to collect points.
5 points per professor. Total 8 who watched, 40 points collected. The name was collecting research materials… No, it was because the passionate appearance towards magic was nice to see.
Previously raised to +30 points, it dropped to -30 points in a few days, then filled back to 40.
“I’ve entered the positive again!”
Sugar waving her hand happily to Ryly when the professors approached.
“But earlier, didn’t Ryly student stroke his head?”
“Huh? Is that also indecent? That’s a bit too much…”
Sugar made a sad face, and one of the professors lowered his voice and spoke.
“You have to consider the eyes of other students practicing around. You have no choice.”
“Ahah. If that’s the case. Then let’s just deduct 15 points.”
Then it became negative again.
The two who played with numbers came out of the building to eat dinner at the shop near the school.
Ian had sent them out saying she might be late due to practice.
“Speaking of which, Ian-nim. You took Leon with you earlier. It seems your relationship has improved.”
“… Good.”
Ryly recalled Leon’s expression like screaming inside his heart. Recently, Ian had been clinging and hanging out often. With Ian’s frequent touching, he had shown such an expression.
Clearly, they don’t do such physical contact between men. Since he said it, it’s no longer from Ryly’s hand.
Just fidgeting with Sugar’s hand. Naturally, the two walking with crossed hands.
Sugar walked lightly, humming happily. The magic practice ended without a hitch. The reward points were raised to a safe level. Walking with Ryly. All of this was pleasing. The ambient magic power reacted to it, making the surrounding air fresh.
Ryly looked at Sugar intently. Her influence had grown much larger than when she was young. It seemed to have bloomed more after coming to magic-rich Stille.
It was a sight that was both surprising and a bit worrying. When looking down at Sugar with complex emotions.
Someone brushed past. Appeared to be an ordinary merchant.
But the familiar magic release pattern.
Before he completely passed, Ryly took a hand motion as if grabbing something. Then, something appeared in his hand instantly.
“… Huh? Why suddenly in the pocket?”
“Nothing much. Just checking the staff.”
As the rustling sound, Sugar looked up, and Ryly answered casually.
In his pocket, along with the staff, was the letter he had just received.
[It seems I need to bring him.]
Although there was no sender name, just one sentence, the weight it gave was great.
As soon as he returned to the dormitory room, Ryly read the letter and let out a deep sigh. He would be busy for a while.
Exhaling a sigh mixed with worry, he quietly burned the letter.