Chapter 220
Chapter 220
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 220
Chapter Title: 73. Strength and Conviction (2)
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“Yoo Gaeul... is learning combat magic?”
“Yeah.”
“And she accepted?”
On the way back to the dorms, Yeoreum asked Bom.
“Yeah. She said she’d give it a try. Starting today.”
“What a sight... Who’s teaching her?”
“Me and Ajusshi.”
“Huh?”
Yeoreum blinked.
“Yoo Ji-tae makes sense, but why you?”
“I have to teach her the magic, right? Ajusshi says he doesn’t know much about it.”
“Oh, really?”
That’s weird? I thought Red Dragons knew magic pretty well...? The thought briefly crossed her mind.
“Anyway... our big sis sure has a lot on her plate.”
“Me?”
“Isn’t it? Shopping with Yoo Ji-tae. Managing the house. Teaching Gaeul magic. Oh, and didn’t you go to Winter’s school event pretending to be her mom not long ago?”
“Yeah. Everyone was shocked.”
“I bet. Who’d expect a kid’s mom to show up looking like a kid herself.”
‘True.’ Bom nodded, and Yeoreum added,
“You write too. Good grades mean you study hard... Doesn’t juggling all that make your head spin?”
“It’s fine.”
“Really?”
“Yeah... It’s not that complicated. Honestly, it’s pretty simple.”
“How so?”
“I only ever think about Ajusshi.”
Yeoreum made a gagging sound.
“Ugh, gross...”
Bom chuckled.
“...But seriously. How’d it even happen with you two?”
“What?”
“There’s gotta be some trigger. What made you see Yoo Ji-tae that way?”
In romance comics, there’s usually a clear turning point. Why did Bom want to make Yoo Ji-tae human? Why did she develop those feelings?
“Hmm...”
But Bom had no answer. She thought for a moment, then trailed off naturally. Just then, Winter spotted them from afar, waving with an ice cream in hand, cutting Bom’s response short.
Bom spread her arms wide. Winter ran straight into her embrace but wrinkled her nose at Yeoreum like she’d seen a bug.
“What’s with that look?”
“...Why? Afraid I’ll wear out from staring?”
“Watch how you look at Unni. Wanna die?”
‘Tch.’ Winter kept up her displeased expression but carefully pulled an ice cream from the bag and offered it.
“...Here.”
“Damn. Bought with Yoo Ji-tae’s money and acting all generous.”
Grumbling, Yeoreum took it anyway.
Winter spoke up, sounding a bit wronged.
“...Not true.”
“Huh?”
“...Bought it with my own money.”
“What nonsense. What money could a brat like you make? Lying to show off.”
“...Not lying? ...Gimme it back if you don’t want it.”
Winter hopped down from Bom’s arms and reached out. Yeoreum dodged slyly. When Winter tried to snatch it with telekinesis, Yeoreum stuck out her tongue and licked the ice cream.
“...Ah, fuck.”
Winter couldn’t hold back a curse, and Yeoreum laughed in that infuriating way.
Hee hee, ha ha, ke ke—something like that.
“But for real? You’re earning money?”
“...Yeah?”
“How? This world sells water too, huh. Don’t tell me you’re selling water like some dragon with no pride? Nah, no way.”
“...Not that?”
“Huh? Why hesitate?”
Winter looked dumbfounded.
She spoke slowly anyway?
“Guilty as charged. Caught you. You little shit... selling water without a care for clan honor? Total trash.”
“...Not true!”
“Money-crazed punk. Even Kim Seon-dal’d cry at your scams.”
“...What’s that? ...Forget it. Leave me alone. Annoying...”
Stung by Yeoreum’s repeated jabs, Winter whipped her head away and buried it in Bom’s stomach.
Sandwiched between them, Bom smiled lightly at the pair. That drew Winter’s ire toward her too.
“...Why laugh?”
It was the first time Winter snapped at Bom. ‘It’s funny.’ But Bom’s sly smile only hurt Winter’s feelings more.
“...Don’t laugh. I’m in a bad mood.”
“Don’t wanna.”
“...What?”
“Hate it, you little merchant.”
Bom teased Winter with a cheeky grin.
“...Ugh, eeeeng.”
Unable to bear it, Winter headbutted Bom’s stomach—thunk thunk!
Bom and Yeoreum burst out laughing.
“From now on, you’ll learn combat magic.”
“Yes.”
“Bom will teach you. I’ll be there during lessons—for safety and to push your output limits. Even Bom can’t gauge that.”
“Yes.”
“Think you can handle it?”
“Uh, um, I’ll try hard...”
A deflated response.
Someone whose self-esteem had hit rock bottom shows it in one of two ways: pessimistically failing at everything, or half-assing it all. The common thread? Zero passion.
Gaeul was the latter—fortunate. If she’d whined ‘I can’t,’ ‘No confidence,’ ‘What can I even do?’, redirecting her would’ve been far harder.
As her guardian, Yoo Ji-tae had to guide Gaeul right. Unlike with the others.
He’d agonized over it plenty.
Now, finally grasping it.
Unexpectedly, Bom held the key.
“Alright, let’s try together.”
“Okay, Unni.”
“Promise me? You’ll follow my teachings obediently.”
“Yeah!”
That day, Gaeul learned five basic spells from Bom.
Mana Bullet (C)
Mana Arrow (C)
Barrier (B)
Blink (A)
Attribute Enchantment — Lightning (B)
By human standards, these were advanced, especially B-grade and up.
But she was a dragon, magic kin. What took humans weeks per spell, Gaeul mastered in four days.
The process wasn’t smooth, though.
Mana Bullet (C)
A basic spell for humans: condense fist-sized mana, set direction, fire. Cannonball power at best.
“No, Gaeul. Too strong. Be more delicate.”
“Huh? Like this?”
KABOOM—!
Gaeul’s Mana Bullet (C) launched like an anti-air missile—uncontrolled.
Even Bom assisting nearby got caught in the blast.
“Gasp! Unni...!”
Bom flew across the training room, tumbling on the floor.
“Unni, Unni! You okay!?”
Panicked, Gaeul rushed over. Bom sat up, hair a mess.
“Gaeul, trying to kill me?”
“Uwagh, sorry...!”
But that was just the start.
Low-grade Mana Bullets and Arrows were bad enough. Blink shook space itself, forcing Yoo Ji-tae to cancel it—or risk ripping the room apart.
Still, Bom insisted on staying close.
“Don’t stay near...! I can’t control it! You might get hurt!”
“Then control your mana better so I don’t.”
“Uwaaah...! No fair...!”
“Gentler. Again.”
KABOOM! Bom flew.
“Again.”
KABOOOOOM! Again.
“Why stronger? Again.”
KABOOM! Rolled on the floor repeatedly.
“...”
Flat on her back, Bom stared blankly at the ceiling.
Yoo Ji-tae approached first, crouching.
“You okay?”
“Yeah.”
“Your nose is bleeding.”
“...”
Bom wiped it with her wrist, healed herself, then went to bewildered Gaeul.
“Again.”
“Uh, okay...”
One day.
Two days.
Four days...
A week.
Time flew.
With Yoo Ji-tae there, Bom wouldn’t get seriously hurt.
Yet she let herself get swept by Gaeul’s wild mana—perhaps to stoke the girl’s guilt.
Bom’s teaching was oddly captivating to watch. Yoo Ji-tae had never seen her instruct anyone before; she had a real knack for it.
“Gaeul, where you going?”
“I can’t anymore...! Tomorrow, please!”
“No. Come here. No running.”
Was it teaching? Or something else?
Caught fleeing Gaeul was dragged back, firing Mana Bullets nonstop for 30 minutes.
He watched longer. Today’s vibe between them felt different.
“Huff, ugh, so tiring... Huff, huff... Feels like my soul’s being wrung out... Huff...”
Gaeul clutched her chest, whimpering. Mana squeezed from her relentlessly.
“Up, Gaeul. Keep going.”
“Unni! Look at me...! Just a bit more rest.”
“No. You rested five minutes.”
“Aaaang! Two hours of squeezing then five minutes off? That’s brutal...!”
Gaeul’s protest was reasonable.
Normal mages trained 30 minutes, rested two hours. Even Gaeul knew that.
But as a dragon—massive mana reserves—Bom pushed her. For high-output familiarity. Yoo Ji-tae’s orders; extremes built dragons and humans alike. Effective.
Stamina aside, marathons tire anyone.
Especially a newly started 12-year-old girl holding out this long.
As Gaeul panted, Bom knelt before her.
“Gaeul. You promised at the start. To follow my teachings. Remember?”
“I do...! But I hate it...! I might die...!”
“You won’t. Ajusshi’s here.”
“Not like that! How can I do this overnight...!”
Objectively harsh—Yoo Ji-tae agreed.
Thus, by week’s end, Gaeul cracked.
Her first real outburst.
“I’m really, really gonna die... No easier way? Y-you’re Green Dragon, so smart! This is too brute force!”
“Training’s supposed to be hard.”
“Who trains dragons like this...? Mom and Dad just sleep all day? This is Yeoreum Unni’s style! What if my heart bursts?”
“...”
“Can’t we go slower?! A week and no progress! Nothing changes—why bother...!”
Gaeul’s tearful shout echoed. Bom’s silence prolonged it.
Her voice, when it came, was unusually low. Dark.
“You’ve had it easy.”
Gaeul looked up, snapping to.
“Huh...?”
Bom stared down blankly.
“Our Gaeul. Pampered at home. Grew up so delicate and pretty. Right?”
“N-no, not really?”
“Really? Ignoring magic for 12 years proves it. Not all Gold dragons I’ve seen were like you. Respectable hatchlings, adults too. A 12-year-old dragon clueless about magic? Not a clan issue. Whose then?”
“B-Bom Unni...?”
“Hmm? Whose?”
Gaeul stared up in shock.
Bom’s ragged clothes and hair aside, those slitted pupils chilled her.
“Gaeul. Out on excursion, you just ate, played, slept. Ever properly studied magic even one day?”
“Listen. 12 years since hatching. 12 years—4500 days. That’s what you ignored: ‘magic.’ Our identity beyond clan. You ignored it.”
Flat tone. Expressionless—angry or not, unclear.
Today, though, she seemed pissed. Scarier.
“Sure, you’ll get it eventually. Absorb Mom’s memories over centuries. That what you want? You said you wanted a true guardian on this excursion.”
“You want instant change. But after 4500 days ignoring it, you expect miracles in 7?”
“Not a bit shameless?”
“Unni, I...”
“Shut it, Gaeul.”
“One week in. Just starting. Quitting now—what about later? I gave up my time to teach you. Should I baby you through your whining too?”
“...”
Gaeul’s golden eyes widened. Firm. Icy. She glanced fearfully at Yoo Ji-tae behind Bom, arms linked. Save me. But he stayed silent. ‘Yoo Gaeul.’ Bom’s voice sharpened, yanking her gaze back.
“Get up. Before I really get mad.”