The Red Flower Falls (7)
The vehicle carrying us continued down the long, straight road for dozens of minutes. The Cradle was a facility built in the reclaimed land far west of the capital, in the exact opposite direction from our destination. There was little boredom on the journey; I was too busy taking in the impressive feel of this luxury car, my first time riding in one. It was completely different from the stiff, cold off-road vehicles we used when traveling to the northeast or south. If I had to describe it, it felt like something from another world. Even the car prepared for us when we left the hotel for the Cradle couldn’t compare. There was almost no shaking, and the seats were so plush they felt like a moving bed. With a table between the facing seats for drinks and snacks, there was nothing more to say.
While I used my mask as a shield and pretended otherwise, secretly observing my surroundings, a voice came from the seat opposite mine.
Yeon Minha sat perfectly composed, hands neatly folded in her lap without the slightest dishevelment. The glossy navy dress clung to her like a second skin. Her signature luxurious, sweet narcissus scent filled the enclosed cabin. Though I had seen her in far less dignified states by now, this elegant appearance truly marked her as the young lady of a prestigious family.
"It’s nice. Honestly, I was a bit surprised. With a car like this, I feel like I could live in it for the rest of my life."
"R-rest of your life…"
Perhaps embarrassed by my honest remark, Yeon Minha suddenly cleared her throat as if she had heard something she shouldn’t have.
"Ahem. You really say such things without a second thought. Be careful. I don’t mind, but others might misunderstand."
"…? Yes. Thank you."
I didn’t sense any contempt or condescension in her words, so it was probably her own way of telling me not to act too unsophisticated.
"…Never mind. But don’t you have any questions for me? It feels like I’m the only one being interrogated. Ask me anything you want. I’ll answer with sincerity, in equal measure."
The reason the trip hadn’t felt tedious was largely thanks to the constant exchange of questions and answers with Yeon Minha. Though in truth, it had been closer to her interrogating me. Still, I had learned quite a few things. For example, we shared a common dislike for dishes made with eggplant.
"Well… I don’t really have anything specific…"
"…"
As if she had been waiting for an answer while pretending otherwise, disappointment spread across Yeon Minha’s face like spilled ink. I quickly retracted what I was about to say and racked my brain for a question. Then I recalled something I had been curious about for a long time and spoke up immediately.
"Um, can spirits only be seen by spirit mages?"
"That’s what you’re curious about… Never mind. It’s nothing…"
Yeon Minha pouted her lips slightly, still showing a trace of disappointment, but soon nodded forward.
"…Wild spirits can only be seen by spirit mages who have opened a channel. Even among us, we can only see spirits of species that match our unique wavelengths. But contracted ones are a bit different."
Yeon Minha slightly opened her right hand and murmured something. Instantly, without any particle arranger, a small circular three-dimensional magic formula appeared in her palm before vanishing in the blink of an eye.
"It’s not very practical so I rarely do it, but entities tamed through spirit magic can be manifested in the material realm for a short time. Like this."
The moment Yeon Minha finished speaking, the empty air above her opposite shoulder began to ripple strangely. Soon, a bluish light slowly gathered, gradually taking shape. What appeared was a translucent caterpillar about the size of a palm, covered in fluffy fur and protrusions.
When Yeon Minha extended a finger, it rubbed its head against the tip like a puppy following its owner. Though its appearance seemed a little different from the description in the data Mok Jinu had sent me last time.
"I thought spirits were supposed to look like sparkling clusters of light?"
"That’s right. You know quite a bit. That’s how they originally feel. The ones around us right now are the same. They only mimic the appearance of native creatures when manifesting in the material realm."
Yeon Minha said as she gently tapped the spirit caterpillar’s head with her finger.
"Even within the same species, since they mimic the first creature they see, their appearances vary wildly. That’s why spirits are classified by attribute rather than appearance."
When Yeon Minha created the previous magic formula a couple more times, translucent creatures resembling small butterflies or birds appeared and disappeared repeatedly. What struck me as quite unusual was how good Yeon Minha’s relationship with them seemed to be. Weren’t spirits supposed to be parasitic creatures that acted as vectors for mental pollution?
"It’s unexpected. You seem to get along with the spirits better than I thought."
"I’ve more or less given up at this point… There’s nothing I can do about it… It’s not like they do it on purpose… And thanks to you, I don’t have any mental issues right now."
"I see. That’s good to hear."
I nodded and looked at the caterpillar-shaped spirit that was still manifested. Its appearance was cuter than I had imagined. Thinking I’d like to stroke it once, I unconsciously reached out my hand.
-Hiss!!
But the caterpillar, which had been docile and receiving care just moments ago, instantly turned ferocious. The moment I extended my hand, it bristled its fur and protrusions, swelled its body, and let out a threatening hissing sound. Then it hid its body by turning translucent again, and finally vanished into the air with a small flash of light.
"Ah…"
As I withdrew my hand in disappointment, Yeon Minha spoke in a hurried, defensive tone.
"Th-that’s strange… They’ve never done this before…"
Then, as if suddenly recalling something, she murmured.
"Now that I think about it, that time too…"
"That time?"
"Ugh…"
Yeon Minha let out a small sigh, realizing she had slipped up. Then she confessed what had happened a few weeks ago. The spirits had shown her a dream in advance of me fighting the black mages in the south. When she woke up, they had been trembling with intense fear. At the time, she had thought it was just a meaningless dream and hadn’t realized the faceless figure in it was me.
Either way, it was truly a strange occurrence.
"I think it probably has something to do with your ability…"
Yeon Minha mouthed the words in a tiny voice so the driver wouldn’t hear. It certainly made sense. If something entered my Blockade range, it would be impossible for them to steal particles from their master through the channel—in other words, their feeding would be cut off. Did that mean they were going hungry every night now?
Yeon Minha’s eyes were filled with questions as she looked at me. It was probably curiosity about the Blockade. To be honest, I was just as curious. The director had said he would tell me after graduation, but could I really wait three years? Maybe I should just head to the east during break and demand answers…
"I see…"
"S-still, they seem fine when they’re not manifested. Don’t be too disappointed. I’ll show them to you often. Maybe they’ll get used to you and it’ll be okay…"
Perhaps sensing a bit of disappointment in my voice, Yeon Minha spoke to me in a tone one might use to comfort a child. The treatment felt oddly embarrassing.
"It’s fine. There’s no need to force it if they’re scared. Even if it’s just words, thank you, senior."
"…But how long are you going to keep calling me senior? It’s been quite a long time since we’ve grown close…"
Then, suddenly, Yeon Minha began saying strange things.
"‘Senior’ sounds so stiff and formal. If others hear it, they might think we’re enemies or something."
"Then what should I call you if not senior?"
After a brief pause at my question, Yeon Minha answered in a calm voice.
"Originally, this would be absolutely unacceptable no matter what, but for someone like you, I could specially permit you to call me ‘senior’ without the honorific. Why don’t you practice it while we’re at it? You’ll only get used to it if you keep using it."
The sudden suggestion caught me a little off guard. But from my perspective, there was no particular reason to refuse. Besides, although there was a bit of exaggeration in her words, the fact that Yeon Minha was the one trying to close the distance felt rather welcome.
"…Yeon Minha senior?"
I lightly changed the title according to her suggestion. Surprisingly, there was no particular reaction. She simply nodded slightly with her usual haughty expression.
"…Not bad. But dropping the family name might have a nicer ring to it. Right now it feels a bit awkward and lacking in beauty somehow."
"Then… Minha senior?"
This time Yeon Minha bowed her head a little deeper.
"…That’s quite good. It definitely feels more intimate and close than before."
"I think it’s fine too. Then from now on…"
"But if you have any complaints, you could call me something else. For example, s-sister… If any other bastard tried something like that I’d slaughter him on the spot… but if you order me to, I have no choice but to obey…"
"…"
I fell into thought for a moment. Sister. Noona. I recalled the contents of Yeon Minha’s academic record that the principal had passed to me while scheming. And she was definitely seventeen. As the director had said, not all mages awaken at the exact same age. The difference could be anywhere from one to three years, so adulthood was determined by the time of awakening rather than biological age. Age wasn’t even a factor in how seniority was decided at the Cradle.
Still, I was eighteen. Moreover, although I didn’t know exactly when I had become a mage, it was surely earlier than Yeon Minha. Both my biological age and the timing of my awakening were ahead of hers. Calling her senior for the sake of closeness didn’t bother me at all, but calling her sister was out of the question.
"Senior. Aren’t you seventeen?"
Having made my decision, I spoke to Yeon Minha.
"I’m eighteen. No matter what, calling you sister feels a bit difficult. If anything, wouldn’t I be the older one?"
"O-older brother…"
Yeon Minha repeated my words with her eyes wide open. Then she suddenly hung her head. She clenched both fists tightly and trembled violently. I hadn’t said it that seriously. The title itself didn’t matter. But had I wounded her pride too much?
After remaining like that for quite a while, Yeon Minha straightened her posture again with an icy expression as if nothing had happened.
"…How dare a mere junior be so insolent."
Her glaring eyes were full of resentment, yet there was none of the old rejection in them.
"…Sister is canceled. Call me senior from now on."
"Understood."
I answered without much thought. A short while later, the partition between the driver’s seat and the rear seats slid open to the side, and the driver’s voice could be heard.
"Miss. We should arrive in about ten minutes."
"Really? Got it."
When Yeon Minha nodded in reply, the partition closed again. She first adjusted her clothes a couple of times, then reached out with her pale, slender fingers toward me.
"What are you doing?"
"…Stay still. I’m doing it for you since I’m more delicate."
Yeon Minha fumbled with her hand and touched my hair. Her fingers gradually moved downward, brushing off my shoulders, then untied my necktie for no reason before tying it again. The faint warmth and moist, sweet breath she exhaled from up close kept tickling my nose.
"…This should be fine. Not bad."
Since I was wearing a mask anyway, I wondered what the point of all this was, but there was no need to ruin Yeon Minha’s satisfaction.
"A-and our contract is an absolute secret from my parents… understood…?"
Then, as if she had just remembered, she hurriedly added.