Chapter 91: Holy Land (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 91: Holy Land (3)
The cafe, late at night.
Though it was late, the cafe was quietly bustling.
Some students had returned to their family homes, but a good number remained on campus to prepare for their final exams.
The full scope of the finals had not been disclosed.
Perhaps because of this, several students had opened their theory books with a ‘let’s just do something’ attitude.
In particular, since the scores would be combined with those from the postponed midterms, many were hoping to turn their grades around in one fell swoop.
However, amidst the quiet atmosphere of the cafe, at a central table…
Two female students who instantly drew the eye sat facing each other.
One with black hair, the other with striking blonde hair.
The two contrasting hair colors seemed to make each other stand out all the more under the lights.
One was Yoon Chae-ha.
Having recently clinched victory in the Exchange Match finals, she was the student whose stock was highest at the academy.
Sitting across from her was Ha Sion.
Her grades were excellent, and her skills as a Hero were outstanding.
Above all, she was known for her good reputation.
A student famous for being gentle to everyone, always smiling and kind—unless some guy was hitting on her.
But today, Sion’s aura was different from usual.
Subtle whispers spread among the students.
“...Are they on bad terms?”
“I’ve never seen that kind of expression on Sion’s face before…”
Inside the cafe, where quiet classical music played, the air at that table alone was strangely chilly.
Yoon Chae-ha downed her coffee as if drinking from a bowl.
Iced Americano. It was already her third cup.
But even a drink as cold as ice couldn't quench the fire in her gut.
Sion, who had been watching her, asked in an indifferent tone.
“Want another?”
Yoon Chae-ha found her tone even more spiteful.
“...I’m fine.”
In truth, Sion had no intention of sitting here in the first place.
Even when she had run into Yoon Chae-ha in front of Jung Hae-in’s dorm room, she had planned to just pretend she hadn’t seen her and slip away quietly.
A ridiculous hope.
That was, in the end, nothing more than Sion’s wishful thinking.
Reality was cold.
She had been caught and dragged all the way here.
Yoon Chae-ha set down her coffee cup.
She swept her hair back from her forehead and asked the girl before her.
“Can you explain?”
Her gaze pierced through Sion.
Sion, however, simply fiddled with her braided hair, tilted her head slightly, and wore a placid expression.
That just made her more infuriating.
“Why were you coming out of… no, out of Hae-in’s room?”
Yoon Chae-ha swallowed the rest of her words.
That was indeed what she wanted to ask, but it wasn’t everything.
Why was your face so red?
Why was there a strange, feverish heat wafting out from inside?
And why were there beads of sweat on the nape of your neck?
‘What in the world were you two….’
The words that rose to the tip of her tongue were not easily swallowed.
But in the end, Yoon Chae-ha held back.
She took a slow, deep breath and managed to close her lips.
It was then that Sion spoke.
“Oh, that?”
Sion shrugged, speaking as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
“Hae-in and I are quite close.”
She then added.
“We grew up together, lived together. Since we were ten, I think? So I know everything about Hae-in. And Hae-in knows everything about me, too. We even shared a room until a few years ago.”
Of course, that had only been possible because Sion had clung to him, claiming she was too scared to sleep alone.
Sion lifted her coffee cup to wet her lips.
Then she continued slowly.
“So, you know, just dropping by his room for a bit… it’s nothing between us.”
Her words were infuriating.
A tone that subtly drew a line between them. Yoon Chae-ha gritted her teeth.
She knew they were friends, but she found it hard to endure such a blatant display of their bond.
However, Yoon Chae-ha didn’t lose her composure. Without being swayed by emotion, she probed for her opponent’s weakness.
“If you’re such close friends,”
Yoon Chae-ha’s voice sank, becoming as cold as ice. She leaned slightly forward over the table and stared directly at Sion.
“Then why did you look so startled when I opened the door?”
When Chae-ha had thrown the door open, Sion had clearly been surprised.
If she was used to coming and going from Jung Hae-in’s room like that, there would have been no reason to be shocked.
At Yoon Chae-ha’s pointed question, Sion fell silent for a moment.
That brief silence gave Yoon Chae-ha all the confirmation she needed.
“And another thing. Are you two dating?” Yoon Chae-ha asked quietly.
“No, not yet—”
“What?”
Yoon Chae-ha cut Sion off sharply.
“You said it’s been ten years, didn’t you? You said it yourself. If you’ve spent that much time together and you’re still not dating…”
Yoon Chae-ha looked Sion straight in the eye and continued, enunciating every word.
A faint, yet distinct, smirk played on her lips.
“Doesn’t that mean Jung Hae-in isn’t the least bit interested in you?”
Yoon Chae-ha could tell.
The girl before her, Ha Sion, harbored the same feelings she did.
She didn’t know when it had started, but it was clear she had held them for a long time.
The good news, however, was that those feelings had not yet reached Jung Hae-in.
They hadn’t been conveyed, nor had they been accepted.
That fact brought Yoon Chae-ha a small sense of relief.
“Ah, so it’s like family. Is that it?”
She tapped her fist against her palm as if she’d had a revelation, feigning surprise.
“Oh my, so is Hae-in like your little brother?”
At Yoon Chae-ha’s words, Sion’s eyes trembled minutely.
For a moment, she felt her mind go blank.
It had been a long time.
A long time since she’d been on the receiving end of such a blatant and shameless challenge.
A sensation she had forgotten for a while.
But now, she could feel the blood pumping through her veins again.
Then again, Sion thought, at this very moment, it’s probably Cheon Yeo-wool who’s monopolizing, teasing, and enjoying the innocent Hae-in the most.
It made her wonder what the point of all this was.
Besides, in Sion’s own estimation, she was the weakest of the four.
Judging by the way this girl was stirring things up, it seemed likely that even if Sion didn’t do anything, she would soon cross the wrong woman and get put in her place.
The thought was fleeting, but it didn’t mean she could let this provocation slide.
“Is that so?”
Sion playfully brought a finger to her lips and tilted her head.
Just then, the sleeve of her white blouse slid down, revealing her wrist.
Two bracelets were fastened there.
One was a black obsidian bracelet, and the other was a blue jeweled bracelet that shimmered faintly in the moonlight.
It was a gift Hae-in had kindly given her after the last mock battle, saying he was sorry for subduing her too forcefully.
He’d said it had an option that helped archers by boosting their strength.
Sion shook her wrist lightly and said.
“Hae-in gave them to me. Both of them.”
In truth, Hae-in hadn’t given her one of them.
But that was something she didn’t need to mention.
Yoon Chae-ha had no way of confirming it.
Sion’s voice was languid, her expression nonchalant.
She lowered her head slightly and added.
“But, maybe because we’re like family, there is one thing I know. The type of girl Hae-in dislikes.”
She met Yoon Chae-ha’s gaze head-on and continued.
“Hae-in doesn’t like strong-willed women. He might say otherwise, but he can’t handle them. You know, the assertive, high-strung type? He gets tired of them without even realizing it.”
A slow smile spread across her lips as she added quietly.
“Girls like that. Yes, a little like… you? He prefers the obedient and nice type over them…”
Is that true?
No way.
Hae-in was far too kind to ever judge people like that.
If anything, he was the type to welcome anyone with that gentle smile of his.
Though it would be nice if he were a little more discerning sometimes.
“Ah, you don’t happen to like Hae-in, do you?”
As Sion continued to speak, Yoon Chae-ha’s hand began to tremble.
The heat radiating from her, unbeknownst to her, began to melt all the ice in her glass.
Yoon Chae-ha gripped the cup a little tighter to hide it.
Sion glanced at her and let out a small smirk.
“And you said we were like family? You’re right. We are.”
Holding her gaze, she slowly opened her mouth.
“But… you do know that a wife is family too, right?”
At Sion’s final words, Yoon Chae-ha’s breath caught in her throat.
*
The Holy Land.
Cheon Yeo-wool was only pretending to train.
Her true focus was solely on Jung Hae-in.
She was happy.
Happy that he was this conscious of her.
Ever since their eyes had met, his gaze kept lingering on her.
The mere fact that he was thinking of her was bliss.
She knew what kind of person he was.
He had a tendency to hide his desires and suppress his emotions.
I’m glad I wore this.
It was an outfit she had prepared just for him.
A thin, efficient design under the pretext of absorbing divine power, but with a clear, seductive intent.
It was effective.
But she didn’t press any closer.
He was training.
He was using this time for himself, for his own growth.
To Cheon Yeo-wool, interrupting that was an act tantamount to blasphemy.
She couldn’t approach him more than necessary.
Enjoying his innocent reactions was the best she could do for now.
Opening the Holy Land this time had been a matter opposed by every member of the Arcadia Cult.
The Hero Faction was one thing, but even the Saintess’s side hadn’t seemed pleased.
This was a space for the holy alone. It wasn’t a place that could be opened carelessly.
That was how much of a sanctuary this place was to the sect, something they guarded with their lives.
A sacred land. The very heart of the sect, where history and miracles were said to breathe.
Bullshit.
A sacred land?
Where history and miracles flow?
She scoffed inwardly.
This land was nothing more than an efficient training ground, a patch of earth with a high concentration of divine power.
Nothing more, nothing less.
She had desperately wanted to bring Jung Hae-in here.
So she had insisted. She had brandished her authority as the ‘official’ Saintess.
The title of ‘prospective’ Hero was erased from the discussion.
And in the end, she had succeeded in bringing him here.
Before her, Jung Hae-in was now completely immersed in his training.
He was greedily absorbing the divine power, growing steadily.
That was Jung Hae-in’s charm.
No desire, no lust, could ever dominate him.
A god is a being believed to bestow both fortune and misfortune upon humans.
In that sense, to Cheon Yeo-wool, Jung Hae-in was a true god.
My very own god.
A god who bestows infinite grace.
A being for whom she would gladly turn her back on the world.
And now, she wanted to become his god.
“So this is… the Holy Land.”
Because he was there.
Because he was breathing, closing his eyes, and occasionally looking at her.
If the place where a god resides is not a holy land, then what is?
A quiet smile graced Cheon Yeo-wool’s lips.
All of it, to her, was a kind of ritual, a form of worship.