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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 63
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"...We'll take a ten-minute break, then resume the lecture."
Kali's calm voice echoed through the lecture hall.
As she placed her teaching materials on the podium, signaling a complete break, most cadets rose and headed out of the lecture hall.
The atmosphere in the lecture was certainly not as cold as last week. Kali herself was aware that she had been too harsh with the cadets and was trying to change little by little.
Kali, who had settled herself near the podium, let out a soft sigh.
"..."
Her body certainly wasn't tired or strained.
Compared to a few months ago when she had to stand on the battlefield every day, standing at the academy's podium was ridiculously easy.
The academy meticulously provided support for lecture content, textbooks, and even auxiliary preparations and schedules, so there wasn't much to prepare herself.
Yet... her heart felt heavy now.
'Should I have ended the sparring match earlier?'
The sparring match between Cadet David and Cadet Gerard still weighed on her mind. Believing it would be an opportunity to further temper Cadet David's spirit... she hadn't stopped it, even while sensing Cadet Gerard's malice.
And after that, Cadet Hanchunseong and Cadet Gerard's sparring match followed.
Cadet Hanchunseong, who seemed on the verge of causing an incident against Cadet Gerard... had unbelievably held onto his composure, quickly finished the match, and calmly looked back at her.
At the same time, the move Cadet Hanchunseong displayed at the end...
"..."
Even as she let out a small breath, she couldn't fully understand it.
'It was an unbelievable outcome.'
She had wondered how Cadet Hanchunseong would respond to the strong wind unleashed by Cadet Gerard, but when he chose to confront it head-on, she thought he had clearly made a bad move.
But.
The result was entirely different.
'Erasing the wind itself by intensely twisting and thrusting the spear.'
It wasn't something that could happen through ordinary principles.
The blue trajectory, as if drawn in a single instant, and the spear's speed were undoubtedly overwhelming compared to other cadets. But erasing the wind with just that was impossible.
And yet, Cadet Hanchunseong erased it.
As he thrust his spear, as if bursting the wind in an instant, the wind violently twisted and vanished right there.
If she were to consider how that could be possible, there was only one explanation.
"A Skill."
She mumbled, still unable to comprehend.
In the process of early graduating from the academy, she had encountered cadets with monstrous traits and talents, and during her not-so-short two years on the battlefield, she had faced countless monsters even greater than them.
She couldn't count how many times she had realized over the years that the world was vast and full of geniuses.
And yet. Even considering all of that...
"It... doesn't make sense."
A Skill didn't make sense.
The vast majority awakened Skills upon reaching a high trait level of 7, and she herself had done so.
However, gaining a Skill through one's own realization was, as far as she knew, a level truly close to a miracle, achieved by only a handful of people in the Empire.
Their names were legendary figures that anyone would recognize.
'But that...'
Was she supposed to accept that Cadet Hanchunseong was walking that path?
She unconsciously shook her head.
'No matter how much hope I place in Cadet Hanchunseong.'
It was closer to speculation. No matter how highly she evaluated Cadet Hanchunseong. No, she would have to view him on an entirely different dimension to even consider it.
Because she didn't want to disappoint the cadet again with her foolish expectations.
"..."
Her gaze unconsciously drifted to Cadet Hanchunseong's empty seat.
She had heard he went to the infirmary to see Cadet David, and he was still not in the lecture hall.
She couldn't describe how surprised she was when Instructor Adelia herself came to find her and explain the situation.
And the praise for Cadet Hanchunseong that came from her lips also resurfaced in her mind.
"—It's truly been a long time since I've seen a cadet with such an upright heart. So, Kali, may I ask you a favor?"
Her voice seemed to echo in Kali's mind.
She had asked for a little leniency from Kali, saying he was a commendable cadet she hadn't seen in a long time. As a senior instructor, Kali naturally accepted her words.
Kali had also heard of Instructor Adelia's reputation. The number of lives she had saved was countless. She was, without a doubt, an instructor and officer worthy of respect.
As she saw cadets slowly returning to their seats, she cleared her thoughts.
'If he doesn't return by the end of the lecture, I'll have to go see him myself.'
Between the incident last weekend and other matters, there was too much she needed to discuss directly with Cadet Hanchunseong.
"Everyone, please take your seats."
Kali's voice, as she resumed the lecture, was even more subdued than before.
***
—Academy Infirmary.
Despite it being well past lunchtime, Chunseong was still in the infirmary.
Aside from cadets who occasionally visited the infirmary, it was essentially the three of them, including the unconscious David, in the infirmary. In reality, it was a time where it wouldn't be wrong to say only Adelia and Chunseong were spending time together.
"Hmm. So Kali treats the cadets better than you expected?"
"...Yes. She's a really good person. No, she's a good instructor."
Even as he answered Adelia's question, his mind remained blank.
Was this what it felt like to be enchanted by a nine-tailed fox? Everything he had thought had turned to naught, and now he couldn't even tell what was happening or how.
A strange situation, where Adelia unilaterally asked him questions and he answered, had persisted for several hours. Adelia, seemingly full of curiosity, wouldn't let him go.
...And underlying this situation was clearly his own mistake.
"...."
Adelia's eyes, fixed directly on his, shimmered in a very peculiar way. Golden and jade hues blended, creating beautiful yet mysterious irises.
He couldn't tear his eyes away from her.
It wasn't a matter of whether he wanted to or not.
It was because Adelia had demanded it of him.
She had told him not to avert his gaze from her eyes while she was asking questions, and now, almost by force, he was meeting her gaze.
"..."
He unconsciously recalled lunchtime, several hours ago.
...
"—Oh my. Cadet Hanchunseong, what are you looking at right now?"
"—...Huh?"
"—Cadet Hanchunseong... I'm asking where you were looking on your instructor."
"—That... Instructor?"
"—Surely, you didn't think your instructor wouldn't notice? Cadet Hanchunseong... I'd like you to speak truthfully."
"—Ah, no! How could I possibly think that? I'm truly sorry, Instructor. I have no excuse."
Throughout the meal, his gaze had instinctively drifted to her chest, pressed against the table.
And it truly felt unavoidable. That much, he could assert.
He believed that any man placed in his position would have undoubtedly gazed at Adelia's chest even more than he had. In fact, he thought he had tried his utmost to avoid looking.
And yet, instinct... was truly terrifying.
Like now, there were times when any man couldn't help himself. It wasn't just a matter of simple visual temptation... it was a primal instinct that boiled up from deep within.
"—Haa... For a cadet to harbor such lewd thoughts about an instructor, Cadet Hanchunseong. What do you think would happen if I told Kali, your homeroom instructor... Aren't you curious about the outcome?"
Even though Adelia asked lightly, as if it were a joke in the end, he felt a sudden chill run down his spine.
His mind went blank in an instant, and without even realizing it, he was pleadingly telling Adelia he would do whatever she wanted.
"—I'm sorry, Instructor. I'll truly do everything you wish, so..."
"—I didn't intend to stare. It's just that you're so attractive, Instructor, that my instincts took over..."
"—Instructor Adelia. What should I do? If there's anything you wish for, whatever it may be..."
The words he blurted out then, even thinking about them now, felt like they had burst forth involuntarily from a survival instinct.
Even if Adelia said it was a mischievous joke, the thought of Adelia possibly mentioning such a thing to Kali made him feel, in that moment, as if his life was over.
"—Pfft. Really, Cadet Hanchunseong. You don't have to be so flustered. I just played a prank because you seemed so restless. Honestly, this isn't the first time something like this has happened to me, and I somewhat understand the struggles of men. And Cadet Hanchunseong, you're actually quite innocent. Seeing you aware of your gaze drifting to me, and struggling and trying to avoid looking... to be frank, it was quite cute."
After she emphatically stated it was all a joke, he felt immense relief, but...
"—Instead, spend some time with me afterward. Being stuck in the infirmary, I get quite bored, you see. I needed someone to talk to."
Adelia then held onto him with a peculiar expression.
...
Recalling that moment again, he felt as if he had fallen into a trap.
As if both his arms and legs were completely ensnared in a subtle yet powerful snare.
"Cadet Hanchunseong?"
"...Yes, Instructor."
"What on earth were you thinking about to have such a peculiar look in your eyes?"
Had she waited for him to be lost in thought? As she asked cautiously, he managed an awkward laugh.
"Even if you say it was a peculiar look... I was just recalling today's events. I apologize if it bothered you."
"No, you don't have to apologize that much. Did my prank really feel that mischievous? I didn't expect Cadet Hanchunseong to be so flustered..."
As Adelia looked at him with a slightly apologetic expression, he slowly shook his head.
Although he had only spent a short time with her today, he could clearly feel that Adelia's nature was that of a kind and warm-hearted instructor.
Because of that, he knew that if she said it was a joke, it truly was a joke, and that she wouldn't tell Kali.
Instead, he was bothered by his own actions, which was why he reacted that way.
No matter how accustomed she was to such gazes, from Adelia's perspective, his gaze must have been unpleasant.
He felt sorry for that too.
"That I gave you such a gaze, Instructor. I understand how rude and unpleasant that must have been for you..."
Even though he said it was due to instinct, that was his perspective, and it must have truly been unpleasant for Adelia.
As he met her gaze like that,
"You truly are a rare cadet these days, I suppose."
Adelia chuckled, then stretched grandly.
"Haaah..."
She let out a peculiar groan for a moment.
His gaze almost unconsciously dropped at the sight. He held it back as if by a miracle.
And yet, her chest was clearly visible at the periphery of his vision. No matter how much he consciously tried not to look, when he looked at her, his eyes naturally fell upon her chest.
He knew there was something beyond reality, something leading to heaven. Something that could greatly shake his heart just by looking, but he desperately endured.
Ultimately, unable to bear it any longer, he forcibly turned his head and clenched and unclenched his hands.
"..."
His hands were by now drenched in sweat, and he couldn't relax for a single moment.
Because Adelia's light gestures, every small action, possessed an absurd amount of destructive power.
"Pffft..."
Then, hearing her laughter, he clearly felt that Adelia was currently playing a prank on him.
And that she was trying to defuse the situation with a lighthearted joke instead of accepting his apology.
But.
'This isn't just a prank.'
Did Adelia even know what kind of thoughts men harbored when they looked at her... and was she behaving so mischievously regardless?
"Cadet Hanchunseong?"
"...Yes, Instructor."
"Hmm. That's strange~ I'm pretty sure I told you to meet my gaze when I'm speaking. Is the cadet not going to obey the instructor's words?"
At her continued words, he turned his head as if creaking.
His gaze just kept wanting to drop. He desperately suppressed the strange feeling of instinct trying to overpower reason, and met her eyes.
"Seriously, how can he... be so cute?"
At the peculiar tone of her voice then, he had to bite his lip tightly.