Ch. 238 - The Witch (6)

Chapter 238: The Witch (6)

At some point, everyone has probably had this experience.

You’re working on homework that’s due tomorrow, but you collapse onto your desk and fall asleep. When that happens, you fall into an unusually deep sleep.

You might feel like you only closed your eyes for a moment, but when you wake up, you realize something is off.

Chirping sparrows, warm sunlight, and the stillness of the calm morning air.

You feel refreshed. 

Your mind gradually clears, and you start to wonder.

"Have I ever slept this deeply before?"

And then you realize, "Oh no!"

I haven't finished the homework that's due today!

That was exactly how Flame felt.

'Huh?'

It only took a very brief moment for her mind to shake off its sleepiness.

Then she realized something was strange.

"What’s going on?"

She still couldn't figure it out. Her memory of the previous night was hazy. So, she unconsciously reached out her hand. When she touched something warm, her whole body stiffened.

'Ah...?' 

What did I do last night?

She hadn't been drinking. However, she had been so tired lately that she fell asleep instantly, leaving her memory hazy.

But, one thing was certain.

'Did I return to the dormitory yesterday...?'

‘No. No, I didn’t.’

According to her last memory, she had secretly sneaked into Baek Yu-Seol’s dormitory,

While waiting for him, she decided to lie down on the soft bed since he wasn't coming.

Startled, she tried to sit up and grasp the situation, but she felt something weighing down on her stomach and stopped.

It was Baek Yu-Seol’s arm.

"Snore..."

"Crazy...!"

Unbelievably, he lay next to her, sound asleep. He was dressed neatly in pajamas, completely unbothered by her presence in the bed.

She carefully moved his arm aside and slowly crawled out of bed.

Thump!

“Ouch!”

She accidentally stubbed her toe on the desk. But fortunately, Baek Yu-Seol didn’t wake up.

'Ugh. What a mess...'

Flame liked wandering around various dormitories, but she had never spent the night in a boys' dormitory.

Because of that, she was even more concerned.

Click!

Flame quietly opened the door and left his dormitory, and finally breathed a sigh of relief. 

Even though it was pointless, if Baek Yu-Seok suddenly woke up here, it would have created a terrible situation.

"Phew... Ugh..."

How ridiculous. 

She almost messed up her hair but refrained from doing so.

‘...I still have to go to school.’

Despite the embarrassing situation, she couldn't forget her duty as a student. She turned to head back to her dormitory, but unfortunately, she ran into someone who used a nearby dormitory.

It was Pung Harang.

"... Flame?"

"Oh yes. Hi."

He was in his gym clothes, drinking water in the hallway. He had probably just returned from his morning exercise.

"Did you by any chance..."

As Pung Harang began to say something, Flame quickly interrupted him and blurted out anything that came to mind.

"Oh! I have some urgent business! See you in class!"

"Uh. Okay..."

After she hurriedly spoke and disappeared with swift steps, Pung Harang blankly stared at her retreating figure before turning his gaze to where she had been standing.

Baek Yu-Seol’s dormitory.

Those two shared a special bond that he didn’t understand. So, it was better not to interfere without knowing anything.

Pung Harang soon left the spot.

It appeared his morning exercise wasn’t over yet.

——

Morning classes.

"The lines connecting the circles in the magic array must be straight. As the array's angles differ by 30, 45, or 60 degrees, it significantly impacts mana circulation. If there's even a 1-degree error, it could cause serious issues."

Theory classes were always boring. 

Although the second semester was supposed to focus more on practice and training, theory classes still dominated. 

The practical component slightly increased compared to the first semester, but constant theory study was unavoidable.

Flame stared blankly at the blackboard. She was still unable to forget the morning's events.

'Was I always like this?'

Her personality was generally cool and straightforward. It wasn't just her self-assessment; everyone around her said so, and she had accepted it as true.

Sharing a bed? 

She could brush off such things easily. They didn't do anything; they just slept.

So why did it keep bothering her? 

She couldn't figure it out.

"Before we examine how the shape changes according to the number of circles, let me ask a question. What is known as the most flammable material in the magic world?"

"Hey!"

"That’s correct."

"What?"

Flame wasn't paying attention to the lesson. As she stared at the blackboard blankly, someone next to her tapped her shoulder.

"What are you doing? You've been out of it for a while."

"Huh? Oh, nothing..."

"We're all going to karaoke tonight, wanna come?"

She was known for her singing. Flame rarely turned down karaoke invitations, loving to belt out songs.

"Hmm... I'm a bit tired today."

But today, she wasn't in the mood. When Flame declined, her friend gave a curious look.

"Got rejected?"

"... No?"

"Then, did you get a confession?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You've been hanging out with Baek Yu-Seol lately. Did you get back together?"

"No, we didn’t..."

She didn't know where those rumors started, but Flame wasn't bothered by them.

'...Or was she?'

Ding-dong-dang!

As the bell signaling the end of class rang, Flame walked out into the hallway with her friends as usual. Even though they weren't in the same class, it had become a habit.

Stella's students had various ways of spending their break time. Some strolled through the sky garden chatting, others enjoyed a graceful tea time on the starlight terrace, and some gathered in the gym for sports or brain-training games.

Flame usually fell into the ordinary category. She enjoyed conversations with friends in the garden or café.

"Flame? Did something bad happen today?"

"Something bad?"

Not really. 

Just something embarrassing.

"Then why do you look so serious?"

"Do I?"

Is there anything worth seriously worrying about? 

The morning incident was just an embarrassing mishap, wasn't it?

… Just a mishap?

Thinking about it, it felt strange. 

Would an average boy lie down next to a girl sleeping vulnerably in his bed?

'That guy...'

Normally, you'd move the girl to the couch or sleep there yourself, but in this case, he didn't do that.

Maybe it was because he was used to sleeping beside her...?

As her friends nudged her, Flame snapped back to reality.

"Hey. Look over there."

"It's the Stella Knights."

"Huh?"

Looking outside the terrace of the sky garden, she saw dozens of knights marching in perfect formation across the central bridge of Stella.

Magical horses flew above them and illusionary lights swirled around their bodies. It was clear they were wearing impressive equipment.

'Why are the knights mobilizing at this time?' 

It didn't seem like an official deployment, but rather a small-scale mission. 

Was there a recent event that warranted such a mission? 

Then again, she didn’t know everything. 

Even though she had read the original romance fantasy novel many times, it only described the narrative centered around Eisel. 

She didn’t know all the external details, so there was no need to question those small matters. 

But then. 

There was someone very noticeable among them. 

"... Hey. Isn't that Baek Yu-Seol?" 

"Yeah. It is him." 

"What? Really? I can't see well because of my eyesight." 

"Yes. It's really him."

Baek Yu-Seol. 

The boy wearing Stella's uniform was leading the knights from the front. 

It was strange enough that he was with the knights, but even more so that he was at the front. 

'What on earth is happening?' 

Flame was confused. She was unable to grasp the situation. 

———

"... What did you just say?" 

The hands of the girls drinking tea froze in place. 

How often had Princess Hong Bi-Yeon spoken in such a cold voice? 

She was always quiet and dignified, but she wasn't someone who got angry often, so there was even more need to be cautious. 

As the girls having tea time with Hong Bi-Yeon watched nervously, Yeterin regretted her timing and continued her report. 

"Yes. It seems that student Baek Yu-Seol has temporarily joined the Stella Knights to carry out a mission." 

"... Really? What does that have to do with me? You don't need to report unnecessary things." 

As Hong Bi-Yeon said that and closed her eyes, Yeterin spoke quietly. 

"I thought it might be something that would concern you, Princess, but it seems I was mistaken. In that case, I’ll skip the next report."

As Yeterin bowed and turned to leave, Hong Bi-Yeon stopped her a beat later. 

"No. Wait, I should at least hear the rest." 

"... Really?"

Yeterin smiled faintly and gestured with her eyes, prompting the girls to get up and leave. 

They would likely feel quite grateful to Yeterin. 

"From what I've heard, recently, the commander personally asked him for help to solve an unknown incident occurring in the Arcanium."

"Knight Commnader Arien, personally...?"

Hong Bi-Yeon trusted Yeterin. She was the only one who had stayed by her side since she was young.

However, even coming from Yeterin, there were things that could be believed and things that could not.

For example... The current report didn't make any logical sense, no matter how you thought about it.

For Arien, the magical prodigy with a high chance to become a Class 9 mage, it didn’t make any sense for him to ask for help from a mere first-year student... 

She had met him a few times and knew his personality well. Arien’s pride would never bow to anyone. For him to entrust a student with solving a case...

"Does that mean he thinks the incident can't be solved with his own power but that commoner can do it?"

"It seems so."

"Hmm...."

Hong Bi-Yeon knew the true nature of Baek Yu-Seol to some extent, but others did not. 

Therefore, she felt Arien’s insight was quite impressive.

Even without knowing Baek Yu-Seol’s truth, he had purely recognized his value through insight and reached out to him.

But still.

"I don't like it."

"What did you say?"

"Nothing. I didn't say anything."

She downed her tea in one gulp and stood up abruptly before walking away.

‘… He hasn't forgotten our promise, has he?’

‘Surely not.’

The promise from that day still lingered in Hong Bi-Yeon’s mind.

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