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Suddenly, as if it had a mind of its own, my body reacted first.

As I dodged, Baek So-yul asked with a trembling voice, “Why… why did you dodge?”

Unintentionally…? I had gathered my magic power and changed my appearance, but maybe because of Fairy’s presence, she recognized me right away. Was the joy of our reunion shattered? Baek So-yul clenched her fists in frustration. The same outcome repeated two or three times, but with her not giving up and still trying to hug me, I quietly surrendered and embraced her. Some faint at the sight while others try to hug…

“Haaa…”

After holding onto me for quite a while, Baek So-yul exhaled deeply. As if recharging, she was savoring the moment, and soon a satisfied smile appeared on her face. Stuck inside the clan without being able to go out, it was particularly tough recently due to our teacher’s low spirits. Meeting Alpha was the greatest gift she could’ve asked for while she was worried about possibly falling into depression.

Was this a reaction from that? Baek So-yul didn’t suppress her emotions.

“I thought I wouldn’t get to see you again…”

Even with such heartfelt words, the Wolf just nodded. As she absentmindedly stroked its rough, black fur, Baek So-yul felt all the negative emotions she had been burdened with melting away like snow. She wished time could just freeze like this…

After a long hug, she suddenly had the worry that maybe I didn’t enjoy being hugged without permission. However, seeing the Wolf’s puzzled head tilt made her chuckle softly. Then, Baek So-yul realized that the Wolf hadn’t said a single word yet.

“Um…”

“You can.”

As if reading her thoughts, the Wolf beat her to it, causing Baek So-yul’s eyes to widen. Before she knew it, Fairy was flitting around her, wagging its tail.

“Kkyu kkyu~!”

It seemed like it had a complaint. Thinking it wanted to be hugged, Baek So-yul wrapped her arms around Fairy, but it shook its head as if to say, “Not like that.”

“Kkyu kkyu! Kkyuwoo~!!”

After flailing around for a bit, Fairy finally slumped down as if satisfied.

“…Kkyu~.”

Regardless, the Wolf, having opened a pocket dimension, reached out its tentacle and pulled something out, releasing a sharp aroma as it appeared.

“…Huh?”

A sharp fragrance. The freshness was invigorating. It was the rich scent of powerful magic. Upon seeing a large ginseng with long roots, Baek So-yul instinctively recognized it as an elixir.

“This is…”

“Take it.”

With that, Baek So-yul frowned, causing the Wolf to tilt its head again. It thought she would like it, but her reaction wasn’t what it expected.

‘Has she ever eaten ginseng?’ The same elixir had limits when it came to enhancing magic power…

“Wait… are you giving this to me?”

Was this something to show off? When she nodded, her expression became complicated.

“Why?”

With eyes that locked onto hers as she questioned, Baek So-yul asked again.

“…Why are you giving it to me?”

“…?”

“It’s precious, right? There’s someone who could use it better than I can, not me…”

At those words, I shook my head. Whatever else, there wasn’t anyone who could utilize the elixir better than her. What if the Silent Mouth’s Life Vessel was consumed by Baek So-yul instead of me? While she might not reach the level of Hong Yu-ri, she could wield magic power comparable to a decent A-class hunter.

To begin with, it could only be consumed by her… In any case, no one could be as effective with the elixir as she could. Meeting her gaze with certainty, Baek So-yul lowered her eyes.

“…I have no way to repay you.”

Since she felt indebted. What would I even do if I got into further debt? My shoulders felt heavy. Was it really okay to accept this? While contemplating, Baek So-yul flinched when she heard the Wolf sigh. Should she just receive it in silence…? Closing her eyes tightly, she flinched in surprise at the sensation in her hands.

—Before she knew it, the elixir had slipped into her hand.

“You don’t have to repay it.”

At those words, Baek So-yul bit her lip. After chewing on that statement several times, she eventually accepted the elixir.

“…If you say that, I can’t not accept it.”

As she grasped the ginseng, she said resolutely.

“I will repay you, definitely.”

“…So, can I visit you sometimes?”

***

—As I watched Baek So-yul walk away, I nodded. Now that I had given it to her, she would take it as needed. Even if her magic power rose, I’d worry a little less.

‘She should at least be able to deal with low-tier threats.’

Even now, in the dawn, no matter how rowdy they were, they’d generally hesitate to try and kidnap Baek So-yul as long as no blatant alarm was raised. Yet, they wouldn’t stay in the dawn forever. It was important to elevate Baek So-yul’s own level.

‘Instead…’

Suddenly glancing at Fairy, it wore a discontented expression for some reason.

“Kkyu~”

Having so much fun just now, it now tugged on the tip of my ear as if saying it wanted to go back. Just as we were about to go up, I turned my head at the sound of someone rushing towards us.

“……?”

Then, I faced someone who was charging towards us, all huffed and puffed.

“……!”

—The girl, suddenly stiff as a board, began to tremble.

I thought she might faint again, but Hong Yu-ri grit her teeth and held on. She pulled down her beret to cover her eyes, grabbing the wall’s handle with all her might as she began to ascend the stairs. It was slow but remarkably admirable.

Fear—that ingrained horror couldn’t be shaken off so easily.

Having experienced it myself, I knew just how hard it was to take a single step forward. Still, Hong Yu-ri was confronting it head-on, trying to overcome her fears.

‘…There’s no need to seek a Mage separately.’

Slowly, but surely climbing, I decided to step aside. I really didn’t need to distress someone already struggling.

—That was how I felt.

But on the contrary, Kang Tae-ho was approaching from the opposite corridor and chuckled as he watched Hong Yu-ri laboriously climbing up.

When his mouth started to open, I couldn’t help but feel a slight dread. That apprehension turned into reality.

“Woof!”

Kang Tae-ho imitated a dog’s bark and began rolling on the ground with laughter as I sighed and shook my head.

‘Did he seriously eat his age through his behind?’

Did he even want that? Just at that moment, as I began to go back upstairs, I heard the sound of something collapsing. I instinctively closed my eyes.

—Still, this time, it didn’t take long for the mess to be cleaned up.

***

“You look tired.”

Kang Tae-jun mumbled, half to himself while sorting through papers.

“Tomorrow, Euna will come, so we can verify things. I don’t think there’s any need for suspicion anymore…”

Euna was coming—this felt a bit strange. Anyway, confirming the facts would certainly help in building trust. I didn’t know how long it would take, but I planned to stay in the dawn until Kang Tae-jun finished the request I had given him.

‘I wonder how the Butterfly of Covenant will show up.’

Having killed Agail, something must have changed. However, I couldn’t anticipate whether it would be good or bad.

‘If she’s already joined the rowdies…’

—There would be no compromise. If the Square Master was to turn away, it’d be best to take them out right then and there. If that happens, there’s an eight in ten chance…

“Kkyu kkyu~!”

…So, let’s enjoy the current moment. No one knows how everything will turn out.

***

At dawn. Stirred by the rustling noise, Baek So-yul threw off her blanket and sighed deeply. She worried that the teacher might be crying alone again, but as soon as she caught a whiff of the sharp scent, she raised her head in confusion.

‘Alcohol?’

With a sound of pouring, she heard soju being poured and gulped it down in one go. Though she looked young, she keenly felt the burdens of adulthood. Then Baek So-yul spotted six empty bottles of soju and frowned.

Though she had never drunk before, she could tell that this wasn’t normal. Perhaps it’s because Hunters might find it hard to get drunk—a thought was completely obliterated by the vision of a drunken Kang Tae-ho, whining, ‘I’m going to kill that bastard!’ and shedding tears.

Thinking she should intervene, Baek So-yul called Hong Yu-ri.

“Teacher.”

“…….”

Perhaps she didn’t hear? Judging by her shoulders flinching, that seemed unlikely. Baek So-yul sat still and put her hand on Hong Yu-ri’s back.

“You have work again tomorrow, right?”

Hong Yu-ri only nodded instead of responding. Baek So-yul thought she’d likely manage this quietly, but when Hong Yu-ri suddenly started gagging, she quickly picked her up and barely avoided disaster.

“Ugh…”

As Hong Yu-ri emptied her stomach, Baek So-yul patted her back and sighed.

“What the heck happened to you? Don’t tell me you…?”

When asking if she met Alpha, Hong Yu-ri nodded. So that’s why it turned out like this… just as Baek So-yul was beginning to understand, Hong Yu-ri bit her lip.

“That fucking bastard… he said he didn’t know… that nobody would know…”

Slurred words, full of resentment. Suddenly turning to face Baek So-yul, Hong Yu-ri exclaimed.

“I didn’t freak out! I held it in. I really did!”

“……”

“But. But…!”

That crazy bastard, Kang Tae-ho, barked like a dog. Complaining about the unfairness of it all, Baek So-yul gently patted Hong Yu-ri, who buried her face in her arms.

“I didn’t… didn’t…!”

After throwing up, it seemed she got even more drunk. Tears welled up in Hong Yu-ri’s eyes as she couldn’t hold back her emotions anymore.

“…Do you know how hard I tried?”

Words reminiscing the meeting in the conference room and emotions that had built up over time poured out as Hong Yu-ri cried uncontrollably, revealing her innermost feelings.

Gu Jin-ha lay in his sickbed. Even though he hadn’t gotten up yet. What if I’d participated in Neverland? Would things have changed?

Yet, she couldn’t direct any anger at Alpha. Everything began from a misunderstanding due to differences in position, but it was still her fault after all.

The Clan Leader’s words in the conference room had been entirely right, but that didn’t lessen the sorrow. And the endless frustration caused by Kang Tae-ho was unbearable. Though she knew Alpha would never harm her, she still felt helplessly fearful.

But really, Alpha was helping her. Even pouring water, trying to cover for her each time. It was more miserable than anything else to have her pride saved. If only he had scolded her or shown contempt… just the act of sparing her life was already pitiful, and on top of that, to receive an elixir.

Just thinking about it made her tremble. But… this couldn’t go on. She knew she had to resolve this somehow, yet she couldn’t summon the courage. What if I apologized and she hated it? What if she rejected me? No, could she even speak?

Changed from his true form, he was just a little dog. And even remaining upright before him was already exhausting…

Even if I conceded that, what should I say? The more she thought, the more tangled her mind became. Stubborn and headstrong, she didn’t know how to apologize honestly.

Thus, it felt maddening.

Having poured out her hidden feelings in drunkenness, Hong Yu-ri hugged Baek So-yul, sobbing. Soon, she looked up in surprise at the hands that had drawn her close.

“It’s okay… you’ve done your best, teacher?”

Hong Yu-ri nodded gloomily. After soothing her for a while, Baek So-yul stroked Hong Yu-ri’s hair.

“If it’s hard, I can go with you.”

“…Really?”

They had somehow migrated to the bed. To which Baek So-yul nodded as if to say, “Trust me,” and reassured, Hong Yu-ri fell asleep, feeling the gentle pats.

“……”

After watching the scene for a while, Baek So-yul lay down next to Hong Yu-ri and closed her eyes. Deep in the dawn, the two fell asleep side by side under the same blanket.

“……!”

—In the morning, Hong Yu-ri’s awakening turned the blanket into a ragged mess.

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