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I lifted my heavy eyelids.

The unfamiliar ceiling was a cliché straight out of a web novel.

A pure white ceiling, the scent wafting into my nose.

The regular beeping of a machine.

‘Ah, I’m in a hospital.’

I was debating whether to close my eyes again or drink some water to quench my thirst when I felt sharp gazes on me.

…?

I glanced in that direction… and what the heck.

Not just one or two, but a dozen people were standing there, all staring at me.

“Da… ahem!”

My throat felt completely dry, and my voice barely came out.

“Gyeoul, here’s some water. Drink it slowly, just enough to wet your throat.”

“Mmm…”

Jeong Ha-yul handed me a cup with a straw.

Since I was incredibly thirsty, I started sipping through the straw.

Like an insect sucking sap from a tree, I sipped slowly.

Ahhh.

It wasn’t gulping down cold water, but it felt like my insides were clearing up.

Water really does taste best when you’re thirsty.

After sipping for a while, I suddenly came to my senses.

How many people were watching me drink water?

I handed the cup back to Ha-yul and scanned their faces.

‘Wait, why are there foreigners here?’

Lin Hazel, William, Grandpa Heinz, and even the mages from the Clock Tower.

How long had I been lying here for people from England to be in this room?

“How’s your body? Any pain?”

“I think… I’m okay?”

My whole body felt stiff and achy, but that wasn’t unusual.

It’s not like I’ve never broken a bone or two before.

The pain felt almost like a part of daily life.

“That’s a relief. We were really worried for three days.”

“Huh? Three days?”

I thought it had only been a day, but I’d been lying here longer than I thought.

No wonder… the people from England made it here.

Lin Hazel and the Clock Tower mages had already left, but Grandpa Heinz and William… William?

“Don’t tell me the Queen came too?”

“No, Sister Helena couldn’t make it, so she sent William.”

“I see. That’s a relief… But why are so many people gathered here? Did someone important get hurt?”

I thought maybe another important person was hospitalized, and they came to visit them and decided to visit me too.

But thinking about it, except for Hwarang Kim Yu-shin, everyone here is close to me.

At 14 years old, having this kind of network, I’ve really made it, Jeong Gyeoul.

“Since I’ve seen Gyeoul wake up, I’ll head out now. There’s too much to handle after this incident… Sorry, Gyeoul.”

“It’s fine. You should go take care of your work. It’s not like I’m dying or anything…”

Wait a second.

“I’m not dying, right?”

“Huh? What’s this all of a sudden?”

“Isn’t it weird that a dozen people gathered just to see me wake up?”

Instead of being proud of my network, I should’ve realized the situation that brought them all here first.

If it were just people from Korea visiting, I’d understand, but seeing even the people from England here made me uneasy.

“You’re perfectly fine. They said you were lying down for three days just to recover.”

“Phew… That’s a relief.”

Luckily, Hayan cut off my baseless worries before they could spiral.

“We were worried, but you seem fine. We’ll head out now. The Clock Tower didn’t give us much time, so we need to finish the investigation and return quickly.”

Lin, who had been glaring at Heinz, sighed.

“…Why are you looking at me? Business trips aren’t my department.”

“But the final approval is done by the Tower Master.”

“That’s my disciple’s job, not mine.”

“…You say that so confidently.”

After some bickering, Lin led the mages out of the room.

Back then, I was… scared of her, I guess?

But now, it feels more like a grandfather and granddaughter relationship.

It’s a relief that they’ve gotten along so well.

After Lin left, Association President Jeong Ho-min approached me.

“There’s someone I’d like to introduce…”

“No thanks.”

I cut him off before he could finish, and he looked flustered.

No matter how much he wants to expand my network, I’m only 14…

I have no intention of going on blind dates, arranged meetings, strategic marriages, or engagements.

“I think you’re misunderstanding. It’s not like that…”

“No, go away.”

Jo Se-hee, seeing her superior get rejected by me, couldn’t hide her delight.

The others were also watching with great interest.

Selling popcorn here would make a killing.

Giving up on explaining, Jeong Ho-min pushed forward a man I’d never seen before.

“Hello. I’m Yoon Min-woo from the dedicated care team. It’s an honor to meet you!”

“…Nice to meet you. You don’t have to be so formal… You can relax.”

“I can’t do that. As the person in charge of Awakened One Jeong Gyeoul, I’ll do my best to serve you.”

…?

“My caretaker?”

I’m just a student at the Hero Academy.

It’s not like the Association would assign a dedicated caretaker to someone like me.

“Huh? Awakened One Jeong Gyeoul is our Association’s V…”

“We’ve introduced ourselves, so that’s enough… We should get going too, we’re really busy.”

V?

Jeong Ho-min stepped in just as Yoon Min-woo was about to say something.

It felt a bit off, but if they’re busy, what can I do?

I exchanged goodbyes with Jeong Ho-min, Jo Se-hee, and the new employee.

Once they left, the room finally felt a bit quieter.

‘Let’s see… now there are nine people.’

Nine isn’t a small number, but compared to the dozen or so people surrounding me when I first woke up, it felt more manageable.

“William, why are you here?”

“I came because I was worried about you, Teacher!”

He’s still calling me Teacher.

Was it about five years ago?

I was asked to teach William, like a private tutor or something, by the Queen.

But back then, we got attacked, and I couldn’t do much.

Yet he still calls me Teacher.

He was a mess when I first met him, but he’s a good kid.

“Thanks for coming.”

But hey, kid.

You said you came because you were worried about me, so why do you keep glancing at Hayan?

“Wake up.”

“…Huh?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Everyone except Hayan and William seemed to understand the situation.

They were looking back and forth between the two with amused expressions.

It’s cute, but no way, Hayan is off-limits, absolutely not.

“By the way, what happened after I took Teacher Yena away?”

Ah.

Perfect timing.

This is why I can’t help but like Hayan.

Now I’m going to have to praise myself.

I started from the part where I figured out the Apostle’s concept was jealousy.

Everyone looked at me in awe.

When I talked about how I bought time by provoking Jeong Ha-yul and Lee Ha-yoon to appease the Apostle, people’s expressions turned a bit strange.

Why are you all staring like that?

“If I hadn’t done that, I might’ve really died.”

“You did well, Gyeoul.”

Jeong Ha-yul and Lee Ha-yoon, who I had insulted, didn’t seem to mind.

I continued the story.

Sometimes they looked at me with admiration, sometimes with pity, and sometimes with disappointment.

With such an expressive audience, I lost track of time as I spun my tale.

“You really were amazing. If it were anyone else, they wouldn’t have lasted.”

“Right?”

“But you were too reckless.”

“Yeah, going downstairs just because you heard a scream was the problem.”

“That’s right, Gyeoul. The teacher said it before. You kids are the top priority to protect at the Academy.”

After excitedly telling my story, all I got in return was scolding.

“Let’s train harder from now on.”

“Yeah, that’s what I wanted.”

As things started winding down, Hwarang, who had been quiet the whole time, approached me.

“So, what was it you wanted to ask me?”

“A sword!”

“…A sword?”

He seemed confused why someone with super abilities would want a sword.

“Teach me how to use a weapon!”

“My swordsmanship, you mean?”

“Yes! If I were as strong as my sister, I wouldn’t need it, but I think there’s a limit to fighting bare-handed.”

“…It’s strange for someone with super abilities to engage in close combat.”

I don’t even fully understand the secrets of my own body.

Physically weaker than physical ability users but stronger than other categories.

I can feel my body getting stronger as my rank increases.

Honestly, I think I could overpower Chae-rin with just my physical strength.

But it’s not like I’m classified as a physical ability user.

If I were a dual Awakened One, combining physical and super abilities, that would make sense…

But my body is a complete mystery.

It’s nearly impossible to explain the secrets of my body, even to myself.

“But it wouldn’t hurt to learn, right? Physical ability users won’t just stand still and let you hit them from a distance.”

“That’s true. Alright. Once you’re discharged, I’ll teach you my swordsmanship.”

I thought he might refuse, saying it was some secret technique of the Hwarang.

But surprisingly, he agreed readily.

“But is it really okay to teach me?”

“I can’t teach just anyone… but a promise made under my name is more important than that.”

It seems there are rules even among those who carry on the Hwarang’s legacy.

‘But it sounds like you’re saying you can crush those rules with strength.’

Anyway, since he agreed to teach me, that’s all that matters.

I also told them about how I entrusted myself to Eun-chae and Kang-woo while looking for Kim Bong-du.

(They say Jeong Ha-yul turned pale the moment she saw me.)

About how the 12 Apostles tried to kill the jealous Apostle after we locked them in the Association’s underground prison.

The bizarre adventure of Lee Chae-song and Lee Chae-rin getting to the shelter.

The story of Park Seol-hwa and the Daehyun Guild.

The story of Kang-woo and Leon, and so on.

After telling my stories for a while and listening to others’ interesting tales, the sun began to set.

“…Wait, I feel like I’m forgetting something.”

“What?”

What was it?

Something really important…

“Food!!!”

How could this be?

Did I injure my brain fighting the jealous Apostle?

Not thinking about food until now feels like a problem.

“…You just had a high-concentration something. I heard it was enough calories for a rhino. How can you already be thinking about food?”

“…?”

First a pig, now a rhino.

I wondered how far my image would go.

If I’m going to keep being compared to animals, maybe I should try being an elephant next time.

Anyway.

Since my body still isn’t great, I’ll start with something light, like 50 pieces of sushi, and then think about what to eat next.

 

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