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Chapter 195

Baek In-hwa lazily leaned against the railing of the balcony, gazing downwards without a care.

Coincidentally, the Gold Class Dormitory and the Bronze Class Dormitory were relatively close, and with the extraordinary vision unique to Aura users, she spotted a beautiful blonde woman walking out from the Bronze Class.

Baek In-hwa had never once resented her physical abilities since birth. Just how much her vision had helped her out on the vast snowy plains was immeasurable.

Yet, at this moment, she found herself regretting that very vision.

She had heard the general tale. That woman was Shar’s mother, and with all sorts of circumstances surrounding her, she was introduced as a girlfriend.

It was absurd, but it was at that moment that Baek In-hwa became aware of the subtle feelings that had begun to sprout in her heart.

She wouldn’t call it love. However, she instinctively realized that her feelings towards Choi Yeon-woo were clearly turning into fondness.

‘What a timing to realize that.’

Consequently, she had been avoiding Choi Yeon-woo for the past few days. The astute Choi Yeon-woo didn’t chase after her to ask what was wrong either.

Part of her secretly hoped he would come to her, but it would be an unjust wish to have for a man who already had a lover.

‘It’s time to sort things out.’

If she wasn’t going to avoid him for the next two and a half years, she needed to clear things up. After all, Baek In-hwa considered Choi Yeon-woo a good friend, and she didn’t want to lose such a friend.

She quietly watched Alkeinea’s back as it vanished from her sight. Once she could no longer see it, she got up.

In principle, cohabiting in dormitories wasn’t allowed. Unlike Shar and Tae-oh, who were bound by contracts, Nea was a completely separate entity, meaning she basically lived with someone she knew.

Riley or something, who was said to be part of the Magic Tower’s subsidiary organization.

Perhaps she had come early in the morning to prepare the children’s meals. Could she do something like that?

In truth, Baek In-hwa was astonished that she was even awake at this hour with a completely clear mind. Perhaps it was due to being overwhelmed with thoughts that her morning drowsiness had vanished.

“…The morning air is refreshing.”

Muttering absent-mindedly, Baek In-hwa decided to get ready for school. She had sorted out her feelings. She couldn’t do something like that. She probably wasn’t the type of person suited for such pure love.

‘…So, I won’t think about it.’

In the first place, Baek In-hwa didn’t know many forms of love. How much would the daughter of the Ice Palace and a successor of one of the most influential groups in the world know about love?

Thus, Baek In-hwa’s mental sorting out concluded simply and lightly. She compared many things in her mind, from the worth of a man like Choi Yeon-woo to the difference between Alkeinea and herself. But soon, she realized it was all meaningless.

What mattered was whether she wanted that man or not.

Baek In-hwa wanted Choi Yeon-woo, and if that was the case, she saw no reason to give up.

This was how the people of the North Sea resolved love triangles. By fighting and competing until everyone could come to terms with it, in one way or another.

In other words, Baek In-hwa was a professional in the field, having grown up witnessing countless love snatchings.

“…But fighting with a Dragon is a bit much, isn’t it?”

In this case, it was necessary to be discerning about means and methods. After all, if she could turn even a fraction of that sacred and pure love towards herself, that would be enough.

Having made that decision, Baek In-hwa began to hum a tune as she prepared for school. Her first class of the day was a hands-on training session with the Demon King, which she would be taking alongside Choi Yeon-woo.

*

A sword enveloped in radiance poured down towards Yeon-woo like a torrential rain. The series of devastating strikes, far from what one would call hope, twisted Yeon-woo’s lips.

Rationally, he should retreat backward or sideways to evade. Yet, his body was shouting that all his aura should move forward.

In that fleeting moment, his thoughts expanded and meticulously analyzed the situation. The divergence of reason and physical instinct was consolidated in his mind with the realization that this duel was ultimately about becoming accustomed to courage.

He lunged forward; from that decisive moment, he felt his skin and the aura surrounding him become acutely sensitive. His senses sharpened enough to catch the slightest stir of the wind, and amidst the storm of swords, he discovered a slender safe zone.

As his thoughts shrank back, Yeon-woo swiftly squeezed himself into that space. Had he been an adult, he never would have been able to evade it.

Noel’s radiance, the halo of hope, was as good as a weapon in itself. With the halo enveloping her, Noel was effectively a weapon in totality.

The Aura Blade that swirled from her fingertips was no longer something easily describable as a sword; it was infused with life.

Length, area, destructive power, everything in the offensive and defensive exchange was perfect. It felt as if it could cut through any darkness.

That was the mana Yeon-woo sensed from Noel. It was likely because of such mana that that girl could not permit anyone close to her.

The attribute created from someone’s following. Thinking it was akin to the spikes of a hedgehog formed to protect against such following, Yeon-woo inhaled.

Noel, having momentarily created wings of light to soar into the sky, darted backwards, clearly intending not to close in amid the obscuring dust cloud.

As he dashed through the dust cloud, Yeon-woo exploded forth. His stance was sharp and feline, making it difficult to gauge his speed. Noel slowly aimed her sword at him, reminded of Namgung Seong’s aerial dash.

Noel, cloaked entirely in the halo-form aura blade, faced Yeon-woo, who wasn’t even emitting a shred of aura. The standoff seemed like nothing more than an act of suicide from Yeon-woo’s side.

Regardless of it being a duel, as soon as Noel decided to take it seriously, she wouldn’t play any ridiculous game of chicken. Given the academy’s environment where recovery options were plentiful, it would be justifiable to severely wound him and resurrect him.

In the high-stakes moment, it was Noel who made the first move. Taking a precise step forward, her three blades pierced through the air—there seemed to be no way for a human body to evade such an attack.

Watching this, Yeon-woo let out a held breath. All that condensed starlight energy surged forth, and a thought crossed his mind—couldn’t he take this chance?

*

Elemental Mana is heavily influenced by an individual’s imagination.

For example, there’s Claire and Noel. It sounds a bit self-absorbed, but since Claire sees herself as perfect from the get-go, even when raising her elemental mana, there’s no significant change on the surface. She’s always perfect, so she need not display her perfection.

In contrast, Noel’s hope expresses itself prominently. Of course, this is a result of excessive envy focused on her, but it also reveals how Noel internally perceives that envy.

It can appear as if light rests upon her shoulders.

Then why did Yeon-woo’s courage become the breath of starlight? The terms courage, starlight, and breath seemed completely unrelated.

Yet Yeon-woo had come to understand what this starlight, the color of the night sky, meant at some point.

Dreams. The characteristics of the courage he possessed stemmed from the dreams he had of the night sky when he was a child.

Ever since he became an adult, Yeon-woo had occasionally pondered this. If it takes courage to forsake something for a dream, how much had the whale in his dreams sacrificed to soar through the skies? What kind of great courage did it need to muster?

He wished he could stand in for that whale, or rather, he wanted to give the whale wings.

However, that dream remained unfulfilled. Up until his regression, he had lived like a corpse, forsaking dreams.

But now it seemed possible. Now, he could articulate why his ‘courage’ manifested not as an external display but as an internal blossom.

He felt something stirring deep within his belly. Would he be able to wield this power properly? The force was reckless enough to provoke that question.

Philosophy states that the human body resembles a microcosm. Yeon-woo found that description remarkably fitting as he sensed the strangeness in his body.

It was as if a small universe resided within him, causing the night sky to flow out with every breath he took.

Now, he felt that he could give the whale wings.

With that thought, rotational force was applied to his body. His left hand unconsciously swiped through the air, using the momentum of that shock.

Like being pulled in, yet narrowly avoiding the Aura Blade, he slipped through.

Noel’s eyes widened in disbelief at the impossibility of that motion accomplished by a human. It was something only someone with wings could do, not a wingless human.

As Yeon-woo skated past Noel’s side, he dug his fingers into the ground to brake like a beast.

Noel couldn’t help but doubt her eyes. In an instant, his fingers transformed, thickening like columns and plunging into the ground.

Even more distressing, this situation made it seem that the decisive blow meant to finish was instead elbowing Yeon-woo in the back.

Fortunately, the soft ground allowed for less abrupt braking, creating distance and buying time. Just as she believed this would be defensible, however…

Yeon-woo’s arm stretched… No, it might be better to say he forcibly pulled the space between them closer. Due to some unknown action of mana, Noel hurriedly raised her halo.

With a loud bang, the sword in Yeon-woo’s right hand flew from his grasp. The situation concluded and he collapsed heavily onto the ground.

Rough breaths didn’t allow the night sky to seep from his mouth. Seeing this, Noel muttered in astonishment.

“…What the heck was that?”

“Right? What was that?”

Yeon-woo chuckled lightly.

Literally, the insides of his body had transformed into a microcosm. An entire world, a singular egg, redefined and encased by new laws.

It was intriguingly close to the magic of bending the world with will or the principles of the Aura Blade, yet incomparable with transient phenomena.

“It’s just not fitting to do this boldly in front of others.”

It truly was the extreme of physical transformation. With the power that could, if necessary, turn into a monster, it felt like even the abandonment of being human was a form of courage.

(Continue in the next episode)

 

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