Chapter 11
Training [Illustration]
Was it because of the Gift that my body was so sore?
My strength didn’t flow well through my body, and whenever I tried to move, I could feel a sharp pain.
In the end, that day, I had to lean on my father halfway back home.
Of course, my mother who was waiting at home wouldn’t have failed to question us.
―It’s good that there are no serious injuries, but why does it feel like I can’t even lift a spoon?
―Ah, you… no, dear. It’s all like that at first…
―Tell me honestly. Otherwise, I might not be around tonight.
―….
As expected, my father told my mother that he had almost killed me by putting me in danger.
―Gyunwoo, you’re the same.
―…I was wrong.
Of course, I felt guilty too.
Still, despite my poor physical condition, my father didn’t scold me harshly.
―I wanted to see the goblins too… I went without permission and got hurt.
Meanwhile, Yeeun grumbled after hearing the story late at the dinner table that day.
Knowing this, my father and I had to lighten Yeeun’s mood with a cake we bought on the way home.
If a cake could change the mood of our sulking family member, it was as good as a bargain.
And….
―Ugh….
―Goodness, the fever is up to 38 degrees.
The day after the real battle.
I had to endure a severe cold.
When I woke up that morning, my body felt heavy, and chills ran through me.
A recoil, a force I rarely tapped into, came in full swing as my instinct to evade kicked in.
I never expected the recoil from using my evasion instinct to be so intense.
“I should try to avoid maximizing my evasion instinct as much as possible…”
If I didn’t regulate my Gift properly, it seemed like my body wouldn’t recover.
Throughout that day, I received care from my family, vowing to myself.
“Sigh…”
Perhaps it was thanks to resting deeply that day.
My condition had significantly improved from the day before.
Now, my temperature had returned to normal, and moving my body was no longer difficult.
But I couldn’t purely rejoice in that situation.
“The weekend flew by.”
Suddenly, a new week had begun.
Monday morning.
Having spent the whole Sunday in bed, unable to enjoy a typical weekend, I reluctantly had to go to school.
“If I had even a slight fever, I could have stayed home today…”
Is there really anyone who enjoys going to school in this world?
At least I wasn’t one of them.
In my past life, I felt the same way.
As a child, I disliked going to school, and as an adult, I detested going to work.
Especially on Mondays, the start of a new week, I felt extremely gloomy.
“Come to think of it, if I add my past life, I’m basically attending elementary school twice.”
Darn it, why did I think about that.
Recalling memories from my past life made it easier to understand lessons, but I couldn’t feel happy about it.
“Sigh…”
Laon Elementary School, 5th grade, Class 3.
As soon as I entered the classroom and sat at my desk, I collapsed onto it.
Was it because I still had a cold?
Or was it because I came to school?
I felt no energy in my body.
I let out a sigh while lying face down.
At that moment, a thud came from the adjacent seat.
“Why are you like that? Are you in pain?”
“Oh… Hey, Nayoung.”
I raised my head.
Nayoung, who had placed her bag on the desk, was looking down at me with concern.
Seeing her for the first time in two days, I managed a wry smile.
Then I urged her to sit down quickly.
In response to my gesture, she sat down without taking out the books from her bag.
“I was a bit sick yesterday. I had a bad case of the flu.”
“Out of the blue? How did it happen? Did you take medicine? Are you okay now?”
Yeonnari asked in surprise.
Her eyes widened and her ears perked up at my unexpected reaction.
She seemed so startled that she bombarded me with questions.
I found myself oddly pleased by her reaction that I hadn’t anticipated.
“Well, actually, I had a real battle over the weekend.”
“A battle? What do you mean?”
“Fighting monsters.”
“Ah… Is it okay for us at our age? Isn’t it dangerous?”
“Well, I’m from the Shingeom Do, so. All my peers have fought, but I hadn’t done it yet.”
“Still… It must have been very dangerous. Did you get hurt anywhere?”
“I got grazed in a few places, but most of it was healed with healing magic.”
“Why most? Shouldn’t it all be healed with magic?”
“Well… Healing magic is, in a way, borrowing future recovery abilities. So, it’s not good to rely too much on it. If the wounds are not hindering daily life, it’s better to wait for them to heal naturally.”
“Let me see.”
From Noble mtl dot com
“…Here.”
Yeonnari leaned towards me.
As if she was going to check where I was injured, she examined me here and there.
I reluctantly showed her the shallow yet long wound on my arm.
Yeonnari touched the wound and then spoke.
“I have a bandage and ointment in my bag. Should I get that?”
“It’s fine. The wound has already healed, so no need. But why do you carry those with you?”
“I used to get hurt quite often.”
“….”
“Although not so much lately.”
She avoided going into detail, but I could vaguely sense the reason for her frequent injuries.
Even though it seemed like the teasing had stopped as we entered fifth grade, it appeared that there were times in the past when she got hurt from being teased.
I decided to pretend not to notice, respecting her reluctance to talk about it.
At that moment, she rummaged through her bag and took out a bandage and ointment.
“Come here. I’ll do it for you.”
“You don’t have to.”
“It will heal faster this way, quickly now.”
Yeonnari spoke as if scolding me.
Unable to resist her insistence, I extended my arm with the wound for her to treat.
She grabbed my arm and started applying ointment to the wound.
“Normally, you should disinfect it too.”
“It’s already healed, why bother…”
“Tsk. Just listen to me.”
“Fine, you do it yourself.”
It’s okay even if you don’t put it on for real.
I quietly looked down at her, who was bowing her head, showing her rabbit ears.
She was so focused on looking at the wound that she didn’t even notice my gaze.
Not long after that…
“Okay, all done. Finished.”
Yeong-ha raised her bowed upper body.
On the wound, there was a band-aid with a white rabbit drawn on a pink background.
* * *
“So, how did you end up catching a cold?”
“Well, you know…”
After that.
I briefly explained how I ended up catching a cold.
After hearing the whole story, she let out a relieved sigh.
“It’s good that you’re feeling better now. Be careful not to get hurt in the future. How are you feeling now?”
“How do I look to you?”
“You seem a bit low on energy.”
“Yeah, I feel that way too.”
“Did you take your medicine?”
“I took it in the morning. This one’s for lunch.”
“Don’t forget to take it later.”
“Then remind me when the time comes.”
“No, I…”
Almost falling onto the desk, I took out the medicine from my pocket and shook it.
Yeong-ha, who had opened a book to read during the ceremony, glared at me with her lips pursed.
Soon, she relaxed her expression as if she had no choice.
“Okay, I’ll remember it for you.”
“I’d appreciate that if you remind me.”
“If you need help, just tell me. Since you really look like you’re in pain, I’ll make an exception for today.”
Making an exception for today…
As I leaned my head against the pencil case, I paid attention to Yeong-ha’s words, which were spoken with force.
My gaze soon turned to the rabbit ears proudly displayed above her head.
“…”
At that moment.
Curiosity and mischief surged within me.
“In that case…”
“Yeah, just tell me if you need something.”
“Then, can you let me touch your ears?”
“…What?”
Young-haneul, who was tilting her chin as if bragging about granting my request.
Right after that, she seemed to pause as if the accident stopped upon hearing what I said.
She stared at me intently.
“W-what did you just say?”
A flustered expression crossed her face.
“Touch my ear, please.”
Finding her reaction amusing, I decided to push on with it.
I thought, ‘If it doesn’t work out, then so be it, but if it does, that’s fine.’
“Touch my ear? Why?”
“I feel empowered when you touch it.”
“….”
“I’ve thought about it since the first time I saw you, that I wanted you to touch it once.”
“Are you meeting me for this?”
“What are you saying? I met you because it’s you. Why would I have met you to touch your ear? Besides, ears have earlobes too.”
“….”
“Can I touch it?”
She blushed in surprise, then used both hands to grab the elongated ear and pressed it against her head.
I suppressed the urge to laugh at her visible reaction.
Part of me felt regret.
‘Judging by how embarrassed she is, I should probably give up on the touching.’
Maybe I should have gotten a bit closer and talked more.
I decided to brush off whatever she might say next as a joke.
But her hesitant words went beyond my expectations.
“If, if you let me touch….”
“….”
“Will it really empower me?”
“Uh… Of course?”
“Why the doubt?”
“You haven’t touched it yet.”
“….”
“No. If you touch it, it’ll empower me.”
Young-haneul’s expression was creasing.
I quickly backtracked on what I said to try to change her mind.
Did my efforts pay off?
“…Okay, I’ll let you touch it. Go ahead, touch.”
Guarding against me, Yeonhae’s lips, pressed against her own ear, gave permission.
“Really? Can I really touch it?”
“In return, you must promise not to say anything else. Just say you don’t like it… that’s all.”
“There’s no need to worry, nothing like that will happen. I promise.”
“And just touch it for a moment. Don’t touch it for too long, okay?”
Yeonhae emphasized repeatedly.
I nodded my head without hesitation.
There was no reason not to take the opportunity to touch the rabbit’s ear, which was larger than Mongshil’s.
Eventually, I stiffened my shoulders and reached out my hand towards her, who was hunched over.
Finally, my fingertips touched the rabbit’s ear.
“Oh… it’s soft, fluffy.”
“Uh… don’t rub it too hard, just touch it gently. It’s sensitive there.”
“I might get addicted to this.”
“Still, you can’t. Stop now… Ah!”
Yeonhae made a disgusted sound.
Ignoring that sound, I continued to touch the rabbit’s ear aimlessly.
* * *
Embarrassing. Too embarrassing.
Yeonhae, who had allowed Dogyeonwoo to touch her ear until the ritual began, couldn’t lift her head properly due to shame.
‘Why is he so good at touching?’
It wasn’t like that when she touched herself.
Even when people in the orphanage occasionally touched her out of curiosity, it wasn’t like that.
Was it because he raised rabbits?
When Dogyeonwoo touched her ear, there was a different feeling.
Was it because he raised rabbits?
Was it because he raised rabbits?
Was it because he raised rabbits?
Was it because he raised rabbits?
Was it because he raised rabbits?
Was it because he raised rabbits?
Was it because he raised rabbits?
Was it because he raised
Embarrassed to death, Yeonha didn’t even notice that Dogyeon was propping his chin up and yawning during the class.
“Annoying.”
Of course, he wasn’t really annoying.
If he had been, she wouldn’t have let him touch her ear from the start.
“But it seems like you’ve perked up a bit.”
Yeonha covered her mouth with a hand holding a sharp pencil and smiled gently.
Dogyeon, who seemed lackluster just this morning, now looked better after touching his ear.
Although not fully focused on the class, he wasn’t nodding off during class anymore.
To tell the truth, Dogyeon was just trying to perk up as lunchtime approached, and he couldn’t sleep now just because he had been sleeping too much since yesterday.
She, who had lost her composure in embarrassment, attributed all of this to herself.
And somehow, that made her feel good.
“Should I let him touch it occasionally in the future?”
She even had such a thought.
That was precisely when Dogyeon approached her.
“Why are you staring at me like that?”
“Huh? When did I?”
“You’ve been staring since earlier.”
“I, I wasn’t staring….”
“Oh, really? Maybe it was my mistake.”
“….”
Was it because she had been staring too intently?
She ended up getting caught by Dogyeon.
She was taken aback when Dogyeon unexpectedly spoke to her during class, and hastily changed the subject.
Without pressing further, Dogyeon moved on with a slight hmph.
Yeonha felt that Dogyeon’s response was oddly mature.
“Is it because he seems so relaxed?”
She wasn’t sure.
Occasionally, Dogyeon emitted an atmosphere of someone the same age as hers.
On the other hand…
“I’ve been thinking, how about you and me becoming hunters together?”
“What?”
Very occasionally, or rather, frequently.
Dogyeon would blurt out random things, creating a mischievous atmosphere that would bewilder people.
Just like now.
“….”
Becoming hunters together.
For something as crucial as deciding a person’s future, it was a surprisingly casual tone.
Yeonha blinked, unsure of how to respond.
Perhaps realizing his explanation was lacking, Dogyeon added belatedly.
“I think you have the potential to be a hunter.”
“Do you think I have talent? How do you know?”
“I can tell because I’m from a prestigious family.”
“….”
It seemed like a lie for some reason.
She was curious about what he might say, so she decided to step forward and listen.
“First of all, being an Ain, your physical capabilities will surpass others.”
“Hmm… any other reasons?”
“You seem likely to handle magic well. When I see the mana you naturally emit, it feels quite dense.”
“But I’ve never intentionally emitted mana…”
“All living beings unconsciously emit mana.”
“….”
“I can sense it because I know how to handle mana.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Hmm…”
It didn’t seem entirely true to her…
Yeon Haneul narrowed her eyes, trying to uncover his thoughts.
But she couldn’t figure out what he was thinking.
In the end, she returned to the initial topic and pondered about Do Gyunwoo’s proposal.
‘A hunter….’
It wasn’t something she hadn’t considered.
Twelve years old.
In seven years, when she turned nineteen, she would have to leave the orphanage.
At her current age, with the slim chance of being adopted as an Ain, she needed to prepare to live on her own in seven years.
In that sense, being a hunter could be seen as the most financially rewarding and favored profession for her to pursue.
In reality, for an Ain to live what society would deem a successful life, the choices were extremely limited.
‘It’s not that I haven’t thought about it…’
Of course, Yeon Haneul had also considered it.
If she were lucky enough to receive sponsorship, becoming a hunter could potentially reduce the costs needed for training.
However, there was one issue…
“Can I really do it?”
That was the question.
As someone who had not gone through mandatory mana control training in middle school, she had never dealt with mana before.
It made her uneasy.
Would she really be able to do it?
Moreover, hunters had to engage in life-and-death battles against monsters.
It was natural for her to worry if she would be mentally strong enough to handle such fights.
In response, Do Gyunwoo seemed unfazed.
“You can do it.”
“….”
“I can assure you. Once you become a hunter, you’ll be with me anyway.”
“That…sounds about right?”
“I’ll be right by your side, so don’t worry even if you can’t do it. I’ll take care of everything.”
“….”
What aspect of himself made him so confident?
She stared blankly at a friend she knew yet couldn’t quite understand.
But strangely, when she listened to his words, it really felt like it would turn out that way.
For some reason, a corner of her heart felt secure, and trust settled in.
She felt like relying on him, wanting to believe and lean on him.
Yeon Ha-neul fidgeted with her rabbit ears, responding with an indifferent tone as much as possible.
“Okay then, you’ll be responsible.”
Bold I ses.