Early morning.
“Bahhhh…”
Seo-yul stretched both arms towards me.
I had gotten used to this motion and hugged Seo-yul back. Seo-yul wiggled comfortably, burrowing into my embrace.
I wore a peculiar expression as I carefully examined the sensation in my arms.
The weight on my forearm felt heavier than before.
The body nestled in my arms had also grown larger.
Limbs stretched out, height increased; overall, he had just grown up.
No need to use the power of observation. Even a layperson could see the obvious difference.
That wasn’t all.
After patting Seo-yul’s back a few times, I carefully set him down on the ground.
And then—
“Waaah…”
Seo-yul… stood up on his two legs. His pure white hair flowed down to his back.
The soles of his feet pressed against the ground, his legs straightened out. They trembled slightly, but he was standing on his legs.
Just a few days ago, he was a crawling baby.
[Wow]
[Our Seo-yul is standing up?]
“Yes! I stood up!”
[That’s amazing!]
I smiled warmly, praising him and gently ruffling his hair.
‘Wow, he’s growing up super fast…’
I hid my astonishment inside.
Children grow quickly. Especially babies grow noticeably in a short time.
Seo-yul is a fairy. I knew they grow even faster than humans.
Experiencing it firsthand was quite bewildering in many ways.
Just a little over a two-week break.
In that time, a baby that was crawling suddenly stood up on his own legs.
Truly, a remarkable growth rate.
Even though I was astounded, all I could do was continue to praise Seo-yul for standing up.
‘What should I do about this…’
I felt a tinge of helplessness.
Seo-yul is growing at an astonishing speed.
His body is growing.
So it’s only natural that his mental faculties are growing too.
I had skimmed through some parenting knowledge, having not slept since Seo-yul was born.
Though my knowledge is still quite shallow…
I know how important the emotions and experiences a baby goes through during the first few years and the bond with caregivers are for emotional development.
Especially since he is a different race and growing quickly, it only makes sense to carefully look after him and teach him various things during this time…
“Ha-yul, are you ready? It’s about time to head out.”
[I’m all set!]
This pathetic excuse for a caretaker was about to be absent for the next month.
Elia, who opened the door to the empty room, was dressed not in casual wear or cadet uniform but in formal robes.
Unlike the neat and tidy cadet uniform, the attire was adorned and elaborate.
…The curves of her body were pronounced, which lessened the impression of luxurious adornments in various ways…
The formal attire was provided along with the cadet uniform but was only required to be worn on special occasions.
I wore the same outfit.
I swallowed a sigh that naturally wanted to escape and rose from my seat.
Seo-yul’s previously beaming expression turned immediately pouty.
His chubby cheeks clearly displayed his dissatisfaction.
“…That’s unfair…”
And unlike usual, tears shimmered in his white eyes, making my heart drop.
It felt like my heart was being torn apart. A sensation even more shocking than being clawed by Aelus.
[I’m sorry…]
Unintentionally kneeling, I hugged the very disappointed Seo-yul.
Today was the end of the break.
It was the day of the first semester’s closing ceremony.
…
“…Before we begin, I’d like to say thank you to those cadets who have worked hard to become heroes through body and mind this past semester.”
The ceremony was held in a massive auditorium.
The host was none other than the vice-president, just like during the freshman welcome party.
She stood on the platform, reciting the speech with her usual emotionless face.
Her voice, amplified by magical devices, echoed throughout the auditorium.
Unlike the freshman welcome party, this time it included not only first-year students but all grades.
Each grade was seated in separate areas.
The remaining sections were occupied by faculty, including Professor Riana and my mentor.
There were just over 600 first-year students, while the second, third, and fourth years were fewer in number. Some from the third and fourth years were not present due to outside activities.
Of course, they were still in the hundreds per grade, even if fewer than first years.
The auditorium was massive enough to easily accommodate such a large crowd but it still felt crowded.
With a fresh emotion, I employed my power of observation to scan the faces of the cadets gathered in the auditorium.
There were cadets from the Ipchun Class that I saw every school day and some prominent figures I hadn’t built a rapport with yet.
There were even some prominent figures I hadn’t encountered at all due to being in different grades.
Among those, two were particularly grabbing my attention.
‘Katsuki Yusei.’
The male cadet was characterized by hair and eyes reminiscent of gentle moonlight and a sharp appearance, recognized as a promising talent in the Three-sword Association.
Since he crashed into me during the freshman welcome party after getting hit by Hong Yeon-hwa, fainted, and later received a polite apology, we had had little interaction otherwise.
We only exchanged greetings every morning at best.
‘The Three-sword Association… incidents in the faction have happened during the first-semester break.’
The Three-sword Association is a faction representing the Japan region, and the same incident occurs every first-semester break.
If one gets entangled well, they can build good relations with the Three-Sword Association and its subordinate factions.
I had no time for that now.
Though I considered dropping a hint to Katsuki Yusei, I tossed it straight into the trash.
I didn’t believe I could get trust by blabbing about incidents that hadn’t even occurred yet, no matter how exceptional my background is.
Though there might have been some casualties, they weren’t many. Even when players didn’t intervene, things were solved just fine.
And… another person was Choi Ji-yeon.
Her brown hair tied back casually and her light green eyes were familiar sights.
She looked expressionless but had a subtle hint of boredom on her face.
Using my observing powers in detail, I inspected her closely.
The magic she possessed was very unique, naturally capturing interest without any need for thought.
Like how Gop-hwa wielded fire and Chang-ha wielded water and ice, Choi Ji-yeon’s magic exhibited the qualities of soil.
I had observed her unique “Taesan” ability, but since that wasn’t a thorough observation, I couldn’t collect proper information.
It was quite disappointing.
The earth manipulation properties of Taesan, along with its vitality and summoning arts, would clearly increase her power significantly.
‘Will I only meet her in the second semester?’
If things progress as planned, I would meet her then.
“…Next, we will have a ceremony for the cadets who displayed remarkable achievements. Those called up please step forward to the platform.”
The vacation ceremony was nearing its end.
After a brief speech, they would call up a few students, including top performers, to commend and award them.
The order began with first years.
Approximately ten students from each grade were selected to step onto the platform.
“Baek Ahrin. This cadet has shown outstanding achievements, including being the top student of the 121st class of Shio-ram, first in the mid-term written evaluation, second in practical evaluation, first overall, and the runner-up in the first-semester tournament, proving her qualifications to be heroes leading the future.”
“I will continue to work hard.”
Naturally, Baek Ahrin, the top student of her grade, stepped up.
After announcing the achievements of the cadet, she was lightly tapped on the shoulder with an antique magic wand.
It resembled a simplified version of a knight’s investiture ceremony.
“Hong Yeon-hwa. This cadet has also shown outstanding achievements, ranking second in the 121st class of Shio-ram, eleventh in the mid-term written evaluation, first in practical evaluation, second overall, and winner of the first-semester tournament, proving her qualifications to be heroes leading the future.”
“I will continue to strive harder.”
The first year featured both the top student and runner-up, Hong Yeon-hwa and Baek Ahrin.
“Katsuki Yusei. This cadet…”
“Lee Hyun. This cadet…”
Other prominent figures with whom I hadn’t yet built a connection were also recipients.
And then…
“Lee Ha-yul.”
I stepped up onto the platform as well.
Gazes suddenly turned towards me. I had felt many eyes on me while standing among the first-year students, but now the intensity was magnified.
Standing in front of the vice-president on the platform, her amethyst eyes calmly fixed on me.
After a moment of silence, her mouth opened, and the awarding ceremony continued.
“This cadet is a special admission to the 121st class of Shio-ram, ranking ninth in the mid-term written evaluation, third in practical evaluation, seventh overall, and reaching the round of 16 in the first-semester tournament—”
I felt a complex emotion from what the vice-president was saying.
Having crash-landed in this world and learned from the start, I felt satisfaction with my current results.
However, from the perspective of a future contender against the monsters that would ravage the world, I felt dissatisfaction with my current results.
‘…The latter feeling is likely the better emotion.’
It’s definitely better to feel dissatisfaction and strive harder than to be complacent and rest on my laurels.
As the vice-president concluded her explanations, I immediately prepared to control the pendant of confession.
I would just need to say the same words as those before me, vowing to continue working hard.
“─Having shown outstanding achievement, you have proven your qualifications to be heroes leading the future, so we commend these achievements.”
Tap— the wand touched my right shoulder.
The vice-president’s explanation had ended.
Now to receive the certificate…
“And also.”
‘?’
It didn’t end there; the vice-president continued speaking.
“Hero.”
From a cadet to a hero.
The title had changed.
“The hero selflessly sacrificed for the innocent and powerless facing the distant calamity that befallen you.”
Tap— the wand tapped my left shoulder. A sense of emptiness filled me as the drooping sleeves scrunched.
“This is the act of a hero that all will affirm, the trajectory of the legend you will create without a doubt.”
As the wand that had pressed my shoulders lifted, the vice-president grasped it with both hands.
“…Thus, on behalf of the director of Shio-ram, Vice-President Venus Litera, I bless the hero’s achievements in this moment.”
With those words, the vice-president bowed her head slightly.
A silence enveloped the auditorium.
And then—
-Clap clap clap clap clap—!
As if pre-arranged, everyone sitting in their seats began to rise one by one, starting to applaud.
The massive and countless sounds of applause filled my ears, akin to thunder.
In the midst of it all, I could hear the distinct click of camera shutters.
[Um… Ex…]
My mouth fell open in shock at the unexpected scene.
My mind felt dizzy.
*
[The Master of the Tower of Harmony nods proudly.]
…
[The Master of the Tower of Harmony subtly activates the ability “Harmony.”]
[Using points…]
[The Master of the Tower of Harmony modifies the system…]
[……]
[……]
[…failure.]
[The Master of the Tower of Harmony grabs their hair.]
[#^#$Damn!]
[*Done$!]
[Using points…]
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.
