It took a bit of time to calm Seo-yul down.
“Hey, Seo-yul? You can’t do that to other people, okay?”
– Grrr…
Seo-yul, curled up in Elia’s arms, bared his teeth and even let out a growl from his throat.
I was secretly shocked by his behavior, reminiscent of an animal threatening its enemy.
‘What, why is he acting like this?’
Seo-yul, showing unexpected wariness towards Hong Yeon-hwa.
This was the first time Seo-yul had shown such a guarded attitude.
Of course, he wasn’t very friendly when he first met Elia either.
He looked all grumpy and displeased, but it wasn’t to this extent.
When he first met his master a few days ago, he seemed to have no major objections at all.
There was some minor hesitation, but it could be understood as the wariness a child feels towards a stranger.
As for Professor Riana… he was unexpectedly friendly.
Instead of keeping his distance and glaring, it was the first time he approached gently and peered around.
It was Riana who first allowed petting, hugging—skinship in the quickest and most comforting way.
‘Is it because she’s a spirit mage?’
Fairies and spirits. I can’t exactly define it, but they likely have some sort of familial connection.
Seo-yul is a fairy, and Professor Riana is a spirit mage with strong spirit affinity. It’s not surprising he feels some familiarity.
The same goes for Elia. Elia, too, might have easily gotten close thanks to her spirit affinity.
‘…Familiarity?’
I tilted my head at the sudden feeling of discomfort.
Familiarity… a sense of something warm and comfortable…
‘I feel like that too…?’
When I first met Elia… even if I put it nicely, I was in a bad state of mind.
A shut-in dragged into a bizarre game world.
If I didn’t wear my glasses, my blurry vision turned completely dark, and strange spatial information flooded my mind.
My heightened senses could precisely hear the whispers around, catching every glance that was aimed at me.
It was more attention than my frail mind, cooped up for nearly a year or two, could handle.
It wasn’t that there weren’t people trying to help, but a few times, I had startled and run away.
I didn’t do that with Elia.
From the moment I first scanned the area with spatial perception, I felt no rejection.
Even the gazes and sounds I sensed were not uncomfortable.
Despite feeling some calmness… I was tense but didn’t run away and sought help.
‘Professor Riana was…’
I think it was similar back then.
There was no sense of rejection from the start, I felt ease and warmth.
Professor Riana was the first to apologize and said to ask for help with anything I needed, but I had even asked her for help with mana training first.
Looking back, it was quite unusual for me to seek help from someone else.
‘……’
It’s hard to describe how I feel right now.
“What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”
As I unknowingly made a sulky expression, I felt a touch on my cheek.
It was Hong Yeon-hwa’s hand, coming close.
Her hand, filled with concern, made me flinch.
“Yeah?”
I observed Hong Yeon-hwa shyly.
I could discern the shadows under her eyes, or her slightly tired complexion… traces of mental anguish.
I couldn’t help but wonder who caused that mental anguish. Who made her go through hardships by searching for me in China?
It must be because of me…
Even in the midst of all this, seeing her show concern instead of anger filled me with guilt…
Hong Yeon-hwa said nothing more and only quietly stroked my cheek.
After watching her for a moment, I cautiously opened my eyes.
My heavy eyelids lifted to reveal distasteful gray eyes.
The information I was observing intertwined with my vision.
A foggy world entered my sight.
In the middle of that grim fog was the bright red figure of Hong Yeon-hwa.
“Uh?”
“Huh?”
“…What?”
Sounds of confusion and astonishment filled the air around us.
Hong Yeon-hwa, unconcerned by it, reached out and pulled me into her embrace.
The soft sensation wrapped around me.
The milky scent that had been tickling my nose suddenly surrounded me.
Soon, the warmth of the whole world enveloped me, and I felt like I would melt away.
“Don’t you have anything to say?”
With a gentle pat on my behind, Hong Yeon-hwa asked.
Her bright red eyes seemed to stare at me as if she wanted something.
I knew what she wanted. I gulped and rolled my tongue.
“I’m sorry…”
My voice sounded awkward at this point.
After being closed off for so long, my words stumbled out.
My eyes were the same. Keeping them open made them feel dry and tremble.
“Hmm, are your eyes or throat not hurting? You’re not overdoing it, right?”
“I’m fine…”
That was somewhat embarrassing, but when Hong Yeon-hwa smiled brightly and cheered up, I felt happy too.
I was scared of being scolded severely or making her feel bad, but it seems that wasn’t the case.
A sigh of relief brought an unintentional smile to my face.
At that moment, Hong Yeon-hwa slowly lowered her head.
Her breath drew closer, and her fragrance grew stronger.
Hong Yeon-hwa’s face entered my sight.
– Smooch
A soft sensation brushed my lips. It was moist and warm. It was a clear show of affection that made my body shiver.
“…Ugh.”
Soon after, the warmth faded.
I felt a pang of longing, almost letting out a gasp.
“…What…?”
That was when it happened.
I involuntarily shuddered as a dark voice lodged itself into my ear.
I turned my head toward the source of the sound but was met only with the thick fog.
Yet, the power of perception caught my master wearing a stunned expression that looked like the world had crumbled.
“Umm.”
For some reason, Hong Yeon-hwa wore a triumphant smile.
– Crunch!
A chilling sound emerged from my master’s mouth.
…
“Did kissing suddenly let you see and speak?”
A while later, after managing to compose himself, my master listened to the circumstances and wore a bewildered expression.
It looked like he couldn’t believe his ears.
The reactions of others around us were similar.
Elia tilted her head in confusion, while Baek Ahrin looked puzzled, seemingly deep in thought.
“If it’s a psychological issue, I guess that could happen… maybe?”
Professor Riana cautiously shared her opinion, but even she didn’t seem very sure of it.
‘Hmm…’
I understood their reactions.
I would be skeptical or confused too.
But I couldn’t exactly explain it.
After all, I had no idea why the curse was, even if only a little, lifted.
At the time, emotions were running high… My mind was a mess, so I overlooked it, but even now, no clear conclusion came to mind.
The best guess I could make was… right after that kiss, my senses opened up, so that might be the cause.
The surroundings became quiet.
It seemed like everyone had a lot to ponder.
I also had much to consider. Rather, I should call it anguish.
‘…Should I reveal the curse?’
Should I say it was a disability or mention the sealing of taste and smell?
It was a subject I’d debated at the beginning of the first semester, and back then, I concluded just to keep it hidden.
A short-lived curse.
Even if I spoke of it, there’s no way to prove it. Not even the association could find a single curse through their detailed examination.
Curse of sensory sealing and curse of silence.
I could prove the existence of the phenomenon… but I had no way to explain it as a curse instead of a disability.
Moreover, I couldn’t bring myself to tell Hong Yeon-hwa, who was looking at me with concern and anticipation while holding out sweets and asking if I was satisfied… ‘Actually, I can’t taste anything.’
So, I hid it.
I judged that there was no need to cause confusion by speaking about it.
After all, it was a curse that would reveal itself in the future, and if I couldn’t lift it, I would just end up dying alone somewhere, so I kept it a secret.
I regret that choice.
It was a lie I concocted after some thought, but ultimately it returned as regret.
Even now, if I keep my mouth shut, it might come back with even greater remorse in the future.
I steeled my resolve.
I can’t continue to hide it.
Though I can’t reveal everything, I should at least speak about the curse.
It’s hard to prove, but if I assert it sincerely, they would believe me.
[Actually…]
– Ugh!
The reason I couldn’t open my eyes was because of the… curse… was it…?
‘Huh?’
The words stopped.
The confession necklace abruptly halted.
No, did the world stop?
‘What stopped?’
My senses felt weird. There was no touch. The warmth disappeared. I couldn’t hear anything. There was nothing. It felt hollow.
Everything around me was pitch black.
I couldn’t see anything.
Perception revolved.
– Creak, creak—!
It was grinding. The gears that had been moving normally got tangled and stopped. A harsh burst of sound rang out as sparks flew. My mind went blank—
Thoughts slowed down. Like gears stuck with foreign objects, my thoughts were grinding to a halt. Awareness faded. My brain, which had brightened, began to melt away.
– What, is—
It’s—
The world—
What?!…
Something like distorted gibberish echoed.
A faint sensation conveyed itself. A gentle hand covered my “eyes.”
Something wrapped around me.
『Restoration』
The continuous thoughts came to a halt. The melting brain stuck back together, and the creaking thoughts restarted.
In an instant… or what felt like infinity without recognition, a sudden event transpired. It didn’t make sense to me.
‘What was that?’
My mind was hazy. I didn’t know what just happened.
『…Child』
A voice came from behind.
I recognized it, but I wasn’t sure.
Rather than calling it a voice, it felt more like intention. It sounded like something was directly piercing into my head.
It felt more familiar than I expected. It was like the sensation of conveying intent—like telepathy—when I called for spirits.
But it felt far more advanced than that.
『Child』
Whose voice was that?
『Don’t recklessly mishandle your body』
Who is speaking?
『…Just don’t wander into too dangerous places』
Why does this feeling seem familiar?
…
My head spun.
The mana around me rippled chaotically.
“─?! …! ─!”
“─! …! …! …!?”
“…! ─! …!? …!”
My head throbbed. The sounds ringing in my ears became overly complex.
What’s happening? What have I been going through since earlier…?
I tried moving my body.
‘Oh.’
I couldn’t move. And come to think of it, my body felt damp to the point of being sticky.
Inside me, an emptiness lingered. As if my insides were scraped out, I felt completely hollow…
I turned my perception.
And there I saw my bloodied self and the surrounding people, utilizing every means to heal and wailing.
‘What the hell.’
More chaos, huh?
*
[The curse of silence is activating.]
[The curse of solitude is activating.]
…
[The Tower of Growth’s main character intervenes.]
[The curse of silence(?) is activating.]
[A large amount of points is consumed.]
…
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