I received a check-up.
A mysterious regression of the body.
Even if I can’t prove the exact reason, I could potentially find out if there’s something wrong with my body.
“Hmm…”
“Um…”
Before the check-up, there was a small mix-up.
My master and Professor Riana had me sitting on the sofa while they exchanged troubled looks.
“A fairy…”
My master looked at the scene of fluttering wings with an awkward gaze.
I hadn’t paid much attention earlier, but now that I’m conscious, it’s a rather strange gaze.
“… You do look like a fairy.”
Fortunately, there doesn’t seem to be much resistance.
In fact, they looked like they accepted it, petting me in a way that was so affectionate it could chase away any anxiety.
With a sense of relief, I leaned into the gentle petting.
[Happiness]
[Loves being petted]
“…Is it alright to take her with me like this?”
Professor Riana glanced at me with a puzzled look, pointing to my back… more precisely, to the wings that were still clinging to me.
Three pairs of blue wings.
It’s the feather of the skies.
The feather of the skies is the first artifact I obtained, considering the purity of my mana.
After acquiring it, I’ve been feeding it mana consistently and soaking in the Lake of Mana to enhance its performance.
Then, it got attached to my back while being used as a medium for spiritification, and it remained even after the spiritification was released.
Remarkably, I can still feel the connection. It’s odd how the wings twitch at just the thought.
“…I don’t think it’s a problem, right? Sometimes, horns may sprout, wings may form, or skin color may change… It’s rare, but your body can become unique with the manifestation of inherent abilities.”
“Can we really categorize this and that as the same situation? Lee Ha-yul’s current state… seems a bit too blatant.”
Professor Riana’s green eyes calmly examined me.
“White hair and eyes like snow. The semi-transparent wings sprouting from your back.”
I also took a moment to observe myself.
My black hair had turned white, and the feather of the skies clung tightly to my back.
“Spirit affinity that allows free handling of spirits. Highly pure mana. An incredibly beautiful appearance… Hmm…”
From the beginning, I had high affinity for spirits, and the purity of my mana was indeed the same.
Beauty… that I couldn’t comment on, but there certainly were many aspects that matched.
Honestly, the keyword ‘fairy’ immediately popped into my mind.
How would it look in the eyes of others?
“I don’t know much about fairies. Fairies are extremely rare species. I’ve never encountered one while operating in the Demonic Realm, and I’ve only read a bit about them in books.”
As my master said, fairies are an exceedingly rare race.
They’re already extremely few in number, and their habitats are unknown, so little research has been done.
The only fairy habitats I know are the grounds of the Taesan Clan and the interiors of the African Demonic Realm.
Even those are hardly accessible.
Gaining permission to enter the area where the fairies live in the Taesan Clan isn’t easy without good connections.
It was only after I first got close to Lee Ji-yeon during the third trial and built up a strong liking that I could enter the native habitat of the fairies.
The Demonic Realm isn’t easy either. Though not as deep, they hide and reside well within a considerably deep area, making it challenging to reach them.
“But it’s quite well-known. Was it the Robeust Autobiography? It sold pretty well…”
The Robeust Autobiography.
It’s an autobiography written by a hunter who retired, a fairly famous figure in the industry, hence it gained notoriety.
The autobiography included stories of encounters with fairies.
When Seo-yul was born and I was searching for information, I read it too.
The impression left by the contents… was like a fairytale.
The story of a protagonist facing life-threatening situations in the Grayzone’s forest, and a small fairy who helped him out.
I don’t know whether it’s true or not. Even if someone met a fairy, I’m not sure if they genuinely received help.
The important thing is that the autobiography sold quite a lot, and as a result, the appearance of fairies became widely known.
Indeed, the illustrations of fairies encountered in the original work matched Seo-yul’s appearance.
Perhaps that’s why Professor Riana entered Shio-ram while hiding my appearance.
Despite Shio-ram being heavily guarded, she was allowed to pass immediately after showing her special admission certificate.
That’s when my master spoke up.
“Even considering that, it doesn’t seem to matter… I doubt the principal would be unaware of the situation.”
“That’s true. They wouldn’t have brought me in unaware, considering it’s a special admission. Or rather, did they bring me in knowing?”
“Well, whether it’s a fairy or a human, they’re quite similar when you leave out the wings.”
“If there is a problem… the vice-principal and Shio-ram will take care of it.”
“But how will you prove that you’re a fairy? If you claim that what’s on your back is an artifact, that’s the end of it, right?”
‘Ah?’
The discussion between Professor Riana and my master eventually revolved around how my race could become a topic of controversy.
While I calmly listened to their conversation, suddenly, the thought of claiming the wings were an artifact caught my attention.
‘… But they are artifacts, right?’
I don’t know how they got attached, but they are ultimately the feather of the skies.
The way they move is identical to the feather of the skies.
Equipped with a transformation feature, the feather of the skies moves according to my mental commands.
I found this feature incredibly useful.
If I leave it alone, it returns to a winged garment state, but if I manipulate it, it can switch freely between weapons and armor.
‘Hmm…’
I conjured an image and mentally commanded.
– Thud
“Whoa?”
“Uh?”
The sensation faded.
Professor Riana and my master’s eyes went wide.
“…They fell off?”
The wings dropped. The fallen wings transformed into a wing garment and wrapped around me.
‘This works.’
I blinked in surprise. It was easier than I expected. I should have tried this from the start.
“… This really isn’t a matter to debate.”
“Agreed…”
My master let out a deep sigh… then swallowed it back, pinching my cheek.
In the middle of everyone’s confusion at my youthful appearance, the examination began.
I had a small fear of being dissected due to my youthful appearance and the device that radiated discomfort.
However, with my master and Professor Riana standing firmly on either side, I was able to face the examination with relief.
The real problem came next.
“…Ha-yul?”
“Hiiing… Daddy…”
After the verification.
I faced Elia, who looked as disheveled as my master, and Seo-yul, who was tear-streaked and trembling.
‘Ah.’
Guilt rotted my heart.
Self-loathing banged mercilessly on my mind.
Everything turned pitch black…
.
.
.
I might have stirred up a lot of trouble, but the vacation isn’t over yet.
I had only stayed with the Gop-hwa Clan for less than a week.
I had been in China for quite some time.
I spent nearly ten days bustling about, and it took about a week to be found after going missing.
So, at the moment Professor Riana and I had entered Shio-ram, a little over a week remained of the vacation.
[Contact: Hong Yeon-hwa]
▶ Hong Yeon-hwa: You
▶ Hong Yeon-hwa: Just stay still in the cradle
▶ Hong Yeon-hwa: Don’t go anywhere
▶ Hong Yeon-hwa: Respond
▶ Me: Yes…
There are still many students who haven’t entered Shio-ram.
Hong Yeon-hwa and Baek Ahrin were among them.
When I went missing, the Gop-hwa Clan freaked out and dispatched troops.
… I couldn’t lift my head.
After all, someone related to a notable lineage went missing after colliding with a high-tier monster, so one can imagine how frantic the Gop-hwa Clan would be…
The Changhae Clan also dispatched troops.
This made sense too.
The Changhae Clan governs the northern part of the Korean Peninsula and the Manchuria region.
In essence, this incident surrounding the corpse occurred right next door in China.
To make matters worse, the leader of the corpses that surfaced was said to be a two-headed dragon.
The Changhae Clan was one of the groups that had suffered especially under the two-headed dragon in the past.
The toxicity and diseases from the two-headed dragon had also affected the areas of the Changhae Clan.
So, when the two-headed dragon seemed to have appeared again, it’s no surprise they would raise their troops out of trauma.
And, with Lee Ji-yeon, who got caught up in the incident with me, the Taesan Clan raised their troops as well…
And then I ended up slaying the two-headed dragon and going missing.
Not wanting to be idle, they probably continued the search as well.
In any case, it was during vacation, so Hong Yeon-hwa and Baek Ahrin, who were back at the main house, happened to be there.
However, I was rescued earlier than expected, and I was whisked away to Shio-ram at super-speed.
Hong Yeon-hwa would have liked to come immediately, but being one of those leading the troops, she was attending to a few matters before coming.
…
In any case, time was in a bit of a limbo.
I had intended to be in China throughout the vacation, but with the incident unfolding, I returned early.
I had no intention of wasting that time. Even if my body ended up like this, that didn’t mean I couldn’t train.
While I couldn’t move my body, I could still use my mind.
Especially this second semester, I was planning to focus on magic.
First-year second semester.
If the academic schedule continued as it did in the original work, I would gain access to the Floating Island.
There are various otherworldly realms filled with powers, but the Floating Island I’m thinking of is the one and only.
‘The Tower of Knowledge.’
The Floating Island I’m thinking of has the Tower of Knowledge.
The Tower of Knowledge is a tower that isn’t particularly known to the world.
People who know of it know of it, but few know it in detail.
The Tower of Space and Harmony has established the Association, the Tower of Growth has established Shio-ram, and the Tower of Observation has established the Observatory.
But the Tower of Knowledge never formed any specific organization.
It merely remained secluded on the Floating Island.
However, it did allow original players… special admission students inside.
‘If it follows the original story, that should be the case…’
Of course, there’s a possibility that it won’t follow the original story and would not let me in.
Even so, I intend to study magic.
I’ve been feeling a bit of a lack of magic lately.
Thus, I planned to dive deep into magic even during the remaining vacation.
And…
“Alright, our baby? Say Ah~.”
My thoughts were broken. A warm sensation touched my lips. A spoon filled with warm vegetable porridge gently tapped my lips.
The one presenting the spoon was Elia. She smiled brightly and urged me to open my mouth.
It felt a bit embarrassing, but it wasn’t something I could outright refuse.
If it weren’t for my current situation.
‘……’
I observed the surroundings with a slightly frowning expression.
No need to look far.
The chair I was sitting in. A toddler’s high chair.
Around my neck was a necklace that symbolized confession, along with a bib tied around my neck.
‘Oh my god…’
Also… Seo-yul was sitting next to me.
He looked similar to me.
‘No, when did he grow so much…?’
He, too, was… similar in proportions.
He had clearly been much smaller prior to the vacation…?
It was a pathetic feeling.
And a whirlwind of emotions I found hard to pinpoint surged through me.
Though it wasn’t something dreadful enough to be termed a negative emotion… it was just a feeling I couldn’t lift my head up from.
I kept my mouth shut and shook my head.
No matter how I thought about it, this doesn’t seem right.
Even if I look like an infant, and my intelligence may have dropped… this kind of treatment doesn’t seem justified.
[…I am not a baby]
[And I can eat─]
“Oh dear… it breaks my heart to see my baby suffering over the past few days. I feel like I’m about to cry…”
Elia suddenly began to fake-cry and wiped her tears with her finger.
‘……’
It was so over-the-top that anyone could see through the act.
However, what made it deeply sting was the memory of Elia’s state from a few days ago.
Her once fluffy blonde hair had become brittle, her face was ashen and dead, her spirit was in tatters…
Alongside her, Seo-yul snuggled in and fell asleep from exhaustion after crying…
– …Aww
“That’s right. My baby eats well and is so good~.”
I couldn’t dare to resist.
Warm porridge gently flowed into my reluctantly open mouth.
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