Elia and I enjoyed a brief moment of reunion happiness.
I stealthily moved to a different spot, dodging the gazes of those around us.
It was just about time for the lecture to end, so there weren’t any issues with the timing.
We settled on a bench in a nearby park.
Perhaps because most lectures were underway, there were hardly any people around.
This meant I didn’t have to worry about anything.
Elia, who had taken a seat first, pulled me into a hug, and I didn’t resist, simply going along with it.
Before I knew it, I was lifted up and seated on Elia’s thighs.
“Ha-yul… I can’t tell you how much I’ve wanted to see you.”
[I wanted to see you too.]
A gentle hand tugged at my neck, and I buried my face into her soft flesh.
It was big, fluffy, and warm… I smiled bashfully as I stretched out my arms.
I hugged Elia tightly and buried my face deeper into her embrace.
[Hehe.]
I couldn’t express how much I missed this cozy embrace from the Tower of Knowledge.
Thanks to Lady Ariel’s care, I managed to hold on, but before that, I couldn’t help but think about it constantly, making my head spin.
Feeling that realization now, I truly understood I was back.
“What’s this outfit? Wow, it really suits you well! It’s a perfect match for you and Ha-yul.”
As we continued snuggling for a bit, Elia suddenly murmured as she rubbed my sleeve.
I pulled my face away from her embrace, resting my chin on her chest as I replied.
[Ariel… The Tower Master of Knowledge gave me this outfit.]
“Wow, the Tower Master of Knowledge! You met them in person?”
[Yes, I met them directly and received teachings in magic too.]
“Oh, I see… They personally taught you? The Tower Master must be a wizard, right?”
[Yes.]
I had informed Elia and others of my destination.
Thanks to this, they didn’t seem overly surprised when I shared that I met the Tower Master in person.
“That’s amazing. I thought all the Tower Masters were reclusive, but it turns out they can be met?”
In truth, it was surprising but not shocking for them.
At the same time, Elia tilted her head, as if finding it fascinating.
‘…So they’re people we can meet… Well, that’s the general perception of the Towers.’
The commonly known Towers were four.
Growth, Space, Coordination, Observation.
Out of these four, none of the Tower Masters showed themselves.
At most, they communicated through representatives.
The Vice-President of Shio-ram, members of the Magic Association, and the Observation Tower had their own decision-making bodies.
The Tower Masters had disappeared for decades or even centuries.
Their records were sparse in history books, and it seemed they were intentionally erased from the available data.
Many had never even seen a shadow of a Tower Master in this generation.
‘…Maybe they used fake identities like Lady Ariel.’
Before I fell off the floating island,
I had been sitting at the edge of the floating island, swinging my legs while checking information on my smartwatch.
Ariel Segnis Ternovia.
There was no historical information about such a person.
However, there was information about her other identity… the founder of the Magic Association.
‘Only the Tower Masters of Growth and Space had substantial historical records before becoming Tower Masters. Even those were mostly significant events, with little detail on minor stories.’
Neriel Claidya, the Tower Master of Growth, was a wizard known as the “Silent Sorceress” even before that.
I found out that she received this title because of her exceptional silent-casting magic.
– My specialty is magic. Despite being a spell-caster, I’m a half-silent sorceress…
‘……’
In any case, the Tower Master of Space was also a renowned hero at the time.
The classification of heroes and superhumans wasn’t precise back then, but by today’s standards, they were probably akin to mercenaries.
They occasionally took on requests to hunt monsters and sold items they obtained by exploring dungeons.
“Indeed… the floating island was up there, huh?”
While I pondered over this, Elia continued to pet me, prompting me to share my recent experiences.
Honestly, there wasn’t much to convey.
I briefly mentioned the existence of the floating island above Shio-ram, where the Tower of Knowledge resided.
I had entered there, met the Tower Master, and studied and trained in magic… that was about it.
My initial visit to see Elia had been a coincidence.
After showing off my vertically evolved magic skills on the floating island and playing with golems,
I found Elia unexpectedly right below me while considering whether to head to the mansion.
It seemed that the professor was absent, so I jumped down to Elia.
“But, Ha-yul.”
[Yes?]
That was when Elia, who was chiming in nicely, suddenly spoke up.
“That Tower Master of Knowledge… is she a woman?”
[Yes.]
I tilted my head, unsure why she was asking, and quickly nodded.
At first, I had referred to the Tower Master as Lady Ariel, so she must have inferred from that name.
“Ah, I see.”
Elia nodded as if she finally understood, and at that moment, I felt myself being lifted up suddenly.
Elia had picked me up effortlessly.
[Elia?]
“Hmm…”
Then she abruptly buried her nose into the nape of my neck, taking a whiff.
A breath brushing against my neck sent shivers down my spine.
After sniffing for a while, Elia pulled away and nodded.
“Indeed, that’s why this unfamiliar scent was so noticeable?”
[Huh?]
“And it’s quite strong… It’s as if you’ve been rubbing against someone for days straight.”
[What?!]
[Awkward.]
I froze at her sudden… remarkably accurate guess.
“Was the Tower Master sweet and caring… well, did she have a big chest too? So you’ve been spoiling yourself for a whole month?”
At my reaction, Elia looked at me with a teasing glare.
Feeling her gaze, I trembled slightly and rolled my eyes sheepishly.
I didn’t feel entirely negative about it.
Though it was a teasing tone, it was mixed with playfulness…
[Ah.]
Suddenly, I recalled something I had almost forgotten.
It was like a light bulb lighting up in my head.
I quickly sealed my mouth and opened a space pocket, putting my hand inside.
“Huh? What’s that…?”
Elia, who had been staring at me with a pout, widened her eyes when she saw what I retrieved from the pocket.
With a flick of my wrist, I loosened my grip and let what I held cascade down like a waterfall.
“A pendant?”
Elia said, a bit dazed.
The silver chain part of the pendant shimmered in the sunlight as it fell.
[Just a moment.]
I made sure to check its status one last time before nodding in satisfaction.
The material and the spells were all functioning normally.
– Click.
I unclasped the chain and stretched my arms toward Elia’s neck.
…Though a bit short to reach.
I scrunched my face and leaned closer to Elia.
Thump… my chest bounced back slightly due to her larger size, but Elia supported my bottom, allowing me to get my arms around her neck.
I then gently brushed her luscious hair aside, revealing her delicate, flawless white neck.
Carefully, I clasped the pendant around her thin neck.
– Click.
The sound rang clear as it fit perfectly.
I pulled away from where I had been firmly held and tugged on the pendant gently.
With a soft clang, the pendant’s yellow gem gleamed brightly on her ample bosom, reflecting dazzling sunlight.
“What’s this…?”
Elia blinked, momentarily stunned.
She tried to reach for the pendant but hesitated, her fingers twitching as she turned her gaze back to me.
[It’s a gift.]
[I made it myself.]
“You made this… yourself?!”
Her surprised eyes sparkled as she poked playfully at the confession necklace still adorning her neck.
[I received this too.]
[So I wanted to give you something in return.]
When I received the confession necklace, I was over the moon with joy.
After so much hardship, losing an arm and trudging back, this was a gift handed to me.
Rather than feeling like a divine gift masked in pain, I was simply thrilled beyond belief.
“No, but that’s… a return for saving my brother, isn’t it? The one who should rather be grateful is me…”
Elia’s face showed rare confusion.
Surprise, joy, and awkwardness swirled in her eyes, leaving her bewildered.
She fiddled with the pendant’s chain, uncertain about what to say.
[Ugh… I don’t care about that.]
Her response made me briefly roll my eyes before burying my face back into her embrace.
[It’s just because I wanted to give it to you, Elia.]
[It’s too troublesome to question the reasons behind it.]
It’s usually the case that gifts come with reasons, but sometimes there aren’t any.
Sometimes you just want to give, and can afford to do so.
It wasn’t a stretch for me to give it.
I could craft it in just a day or two, tapping the strings meticulously enough to cause a small nosebleed from focusing on the spells.
“Ha-yul…”
Elia gazed at the pendant, then turned her eyes towards me.
The light in her yellow eyes sparkled brightly.
“Seriously… are you doing this on purpose?”
– Ugh…
Then she tightened her grip, pulling me deep into her embrace.
My face was completely buried in her flesh.
Warm air wafted into my nose, heated by our closeness.
Unfortunately, I didn’t catch any scent of warm comfort.
I figured Elia would probably smell faintly of milk.
– Thump…! Thump…!
The sound of her heartbeat resonated charmingly within her body.
[Joy.]
As warmth surged through me, carried along from our touching skin, I relaxed, stretching my arms to hug Elia back.
[I’m happy that you like it, Elia.]
“Hah… you really make it hard to resist. Ha-yul, you’re not planning to ditch me later, are you?”
[?]
What’s that out of the blue?
I jerked back, my buried face now visible as my curiosity spiked.
[What do you mean by that?]
Ditch someone? Who? Who would I leave behind?
Unintentionally, I tightened my grip on her.
Seeing my shocked expression, Elia smiled gently.
“Well, that makes me feel better.”
[Huh?]
“The feeling of possessiveness in you is palpable. That’s good, but…”
Elia smiled again, glancing down at her body.
In that moment, I realized the sky’s feathered wings that had been hovering behind me had vanished.
[Oh?]
The once-stretched wings of the sky now wrapped around her waist and limbs as if to envelop her.
Though it must have felt constricting, Elia mischievously stroked the sky’s feathers, appearing utterly at ease.
“Hah… okay, I’ll try to hold off for just a bit longer.”
Elia mumbled something I didn’t quite catch before brushing her lips against mine.
.
.
.
Around the time lunch had just passed.
Because of that, everyone had gone out.
Students went off to attend lectures, and the professors, including Sir and Professor Liana, seemed to be out as well.
I desperately wanted to see them, but they seemed busy, so I held back.
After all, I’d get to meet them by evening, so it was just a matter of holding on a little longer.
Seo-yul, too, had been going around various play facilities with Ariel recently.
Now that he was getting bigger, I believed it was important for him to interact with peers, even just a bit.
Unlike me, I hoped Seo-yul wouldn’t face communication issues…
Of course, he was hiding his identity and wings.
He also carried recognition-disabling magic tools and other means with him.
Now that my magic skills had improved, I could probably cast recognition-disabling spells myself.
“Ahrin is in her room right now.”
However, there was one person.
Baek Ahrin had stayed back at the mansion.
“I heard she’s been feeling unwell for a few days. And since yesterday, she’s been skipping lectures.”
As I stepped into the mansion, Elia looked up at the ceiling with a worried expression, mumbling.
I nodded in agreement at her expression.
[I’ll check on her and come back.]
[With Gop-hwa and other abilities, I might be able to help too.]
“Oh, Yun-hwa did something similarly with Gop-hwa, but she might just be sleeping right now.”
[Sure.]
[Thanks for letting me know.]
After telling Elia to wait a moment, I climbed the stairs toward Baek Ahrin’s room.
I opened the door.
The door opened smoothly without the common creaking sound, leading me into the room.
A chilling vibe struck me.
“Hah… hah…”
On the bed, Baek Ahrin lay still under the covers.
The blanket was pulled up to her neck, and her breathing was shallow.
Though the blanket rose and fell, the motion seemed oddly sluggish and still.
I moved closer to the bed.
Even though I didn’t try to conceal my presence, Baek Ahrin remained fast asleep.
As I got closer, I sensed an intense chill that felt difficult to perceive through observation alone.
‘…Is this the Trial of the Sea? No, that doesn’t seem right…’
The holder of the Seawids possesses both chill and water energies within them.
Though they might lean towards one side based on their innate qualities, usually, they possess both.
However, right now, Baek Ahrin was nearly exclusively channeling all water energy into chill.
Her breath was visibly cold, and even standing nearby made me shiver.
‘Hmm… did Yun-hwa already use Gop-hwa?’
I stroked my chin, pondering.
…
The answer came quickly.
Steeling myself, I reached out.
– Tap tap…
I pulled back Baek Ahrin’s covers, deftly unbuttoning the pajamas she wore.
*
[Player Improvement System: Affection Level]
Iha-yul → Elia Slade
●●●●●●●●○○ (83▷84/100)
「Affection」 「Gratitude」 「Cow?」 「Chick」 「Kindness」
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