Lee Ha-yul’s match was certainly a big shock for everyone, but if we’re just looking at the results, it was ultimately a 16th place elimination in the finals.
Of course, there aren’t many crazy people who would look down on getting only 16th, but still, that’s how it ended up when you just consider the results.
Artara didn’t particularly feel uncomfortable about it.
Above all, she had no intention of blaming Lee Ha-yul.
There was no reason to do so.
The opponent was the opponent, and she knew that Lee Ha-yul had done his best within his capabilities.
Blame? Nah, she should rather shower him with praise!
“…I’m sorry…”
“……”
That was what she intended to think…
But Artara struggled to control her trembling smile and turned her gaze away.
Right after the finals, Lee Ha-yul had quietly approached her. She figured he must have just met Elia’s family, who had promised to get closer after evaluation.
But now he was here looking all gloomy, with his head down, and she had no idea why.
Why was he cowering as if he expected to be scolded?
Why did he seem so sure that Artara would give him a tongue-lashing?
Next to her, she felt a gaze. When she turned her head, there was Riana looking at Lee Ha-yul like he was a piece of trash.
– “Why are you looking like that?”
– “He’s right in front of you.”
‘……’
In the direction Riana pointed was a hunched-over Lee Ha-yul. Artara couldn’t say anything further and shut her mouth.
With a complicated mix of feelings, she let out a deep sigh.
“Ugh…”
– Flinch!
Then Lee Ha-yul’s shoulders shook as his whole body trembled.
‘Ah.’
Artara finally realized her mistake and opened her eyes wide.
She had let out a deep sigh right in front of a scared kid expecting to be scolded…
– Gulp…
A muffled sound escaped Lee Ha-yul’s tightly shut mouth, and Riana shot her a horrified look.
Artara was taken aback and waved her hands.
She tried to correct the misunderstanding. No need to look so gloomy. There was absolutely no way she would scold him. After all, he had done well…
– “I don’t have any particular thoughts about being admitted through special measures. I’m not going to deny it with my eyes closed, but conversely, I’m not going to just accept it blindly either.”
She tried to clarify.
Suddenly, her past statement popped into her mind, freezing her in place.
– “Since it was the principal’s choice, I’ll accept it for now, but the truth is, I do have some doubts because nothing has been proven yet. Understand? If you were a normal student, that might be a different story, but as someone admitted through special measures, I expect a great deal from you.”
It was a statement made by her past self.
– “Not just me, but everyone else. The general perception is that way. Setting aside circumstances, you are the first and only special admission chosen by the cradle.”
She had said that in consideration of Lee Ha-yul’s position, as if trying to instill a sense of urgency.
– “You might be newly awakened now, but you won’t be able to use that as an excuse in the future.”
“……”
Artara’s complexion turned pale. Slowly, she began to realize why Lee Ha-yul looked so downcast.
Why he looked terrified, why… he thought she would scold him.
While Artara had forgotten her own words, it was clear that Lee Ha-yul remembered every bit.
Going in circles, it all came back to her past misdeeds.
“I-I’m sorry…”
Artara squeezed her eyes shut and hugged the trembling Lee Ha-yul tightly.
He had initially been bewildered by the sudden embrace, but eventually buried his face in her chest, seemingly relieved by her gentle touch.
When raising a child, every word has to be chosen carefully.
Artara suddenly recalled a line she had overheard in the past.
Given that Lee Ha-yul had such a tragic backstory, and was currently in a precarious situation, she had spoken harshly back then without thinking.
Feeling a murderous intent toward her past self, Artara hugged the squirming Lee Ha-yul tightly.
…An unhappy past.
Lee Ha-yul had lost his parents at a young age, just like Artara.
But Artara had immediately awakened as a superhuman and lived in a high-quality educational institution.
Lee Ha-yul, on the other hand, had to wander through back alleys with a body burnt from a fire before he could finally enter a run-down orphanage.
Even there, he couldn’t get the help he needed, and after that orphanage collapsed due to another fire, the next one was no better.
He must have felt an intense lack of affection in that kind of past, and the absence of proper education led him to lack certain common sense.
…That’s probably why he didn’t refuse when the heir to the Chaeha just hugged him.
Artara’s gaze fell, her eyes heavy with the responsibility of being a teacher…
There was also the aspect of needing to teach him such things.
Not just strengthening his combat abilities, but also imparting the knowledge one needs to live as a person.
That it’s only natural to reject being embraced by someone one barely knows.
Though she herself wasn’t exactly a perfect adult, those were certainly things she had to teach him.
Time passed.
While looking down at the peacefully sleeping Lee Ha-yul in her arms, Artara suddenly scanned the surroundings.
As she lowered the barrier, the empty VIP seating area came into view.
Riana had been caught up in scoring the midterms and had gone back, and the others had already left—nobody was around.
“……”
After a moment of contemplation, Artara got up.
Naturally, Lee Ha-yul held in her arms rose with her. As he stirred with the sudden movement, she comforted him and began walking.
It felt wrong to wake a child who had finally fallen asleep. Since he was already snoozing, it was better to let him be.
With that thought, Artara headed towards her lodging.
– Ding!
In the meantime, Lee Ha-yul’s holographic projector around his neck started beeping with an alarm.
Curious, she took a peek and saw a message from a contact named ‘Hong Yeon-hwa.’
“……”
– Cut
At Artara’s gesture, the hologram dimmed. Then she quickly silenced it with a few taps.
*
Old abandoned factories are scattered everywhere. Even if they talk about peace, small and big incidents are bound to happen.
One such abandoned factory was in Germany. The nearby city had collapsed for some reason, and the machinery that used to function actively had long since become useless scrap.
Even if someone wanted to steal from there, all they’d find were heaps of metal scraps, so not even thieves bothered with the factory’s interior.
A man leaned back on a creaky chair, looking indifferent as he swung his legs.
– Crackle…
He frowned at the irritating noise and turned his gaze.
In front of him was a rectangular object.
Its frame was black, and the central glass was showing a noise disturbance.
It was a communication device powered by electricity, one that hadn’t used any magical power since before the Great Cataclysm.
“Damn it.”
In other words, it was just a hunk of junk considered active hundreds of years ago.
The man shook his head helplessly at the fact that he was using a communication device that deserved a grand funeral rather than retirement.
Who doesn’t know about holograms these days? And who doesn’t use them?
From kids who haven’t grown out of baby fat to grandpas with wrinkled faces, everyone wears smartwatches on their wrists.
It’s a hallmark of modern civilization itself. Not knowing about holograms is treated as being a barbarian.
“Shit. I was once a precious family heir, you know…”
The man felt like a savage.
How did he end up in such a dump…
As he continued his small lament, the communication device that had been nothing but noise suddenly started transmitting an image. The picture quality was terrible, and the display was choppy.
The magical wave interference was messing with the signals.
Every time he looked at that screen, he couldn’t help but feel a wave of self-loathing.
He wanted nothing more than to get a smartwatch or at least a holographic projector, but that would instantly give away his location, and soon the enforcement teams would swarm in, so obviously, that was out of the question.
A decent citizen would use it without a second thought, but a lowly criminal like him had no choice but to escape.
With a deep sigh, the man stared at the screen with dry eyes.
The screen buzzed with movement. Views shifted, weapons clashed, magic was unleashed, and colorful sparks erupted.
It was a recording of the tournament’s finals at Shio-ram, which every year at this time stirs up a lot of noise.
It appeared to be a highlight reel. The man leaned back as he watched it.
“… Brings back memories.”
After a moment of nostalgia, the man felt a strange emotion.
He too had once stood on that stage, back in the days when he was considered a promising candidate and fiercely competed for the top position.
He recalled his past.
A prestigious family that was enough to take pride in.
Expectations and hopes pouring in from around him.
A confidence in the potential he felt within himself.
All of those memories became the fuel for his blazing fire.
A past filled with confidence and hope for the future.
“Ugh…”
And suddenly, he laughed at his current pathetic state.
He never thought he would end up in a situation like this.
Reality was a cesspool, a really shoddy one.
As he continued to stoop with laughter, the screen changed.
– Boom!
Suddenly, his heart raced. The man extinguished his smile and diverted his gaze.
On the screen, a peculiar figure appeared.
Eyes tightly shut, as if blind.
An empty left arm, discarded somewhere.
A frail body that looked like it could die with a single hit.
He looked like an unusually talented parasite who should be receiving disability benefits.
Moreover, contrary to that appearance, the figure dashed across the submerged stage with surprising agility.
“Is that him?”
Even though he was holed up in this corner, news still managed to reach him.
The special admission student of Shio-ram.
A next-generation figure brimming with expectations and hope from those who had no harm done to them.
A subject of chatter that was being monitored, as the trash of the surroundings suggested it needed to be cut off.
– Boom… Whoosh!
“Good heavens…”
With his heart pounding and trying to quell the rising embers, the man released a soft exhale.
Seeing something that had always lay dormant finally react wasn’t a total fuss, it seemed.
Of course, this wasn’t about vigilance, but rather twisted expectations.
Shaking his head, he pulled out a cigarette he’d stashed away in his pocket.
Whoosh… He flicked his finger to ignite it and brought it to his lips.
– Whoosh!
The sudden flare-up set the cigarette ablaze, leaving nothing but ashes behind.
“Damn it.”
With a scowl, the man looked down at his own stomach. That stupid flare-up had made it impossible to control the fire.
‘Damn it, it was a sail.’
Ruffling his hair in frustration, the man got back up, and the screen shifted again. The caption “Final Match” appeared at the bottom.
The man turned his head toward the screen. In the center of the stage, flames and tidal waves clashed fiercely.
“……”
His gaze pierced through the screen.
As time passed, the flames and waves dissipated, and the mist created by their collision slowly settled.
And then…
A fearsome looking Hong Yeon-hwa entered the man’s line of sight.
As he burst into laughter, he shook his head and turned away.
“Looks like that fiery temper hasn’t changed a bit.”
The glow of the communication device illuminated the figure of the man as he turned his back.
His fiery red hair, reminiscent of a burning flame, was a standout even in the dim abandoned factory.
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