I skipped joint lectures for a while. It was possible because of the break period. During the regular term, it would have been impossible.
Of course, even during the break period, there were various difficulties, and there would be some minor setbacks in my growth… but that was my problem to handle.
I didn’t just skip without a word.
I submitted a personal training excuse letter to each professor, and when people around me asked if something was wrong, I made similar excuses.
Surprisingly, the permissions were granted easily.
The timing was right, and thanks to the diligent image I had built up over time.
Moreover, it wasn’t unheard of for cadets to take breaks for personal training.
Of course, the reason was just that, personal training.
[Seo-yul? It’s time to eat!]
“Food? Food! Gobble!”
[That’s right.]
[Come here!]
In reality, I spent time with the baby… Seo-yul in the dormitory.
I didn’t want to become the trashy guardian who, despite having a break, still roamed around without taking care of Seo-yul.
I picked up Seo-yul with movements I was getting quite used to.
“Nibble… nibble…”
[No rush.]
[Take your time; I won’t take your food away…]
I gently stroked the head of Seo-yul, who was happily sucking formula from a bottle in my arms.
His white hair twirled between my fingers, transmitting a soft texture that felt otherworldly.
‘……’
I was reminded again that Seo-yul was like an angel.
Not in the sense of his species, but his nature was just pure angelic.
I had no experience with childcare, but I had heard enough from stories and learned a thing or two.
Childcare is a nightmare.
Raising a baby is incredibly difficult. Even without direct experience, I heard about it all around me.
A baby has weak immunity, so cleanliness must be prioritized. You have to be mindful of what you feed them, and you have to consider the clothes if they have sensitive skin.
Their skin is delicate, and their bones are soft. Their weak bodies mean you have to be cautious about everything around them.
You must be ready for the unpredictable actions a baby can take at any time, and you have to soothe the baby who cries endlessly morning, noon, and night…
Just thinking about it for a moment reveals how much there is.
Taking care of a baby is incredibly hard. I knew that, so I steeled myself to spend sleepless nights during this break period.
“Ugh…”
[Are you sleepy? Do you want a nap?]
“Uh-uh…”
Seo-yul was not having any of that.
After finishing the bottle, Seo-yul squirmed in my arms. When I gently patted his back to ask if he was about to fall asleep, he shook his head.
From what I had gathered over the last few days, it seemed that he wanted to enjoy his current drowsiness without falling asleep.
Enjoying drowsiness implied that he was enjoying it in my arms.
If I put him down, it would rarely result in Seo-yul throwing a tantrum.
So, I had been holding him for a while. I sat on the sofa by the window, where the sunlight poured in just the right amount.
“Ah…”
At that, Seo-yul burst into giggles. With a bright smile, his wings fluttered gently. Tiny sparkles danced along the trajectory of his wings.
Not a human, but a fairy. So, I expected that the way of raising him would be different.
To my surprise, he was remarkably comfortable and calm.
Seo-yul rarely cried.
Of course, that was partly because I had been awake for 24 hours, and when he wanted something, he would either mumble words or crawl over to tap me directly.
Besides that…
Even though I hadn’t taught Seo-yul the language separately, he understood my words and acted accordingly.
He hardly had any accidents. I had diapers ready, but he had never pooped. He only had a few dribbles of pee.
Concerned, I inspected internally, but… I could only conclude that he absorbed nutrients almost entirely, leaving no waste.
“……”
Remembering that made my expression turn strange.
Even without teaching him the language, he understood and acted.
I understood my parents’ words even without separately learning the language.
He hardly had any accidents. That was because he absorbed most of the nutrients.
I was the same. The reason I went to the bathroom was just to deal with weak pee and clean myself.
– I thought Lee Ha-yul was not human but a fairy.
Human, not fairy. What a strange statement. Being suddenly denied my race made me bewildered.
Back then, I was too dizzy to think about it much, but as commonalities between Seo-yul and me began to emerge, it only complicated my thoughts.
‘…I’ll think about it later.’
Of course, my head was still dizzy and busy now. It was an enormously important issue, but… it was too soon to come to any conclusion. As always, I postponed the finalization.
– Ding-dong~
At that moment, the doorbell rang.
“Eek…”
Since I had known from observing before the bell rang, I stood up, and Seo-yul, who had been comfortably lying down, made a distressed face.
That face was so cute that I almost laughed.
Of course, if I did, it was obvious Seo-yul would get pouting, so I swallowed my laughter and tapped on the hologram projected from the wall.
– Drrrring… Click
The remotely controlled front door opened.
“Good morning again!”
[Good morning!]
A cheerful morning greeting. I responded to the energetic morning greeting I had been hearing steadily for a few days.
[Elia!]
A woman was removing her shoes at the entrance. Elia waved with a smile. She was holding a plastic bag that looked like she had done some shopping at the mart.
On the first day of the break, Elia accepted my request and has been visiting my dorm regularly since that day.
[Was there something else you needed besides what you bought yesterday?]
“No. I just bought some snacks and jelly, thinking you might be bored.”
She approached and took the plastic bag with a feather of a sky-colored wing.
“Ah, thank you.”
With her hands freed, Elia quickly took off her shoes and entered.
Then she saw something placed in the living room and had a peculiar expression.
“…Something has appeared overnight again.”
Though I expected it, she had an incredulous expression.
I subtly discreetly observed the dormitory.
Originally, my dorm was known for its bleakness.
The layout hadn’t changed since I enrolled; I hadn’t brought in different furniture like other cadets, and there were no additional decorations.
I didn’t use the dormitory much in the first place.
Now, however, it seemed quite lively.
The smooth, hard floor tiles were covered by soft mats, hiding most of the surface.
In the living room, which had just a table and one sofa, furniture fitted with corner protectors had filled the space.
The once empty kitchen, where all the cooking tools had been shoved into the cupboard, now had a fair share of utensils.
Also, with several pieces of furniture placed into the previously empty room, the dormitory that used to feel desolate now exuded a more inhabited atmosphere.
“This is… a crib? Could it be that…”
Elia lightly touched a newly formed piece of furniture and looked over here with a hint of hope.
I nodded slightly as if it was no big deal.
[Yes.]
[I made it myself.]
The few bookshelves in the now-furnished empty room, small tables and furniture sized for Seo-yul, and various wooden toys…
The crib Elia was touching and the clothes Seo-yul was wearing had all been crafted by me.
I made the furniture in the workshop I used, and the clothes for Seo-yul were stitched using my previous sewing experience along with additional techniques I had learned.
My proficiency as a Jack of All Trades had risen tremendously. I had practiced various skills like handiwork, woodworking, crafting, and so on.
It wasn’t complicated equipment or complex machinery; I could easily make furniture or toys myself.
Especially for the clothes, I had put a lot of thought into it. I had grown quite a bit since making Hong Yeon-hwa’s scarf, allowing me to inscribe various convenience and protective magic on them.
It was a bit cumbersome to do it with one hand, unlike before, but the results turned out to be pretty decent.
“Wow… I’m speechless.”
After hearing my explanation, Elia shook her head, seemingly at a loss for words, and reached in under Seo-yul’s armpits to lift him up.
At that, Seo-yul flinched and dove deeper into my arms in protest.
“Eek…”
“Seo-yul~ want to come to your sister? Hmm?”
The momentary power struggle didn’t last long. Eventually, exhausted, Seo-yul was lifted and embraced by Elia.
“Eek…!”
“Seo-yul, shall we let Dad rest for a bit?”
“Eek…”
“Good boy. Our Seo-yul is so good~”
Even while buried in Elia’s ample bosom, Seo-yul’s struggles gradually subsided at her words asking him to let me rest.
Elia smiled softly and patted Seo-yul’s head.
Seo-yul puffed up his cheeks but didn’t try to resist her affection.
What a remarkable improvement.
Seo-yul had outright rejected Elia and Professor Riana’s touches on the first day.
That’s why Elia had been consistently visiting my dorm.
As they kept meeting and getting familiar with each other, I could clearly sense Seo-yul’s rejection melting away.
Of course, I thought it was also because Seo-yul could feel Elia’s genuine care for him.
“How is Seo-yul’s status?”
A little while later, while eating the simple breakfast I prepared, Elia tilted her head and asked.
Currently, Seo-yul had no status. To be exact, he hadn’t been reported yet.
While I stroked a satisfied Seo-yul, who had returned to my arms, I replied.
[I was actually planning to talk about it today.]
[Could you please take care of Seo-yul for a bit in the afternoon?]
[I have to talk to someone about his status issue.]
There was a way to go about it.
.
.
.
A few hours later.
I opened the door to a café.
It wasn’t in the commercial district of Shio-ram but in a less frequented spot.
The glass door jingled cheerfully. The refreshing sound filled my ears.
The inside was spacious and well-equipped, but there wasn’t a single customer.
“Lee Ha-yul cadet, you have a reservation on the 2nd floor.”
The only staff member at the counter recognized me and greeted me.
I nodded and climbed the stairs next to the counter to the second floor.
Climbing the creaky wooden stairs and stepping into the spacious second floor, the sunlight pouring through the nearby window illuminated my body.
I sensed a presence.
Just like the first floor, there was only one person on the second floor.
Neatly combed hair.
Dressed impeccably in a black-and-white suit and wearing a luxurious-designed wristwatch on one wrist.
A man looking like the archetypal office worker.
He had been sitting with clasped hands, eyes shut, but slowly opened his eyelids.
His black eyes transformed into a neat, professional smile as he rose from his seat.
Though he tried to slide his chair quietly, a slight sound slipped into my ears.
I moved forward until I was right in front of him.
The man maintained his businesslike smile and cautiously extended one hand.
“It’s an honor to meet a hero. I am Maxwell from the Disaster Management Department beneath the Association.”
‘Maxwell.’
I mentally repeated the name, sharpening my senses.
My tactile and auditory senses heightened to catch every detail.
The feeling of fabric brushing against my skin, the wind and vibrations hitting my skin.
Even the distant rustling of leaves and the sounds of dozens of birds were clearly distinguishable.
And the presence I felt from the man was even more pronounced.
The sound of a heartbeat and the rhythm of his breath as he inhaled and exhaled. The undeniable presence that humans produce.
There was nothing particularly odd about it. The technique I called “Echolocation” found no dissonance with this man and the space.
That fact was a bit chilling.
I ignored the hand the man extended and continued moving. Soon, I reached the wall between the windows.
The presence I felt there was nothing to be concerned about. The sound of the wind hitting the outside wall was grounded in reality.
But the flow of magical energy felt oddly unusual.
I reached out and pulled the wall to the right.
– Krreeek!
The flow of magical energy wobbled. The information my senses conveyed distorted.
The presence of the man standing behind me vanished. The overall aura of the second floor changed.
The “door” I had only felt through the powers of observation opened.
The real second floor was revealed. In the center, the earlier man was sipping coffee.
Hearing the sound of the door opening, he turned his eyes and saw me standing at the entrance.
The man maintained his professional smile and rose from his chair.
Though he tried to push his chair carefully, a faint sound still reached my ears.
I stepped forward until I was right in front of him.
The man kept his businesslike smile and carefully extended one hand.
“It’s an honor to meet a hero. I am Maxwell from the Executive Department directly under the Association.”
After the Shipnah incident, the meeting with the Association, which had been postponed due to a lack of time, finally took place.
*
[Unique Ability “Magic Affinity” is growing.]
[Unique Ability “Jack of All Trades” is growing.]
…
[Player Enhancement System: Affection Level]
Lee Ha-yul → Elia Slade
●●●●●●●○○○(75▷76/100)
“Affection” “Gratitude” “Chick” “Apology”
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