A storm had just passed.
The dormitory, once filled with wailing and screaming, was now enveloped in a heavy silence.
“What just happened…?”
Atra said, brushing her hair back. The thick jealousy that had surged within her was burnt away in an instant.
It was that intense… that chilling.
Everyone in the bedroom understood what just occurred.
A multitude of colorful-haired individuals had entered, but the bedroom was spacious enough to accommodate them.
Their gazes were fixed on the bed.
There lay Lee Ha-yul, sleeping soundly as if nothing had happened, while Seo-yul clung to him tightly, still sobbing heavily.
Saying they were just asleep might be a stretch.
Usually, one wouldn’t call it sleep after they’ve gushed blood everywhere and lost consciousness.
“Well… could it be some kind of restraint?”
Liana replied, her complexion pale from the storm.
“Lee Ha-yul must’ve been trying to convey something, right? But then suddenly stopped, his body shook like he was having a seizure, and he started coughing up blood… Was it a backlash from breaking some restraint?”
“Restraint? Who put such a backlash on someone like him, and when? Most importantly, the subject of the restraint must be aware of the conditions…”
Liana and Atra had gathered a wealth of experience from their time on the front lines of the African Demonic Realm. They had seen those under restraints, though rarely.
Thus, Atra questioned back.
Restraints were exceedingly hard to impose in the first place, let alone a strong one like this.
The scene still vividly replayed in her mind.
Blood gushed out like a river.
Blood frothy at the mouth, with chunks of unidentifiable flesh spilling out whenever he coughed.
His whole system twisted and shattered, trembling as if in the midst of a seizure…
‘……’
As she recalled this again, Atra felt a pounding headache that threatened to knock her out…
For such a strong restraint to exist, what kind of process must have taken place? And how did Lee Ha-yul come so close to revealing a secret without knowing the conditions?
More importantly…
“He healed right after the backlash… No, he regenerated at super speed, didn’t he?”
“It’s not like he was given a drink and a disease… What the hell?”
After turning into a bloody mess from the backlash, his wounds suddenly regressed as if time were rewinding.
They’d checked multiple times, and he was in perfect health.
The backlash that ensues from breaking a restraint.
Usually, it would leave the one who broke it in a semi-disabled state or dead.
Yet here he was, swamped with pain but then healed back up?
Shock death from the pain? If that were the case, it would be better to simply kill him outright.
“…We can’t even be sure it was a restraint. He simply coughed up blood and collapsed…”
“Good grief…”
None of them knew the exact reason. The mood darkened.
They all were aware that Lee Ha-yul had some secrets, but none imagined it would result in such a scene.
Hong Yeon-hwa was burning with anxiety. She felt an unbearable guilt as if it was her fault Lee Ha-yul had ended up like this.
In the past, she had probed a bit about the secret, and now she wondered if that’s what triggered this result…
Eliah, standing beside her, felt the same heavy heart.
The image of Lee Ha-yul spewing blood like he was about to hurl his insides out was still fresh in her mind.
No matter how many healing spells were cast, the blood simply wouldn’t stop, and the sight of his skin growing cold with labored breaths turned her pale…
“Could it be a curse?”
A voice broke through the silence, drawing everyone’s attention.
With that unsettling word, their faces stiffened.
Long, aqua hair that flowed to her waist and clear blue eyes—Baek Ahrin, who had been silent and lost in thought, shrank at the sudden attention on her.
“Conditions can be established while the subject remains unaware. There are many types of curses like that.”
“Considering that the subject doesn’t know the conditions, it could very well be a curse,” Liana nodded.
“But can a curse manifest such backlash and fulfillment conditions? It shouldn’t have enough power for that.”
“If it involved meticulous preparations beforehand along with sacrificial rituals, it might be possible. More importantly, if the backlash is strong but not fatal, then it could be a curse with both non-lethal damage and regenerative conditions added.”
Liana and Baek Ahrin were leading the conversation.
The others listened in, lacking enough expertise to join in.
The exchange flowed fluently, and Liana’s eyes widened.
Baek Ahrin’s knowledge about curses exceeded imagination.
Surprisingly, she grasped the mechanics and conditions of curses even better than Liana, who had thought she knew them well.
“A curse… You seem to know more than expected about that area,”
Liana said.
Though Sio-ram taught about dark magic as well, it was often looked down upon. They didn’t overly persecute it, however, as completely ignoring it meant losing knowledge on how to deal with it too.
Thus, educational institutions offered courses on dark magic, but they weren’t popular. Most only learned how to counter it rather than understand the actual mechanics and fulfillment process.
Advanced courses were practically nonexistent.
However, Baek Ahrin seemed well-versed even in advanced knowledge.
“Ah… Well, there are no downsides to learning,”
Baek Ahrin replied with an ambiguous smile, twisting a strand of her hair with her finger.
“I had some personal interest as well.”
*
Sometimes, humans ponder the reasons for their existence.
Why was I born, or what must I achieve in the future?
Typically, there isn’t a particular reason for a human’s birth.
It’s rare for someone to be born with a specific background or to achieve something.
Most humans don’t have a purpose behind their birth; they aren’t born for utility.
They may be created to slice and stab away the darkness, but humans are not so easily fixed in purpose.
“Hiiing…”
But Seo-yul was different.
Tears hung heavily by her eyes. Emotions swirled inside her.
The young Seo-yul couldn’t quite define the whirlwind of feelings that surged within her.
The common factor was the presence of sorrow.
Far removed from happiness and joy.
On that darkened night.
Awakened by the world’s sorrows, Seo-yul hurriedly turned her head to find Lee Ha-yul.
He was nowhere to be seen.
Lee Ha-yul had snuggled close to Eliah, fast asleep on the opposite side.
Using Eliah’s arm as a pillow, his face nestled against her side as he breathed evenly.
“Eng…”
Seo-yul fluttered her wings.
Avoiding Eliah’s touch, she nestled between them, wriggling her way into Lee Ha-yul’s embrace.
Although she had shrunk to smaller than him, Seo-yul didn’t mind and buried her face snugly into his chest.
The comfort and warmth that enveloped her.
The yellow human… Eliah may have been quite cuddly, but this felt infinitely happier.
A few months ago, an expression that might be considered too much.
In a form of an egg, Seo-yul was fixed in place, not yet hatched, waiting in a daze for the one who would bring her to life.
Time had passed, though she couldn’t say how long.
Her fuzzy consciousness and instincts merely awaited the moment to hatch.
Then came a jolt.
The presence of the one trying to awaken her.
At that moment, Seo-yul was assured.
No special thoughts about it.
There was a small glee at the thought of finally hatching but no overwhelming joy.
Before she was even born, she understood what it meant to be a fairy knight.
She was a shield, sword, spear, and armor to protect her master.
Designed to be born solely for the safeguarding of her master, with an absolute primary purpose.
The future she would live was already set.
As the prior fairy knights protected their masters, she would mature rapidly into adulthood.
During this time, she would learn various skills for defending her master.
After becoming an adult, she would remain at the master’s side for life, playing the role of a tool.
While thinking this, she felt a gentle touch brushing the surface of her egg.
The delicate, cautious caress and the warmth washing over her struck something within Seo-yul.
The fairy knight, who hadn’t even been born yet.
For Seo-yul, who had formed her cold identity through instinctual knowledge without experiencing the world, those feelings were overwhelmingly intense… and soft.
‘Is this… the master…?’
The master she had envisioned seemed different.
Rather than being cold and composed to lead, their action of holding the egg was warm and kind.
Embracing her gently, the emotions of protection made their waves very affectionate.
– Shall I take a tiny bite?
The crimson human, a woman forged in flames, was about to consume her.
– Let’s just try a bit. It’s so big; what’s there to worry about? Right? How does it sound?
It wasn’t an empty remark. The fairy’s innate sensitivity caught the sincerity in the red woman’s words.
The red woman really intended to break the egg’s shell and eat the unhatched Seo-yul…
– That’s right. Frankly, doesn’t Ha-yul also wonder how it tastes? If something weird pops out in a drawing, it’s a loss. The shell seems to have contents; let’s cook and try it out.
There was also a yellow woman. Contrary to the instincts of friendliness, her words were downright chilling.
Of course, the yellow woman was mostly joking, but her message wasn’t without truth.
When they talked about cracking the egg, removing the contents, grilling them on a pan, or cooking the egg whole over a fire, they envisioned a terrible fate for Seo-yul…
Facing such threats, Seo-yul trembled in fear from within her egg.
Protecting her from these threats was the master.
Smaller and frailer than the other two humans, holding the egg firmly while protecting her desperately from the threats.
After her birth.
Despite being too young and weak to defend her master, Lee Ha-yul expressed boundless affection and took care of Seo-yul.
He named her, draped her in soft clothing, held her close to prevent her from shivering with cold, and fed her warm food so she wouldn’t go hungry.
Every night, he would hold her until she fell asleep, soothing her gently until she drifted off with a smile waiting when she opened her eyes.
That was a profoundly moving and happy affair, although it also brought a deep sense of helplessness.
Before being a young girl, she was a fairy knight.
How could she, a fairy knight sworn to protect, be receiving protection from her master?
The essence of the fairy knight resisted. A fairy knight born with a mission should not have happened.
Where had the prior fairy knights gone? Why was the master enduring persecution alone? Where had the others of her kind gone?
These were matters that a fairy knight shouldn’t have to ponder.
Seo-yul was born as a ‘fairy knight’ designed to protect her master.
She had a role.
A reason for her existence, a purpose she must achieve during her lifetime.
The protection of her master.
That was the only goal of a fairy knight.
“Daddy…”
But to a young fairy knight, only a year and a half post-hatch, reality was far too cold.
Seo-yul had not yet matured into adulthood, and the master still faced threats in a desperate battle alone.
Much as she resolved to fulfill her mission, Lee Ha-yul frequently found himself on the brink of death.
With time, Ha-yul’s vitality waned.
Seo-yul was absent, and there was nothing she could do.
Even now, she watched helplessly as Lee Ha-yul bled out right in front of her.
Her ability to throw herself like meat shield to protect her master was stifled.
Seo-yul couldn’t suppress the emotions, rubbing her face against Lee Ha-yul’s back while whining.
‘This won’t do.’
Seo-yul bit her lip.
There were numerous excuses she could offer, but the harsh world wouldn’t understand.
‘Quickly…’
She had to grow.
Fairy knights were among the fastest maturing fairies. To utilize her in battle, she needed to become an adult as quickly as possible.
But even the time slipped through her fingers like sand.
Seo-yul had no leisure to hang around.
She recalled bits and pieces of the information recorded in her mind, picking out necessary details.
With a flap of her wings.
Wings signify the uniqueness and special qualities of the fairy species.
They perform various functions, not just serving as beautiful attractions.
Seo-yul gently turned her gaze.
Floating in the air was a blue fabric… the artifact belonging to Lee Ha-yul, the Sky’s Feather.
Also, it was Lee Ha-yul’s Wing.
Seo-yul stretched her wings and touched Lee Ha-yul’s wings.
They shivered. Soon after, ‘information’ began to flow in bit by bit through Lee Ha-yul’s wings.
‘Faster…’
She rapidly absorbed the necessary knowledge to mature into adulthood.
This was two days before the start of the second semester.
*
[The fairy knight ‘Seo-yul’ is resonating.]
[The growth of the fairy knight accelerates.]
…
[Player enhancement system: Measurement initiated.]
…
｢Mi?｣ : ?
｢Fairy?｣ : ?
｢Mental Damage｣ : Significant mental trauma.
｢Incomplete｣ : Split apart and incomplete.
｢Life Drain｣ : Life force has diminished to nothing.
…
[The 「Curse of Solitude」 is activated.]
[「Curse of Solitude」: Pain cannot be shared.]
[The 「Curse of Silence」 is activated.]
[「Curse of Silence」: No help can be sought.]
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