-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 29
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Thump. Click.
Different footsteps echoed as Cheonseong walked with Kali.
The atmosphere between them had significantly changed compared to before they entered the instructors' exclusive dining hall.
"..."
"..."
A silence where neither spoke. An eerily quiet atmosphere permeated the air.
Yet, they matched each other's pace.
Before, Kali had led the conversation, creating a comfortable ambiance. Now, a strangely peculiar atmosphere hung between them... making it difficult to speak rashly.
He glanced.
Cheonseong felt uncertain even as he subtly cast his gaze on Kali, who walked beside him.
Kali had suddenly stopped him.
She had spoken to him, looking flustered to anyone who saw her.
'Cadet Han Cheonseong? There's a... place I'd like you to come with me for a moment.'
But she hadn't actually told him where it was.
Although he was currently moving at Kali's pace, the suddenness of the situation had flustered him too.
'Should I take it that my words were well-received?'
The embarrassing, shameful words he had uttered.
They were partly to cover up an accidental slip, but more than half of them had been genuine. Since those words, which he couldn't repeat if asked, had seemed to land well, perhaps Kali was taking him somewhere now.
Just as he thought that, his gaze met Kali's.
"..."
Her red eyes held a strange flicker.
She then offered an awkward smile.
"I apologize first. Cadet Han Cheonseong, my behavior must have seemed a bit sudden to you, didn't it?"
As she spoke very cautiously, he immediately smiled and replied,
"No, not at all. I should be the one apologizing. It ended up looking like I unilaterally got up and left. I should have waited to hear your answer clearly before getting up…"
He had tried to give her space, thinking she might prefer to be alone, but looking at the situation, it seemed he had been rude to her.
"No, don't worry about that at all. I'm not the kind of woman to nitpick over such things. And back then, I thought you were being considerate of me, Cadet Han Cheonseong."
"...Thank you for seeing it that way."
As he replied cautiously, he felt much more at ease.
Unlike before, Kali's attitude towards him was careful, but judging by her demeanor, it was clear that his words hadn't been received negatively.
Still, he couldn't help but feel a sense of regret at this change.
'I liked Kali when she spoke so freely.'
The way she approached him without reserve, the way she smiled playfully and casually spoke to him – the flutter he felt then was still vivid.
But now, it seemed to have vanished. Kali's charm lay in her unintentional closeness, yet now he sensed she was deliberately trying to keep her distance from him.
Then she gave a soft smile, and despite himself, his gaze was drawn to her.
"And. To belatedly explain where we're going, it's definitely a place you'll like, Cadet Han Cheonseong."
"A place I'll like…?"
"Yes. In fact, it's a space any Academy cadet would love. Honestly, after hearing about yesterday's sparring match and talking with you directly like this, I wanted to do something for you... To be truly frank, this would be showing favoritism towards you, Cadet Han Cheonseong. But since discrimination is commonplace in the Academy, it should be fine."
Kali's voice was gentle as she continued.
But the more he listened, the more questions filled his mind.
It was clear from her words alone that she thought highly of him.
The indirect mention of favoritism, and the promise to do something for him, sounded very subtle to him.
'Where are we going that she's talking like this?'
There was no immediate place he could guess.
She could just tell him clearly where they were going, but Kali was deliberately trying not to reveal it.
Then, Kali's eyes crinkled in a small smile, as if she were anticipating his surprised reaction… which made it difficult for him to ask.
"Well then. I'm very much looking forward to it too."
If Kali was building up the suspense like this, it must be a place of considerable value.
He figured he'd find out once they got there.
"Yes. You really can look forward to it."
Seeing her smile a little more naturally at his words, a smile also escaped him.
'Indeed.'
A beautiful woman was even more beautiful when she smiled.
***
After re-entering the Academy grounds, Kali slowly guided him through various secret areas accessible only to instructors.
It took quite some time to get there.
They walked for nearly twenty minutes after leaving the dining hall before finally reaching their destination.
Click.
As he gazed at the space he had arrived at, he felt an indescribable shock.
"This place is…"
He opened his mouth blankly, unable to believe it for a moment.
A training room entirely composed of blue. And within it, various items emitting mysterious lights, their purpose unknown.
Everything felt unfamiliar, yet ironically, he had a strong sense of recognition.
He had certainly never seen these things before, but he knew, to some extent, how to use them.
Of course... he had to know.
This was the place the protagonist of this world, 'Leonhardt,' would enter around the middle of the novel.
This was the very space that would greatly help Leonhardt overcome crises when he faced powerful enemies.
It was...
—Kali's personal training room.
It was even referred to as 'protagonist correction.' This was the training room Leonhardt had made good use of with Kali's permission.
"Cadet Han Cheonseong. You probably don't quite understand what's what inside this training room, do you?"
Kali asked, looking at his surprised face as if he were cute. He could only reply awkwardly for a moment.
"Ah, yes… There seem to be so many fascinating things… It's simply astonishing."
He knew many of the magic engineering items he saw before him, but he couldn't let on that he did.
It made no sense for a cadet who had just enrolled this year to know about this space, let alone the items within it.
Everything here was something Kali had acquired through her own achievements.
Click.
Taking a step inside, Kali pointed around and smiled brightly.
"Honestly, each and every item in this training room will seem wondrous and astonishing to you, Cadet Han Cheonseong. But in return, they are incredibly valuable items. Among instructors, only those with a considerable reputation… though it feels awkward to say it myself, those who have shown great achievements on the battlefield, can apply for these expensive magic engineering items."
Kali, speaking with a slight hint of pride, looked adorably out of place for her age, despite being older.
She seemed like a delighted child showing off her possessions, and he couldn't help but express genuine admiration for her words.
"Magic engineering items… that's incredible."
Just because he knew such items existed didn't mean he wasn't surprised.
No, in fact, knowing made it even more astonishing.
—Discrimination is rampant in the Academy.
'Discrimination' was one of the core keywords of the novel *Groa*.
And it wasn't just practiced against the Academy's 'cadets.'
Various forms of discrimination clearly existed even for instructors in very high positions within the Academy. High-ranking instructors received treatment commensurate with their status, and the Empire provided almost unprecedented support to instructors who had excelled on the battlefield.
Kali's achievements on the battlefield were truly overwhelming.
It wouldn't be strange at all for her to receive not just one, but several expensive magic engineering items as support.
"Hmm… what would be best for Cadet Han Cheonseong?"
As Kali pondered, looking at the various items around her, he felt his heart swell even as he watched her.
'…This is insane.'
His emotions surged, thinking words he couldn't possibly utter aloud.
He had to consciously suppress the corners of his mouth from curling upwards.
He immediately understood what Kali was trying to do for him, or rather, what kind of help she was offering.
Of course, he knew this place. He couldn't help but know.
He knew all about what training Leonhardt had done here, how he had grown stronger, and how he had overcome crises and hardships.
And now. There was no law saying he couldn't become as strong as Leonhardt.
Even if his trait was 'Common,' becoming stronger wasn't impossible.
"If you're new to using magic engineering items, you'll need time to adapt, Cadet. So I'm quite conflicted. I'm really sorry, Cadet Han Cheonseong. Could you wait just a moment?"
"N-No, it's fine!"
His voice trembled for a moment without him realizing it as he spoke.
More than all the moments today when Kali's charm had made his heart flutter… his heart was pounding even more madly now.
Thump!
Thump!
It was a truly unexpected, massive opportunity.
Even as he watched Kali fiddle with the strange, light-emitting pale green object, or the peculiar gray gem the size of a finger joint, or various other expensive magic engineering items, his heart showed no sign of calming down.
He wanted to tell her what was best, his mouth itching to speak, but he absolutely could not open it.
He had to accept whatever Kali offered him.
And even that alone would be more than enough for him, perhaps even excessive.
"Ah, this should be good."
Then, as Kali finally seemed to make a decision and smiled softly, his gaze inadvertently fell upon a pair of earrings held in her hand.
They were beautiful earrings adorned with rubies.
'What are those?'
He had never seen them before either.
What he had really hoped for was either the pale green object or the gray gem, one of the two.
But what she had chosen was a completely different magic engineering item.
And then, Kali approached him with a gentle smile.
Click.
Click.
As the distance between them closed, he found himself simply staring at her.
He waited patiently, assuming she would explain everything herself.
Click.
...But as the distance grew closer than he expected, his body seemed to freeze.
"Cadet Han Cheonseong. Excuse me for a moment."
At her enchanting voice, which sounded like a whisper in his ear,
Thump!
His heart fluttered once again, but for an entirely different reason.