NOVEL NEXT Chapter 110
Raphae Cheong-gwan.
My dorm room.
With just about ten days left until the shortened vacation, I had almost finished my moving preparations.
Dum dum…
“Grade B, Lev Denec here. I came to submit my promotion application.”
“Grade B, Lev Denec… Oh my.”
“?”
“Normally, I can’t tell you during the semester, but currently, Lev is designated for special promotion.”
“Oh.”
“You won’t have to take a separate promotion exam. Before the course registration period, a Grade A promotion notice will be issued.”
Phew…
If there’s one good thing, it’s that I’ve saved time preparing for the promotion exam.
Well, considering how much I’ve been hanging around…
Maybe there’s someone from above watching me, just like Edwin said.
Hmm…
“Instructor Sylvester… or Professor McClone? …Whatever, what’s the point of thinking about it?”
Sigh.
With my few belongings neatly stacked against one wall, I sat on the bed and checked the letters that had actually arrived for Lev Denec.
“Fewer than I thought.”
The letters I had seen on the day of my possession—
—————————————————
“Lev Denec, the sixth son of the Denec family. What kind of trouble did you get into to lose to a farmer’s child in the entrance exam? There ought to be a limit to how much you disgrace the Denec name… Furthermore, this incident has jeopardized the arranged marriage. It seems the day when I can call you my son is not far off. You are my only blot on the family.”
—————————————————
Rustle.
After this kind of letter,
—————————————————
“…A marksman from a magician family? You’ve really lost it! How far are you going to go as my child?”
—————————————————
There was only one letter filled with curses.
Then, starting from the dungeon investigation practical—Fire Evil incident, the content became calmer.
—————————————————
“…I heard you’re receiving a reward in Hwangdo. You stubbornly refused to back down, just like me…”
—————————————————
The most dynamic change came during the Hwangdo episode when Aveline tried to pull me into the Guild.
—————————————————
“…I’ve heard rumors that the Balantes family has been paying close attention to you recently. Aveline herself is showing interest, huh? Maybe that’s why people from Divine Valhalla came to visit our mansion! You should return to your family soon. We’ve decided to trust you one more time.”
—————————————————
Like father, like son.
The change in attitude is professional-grade.
Well, the Denec family was just an average magician family until Lev Denec came along and began the downward trend.
From a parent’s perspective wishing for their child’s success, this kind of ambition or content is not strange at all.
I gathered the letters and organized them, then unfolded the last one.
—————————————————
“…The absence of a reply means… are you now ignoring me too? Are you not even thinking about returning…? For the sake of your arranged marriage! You should come back!”
—————————————————
‘Arranged marriage and all…’
In a typical romantic comedy, the fiancé would transfer to the Academy or something like that would happen.
‘Forget it.’
I tried to shake off my thoughts and sprawled out on my bed.
‘Starting tomorrow… Black House.’
And farming for crossbow bolts…
Was it that there were too many things going on, or was it that I had fewer things to think about?
For the first time in a while, I was able to fall into a deep sleep.
*
The next day, Sellafi Black House.
After the recent Tobiel incident, the Academy had provided renovations and expansions for Sellafi Black House.
Though there might not be many students riddled with demerit points like Lev Denec originally was,
Formally, first-year freshmen would be allowed from the second semester.
‘Nice.’
The antique Western-style house exterior, which I had liked, remained intact.
However, upon entering, there was now a common kitchen directly facing the entrance, dividing the dormitories to the left and right.
‘Seems to be for gender segregation.’
As I stepped back outside to confirm if there was anything I hadn’t checked on the exterior of the dormitory…
Yikes…?!
Someone’s shadow suddenly loomed over me.
Whoosh!
In an instant, water was splashed around me, creating a rainbow.
“Whoa…?!”
The one I collided with appeared to be Yeriel, who was watering the garden.
Whoooosh!
The rubber hose in her hand mercilessly sprayed water upward,
Pitter patter!
And soon, it rained down on her.
Rustle!
When I hurriedly grabbed the faucet to calm the situation, Yeriel was already completely drenched.
Drip, drip…
“Ahhhh… I’m all wet…”
Water droplets gathered on her bangs, obscuring her innocent eyes as they dripped down.
“Sorry, are you okay?”
“No…! I got excited too while being distracted…”
“Excited…?”
“Ah, no, that means…!”
Yeriel made an expression like a flustered emoji and kept avoiding my gaze.
“I heard you were coming back from your family. You returned early?”
“Ah, yeah… There was something to do…”
As her wet clothes clung to her skin,
The apricot-colored contours of her body began to show, revealing the white lines of her undergarments.
I desperately averted my gaze and approached her to tidy her hair, which looked like it could poke my eyes out.
“Let’s go inside; you’ll catch a cold.”
“Ah, okay…?”
As I opened the way, Yeriel entered the dormitory.
‘Oh my…!’
Only then did she seem to realize her outfit and cupped her hands around her chest, but her slender fingers were hardly enough to cover it.
…
After a brief silence,
Tap, tap, tap…
Yeriel hurriedly took quick steps to her room but suddenly turned her head back to me.
“Lev, are you busy right now…?”
“No, not particularly?”
“If so, could you stay on the first floor for a moment…?”
“Uh?”
“I have something to tell you…!”
“Sure.”
*
‘……’
Back in her room, having washed up and changed into fresh underwear, Yeriel was just fidgeting her feet.
The skin she had never shown to anyone due to her strict father’s teachings now exposed.
“Did you see…? You probably saw…”
Whenever she stood in front of Lev, she would stiffen up, but upon seeing him, she had acted on her excitement.
‘Oh no…’
Unlike Yeriel, who was flustered and couldn’t speak properly,
Lev was quite different.
“…”
To avoid meeting her gaze, he subtly leaned closer to Yeriel to narrow her field of view, and smoothly moved behind her.
‘If it’s Lev… he probably did the same with Aria and Selena too…’
Even though he usually spoke bluntly, there was a consideration embedded in him.
And the thought that this consideration wasn’t solely directed at her made Yeriel feel a bit disappointed.
That wasn’t the only thing she was thinking about.
‘What should I say now…?’
“So then, before the vacation ends… if you could bring that person… could you please invite him here?”
Yeriel was in a position to invite him to Artina as per her mother Penelope’s words.
However, unexpected circumstances had arisen right from the first button… and…
She felt like she could almost cry, but,
‘It’s… okay…!!’
Firmly steeling herself, Yeriel took a deep breath as if to gather her courage and descended downstairs.
*
‘Am I really this embarrassed?’
Even though she tried not to think about it too much,
Yeriel’s face, freshly washed, still had a red tint.
Given her setup as a pure character, she must be sensitive about exposure.
“Yeriel.”
“Eep?!”
She responded as if she were overly tense at my calling.
Her twitchiness was somehow cute…?
“Why don’t you come over here?”
“Uh… why?”
I headed toward the rocking chair where she often sat instead of answering.
“Just sit comfortably.”
“…”
Yeriel hesitated, perhaps feeling the weight of my gaze,
Swish!
Eventually, she sat down.
It was as if a hairdresser and a customer had switched roles.
Whoosh!
I used drying magic on Yeriel’s hair.
With each gentle touch of her soft hair,
The scent of flowers seemed to waft in the air, ready to mesmerize.
“Le… Lev? If you’re drying it…! I can do it…!”
“Don’t worry about it.”
I felt a mix of guilt, acknowledging my share of blame, yet couldn’t help but find Yeriel’s frozen appearance hilarious.
*
For several minutes, I gently stroked Yeriel’s hair and then softly asked her.
“How’s this?”
“Uh…?”
Yeriel, who had initially maintained silence, gradually became languid under my touch.
“What do you think of this?”
“……”
Her relaxed response tickled my ears.
“It feels nice…”
The effect was astounding.
Before I knew it, her words were becoming slurred.
At that moment, I couldn’t help but chuckle abruptly.
“No, I meant my magic skill. What do you think?”
“…What about… magic…”
“Drying magic, you didn’t teach me that, did you?”
“……”
“Since you’ve seemed busy lately, I’ve been self-studying household magic by myself. You didn’t think of anything else, did you?”
“……”
Pong!
Yeriel’s ears were already bright red, as if ready to pop.
To react this much at such a trivial conversation…
I couldn’t stop. I had to tease her more.
Then it struck me, one of her settings: ‘extremely weak against face-to-face skinship.’
“By the way, what does our Dormitory Supervisor like…?”
“……”
I intentionally stroked the tips of her hair and brushed them behind her ear.
Scratch, scratch!
My stiff shirt sleeve brushed against Yeriel’s soft ear.
With my other hand, I even sneaked a touch along her neck, causing her to squirm and react slightly.
Even though she was imbued with Tarchangel’s power, this was her vulnerability.
“Is this what you like?”
“……”
“Hmm, must be nice enough to turn red.”
“…”
“That was the same last time, Yeriel, you’re quite…”
“…Lev…! Seriously…!”
Yeriel called my name in a tone that almost sounded like a cry, pouting her cheeks a little as she glared at me.
If I went any further, I felt it would be risky.
“Sorry, sorry. Just kidding. I’ll stop.”
That expression from her, rarely seen when she usually smiled, was perfectly endearing.
When I felt satisfaction as a successful fan, however, Yeriel’s offensive began.
“…Lev is…!”
“?”
It seemed her anger had melted away like snow, replaced only by her trembling voice.
“Do you do this with anyone else…?”
“…?”
“Joking around like this…! Teasing…!”
“…”
That wasn’t a question I expected.
Was she saying it was rude?
“Uh… not really?”
“…Why not?”
“Ah…”
Suddenly, Yeriel began hastily trying to recover, as if she herself didn’t understand what she had just said.
“Ah, no…! I just… didn’t want others to think you’re a light person because of your behavior… So…!”
“Hmm, worried about me again?”
“Yeah…! I-I’ll command you as the Dormitory Supervisor if this keeps happening…!”
“Ohh.”
With her character commanding, I couldn’t help but be curious.
“What command do you have?”
“From now on, this kind of teasing…”
“Teasing…?”
Swish!
Click…!
Yeriel climbed onto the rocking chair, then knelt and faced me directly.
*!
Her innocent, lovely eyes, sculpted nose, and flushed cheeks created a perfect harmony.
“Just for me…?”
“……”
Perhaps it was due to the pheromones emitting from her, consuming my rationality…
I missed the chance to speak.