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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 28
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28. Embarrassing Words
***
"Student Han Cheonseong... have we, by any chance, met somewhere before?"
At Kali's words, Cheonseong's thoughts instantly froze.
Suddenly, his mind went blank, as if a pure white sheet of paper, and he couldn't form a single thought.
'How should I answer here?'
This wasn't something he could easily answer and move past. The words he had uttered... they held too much significance for Kali.
But in his mind, which had turned into a blank slate, nothing came to him.
"....."
As he stood there dumbfounded, unable to say anything.
Kali, for a moment, gently shook her head.
"Ah, I'm sorry. What nonsense am I speaking... We couldn't have met. Student Han Cheonseong. Please forget what I just said."
"Yes. Understood."
As he responded awkwardly, he felt Kali's gaze cloud over, clearly different from before.
He had already... done something irreversible.
…
After that, the mealtime between the two was filled only with the faint sounds of cutlery, and the meal continued in silence.
The air suddenly grew heavy, feeling awkward and uncomfortable.
As Kali showed an awkward, subdued atmosphere, unlike her previous self, Cheonseong couldn't readily speak to her either.
"..."
'Those words' he had uttered without realizing it.
For Kali, they were like a taboo. And most people would never have uttered them.
Thus, when she heard those words, she would have had no immunity to the shock she felt.
Those words were from her past on the battlefield.
They were words habitually spoken by the nameless person who had 'died' in Kali's place during a desperate situation. And simultaneously, they were the words that had completely changed Kali.
It was like the decisive turning point that led her, who had once been steeped in ability-supremacy, to completely abandon her old way of thinking, to value effort, and to stop looking down on those with lower abilities.
But now, he had uttered the very words that dead person had spoken, right in front of Kali.
And not a single word was different—.
"..."
Even now, Kali's silent focus on her meal felt alien.
So, he found himself opening his mouth without realizing it.
"Instructor Kali."
"...Huh?"
Looking at Kali, who responded awkwardly unlike before, he felt that he couldn't let this meeting end like this.
'The moment the meal ends, he would part ways with Kali.'
If this encounter ended that way, it would be as if he had merely inflicted a deep wound on her.
Parting ways after having touched a wound in Kali's heart that no one had ever touched before. He didn't want that.
He didn't want to end his meeting with Kali like that.
"..."
Under his gaze, Kali's eyes were wavering, unlike before.
As if even she herself was confused by the turmoil of her emotions. Yet, she was facing him now as an instructor.
To listen intently to his words.
"During the entrance exam, I was truly grateful."
"Ah, during the entrance exam...? No, not at all. I merely did my job."
Watching Kali respond in a clearly unnatural way, he smiled faintly.
And at that moment, he calmly conveyed the feelings he had experienced.
"The words you spoke during the entrance exam, Instructor Kali, became a tremendous source of strength for me. Even though I was confronting reality, my heart wasn't truly strong. I was more uncertain about whether I could truly move forward with a common ability."
"...Really? Ah, so that's how it was. Well, that's a relief."
As he continued to intersperse words that were like taboos to her, Kali's gaze towards him sank even deeper.
She was now actively avoiding his gaze little by little. From her demeanor, he could clearly see it. That she found his words uncomfortable and was trying to ignore them.
And precisely because of that,
he had to say more.
"Perhaps what Instructor Kali said to me back then wasn't a big deal to you. But for me, it was truly a great source of strength. Your words were a huge help in allowing me to face reality and move forward. Even the reason I was able to accept the duel yesterday was significantly influenced by your words."
He spoke in a calm voice.
Now, there was no longer any fluttering or excitement as there had been when he looked at her before.
He was simply relaying the facts, as if stating them.
And his words were sincere.
During the entrance exam, he had certainly tried to step forward with confidence. But the only one who responded to his efforts was Kali. The other examiners hadn't even bothered to speak to him, as if they had no particular interest.
Because of that, he was able to gain more confidence through Kali, and even dreamt of the high goal of B-class based on his entrance exam results. Even afterwards, the self-esteem and confidence embedded in his actions were subtly influenced by the thought of being acknowledged by Kali.
Because for the first time, she had shown interest in him. Because she had acknowledged him.
No one had shown interest in his ability before then, and no one had ever spoken about effort.
That's why the words Kali had spoken to him had, subtly but surely, become such a tremendous strength….
"..."
Even at his words, Kali merely let out a small breath. She gave no answer.
From her perspective, she couldn't stop his words now, nor could she explain why. It seemed she had chosen to listen quietly.
Yet, he realized anew.
Just how much shock 'those words' he had uttered had caused Kali.
In truth, that nameless person was not in a romantic relationship with Kali, nor had they exchanged feelings.
Kali had been deeply shocked by the very fact that the man had died because of her.
The words that man had uttered. And the reality that he had sacrificed his life to save her – that was too immense a burden for her.
And now, he wanted to tell her.
That there are people who gain strength from her words.
"That's why I gained the confidence to believe I can do it. To face reality and move forward. To grow myself that way. Because your words, Instructor, the only one who acknowledged me in such an important setting, were truly a great help... that's why I wanted to express my gratitude to you as well."
Finishing his long speech, he smiled faintly once more.
At his words, Kali finally showed a strange reaction.
"..."
Slowly raising her head, she met his gaze for the first time in a while. Yet, he clearly saw her hesitate for a moment.
What the nameless person who died on the battlefield in Kali's place had wished for. Because of that incident, she had completely changed her values, coming to prioritize effort. She no longer judged by the superiority or inferiority of abilities, but sought to look at the essence of a person.
And now, he was telling such a Kali.
That he had been able to move further forward because of her words, and had gained the confidence to face this reality.
After that, she completely changed her mindset and acted differently, but countless times, those around her would take her words about effort as a joke, saying that only those who already had something could talk about effort.
And Kali, too, was aware of this.
But he believed that Kali merely being aware and acting on it didn't hold great meaning on its own. He thought that such actions and intentions only held true meaning when they properly reached others.
And he was trying to tell her that, to him, it had reached him, even if just a little.
"...."
Looking at Kali, who was staring blankly at his words, he felt that he had said all he needed to say.
"Well then, Instructor. I'll take my leave first. Thank you very much for the meal."
As he finished speaking and rose from his seat, his feelings were strange.
Kali's gaze, watching him, remained enigmatic.
To the point where it felt mysterious whether she had taken his words well or not.
'Perhaps... were those presumptuous words?'
Could he have, even slightly, mended that emotional wound he had inadvertently touched….
Honestly, he wasn't confident.
Yet, belatedly, embarrassment filled his chest.
'He really did utter some cringeworthy words.'
Thinking about the words he had spoken to her, an empty laugh escaped him without him realizing it.
He had spoken words that didn't even suit him.
A step.
As he walked past, courteously greeting the instructors he encountered.
"W-wait a moment. Student Han Cheonseong!"
Suddenly, Kali's urgent voice could be heard.
He halted.
***
Curiosity.
And interest.
Even during the entrance exam, the feelings 'Kali' had for Han Cheonseong were merely that much.
His ability was spearmanship, and his grade was common, without even needing to check. But then he said he had reached Level 3. It naturally occurred to her.
That a student with the peculiar name Han Cheonseong must have put in an immense amount of effort.
Because reaching Level 3 with a common ability was a level achieved by only a very small minority of students admitted each year.
However, after that, she didn't pay much attention to that student.
But then, she suddenly heard news about a duel held on the day of the entrance ceremony.
The utterly unbelievable news that the top student, Leonhardt, and Han Cheonseong, the student she had examined, had fought a duel.
...When she first heard that news, she felt terribly upset. Because it felt like the 'dirty trick' that upper-class students often played against lower-class students.
Every year at the academy, such dirty tricks invariably happened.
An upper-class student would provoke a lower-class student, and the lower-class student, unable to endure the provocation, would request a duel.
And the result of the ensuing dirty duel was always the same….
It ended in the lower-class student's miserable defeat.
Afterwards, the mockery and contempt heaped upon the lower-class student. Even the miserable feelings the student would experience after the duel.
Because she knew how wrong all of it was.
Just by hearing about the duel, she could instantly feel all of it.
But after that, she couldn't believe how surprised she was that the duel's result was a draw.
Only after repeatedly verifying the facts and personally seeking out the combat training instructor to hear the detailed account of the duel could she accept it.
And she found herself thinking blankly.
—There is a student who has seen the true fruit of effort.
The three peculiar characters of the name 'Han Cheonseong' once again came clearly to mind, and she personally sought out the C1-class instructor to make an unreasonable request: to completely change her assigned class.
And in the end, she forcibly managed to change her assigned class to C1.
Thereafter. From personally conducting her first lecture and facing the student, to continuing their meal and exchanging various conversations.
She became even more surprised by the student named Han Cheonseong.
To the extent that she wondered how many times she had been this surprised in her short 25 years of life....
His values, depth of thought, initiative, and decisiveness were entirely different from other students; there was nothing similar to any other student.
That's why she had to be even more shocked by 'those words' she happened to hear.
—Because only by facing reality can you move forward.
'How.'
How... could Student Han Cheonseong say those words?
How could this student utter those unique words that man used to habitually say?
And not a single word was different.
After that, she couldn't properly understand how she had acted or thought.
Because her mind was blank.
Her heart had been greatly shaken by such unexpected words. It wasn't easy even to maintain composure and listen to the student's words.
And the student's subsequent words gradually registered in her ears.
Even though she felt so confused and greatly shocked, strangely, Student Han Cheonseong's words conveyed their meaning to her as if gently whispering in her ear.
—'That's why I gained the confidence to believe I can do it. To face reality and move forward. To grow myself that way. Because your words, Instructor, the only one who acknowledged me in such a good setting, were truly a great help... that's why I wanted to express my gratitude to you as well.'
At that, she found herself meeting his gaze without realizing it.
She knew how confused and flustered she looked right now. Yet, she couldn't help but meet his gaze.
"Well then, Instructor. I'll take my leave first. Thank you very much for the meal."
Then, the student's calm voice finally registered clearly.
Even though she probably wasn't showing a very good appearance, the student was smiling faintly and rising from his seat.
And then, she stared blankly at the departing student's back.
Something... something felt off.
A feeling that she shouldn't let Student Han Cheonseong leave like this.
....
"W-wait a moment. Student Han Cheonseong!"
Without even realizing it, she had opened her mouth.