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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 64
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"Honestly, how can anyone be... so adorable?"
Adelia's eyes sparkled with mischief as she spoke. Yet, her words struck me with such impact that I found myself biting my lip without realizing it.
Despite possessing such a breathtaking figure, her actions were surprisingly playful, completely out of sync with her appearance, as she casually tried to approach me. It was incredibly difficult to maintain my composure. No matter how hard I tried to calmly accept her behavior, it constantly felt as though she was trying to seduce me. No, to me, it already felt like I was enduring her temptation.
There was a clear line that should be maintained between an instructor and a student, and Adelia seemed to cross that line with alarming ease. A beauty like Adelia would surely know how her words might be received, how her actions might sway another's heart... Yet, I couldn't understand why she was doing this to me.
'Right. Because I truly can't understand her intentions...'
I had to endure this somehow. As I met her star-like, sparkling eyes, I found myself involuntarily wanting to lean closer to her...
I forced my lips apart, which felt glued together, and spoke.
"...Instructor Adelia."
When I cautiously called her name, Adelia's lips curled into a faint smile.
"Student Han Cheon-seong. Are you feeling better now? I told you not to be so nervous."
"...Instructor. Your teasing is still quite mischievous, though."
That was the most diplomatic expression I could manage.
"Well, that's just... because Student Han Cheon-seong is so cute, it was just a lighthearted tease. And Student Han Cheon-seong? If it's too hard not to stare at my chest, then just... try not to stare *too* openly. I know how hard you're trying and how conscious you are, so I don't see it as a bad thing when it's just an involuntary reaction, alright?"
"But..."
"No 'buts.' You just look like you're trying too hard. I'm fine with it. Understood?"
"...Yes. Thank you."
"Then just rest for a moment. I'll go brew some tea."
As she left, seemingly to give me space, I felt a huge sigh of relief. But even more than that, my heart continued to waver. She had just told me it was fine that my gaze had drifted to her chest. She had spoken frankly, as if she was merely teasing me because she found me cute.
And anyone could see that words like those...
'Couldn't they be interpreted as her being interested in me?'
She even said she'd accept it as long as I wasn't too obvious about looking at her chest. How could I possibly take such words calmly? I stared blankly at Adelia, who was brewing tea in a corner of the infirmary, and slowly regulated my breathing.
"..."
I managed to calm my endlessly racing thoughts a little. I was confused myself, wondering why my heart was so fickle.
—Adelia Evangelin.
Her name had appeared a few times in the world of Groa. However, her role wasn't significant, so her name hadn't immediately come to mind. In my current state, where I knew almost nothing about her, everything she said and did felt amplified to me, leaving me utterly bewildered.
It felt as if this beauty was being coquettish with me, as if she was showing interest in me. I couldn't help but doubt whether this feeling was real or just my own delusion.
'...Surely, I'm overreacting to things.'
Before entering the academy, I had spent several months earning money doing odd jobs at an inn and manual labor at a blacksmith's. And even then, the gazes directed at me hadn't been particularly kind. To them, my background was unclear, and there was a strange barrier that prevented easy socializing.
So, even basic kindness from others felt a bit unfamiliar to me now. And when a beauty like Adelia seemed to be showing me favor, my heart couldn't help but waver even more dramatically.
It was as if her current display of interest... implied she had feelings for me, as if she was seducing me.
*Rustle. Clink.*
Adelia returned with the tea, setting a cup in front of me with a light touch.
"Thank you."
"I'm more grateful that you're keeping me company like this."
As Adelia smiled gently, holding her steaming teacup, all sorts of strange thoughts filled my mind.
'Could Adelia be unaware of it herself?'
Unaware of how much her casual actions swayed the hearts of those who faced her.
Adelia took a sip of tea and spoke softly.
"Time has flown by so quickly, hasn't it?"
"Ah, yes. Well, Instructor Adelia. Then, after I finish my tea, I should probably get going..."
"Don't bother. Just stay a bit longer."
"...Pardon?"
"It's already so late. If you go back to the lecture hall now, will you really be able to focus? Just stay in the infirmary until the afternoon classes are over. I'll talk to Instructor Kali separately, so don't worry."
Adelia chuckled as she spoke... and I found myself hesitantly accepting her offer.
"If you say so..."
Checking the clock inside, it was already close to 4 PM. If I went back now, attending the lecture would truly be meaningless. Given how late it was, confronting Kali didn't seem like a good idea either... perhaps it would be better after tomorrow's lecture.
"By the way, Student Han Cheon-seong. The more I see you, the more fascinating you are, you know? Instructor Kali is rumored to be difficult to listen to in class, even if she's better than expected, but you're still stubbornly trying to go back to class... It's truly rare to see someone like Student Han Cheon-seong these days."
"Is that so?"
"Yes, it really is. And it's been a very long time since I've seen a student who worried about a friend and silently stayed by their side like you did."
As she repeatedly expressed such peculiar observations about me... I was finally able to compose my wavering heart.
'So... that's why she thought well of me.'
I had wondered why Adelia was being so kind to me, and now she had directly revealed the reason. My unintentional actions had appeared different to her, and that was why she was showing me this favor.
Meeting her gaze again, I could finally see her clearly. Her mysterious eyes, a blend of gold and jade, still looked at me. And the emotion within them was completely different from what I had imagined. It was merely pure goodwill and benevolence.
'It's obvious when you think about it.'
I had only just met her today, and we had merely spent some time together by chance. Yet, I had foolishly thought she had feelings for me, that she was trying to seduce me.
"..."
A laugh inadvertently escaped me. My confused mind finally seemed to be settling into place.
"Oh. Student Han Cheon-seong. Why are you suddenly laughing?"
"Oh, no. I just found this situation a little surprising."
My heart felt much lighter as I answered.
"Hmm? What's so surprising?"
Watching Adelia show curiosity at my words, a slightly different thought crossed my mind. If she and I...
'If we weren't instructor and student...'
Given her attitude towards me today, I might truly have fallen for her. I couldn't deny that the very way she was so cleanly showing benevolence was simply... too charming.
"Student Han Cheon-seong~ Your instructor just asked what was so surprising. You should answer properly, you know?"
Another chuckle escaped me at her whining tone.
"It's really nothing. Instructor Adelia, you've been so kind to me today, and this atmosphere felt surprisingly novel. Ah, speaking of which... do you perhaps treat other students like this too, Instructor?"
I was casually curious. I, at least, could manage to control my heart and my body when faced with Adelia like this. But if other students encountered Adelia's demeanor, would they be able to resist? I didn't think so at all.
"Well, do I look like an instructor who would act that way to you, Student Han Cheon-seong?"
Adelia suddenly blinked at my words, and for a moment, I wondered if I had misspoken. She seemed so casual and playful that I naturally assumed she would act this way with other students too.
'Or not...?'
Adelia's eyes suddenly darkened subtly. I couldn't answer easily. Adelia's whole aura had suddenly changed.
"Indeed, it might seem that way. Student Han Cheon-seong. Do you think you understand how others usually perceive me?"
"No. How could I possibly know the gazes Instructor Adelia receives?"
"Right? Student Han Cheon-seong, you and I are clearly different genders, in different positions, and many other things are different too. It's only natural that you wouldn't know what kind of gazes I receive. And to answer your previous question, I don't usually tease other students as easily as I do now. And I *especially* don't tease them using my body."
...Adelia's calm voice made me snap to attention. What was Adelia trying to say now? I couldn't tell, but the atmosphere had changed so drastically that I instinctively tensed up.
"This might sound a little strange to you, Student, but it's *because* you're Student Han Cheon-seong that I'm teasing you like this. Because you're trying not to look at my body, and because you're self-aware of your actions without me having to tell you separately. It's because you were so cute that I teased you like this. If another student had overtly stared at my chest..."
*Gulp.*
As I listened to her words, I swallowed hard, but for a different reason than before. And then, Adelia blinked once.
"..."
And I felt an inexplicable chill. My body felt suddenly heavy. It was hard even to breathe, and my vision of Adelia blurred. A strange sense of danger instinctively washed over me.
"Student Han Cheon-seong. How do you feel looking at me right now?"
Adelia was asking me in a soft voice, but her eyes weren't smiling now. Her gaze was cold, inscrutable, beyond any other description.
I needed to answer, but my lips wouldn't part. And I had experienced this strange sensation before.
'It's the same feeling I got from Kali.'
It was the same feeling as when she first entered the classroom and looked at me. The gaze of a predator casually asserting dominance...
"..."
"..."
As we silently met each other's gaze, time seemed to stand still. In this moment, as she looked at me and I looked at her, I felt my senses gradually dulling. It felt as if I was about to be crushed.
—*Knock, knock.*
At the sudden sound of knocking, Adelia blinked, her eyes, which had been intently staring at me, softening again.
"Ah, Student Han Cheon-seong. I'm sorry. I went too far, didn't I?"
As she spoke, smiling gently as before, I was finally able to open my mouth.
"..."
Just trying to gasp for the air I so desperately needed was already pushing me to my limit, and my entire body was drenched in cold sweat.
"I'm sorry, Student Han Cheon-seong. Just take a moment to compose yourself. I'll go treat the student who came to the door. Again, I apologize for my behavior just now."
"Yes. Instruc...tor Adelia. I'm fine..."
And with difficulty, I managed to answer, watching Adelia lightly rise.
*Swish.*
She drew a white curtain, as if to shield the space I was in, and then Adelia disappeared, leaving my mind dazed. The strange atmosphere that had existed between us until now felt like a fleeting dream.
'Instructor.'
And then, I felt reality again. No matter how much Adelia's abilities were related to healing, an instructor was an 'instructor.' There was still a huge, unbridgeable gap between a student like me and an instructor like her. With just a single look, a single blink of her eyes and a meeting of gazes, I had been rendered utterly helpless.
*Clank.*
Then, at the sound of the door opening, I let out a small breath, wondering which student it could be.
"Oh. Instructor Kali?"
At Adelia's surprised voice, my body... seemed to freeze up again.