Chapter 60
Chapter 60
I pulled up the blanket and awkwardly sat up.
Then, realizing the way I was awkwardly tugging the blanket up looked way too delicate, I awkwardly lowered it again and asked her.
"When did you get here?"
"Not long ago."
Iris rested her chin on her hand and stared straight at me.
For some reason, it looked like she was observing a lab hamster, or like a mother looking at a wayward child who'd run off and come back.
"As soon as I got here, Professor Wilhelm explained everything that had happened, and I came straight here."
"Ah... I see."
That look was really hard to handle.
It was like a mom worrying, 'Is my kid eating enough?'
When I awkwardly averted my eyes, Iris murmured softly,
"You really overdid it."
"Pardon?"
"I heard you completely tore up the road in an entire village. How on earth did you get the nerve to do that? You could have died."
"Ah, yes."
Could have died?
I just felt a little tired, that was all.
I scratched the back of my head and gave a vague answer.
"Well, it just turned out that way as I went along."
At that, Iris narrowed her eyes.
She looked me straight in the eye and hit the nail on the head.
"You didn't realize it was that dangerous, did you?"
...
Caught red-handed.
Honestly, since it was just a skill click, I thought danger didn't even come into it.
I'd always been fine while farming, after all.
"You're uncanny. How did you know? Have you tried it yourself?"
"Of course not. When it comes to magic, you only have exceptional innate talent and intuition; your experience and knowledge are just at an ordinary person's level."
Iris stated firmly, with complete confidence.
"You’ve probably never actually experienced the risk of mana backflow, or the strain large-scale magic places on the body—in fact, you probably don’t even know the theory. I doubt you’ve even looked at a textbook."
It was oddly reproachful.
But because it was true, I couldn’t argue.
"So you went and did it without a shred of fear."
"Hmm. Hearing that, my behavior pattern isn't all that hard to predict, is it?"
When I conceded, Iris shook her head.
"No. Other people wouldn't think that way."
"Huh?"
"When a typical genius pulls off a feat like that, people think, 'Oh, they only talk like that; behind the scenes they must have trained like crazy,' not, 'Wow, they don't know jack shit and just forced their way through on raw talent alone.'"
...
Was that a compliment or an insult?
But Iris's expression was serious.
She suddenly grabbed my hand.
"So you have to share it with me."
...Huh?
"No matter what you do, I can understand and trust you. So even if you do something this ridiculous again in the future, you must always tell me first. Understand?"
She wasn't telling me not to do it.
She was saying I had to report it after I'd done it.
She probably said that because she felt a sense of kinship from being the type who has to do it first to feel satisfied.
By the way.
For some reason, being scolded felt strangely nice.
So this is the appeal of an older woman.
I'm starting to wonder what this person's toes would taste like.
I might really end up developing some filthy fetish.
I obediently nodded.
"Yes. Understood."
"Good."
Iris smiled, looking satisfied.
But she didn’t let go of my hand, and with an even more serious expression, she asked,
"Then you should tell me about the other thing you did, shouldn't you?"
...You seem kind of like a guardian today.
"Because I am a guardian. It's a teacher's duty to clean up after a student causes trouble."
She's awfully firm.
Anyway, she must have heard everything from Wilhelm already.
"Yes. Well... I went near the dungeon and broke the phase-shift barrier to get out, right?"
"I think you need to go into a little more detail about that part."
"Huh?"
Is there really anything to explain in detail?
When I blinked blankly, Iris sighed and said,
"Honestly, I'm really glad all my theories and predictions turned out to be wrong... but this morning my common sense was shattered twice."
"Twice?"
How coincidental.
And just as it happens, the major incidents I caused here were exactly two as well.
Iris lifted a hand and held up one finger.
"First. Judging by the scale of the earth magic you used in the slums, you should already be unconscious from mana overload by now. Your body should need at least six months to a year of complete rest."
"Hmm."
Come to think of it, that did seem right when I remembered how dizzy my head had gotten after I actually pulled it off.
If it hadn't been for Lily's potion then, I might really have been done for.
"And second."
Iris held up a second finger and looked deeply into my eyes.
"I guess the phase-shift barrier should have been wrecked too if your condition was that bad, huh?"
"No."
Iris shook her head and said as if she were being nonchalant.
However, her voice was trembling ever so slightly.
It was worse than that.
I could feel her grip on my hand tighten.
"You should have died."
...What?
"Absolutely, definitively."
That was something I truly hadn't expected at all.
As for the slum roadwork, yeah, my stomach was really churning, and I did think, 'Am I going to be screwed here?,' though.
But this morning, my body really hadn't been under any particular strain, had it?
'And you're saying what I just did was a bigger accident than the roadwork?'
* * *
I was dazed.
But the food still goes down.
I wondered if that was human survival instinct, or if I was just a pig.
Hmm. A lofty philosopher would be agonizing over whether they're a butterfly or a human.
As expected of someone from Hell Joseon, I was debating whether I was a pig or a human.
Maybe that's why you can't shake your roots.
Still, if even the rice had been all clumped and sticky in that shitty bagged meal, I probably would have gone AWOL. Thankfully, normal stew was served instead.
The warm broth slid down into my stomach, and I felt like I could live again.
Clink.
I was chewing absentmindedly with the spoon still in my mouth when.
Lily, who had been staring at me from across the table, opened her mouth carefully.
"Is something bad going on?"
...
I set down my spoon and looked up.
Lily's pastel light-green eyes were shimmering with concern.
"Do I look like something bad happened to me?"
"Hmm... honestly, it's kind of hard to tell."
Oh.
That's an interesting opinion.
Usually it'd be either 'You look bad' or 'You look fine,' wouldn't it?
"If it's hard to tell?"
"Hmm, you look dazed... but it's not your usual relaxed, peaceful expression. Still, it's not a dark, worried expression either."
Lily propped her chin on her hand and analyzed my face intently.
"So I'm not really sure. It almost feels like there's something empty there."
Empty.
Hit right on the mark, huh?
Maybe because it was basically a very accurate assessment of my mental state right now.
"Really?"
"Yes. Actually, since before you went to sleep last night, you seemed kind of uneasy. But then all of a sudden today, your mind is blank and you're spaced out... so I'm wondering if there might be something in that gap."
...
Come to think of it.
She doesn't know I just took a quick test run at the dungeon entrance at dawn.
I really am a pretty crazy bastard myself.
Even after being told I had almost been written off for 26 to 52 weeks, and should have been pronounced dead right after that...
Far from making me depressed, it only made me hungrier.
"Please tell me if something's wrong."
Lily looked at me with an expression that suggested she had made a firm resolve.
The feeling was, "No matter what you say, I'll accept it all and believe you."
But I had no intention of saying anything.
'Like hell I would.'
I'm not the type who's completely clueless.
I knew that Lily was showing me a bit of obsessive interest.
I probably let it slide because of the category of interest Lily had in me.
Her interest in me seemed to be based less on romantic feelings and more on a slightly twisted family affection or protective instinct.
And in the middle of that, she wants me to share that 'I almost died' with her?
That would just be a pain in the ass for me.
So I can't tell her.
However, Lily was quick on the uptake.
If I tried to lie too cleverly, she'd spot it instantly, so I had to hide the truths I didn't want to reveal.
I shrugged and answered calmly.
"I was just thinking that the past few days have been full of one hectic incident after another."
...
"Did roadwork, then tried some ridiculously expensive medicine, and even slept rough in the woods. For a noble young master, that's quite an eventful life, isn't it."
It was completely true.
I wasn't scared by the thought of 'I almost died?' right now, but I was definitely dwelling on it.
Lily stared into my eyes for a moment, then nodded as if convinced.
"Well... Cassian, you do prefer to keep to yourself."
"That's right. I'm a pacifist."
"That's a relief. I thought maybe you were hurt somewhere again."
Lily let out a sigh of relief and picked up her spoon again.
I swallowed a bitter smile inwardly.
'Why the hell am I not scared?'
When Iris said I should have died.
I felt doubt first, not fear: 'That can't be right, can it?'
It didn't make sense logically.
Anyway, I had this strong conviction that I wouldn't die.
But since there was no basis for it, I found my own intuition absurd.
If an expert says, 'You almost kicked the bucket,' I should have agreed, but instead I was being stubborn and obnoxious like, 'No way. I know my own body best.'
'Ah, fuck it, I don't know.'
My head hurts.
I might as well just live as a well-fed pig.
Having decided that, I resolved to scrape up every last bit of the stew.
They say a ghost that dies while eating still has a pretty face.
So I'll just become a pig ghost that died stuffing itself.
Then.
Step, step.
Seriously, such a forceful, self-assertive set of footsteps on bare dirt.
I knew who it was without even looking.
You really do need that much of a poseur streak just to carry yourself like royalty.
When I turned my head, Ivelin was approaching me.
'What's going on?'
Why is she coming over with such an unsettling expression?
It wasn't a contemptuous look, nor the worry-filled eyes from yesterday.
She just looked dead determined.
What, is she planning to discuss state affairs here or something?
She stopped right in front of me.
"Cassian."
"Yes, Your Highness."
I set down my spoon and stood up awkwardly.
Even dogs don't get bothered while they're eating, but the princess does.
Ivelin gave Lily a quick glance, then fixed her gaze on me again.
"Make some time for me."
* * *
Crunch, crunch.
The forest air was heavy.
This wasn't about humidity being high or air pressure being low.
It was the unpleasant residue of magic, as if it were crawling stickily over the skin.
Iris narrowed her brow and looked at the back of the agent walking ahead.
"I apologize for sounding suspicious, but..."
"Yes, Professor."
"Is this the right place?"
The agent stopped and turned back.
The eyes visible above the mask narrowed in puzzlement.
"Yes. There may be a difference between night and day, but by the coordinates, it's exact. If you tell me why you're asking, I can give you a more specific answer."
"No. It's just that the dungeon's energy is too obvious."
The aura seeping out was clearly beyond intense; it was downright vicious.
And that was the problem.
If it were a high-rank dungeon, then, though the underlying principle wasn't known, it would actually conceal traces of magic.
In other words, it wouldn't spew out energy like an advertisement shouting, 'I'm right here.'
That was why the dungeon she was looking at now was something that needed to be reported to the academic world as well.
A dungeon that openly leaked aura this dense and intense simply wasn't a case that existed in the current dungeon classification system.
'They said even a mid-tier mana detector couldn't pick it up.'
Then why is it so blatant now?
There was only one thing that came to mind.
'Looks like he pulled something off again.'
Cassian Del Parne.
Iris pictured her disciple's face in her mind.