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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 37
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Luna silently moved her lips, and my attention instantly focused on them.
And I roughly understood what she meant.
'Milia... don't... get... closer?'
Just as I wondered if I'd understood correctly, Luna quickly repeated the movement of her lips, confirming my interpretation.
She was telling me not to get any closer to Milia.
And the moment I realized that.
"..."
I unconsciously let out a silent laugh.
"Huh? Han Cheon-seong. Why are you suddenly laughing?"
Milia, who seemed to have noticed me, asked as she stopped eating her dessert, but I shook my head.
"Oh, no, it's just that the dessert looks so delicious. I guess it made me smile."
"...Really? You like dessert more than I thought."
"Well, I don't dislike it."
I wasn't a fan of overly sweet desserts, but I quite liked apple pie variations that contained fruit pulp or purée.
I glanced at Luna, and she was poking at her dessert with a fork, as if she hadn't been looking at me at all.
'Her thoughts are truly like a child's.'
Luna's anxiety, fretting that her close friend might be taken from her, resonated deeply within me.
And now I could understand. Why Luna had been so quiet, why she'd kept silent. And why she'd meekly accepted sitting at the same table with me.
Perhaps it was because she didn't know what I might do?
Rather than simply trying to block my approach, it felt as though Luna was here because she wanted to tell me directly not to get close to Milia.
Luna was the type of person who couldn't stand uncertainty. She must have felt that simply rejecting me wasn't the answer.
*Plop.*
As I cut a piece of my apple pie to a suitable size and brought it to my mouth, I found the situation oddly fascinating.
The thumping in my chest that I'd felt when looking at Milia had greatly subsided, and in its place, the void left by countless vanished questions began to fill.
*Clink. Clink...*
After that, time passed as each of us ate our desserts and calmly enjoyed our drinks.
The only conversations that passed between us were my agreeing responses to Milia's curious questions. Luna only occasionally opened her mouth to join our discussion.
And Luna's gaze, all the while…
Ever since she'd silently mouthed those words to me, her eyes had been fixed on me.
She kept glancing at me, pretending not to, with eyes filled with an earnest plea for me to keep her words. And Luna's gaze was truly… what should I say… absurdly cute.
My ill feelings towards Luna melted away like snow.
'I'd been foolishly struggling, trying to read the moods of such a childlike woman.'
The fact that I had wasted so much emotion holding ill will towards Luna… in a way, I was the fool.
Luna was simply expressing her feelings and showing her true self. In fact, it was a very pure side of her.
And for me to forcibly resist and oppose such a Luna was simply ridiculous.
It wasn't like I was forcibly taking the toy from a child claiming "It's mine!" and saying "No, it's mine!"…
I thought about it and felt a bit conflicted.
'If I were to get closer to Milia here…'
If, hypothetically, that were to happen, Luna would undoubtedly resent me greatly. It was clear she would either outright detest me or at least show her dislike in some way. Luna was someone who would stop at nothing when it came to Milia.
But conversely, if I could just utilize this peculiar relationship, wouldn't the situation change completely?
Luna's unique ability.
—Battle Cure.
Among the countless abilities, it was a healing-type ability, which was extremely valuable. Yet, Luna's Battle Cure was so ridiculously powerful.
It was so outstanding that it couldn't be considered a rare ability, to the point where readers often called it unbalanced.
There was a reason Luna became one of the main heroines. People even joked it was the heroine's inherent advantage.
In a critical situation in the latter half of the story, Luna's Battle Cure ability miraculously saved Leonhardt, who was on the verge of death. And if I could get close to such a Luna, it would be an incredibly dependable ability.
Given the dangers everywhere, where it wouldn't be strange to get injured during practical training outside or on dispatch… if I could count on Luna's goodwill, nothing could be more ideal.
*Thump.*
As I brought a piece of apple pie to my mouth, I found myself coolly assessing this reality.
—Luna and Milia.
They were core characters of this world, with significant importance.
It would be ridiculous to say I had the right to choose between the two of them now, but a similar possibility seemed quite real.
Then, suddenly, I saw Milia subtly looking at me.
"..."
"..."
As I met her gaze in silence, Milia smiled faintly, then suddenly averted her eyes. It was almost as if she was being coy, or perhaps it seemed like she had feelings for me.
But what those feelings were… I still wasn't sure.
'It's just… peculiar.'
Luna, as a guaranteed valuable heroine, held a high value that, frankly, could take precedence over everything else.
No matter how valuable the highest-grade potions were, they couldn't compare to Luna's Battle Cure ability, which would truly shine later.
What could possibly be more valuable than owing someone your life?
As my thoughts deepened, I found myself feeling a strange doubt about Milia.
I wondered if I was being too optimistic about the situation, thinking that Milia might have fallen for me at first sight, or that she liked me.
Even as I looked at her, the thumping in my chest had completely vanished.
"Han Cheon-seong. Where are you going after the cafe?"
Milia suddenly spoke, and I was greatly surprised.
"After the cafe?"
"Yeah. After spending time at the cafe, there's still plenty of time left. Luna and I haven't made any plans, so if you're okay with it, would you like to go to the training hall together?"
At her unexpected suggestion, I couldn't understand her intentions even more. Yet, ironically, it perfectly aligned with my goal.
Whether I built a relationship with them or not, the place I was going next was the C-Class Training Hall.
'It would be best if I could use Kali's private training room…'
But I'd only know if I could go there again after talking more with Kali. It was certainly not a place I could just enter and exit as I pleased.
Organizing my thoughts, I smiled faintly.
"I'd be very grateful if you said that. I was actually planning to go to the training hall. So Luna… what about you? Will you come along?"
As I subtly addressed Luna, her eyes narrowed visibly for a moment, but even as I gazed at her intently, she didn't avoid my eyes.
"...Alright. Let's do that."
Luna reluctantly nodded, giving me a direct answer.
'Is this for real…?'
What had been a possibility, or something I'd merely hoped might happen, now felt like a certainty.
If I prioritized Luna, at the very least, there was a chance for our relationship to develop into something non-hostile.
Then, the day might come when I could benefit from that ridiculously powerful healing effect, Battle Cure.
"Wow. This is the first time I've seen Luna answer another student so calmly."
Milia said, surprised for a moment, and I let out a small chuckle.
'It really is unexpected.'
Even within the extensive content of the original story, Luna's conversations with other people only truly began in the mid-to-late sections.
The path to communicating with Luna, which I had believed was only possible for Milia or Leonhardt, was now visible to me.
"Shall we get up from our seats then? I think we've eaten enough dessert."
The desserts in front of us were already more than half gone.
My apple pie and chocolate dessert were completely finished, and they also didn't seem to have much attachment to their desserts.
"Great. Let's head straight to the training hall then. I'm so curious to see what Han Cheon-seong's Level 4 ability is like."
"...Haa. Alright."
Unlike Milia, who answered brightly, Luna sighed as she accepted, and I made up my mind.
For now, I would maintain a suitable distance from Milia.
That thought solidified.
Of course…
If Milia genuinely had feelings for me, my thoughts might change, but for now, improving my relationship with Luna was the top priority.
***
C-Class Training Hall.
As Cheon-seong's party entered the training hall, several students were already engrossed in their respective training inside.
Milia watched them, and unconsciously swallowed the gasp that threatened to escape her.
'Haa…'
I kept feeling strange.
It was as if I was realizing again how much it bothered me when things didn't go as I intended.
And today, that feeling of displeasure was particularly strong.
My gaze drifted to my side.
"..."
There, Han Cheon-seong was looking at Luna, not me.
The more I looked at Han Cheon-seong, the more my heart seemed to slowly sink.
'As expected… he's looking at Luna.'
In the end.
The thought that things were turning out this way filled my heart, consuming me.
Luna was beautiful. Anyone could see she was lovely and charming. Even as another woman, I felt it.
…Still, I had liked it for a moment.
When Han Cheon-seong first approached, he had only been looking at me.
It was as if he was intentionally avoiding looking at Luna. When I responded warmly and engaged in conversation, he looked at me even more. Did this man know how much my heart fluttered at that moment?
Han Cheon-seong, a student with an unusual name.
Both his name and face were familiar.
Even as I headed towards Luna's call at the time, I unconsciously took in Han Cheon-seong.
His appearance was both distinct and unusual.
He was different from all the other students.
It was the first time I'd ever been drawn to a man at first sight like this.
And it… oddly captivated my heart and my gaze.
It was the same in the lecture the next day, and even in today's lecture, without even realizing it, my eyes would drift towards him.
And then…
I was utterly shocked when I heard a completely unexpected rumor.
—Unprecedented.
He had achieved Level 4 in his ability on the day of the entrance ceremony, and even fought the top student, Leonhardt, to a draw.
When I learned that the utterly unbelievable rumor was true, I decided I had to get close to this man, Han Cheon-seong, no matter what.
Even setting aside my personal feelings—my unusual feelings for this man…
A reason had emerged why I absolutely had to get close to him.
Because simply acting alongside Luna, I couldn't progress.
My ability simply wouldn't evolve. No matter how hard I tried, it remained the same.
Furthermore, my connections within the academy hadn't changed at all. Like it or not, I had become tied to Luna, always by her side.
It wasn't that I disliked Luna. I liked Luna as much as she liked me, but…
But if I couldn't progress, it was meaningless.
Luna was going to shine so brightly in the future. I wouldn't be able to stay by Luna's side then.
—Level 1 Ability.
An ability that wouldn't level up meant the worst.
Therefore, I believed the answer to my direction, my goals—everything—lay with this man, Han Cheon-seong.
'Level 4 ability…'
Still only at Level 1, I had to find out how Han Cheon-seong had evolved his ability.
Calming my heart, Han Cheon-seong was looking at Luna. It was then that I faced reality.
Suddenly, Han Cheon-seong's head turned towards me.
"…"
"…"
And our gazes met.
His dark eyes, subtly tinged with red, met mine, and for a moment, my breath hitched.
Something…
This man was definitely different.
"Milia. Why are you suddenly so quiet? Are you nervous because we've entered the training hall?"
He spoke, smiling lightly as if nothing was wrong.
*Thump!*
Just that sight alone made my heart…
My heart pounded fiercely, as if against my will.