Chapter 49: Midterm Exam (4)
“…As I thought, my hypothesis was correct.”
Magic reshapes humans into more advanced forms.
While examining the internal organs of a demon who had been dissected alive, Georg realized once again that his theory was correct.
When he was with the hero’s party, they killed everything in sight, leaving him no opportunity to study them. But now, he could conduct his research at leisure without any interruptions.
Even now, the muscle tissues were writhing as they responded to physical trauma, attempting to restore the body.
No matter how many times he witnessed it, Georg found the regenerative power to be astonishing.
The chaotic and flawed structure of the human body had been improved in every way, and he confirmed that the bone density had been strengthened to the level of steel. He meticulously recorded his observations.
Although he had spent 40 years creating a workshop that could block the influence of divine power, which reacts violently against magic, he did not consider that time wasted for the sake of his research.
Divine power was the force that “fixes” humans as “humans.” No matter how enhanced a body might be, as long as its origin was human, it would self-destruct in an environment filled with divine power.
Having resolved one of his questions, Georg still had doubts lingering in his mind.
Why does magic only cause these changes in humans?
It wasn’t as if other races didn’t use magic. Even during his active years, there were elves and beastfolk who used it.
In fact, he had used magic himself for research purposes and in dire situations.
However, neither his body nor theirs had undergone any changes.
And why, he wondered, were his own kin so friendly toward humans, a species far inferior to them?
Seeing his kin grant every request made by humans, Georg had always questioned it. Why are you so kind to humans? he had asked repeatedly.
But he had never received a satisfying answer.
Lastly, why did the goddess create divine power? Why go so far as to introduce this cumbersome force just to “fix” humans in place?
As he concluded that his exploration was far from over, Georg left the workshop.
***
When I heard a faint buzzing noise and opened my eyes, I saw Anastasia warming up, swinging her sword as if she had just woken up.
As I watched her, mesmerized by the scattering frost that followed the trajectory of her blade, I thought it was beautiful. Realizing I had woken up, she turned to greet me.
“Ah, Hoyeon. You’re up?”
“…Yeah.”
Maybe it was because it was morning, but my head felt foggy.
Now that I thought about it, something like this happened about a month ago…
Ah, right. Mating season. It’s been exactly a month.
At the academy, I could hide it somehow, but if I did anything strange here, it would be social suicide.
“Are you tired…?”
“…No, I’ll get up.”
If Dogeon stayed close to me, I might end up doing something weird. Considering what happened in the locker… I might end up doing something even worse.
“Then… would you like to wash up with me? It might help you wake up.”
“Yeah.”
I had no reason to refuse. I could wake myself up, keep some distance from Dogeon, and—well, I’d get to see Anya’s body, too.
These days, I don’t get overly excited just from seeing a woman’s body… but I still wanted to see it with my own eyes to confirm how big it was.
After all, relying on touch alone felt a bit inaccurate. What happened with Dogeon was in a cramped, dark space, so it probably felt bigger than it actually was.
There’s no way people are that big. No way.
I wasn’t too bothered about washing with water anymore. Unless water got into my ears, I could even say I was starting to enjoy it.
The water level was just right, and the current wasn’t too strong. It was a little cold, but it was bearable.
Compared to the water they gave us during military showers, this was practically warm.
How could they charge us so much and give us water worse than what flowed down a mountain stream?
“…Um, Hoyeon? Could you please… not stare so openly like that?”
While I was washing, I kept glancing at Anastasia, which made her speak up, her face flushed with embarrassment.
Well, I was staring pretty blatantly.
But honestly, it was too amazing to look away. Her height was similar to mine, but her proportions were better, her chest was larger, and her face was beautiful.
How could I not look?
Even if nothing was “standing,” I was captivated by her beauty. My eyes moved on their own.
“Sorry, you’re just so pretty.”
“W-What? A-Ah… Th-thank you… You’re… you’re pretty too, Hoyeon…”
Prettier than you? I didn’t say it out loud. I knew it was just polite flattery, but getting compliments still felt nice.
Since she asked me not to stare so much, I decided to settle for sneaking glances while I finished washing up.
I scrubbed under my tail and behind my ears when Anastasia suddenly asked me a question.
“Um… Hoyeon, what… Do you think of Dogeon?”
Her voice was oddly cautious, so I was curious, but the question itself was something typical of girls her age, which made me feel a little let down.
“My dearest friend.”
“…But Hoyeon, you have the kind of body where you could ask for more, don’t you?”
A deeper relationship than friendship… A best friend?
I wasn’t sure why she specifically mentioned my “body,” but I had no intention of asking for anything more. Just having a friend was already a source of happiness for me.
Even if he wasn’t the protagonist and was just a passing extra, I’d still treat him the same.
“I don’t have any thoughts like that. I’m already grateful to have Dogeon as my friend.”
“But, Hoyeon… in your belly…”
Just as she was about to say something outrageous, there was a rustling sound nearby.
The moment we both heard it, we turned our heads in that direction.
There, we saw Dogeon.
Judging by his red face, he had definitely seen everything.
I knew it was too late, but my hands still instinctively moved to cover my important parts. At least the lower half of my body was underwater, so maybe I was safe.
But it seemed Anastasia had a different idea.
Instead of covering herself, she immediately grabbed a small stone from the ground and hurled it at Dogeon with all her strength.
“What are you looking at, you trash─!”
Even though there was quite a distance between them, the sharp crack echoed clearly as the stone struck Dogeon squarely in the middle of his forehead.
Judging by the way mana briefly swirled around Anastasia’s body, it seemed she had used mana breathing techniques to strengthen her throw. That only made me more worried about Dogeon’s condition.
Sure, peeking was wrong, but this was too much.
I tried to approach Dogeon to check on him, but Anastasia grabbed me firmly by the arm, stopping me in my tracks.
“…Tell me, Hoyeon. Are you really okay being used and discarded by trash like that?!”
***
It felt like my head was going to split open.
No, it might’ve already cracked.
Considering her strength was on par with Baek Jeongho, it would be strange if I was fine after taking a full-force attack from her.
“───”
I could hear someone saying something, but it wasn’t clear.
I just wanted to lie down like this.
Yeah, I peeked, but still. Almost killing someone over that? Isn’t that too much?
…More than that, when I compared Hoyeon to Anya, she wasn’t really falling behind.
Since Anya and Camilla clearly hated me and I had no real connection with Iris, maybe I should just focus on Hoyeon and have a good life for myself.
I mean, I know who they are, but to them, I’m a complete stranger.
“—Dogeon!”
I heard someone calling my name and turned to see it was Anya.
“Dogeon! Are you okay?! Ugh… I’m so sorry… It’s all my fault…!”
Maybe she realized that throwing the rock so hard was excessive, because she was apologizing now.
“…I’m fine. Still alive.”
“Dogeon! Are you really okay?”
“Yeah, but could you speak a little quieter? My head’s ringing.”
It was nice of her to shout to help me come to my senses, but now my ears were ringing.
I’d gotten curious when I saw the two neatly folded piles of clothes by the riverside, and I paid a high price for my curiosity. Next time, I’d resist the urge no matter what.
“Dogeon!”
I heard Hoyeon calling me, so I tried to respond.
But she practically tackled me, pinning me down with a hug so tight I couldn’t say a word.
I was already lying on the ground, so when she suddenly climbed on top of me, my chest felt seriously compressed.
Since she was in the same league as Anya in terms of physical strength, it really was hard to breathe.
Her face rubbed against mine as she mumbled, “Thank goodness,” over and over. I barely managed to squeeze out a single word.
“H-Hoyeon… I can’t breathe…”
“Oh.”
She finally realized what was happening and got off of me.
I had just narrowly avoided death, only to face another close call.
“…Can you give me a hand and help me up?”
“Here, take my hand.”
The dizziness had mostly subsided, but standing up on my own was still tough.
When I took Hoyeon’s hand and got to my feet, Anya approached me.
Now what?
“…Dogeon, I’m so sorry for being so harsh! I made an unreasonable assumption…!”
“…Huh?”
With Hoyeon watching from the side, Anya explained everything to me in a calm, step-by-step manner.
She had been pushed by the pressure of her followers and came to confront Hoyeon, only to see her entering my room.
With her limited knowledge of relationships between men and women, she seriously believed that Hoyeon was carrying my child.
So she kept watching and observing us. But when she saw me talking to other girls, including herself, she assumed I had “used and discarded” Hoyeon.
If Hoyeon hadn’t directly corrected her misconception, she admitted she might have spent the rest of her life misunderstanding the situation.
“…I’m really, really sorry.”
Her face was completely red, and she hung her head low, looking incredibly apologetic.
So that’s why she acted that way toward me. She ignored me during club activities and went out of her way to avoid me on the street.
“…As long as the misunderstanding is cleared up, it’s fine.”
Honestly, I was just relieved it was cleared up now.
“…So, does that mean… I’m forgiven?”
“Forgiven or not, you didn’t know better. There’s no point in blaming you.”
It wasn’t like she did it on purpose. She had misunderstood out of ignorance and even got angry on Hoyeon’s behalf because she thought I was taking advantage of her. I had no reason to be mad.
So with this, I figured it would be fair to consider my relationship with Anya reset.
“Then, let’s start over. Is it okay if I call you Anya from now on?”
“A-Ah… Yes.”
“Did I do well?”
As I was talking to Anya, Hoyeon suddenly stuck close to my side.
“Yeah, thanks to you, the misunderstanding is resolved. Thanks.”
“Then hurry up and pet me as a reward.”
Her body was pressed against mine, closer than was really necessary, and that pleasant scent of hers filled the air again.
She shouldn’t have been able to use shampoo this time, so how did she smell like that?
I tried suggesting we find another way to settle it, but she flicked her tail against me repeatedly, making it clear she wouldn’t budge.
I had no choice but to pat her head.
Sorry, Anya. Please stop staring at me like that.
Even though the misunderstanding had been resolved, it felt like a different misunderstanding had just been born.
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