Chapter 62: Resolution
When I knocked on the door, it took a long time before I finally heard a voice telling me to come in.
As soon as I opened the door, the air inside was completely different. Professors were allowed to modify their assigned rooms to some extent, but this went far beyond reasonable limits.
The room was larger inside than it appeared outside, and the clear morning sky visible from the corridor had been replaced by a sinister hue outside the windows.
Mana circuits filled the room, densely packed in an overwhelming array.
At the center of this bizarre space sat Georg, greeting me with a blatantly irritated look.
“It’s a holiday today. What brings you here? Dogeon. Are you here for supplementary lessons?”
“…Yes.”
He politely told me to leave, but I couldn’t.
Because I had come here today for precisely that reason—to receive supplementary lessons from him.
“Oh?”
He seemed mildly surprised at my boldness, showing a flicker of interest.
Even as he continued manipulating floating crimson and yellow papers in the air, he signaled a willingness to hear me out.
“…To be precise, I want to get stronger.”
Seeing the way Hoyeon acted yesterday, I felt more worry than anything else. It wasn’t just about using her—she seemed far too trusting.
Whether it was her inability to refuse Anya’s proposal or the incomprehensible kindness she showed me, everything made me uneasy.
Her distorted understanding of friendship and the lack of someone to correct her misconceptions during her childhood led me to fear that she might form another “friend.”
Unlike me, who knew what lay behind her, others wouldn’t understand.
If some lowlife became her “friend,” it wouldn’t end well—for her or for the continent.
If the Black Wolf got involved, it could escalate into a diplomatic incident, and the White Tiger wouldn’t overlook it.
My concerns weren’t just for Hoyeon—they extended to the entire continent.
“Are you talking about physical strength or magical strength?”
“…Both.”
But I lacked the power to protect her.
When faced with those monstrous forces, I couldn’t do anything.
…It was a bit of an extreme guess, but she might even have the ability to command monsters and fiends.
But humans wouldn’t obey her just because she commanded them.
Even though she was a princess, she was from another continent, and the ignorant people who didn’t even know her title might try to approach her with ill intentions.
No matter how strong the Black Wolf was, he wasn’t always around her, and he couldn’t stop someone truly malicious from getting close to her.
“Hah, you’re quite ambitious. Judging by your visit, you’re not planning to take your time getting stronger, are you?”
“No.”
Georg’s lips curved into a menacing smile.
I had no intention of involving myself in anything that required sacrificing my life or taking on extreme risks.
But…
At the very least, I wanted the strength to protect Hoyeon.
I could fend off those who claimed to be “friends” with her to the best of my ability, but if they resorted to brute force, I honestly wouldn’t stand a chance.
Even though I could use magic, I was no match for someone like Stefania. Compared to her, I was practically a baby.
I could barely handle basic spells, let alone anything advanced.
“…It seems a suitable test subject has shown up at just the right time.”
His choice of words wasn’t something you’d say to a person, but I had never expected Georg to have a strong moral compass.
In the original story, though nominally a protagonist, he often behaved like a mad scientist or outright villain.
“In that case… let’s start with magical enhancement.”
With a wave of his hand, a flask filled with a dark blue substance floated toward me.
As I caught it, I felt its weight and an immediate sense of unease. I couldn’t shake the feeling that entrusting my body to someone like Georg might be a mistake, no matter how much I wanted to get stronger.
“What is this?”
I asked, holding onto a sliver of hope that it might be safer than it looked.
“It’s purified and distilled demonic energy.”
“…Demonic energy?”
It wasn’t safe at all.
It wasn’t surprising that Georg, who had devised methods to convert demonic energy into mana or holy power, was dabbling in such things.
But to work with demonic energy here, at the academy, under the watchful eyes of the church?
He really was insane.
“I understand your concerns. But there’s no need to worry. Theoretically, it doesn’t affect the body or mind. Physically, you’ll remain an ordinary human. That means holy power won’t reject you, and all you’ll gain is the ability to manipulate demonic energy. Additionally, you might increase the amount of mana you can handle.”
He launched into a long explanation, trying to reassure me with complex theories, but none of it sank in.
Whatever he said, it was still demonic energy.
Even if Georg insisted it was safe, I hesitated, knowing how badly demonkin could be ruined by it.
Just then, an image of Hoyeon surrounded by those strong, corrupt individuals flashed through my mind.
Could I protect her in my current state?
“…Professor Georg, let me ask you one thing. Is this truly safe?”
“Do you doubt my skill? That’s a fine attitude for a scholar, but it’s not like you’re in a position to be picky right now.”
He had a point.
The narrative had already spiraled out of control, and who knew what kind of events might occur in the future?
To overcome unknown threats…
I needed to get stronger.
When I opened the flask, an indescribable odor wafted out.
“Don’t hesitate. If anything goes wrong, I’ll rebuild your body from scratch and restore you. Drink it.”
If drinking tar felt like this, I could imagine the sensation. It was sticky, hard to swallow, and seemed to bring up everything I’d eaten the day before, only for the viscous demonic energy to force it back down.
I braced myself for the pain to come, closing my eyes, but even after a full minute, nothing happened.
“…Why isn’t anything happening?”
“What did you think I gave you, Han Dogeon?”
As Georg had claimed, nothing out of the ordinary happened.
Still, I couldn’t shake my unease. Who knew what might happen if I came into contact with holy power?
“…But isn’t there still a risk if I encounter holy power?”
“Did you even listen to my explanation, young man? Stand still.”
When he pulled a rusted necklace from a pocket of subspace and thrust it in front of me, nothing happened.
“…What exactly is this?”
“It’s a necklace that once belonged to a saint. Blessed by the goddess, it still radiates holy power. Still don’t get it? Even when exposed to holy power, you’re perfectly fine.”
Well, I supposed it wasn’t surprising, given he was part of the Hero’s Party.
To be honest, I couldn’t feel the holy power at all, but since Georg said so himself, I’d have to believe him… or at least try to. Though, if I was being truly honest, I still didn’t fully trust him.
But now, I had to.
“In that case, Dogeon, let’s begin by having you cast every spell you know.”
As if I weren’t about to be treated like a lab rat.
***
…He’s late.
Where had Dogeon gone since morning? I hadn’t seen a shadow of him all day.
Was he so shocked by what I’d said yesterday? I mean, I was shocked too, so it wouldn’t be surprising if he was as well.
Did he hate me now?
No, he cared about me enough to worry like that, so it probably wasn’t hatred. Still, I was scared.
I ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner all alone.
I tried to console myself, saying it wasn’t any different from before, but once you’ve experienced eating with someone, it’s hard to go back.
Dogoeon didn’t show up until just before bedtime.
“…Hi, Hoyeon.”
He looked utterly exhausted.
This guy—had he finally been fooling around with some other woman?
But then again, there wasn’t any scent of another person on him. My sense of smell was sharp enough to be sure of that.
Instead, he reeked of something musty, like you’d smell in an apothecary.
“…Hi, Dogeon.”
He looked like he was ready to collapse, so I figured I should let him rest. He seemed in even worse shape than I had been yesterday.
“Hoyeon, do I… look different? Or strange to you?”
The fact that he was asking something like this made it clear—he must have overworked himself to the point of breaking. Whatever he’d been doing, it didn’t seem enjoyable.
“Um… I don’t know. Did you… cut your hair? No? Earrings? A ring…?”
I was just guessing blindly, but I really couldn’t tell.
What I could tell was that he was utterly spent.
“More than that… aren’t you sleepy?”
To me, he looked like a grad student surviving on caffeine after 54 hours.
“Thanks for worrying, but I’m more awake now than ever.”
Sure, he was. That was the kind of thing you’d say right before passing out.
This wasn’t just his body breaking down; even his mind was shot.
“…Hoyeon?”
I grabbed his hand. Even though we were right in front of the dorm, he looked like he’d fall asleep halfway up the stairs and just stay there.
“You can’t push yourself like this. Go to sleep.”
See? He didn’t even resist when I tugged on him; he just stumbled along.
“Whatever you’ve been doing… just get some rest tonight.”
I could always ask him about it tomorrow.
Maybe he’d had a one-on-one with a professor. Why was he this drained, though?
“…Thanks, Hoyeon. But I’m really fine.”
Even a man should know when to give in, and for Dogeon, that time was now.
I could’ve just left him, but seeing him trying so hard to insist he was okay made me worry he’d stay up all night just to prove his point.
…What a handful.
Sighing, I followed him naturally into his room.
“…Hoyeon?”
“I’m staying until you go to sleep. Now hurry up and sleep.”
Normally, I wouldn’t have followed him in, but this wasn’t a normal situation. Even by his definition of friendship, this was justified.
“Thanks for worrying, but—”
As Dogeon closed the door, an odd energy began radiating from him.
It wasn’t divine, but it wasn’t mana either—it was something in between.
Wrapped in that dark blue energy, his body seemed to regain vitality.
What was this? What was happening? Did he always know how to do this?
“See? I told you. I’m fine.”
As the dark blue energy dissipated, Dogeon looked genuinely fine, just as he’d claimed.
…What?