Chapter 63: A Joke
Something felt off.
It wasn’t as unpleasant as mana, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that it wasn’t normal either.
It was similar to the sensation I got back when I was bored and ordered some slime from the internet as a guy—it was just weird.
At first glance, it felt like pure energy untouched by the will of a deity, but with just a bit more focus, it became clear that it was something entirely different.
It felt like an attempt to mimic energy by forcibly blending together various unrelated components.
If I had to define it, I guess I’d call it that. Though honestly, I wasn’t even sure if it was energy.
More importantly, whatever it was, it had clearly healed Dogeon.
Seriously… What was it?
Maybe he’d stumbled onto some miraculous opportunity or item, as protagonists often do.
Protagonists in stories tend to grow stronger by jumping off waterfalls or finding hidden chambers, so I figured it was only a matter of time before Dogeon brought back some kind of power-up.
But this?
“…What is that?”
I hadn’t expected him to bring back something this strange.
If he had used mana, I could’ve just written him off as a stubborn fool, but this—I couldn’t ignore.
How could I not be curious when my friend was messing with something so odd?
“…Hoyeon. From now on, don’t tell anyone about what I’m about to say.”
“Uh… okay?”
Was he about to confess something? Dogeon put a finger to his lips, urging me to keep his secret.
What could it possibly be? He was making me incredibly curious.
“Fine. I won’t tell anyone. Just tell me—what is that?”
“It’s purified and distilled demonic energy. Professor Georg gave it to me.”
Demonic energy—wasn’t that supposed to be something divine beings dealt with?
Wait. So it was energy. What had they done to it to make it so unrecognizable?
And why did that psycho professor even have something like that? More importantly, why had he given it to Dogeon?
It was so sudden and out of place that I didn’t even know how to react.
…Wait. If that stuff went into his body, wasn’t that incredibly dangerous? Didn’t the books say it would burn you from the inside out?
“…Dogeon, are you okay?! Stay still—I’ll do something about it!”
Normally, handling divine energy required the deity’s permission, but given the circumstances, I didn’t have time for that.
I could manipulate small amounts of energy, but I wasn’t sure if I could handle something so twisted.
I’d failed to manage even basic divine energy or mana before—how could I possibly deal with something this warped?
…But he was my friend. I had no choice but to try!
If it came to it, I’d summon a deity if I had to—
“Like I said earlier, I’m perfectly fine. I’m not in any pain. You’re worried about divine energy, right?”
Unlike me, who was practically panicking, Dogeon was as calm as could be. His nonchalance only made me more anxious.
He looked like someone who had resigned themselves to their fate.
“Hoyeon. You can sense divine energy, can’t you?”
“Yes. But… why are you asking me that all of a sudden?”
I had no reason to hide it, so I answered, though I felt uneasy. Why was he making me so nervous?
“Then you can see it. Good. Explaining it a hundred times wouldn’t be as effective as showing you once.”
With that, Dogeon pulled a small pouch from his pocket.
He was being so cryptic it was driving me crazy.
“This holds the necklace of a saint. Professor Georg tossed it to me, saying it was useless, but apparently, it still emits divine energy.”
If what he said was true, I should’ve felt a strong surge of divine energy, but I didn’t.
However, the moment he opened the pouch, a wave of divine energy so strong it made me gag burst out.
“…Ugh!”
The sheer intensity made it impossible to keep my expression neutral, but when I thought about that energy overwhelming Dogeon, I snapped back to my senses.
“…Dogeon!! …Huh?”
By everything I knew, Dogeon should’ve been reduced to ashes by now.
Instead, he was smiling and casually putting the necklace on.
Oh, thank goodness.
I was so relieved nothing happened.
…But still.
I placed both hands on his shoulders and gripped with all my strength.
“…Never.”
Even with my lack of physical strength, putting my all into it was enough to pull Dogeon down to eye level.
His expression carried a faint hint of guilt—he must’ve realized he’d gone too far. But it wasn’t enough.
“Pull a prank like that again…”
Seriously, I thought he was going to die.
“…And I won’t forgive you.”
I stared directly into his eyes as I said it, making sure my meaning was clear.
But his face still had that smirk—one that practically invited me to hit him. It was so infuriating that I considered slapping him, but decided that was too much.
“…Got it. I’ll remember that.”
What was he even smiling about?
There was no “goodnight” from me tonight. I let go of him roughly and left his room.
If he’d at least tried to hold me back, I might’ve softened up, but letting me leave so easily only made me angrier.
…What a cheeky guy.
It looked like tonight’s sleep would be anything but peaceful.
Dogeon was starting to realize he’d gone too far with the joke.
***
My shoulder still ached from Hoyeon’s grip. It had been a long time since she got this angry—probably not since the gym incident.
But this time, at least, she hadn’t frozen up like before.
Hoyeon’s aura of intimidation was strange.
Unlike the Black Wolf, there was no real sense that she was out to kill me.
After experiencing actual murderous intent once, I figured I could withstand her level of pressure.
That’s probably why, even when her glare was intense enough to make me imagine her eyes glowing yellow, I managed to keep my composure this time.
Or maybe it was because I’d grown stronger after receiving the demonic energy. Either way, it was a good thing. I just needed to apologize to Hoyeon properly as soon as possible.
She was clearly upset.
The fact that she left without even saying goodbye made it obvious. My attempt to reassure her that the divine energy couldn’t hurt me by smiling must’ve backfired.
Still, I couldn’t help but feel a bit happy that she got mad. It showed how much she genuinely cared about me, and I couldn’t dislike that.
…Once again, I summoned the pseudo-demonic energy and concentrated it on my shoulder.
The energy oozed and wrapped around the bruised area Hoyeon had gripped so hard, quickly healing it.
As expected of a beastfolk, her strength was no joke.
She didn’t seem to have any connection to physical training, so where did she get that kind of power?
Thinking about my inevitable fight with Jeongho, who had defeated the Black Wolf, made my head spin.
How was I supposed to beat someone like that? The balance of power felt completely skewed. I wanted to complain to the author for breaking the power balance.
But complaining wouldn’t change anything. My only option was to get stronger.
For Hoyeon’s sake.
As for the harem… that was a problem for me in the future. Right now, I don’t have the means or confidence to handle it.
The thought of dealing with byeolbi crossed my mind, but it felt laughable to think about building a harem when I couldn’t even properly protect Hoyeon.
With the original story’s events now uncertain, the only thing I could trust was my own strength.
First, though, I needed to cheer up Hoyeon.
Tomorrow morning, I’d get up early and buy her favorite strawberry milk. The quality at Amaurus Academy was ridiculously high—so was the price.
But if it could soothe Hoyeon’s anger, it’d be worth it.
With that thought, I went to bed.
When I woke up the next day, the sun was already high in the sky. Morning had long since passed.
Apparently, I’d gotten too used to Hoyeon waking me up every morning over the past month.
Still, I got up, cleaned up quickly, and headed to the convenience store.
The strawberry milk was outrageously expensive at 10 silver coins, but imagining how happy Hoyeon would be made it tolerable.
How they priced a single carton of strawberry milk on par with several pet accessories, I’d never know. But then again, this was an academy for nobles.
Living off the money Hoyeon gave me and what I earned running errands for professors, this was definitely a splurge.
In the original story, the protagonist was supposed to have direct interactions with the headmaster. Why was it that, aside from Hoyeon and Anya, no one else approached me?
Regardless, I bought the strawberry milk and went to Hoyeon’s door, knocking.
“Hoyeon, I got strawberry milk for you.”
Normally, she would’ve answered immediately, but this time there was no response for a while. I must’ve really upset her.
I heard some rustling and shuffling from inside before Hoyeon finally opened the door and appeared.
“…You bought this for me? Admirable. Now, hand it over.”
“Before that… could you accept one more thing from me?”
Her use of the formal princess tone—reserved for when she was angry—made it clear she wasn’t planning to forgive me easily.
That said, her slowly wagging tail betrayed her true feelings.
“…And what else is it that you wish to give me?”
“An apology… Will you accept it?”
Honestly, considering her mood, I doubted she’d accept it, but it was better to try than not.
“…Hmph. I don’t need an apology. Just hand over the strawberry milk.”
So, she wasn’t planning to let it slide. I’d suspected as much when she used that tone, but I’d hoped otherwise.
“Understood. Here’s the strawberry milk. I’ll take my leave now.”
Not wanting to risk further upsetting her, I turned to leave.
“…Wait. Don’t go just yet.”