I Became the Academy's Disabled Student

Elemental Magic

While rare to master, those who excel can command spirits in numbers rivaling an army.

These spirits, when dispersed, exhibit exceptional search abilities, allowing them to surpass ordinary detection methods.

Thus, Liana also participated in the search.

Of course, no one forced her; she volunteered.

The turmoil surrounding Lee Hayul’s disappearance had also affected Siyoram Academy.

For his instructor Atra and supervising professor Liana, the news had struck like a bolt from the blue.

Especially Atra...

"Oh... oh..."

Calming her down had been exhausting.

Though Liana was shocked, with Atra frothing at the mouth beside her, she could only sigh.

After managing to calm Atra, Liana arrived in China to begin her search.

China was vast. Even with extraordinary detection abilities and commanding a substantial number of spirits, covering the entire land was nearly impossible.

But there was no need to search everything.

The location was already narrowed down.

Near the Huabei-Dongbei border, the area where the Two-Headed Venom Dragon had been hunted was identified.

There was also testimony from Jiyeon Lee, successor to Taesan, who had confronted the dragon with Hayul.

Though her physical injuries were minimal, the mental trauma had clearly affected her, but before losing consciousness, she mentioned the dungeon Hayul had entered.

Liana spread her spirits widely, combing the area thoroughly.

In doing so, she managed to locate what seemed to be the entrance to the dungeon Jiyeon had described.

Unlike the testimony, there was no fog. However, she found the dungeon entrance within a cave on a cliffside.

For some reason, entry was initially impossible, but after a few days, she confirmed the entrance had opened and hurried inside.

The dungeon’s interior differed slightly from the description.

There was supposed to be thick fog... but none was present. The area was clear.

There was a mention of a mystical lake shimmering gently... but that, too, was gone.

There were traces of a lake, but it seemed to have dried up, leaving an exposed pit.

In the center of the pit was a small, white child.

The moment she saw the child, Liana’s mind froze.

Even she found herself momentarily staring, mouth agape, as the child radiated an enchanting aura.

The child had pure white hair, untainted by a single impurity, and skin that remained delicately flushed despite the dust clinging to it.

Despite their small build, three pairs of large, blue wings lay draped over them like a blanket as they wriggled, trying to move along the ground.

A child... The sight was reminiscent of a fairy.

Though perhaps “reminiscent” wasn’t the right word.

To Liana, this was simply a fairy.

Despite the changes, there were numerous subtle similarities to Lee Hayul, whom she knew.

Above all, those wings were the very artifact Hayul had worn.

She wasn’t sure why he had a tiny prosthetic arm on his left side suited to a child’s body, but...

‘Isn’t that an artifact?’

At a glance, it was clearly an upper-tier artifact.

...This child was undoubtedly Lee Hayul.

Liana rushed over to Hayul and took appropriate first-aid measures.

After checking his consciousness, she removed the threadbare rag that could barely be used as a mop and wrapped him in a soft blanket.

She administered basic healing spells for first aid.

Then, she gently fed him a vitality potion that would not strain his body.

And...

"You’ve held on well. Now, let’s get you outside─"

Grip...

"─side. Hah...?!"

Her chest was grasped.

...

Liana’s lips clamped shut.

Ignoring the small, embarrassed sound that escaped her lips, she felt a peculiar sensation running down her spine.

It was an indescribable feeling.

Liana looked down, trembling slightly.

She saw her chest. Her feet were out of sight – not unusual.

White hair was visible.

The young Hayul had buried his face against her chest as if seeking comfort.

She understood.

Though he’d always maintained a stoic facade, Liana knew Hayul was more tender-hearted than he let on.

For a child who had been isolated in this dungeon alone for days, with a body that had reverted to that of a young child’s, unable to move properly...

He must have been mentally and physically drained.

As expected, Hayul whimpered, wriggling deeper into her embrace.

So, without a second thought, she offered her arms, hugging him close to share warmth and soothingly patting his head and back.

She hadn’t anticipated that he would grab her chest.

Squish...

"Um, Cadet Hayul...?"

Hayul’s small hands kneaded her chest repeatedly.

Realizing belatedly, she noticed the burns on his hand had vanished.

Of course, compared to her chest, his hand was minuscule, with his tiny fingers sinking deep into her ample bust.

The flesh squeezed between his fingers slipped out, unable to be fully contained.

Seeing this scene... and feeling the strange sensation from her chest, Liana’s face turned red.

It was a sight she had never imagined.

Never had she thought in her life that someone else would touch her chest so openly.

With utmost care to avoid hurting him, she gently pried his tiny hand away.

"You can’t just touch a woman’s chest whenever you want..."

An awkward attempt at scolding.

Liana had never raised a child. Naturally, she didn’t know the right way to scold a child who misbehaved.

Although Hayul wasn’t truly a young child, given his upbringing and current condition, he was close to one.

With a stern voice, she lightly tapped his nose.

Whimper...

[No... I don’t want to...]

Hayul whimpered, missing the comforting warmth of her chest.

A wave of sadness welled up within him. A flame ignited within, stoking his desire for comfort.

Part of his mind felt numb as if frozen, unable to process certain thoughts.

With a dejected look, he buried his face back into her chest.

Soon, his breathing settled into a peaceful rhythm.

"Oh, wait. You can’t fall asleep now..."

Flustered by his heavy breathing, Liana gently shook him, trying to keep him awake.

She had prepared a variety of medicines in case he had sustained critical injuries that prevented him from signaling his location.

So far, she had only given him a vitality potion meant for patients.

And considering the monster Hayul had fought was the Two-Headed Venom Dragon, which wielded potent toxins and disease...

Though the effects of the disease seemed minimal, and he appeared stable now, there was no guarantee that complications wouldn’t arise later. She had also prepared detoxifying potions.

But they needed to be administered while he was fully conscious.

[Sleepy...] [Warm...] [Feels nice...] [So cozy...]

"Cadet Hayul? Sweetie? You can’t sleep yet. You need to take your medicine first..."

She gently shook Hayul, who was on the verge of drifting off, and carefully lifted his head from her chest.

Despite her efforts, Hayul seemed to be slipping deeper into sleep.

Given his severely weakened condition, it wouldn’t be surprising if he lost consciousness at any moment.

"I need to get his medicine into him as soon as possible..."

She contemplated feeding him while he was half-asleep.

Then she recalled that he had been rather conscious moments ago... especially when he was focused on her chest.

“......”

Liana’s thoughts drifted briefly. Though somewhat shameful, she wondered if it was really a big deal.

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In truth, she hadn’t minded being touched by Hayul. The surprise had flustered her, but she didn’t feel discomfort or displeasure.

"Hm... well, here..."

With little choice... to administer the medicine as quickly as possible, she gently placed her chest against the child’s small hand.

Hayul flinched, his tiny hand clenching around her chest.

"Ah..."

Liana shivered from the strange sensation but quickly began retrieving all the necessary medicines before he could fall asleep again.

...

...

[Target located (Lee Hayul). Emergency care completed. En route to the nearest city.]

[Transmit to Special Network (WE3-32)?] [Yes/No]

Beep

A hologram blinked as the message was sent.

"...At least some should see it."

The surrounding gray zone had always been a place where mana waves fluctuated erratically.

With dungeons going berserk, and monsters, specters, and supers rampaging, the mana interference would likely worsen.

It might not transmit properly, but she had to try.

“I’m exhausted...”

It was deep into the night.

Though the sky was dark, she had placed a heat-emitting magical device at the clearing’s center instead of a campfire.

After setting up some basic wards, she felt her remaining energy drain.

Leaning against a thick tree, Liana finally sighed and stretched out, exhausted.

Thanks to the heating device, the air was warm despite the chilly night.

The soft, orange glow created a serene atmosphere.

She had administered all of Hayul’s medicines and was now making her way to the nearest city as night fell.

Liana wasn’t averse to night travel, but she was tired.

The shock of Hayul’s disappearance had affected her as well.

She had been the one to hold back Atra when she was on the verge of losing control, and for the past few days, she had devoted herself to the search without a wink of sleep.

Her stamina and mental endurance were wearing thin.

Even so, she could keep going. The issue lay elsewhere.

Snore...

[Happiness] [Happiness] [Warmth]

“......”

She felt the warmth of rhythmic breaths against her chest, and a comfortable feeling of fullness as Hayul nestled perfectly into her embrace...

Liana glanced down.

There lay Hayul, nestled against her chest as if it were his own, fast asleep.

He was undoubtedly a patient—now even mysteriously de-aged, with symptoms that were not fully understood.

It would be too harsh to carry him without rest, especially given his fragile condition.

So Liana decided to settle down for the night, allowing them both some rest.

She looked down at Hayul, his face peacefully resting against her chest.

With a soft expression, she gently brushed his hair.

‘Oh...’

Without realizing it, a small sound escaped her lips. The sensation, which had already been pleasant, felt even better.

The feeling was addictively comforting. If she didn’t restrain herself, she could hold and caress him like this all day.

[Soft...] [Happy...] [Warmth...]

Her necklace clicked, showing his affectionate status.

She set up a sleeping bag on the ground.

With a barrier in place, no cold wind would disturb them.

Having laid down the wards, and with numerous spirits watching over them from all directions, she finally lay down on the soft sleeping bag, Hayul in her embrace.

Hayul snuggled closer, using her arm as a pillow.

[So fluffy...]

His childlike behavior made her smile.

She gently patted his back.

Even asleep, he responded happily, making soft, contented sounds, causing her to smile.

"How curious..."

She murmured, absently touching Hayul’s cheek.

Liana was a retired hero.

She had graduated at the top of her class from the region’s best academy and had maintained the highest grades for all four years at Siyoram.

After graduating, she had worked in the demon realm as a significant asset until her retirement, officially due to injury.

Though injured, she could have returned to the front lines.