Forgetting the past is not an easy task.
People often say that humans are animals of forgetfulness, but the stronger and more vivid the memory of the past, the harder it is to forget.
I was the same.
Since I’ve had a good memory since old times, unpleasant memories have accumulated vividly.
When I sleep alone, the nightmares even replay as if on a loop.
But now, it’s not so painful.
I’ve become skilled at burying unpleasant memories.
Also, thanks to Ariel-sama’s granting me the power of knowledge and taking measures, I was able to easily bury unnecessary memories deep down.
‘......’
A fragment of that memory suddenly surfaced.
There was a slight commonality in the information I was feeling now.
“Hmm...? A priest...?”
My words, slurred and dragged out, were interrupted by Daera Sajeo’s approach.
Among the tingling sensations, an unpleasant presence mixed in.
My stomach churned. A bitter taste lingered on my tongue, which had still had some sweetness left.
It was the taste of cigarette ash and alcohol.
My face naturally twisted.
The sky’s feathers fluttered slightly, tinged with a faint dullness.
I heard murmuring from around me.
The freshmen who had just come out of the banquet hall were surprised when they saw me, and then they were also surprised by Daera Sajeo, who pretended to be friendly and approached me.
“Daera-sama? You asked me to wait, where did you go...?”
Around that time, Lee Hasol came out from inside the banquet hall. She was holding a cold bottle of water and scanning her surroundings.
Her gaze eventually landed on Daera, then on me.
“Ah.”
Her light green eyes widened. It was easy to observe the confusion spreading within them.
“This... wait a minute...!”
Lee Hasol, who had thrown the water bottle aside, reached out. The wind created by her hand blew towards Daera Sajeo.
The wind suddenly blocked Daera Sajeo’s path.
“Huh?”
The wind was blocked by the sky’s feathers. The extended wings gently swept away the wind gathering around them.
Since the wind had no intention of causing harm, it scattered without resistance.
As if she hadn't expected my actions, Lee Hasol’s mouth dropped open.
I sent her a silent message. Lee Hasol shivered and blinked before nodding dazedly.
I lowered my head in response and turned my body toward Daera Sajeo.
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[...Sajeo, how did you end up drinking so much?]
“Well, it’s... I mixed up the drinks... no, it looked like soda and tasted just like it, you know...?”
[Oh dear.]
[You /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ must be proud of yourself...]
“Ahh...! How dare you mock me, Sajeo!”
Her pronunciation, too, dragged out between words. I swallowed a sigh that was escaping me and extended the sky’s feathers.
The extended feathers gently wrapped around Daera Sajeo’s waist and limbs.
The unsteady stance seemed so unstable that I had to act. She could fall flat on her face and crush the ground like that.
“Oh, this is that. Soft...”
[It’s a top-level artifact, you know...]
The sky’s feathers, which were well-suited to me, had achieved a remarkable level of harmony.
Though I hadn’t received precise feelings since the twin-headed dragon, its level was already on par with top-tier artifacts.
Handling such a precious artifact as if it were just “soft” felt rather strange.
But Daera Sajeo, who didn’t pay attention to my rebuttal, suddenly pulled me into her arms.
“Sniff... Ah, it smells good... Why does it smell like honey here...?”
[Ticklish.]
She buried her nose in my hair, sniffing, and her flushed complexion grew more relaxed.
Perhaps because she was drunk, she didn’t seem bothered by the surrounding whispers.
[...Sajeo, let’s go inside first.]
I suppressed another sigh and gently patted Daera Sajeo’s waist.
‘Hmm...’
It wasn’t that I didn’t feel some discomfort. The memories of the past were too vivid to completely forget.
Forgetting the past is not easy, and it’s difficult for a person to change.
But it’s not impossible.
Although I used to have only bad memories of alcohol, aren’t there happy memories mixed in now?
Not everyone who gets drunk turns violent.
Even when reason is clouded, I vividly remember the warm touch and affection that embraced me.
‘I can change too.’
With those happy memories, I won’t be buried in past misfortunes.
Thinking that, the unpleasant feeling that had been lingering faded slightly.
‘After all, I managed to overcome this while working part-time.’
Of course, I did shiver, and my head turned completely blank, even after overcoming it.
The excessive reaction toward my master... was due to the situation where the person I had thought of as my guardian was drunk.
I chuckled softly and gently pulled Daera Sajeo’s hand.
“Hmm...?”
Daera Sajeo, with hazy eyes, tilted her head. Her nose brushed against my neck as her hair tangled.
“Yawn...”
[Hmm?]
When I tilted my head at her sudden action, her moist lips touched my neck.
Her lips parted slightly, then she bit my neck.
“Chomp...”
[Ughh...!]
The fluttering sky’s feathers stood rigid.
The sky was darkening. Stars twinkled, but they weren’t enough to dispel the darkness.
It was naturally the night sky after the sun had set.
The wind, passing by and swirling, was chilly due to the absence of sunlight.
Of course, there was magic embedded in the clothing, so the cold didn’t penetrate.
“Phew...”
In the park near the First Banquet Hall.
Sitting on a bench, Lee Hasol sighed as she idly checked her student uniform.
Normally, she would intentionally swallow her sighs, but now, her internal frustration made her sigh out loud.
It was because her mind was in turmoil.
Up until yesterday, the plan had proceeded without much trouble.
Although it was a year late, she had entered Shiyoram.
And she had entered as the top student, beating countless competitors.
The force that had pushed her so hard would have been in tears, unable to hold their joy.
It was a cause for celebration for Lee Hasol as well.
The more support she received, the more she could get what she wanted.
That’s how she entered Shiyoram proudly and intended to grow even stronger there.
That was the plan.
‘Ihayul.’
The name, similar to her own.
Her expression grew even more complicated as she thought of him.
‘It really was him...’
There was a sense of self-loathing too. She touched her forehead and shook her head.
The name Ihayul was widely known in the world.
More specifically, it was the name of the special admission student from Shiyoram. Of course, there are other people with the same name.
But she didn’t expect the Ihayul she knew to be him.
She had excuses.
She had been so busy in the past few years. She hadn’t been able to pay attention to external news.
She had only heard about the special admission student a few months ago.
There had been a fire at the orphanage, and she heard that Ihayul had run away recently.
She didn’t know the details, as he had been training in the gray area.
Originally, the Ihayul she knew was an ordinary person who hadn’t awakened.
Considering that there were almost no cases of people awakening so late, her misunderstanding was...
‘...All excuses.’
In the end, they were excuses.
No matter how busy or tight she was, when she heard the name ‘Ihayul,’ she should have looked into it more thoroughly.
It was all her fault.
What in the world had happened for that Ihayul to change this much?
‘Ahh... If only I had entered a year earlier!’
The regret that came too late filled her mind.
Amidst the groans, a cheerful alarm rang. Lee Hasol, who had her eyes tightly closed, tapped the hologram that appeared in mid-air.
The contents of the alarm that had just arrived unfolded.
[▶A potion with the effect of ‘activating natural healing powers’ has been listed in the auction house.]
[▶Would you like to purchase it?]
It was a report from her assistant. According to previous instructions, before purchasing the items she wanted, they were asking her opinion.
“Ah...”
Unconsciously, Lee Hasol had been about to reply but stopped her finger.
She thought of Ihayul, whom she had just met, and his arm, where clean skin had been settled.
Her finger, which had been twitching uselessly in the air, finally tapped the hologram.
[▶No.]
[▶No, you don’t need to look for items for a while.]
[▶Please continue searching for other potions.]
[▶Understood.]
‘Shit, this is bad.’
The sunlight streaming through the window.
The first thought that came to Daera’s mind as she woke up with a clear head in her bed.
Among the types of people who drink heavily and get dizzy, some lose their memories, while others preserve them.
Daera was in the latter group. Everything from yesterday came back to her.
The freshmen’s welcoming event, Ihayul, Lee Hasol, the alcohol she mistook for a drink, the sparring, the mistakes caused by being drunk, the alcohol she mistook for a drink...
Ihayul coming to greet her, swaying, her eyes spinning, then hugging Ihayul to her chest, rubbing her nose in his hair, smelling the honey scent...
The neck, where the honey scent was the strongest...
‘Ughh...’
A shrill scream escaped as the vividly replayed memory hit her.
What the hell did I do?! Daera couldn’t believe her actions.
[You’re awake. Can I come in?]
“Gah!”
At that moment, with the knock, Ihayul’s voice was heard.
It wasn’t a question but a tone of confirmation.
Daera’s body flinched.
A moment later, as if there was no need to wait for an answer, the door opened, and Ihayul stepped in. He was holding a tray with a teacup on it.
[Are you feeling dizzy or nauseous?]
“Ugh, uh... yeah...”
[Then I’m glad.]
“Umm...”
Her words seemed to have a sharp edge to them. At the look of uncommunicative frustration on Ihayul’s face, Daera started to sweat profusely.
[...Phew.]
[Even if you’re fine, you should still drink a cup.]
For a moment, Ihayul had an expression of frustration, but soon his face softened as if he had no other choice. He offered the teacup that was on the tray.
Daera hesitated, then tilted her head.
“What is this? Tea?”
[It’s honey water. It’s a little hot, so drink it slowly.]
“Ahh...”
[Since it’s the weekend, you don’t have any schedule, so you can sleep more.]
Daera’s eyes showed a hint of gratitude as she sighed.
Even though she had caused a huge nuisance yesterday, Ihayul was only slightly grumbling and still taking care of the foolish Sajeo...
“Priest, the priest is truly an angel...”
[That’s ridiculous.]
[Don’t say weird things, just calm your stomach.]
“Really, thank you, Priest...”
While continuously expressing her apologies and gratitude, Daera took the teacup. The warmth of the palm spread, soothing her chilly body.
Moreover, it looked delicious. The pale yellow honey water. The faint sweet scent that wafted up tempted her taste buds.
Honey water, the sweet scent... honey fragrance...
‘......’
Suddenly, an idea crossed her mind, and her actions froze.
Daera stared at the honey water with a strange expression. The warm steam rose and brushed against her nose.
After briefly rolling her eyes, she took a small sip of the honey water.
...It was less sweet than any other scent or flavor.
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