Chapter 558: Our Hayan Has Changed (2)
‘Is she paying attention to useless things?’
I didn’t think that I had to point it out necessarily. One needed to relieve their stress sometimes while studying. The method she was using to relieve hers was a little worrisome, but I didn’t want to make a fuss since it was natural.
Of course, it would be a problem if it was too much, but looking around the room, it didn’t seem like it.
‘It’s not like I can keep checking whether or not she’s studying…’
I had already checked a few times, but I still wanted to check it once more.
I walked toward the army of grandfathers, who were wandering around the door as if Jung Hayan’s room was a sanctuary, and asked them a question.
“Is she usually like this?”
“Yes, she usually spends a lot of time training. In extreme times, there are days when she doesn’t even go to sleep. Hahaha.”
“Um…”
“She has a great passion for magic, but… Is there anything bothering you?”
“No, it’s nothing. I’m just worried if she’s doing well… As you know, it’s our first time sending her to train in a place like the magic tower. Of course, considering that it’s a place where you store and manage vast knowledge, I think sending her here is the right answer, but… I wonder if she’s getting used to the new environment…”
“She’s getting very well-adjusted here, so you have nothing to worry about. I’m sure she’ll go back to the guild with great results soon. Apart from the Blue Guild’s investments in the Magic Guild, the Magic Guild will provide as much material and physical support we can to Jung Hayan-nim. So, please trust us a little bit.”
‘Trust? I do trust you guys. How could I not trust this place?’
Although the Magic Guild couldn’t be called a gigantic guild, it was a group made up of geniuses in magic.
Additionally, many magicians had raised their thumbs at the Magic Guild’s infrastructure and curriculum. Even the Black Swan and the Red Mercenaries were in partnership with the guild regarding the development of magicians.
It wasn’t even only those two places. As they began to form solidarity with many countries, other nations and groups also requested partnerships with the guild.
Of course, it was the same for the Blue Guild.
‘The Magic Guild doesn’t have the world’s best magician under them, but no one could deny that they have the most knowledge about magic in the continent.’
Of course, one could ask, ‘who can teach and guide Jung Hayan then?’ but what she needed wasn’t a teacher but an excellent facility and stable support.
Truthfully, we didn’t have to look so far, but the Magic Tower was also the institution that had fostered Jung Hayan in the First Timeline.
“I think I was a little rude. But it isn’t because I didn’t trust the Magic Tower. Who would have any doubts about this place?”
“Haha, fret not. It would actually be weird not to worry. Although we feel like she’s getting used to this… Well, if the Blue Vice Guild Master feels that way, I think we should put more thought into this matter. Besides, it feels like fate that you had come to our tower. How about it? I’m looking forward to seeing if I can hear a little bit about alchemy today. If you don’t mind, do you want to talk over a cup of tea…?”
‘Yeah, there are people like this.’
Nobody could control such kinds of people with money.
Of course, perhaps giving a bit more money could help, but the Magic Tower was made up of passionate scholars and magicians, all of them crazy about magic.
I nodded slowly. However, I regretted that decision exactly four hours later.
That was because I didn’t realize what drinking a cup of tea meant in there.
“Are you telling me that you don’t necessarily have to find a formula? But theory is also an important part. So far, the academia has…”
“Don’t we have our strongest evidence here? Jung Hayan-nim is not bound by any formulas. She must be studying a form of magic that has never been done before because of her unconventional way of thinking. It’s not just at the Magic Tower. Currently, all magicians are relying on the comfort of the system’s knowledge. If this continues, we won’t be able to reach higher ground. It’s obvious that we won’t be able to develop farther than that. Instead, we’ll regress.”
“In addition to gathering knowledge about the underlying principles of magic, we are constantly researching and developing. What’s the point of placing Jung Hayan-nim in the same category as ordinary people in the first place…?”
“I didn’t mean that we should completely abandon our way of things right now. What I mean is… Don’t you think it’s necessary to also look in a different direction…?”
The grandfathers’ unending debate had gone on.
I didn’t know how a discussion about alchemy had turned into such a debate. As the discussion began to heat up, the grandpas eventually raised their voices about things that had nothing to do with the original topic.
After debating about the source of magic and the direction of increasing the output of elemental magic, they began to debate the need for non-combat magic and had finally reached the current topic. The theme of the current debate was whether or not an established formula was meaningful or even necessary.
Perhaps the topic was debatable because of Jung Hayan.
Unlike other magicians, she was the type to make formulas and spells after manifesting magic. It was like answering a math problem before solving it, then establishing the formula after that…
Her existence and incomprehensible method shook the foundation of magic, so it was expected that such an argument would arise.
As they raised their voices until spit came out of their mouths, I wanted to run out of the place. However, watching Jung Hayan open her mouth little by little, I was forced to sit still.
However, even that much was enough to make all the grandmas and grandpas pay attention to what she had to say and take notes not to miss anything. Not only were they arguing with each other, but they were also arguing with Jung Hayan.
One thing in common between all the magicians in the tower was that they were all looking at her like she was their real granddaughter.
Even the middle-aged magicians also looked at Jung Hayan as if she was their own daughter.
‘She seems used to this.’
It didn’t seem like much, but it was also interesting.
I didn’t know in detail what Jung Hayan was like in the First Timeline, but after witnessing the current atmosphere, I could roughly guess how she had been treated in the Magic Tower. She must’ve had conversations like that every day and lived among people who really cared about her.
Of course, she probably had her natural timidity, but the time she spent confined in the tower wouldn’t have been that miserable.
‘They’re not bad people.’
In the first place, they were people who didn’t seem to be interested in anything other than magic. I couldn’t say it definitively, but it was at that moment that I realized that Jung Hayan’s stagnant growth wasn’t due to her environment.
“It’s already dinner time?”
“Ughh… I see.”
“We’d better start with a meal. We have guests and… Lee Kiyoung-nim, if you don’t mind, please stay with us for dinner and go home…”
‘I don’t want to, you bastards.’
“No, thank you. I appreciate the offer, but I’d like to have a small dinner with a Jung Hayan.”
“Haha, I guess I lacked some tact.”
‘You lacked it since a while ago.’
“Haha…”
“Then we’ll send you a meal separately.”
“Thank you.”
I went back to the top of the tower.
“H-How was it?”
“Well…”
“The g-grandfathers were a little talkative, right? Grandfather Park and Grandfather Jang must’ve been happy because Oppa came. They seemed to talk more than usual.”
“Everyone seemed nice.”
“R-Right?”
“The atmosphere is good… Honestly, I think the conditions for training are better than the ones at the Blue Guild. I like how you can really focus on studying here.”
That made me even more confused. Why did her growth suddenly become stagnant? She seemed to be trying her best, and the atmosphere was indeed nice. I could nod my head to the environment, and magic was overflowing in there.
It was a situation where her power should’ve grown explosively- not stagnant.
‘Let me throw in some bait.’
Perhaps she had lost her purpose.
Perhaps, the silent promise of, ‘If you show results, you’ll get a reward,’ had become a little faded out. It could be because we had naturally become much touchier than before.
And she was proud of the ring she wore on her left ring finger.
Most of all, after the kidnapping incident, it became an opportunity for her to get physically closer to me at any chance.
Even at that moment, she had her arms around mine and was sticking close to my side.
Riding the magic elevator installed in the tower, we reached the top of the tower instantly. Even while entering the room and eating the food that the tower’s staff had given me, I couldn’t stop thinking.
‘Do I have to wait a bit longer to see? But wouldn’t it be better to do something right now?’
Seeing her current environment, it seemed that she would grow at least slightly, but I couldn’t brush away the uncertainty.
When I looked at her, she smiled a little. I felt nervous about the strange atmosphere that had suddenly formed.
I even saw her hands flinch on the desk.
It felt like her gaze was focused on my neck while we were having a pointless conversation. To be exact, she seemed to be looking at my collarbone that had been revealed after I took off my coat, but the way she stared at it without blinking even once was a little freaky.
“I’m happy you seem to be working hard.”
“Yes, I-I’m working hard. Really hard. S-Seriously hard.”
“I like you like this.”
“Ah? Haa… Ah!”
“It’s attractive.”
“Ah! Mmf!”
“It also feels a little sexy.”
“Ah… ugnh!”
‘Hey, why are you making such weird noises?’
I lifted my hand slightly on the back of Jung Hayan’s hand and tickled her, which caused her whole body to shake.
It felt like her eyes were getting scarier. The slightly open door naturally closed. It was clear that someone had controlled the door because there was no wind, and it was too obvious as to who that someone was.
I had slight anxiety that an incident like what had happened with Cha Hee-ra might happen, but Jung Hayan didn’t act as rashly.
She was different from Cha Hee-ra, who acted as she pleased.
She probably wanted to maintain her half-hearted innocence, which had been certified by a unicorn, and wouldn’t make the first move.
The most she did was grab my hand. Because of the pain, my face crumpled a bit, but I maintained my expression.
I thought the gesture could be interpreted as ‘I’m very sexually attracted to you right now.’
Jung Hayan’s expression seemed to also be expecting that day to be the day.
However, it didn’t take long before those expectations were shattered.
“Still…”
“Yes? Yes! Yes!”
“You should concentrate on studying.”
“Ah… ah… ahh…”
“I don’t want to influence you in any way negatively.”
“Ah… T-t-that, n-n-n-n-no, no… I don’t think … There would be an influence… n-none at all…”
“I just want you to keep showing me what you’re doing right now. Do you understand what I am saying?”
At this, she bit down on her lower lip.
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