Vile Blood (2)

“Whew…”

Moon Bora stopped her thoughts of the past.
<Snow Ice Lady> Cheon Mira.
Her very first mentor.

She began to recite the formula Cheon Mira had taught her.

Then, an unknown power spread out, one she had never felt before.

Something cold and intense.

It shattered the ice crystals that had spread throughout her body, beginning to compress into a single force.

“Good.”

Hearing Cheon Mira’s approval, Moon Bora, who had been steadily building her strength, unleashed it with a loud cry.

“[Icicle]!!!”

Moon Bora’s clear voice echoed throughout the training hall.

This place, specially designed for Cheon Mira, had a unique effect that enhanced talents related to <Cold>.

Currently, in Moon Bora’s heart, it was like an engine running without stopping.

The peculiar, mysterious formula was moving as if it were shaking.

With her breath in sync, the cold energy flowed down her arms.

This was a power far beyond the [Icicle] that Moon Bora had used so far.

Crack!

“…!?”

However, that was the extent of her ability to manifest it.

In the end, she failed to complete the crucial launch and control.

Soon, the pale cold exploded.

“Kyaa!”

Moon Bora fell backward.

Thanks to the kimono she wore, the flying ice shards didn’t pierce her, but the shock wasn’t entirely absent.

Step, step.

“……”

Cheon Mira silently looked down at Moon Bora.

Surely, she too must have been caught in the explosion, yet there wasn’t a single visible wound.

She turned her body, looking at the panting Moon Bora.

“Let’s call it a day. Go and rest.”

Cheon Mira spoke as if it were the norm.

Soon, she stopped her steps.

She glanced back briefly.

Moon Bora, trembling, stood up.

Cheon Mira, unknowingly, wore a faint smile.

“…Please guide me… I’m begging you!”
“…Alright.”

No matter the hardship or adversity, the sight of her not giving up and standing up.

Moon Bora might not have realized it herself…

But she was gradually resembling Yu Seha.

---

A few hours later.

“Ung… Eng… Uuung.”

Uung…
Uueeng.
Uuung…

Moon Bora groaned softly as she pushed open the door and stepped outside.

Her body sagged like well-fermented green onion kimchi.

As if tons of metal weights were attached to her limbs, her whole body felt heavy.

“Uu… Eng.”

She wanted to wash up and collapse onto her bed immediately.

‘Haa…’

She sighed, feeling utterly drained.

As she shuffled along, she pulled her phone from her pocket.

There was a message from Yu Seha about his trip to the amusement park with Ju Na-young.

‘……’

She stared silently at Yu Seha’s profile picture, wondering briefly if they had enjoyed themselves before shaking her head.

Honestly…
To be completely honest…
She had wanted to go too.

‘I wanted to have fun with Yu Seha.’

But there was no time for that.
Among the group, she was the weakest.

Ma Hana unlocked her [Ultimate Skill].
Senior Choi Mari used an unknown powerful and absurd divine law.

Lastly…

“……”

At the decisive moment.

Even Ju Na-young made a significant impact unlike herself.

To stand alongside them…

To be of help to Yu Seha…

She had to keep running.

“So for the time being…”

Yes, for the time being…

“I must focus on training without seeing Yu Seha’s face.”

It seemed like the only way to steady this wavering heart.

To train and hone herself harshly, all alone, for the time not far away.

She imagined a future where she could face him.

“Alright!” Moon Bora clenched her fists.

Startled by the voice that soon followed.

“Well, that’s a bit disappointing…?”
“Whaaat?!”

The resolve she had just made crumbled in an instant.

The voice belonged to Yu Seha.

When did he arrive…?
He looked at her with an awkward smile.

“S-Seha?”
“Hello, Bora Bora.”
“Uh, uh… how did you even—no, more importantly, why…?”
“Um…”

Yu Seha, who was about to answer, paused for a moment.

He gestured towards the stairs, as if to say, ‘Shall we talk on the rooftop?’

---

“Here, this.”
“…?”

Moon Bora tilted her head as she looked at the package Yu Seha handed her.

As she examined the contents, there were various snacks and… animal ears to wear on the head? Like toys.

“…Uh, what’s this?”

“Souvenirs from the amusement park. It’s a mix of what Ju Na-young and I picked.”

“…Ah.”

Maybe it was thanks to Yu Seha bringing up a casual topic.

Moon Bora had a pleasant chat with him for the first time in a while.

It was almost laughable how she had resolved to train in solitude just moments ago.

“The kimono suits you well.”
“R-Really?”

At Yu Seha’s words, Moon Bora felt a bit embarrassed.

Though her old dresses were undoubtedly more revealing, the kimono accentuated her figure in a way that made her self-conscious.

Still, rather than feeling embarrassed, she felt a faint joy at the thought that he had noticed her.

“Wearing that outfit means… you got permission from <Snow Ice Lady>, right?”

As expected of Yu Seha.
He recognized it immediately.
He was the one who informed her that she was here in the first place.
It was only natural.

“…Yes, thanks to you. Thank you. I’ll do my best.”

Moon Bora clasped her small fists cutely.

Determined to succeed, Yu Seha had a subtly sad expression.

Pat.

“Wha…?”
“Don’t push yourself too hard.”

He gently placed his hand on her head, ruffling her hair.

A tingling sensation.

Her heart pounded as she lowered her head.

In the past, she would have brushed his hand away…

Now, she couldn’t do that and accepted his actions.

To Moon Bora, Yu Seha had become… an undeniably significant presence.

“<Snow Ice Lady>’s training… It’s effective, but it must be tough, right?”

“……”

It was as though he had seen everything she had endured today.

Then he added something that shook her to her core.

“If it’s hard, just tell me anytime. I’ll help you.”
“…Seha.”
“Ultimately…”

You’re not alone anymore, are you?

“You don’t have to suffer alone like you have until now.”
“……”

Moon Bora looked at Yu Seha in silence.

It seemed even he found his words cheesy, as he cleared his throat awkwardly.

However, the emotions of ‘worry, compassion, and pity’ in his eyes were undeniably true.

Moon Bora bit her lip.

As much as the happiness surged, anxiety swept over her.

She knew it, but was once again convinced by those words.

‘As expected, Yu Seha…’

…knows about my past.

And beyond that…

The one thing everyone craved to know about—something even she feared.

‘The future…’

Surely, her future too…
He must know how it will unfold.

This was the final conclusion that the sharp-minded Moon Bora reached while being with Yu Seha until now.

Moon Bora suppressed her urge to ask directly.

She thought she shouldn’t hear it.

‘Hearing about it…’

…would be something she allowed herself only after she had earned the right to stand proudly by his side.

So instead, perhaps…

She revealed her resolve to him.

“Seha, I promise you. I will become stronger. More than I am now.”
“……”

---

Yu Seha couldn’t say anything in response to Moon Bora’s words.

He wanted to tell her she was already more than enough as she was, but her determination was undeniable.

All he could do was nod.

‘However…’

Nevertheless…
There was just one thing he wanted to say.

Something he could finally say now that they had grown closer, something he believed she could hear.

“Then let me make just one promise, too.”
“What is it?”
“The past.”
“…!”

Moon Bora flinched.

Yu Seha continued without concern.

On the railing, he overlapped his hand with hers.

“When the time comes someday…”

Tell me about your past.

“I’ll help you.”
“……”

It was a statement full of implications.

Within it, surely…

It implied that he already knew about the shameful and disgraceful history of the <Moon Family>.

Moon Bora stared blankly at Yu Seha.

She never expected that he would reveal it himself.
To admit he already knew.
And to declare that he wanted to help regardless.

“……”

Moon Bora, who had closed her eyes, nodded briefly.

When the time would come someday…

When her heart would grow stronger than it was now, she resolved to reveal it to him.

“…Yes, thank you.”
“No, it’s me who should be thanking you.”

As the quiet moonlight bathed them, the two stood side by side, gazing at the approaching night sky with soft smiles.

---

After a short <Break> period, regular classes returned after a long time.

Currently, I was faced with a subject I had never heard of before named <Interpersonal Combat Among Hunters>.

The gathering place was a spacious training ground.

Soon, I smiled softly at the ‘Meow~’ sound coming from beside me.

I reached out and ruffled the top of her head, feeling the soft warmth of her fuzzy cat ears under my palm.

“Meow~ Meow~ Meow~”
“Hehe…”

As a side note, the other two did not attend this class.

In Ju Na-young’s case, she couldn’t attend because it overlapped with <Understanding of Natural Magic>, a mandatory class for the <Druid> class.

Moon Bora was unable to come because her entire schedule was occupied by Cheon Mira’s exclusive class.

While Ju Na-young and I had spent the morning attending classes together and shared lunch, I hadn’t seen Moon Bora since our conversation the previous evening.

‘Well, we communicate frequently via text…’

Moon Bora was steadily advancing on the path of [Awakening].

It must be arduous and challenging…
I silently cheered, believing that she could surely succeed.

At that moment, the murmurs of my classmates grew louder.

When I looked up, a woman entered, accompanied by the clicking sound of heels.

A neat and pretty uniform.
A female professor with a cold and emotionless expression that was quite striking.

“Nice to meet you. I am Cha Yeo-ju, who will be in charge of the [nterpersonal Combat Among Hunters] class.”

The female professor, who introduced herself as Cha Yeo-ju, began with a light attendance check while surveying the surroundings.

The peculiar part was that this class was starting halfway through the semester.

‘It didn’t make much sense at first…’

That was, until her explanation clarified things.

“Many of you might wonder why the class is starting so late in the semester.”

Cha Yeo-ju mentioned and explained various things.
There were some minor details.
She had been occupied with tasks assigned by Chairman Yu Neung-hae, which had delayed the start of her lectures.

“Those of you present here are probably curious about grades and assignments. And how the evaluation for the upcoming <Mid-Semester Exam> will be conducted.”

Cha Yeo-ju rummaged through her pocket and pressed a button.

She opened the pre-prepared PPT file on the screen in large view.

The rainbow-colored Bonobono screen right in front of me was truly impressive.

“I’ll now go over everything step by step, so please stay focused and don’t doze off.”

Slide by slide, the explanation continued.

Just like her neat appearance, Cha Yeo-ju’s explanation was also clean and without unnecessary details.

However, there was one peculiar thing.

‘…Why does she keep…’

…staring at Meowi?

“Meow…”

It seemed I wasn’t the only one who felt that way.
Meowi, who was next to me, also trembled slightly.
A gaze so blatant it was obvious.

Meowi swallowed dryly at the gaze that conveyed neither hostility nor friendliness.

‘…Could it be that she knows Meowi?’

As mentioned before, in ‘GAL,’ there was no explanation about the professors at all.

As a Supervisor, I had no way of knowing what backstories they might have.

‘Hmm…’

I glanced intermittently, focusing on Cha Yeo-ju’s explanation while looking at Meowi.

---

“……”

Meanwhile, Cha Yeo-ju continued her explanation, her gaze fixed on Meowi.

In truth, she wasn’t consciously staring at Meowi.

Instead, she was looking at her and recalling the face of someone she had once known.

Someone she missed dearly yet also resented deeply—a man.

“……”

The man floating in Cha Yeo-ju’s mind.

An outstanding <Hunter> over 190 cm tall and Ma Hana’s father…

‘Ma Tae-han.’

Not handsome, but a manly, bear-like figure with a charming impression in the <Knight> class.

With two adorable cat ears twitching incongruously…

For Cha Yeo-ju, it was a sight that naturally brought a smile.

She nodded slightly.

As expected…

‘…She resembles him.’

Ma Hana.

She already knew.

After all, she was the one who passed her in the entrance exam.

When she first saw her, she had wondered, ‘Could it be?’

It felt like just yesterday when she saw her as a newborn baby.

Already, she had become such a fine lady…

Cha Yeo-ju thought time truly was fleeting.

Smile.

Cha Yeo-ju unwittingly showed a faint smile.

However…

As she realized one fact, her smile vanished as if it were a lie.

“…Meow?”

The two tails attached to Ma Hana’s bottom.

Senior Ma Tae-han was also of the cat tribe, but he only had one tail.

No, initially, almost 99% of the cat tribe had one tail.

Having two was rare, often seen as a defect, and never so functional and independent.

“……”

Cha Yeo-ju closed her eyes for a moment.

In the memories of the past.

She recalled the image of a woman with two tails, smiling brightly, hanging onto the arm of Senior Ma Tae-han.

The figure of a beautiful and cute girl.

But it didn’t take long to realize the truth that she was a genuine monster.

“Haa…”

Cha Yeo-ju thought she remembered something unnecessary.
She clicked her tongue lightly.

Really…

‘Genes are…’

Both incredibly beautiful and cruel to no end.

She raised both hands.

With a clap, the cadets’ attention was drawn.

“Now then…”

The [Interpersonal Combat Among Hunters] class.

“The first lecture begins.”