Fiery Confession

A short while later, the place the two arrived at belonged to <Dragon Sword Mir>; more precisely, it was a special, unnamed hill behind the estate reserved exclusively for Ju Na-young.

They said Ju Na-young had often come here since childhood whenever she needed to think.

The scenery was so beautiful that merely looking at it soothed the mind.

There was good reason for that.

“What do you think? Pretty, right?”

“Yeah.”

Yu Seha nodded. Just as Ju Na-young had said, whether she’d hired a gardener or not, a straight path lined with tulips in full bloom led to a cliff with a fence hanging over it. At the edge of that cliff the twilight hour lingered.

The scene before them could not have been more beautiful.

Tap tap.

Yu Seha turned his head at the feeling of something touching him.

“Yong-yong…”

Ju Na-young, who had folded only her wings while maintaining her <Dragon Form>, was poking him with her long tail. She glanced sideways, oddly embarrassed.

Yu Seha immediately understood what she wanted and gave a small, amused smile.

Rattle—!

In less than a second he reverted into the form of a twenty-year-old youth. His body was covered in thicker, tougher crimson scales than Ju Na-young’s. A thick, mace-like tail swung from his hips in an elegant curve. It was the robust physique one would expect from a superior male dragon.

Ju Na-young couldn’t contain her excitement.

“Y-yonggg!”

“…Do you like this so much?”

“Yong-yong…”

Like Ma Hana’s single ‘Meoww~’ when she was overwhelmed, Ju Na-young could only manage a breathy ‘yongg~.’ Her flushed, flustered face was utterly adorable.

The moment Ju Na-young learned he could use <Dragon Form>, she’d asked to see his tail. Frankly, Yu Seha didn’t understand the appeal. To him it felt like another long hand had appeared. Transforming into a dragon didn’t faze him much—just made his body a bit tougher and more solid.

But it mattered because Ju Na-young liked it.

Yu Seha wrapped his tail around Ju Na-young’s. Their tails twisted together like a braided pastry, the tips curving like hooks to form a small heart.

Then Ju Na-young quite literally exploded.

“Yongyong!!!”

She trembled all over, covering her face with both hands and chirping, ‘I don’t know~.’ The one thing she most wanted with Yu Seha was to intertwine their tails. Too embarrassed to say it outright, she had hoped he would notice—and Yu Seha had.

Suddenly, Yu Seha grabbed Ju Na-young’s soft hand. He smiled at the ‘yong’ girl and looked toward the setting sun.

“……”

Ju Na-young felt her heart pounding as if it would burst. Blood rushed through her, leaving only one feeling: pink, girlish urges—‘I love you, I like you, hug me…’—filling her completely.

She abandoned caution and charged forward recklessly. Waiting any longer would have been torture.

“Yoo, Yu Seha!”

“Huh?”

Ju Na-young closed the distance in one breath as Yu Seha turned. Moon Bora had shown her what to do. She copied that move—and went further—smashing her lips against his.

Yu Seha’s eyes widened. If Moon Bora’s lips had been slender and moist, Ju Na-young’s were rough and burning like fire. The kiss lasted about fifteen seconds and felt like an eternity.

When it finally ended, Ju Na-young clung to Yu Seha and swallowed nervously, firing off her heart’s confessions like machine-gun bullets.

“I-I like you!

Yu Seha, you, you!

As a friend, as a teacher, as a comrade… and as a man…“

Finally, the most important thing:

“Ah, I see you as a partner I want to spend the rest of my life with!”

“……”

A blazing, sunlike confession from a bold, confident woman. Yu Seha stood dazed, unable to speak.

Smooch.

Ju Na-young inwardly thought, ‘Oops. Was I too hasty?’ Her mother had often warned her that rushing could ruin things, and Ju Na-young—full of passion—wasn’t one for waiting. Even so, she would make the same choice again. She had no regrets.

She parted her lips and confessed everything. Her face burned, but she felt no shame. This was who she was—honest and unwavering. Not clever, perhaps, but certain that her love wouldn’t lose to anyone.

Ju Na-young winked at the stunned Yu Seha. Then she noticed something new: even a clumsy guy like him could get embarrassed. His shy, earnest deliberation showed how much he cherished her, and that made her happier than anything.

“Hmm…”

Yu Seha stammered as if he had made up his mind. Ju Na-young wanted to hear his answer, but she thought, Not now.

She tried to imitate Moon Bora’s coquettish move once more and clapped both hands over Yu Seha’s mouth with a smack.

“Ugh?!”

“Yong!”

She’d misjudged the force and pushed him too hard, but decided to push through regardless.

“S-sorry! Ah, anyway… you don’t have to answer yet!”

She’d already promised in the girls’ talk: she would be first to hear Yu Seha’s first answer and the one they’d become linked to. The one to hear it would be Moon Bora, not Ju Na-young herself. It would be Ma Hana. She intended to be with Ma Hana first and then boldly compete with Moon Bora for the second concubine’s place.

“I-I’ll wait! Anytime! I, I won’t marry any man other than you now! I’ll just die an old maid!”

Yu Seha let out an amused breath and laughed. Then he wrapped his arms around Ju Na-young’s shoulders and waist and pulled her into a tight embrace.

“Thank you.”

“Yo…”

Yu Seha smiled gently while Ju Na-young giggled. At that moment, a golden light began to glow from his chest.

“Huh?”

“Yo?”

Yu Seha fumbled through his inner pocket. It was the unfinished [Scales’ Bridle] he had retrieved from Ju Yuri. An <Information Window> updated before his eyes.

Yu Seha blinked in bewilderment. Ju Na-young tilted her head, not knowing what it meant, and rested her head on his shoulder, seeing it as an opportunity.

At the same time, at another location: a private sparring hall reserved for professors of the <Gonis Hunter Academy>.

Inside, Professor Cha Yeo-joo—the instructor in charge of <One-on-One Combat>—was sparring. The sounds of intense clashes reverberated. Clad in full black armor, Cha Yeo-joo swung a large shield like a blunt weapon.

Clang!

Blocking it was a bundle of fur in dark blue armor—Ma Hana. She put strength into her shield and pushed back.

Cha Yeo-joo offered praise.

“Good.”

Ma Hana replied, cheerful and breathless.

“Thank you!”

“I’ll go again.”

“Mua, yes!”

Their sparring continued fiercely without pause. A few months ago, during the <Villain Invasion>, Ma Hana had keenly felt her shortcomings. Since that day she had endured harsh, grueling training every day. Before long, she broke through to A-rank and slipped inside—the lower end of A-rank, certainly—but unbelievable skill for a second-year cadet.

Cha Yeo-joo felt proud. She acknowledged Ma Hana’s relentless effort, though her stern, cold personality kept her from saying so aloud.

They clashed relentlessly for about twenty minutes. Cha Yeo-joo slammed her shield into the ground, unleashing her signature move: the fourth form of the <Kallas Shield Technique>, the Hero-grade skill ‘Fanged Wolf.’ It was a finisher meant to end the fight here and now.

“Hold your stance.”

“Muaa!”

Ma Hana unleashed the same ‘Fanged Wolf.’ Their shields collided, blue waves of magical power crashing against each other. Cha Yeo-joo’s wolf, with stronger, sharper fangs, began to push Ma Hana back. If nothing changed, the outcome was clear.

Then came the sound of bones and muscles shifting.

“…!?”

Ma Hana’s hands transformed into beast-like forepaws. Immediately, a power different from magic emanated from her body.

“Meowww!!!”

Empowered by it, Ma Hana shoved Cha Yeo-joo back in an instant. Cha Yeo-joo flew like lightning and smashed into the training hall’s outer wall.

Startled, Ma Hana rushed to support her and helped her up.

“A-are you okay?”

“Since when…”

“Mua, huh?”

“Since when could you use that power?”

Ma Hana fell silent for a moment at a question that didn’t register her own worry.

Cha Yeo-joo did not look surprised at all. From that, Ma Hana realized Cha had known she could produce such power for some time.

“…I’ve shown signs for a while. But full partial-bestial transformation and being able to draw out the power has only been about a month…”

“I see, so that’s it…”

Cha Yeo-joo nodded.

“The time has come.”

“Meow?”

Cha Yeo-joo removed her helmet. Beneath her waterfall-like blue hair she wore a slightly bittersweet expression. She placed her hand on the crown of Ma Hana’s head and gently stroked along Ma Hana’s cute, charming cat ears.

“M, muang, muang…”

“You once asked me about the senior, about Han Ara…”

Ma Hana tilted her head in puzzlement.

“…Han Ara?”

“She’s your mother.”

“…What!?”

“And she’s the same spirit that’s been floating behind you now.”

“…M-eoww?!”

Shocked to hear her mother’s name for the first time and even more shocked that Cha Yeo-joo knew about the spirit, Ma Hana could only stare.

Cha Yeo-joo continued, watching her.

“To be honest, I don’t know the specifics either. I had the chance to learn, but I deliberately avoided it. I couldn’t understand a senior who consorted with such a monster… I was even jealous. To me she just looked like a thieving cat who took the senior I loved. Because of that, I harbored some hatred even for you, born between them.”

“……”

“However, one thing is certain: your mother is an entity from the realm called the ‘Outside’—the world commonly known as the <Demon King> realm.”

Ma Hana trembled, recalling the words of the <Demon King>, Kazantia.

-Thunk.

Cha Yeo-joo put a finger to Ma Hana’s lips as if to say, ‘Don’t say any more.’

“It’s better for you to judge that yourself after all your journeys are finished.”

“……”

“But don’t worry.”

“Muaa?”

Cha looked not at Ma Hana, but at the spirit floating behind her.

“They took that form to prevent the tragedies and all future problems that would befall you. The fact you are living an ordinary life now is proof of their success.”

“…Meoww?”

Cha Yeo-joo stood and headed for her private office. She poured magic into a drawer. Click!

When the security mechanism disengaged, the drawer opened. Inside were two worn volumes—fairly thick, like secret manuals.

Ma Hana tilted her head.

“…What are these?”

Cha Yeo-joo replied, “They were left to me by Senior Ma Tae-han—your father.”

She handed them to Ma Hana.

“They are the inheritance you will receive, and a map recording where all the truths can be heard.”