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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Mod7
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“It’s best that Student Lee Seok-hyun remains in his quarters to rest.”
“Agreed. His treatment is complete, and we can handle the demon situation ourselves.”
“Indeed. Any further fuss would only serve to advertise our incompetence.”
While Lee Seok-hyun remained unconscious, despite his wounds having fully healed, the academy’s senior officials gathered to discuss the situation.
“We were too complacent. We never anticipated an Archdemon infiltration.”
“We will implement stricter security measures against demonic incursions and resume the competition.”
“If we suspend the competition because of this, we’ll be playing right into the demons’ hands.”
The academy existed to eradicate demons.
This wasn’t just Mirinae Academy’s ideology; it was the shared purpose of every academy participating in the exchange competition.
To nurture talented individuals, to cultivate their abilities and empower them to fight against the demonic threat.
They were prepared to do whatever it took to achieve this goal.
“Regarding Student Lee Seok-hyun’s care…”
“The other Mirinae students will be attending to him. It seems fitting that his comrades, those who fought alongside him, should be the ones to care for him now.”
“Indeed. His treatment is nearly complete. It’s simply a matter of waiting for him to regain consciousness. His friends are best suited for this task.”
“Very well. Then, unless there are any further matters to discuss, we should adjourn. I’m sure you all have pressing matters to attend to.”
“Agreed. Until next time.”
With a plan in place, the senior officials dispersed.
They would implement stringent security measures, ensuring Mirinae Academy would never again be vulnerable to demonic intrusion.
‘I wonder what they meant by “care”…’
They’d said Lee Seok-hyun’s friends would be attending to him, but he was curious about the specifics.
And Mijuran, completely unaware of his curiosity, sat beside Lee Seok-hyun’s bed, her face etched with worry as she gently wiped the sweat from his brow.
“You need to wake up, soon.”
Having witnessed Lee Seok-hyun’s desperate battle against Raystember in the dreamscape, she devoted herself to his care, volunteering for nursing duty the moment he fell into a coma.
‘We’re switching shifts every day, right?’
For reasons unknown, only one student at a time was allowed to attend to Lee Seok-hyun.
While there were numerous volunteers, Mijuran and Meiri had been chosen, taking turns in 24-hour shifts to ensure constant care and allow each other time to rest.
“So many gifts…”
Three hours after Lee Seok-hyun had been admitted to the infirmary, a mountain of gifts arrived, sent by guilds, knight orders, and various individuals eager to make his acquaintance.
Bellos and Elua, being royalty and the daughter of an academy headmaster respectively, had sent particularly extravagant presents.
Mijuran, also a princess, had sent a gift of considerable value, but she was more surprised by the sheer volume of presents. This was just the beginning.
“So many reporters…”
“Academy Students Defeat Archdemon!” Headlines like this, proclaiming the students’ victory, were plastered across every news outlet.
While the students’ names hadn’t been explicitly mentioned, to protect their identities, everyone knew who the real hero was.
Lee Seok-hyun, the first-year student who’d single-handedly defeated the dream-manipulating Archdemon, Raystember.
Like an awl in a bag, his name kept surfacing, whispered in hushed tones, spreading through the academy like wildfire.
“You’re going to be so busy when you wake up. I don’t think anyone else could handle this level of attention.”
Mijuran chuckled, trying to lighten the mood, and gently brushed Lee Seok-hyun’s hair from his forehead.
He was a truly remarkable classmate.
From their encounter with Ungbak to this, he always seemed to find the right solution, the optimal path to victory. His instincts were uncanny. It made her feel safe, knowing he was on their side.
‘And I’m not the only one.’
To think that the entire first-year class of Mirinae Academy, not just S-Class, was praying for a single student’s recovery… It was unprecedented. Even a popular student council president wouldn’t garner this level of support.
‘His hands…’
As she continued tending to him, Mijuran reached for Lee Seok-hyun’s hands, then hesitated.
His gloves, which he seemed to wear constantly, had remained untouched throughout his treatment. He’d never revealed his bare hands, not even once.
Initially, they’d been covered in bandages, but he’d switched to gloves soon after, and he’d worn them ever since.
‘I’ll ask him about it later.’
She knew he had his reasons, so she wouldn’t pry, wouldn’t remove the gloves without his permission. But she couldn’t help but wonder why he was so protective of his hands, especially after he’d sustained such grievous injuries to the rest of his body.
She wanted to understand him, to know him better, to share his burdens.
‘Why was he crying?’
She’d seen tears, tinged with blood, streaming down his face during his battle with Raystember. Those weren’t tears of pain, but of something deeper, something she couldn’t comprehend.
She hadn’t been able to see inside his dream, so she could only assume they were tears born of trauma, a manifestation of his past.
Lee Seok-hyun, always smiling, always calm, always in control… to see him cry… It had left a lasting impression, solidifying his presence in her mind, making him seem more real, more vulnerable.
“So please, wake up soon, Seok-hyun.”
Mijuran leaned back in her chair, a wave of exhaustion washing over her. The tension that had gripped her for the past five hours, the need to remain alert, to be ready for anything, finally began to dissipate.
‘I shouldn’t…’
She had insisted on taking this shift, despite being told she could rest. She’d been determined to stay awake, to be there for him when he woke up. But it was a losing battle. Her eyelids grew heavy, her body succumbing to exhaustion, her mind drifting…
And that’s when it happened.
–A rustling sound, a shifting of weight.
Mijuran, accustomed to a life of comfort and luxury, couldn’t remain asleep in such an uncomfortable position. Even in her unconscious state, her body craved the familiar softness of a bed.
Why sleep in a chair, hunched over and contorted, when a spacious bed, large enough for three people, lay just a few feet away?
Driven by this primal need for comfort, she instinctively crawled into Lee Seok-hyun’s bed.
And not only that, but she also unbuttoned the top few buttons of her shirt, unconsciously seeking relief from the restrictive fabric.
“…What the…”
A few hours later, Lee Seok-hyun woke up.
–A soft, warm pressure against his fingertips.
He was caressing Mijuran’s breast.
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“When did you wake up?”
“…”
Lee Seok-hyun couldn’t answer.
‘A girl… in my bed…?’
He instinctively retracted his hand, his mind reeling.
‘First, hide the evidence.’
While it had been unintentional, he’d touched her. He quickly repositioned his hand, trying to appear as if nothing had happened. No matter how worried she was about him, this was inappropriate.
‘Is there no concept of propriety in this world?’
While perhaps not as strict as the “namnyeo chilse budongseok” (men and women should not sit together after the age of seven) rule, something should have prevented this.
Waking up to find a girl in his bed… It was a disorienting, and frankly disturbing, experience.
“I’m glad to see you’re finally awake. You look like you had a good night’s sleep.”
“Uh… yeah…”
‘She’s not even embarrassed? What is going on?’
Was this normal behavior for a princess raised in the wilds of Mudanad? Was she so accustomed to sleeping wherever she pleased that this didn’t even register as unusual?
Mijuran sat up, a cheerful smile on her face.
“What are you looking at, Seok-hyun?”
“Huh?”
–A subtle shift in her posture, a playful glint in her eyes.
Mijuran pulled her shirt aside, revealing…
Sunlight streamed in through the window, illuminating her hair, a cascade of shimmering gold.
Her eyes sparkled with mischief, her small hands forming playful claws, her expression a perfect imitation of the Mudanad’s adorable baby bear mascot.
It was a scene straight out of a movie.
“You seem well-rested.”
‘Oh, dear god.’
‘Why… why would you test me like this? I just defeated an Archdemon, and now I have to face this?’
Waking up to find a 17-year-old girl in his bed… It was a situation that, back on Earth, would have involved a frantic search for his phone to dial emergency services. He was at a loss for words, his mind reeling.
‘No, wait. I just need to act normal. Like this is an everyday occurrence.’
Overreacting would only make things more awkward.
He was mature, after all. He’d seen things.
He took a deep breath, composed himself, and spoke.
“How long was I out?”
“About a day.”
“Ah… I see.”
If it had been longer than a day, he would have been trapped in that black space again.
In his experience, that strange void was a sign of a prolonged coma. Since he hadn’t been there, he must have recovered relatively quickly.
‘Passing out after every major fight is becoming a habit.’
He’d collapsed after defeating Garan and again after defeating Raystember. It was becoming a pattern, a predictable outcome of any significant exertion.
He really needed to find a way to avoid these blackouts. If he could just avoid the situations that caused them…
“So, um… this is a bit awkward, but… could you… give me some privacy while I change?”
His first priority was getting Mijuran out of his room.
A 17-year-old male, in the throes of puberty, was particularly susceptible to… distractions. Especially when those distractions involved a scantily clad classmate in his bed.
It was a purely biological response, beyond his control.
“And could you… let everyone know I’m awake?”
“Sure, no problem.”
He’d phrased it as a request, not a demand, so she wouldn’t take offense. It was a perfectly reasonable ask. A flawless plan.
But Final Destiny, it seemed, was determined to test him at every turn. Even this seemingly innocuous situation wasn’t spared its capricious influence.
–Creak…
The door opened, and a voice echoed through the room.
“…Seok-hyun… what are you doing?”
“…?”
Meiri stood in the doorway, her expression a mask of cold fury, her eyes narrowed, her gaze shifting between him and Mijuran. He’d never seen her look so menacing. There was a chilling intensity in her eyes, a hint of something dangerous lurking beneath the surface.
“Nursing duty doesn’t involve… sharing a bed.”
Her words, unusually sharp and direct, hung in the air, the silence amplifying their impact. He knew, instantly, that the situation had taken a turn for the worse.
‘I have to choose my words carefully.’
He had to find the perfect response, one that wouldn’t offend either of them.
While he had limited experience with romance himself, having only dated once in his life, years of giving relationship advice and reading countless romance novels had prepared him for this moment.
‘Time to show these 17-year-olds what true game is all about.’
He swallowed, steeling his resolve, and spoke.
“Meiri, want to join us?”
“…Seok-hyun?”
“…Seok-hyun, what are you saying?”
Uh… that wasn’t right.
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Thanks for the chapter
Want to join us wth mc