Chapter 71

I was about to send Perseus a correction text, but…

Somtul kept shoving their head in, asking to be pet, making it hard to type.

Figuring I’d just call him later and apologize, I started petting Somtul instead…

When I noticed an incoming call from Perseus with a “weeing” sound.

“He’s quick…”

I thought, since it was evening, he wouldn’t contact me so soon. Yet here he was calling almost instantly.

Feeling bad for interrupting his peaceful evening, I quickly hit the answer button…

And saw Perseus on screen, his hair all over the place, urgently asking if I’m okay.

[Are you alright?]

At this, I blinked and nodded…

Perseus sighed in relief, sat down, then asked me what was up with his usual calm face.

[What’s the matter? Though you can contact me anytime regardless.]

Though I never misunderstood, I nodded and got straight to the point.

“I want to learn magic.”

[Magic? Ah…]

He seemed to recall our previous agreement as he nodded and smiled faintly.

[Tomorrow? Or the day after? When suits you?]

“Tomorrow sounds good!”

[Then I’ll prepare and stop by the association.]

The conversation went smoother than expected, leaving me feeling a bit strange.

I bowed deeply, filled with gratitude and apology…

When Perseus made a request.

[Can I get that flower kiss tomorrow?]

“…?”

Why do adults love flower kisses so much? I don’t quite get it…

Though… I am an adult too… Thinking like one, I suppose it would be cute if Chae-a or Yuna gave me one.

Understanding that feeling, I nodded while thinking…

Before the call ended with a “sleep well,” cutting off suddenly.

Looking at my phone screen after the call ended…

I resolved to work hard when I saw the kids nearby lazing around.

*

The next day, Perseus arrived with a huge box.

Surprised by the sheer amount of items he brought, I stood there dumbfounded until he nonchalantly placed the box down and spoke.

“It’s a gift.”

Confused, I shook my head rapidly…

But he ignored me completely, pulling out items from the box muttering to himself.

“These are necessary for studying magic. Without them, learning magic would be difficult.”

Even though it sounded like he was talking to himself, it was clear he was addressing me…

Accepting reluctantly after trying to refuse, I bowed deeply in gratitude.

“Thank you very much…!”

Perseus frowned slightly, seemingly displeased with my reaction, then slowly extended his hand signaling something…

Confused, I tilted my head…

Until he softly requested:

“Flower kiss.”

Ah, that’s what he meant.

Subconsciously going to do it before realizing how embarrassing it was, I stopped myself mid-motion.

My face heated up and my ears burned.

Deciding this wasn’t right, I tried pulling away to apologize…

But Perseus quickly leaned in and gave me a flower kiss before I could react, satisfied with himself.

“Then let’s start the magic lesson.”

“…Nyeh.”

Despite the embarrassment, thinking it’s already done, I tried to calm down…

When Chae-a and Yuna approached me, tilting their heads curiously.

Apparently noticing my flustered state, I shook my head indicating it was nothing…

“Tell me if it hurts, alright!?”

Chae-a patted my head and clung onto me.

Seeing her like this, I calmed down slightly and smiled gently…

When Perseus handed each of us small magic books.

“Chae-a and Yuna, I’ve brought yours too. Take one each.”

“Wah! Chae-a loves books! But I can’t read… What should I do!?”

“…Thank you.”

Yuna, still wary of Perseus, clung to me.

Trying to comfort her, I patted her gently and reassured her it was fine…

When Perseus, after briefly contemplating, decided to leave her be and pretended not to notice.

“Now, let’s start by explaining what mana is.”

Thinking I was finally starting the long-awaited magic lessons, I gleamed with excitement.

*

Playfully poking the sleeping Chae-a’s cheek who had drooled during sleep, I turned away giggling…

Sadly, it seems Perseus lacks talent in teaching magic…

Within ten minutes, he miraculously put both Yuna and Chae-a to sleep simultaneously.

Finding his incredible achievement rather amusing, I chuckled…

When Perseus, flustered, asked me.

“Is it that boring?”

Considering whether to be honest or lie kindly…

Someone entered the lair, exclaiming in surprise.

“What is this? Perseus is here?”

Recognizing Han Arin’s voice, I happily wagged my tail greeting her…

She smiled at me before noticing…

“Hm? What’s all this?”

Impressed, she pointed at the numerous magic items piled nearby.

“Where did you get these? The Lersie magic tool crafted by the three great artisans, known to be the most expensive… And the masterpiece by Pelthina Guild, also notoriously pricey…”

Upper-tier hunters have a somewhat peculiar sense of money.

Since they earn large sums at once and receive countless financial supports, their perception of money differs from ordinary people…

When such upper-tier hunters describe something as “expensive”…

It usually means it’s extravagantly costly beyond imagination, startling me greatly…

Perseus, seeing my expression, smirked and spoke softly.

“The elder dragons and I each contributed a little. Don’t worry, it’s nothing special.”

“If this isn’t special, does that mean everything else is… Ah.”

Han Arin, hearing this conversation beside me, looked extremely surprised, blinking repeatedly…

Before clearing her throat and composing herself.

“Upon reconsideration, these aren’t anything special. I could easily afford these too.”

“That’s right.”

As if rehearsed, they both nodded and grinned, pointing at the magic items.

“Sister Hae-un has thought it through. These seem like items you can accept without burden. So please take them.”

“As Han Arin said, these are merely light gifts. No need to worry.”

“…”

Listening to this exchange, I couldn’t hide my confusion.

Had they discussed privately, I might have missed it…

But openly discussing in front of me then claiming ‘these are cheap items you can easily accept’ felt somewhat awkward…

Trying to say something, I opened my mouth…

“Looks pretty~ It suits Haeuni well.”

“Chae-a will take this! Know that? Since Chae-a doesn’t have money, I’ll give flowers instead.”

Seeing Yuna and Chae-a clearly liking these items, I couldn’t say anything…

‘… If it were just me, I might refuse. But since I’m responsible for the kids too, I can’t reject them.’

Feeling extremely embarrassed at just accepting, my face flushed red…

When suddenly Han Arin clapped her hands and addressed us.

“Anyway, that’s not important. Yuna, wanna come over?”

At Han Arin’s words, Yuna blinked…

Then shook her head vigorously, looking flustered…

Seemingly still uncomfortable with adults, I nodded reassuringly…

“…Understood.”

Gathering courage, Yuna stepped forward, her tail and ears trembling…

I watched carefully, encouraging her…

When Han Arin handed her a plastic-wrapped dinosaur pajama, saying…

“This is specially made for Yuna. There’s space to pull out your tail too. Wanna try it on?”

Hesitating for a moment, Yuna nodded…

Then hugged it like a precious treasure and bowed politely.

“Thank you…”

“No need to thank me. Anyway, this is something I wanted to do.”

Grateful for Han Arin lessening the burden by saying it’s something she wants to do…

When Perseus, sensing some competitiveness (?), pulled out other items from the box and spoke.

“Hmm, let’s resume the magic lesson. Where did we stop? Ah, chapter 3 of mana theory. Let’s continue from there, shall we? Mana is part of nature, with fixed values existing in everything…”

Listening to Perseus continuing, Han Arin gasped, looking at him in shock…

Then sighed deeply, speaking briefly.

“So the kids are asleep. Kids? Sister here will teach you magic. Come over?”

Then she pulled out a magic tool from the box and spoke.

“While learning theory is important, it’s better to start with practice usually. Children have much shorter attention spans than adults.”

She infused mana into the magic tool, making it shimmer, smiling faintly.

“Let’s start with practicing using mana then. Hae-un, can you infuse mana into this?”

Caught off guard, I could only blink…

Not knowing how to infuse mana, nor exactly what it is…

I hesitated before tentatively placing my hand on the crystal ball.

‘What do I do next?’

Glancing at Han Arin hoping for a hint…

But she just smiled and watched me silently, leaving me no choice but to close my eyes and focus, tensing my hand…

“…”

Of course, it didn’t work as expected.

Frowning, I considered other methods when one idea came to mind.

‘Maybe I can do it like when I use healing abilities.’

Though hard to explain precisely, it’s like releasing a tingling sensation…

Trying this method…

Suddenly, the surroundings became unbearably bright with a mix of teal and blue lights…

Various flowers bloomed everywhere, and strong winds blew…

Uncertain whether what I’m experiencing is real or hallucination, I reached out blankly…

When everything around me shattered like breaking glass, disappearing instantly.

Staring at this result in shock, I looked at Han Arin and Perseus…

Both looked extremely surprised, staring at me.

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