Chapter 35

“El… Ras… Umnya… Mbeum…”

“Nameya, it’s time to wake up?”

“Suuuu… Just a bit more… I want to sleep.”

“How do you expect to go to the Academy next week if you wake up this late?”

Name rolled over in her blankets, tumbling halfway around the bed.

Seeing Name, who had turned into a giant kimbap, Professor Cheon chuckled softly.

Finally, Name’s eyes opened halfway.

“Is it today? For fitting the school uniform?”

“Yes. Hurry up and get ready.”

“Ugh, I don’t want to go…”

“Come on now.”

Even the raucous alarm clocks were insufficient to rouse Name from her morning stupor.

However, leaving her to sleep would result in her sleeping all day, so Professor Cheon had no choice but to get her up and push her toward the sink as he did every morning.

After finishing washing her face, Name was asked by Professor Cheon.

“What about breakfast?”

“I’m full with just this.”

“I see. Let’s head out right away.”

The potion bottle in Name’s hand rattled.

Watching her, Professor Cheon felt a sense of pride; Name had been taking the somewhat awful medicine every day without a wrinkle on her face.

How such a drink, which was difficult to take a sip of, could be consumed so well amazed him.

As soon as she finished the amount for breakfast, Name scampered to the entrance to put on her shoes.

Of course, she didn’t forget to grab her scarf.

“It’s quite cold outside.”

“Well, it’s still winter.”

“Are you sure it’s okay not to take the car?”

“I want to walk since it’s been a while. If this continues, I might forget how to stand up.”

As Name said, aside from going to see Lara, she hadn’t moved much from her room.

Her limbs felt so weak that he wondered if she could even walk properly on the way to the Academy.

It was true that at times like this, she needed to get her body moving.

The air in March was still too cold to take in all at once.

Name buried her face in her scarf, trying to warm her chilled cheeks with the heat of her breath.

“Whoo. Whoo.”

As Name breathed out, the misty air spread in all directions.

Professor Cheon suddenly stopped in his tracks, as if a good idea had struck him.

“Would you like to see a fun magic trick?”

He pulled out a portable magic transformation device from his pocket, slipped it onto his finger, and began to write the formulas.

[Cast: Localized Crystallization]

A magic circle of concentric circles formed around his hand.

He carefully brought the magic circle in front of Name.

“Could you blow out your breath again?”

There was no reason to refuse, so Name puffed out her cheeks with air.

“Whoo.”

The air she exhaled turned into breath, passing through the magic circle, and as the magic circle rotated, ice shards began to fall from the opposite side.

Professor Cheon timed it perfectly and caught the crystal pieces with his hands before they hit the ground.

“This is called Ice Flower. How is it? Isn’t it beautiful?”

Name, who usually maintained a stoic expression, began to light up.

“Oh…!”

“This is magic my mother used to create every winter when I was little. I wanted to see it so much that I used to beg her to go outside whenever winter came.”

Professor Cheon closed his eyes, reminiscing.

“It’s really beautiful.”

“Isn’t it?”

“To maximize the freezing effect observed in the microscopic world, you partially blocked other physical forces interfering with the quasi-liquid layer.”

“Hmm?”

“It’s a brilliant concept how two runes interlocked on the axes of the magic circle without colliding.”

“Oh, that’s what you meant by it being beautiful.”

Geez.

A sigh escaped from Professor Cheon’s lips.

Putting aside the pretty hexagonal ice pieces, he never expected her to find the magic circle so fascinating.

Although he considered himself emotionless, this young child was on a level far more serious than he was.

Nevertheless, Name’s eyes, watching the swirling magic circle, continued to sparkle.

‘Well, if she likes it, then that’s what matters.’

Thus, the little incident between Professor Cheon and Name came to an end, and before long, they arrived at the uniform specialty shop.

Ding-ding

It wasn’t an AI voice but rather an analog bell ringing throughout the store, evoking a sense of nostalgia.

“Welcome!”

“Good day. We’ve come to fit a child’s school uniform.”

“Did you make a reservation, or do you need to measure here?”

“Well, it’s my first time here.”

The store clerk kindly explained to Professor Cheon, who was quite unfamiliar with children’s school uniforms.

It had developed to the point where parents could take measurements at home, send the information, and just try on the clothes at the store for pickup.

“So it’s boring lately not to try on clothes for kids. In the past, we’d confirm if the size was right before we left, but now it’s so accurate that they just grab them without trying.”

“Oh, is that so?”

The clerk sighed softly.

She then slightly bent her knees to match Name’s eye level.

“Hi there! Are you here for your school uniform fitting? You’re starting first grade, huh?”

“Oh, she’s in the second grade.”

Professor Cheon corrected her with a voice in between.

“Second grade, but you’re getting a new uniform?”

“We moved schools, so we need to fit a new uniform.”

“Uniforms around here are mostly standardized for elementary schools, right? You must’ve moved from far away?”

“Somewhat. I’ll be attending Seviron Academy now.”

“Wow, Seviron Academy? You’re a transfer student too? You must be really smart, little one!”

The clerk’s voice got a bit louder.

And it was no wonder, as students attending Seviron Academy were highly esteemed in the region.

If one were to ask whether attending elementary school mattered much, most parents would probably get angry and say, “What are you talking about?”

The support from the mage foundation, which was at a different level than public education, provided enough time for a six-year gap compared to others.

In fact, it was easier to gradually enroll from elementary than to pass through the rigorous entrance tests for middle and high school.

Moreover, the connections built through attending the Academy with other parents would only be a headache to discuss.

Yet, the fact that the Academy had recently announced the qualification for transfer students further confirmed that Name was indeed special and formidable.

“She’s an exceptional girl. When our Name goes to the Academy, it will surely shake things up at the school.”

Professor Cheon spoke proudly.

Of course, Name was no ordinary child.

She measured up very well, even against the students at Korea University that he taught.

Name tugged at Professor Cheon’s sleeve, asking him to stop delaying the measurements, so he reluctantly relayed it to the clerk.

“Well then, I appreciate your help. My child can be a bit shy, so please be understanding if she doesn’t speak much.”

“Haha, sure! Now, Name, why don’t you come here? Let’s hang your outerwear here for a moment.”

As Name organized her clothes, the clerk grabbed a measuring tape from the desk.

“Okay, like this. Just hold your arms out for a moment.”

Seeing the child obediently following the instructions made the clerk smile broadly.

“I mistook you for a first grader earlier; I’m so sorry, dear.”

“It’s okay; I don’t mind.”

“Our little lady will grow up beautifully! I’ve been tailoring for 20 years, just a glance and I can tell.”

Although she was somewhat smaller than her peers, Name’s arms were longer than others, and her head was proportionate, so she could easily compete with child models.

The clerk’s attention was drawn to Name’s long hair.

“Your hair is really long. Are you purposely not cutting it?”

Typically, when hair grows beyond a certain length, it becomes split due to lack of nutrients reaching the ends.

Yet, Name’s hair retained its shine and bounce from roots to ends, which the clerk thought was quite remarkable.

“I’m scared to use scissors. I cut it myself.”

“Ah, I see.”

Name replied in a subdued tone.

There were definitely children afraid of salons for various reasons.

Most often, it was due to being ticklish or fearing sharp objects.

While measuring the sleeve length, Name’s hand moved near her head.

Suddenly, when Name patted her own head, the clerk had a puzzled expression.

“Is there a problem?”

“No…”

But all she felt was the sensation of her hair. She casually held her arms out, helping with the remaining measurements.

* * *

“Are you feeling unwell?”

“Not really. Let’s just go home.”

I stroked my head again with a mixed expression.

Yes, this body doesn’t have horns.

Memories of all the dreadful struggles I faced due to that single horn in my past life came rushing back.

I often woke up at dawn, meticulously grinding my horn with metal files to avoid being discovered.

In fact, after leaving the Academy, I got lazy and let it be.

While at the mage tower, I often locked myself away in the lab, and when meeting others, I could just use magic to cover it for a bit.

During the war, people didn’t care whether the beings wandering the streets were human or mazzak, so there was no significant reason to hide it.

Once, I had absolutely hated the horn, but now it felt peculiar; thinking about it made me a bit nostalgic.

The purpose of horns for mazzak was incredibly varied.

While they had no use in daily life, they aided in spell calculations and effectively detected abnormal magical currents.

Though I had lived long without feeling much inconvenience.

Was it somewhat akin to taking a test without a calculator?

However, allowing a sharp object near my head was still challenging.

And rightfully so, think about it.

A hairstylist is not just a simple relationship where they cut hair.

It’s risky, especially when you wear a salon gown, leaving your hands trapped, and then they sit the customer in a chair where turning around is difficult.

The hairstylist wields scissors at a very close range behind the customer.

If the hairstylist were to suddenly think about it, it wouldn’t be difficult to do harm with those scissors.

I personally consider it a dangerously reckless act to entrust one’s life in such a situation.

While one could also just cut their hair themselves by lightly sharpening aura on their fingers.

The house welcomed me back after a relatively arduous outing.

Even before I walked in, I could feel warmth emanating from the floor.

“We’ll pick up the school uniforms this Friday.”

“Professor Cheon, can I ask just one favor?”

“Sure, what is it?”

“It’s Lara’s birthday tomorrow, and I was wondering if I could invite her over.”

“Of course! You’re always welcome. But there’s not much to do at home, what will you entertain her with?”

“Look over there.”

Name pointed at the capsule.

“Lara really loves magic, you see.”