NOVEL WEB Chapter 46
Right after Yujin shouted, all illusions vanished.
As my vision began to clear, everything started to appear normal again.
However, Elysia couldn’t tear her gaze away. Her focus was entirely on Yujin’s slightly opened eyes.
They were such beautiful eyes, no matter how many times she looked. Shiny like rubies, and the gaze was thick like blood, drawing her in more and more with each glance.
Lost in that gaze for a while, Elysia finally snapped back to reality when Yujin let go of the blade he was holding.
“…Ah, ah!”
Elysia hurriedly dropped the sword, which then scattered like flower petals.
“I-I’m so sorry, Professor! Did I hurt you…?”
“Haha, I’m not hurt, Princess. So, no need to worry too much.”
Yujin briefly opened and closed his fingers that had held the blade. The remnants of magic lingered like traces on his fingertips.
But he truly had no injuries. As he lightly brushed his hand, the remnants of magic scattered in no time.
“More importantly, are you alright, Your Highness? It seems the Demon’s Ego was up to its tricks.”
“Yes, yes… I’m fine. But about the sword…”
“I told you I’m fine. It wasn’t a big deal, and it’s more my fault for not reacting quicker. Anyway, I’m just glad you’re okay, Princess.”
Seeing Yujin remain so relaxed eased some of Elysia’s worries. But her expression was still dark, as it seemed hard for her to shake off the guilt of swinging a sword at him.
“I’m sorry…”
“It’s alright; it was the Demon acting up. Now, lift your head. If you keep this up, I’ll feel uneasy.”
“…Okay…”
Elysia raised her head at his words. Seeing this, Yujin turned to look around the vicinity.
“By the way, looks like there’s a bit of a mess from what just happened.”
“Ah…”
Elysia’s body had the traits of a demon. It was no wonder the clash of their magical powers had caused a ruckus.
“Shall I tidy up a bit?”
*Snap!*
As Yujin murmured this, he snapped his fingers. Then, high-level magic began to unfold.
*Whooooosh!*
In an instant, everything around them started to rewind and return to its original place, as if time was reversing. Elysia widened her eyes in surprise.
“…This is… time-related magic.”
“You knew, Your Highness?”
At her mumbling, Yujin replied. Elysia nodded.
“After you came by yesterday… I looked into you a little personally. Ah, um, of course, if you found that unpleasant…”
“Haha, not at all. It’s only natural for a student to be curious about their professor. So, no need to be overly cautious. And besides, you’re royalty, aren’t you?”
If a member of the royal family had to be overly cautious around a mere professor, that in itself would be a problem. Of course, now there were only the two of them, and Yujin did have a certain reputation, but considering their status differences, her actions did seem a bit excessive.
“Yes…”
Elysia was aware that she was being overly cautious around Yujin. Moreover, she knew it wasn’t necessary to act this way…
‘Why am I acting like this, really?’
Elysia was famous for her noble demeanor, likened to a delicate flower within the empire, and she made sure to maintain that image in front of others.
After deciding to become stronger, she had deliberately behaved this way to hide her weaknesses.
While she did bow her head to certain people she needed to show respect, like Ines Karandar, the President of the Academy, she didn’t normally act so carefully in front of others to avoid offending them.
Yet, standing before Yujin, she felt somewhat strange. Words that usually came out clearly stumbled, and the cold, methodical actions she typically made often felt clumsy.
Of course, this could be attributed to Yujin’s enormous power and secrets he was concealing, but…
Elysia instinctively thought that wasn’t it.
It was something a bit different…
“Let’s sit down for now, Your Highness. I’ve subdued the rampaging magic for the time being, so it should be quiet for a while. Let’s take some time to get used to the magic.”
“Ah, yes!”
With that, Elysia sat down. Yujin also sat down across from her.
“First, shall we start with sensing the magic? Recognizing energy is the very basic step, but the magic you have is from a Transcendent, after all.”
“Yes.”
At that, Elysia closed her eyes for a moment, trying to feel the presence of magic within her.
*Swish…*
The magic gave off a sweet aroma that seemed to charm a plethora of things, akin to a flower.
“…I can feel it.”
“Then, can you move it?”
At that question, Elysia tried to control the magic, akin to handling her originally-harboring aura.
But…
‘…It’s not moving.’
The magic that had been dancing about when the seal was lifted now had retreated like a frightened little rat retreating into its hole; there were no signs of movement at all.
Earlier, she had felt the sensation of forming a sword with the power of magic and the Demon; now it felt like such a possibility was a far-off thought.
“…It’s not moving.”
“Is that so? Well, I kind of expected that, but it seems the Demon’s Ego has a tight grip on the magic. If it were to lose that, victory wouldn’t even be in sight.”
“…That might be true, but it seems like it’s frightened.”
“Hmm? You’re saying it seems frightened?”
“Yes, it’s a vague sensation, but…”
At that, Yujin tilted his head. He turned to Tiamat.
*Tia, does the energy of a Transcendent have a self-awareness?*
『…Hmph, why not think for yourself since I don’t know either?』
‘…?’
The problem was that while Tiamat seemed to know something, she didn’t seem inclined to share it with Yujin.
Nonetheless, it left her feeling quite frustrated.
『Earlier, you said I was your first priority, and now it seems all your attentions are on that girl.』
Tiamat had been annoyed by Yujin’s unusually gentle demeanor towards Elysia. Just moments ago, he had insisted she was the most important person, family, and all that mush, yet his actions now were almost like trying to win Elysia over.
‘Hmm…’
Naturally, Yujin couldn’t help but smile ruefully at the situation. It appeared that Tiamat had no intention of helping for now.
‘Well, perhaps I’ll soothe Tia later…’
For the moment, it wasn’t time to deal with Tiamat, so he set her aside, focusing his senses as a Transcendent.
Specifically, he concentrated on Elysia to properly observe her current situation. As Tiamat mentioned, he intended to let her think for herself.
Then, he began to assess her current state.
‘The magic is frightened… It does resemble that sentiment, yet it feels a bit strange.’
Of course, it was true that the essence of a Transcendent did not move at the behest of one without power over it. Yujin could vaguely recall that before becoming a Transcendent, he wouldn’t have been able to use the mana in Tiamat’s heart without her permission.
But this felt a bit different from that. It wasn’t that Elysia didn’t have control over the magic, but…
‘…Ah, is that it?’
Yujin glanced around the room.
In fact, Yujin had deliberately spread his mana throughout Elysia’s dorm room. Naturally, it was to subdue any rampaging magic at a moment’s notice. In a sense, this area could be considered his territory.
And the Demon’s magic had already lost the territorial battle against Yujin. Now that the room had effectively become Yujin’s domain, the magic couldn’t act recklessly.
In a way, it was akin to having lost the territorial battle and wagged its tail in submission. Just like Elysia said, it was a similar sentiment to being frightened.
‘It was a simpler problem than I thought. Then…’
Yujin briefly considered withdrawing his mana but shook his head. Regardless of whether he withdrew it or not, Elysia would currently be unable to control the magic as she wished.
So, it was alright to allow her to have some time to get used to it as initially intended. With that conclusion in mind, Yujin spoke up.
“Then, let’s maintain this state. Princess, please keep sensing the magic and try to get accustomed to it.”
“Yes.”
“Now… how about we discuss something lightly? I’m not a professional counselor, though.”
At Yujin’s words, Elysia slowly opened her eyes and asked.
“…A consultation, is it?”
“Yes, exactly. Ultimately, as Your Highness strengthens herself internally, it will become easier to gain the upper hand over your body and magic. Ah, and please maintain your sense of the magic.”
“Ah, yes. But… what will we discuss?”
“The content of our discussion… I see. It may delve into sensitive topics, but…”
Yujin pondered for a moment before turning to Elysia.
“Let’s talk about any traumas or other mental hurdles you may have.”