I Became the Academy's Disabled Student-Chapter 378: A familiar situation

Ihayul blinked blankly for a moment. Once he regained his senses, he quickly followed the [N O V E L I G H T] fading traces of the wind.

A winding path. It was scattered and diffused by the wind, making it hard to follow, but he could still discern its general direction.

‘What is this?’

Hurrying his steps, Ihayul narrowed his brow.

The uniqueness was hidden, blending so thoroughly into the usual wind that it was hard to detect.

With ordinary perception ability, even the tail couldn’t be caught.

If it hadn’t been the same wind, if the wind hadn’t been excellent at sensing, Ihayul might have never noticed it.

“Where is this?”

At some point, the trace abruptly ended. Now, the trail was too dispersed and muddled, making it difficult to track.

But it seemed that he had reached the general location.

A large building. One of many professor research buildings, and the place where Riana Bellus’s lab was located.

The place where the wind’s trail had stopped. Nearby, the entrance to Riana’s lab was situated.

‘Was the trace actually my wind?’

It was a building Ihayul had visited recently. If the trace had led here, then there was a possibility it was his wind...

‘No.’

He negated his continuing thought.

Even if it had been recently, it wasn’t just a few days ago. There was no way a trace would remain if he hadn’t intentionally left it.

‘It was wind, but not mine...’

Someone else’s wind.

‘Is that possible?’

His sense of certainty was met with a questioning mind. It wasn’t just a uniqueness for no reason. It wasn’t rare for no reason.

It hadn’t been inherited from his ancestors. It was a uniqueness Ihayul had triggered, coincidentally, in a dungeon.

It might be similar, but it could never feel this much like it...

He couldn’t be sure. For now, Ihayul took a step inside the building.

Whoooosh!

Just as he was about to take another step, the wind swirled ahead of him, and Ihayul stopped in his tracks.

“Hello, Ihayul-nim!”

The wind gathered into the shape of a person. A breeze-like hair and sparkling eyes. A cheerful spirit waved its hand.

“Ah... Riana Professor’s spirit... Euros-nim?”

“Yes, yes, that’s right! Nice to meet you!”

“Nice to meet you too, Euros-nim.”

It was a familiar face. Euros was the spirit who guided Ihayul when he had a consultation with Riana. They had a brief chat then.

Though it was short, they had left each other with a good impression.

Thanks to his wind, Ihayul had a deep and pure connection with the wind, and even an affinity with spirits.

As a wind spirit, Euros had no reason to feel uncomfortable.

“Ihayul-nim, aren’t you still in the middle of your practicals? Is there something you need?”

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“Fortunately, my practicals finished early. But this building... um, I came to visit Riana Professor. I need to give my greetings.”

“Ah, hah... I see...”

But now, Euros couldn’t greet Ihayul freely. With an awkward smile, Euros wiped a bead of cold sweat from his brow.

“Riana is... currently occupied with something important. It’s a difficult time to receive guests.”

It wasn’t a lie. In fact, Riana was indeed in no condition to receive guests...

“Oh, I see. Bad timing, then.”

“Yes...”

Ihayul nodded as if disappointed. He gave the entrance a strange glance.

The trace had definitely led to that entrance. What could be the reason...

Whoooosh!

“Huh?!”

At that moment, the door he was staring at opened. Euros, startled, turned his head, and Ihayul widened his eyes.

[“Hello, Ihayul-nim”]

“Hayul?”

It was Ihayul’s own voice that peeked from the door. After closing it, Hayul walked closer, tilting his head.

[“It’s still the second day of practicals. Isn’t it a bit early for you?”]

“That’s something I’m wondering too... Ah, for you, Hayul, two days should be easy. I was the same. Despite everything, I was the top student in my entrance exam, you know?”

[“Ahh... That’s true. Level 4 dungeons sometimes end in a day if things go quickly.”]

“Yes, my team was great, and we got lucky, so it ended quickly. By the way, were you just with Riana Professor?”

[“Ah... yes... it just happened...”]

Hayul nodded and smiled. His eyes were closed, but there was a sense that his eyes were rolling inside.

Ihayul stared at him intently.

“...I’ll be going...”

Euros, still rolling his eyes, disappeared from sight.

“Hayul.”

[“Yes, yes... What is it?”]

After a brief pause, Ihayul called again. As Hayul tilted his head, a hand gently caressed his cheek.

[“Huh?”]

The fingers pressed his cheek, gently kneading it.

Though confused by the sudden touch, Ihayul didn’t resist. He didn’t feel any discomfort from the contact.

“...Is this magic? Like a clone or something?”

[“Eh?”]

Hayul tilted his head, turning his question into a surprised exclamation.

[“How did you know?”]

A clone. It was a common magic or phenomenon. Especially the magic that creates clones was plentiful.

Most of them are illusions or tricks. They distort the senses or create a faceless scarecrow.

This, though, wasn’t entirely magic.

It was a higher-level technique.

Ihayul had learned the theory from Ariel at the Tower of Knowledge and had observed the embodiment of Hellfire Tower’s master within Hong Yeon-Jun’s body, replicating it.

He hadn’t completely copied it.

If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight.net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.

Instead of a real vessel, he had shaped the essence like clay, linking the consciousness. Then, by adding the necklace of confession and the wings of the heavens, it was nearly finished.

Though its combat ability was extremely low, it was hard to detect its authenticity from the outside.

Had Ihayul’s wind’s sensing ability become so excellent that it could pierce through this technique?

“Hmm... In terms of perception... there’s a very faint sense of incongruity.”

Ihayul squinted his eyes and looked down at Hayul’s face. The wind around him carried information quickly.

There was nothing wrong with the information. It was all normal.

But something instinctively felt off. Hayul looked normal in front of him, but something was different...

[Ihayul-nim, your unique ability is so finely tuned...]

“Hm... But if I’m being honest, I didn’t feel it through my wind.”

[“Pardon?”]

Ihayul shrugged while feeling the sticky sensation in his hand.

“I’ve seen you for a while now. Even if there are a lot of changes, I can still sense when something’s off at its core.”

Ughh...

Ihayul smiled mischievously and pinched Hayul’s cheek. Then, he glanced at the lab door behind him.

“So, the real Hayul is inside the lab, right?”

[“...Yes”]

“Hmm... Is the important business Professor Riana has about Hayul?”

[“Yes...”]

“I see. Well, there’s nothing to be done.”

Ihayul gently rubbed his cheek with the hand that had pinched it.

“I was just going to say hello since I came this close, but I’ll have to save the greetings for later.”

[“Sorry for the inconvenience...”]

“It’s no trouble at all. I’m the one who should apologize for bothering you during important business. Ah, by the way, do you remember what I mentioned last time?”

Ihayul had been texting back and forth with Hayul.

And there was only one thing he had specifically mentioned from their last conversation.

“When you have time later, let’s go visit the director. Do you know how much he’s been worrying? The building with the magical facilities almost burned down, and Hayul suddenly declared he was running away and disappeared...”

[“Ahaha... Yes... I’ll definitely visit when I have time.”]

“Let me know when you’ve decided. You have to come with me.”

[“Yes”]

“Well, I’ll be going now. Once your business is done, please tell Professor Riana I’ll visit next time.”

[“Yes, please be careful on your way.”]

Hayul nodded obediently. Ihayul, smiling softly, gently stroked his cheek one last time before stepping out of the building.

Walking calmly, Ihayul thought back on the conversation he had just had.

‘So, Riana Professor and Hayul are in the lab?’

The wind trail had stopped near the entrance of the lab...

Ihayul’s brow furrowed.

The sensation rubbing against his cheek was soft and warm, and it carried a fragrant smell. Lying with his head resting on it, he felt so comfortable.

Swoosh, swoosh...

And with the added touch of a hand gently caressing his head, face, and neck, it felt like paradise.

"Hehehe..."

[Happy...]

A smile naturally spread across his face. Full stomach, warm, and surrounded by pleasant smells, it was as if he could fall asleep immediately...

“Looks like you’re really comfortable.”

Drowsiness mixed with happiness clouded his mind. But at that moment, a voice inside stirred his body, causing him to shiver.

Carefully opening his eyes, he met the gaze of his teacher, who was sitting across from him, cross-legged on the sofa.

“Ah, why are you bothering me when I’m trying to sleep?”

“I’m not bothering you. I just said you look comfortable.”

“That’s a subtle way of pointing something out.”

The sound came from right above him.

Looking up, he saw the soft thigh that his head was resting on. When he turned his gaze further upward, instead of a face, he saw a huge chunk of flesh.

Though the face was hidden, there was no confusion. It was Professor Riana.

“Hmm, did you wake up? It’s okay, you can just sleep if you’re tired.”

“Wow... you really are becoming like a mother. Did you even breastfeed me?”

“Huh? You were breastfed too, weren’t you?”

“......”

“You didn’t get much, huh? Ah... I guess you’re smaller than me after all.”

“What? You jerk...”

Instead, a hand touched his head. The gentle touch that combed through his hair sent a shiver down his spine.

‘So sleepy...’

The mansion’s living room. After a hearty dinner, the drowsiness was overwhelming.

‘Hmm...’

There weren’t many people in the mansion. Most of them hadn’t returned from dungeon practice.

Since it was the second night, they should return by the third night at the earliest.

“...I have things to do, so I’ll sleep a little later...”

Resisting the temptation, Ihayul sat up. The hand that had been stroking his head supported him, and he sat down on the sofa.

“Ugh...”

[“Mm... Seoyul is sleepy too...”]

Seoyul, who had been curled up in his arms, was placed beside him. As Seoyul closed his eyes and breathed in various colors, he rubbed his cheek against Ihayul’s face.

His long white hair tickled his face.

...It was becoming hard to even say he was being held.

Suddenly, an unsettling dizziness made the sleepiness vanish in an instant.

With a flustered face, Ihayul gently patted Seoyul’s back. Slowly, the wings that had been wrapped around Seoyul unfurled into a pair of wings.

“Did the spirit awaken too?”

“Yes.”

Still dark brown, but brighter than before. When the wings fluttered once, a light burst from them.

Are you awake?

I closed my eyes and sent my thoughts into the wings. Maybe because it was a form of thought, the tone seemed to change.

...Yes...

The response came quickly. It was stiff, filled with awkwardness. But unlike when it had been captured, there was no malice.

How’s the condition? I made sure to add mana carefully, but it reacted like a seizure. I was surprised.

No, the condition is really... really fine... Thank you...

Then could you come out for a moment? I’d like to talk to you...

Yes... Can I go out now?

...? Yes, of course.

Flap! With a flap of its wings, light poured out. The largest light swirled around it, and then swelled from a distance.

The light soon formed into two legs and arms, with distinct human features.

“...Female form...”

The teacher murmured as the spirit opened its eyes.

Dark brown eyes. Eyes that conveyed a hardness like rock scanned the surroundings, then met Ihayul’s gaze.

Ah...

A soft, breath-like thought passed through from the slightly parted mouth. There was no need to distinguish thoughts from this—it was the emotions spreading across its face.

Ihayul nodded in response.

[“Hello?”]

[“I’m glad you’ve regained your senses.”]

Ah, yes, yes...

The spirit, staring at Ihayul in a daze, trembled. Then, it suddenly knelt on one knee, bowing its head deeply.

From the Fairy Kingdom. The spirit of the upper lands, Teramor, meets the king.

[“I’m starting to dislike how familiar this situation has become.”]

Yes?

[“Nothing, it’s nothing.”]

Ihayul shook his head with a frown.