Chapter 606

Chapter 606

Niel and Marchell occupied opposite corners of the space.

They refused to grant each other even a passing glance, keeping their faces resolutely turned away.

The comforting warmth radiating upward from the flooring was making their bodies increasingly hot.

Experiencing an annoying bout of thirst, Niel stretched out toward a water container positioned in a corner.

The moment he poured the liquid into a vessel and lifted it to his mouth.

“Pwah! Wh-what? Is this liquor?”

Spitting out the alcohol that filled his mouth, Niel swiped his lips and hurriedly inspected the remaining containers.

“They’re all filled with liquor!”

Wearing a look of pure disbelief, Niel dashed toward the thermal spring connected to their quarters.

He dipped a vessel into the hot, vaporous thermal water, allowed it to cool slightly, and took a sip.

“Kuh-hek?!”

An intense, biting flavor instantly coated his entire tongue, causing Niel to instinctively spray the liquid onto the floor.

“What on earth is this?”

He quickly glanced toward a nearby sign.

Good for skin health and fatigue recovery. Harmless to the human body, but the taste is strange, so do not drink.

Niel could feel a migraine developing.

Ultimately, it meant that if thirst overtook him, his sole option for refreshment was liquor.

‘This is genuinely driving me out of my mind.’

“Stop throwing a tantrum, Niel Rhoda.”

Right then, Marchell released a heavy breath and uttered.

Niel let out a sharp snort at the remark and marched back to his designated spot.

Just after that, an uncomfortable stillness settled over the room once more.

Gurrrrrrgle-!

A resonant rumble echoed from Marchell’s midsection.

At that sound, Marchell buried his face in his hands.

Niel offered a mocking grin, staring over at Marchell.

“Just as I thought, a scholar who does nothing but lounge in a room reading texts. You possess zero discipline. To produce such a pitiful noise after merely a single day without food…”

Gurrrrrrgle-!

“…”

An identical rumble echoed from Niel’s own midsection.

In truth, it was completely expected for such a sound to occur.

Niel and Marchell.

Both of them had abstained from food the entire day.

Furthermore, throughout the afternoon, they had engaged in grueling physical labor without relying on aura or mystic arts.

And now, a variety of exquisite dishes arranged throughout the space were intensely teasing their sense of smell.

Their physical bodies had no choice but to offer an honest reply.

Marchell cast a glance toward Niel, who swiftly averted his gaze, his cheeks flushing crimson.

‘Ah, this is incredibly mortifying!’

Clutching his unbidden, noisy stomach, Niel shrieked internally.

He had offered that mockery for absolutely nothing, and now he was bound to face even heavier derision.

“Pffft.”

At that exact moment, Marchell broke out into amusement.

“You really haven’t altered a bit, Niel Rhoda.”

“What are you implying by that?”

“That pointless stubbornness of yours. You hold yourself to an absurd standard. And you turn into an absolute simpleton whenever it involves your master.”

“Hmph! You think you are any different? You are unnecessarily reckless, aren’t you? And you are just as much of a simpleton as I am!”

Having retorted sharply, Niel let out a sigh.

Marchell observed Niel and remarked,

“Should we partake in the meal first?”

“…Fine.”

Niel gave a nod of agreement.

It felt ridiculous to persist in starving themselves right in front of a feast when their hunger was so deep.

Besides, the dishes themselves had done nothing wrong.

Marchell sampled a portion of a meat dish and voiced his respect.

“This tastes exceptional.”

“Keep your hands off it.”

“Why must you always look for a dispute?”

“I was the one who prepared it. So do not consume it.”

“…”

Marchell exhaled a lengthy breath.

“It appears I shared something unnecessary with young master Leo. Had I anticipated it resulting in this scenario, I would have kept silent.”

“An unnecessary conversation?”

“There is something.”

“…”

Niel, pausing momentarily after processing Marchell’s statement, inquired,

“Does that happen to concern me?”

Marchell offered no reply.

‘No wonder. Chelsea Rwaling approached me with that bizarre question earlier… it stems from this.’

Niel recalled the exchange that had transpired a while ago.

Consequent to that, the tense mood persisted.

Niel, beginning to choke on his food, struck his chest multiple times.

Marchell grimaced at the display.

“Quit putting on a pathetic show and at least consume this to wash it down.”

“Don’t be ri…diculous! Gulp! Hah! Hah!”

Niel successfully forced the food down and declared,

“I absolutely refuse to touch liquor! You partake in it!”

“I abstain from liquor as well.”

“Oh, truly? You carry the appearance of someone who would be the absolute first to violate academy regulations, yet you abstain from liquor?”

“I committed a grave error once after overindulging. I resolved never to touch it again after that incident.”

Hearing those words, Niel’s expression twisted.

‘Exasperating. How can his justification for avoiding alcohol be identical to my own?’

Right following that, a profound quietness enveloped them.

‘Young Master Leo… surely arranged this environment to foster peace between Gerdinger and Rwaling, correct?’

It was highly likely that his friction with Marchell represented an impediment to Leo.

‘The young lady is likewise forging an alliance with Abbad.’

The direct bloodlines of Gerdinger, whom they recognized as their masters, were putting in real exertion.

Under these circumstances, he had been maintaining a barrier against Marchell over historical grievances.

While Niel, the devoted warrior, weighed these diverse reflections.

Marchell initiated the conversation.

“Niel Rhoda.”

“What is it?”

“Truthfully, I still harbor sentiments regarding you.”

“Pardon?”

For a brief span, Niel sported a completely dazed expression.

However, a heartbeat later.

He let out a derisive chuckle.

“For someone claiming that, didn’t you spark quite a massive controversy? There was a massive uproar when you parted ways with your partner during your second term and wept openly, wasn’t there? Getting apprehended while drinking in the living quarters and facing penalties was an added bonus.”

Marchell offered a deep sigh in response to Niel’s words.

“In truth, that exact event is the reason I avoid liquor.”

“What?”

Marchell rubbed his scalp aggressively.

“Around that time, didn’t a report circulate claiming that you were keeping company with a male student first? Due to that, I overindulged heavily and lost control. Fortunately, I managed not to utter your identity.”

Niel’s jaw dropped.

Back when Niel was a first-term student.

During an academy excursion, after consuming spirits for the first time and becoming intoxicated, he had blurted out that he had inadvertently kept company with a man.

Naturally, that male student was none other than Marchell.

Owing to that slip, the rumor vibrated through the entire institution.

“I felt bitter toward you for appearing to cast me aside so effortlessly. Which is why I acted even more aggressively toward you.”

It was a piece of history that had long been buried.

“Even so, owing to my lingering attachments, I abstained from keeping company with anyone else during my time at the academy.”

Niel produced a breathless laugh after absorbing Marchell’s revelation.

“Exactly like me.”

“What?”

“That rumor. I also overindulged with spirits because of you and created a massive scene.”

Niel and Marchell gazed at one another in absolute silence.

Then, without any prompt, both broke into roaring amusement.

Niel, who had been laughing for a prolonged period, hiccupped from a sudden cramp and brushed away the moisture from his eyelids.

“Genuinely. You and I are both incredibly ridiculous.”

“Indeed. It is an embarrassing spectacle.”

Marchell concurred, shifting his gaze to Niel.

“But it is far too late to reverse time.”

“Yes. It is too late.”

Niel signaled his agreement.

“Niel Rhoda. The young master and young lady desire to clear away the remaining friction between our clans. You realize full well that is no simple objective, correct?”

“Yes. It is a challenging objective. Even so, I desire to honor their intentions. Because I am a warrior of Gerdinger.”

“I hold the same view. Because I am a mystic of Rwaling.”

Niel and Marchell locked eyes directly and stated,

“We must not act as a hindrance to our masters.”

“Correct. Therefore, I wish to initiate our bond fresh.”

The pair shared a smile at the same instant.

“Let us dismiss our historical sentiments. Let us exist as companions.”

“I am in agreement.”

Niel offered his palm, and Marchell grasped it.

It marked a reconciliation occurring after an entire five years.

“Wow! I feel completely unburdened!”

Niel stretched out fully across the floor, voicing his relief in a revived tone.

Then he abruptly bounced to his feet.

“In that case.”

“Do you intend to imbibe?”

“Yes. It isn’t as though I possessed a true hatred for spirits. I am an adult at this point. Isn’t it restrictive otherwise?”

Niel tipped the liquor into his vessel and remarked,

“Would you care for a portion as well?”

“Hmph. Now that there is no purpose in obsessing over the blunders of that past day. Should I abandon my restriction as well?”

“Exactly. There is zero risk of repeating a blunder now.”

Feeling unburdened, Niel served the liquor to Marchell.

They brought their vessels together and sampled the beverage.

As the distinct fragrance of the spirit coated his mouth, Niel twisted his features in distaste.

“Ugh. I doubt I will ever truly find enjoyment in this.”

Marchell chuckled quietly at the display.

“Haa. Regardless, you and I have reached adulthood now.”

“Yes. Back then, we frequently discussed how we would likely be wedded around this period.”

“For a pair of naive children, we certainly lacked fear, didn’t we?”

“True. Nonetheless, those were good times.”

“Yes. It truly was like that.”

Evoking past memories, the pair brought their vessels together once more.

“Ugh! Chilly! Chilly!”

Leo, entering the quarters occupied by Chelsea and Niel, observed Chelsea, who instantly concealed herself beneath her bedding, with an amused expression.

“The temperature isn’t actually that low, is it?”

Chelsea, shifting beneath her bedding, paused and allowed only her countenance to emerge.

“True, in reality, I am not cold.”

Revealing a knowing grin, Chelsea stood up from her position with the bedding draped securely around her form.

Leo watched Chelsea, who remained tightly enveloped in her bedding, with a bemused air.

Step- step-

Chelsea closed the distance to Leo.

Beneath the trailing edges of the bedding, items discarded on the flooring became visible.

It consisted of the precise attire Chelsea had been sporting mere moments earlier.

Chelsea, arriving directly in front of Leo, who was observing her with a baffled stare, delicately shifted the bedding off her shoulder.

Her azure locks cascading along her neck and her delicate, pale shoulder became visible.

“Do you find me captivating?”

Chelsea inquired with an alluring grin.

Leo took hold of the bedding Chelsea was wrapped inside.

“Eh?”

And without any hesitation, he yanked it away.

Swoosh-!

“More endearing than captivating.”

Leo chuckled, observing Chelsea, who was clad in aquatic attire.

Faced with Leo’s counteraction, Chelsea pushed out her lips in a pout.

“What? How mundane. Would it destroy you to display even a shred of agitation?”

“It is unwise to sport with an adult.”

Leo placed his hands beneath Chelsea’s arms and hoisted her aloft, precisely as one might lift a feline.

And he carried the startled Chelsea over to the thermal spring within the quarters and dropped her inside.

“Kyaaaak?!”

Splash-!

“Pwah! That is excessive!”

Leo disregarded Chelsea’s complaints, secured the entryway, and slipped into the provided aquatic attire.

Then he entered the thermal water.

Leo, uncoiling his frame within the thermal spring, rested backward and murmured,

“This is deeply relaxing.”

“Wow, he truly behaves like an elder. His physical frame is that of a youth, but how can he mirror an elder so closely?”

Chelsea offered a soft jeer, though Leo remained unaffected.

“What is your primary objective when you arrive at the administrative hall tomorrow?”

Leo chuckled, observing Chelsea, who put forward the question with an inquisitive look.

“I intend to seek an audience with the spirit of purification first.”

“To establish a pact?”

“Yes.”

Leo answered as though it were an entirely straightforward matter.

“Naturally, regardless of how prominent a spirit might be, it would prove challenging to decline a pact with Leo oppa.”

“It is of no consequence if they decline.”

“Huh?”

A vessel designed for gathering bathwater drifted past Chelsea, who wore a perplexed look.

Thermal water filled its interior.

-Receive this!

Peep! Peep!

-Fiora and Kiruan. Cease this conduct.

-Hey! Phoenix! Fairy! Elsi-nim commanded you to cease! Shall I strip the wings from your back?!

Squeak!

-Eek!

Fiora and Kiruan, who had been splashing water toward Elsi while frolicking within it, froze in terror at Laruel’s intimidating reprimand.

“…”

Chelsea maintained her silence witnessing the scene.

Leo gestured toward Laruel and noted,

“Because if they refuse, that one will snap their throat.”

‘Somehow, there is not a single ordinary entity among Leo oppa’s conjured entities.’

Chelsea grumbled silently.

Then she directed her gaze toward the nocturnal sky.

“I truly hope Marchell and Niel sunbae find common ground.”

“They undoubtedly will.”

Chelsea offered a quiet smile at Leo’s reassurance.

“Ugh.”

Niel experienced a throbbing ache in his skull.

‘Exactly how much did I consume last night?’

He struggled to piece it together.

What remained undeniable was that they had absolutely exhausted every drop of liquor present in the quarters.

‘Ah, I am permanently abandoning spirits.’

A long time in the past.

Niel, repeating the identical oath he had sworn years ago during his initial experience with alcohol, shifted within the bedding.

Then, detecting a source of warmth resting beside him, he naturally gravitated toward its comfort.

The perception of heated, solid yet smooth skin interacting with his felt pleasant.

“Ugh…”

Marchell, resting adjacent to Niel, released a distressed murmur.

Despite that, he drew Niel further into his space.

Niel submissively settled into the embrace.

“…”

“…”

The pair, who were on the verge of slipping back into unconsciousness, suddenly registered an odd sensation and snapped their eyes wide open.

The two, locked in an embrace beneath the blankets, locked up instantly.

Their cognitive processes came to an absolute halt.

A heartbeat later, without a single utterance from either side, they lowered their gazes to look beneath the bedding.

When they snapped their gazes back up, both of their complexions had turned entirely bloodless, neither breaking the silence.

Just as a panicked shriek was on the verge of erupting from their throats.

Bang-

“Marchell, I apologize. I observed the two of you… Kyaaaak?!”

Chelsea, who had crossed into the space, instinctively let out a scream and bolted from the room.

Leo, who had tracked behind her, remained quiet for a brief heartbeat, then displayed a subtle smirk.

“It appears I have disrupted a pleasant moment.”

“L-Leo Young Master! No! It is incorrect! This! This! Do not depart, please grant me an explanation!”

Niel uttered, practically bellowing, his face entirely pale.

However, Leo promptly exited the space.

Leo offered a quiet chuckle, observing Chelsea, who stood stunned with a flushed face.

“I instructed those two to avoid generating childish complications, yet they managed to generate adult complications instead.”