I Became the Academy’s Disabled Student - Chapter 166

Chapter 166

A Fairy’s Resolve

***

A storm had passed.

The dormitory, once filled with cries and screams, now sat in an eerie silence.

“What… just happened?”

Atra brushed her hair back as she spoke. The sticky jealousy that had surged within her earlier had been completely burned away by the events that had just transpired.

What had occurred was so intense and… terrifying that it seemed to have scorched everything else to ashes.

Everyone in the room understood exactly what Atra was referring to.

Although the room was packed with colorful individuals, it was spacious enough to accommodate them all.

Their gazes were locked on the bed.

There lay Lee Hayul, peacefully asleep as if nothing had happened, and next to him was Lee Seo-yul, who had cried loudly and fallen asleep while tightly clutching onto him.

Calling it “sleeping” might not be entirely accurate.

Usually, when someone coughs up that much blood and loses consciousness, you don’t call it sleeping.

“Perhaps… could it be a restriction?” Liana suggested. Her face was pale, worn out from the storm that had just swept through.

“Lee Hayul was about to say something, wasn’t he? But right before he could, he suddenly froze, his body trembled as if in a seizure, and then he vomited blood… Could it have been a backlash for breaking a restriction?”

“A restriction? Who would have placed such a powerful restriction on him, and when? Besides, wouldn’t he know the conditions of the restriction?”

Atra questioned her. Both she and Liana had fought on the frontlines of the African Demonic Realm, where they had encountered restrictions before, although rare.

That’s why Atra was skeptical.

Restrictions are extremely difficult to form in the first place, and one as powerful as this was almost unheard of.

The scene was still so vivid in her mind.

The blood that had gushed out as if it were being forced back through his seven orifices.

The foamy blood that clung to his lips, and the unknown, pulped flesh that spewed out with each violent cough.

His circuits had twisted and torn apart, his body convulsing as if in a fit.

‘…’

Just recalling it made Atra’s head throb, as if she might faint…

For such a powerful restriction to be in place, what kind of process would it have required? And for Lee Hayul not to be aware of the conditions, only to collapse while trying to reveal a secret?

And most importantly…

“The backlash was immediately followed by recovery… no, rapid regeneration, right?”

“It’s like giving him poison and an antidote at the same time… What kind of nonsense is this?”

After the backlash had turned him into a bloodied mess, time seemed to rewind, and his wounds healed as if they had never existed.

No matter how many times they checked, his body appeared perfectly fine.

Normally, a violation of a restriction’s conditions results in a backlash that leaves the victim crippled or dead.

But now, after inflicting immense pain, the body was restored?

A death by shock from pain? If the goal was to kill, it would have been easier to use that energy to finish him off.

“…We don’t even know for sure if it was a restriction. All we know is that he suddenly vomited blood and collapsed.”

“What the hell…”

No one could figure out the exact reason. Everyone’s faces grew darker.

Although they all knew Lee Hayul had some secrets, none of them had imagined this would happen just for him trying to reveal a bit of it.

Hong Yeon-hwa’s insides felt like they were burning. She couldn’t shake the feeling that Lee Hayul’s current state was somehow her fault.

She had prodded him about his secrets before. Was it possible that it had weighed on him, leading to these events? The guilt crept in…

Standing beside her, Elia was similarly tormented.

The image of Lee Hayul coughing up blood, as if throwing up pieces of his own organs, was still fresh in her mind.

No matter how much healing and regeneration she poured into him with her unique abilities, the blood wouldn’t stop, his skin grew colder, and his breath became more labored… The thought made her go pale.

“Could it be a curse?”

A voice cut through the silence, drawing everyone’s attention.

The mention of a “curse,” a term so ominous, made everyone’s faces stiffen.

The voice belonged to Baek Ahrin, her waist-length, water-colored hair and blue eyes standing out against the tension in the room.

She had remained silent, deep in thought until now, and as everyone turned to look at her, she shrugged slightly.

“There are curses where the conditions are met, but the person affected isn’t aware of those conditions. There are plenty of curses like that.”

“Considering he didn’t know about the condition, it’s possible it was a curse.”

Liana nodded in agreement.

“But can a curse really come with such a severe backlash and condition? Wouldn’t it lack the necessary power?”

“If it was carefully prepared and included a sacrificial ritual, I think it’s possible. Especially since the backlash was powerful but didn’t kill him, it’s likely that non-lethal and regenerative conditions were added to it.”

The conversation was mainly being driven by Liana and Baek Ahrin.

The others mostly listened, unable to contribute much due to a lack of specialized knowledge.

The discussion flowed smoothly, and Liana’s eyes widened in surprise.

Baek Ahrin’s knowledge of curses was far beyond what she had expected.

Even Liana, who was well-versed in magic, was amazed at how thoroughly Baek Ahrin understood not only the existence of curses but also their operating mechanisms.

“A curse, huh… That’s a very niche field. Most people only learn how to counter curses and then move on, but you know a lot, don’t you?”

They even taught black magic at Shio-ram. Although it was seen as a vile and distasteful art, it wasn’t outright banned.

If it were completely suppressed, the knowledge of how to counter it would be lost as well. That’s why various educational institutions included it in their curriculum.

However, it wasn’t particularly popular. Most people only learned the basics of how to counter curses, rarely delving into the specifics of how they worked or were formed.

Advanced knowledge of curses was even rarer.

Yet, Baek Ahrin seemed to have a deep understanding of the advanced workings of curses.

“Well… there’s no harm in learning,” Baek Ahrin replied with a vague smile as she twirled a strand of her hair around her finger.

“Besides, I’ve always had a personal interest in it.”

***

Sometimes, humans ponder the reason for their own birth.

Why was I born? What must I accomplish in life?

But for most humans, there is no reason behind their birth.

There’s no special background, and only a few are born with the intent of achieving something specific.

Generally, humans aren’t born with a purpose. They aren’t created for a specific use.

A sword is crafted to cut and stab, but humans are not fixed in their roles.

“…Sniff…”

But Lee Seo-yul was different.

Tears clung to its eyes, emotions swelling within.

The young fairy, still too immature to fully understand its feelings, was caught in a whirlpool of emotions.

And the common thread among those emotions was all negative.

There was nothing close to happiness or joy.

That dark night.

Awoken by a deep sense of sorrow, Lee Seo-yul turned its head, quickly searching for Lee Hayul.

But he wasn’t there.

Lee Hayul was lying on the opposite side, right next to Elia, sound asleep.

He had used Elia’s arm as a pillow, his face buried against her side, breathing steadily.

“Sniff…”

Lee Seo-yul fluttered its wings.

Avoiding Elia’s hand, it nestled itself between her and Lee Hayul, squirming until it clung tightly to him.

It might have shrunk in size, its body now smaller than before, but Lee Seo-yul didn’t care. It pressed its face firmly against Lee Hayul’s chest.

The sense of relief and warmth it felt was overwhelming.

The yellow human… Elia’s embrace was warm too, but this… this was much better.

Only a few months ago, although it felt like ages, Lee Seo-yul had been an unhatched egg, drifting in a hazy consciousness, waiting for the day its master would awaken it.

It had no idea how much time had passed.

Its hazy consciousness and primal instincts had simply waited for the time to hatch.

Then, a stimulus arrived.

The presence of the master who would awaken it.

At the time, Lee Seo-yul had been certain.

It hadn’t thought much about it.

There was a small sense of joy about finally hatching, but no grand excitement.

From birth, the fairy knew its role as a Fairy Knight.

It was to be a shield, a sword, a spear—armor designed to protect its master.

Its life, from start to finish, was to be lived with one absolute purpose: to protect its master.

The path ahead was already laid out.

As the predecessor Fairy Knight protected its master, Lee Seo-yul would grow quickly to maturity.

During that time, it would learn combat techniques and knowledge to protect its master.

And after reaching maturity, it would remain by its master’s side for the rest of its life, fulfilling its role as a tool.

That’s how it had thought.

Then, it felt a hand gently touch the surface of its egg.

The touch was as tender as if handling something fragile, and the warmth and affection that flowed from that hand shook Lee Seo-yul’s mind.

A Fairy Knight that wasn’t even born yet.

Having never experienced the world and forming its cold sense of self solely through implanted knowledge, Lee Seo-yul was overwhelmed by the wave of warm, tender emotions.

‘Is this… the master?’

This was not the master it had imagined.

It had expected the master to be cold and calculating, leading their species with an iron will. But the actions of this person who held the egg were warm and gentle.

Holding onto the egg, their emotions radiated protection, concern, and care—so much kindness.

-Should we take just a bite?

The red human. The human woman made of fire had wanted to eat it.

-Just a little bite. It’s so big, what’s the harm? Hmm? What do you think?

It wasn’t a joke. The fairy’s natural sensitivity detected the truth in the red woman’s words.

The red woman really intended to crack open the egg and eat the unhatched fairy inside…

-Ah, come on, Hayul. Aren’t you curious about how it tastes? What if it’s something strange? You’ll regret it. I knocked on it, and it feels like there’s something inside. Let’s cook it and find out.

Next to her was the yellow woman. Despite the natural kinship Seo-yul felt with her, the words she spoke were horrifying.

It might have been a joke, but it wasn’t entirely insincere.

They had talked about breaking the egg, pulling out its contents, grilling it on an iron pan, roasting it slowly, or even cooking the entire egg over an open flame. They’d said it was big enough to make a hearty meal…

Listening to these voices, imagining such a gruesome end, all Lee Seo-yul could do was tremble inside the egg in pure terror.

The one who had protected it from such threats was its master.

Compared to the other two humans, the master was small and frail, but they had held the egg tightly, shielding it from harm, desperately protecting it.

After hatching.

Lee Seo-yul, still too young and weak to protect its master, was instead cared for endlessly by Lee Hayul, who showered it with affection.

He gave it a name, dressed it in soft clothing, held it close so it wouldn’t shiver from the cold, and fed it warm meals whenever it was hungry.

At night, he would cradle it in his arms until it fell asleep, and every morning, he would wake it with a gentle smile.

It was all so touching, so heartwarming, but at the same time, it filled the fairy with a deep sense of helplessness.

For though it was still a child, Lee Seo-yul was, before anything else, a Fairy Knight.

A Fairy Knight’s duty was to protect its master, yet here it was, being protected by its master.

The instincts of the Fairy Knight rebelled. A Fairy Knight born with a purpose shouldn’t live like this.

Where were the previous Fairy Knights? Why was its master suffering alone? Where were the others of its kind?

These were not questions a Fairy Knight should be asking.

Lee Seo-yul was designed and born to protect the master.

It had a purpose.

There was a reason for its birth and a goal that must be achieved during its lifetime.

To protect its master.

That was the sole purpose of a Fairy Knight.

“Papa…”

But for a Fairy Knight who had yet to reach even a fraction of a year in maturity, the reality was too harsh.

Lee Seo-yul was still a young entity, not yet matured, and its master was still constantly exposed to danger, fighting alone.

Despite its resolve to fulfill its duty, Lee Hayul was constantly teetering on the edge of life and death.

With each passing day, Lee Hayul’s vitality seemed to fade.

And Lee Seo-yul… was not by his side, unable to do anything.

Even now, when Lee Hayul had collapsed right in front of it, vomiting blood, there was nothing Lee Seo-yul could do.

It should have at least thrown its body out to shield its master, to act as a meat shield, but it couldn’t even manage that.

Unable to suppress its emotions, Lee Seo-yul pressed its face against Lee Hayul’s back, acting spoiled, rubbing its face in desperation.

‘This can’t go on.’

Lee Seo-yul bit its lip.

There were plenty of excuses it could make, but the harsh world wouldn’t accept them.

‘I need to…’

It had to grow.

Fairy Knights are known for their rapid growth. After all, they are designed to reach maturity as quickly as possible, so they can be used in combat.

But even that time felt too long.

There was no room for complacency.

Lee Seo-yul began to recall the information stored in its mind. It sifted through the knowledge, picking out what was necessary.

The fairy fluttered its wings.

A fairy’s wings are a symbol of their uniqueness, their special traits.

They are more than just beautiful or attention-grabbing; they serve a variety of functions.

Lee Seo-yul glanced sideways.

Hovering in the air was the blue cloth… Lee Hayul’s artifact, the Wings of the Sky.

It was also Lee Hayul’s wings.

Lee Seo-yul extended its wings, touching them to Lee Hayul’s wings.

The wings trembled. Soon, ‘information’ began to flow through Lee Hayul’s wings into the fairy.

‘Faster…’

It was absorbing the knowledge required to reach maturity at an accelerated pace.

This happened two days before the start of the second semester.

***

[Fairy Knight ‘Lee Seo-yul’ is synchronizing]

[The Fairy Knight’s growth is accelerating]

…

[Player Adjustment System: Measurement in progress]

…

[Beauty?]: ?

[Fairy?]: ?

[Mental Damage]: Severe mental damage detected.

[Incomplete]: Fragmented and imperfect.

[Devoid of Vitality]: Lacking life essence.

…

[The Curse of Loneliness is activated]

[Curse of Loneliness: The pain cannot be shared]

[The Curse of Silence is activated]

[Curse of Silence: No help can be expected]

End of Chapter.