Chapter 74: A Memory Triggers a Physical Reaction
Beneath the same brilliant, starry sky.
A few hours earlier, while Lance was still sweating it out in the courtyard, someone else was also wide awake.
In a luxurious two-person suite on the second floor of White Oak Manor.
Soft light from a Magic Crystal Lamp filled the entire room.
Cecilia sat upright at her desk, the quill in her hand scratching across a sheet of parchment.
Before her, the rough topographical map of Stone Crab Shallow Beach was more than halfway complete. Next to it were densely packed notes for an observation report on Demon habits.
The coarse cloth cloak, which had been caked in mud during the day, had been meticulously cleaned with a Cleaning Skill and now hung neatly on the coat rack by the door.
She herself had changed into a comfortable set of sleepwear.
It was a pure white silk nightgown, with delicate lace trimming the collar and cuffs. The hem pooled on the carpet, looking exceptionally soft and smooth.
And on the sofa behind her, another girl was sprawled unceremoniously.
That was her roommate, Yuna.
Yuna was holding a berry pastry Cecilia had brought back, chattering indistinctly as she stuffed it into her mouth.
"Cecilia, you have no idea how bored I was today."
Yuna rolled over and sighed at the ceiling.
"You know what? We went to clear out a Goblin Camp today."
"Sounds exciting, right?"
"Well, the team leader just drew a circle on the ground and told me to stand inside and not move."
"He said whenever he called my name, I just had to toss a random Magic Missile at a Demon."
Yuna’s face was a mask of boredom, and she even sounded a little indignant.
"I couldn’t even leave the group to scout ahead. I didn’t even get a chance to touch a single Demon corpse."
"Halfway through, I tried to start a fire for them to roast some meat, but the moment I conjured a tiny flame, they stopped me, terrified I was going to set the whole forest on fire."
Yuna swallowed the last bite of pastry and summed it up.
"It felt no different from a practical combat class at the academy. I was just a mobile target for casting practice."
Hearing Yuna’s complaints, Cecilia, who had been writing, froze.
The quill in her hand paused in mid-air. A drop of ink fell from its tip, blooming into a black dot on the parchment.
The scene Yuna was describing...
’Being heavily protected, needing only to stand in a safe place and toss out a few Spells, never having to touch a filthy corpse or worry about danger.’
If this had been before, she would have certainly envied Yuna’s experience.
But...
For some reason, she didn’t feel that way anymore.
Now, when she recalled her own day, a completely different set of images flooded her mind.
It was the senior in the gray hoodie, extending a hand to her, leading her step by step into the muddy swamp.
It was him patiently teaching her how to distinguish the value of different Magic Materials on the beach littered with severed limbs.
It was the sight of his back as he stood alone with his Shield raised, facing the charge of more than twenty Stone Shell River Crabs in the narrow rock crevice.
The filth and danger that had once repulsed her now seemed so real, so vivid when she thought back on them.
That’s right.
There was one more image.
Cecilia’s gaze fell unconsciously to her left wrist.
The scene of her senior meticulously wiping the mud from her wrist with that rough piece of parchment.
’This is so strange.’
Cecilia was amazed to discover that as the thought emerged, the patch of skin on her wrist that he had touched began to feel faintly red and hot all over again.
It was as if her body had memorized the sensation on its own.
"This is just too weird..."
The young woman muttered under her breath, a hint of confusion in her eyes.
’When did I develop such a strange Constitution?’
She lifted her wrist, examining it closely under the light.
Yuna, having complained for a while without getting the expected sympathy, propped herself up from the sofa.
She turned her head and saw Cecilia holding up her left hand, staring blankly at her own pale wrist, her gaze distant.
"Are you even listening?"
Yuna mumbled, getting up from the sofa. She walked over and, out of curiosity, reached out and lightly touched that pale wrist.
The sensation on her fingertips was cool and delicate.
"What’s wrong? Did you hurt your hand?"
The sudden touch made Cecilia snap back to reality, her body jolting like a startled kitten.
She let out a breath of relief when she saw it was Yuna.
The girl didn’t answer right away. Instead, she hesitantly extended her other hand—her right—and presented it to Yuna.
"Yuna, try touching this hand."
Though bewildered, Yuna did as she was told.
Her fingers gently brushed against Cecilia’s right wrist a few times.
The bones of her wrist were slender, her skin so pale it was nearly translucent, with faint blue veins visible under the light. It was as smooth as the finest silk to the touch.
"It’s so smooth, and cool to the touch," Yuna praised honestly. "Your skin’s in great condition. No allergies or redness."
"How strange..."
Cecilia pulled her hand back, holding it up to her eyes for a closer look.
The skin that had immediately turned red and hot after her senior touched it now showed no reaction at all to Yuna’s touch, remaining cool and pale.
The young woman’s brow furrowed slightly.
’Could it be because the mud there was so dirty? Maybe it contained some kind of microorganism that causes a skin reaction, and I just haven’t adapted to the wild yet?’
’That must be it.’
Seeing that she was fine, Yuna’s gaze drifted to the densely written sheet of parchment on the desk.
"Wow, your team leader is so strict."
Yuna clicked her tongue in amazement. "It’s only the first day, and you have to write such a detailed report? My team leader just needs me to sign in."
As she spoke, she casually picked up a soft berry biscuit from the plate and popped it directly into Cecilia’s slightly open mouth.
"Mmph..."
Cecilia’s mouth was stuffed full of the sweet treat, her cheeks puffed out like a hamster’s.
She struggled to swallow the food, but her eyes lit up.
"My senior taught me so many things today."
She said, her words slightly muffled, her tone filled with an excitement she couldn’t hide.
"It was all Knowledge I never came across in my classes at the academy."
She set down her quill, reached for the thick stack of books beside her desk, and opened the one on top to show Yuna.
She had specifically borrowed these large tomes from an accompanying academy instructor upon her return.
Yuna leaned over to look at the cover.
It was *Introduction to Atlas Environmental Shaping*, compiled by a High Tier Molding System master. The title alone was daunting enough to give anyone a headache.
Cecilia skillfully flipped the book open to the fourth Chapter.
[Chapter Four: Environmental Mediums and Elemental Phase Transitions]
She pointed to the theoretical model on the page and began sharing with Yuna the story of how she had almost cast a Fireball Skill on the riverbank that afternoon, only to be stopped and educated by her senior.