News spread that I had returned to Shio-ram.

As a result, my hologram was flooded with messages from cadets I didn’t even know.

Though it wasn’t through my smartwatch but my hologram projector, the account was the same, so the contacts and settings remained unchanged.

‘Hmm?’

I was sitting on my bed, sifting through the mountain of messages.

▶Elia Slade (recently contacted)

There was a cautious request from Elia, asking if I could spare some time.

Not knowing what it was about, I decided to leave the dormitory, saying I’ll see her soon.

I had many things to do.

Though I refrained from moving my body too harshly for fear of Professor Atra’s retribution, I still needed to catch up on the lectures I had missed.

‘This is tough…’

I had fallen far behind in my studies. I was already worried about the midterm exams…

‘I need to get used to functioning with just one arm quickly.’

The loss of one arm had made my entire body sluggish. The imbalance in my body was significant.

Moreover, with the arm that used to wear the smartwatch gone, I was now carrying a portable hologram projector around.

Maybe I should ask the association to modify a smartwatch to hang around my neck?

Sighing deeply at the thought, I touched the place where my left arm used to be.

All I felt was the sleeve flapping weakly in the wind.

The wing feathers of the heavens, which had become rags like their owner, were retrieved from the scene.

They were now restored, consuming my mana, and flapped behind me along with my sleeves.

Before leaving the dormitory, I considered cutting or tying up the left sleeve but decided against it, thinking it would be too conspicuous.

‘……’

But now, feeling the gazes fixed on me… especially on my flapping sleeve, I regretted not cutting it off.

They say humans are creatures of adaptation.

Amazingly, I, who used to be a recluse, adapted to the attention focused on me.

After my status as a special admission student was revealed, I adapted to the overwhelming attention. Now I could walk around with a semblance of composure.

Such attention generally consisted of curiosity, jealousy, bewilderment, and greed.

Now, it was a very ambiguous emotion.

Admiration? Envy? Pity?

It was a very awkward and escape-inducing gaze…

Regretting it belatedly, I hurried my steps.

Before long, I arrived at the cafe whose address Elia had sent.

Elia was waiting in a private room, having arrived earlier.

As I entered the private room of the cafe,

“Ha, Hayul…”

Elia’s eyes flickered as she looked at my empty left arm.

Her eyes soon grew moist, and she began to shed large tears like chicken droppings.

‘Oh no.’

I waved my arm frantically in panic.

It took a while to calm Elia down.

…

No matter what anyone says, the top priority curse to lift is the Curse of Short-lived Beauty.

To be honest, attempting to lift the Curse of Silence, given the current uncertainty of even lifting one curse, was overly optimistic.

An uncharted tower is suicidal to even approach, let alone conquer.

Even dungeons where the Jewel of Exorcism is located are as dangerous as Level 1 dungeons.

In a Level 1 dungeon, the standard hierarchy of monsters that appear is around Level 5.

Though not as dangerous as Aerulus, who made a corpse out of me in Shipnaha, similar beings roam around like common mobs.

Level 1 dungeons are rare even in areas beyond human reach or regions where the association’s influence is limited.

Finding the Jewel of Exorcism in such a dungeon is extremely difficult.

Therefore, lifting the Curse of Silence, which is next in line, is practically impossible.

The Curse of Silence.

One of the three curses on me, it took away my voice.

In the first place, the Curse of Silence had the lowest priority for lifting.

The Curse of Short-lived Beauty that drastically shortens my lifespan.

The Curse of Sensory Sealing that seals my vision, smell, and taste, stripping away life’s convenience and joy.

Compared to these two, the Curse of Silence, which just blocks my voice, was not a severe issue.

However, living with it turned out to be quite inconvenient.

It wasn’t a problem when I was a recluse, but now that I attended Shio-ram and needed to communicate with others frequently, it was a different story.

My low level of social skills aside, without the hologram function, my situation would have been quite dire.

Also, if I accidentally spoke, immediate pain and retribution would follow.

Thus, I aimed to obtain the Necklace of Confession to bypass the Curse of Silence, but I failed miserably.

Hong Yeon-hwa or Professor Atra…

I had a small desire to let the people around me hear my voice, but given the harsh reality of even lifting the Curse of Short-lived Beauty, I had resigned myself.

“I apologize for the modest gift; our family isn’t that great, so this is all we can offer, hehe… Still, I believe it will be very helpful to you, Hayul!”

…So I thought.

It felt like my mind had frozen.

Slowly, I recalled the earlier situation.

I had calmed down Elia, who broke down crying, looking at where my left arm had been.

After composing her emotions for a while, she earnestly expressed her gratitude and suddenly handed something to me.

A simple silver necklace lay on her palm.

Its plain design wasn’t particularly eye-catching, but it had a simple charm.

The feature, if any, was that it was adorned with a stone resembling quartz.

It was a necklace I remembered.

‘The Necklace of Confession.’

My mouth hung open in a daze. I couldn’t grasp the situation.

‘Why is this here?’

I didn’t know. The dungeon Echo of the Haunted had been raided decades ago.

‘Why does Elia have this?’

I didn’t know…

‘Oh?’

At that moment, a memory from the past resurfaced in a corner of my mind.

The inscription on the stone at the site of the Echo of the Haunted.

──────

On a dark day, may this deed become a ray of light.

Georok Grass

Denis Bardon

Richard Carlyle

Artovan Maxwell

Trian Slade

──────

The culture of leaving traces of the members who raided the dungeon. Among the names inscribed on the stone.

There was a familiar name? A surname.

‘Trian Slade.’

Trian Slade.

Elia Slade.

The mention of “our family”…

These three things connected.

Elia’s family had raided the Echo of the Haunted. The Necklace of Confession obtained there was held by her family.

This resolved my question.

But there was still an unresolved question.

I struggled to operate the hologram projector.

[Why are you giving this to me?]

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t explain.”

Elia, wiping away her tears, explained the situation.

[Your sister? She happened to be in Shipnaha?]

“Yes… At that time, my heart dropped, and I almost went mad.”

Elia’s family… Her youngest sister had visited Shipnaha for an educational trip and got caught in the dungeon outbreak.

She said her sister was saved on-site with my help.

Having received grace, repaying it was the right thing to do.

While Elia and her family pondered how to repay me,

Her grandfather’s relic, an artifact perfect for my current situation, was given to Elia to bring to me.

Coincidentally, it was the Necklace of Confession.

I fiddled with my hand absentmindedly. The cool surface of the necklace assured me this wasn’t a dream.

‘Oh…’

I hadn’t found a single artifact I sought, nor obtained the most important one, the Necklace of Confession.

I thought I had wasted my effort, gaining nothing but unnecessary hardship.

Though I saved many people, I still harbored some regret in my heart.

Now, that regret had lessened.

Because I didn’t run away but fought there, because I saved Elia’s sister,

The return of such gratitude through the necklace seemed to say that my actions were not wrong.

It might be an over-interpretation… but so what. Ultimately, it’s a matter of how I perceive it.

Emotions welled up inside me.

My body moved according to the rising feelings.

“The function is as I explained, and if you don’t need it, you can sell it… Uh, Hayul?”

In a rush, I hugged Elia.

“Uh, uh?”

Elia, blinking in surprise, soon calmed down and gently patted my back.

This was a habit I had recently developed. Whenever emotions surged, Professor Atra would hug me tightly.

Throughout my time in the healing room, I was always in Professor Atra’s arms like this…

Like this… Uh…

‘Uh…’

It was like that with Professor Atra. To prevent emotions from flying to strange places, she would always open her arms and tell me to come for a hug.

‘But who am I hugging now?’

My body stiffened.

The touch on my back, once familiar, now felt awkward…

…

Thunk- I buried my head into the table. The belated embarrassment spread throughout my body.

I had done something crazy. I thought I had regained my reason, but I guess some mental illness remained.

Professor Atra’s words were all correct. Though my body recovered, my mind was still not fully present…

“It’s okay, don’t worry too much. You seemed like a little brother, it was cute.”

Elia, sitting across from me and fiddling with her coffee cup with an awkward expression, spoke.

I appreciated her trying to comfort me by saying I seemed like a little brother, but the embarrassment didn’t disappear.

But I couldn’t keep my head buried in the table forever.

Somehow, I managed to gather myself and lifted my upper body.

Even while squirming in shame, I held onto the Necklace of Confession tightly.

‘The Necklace of Confession.’

I knew its function. The knowledge from the original work and Elia’s explanation confirmed it.

It reads the wearer’s mind and expresses it through voice. Additionally, it has an engraving function that prevents others from using it once the wearer is alive.

Elia knew the function of the Necklace of Confession.

So, I was puzzled.

[Wouldn’t it be better to give it to your sister?]

Deep down, I wanted to try it on immediately, but I remembered that Elia said her sister was also mute like me.

Also, among the people I met in Shipnaha, there was a girl who I guessed might be Elia’s sister.

A girl who lingered near me, looking concerned when I sat in the park feeling dejected.

I remembered her clearly because she communicated through a hologram like me.

It made me tilt my head.

There’s no need to give it to me; her sister could wear it.

“My grandfather wore it until recently, so she couldn’t use it, and now my sister says she doesn’t want to use it. She says she can manage without it, and she doesn’t want to waste it on something she might use elsewhere later…”

‘Oh.’

Hearing that made me hesitate to wear it. I thought about just returning it.

“Hayul, you really don’t need to hesitate.”

Seeing me hesitate, Elia grabbed my hand and spoke.

“That’s the least we can do to repay someone who saved our family. So, don’t feel bad about it? Not even a little.”

Her words were full of sincerity.

Regardless, it was a gift beneficial only to me.

Considering how earnestly she said it, hesitating further might make Elia feel bad.

Nodding, Elia smiled warmly and let go of my hand.

I lifted the necklace to wear it.

‘Uh…’

But thinking about it, I had never properly worn a necklace in my life.

‘…Do I unhook it and put it around my neck? From behind? Or from the front to the back?’

“Shall I help you wear it?”

Seeing me fumble with the necklace, Elia, understanding my struggle, offered help.

I nodded cautiously, and Elia giggled as she approached.

She took the Necklace of Confession and stood behind me after unfastening the clasp.

“Alright, stay still…”

Her gentle voice whispered in my ear.

With careful movements, she tidied my hair momentarily, then wrapped her slender arms around my neck like a hug.

My body jolted as her arms brushed against the nape of my neck.

– Click

The necklace was put on in an instant. The sound of the clasp clicking felt unusually loud.

– Bzzz…

The necklace vibrated.

My body quivered as I felt the artifact linking with me.

It was the same sensation I had with the Wing Feathers of the Heavens. The difference was the lower density.

Unlike the Wing Feathers of the Heavens, which had good synergy with me, the Necklace of Confession didn’t seem to have any particular synergy.

The vibration ceased. Click, a sound of something locking inside my body was heard.

The engraving was complete. My heart pounded. A strange sense of unity was felt.

I looked up. Elia, who had taken a few steps back after putting on the necklace, was looking at me with a warm smile.

She was truly a grateful person.

She helped me at the gate terminal,

And provided a lot of assistance in Shio-ram for even small matters.

The Necklace of Confession I received now was also from her.

Though Elia and her family said it was a repayment for saving her, I also wanted to give similar gratitude back someday.

I decided to test the Necklace of Confession.

It reads the wearer’s mind and expresses it through voice. So, I should just think to myself?

‘Thank you.’

I said inwardly. The Necklace of Confession trembled slightly and consumed a bit of mana.

[Thank you]

The necklace emitted a voice. The tone was more monotone than the voice from my smartwatch.

‘Oh.’

It really works. I was marveling at it when,

The necklace consumed mana again. This time, it was a bit more than before.

[Curious]

[Hungry]

[Want milk]

[Hurt]

[Scared]

[Sleepy]

[Hate studying]

[Conquer the tower]

[Jewel of Exorcism]

[Lifespan]

[Arm hurts]

[Cold]

[Life]

[Strangling]

[Like Elia]

[Love you]

‘?’

“Hmm?”

I stood there gaping, and Elia blinked in confusion.

[What’s this]

…

* * *

[Player Adjustment System: Affection Level]
Lee Hayul → Elia Slade
●●●●●●●○○○(67▷71/100)
[Affection] [Gratitude] [Chick]

[You did not meet the conditions to lift the “Curse of Silence”]
[You did not meet the conditions to lift the “Curse of Loneliness”]

End of Chapter