I Became An Academy Spearman — Chapter 55. Shameful Words (1)

“Han Seong… Maybe we’ve met before?”

Carly’s words stopped his thoughts for a moment. Suddenly, his mind was a blank sheet.

How should I answer that?

Those words would mean a lot to Carly, which meant he couldn’t answer carelessly.

“……” He acted as if he was struck dumb. Then Carly gently shook her head.

“I’m sorry. I said something silly. We couldn’t have met before. Forget it.”

“I understand.” Han replied awkwardly. Carly’s eyes clouded over. Her look was completely different from before. He had done something irreversible.

…

From then on, the only sound between the two during the meal was the clatter of silverware. Everything continued in silence.

The air felt heavy.

Carly was in a somber mood.

“……” It was as if he had said something taboo. Which, in a way, he had. Surely those words had caused quite the shock in Carly.

That phrase would have reminded her of her past on the battlefield.

The person who used to say that phrase in complicated situations died on the battlefield instead of Carly. It was those words that changed Carly.

It was that decisive moment for her to choose to abandon the idea of the superiority of attributes, and to value hard work. She also stopped looking down on people with low attributes.

But he had carelessly blurted out the same phrase the dead man had used to say in front of Carly. And he said it exactly the same. Not a word more, not a word less.

“……”

He felt uncomfortable seeing that Carly was silent, only focusing on her food. Han opened his mouth unconsciously.

“Instructor Carly.”

“…Huh?”

Carly replied dryly.

He didn’t think their meeting should end like this.

We’re going to part ways after lunch.

He felt he had hurt her badly. He had touched the wound that was in Carly’s heart.

“……” Carly’s eyes twitched. It even seemed that her agitated emotions confused her.

But she was sitting across from him as an instructor. She couldn’t show her confusion to him like she would to anyone she was close to.

“Thank you for your help with my entrance exam.”

“At the entrance exam? No. I just did what I had to do.” He smiled slightly because Carly responded unnaturally. And at that moment, he expressed what he felt calmly.

“…Really? That makes me happy.” Carly’s eyes sank further because he mentioned some taboo words.

Now she cunningly avoided his gaze. It seemed she didn’t want to hear about it. Even so, he had to add more.

“Maybe you don’t consider what you told me at the time to be important, but I did. It even influenced whether I could accept yesterday’s fight. I would choose to not escape reality.” He said casually, trying to keep the emotion from his voice.

He really meant it.

It was clear that he wanted to show himself confident in the entrance exam. But the only person who reacted positively to his performance was Carly. The other instructors didn’t seem to care; they didn’t even speak to him.

But thanks to Carly, who made him feel more confident, he even dreamed of getting a high score on the entrance exam.

She had recognized him as his own person, forging his own future.

No one had ever taken an interest in him before. Carly’s words helped him a lot, even if she didn’t know it. And thanks to this opportunity, she would know it.

“……” Carly just let out a small sigh. It seemed she preferred to listen quietly.

Again, he could empathize just how much his previous words had affected Carly. She wasn’t shocked because she had a romantic relationship with the man who died, but because he had died because of her. He had sacrificed himself to save her.

But Han Seong wanted to show her that she had learned from the man who had died. Through that tragedy, she could influence others for the better as a result – and she had.

“You gave me confidence to face reality. That means I can move forward. You were the only one who recognized me…” he trailed off, blinking away the emotion clouding in his eyes. “I’m sorry, and I’m sorry that what I said earlier caused distress. I’m just glad I now have the chance to thank you.” He smiled slightly at the end.

“……” Carly stared at him.