Episode 47. Evolution and bet
The wind blowing from the north froze the world.
At the same time, the scenery of the academy, which was on vacation, was showing an empty scene, colorless of the festival that had taken place not too long ago.
Most of the students and officials had an opportunity to return to their hometowns after a long time, but some stayed at the academy and spent time in the dormitories.
There were no lectures, but individual classes by professors were only available to applicants, and they were students who did not go back to their hometowns for various reasons.
wheein.
A strong wind blew through Lucia Everlast’s shield.
There was no wind, but she tightened her clothes and went into the building in front of her.
“ah! Miss Lucia. You came today.”
Upon entering the building, a woman dressed as a nurse welcomed her.
Lucia nodded and handed over something she had put in her arms.
“It’s a new snack from the capital.”
The snack that said mint chocolate flavor had a strong feeling that it would be liked or disliked for some reason, but the nurse accepted her gift with a smile.
“yes. I will eat it thanks.”
She put the box of cookies on the desk and continued.
“Are you here to meet student Adrias?”
“I’m just here to give you sweets, but it’s a good thing.”
“Just as Miss Vivian came to visit her in the hospital.”
“is that so.”
Lucia nodded as if nothing was wrong and looked at the stairs leading to the hospital room.
Then he bowed his head and went up to the hospital room.
“really. Where do you like to come to the hospital in turns like that?”
The nurse shook her head in disbelief and went to work.
Arriving in front of the hospital room, Lucia stood in front of the door for a while, then opened the door and entered.
Then he saw a slightly startled Vivian sitting next to Adrias, who was lying dead.
Although the facts about the terrorism were hidden from the public, Lucia understood the situation because she had already run into Vivian several times and heard the reason for Adrias’ injury.
“….”
“….”
The two stayed still with their eyes met, and soon Lucia walked over first and sat across from Vivian.
An awkward air flowed, and finally Lucia opened her mouth first.
“You seem to come every day. Aren’t you tired?”
At Lucia’s question, Vivian nodded slightly.
Then Lucia tilted her head and asked.
“Aren’t you going back to your hometown?”
At Lucia’s question, Vivian looked at Adrias’ face and shook her head.
“I am from the Kingdom of Nichel. You don’t have to go far.”
“Even if it is the Kingdom of Nichel, it will arrive in 5 days by train.”
“…I don’t really want to go.”
Well, he said he didn’t want to go, but it didn’t seem necessary to say anything more.
As Lucia studied Vivian closely, who was looking at Adrias’ face, an unexpected thought occurred to her.
And I spit out the thoughts that came to me without even knowing it.
“Do you like seniors?”
Was it such a sudden question?
Vivian turned her gaze to Lucia, who had spoken out, and just stared at her blankly.
But the answer came quickly.
“maybe.”
Even after speaking, Vivian still had doubts.
Do I like Adrias Cromwell?
Or do you like the fairy who brought me out of despair?
‘The same person after all.’
No need to worry.
I like Adrias.
That’s it.
Of course, he was still too clumsy to tell himself about his feelings.
A little more when this feeling is ripe.
Can I honestly say that then?
“is that so.”
Lucia nodded, hiding her surprise.
I never thought I would say it so confidently.
I was surprised that his thoughts came out of his mouth.
Then Vivian asked Lucia the same question.
“you?”
“Do you like it?”
“huh.”
Do I like seniors?
I honestly don’t know.
Of course I like it.
Not as a member of the opposite sex, but as a friend.
However, what Vivian is asking now must mean her crush as a member of the opposite sex.
After thinking for a while, Lucia shook her head thanks to Vivian’s confidence.
“I do not know. I like it, but I think it’s subtly different from you.”
“okay.”
Vivian turned her gaze to Adrias with a disinterested attitude.
Actually, she didn’t really care.
The only thing that matters to her is that she likes Adrias.
Your feelings mattered.
So again, the two of them just passed the time in strange silence.
* * *
[“How long are you going to stay asleep? Wake up.”]
It felt as if someone was whispering in my ear, and my consciousness rose slowly to the surface.
As soon as I woke up, my brain slowly started to work.
‘I now… ….’
My body didn’t move.
As if he was being held down by scissors, his consciousness was awake, but he couldn’t do anything.
I was helpless.
Still, as I tried to move my body somehow, I felt that my body sensations were gradually returning.
Around the time when I was struggling alone like that.
[Remaining time: 00 seconds]
[Adrias Cromwell has evolved.]
[Hwangol metamorphosis completed]
[Attribute ‘Dual Core (Epic)’ will disappear.]
[Attribute ‘Bowl (Unique)’ will be created.]
[Talent’ ‘Mana’ is created.]
Even with my eyes closed, I saw the message window.
At the same time, I remembered how I had become like this.
‘I had a fight with Payat. Did the terrorism stop?’
You could ask why you bothered to buy it yourself.
But on the other hand, I am the only one who knows about the existence of terrorism, but who will believe me and help me?
If I did, I would only raise unnecessary suspicion or be treated like a madman.
‘Is Carlos alive… ….’
It was different from the initial goal of simply saving Diane, a playable character.
Now that my identity as Adrias was firmly established, I couldn’t let Carlos, who was almost the only one who treated me well with Amy, die.
‘Even if I had only my identity as Kim Jin-hwan, the result would not change.’
It’s not my temper to do nothing even though I have the ability to do it and know the information in advance.
Of course, I almost died due to the appearance of an enemy that was out of my calculations, but even if I had known, I would have tried to stop the terrorism in the end.
‘By the way, I can’t recklessly use the original sin’s special technique from now on.’
The recoil nearly killed me, but ironically, Vivian and I would have been killed by Payat without the special technique.
But the thought of feeling that dog-like sense of futility again gave me goosebumps.
‘Is Vivian all right?’
I might be alive thanks to evolution, but after all, if it wasn’t for Vivian, I would have died right away.
‘I’ve been ignoring it for a while… ….’
I can’t deny it anymore.
The month I spent in the barrier of indolence meant not only to her, but also to me.
Besides, I owe you my life for this incident.
‘I need to make sure my attitude towards Vivian is also clear.’
Thoughts were running hard in my head, but right now the first priority is to open my eyes.
His senses of hearing and touch were gradually returning, but his eyelids were still heavy.
‘Let’s get up now.’
I struggled and tried to move at least one part of my body.
Then I could barely feel my index finger move.
“uh? It moved.”
And I heard a voice saying that there was someone by my side.
Is this Lucia’s voice?
Hearing her voice made my body feel a little better.
After wrestling alone for a long time, I finally felt my eyelids tremble.
‘Please.’
Light came through the quivering eyelids.
And I finally succeeded in opening my eyes.
I could see Lucia and Vivian on both sides of the white ceiling and me.
‘Is it a treatment center?’
Seeing my eyes open, Lucia pushed her face in.
“Are you out of your mind? I’ll call the therapist right away, so please wait.”
It was only after hearing her words that I realized that I had lived.
And I was relieved to see Vivian sitting next to me, eyes wide open as if slightly excited.
‘Vivian is also alive. thank god.’
I wanted to thank you for saving me, but I couldn’t part.
Soon after, Lucia went outside and Vivian spoke softly.
“Adrias.”
After calling my name, she approached me cautiously.
“You have to hide the power that Adrias showed you, right?”
that power?
Are you talking about special skills?
“Once I was investigated, I somehow glossed over it.”
Apparently, they tried to stop the terrorism quietly, but it seems to have failed considering that they were investigated.
Now that it’s like this, I can’t make any excuses.
‘How should I explain the special technique to Vivian? It’s fortunate that there’s no feeling of black magic at all.’
Then, as if reading my thoughts, she said.
“You don’t have to tell me. I’m just glad that Adrias lived.”
After that, Vivian quietly told me what she had said during the investigation.
‘Me and Vivian were happy to see Hajal after a long time, so we followed after them, found a suspicious place, and accidentally became involved in the incident. After that, we were both driven to the brink of death by the monsters’ attack, and an unknown figure helped us.’
Of course, when I said this, there were many things that could not be explained in many ways and were suspicious.
But what can I do?
As long as there are only me and Vivian as witnesses, they will have no choice but to listen to us.
However, they cannot make us confess by intimidating or torturing us, who have made a great contribution to preventing terrorism.
Besides, you wouldn’t believe it if I told you the truth.
To find out that I did it, you need to know that I have original sin and that I can use the special skill ‘laziness’, but even if I explained it, it was hard to believe.
I barely nodded my head to express my understanding, and Vivian understood my meaning and smiled.
After a while, Lucia brought a therapist.
The therapist approached me and opened his mouth after a brief examination.
“Good luck. In fact, you may never have woken up.”
Is that what you say to the patient now?
I wanted to open my mouth to say something, but I didn’t move.
Rather, I was drowsy even though I hadn’t opened my eyes for a while.
“Student Adrias Cromwell has been bedridden for two weeks now. So even if your body recovers, you will need some rehabilitation.”
Whether I fell asleep or not, the therapist continued to speak, and I realized from his words that two weeks had already passed.
‘Time like my blood.’
Then vacation must have already started.
I had planned in advance what to do during the vacation… ….
As I continued my thoughts, I eventually fell into a deep depression.
* * *
Five days have passed since I woke up.
In the meantime, despite the therapist’s disapproval, I ventured out and treated myself.
It was possible because I had a regeneration and recovery potion that others did not know about.
‘Terror is hidden from the public. not bad.’
I wish it had been blocked
I didn’t do it because I was blinded by sympathy, so I’m just happy to stop terrorism.
‘Thanks to that, Carlos Alven survived. I don’t know what effect this will have on Diene.’
I wish I could live
I’m not asking for anything big.
I just want to live like a human, unlike my last life.
In order to do that, we must first prevent the destruction of the world… ….
Sometimes I wonder what it would be like if I didn’t have this kind of information.
If that were the case, I would have lived happily with Amy day by day, not even knowing that destruction would happen.
‘It’s a useless assumption. Now that I know it, I have to struggle to survive.’
I let out a self-deprecating sigh and looked at the building in front of me.
Today is December 31st.
It was the last day of the bet with Bahat.
In fact, since I woke up five days ago, I wish I could have gone right away, but I couldn’t help it because I was not feeling well.
Anyway, I’m going to the Magic Tower today, so that’s okay.
however….
“What are you doing here?”
Lucia was walking alongside me towards the magic tower, and Vivian followed me from behind as if escorting me.
“I’m bored. And I’m also curious about the newly created potion.”
There was no reply from Vivian that followed.
It’s not a hindrance, but it’s annoying to have a quarrel over having to separate it, so I just let out a sigh and headed for the mage tower.
When we arrived at the magic tower and entered the first floor, we could see the assistant who guided us in the beginning.
“What did you come for?”
“I have an appointment with the Tower Lord.”
After hearing my words, the teaching assistant looked at the two people standing on either side of me and asked.
“Are these people also the promised party?”
At his question, I looked at the two and shook my head.
Well, it’s not like the magic tower lord can meet dogs or cows, so these two can’t go together.
The teaching assistant made a call to someone using the communication artifact and then told me.
“Only Adrias Cromwell was allowed entry. I’m sorry, but you two can wait here or do your business.”
In the end, we decided to do it here with the two of us.
After greeting Lucia and Vivian, I entered the tower following the assistant’s guidance.
Because of the mistake I made the other day, I followed the assistant as best I could, and as a result, I was able to safely arrive at Bahat’s office.
smart.
“Top Lord. Alumnus Adrias Cromwell is here.”
“okay. Come in.”
When I opened the door and entered, the scenery inside the messy room was revealed.
All kinds of books were spread out randomly here and there, and unknown objects radiated their presence here and there.
In the middle of such clutter, I could see Bahat sitting on top of a tower of books.
‘I don’t feel any big emotions.’
It was certain that he had something to do with his father, but when he saw Bahat, his emotions were pale.
Do you think it doesn’t feel real?
The anger he felt toward the emperor was a little more direct.
Of course, I had no intention of forgiving him.
‘I’m still weak.’
Knowing my subject, my anger may be light.
But I think I’ll get my hands on it someday.
As I was thinking, Bahat took his eyes off the book he was reading and started talking to me.
“I know you did a great job this time, but a bet is a bet. Are you ready?”
In fact, Bahat came right after I woke up.
His emotions were clearly visible on his face, and he had a displeased expression on his face, but he left after asking me roughly about the circumstances of the incident.
I thought that a few more investigations would be conducted because I asked more roughly than I thought, but there was no further investigation after that.
It is possible to investigate this sloppily, but I was rather puzzled.
Of course, it was a good thing for me, but I couldn’t help but feel a little uncomfortable.
“I brought it.”
I took the potion out of my pocket.
Then, Bahat slowly descended from the air and checked the potion I took out.
“It seems that he made a loud noise and then made it.”
He was handed the potion and drank it on the spot.
Bahat, who licked his lips a little, looked at me strangely.
“Emit Potion? Are you kidding me right now?”
Emmit Potion is the name of the original recovery potion, and unlike the one I made, it was of the lowest quality and had side effects.
I guess I was mistaken because the efficacy was similar, but I was able to smile naturally.
“Do you think they are the same?”
On the contrary, when I asked, Bahat looked into the empty potion bottle for a moment, as if he had noticed something.
And after a while, he looked back at me with wide eyes.
“Heh heh heh.”
He laughed silently for a moment, then sat down on the broken book and took another look at the bottle.
“It is different. Admit it. Thinking of getting rid of side effects… ….”
Then he looked at me with curious eyes.
“I thought it was dull. But you have an unexpected talent. How were you thinking of making this?”
“Tower Lord, is it true that I won the bet before that?”
He smiled at my bold question.
“okay. You won. As promised, I’ll pay off all your debts and give you one of my prized possessions.”
“Tower Lord.”
“why.”
“What if I didn’t make one?”
I took out one more potion from my chest and showed it.
Bahat’s mouth opened slowly when he saw him.
