Chapter 252
Erica was having a conversation with Alicia.
The spirit Naias was sitting nearby, crossing her arms and dozing off, not participating in the chat.
Erica and Alicia started with light greetings and gradually delved into deeper topics.
Although Erica still had significant remnants of her aversion to others, Alicia was the person she felt most comfortable communicating with.
As they finished their warm cup of tea, Alicia began to share her past with her sister.
Just as Alicia revealed her wounds, Erica also opened up about her misunderstandings with Vargan.
It was originally a promise not to tell anyone about Vargan, but if it was Alicia, Vargan would surely understand and let it slide.
“Huh….”
Alicia felt a pang in her heart.
It was the first time she heard the whole story behind everything that had happened between Erica and Vargan.
Suddenly, uncontrollable tears streamed from her eyes.
Erica handed her a handkerchief, helping her wipe away the tears.
“How… how hard must it have been for you?”
“…….”
The misunderstandings with Vargan, the painful past because of it, and even this moment, steeped in guilt.
Alicia, having a rough idea of the emotional weight Erica had been carrying, found it hard to stop crying.
“It’s okay, Alicia.”
As the tears subsided, Erica tried her best to show a bright expression with a slight smile.
After a long conversation, the doors of her heart opened wide, and Erica spoke freely without worry or hesitance.
“But look, you’re feeling so much better now.”
Erica then mentioned Vargan.
Thanks to his care, her depression, social anxiety, and other phobias had significantly improved, allowing her to have this conversation with Alicia.
“…But still, I can’t shake the feeling of being ugly and weak.”
“Erica, no. You are beautiful and strong.”
“I’m not beautiful. I’m definitely not strong… I’ve just been pretending to be strong all this time.”
“Erica…”
“Rika-nim….”
“The way you used to tick and glare in hostility was all just a facade. You didn’t want to be underestimated, so you hid your weakness.”
It all began when she started locking herself in the dormitory room after misunderstanding that Vargan had killed Laila.
To show everyone that she was perfectly fine and bravely standing tall, despite the mockery of Vargan’s reappearance.
Erica wrapped herself in a false persona.
“But now that I think about it, that was pretty meaningless. In the end, it was just a show for those around me, and inside, I was still so weak.”
“…….”
“You know? I really envied you deep down.”
“Me?”
“Yeah, you always treated people genuinely. You truly loved those around you and were able to smile kindly. I was jealous of you. Look at me… I’m this kind of person. Cowardly, weak, and even a hideous human who only covets others.”
“No, no, Erica-nim.”
With Alicia’s voice, her eyes trembled.
The two women locked gazes.
Erica saw her own reflection in Alicia’s clear eyes.
With a faint smile, she poured more tea into her empty cup.
“I wish we had arranged this kind of meeting a bit earlier.”
There had been plenty of opportunities for deep conversations.
But Erica had hesitated to approach, fearing that her own flaws would stand in stark contrast to Alicia’s purity.
Knowing their hearts were directed towards the same place only made it harder….
“…….”
A brief silence ensued.
Erica took a sip of her freshly poured tea.
As the warm aroma enveloped her mouth and trickled down her throat, she parted her soft pink lips.
“Alicia, do you like Vargan?”
That casual remark had an immense ripple effect.
Naias, who had been dozing off, suddenly perked up, his eyes sparkling as he sat up straight.
Alicia’s face was filled with surprise, her large eyes blinking rapidly, lips quivering.
“W-Wait, Erica-nim….”
“It’s okay. It’s okay, Alicia.”
Erica flashed a gentle smile.
Her expression was as serene as someone who already knew all the facts.
*
After finishing his conversation with Frieda, Vargan returned to the dormitory.
He walked while mentally reconfirming his plans several times.
‘April 28th is coming up soon. I need to finish everything before that.’
Vargan had set that day as the turning point, preparing more meticulously than usual for it.
His mind was constantly busy, hardly ever taking a break.
Thud-.
Arriving at the dormitory door, Vargan momentarily paused before entering.
‘This mana… Alicia and Naias?’
The two had slipped into the room while he wasn’t looking.
It seemed like Erica was having a conversation with someone.
They still hadn’t sensed his presence, likely because Vargan, who had emerged from his trial, was training to conceal his overwhelming mana quantity and aura that had transcended.
On the other hand, Vargan, whose senses had sharpened as a result of the trials, could vaguely hear the sounds from inside, even though there was soundproofing in place.
– It’s okay, you can speak honestly.
– Erica, um, what does that mean…?
– Anyway, I’m a sinner who has committed an unforgivable crime against Vargan. No matter what choice he makes, I shouldn’t blame or slander him, and I don’t want to.
– …….
– Um… Honestly, it was pretty obvious, so not knowing is weirder. But, I want to hear it from Alicia’s mouth directly.
‘It seems like they’re having an important conversation… Should I leave them be?’
Even though Erica was unsure, she was having a conversation with someone in a closed room.
Vargan saw this phenomenon as proof that things were improving and made a judgment that it was therapeutic.
He pulled back his hand, which he had extended to grab the doorknob.
‘I should come back in a bit.’
He didn’t need to train inside the room specifically.
He could sit on a suitable rock outside or train in individual training grounds.
Changing his schedule slightly, Vargan turned around.
But suddenly, a phrase that resonated strongly in his ear froze his steps.
– Are you harboring feelings for Vargan?
Even though Alicia had said nothing in response.
Erica comforted Alicia, who must have been suppressing her feelings due to her relationship with Vargan, which was labeled as ‘engagement.’
She thought that if she were in Alicia’s shoes, she might have hated and felt jealous of that fiancée.
Vargan admired Alicia for not giving in to such emotions until the end.
– I like the unadorned version of Alicia. You’re always speaking the truth; is there any way you can share that hidden feeling with me…?
As Alicia pondered, Vargan began to step away.
The conversation between the two women faded as he put some distance between them.
Here and there, words that couldn’t be heard piled up.
However, Alicia’s apology rang out.
– I’m sorry, Erica…
Her words, although choked with emotion and genuine, still reached him clearly.
– …And it’s blasphemous and shameful as well.
It was faint yet.
So painfully clear.
– I… have feelings for Lord Vargan.
*
“Uhhhh…! Finally!”
With his arms spread wide, the new student vice president, Machenia, felt all the fatigue and stress of the past two weeks wash away as he experienced a sense of accomplishment.
“Finally succeeded!”
In Machenia’s room.
On a spacious desk stood a 5cm diameter magic ball, a five-story tower of pure mana that clearly showcased his achievement without any compression.
“I did it!”
Much like Vargan had done in the past, Machenia had engaged in closed training for two weeks.
With sleep crashing over him, he drank coffee like it was water.
He refined and refined the mana circulating in his body, forcing vitality into himself.
Jiro poured it in.
If he didn’t do that, it would have been impossible to achieve within the two weeks given by Vargan as a homework period, so it was not a choice but a necessity.
“No. I can’t get cocky. If I succeeded, then Adalhyde must have succeeded too…”
The first to mention skipping class before Machenia was Adalhyde.
She informed the responsible professor that she would be unable to attend classes for two weeks due to closed training.
Hearing that, Machenia couldn’t lose, so he also decided to skip class.
The professor sighed deeply, seemingly annoyed, but Machenia’s determination was unyielding.
Eventually, thanks to the precedent set by Vargan, the unprecedented declaration of two new students skipping classes for two weeks was officially approved.
“I really thought I was going crazy. If I do it again, I might just end up mentally ill.”
Had he ever put this much passion into anything in his life?
Machenia put his all into building the Mana Tower and succeeded.
What he gained in return was a meticulous control over mana.
And then…
GooOOO-.
Though he was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to flop into bed, Machenia moved his mana to enjoy the changes happening to his body.
The blue mana swirled around him with an unusually vibrant and dense quality.
‘The total amount of mana has significantly increased. It’s almost unbelievable that this result was achieved in just two weeks!’
Machenia chuckled heartily.
Sticking close to Vargan was indeed the right choice.
Even if the process was accompanied by bone-grinding pain.
Doesn’t it bring about such miraculous development!
“I hesitated because of what I said at the auditorium last time, but it wasn’t something to worry about… Just you wait, Adalhyde.”
Machenia clenched his fist tightly.
Today was the day of the scheduled second interview.
Naturally, both of them passed the first paper screening, so he had to face that strange-looking familiar along with Adalhyde.
‘I will definitely stand out more than you. This time for sure!’
Their interview was said to take place in the arena so that other students could observe as well.
In other words, it was an opportunity to freely showcase his magic and abilities.
Moreover, showing superior prowess compared to Adalhyde might just give him a differentiating factor as Vargan’s disciple.
At least from Machenia’s perspective, Vargan was a staunch advocate of meritocracy.
‘I must show everything I can. To do that…’
Machenia staggered as he moved his legs.
It was still early morning, far from sunrise.
He needed to catch up on the sleep he had been lacking.
He would skip the class until today, and since the interview was in the afternoon, he still had time.
Machenia collapsed onto the bed.
As if shot by a tranquilizer, he closed his eyelids while mumbling.
“I’ll win… I will win.”
In an instant, Machenia fell asleep, and time passed.
The moment of reckoning had arrived for him.
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