Chapter 255
“Next applicant, please come in.”
The interview was being conducted under Alicia’s leadership.
Alicia was trying her best to maintain a serious demeanor. Despite her friendly tone, there was a sense of formality about her.
She seemed quite accustomed to raising her eyebrows in that way. It was clear she had practiced in front of a mirror while alone in her room.
‘Looks like she’s somewhat dulled regarding Salecius. I guess being so busy left her no time to feel down.’
Sitting in the corner of the Research Society Room, I concluded that by observing Alicia.
She was checking to see how well the interview was going and what kind of talents had applied this time, and I would say it was decent.
“……”
As I looked at Alicia for a while, my mind started to wander.
—I’m… in love with Lord Vargan.
If I hadn’t heard that at all, I wouldn’t have had to think such things.
I still vividly remember that moment.
Haltingly, she had spoken those words with a voice that almost broke.
In contrast to the Alicia I knew from the original work, it made the memory all the more acute.
‘Has Alicia ever mentioned having feelings for anyone? …No, she hasn’t.’
Even in the novel where Liam was the protagonist.
Or the one where Arterion was the main character.
Alicia always maintained a passive stance and never openly expressed her romantic feelings.
While the other heroines were pushing their agendas, she always kept her distance.
Instead of jumping into the fray, Alicia preferred to sit back and observe.
According to Liam’s lines from the original work, even when Arterion treated Alicia kindly, all she did was blush and nod shyly.
Never once had she expressed her feelings towards him.
Even though Alicia’s psychological portrayal was extensively described.
‘So I thought. Alicia is a woman who cannot truly love someone.’
Just look at the topic she submitted for her first semester assignment.
She wrote ‘family’ as her answer to the prompt ‘what do you want to achieve before you die.’
It indicated a deficiency and incompleteness, as she had lost all her family when she was young.
In the end, I saw that what Alicia desired was not a ‘loved one.’
She wanted someone who could give her a ‘peaceful family.’
‘Yes… it was definitely like that.’
She focused more on the group that the person could create than the person itself.
Alicia could not purely love the opponent.
For her, the opponent was merely a step towards concluding that they represented family, not an end goal in itself.
I had concluded that much, yet…
“……”
I silently gazed at Alicia.
Her white hair shone as it cascaded down her shoulders.
Shining white hair.
Without any makeup or special products, her skin was flawlessly pale, free of blemishes.
Nestled between her delicate features, her big, clear eyes were particularly striking.
Her beauty felt almost artificial.
And what made it even more unbelievable was her heart, which was even purer than a saint’s… Wait. What am I even thinking right now?
‘Have I cut back on sleep too much? I must still be feeling fatigued.’
I tapped the corner of my eyes with my finger to shake off these thoughts.
It was strange, considering I’d been meticulously taking care of my condition.
I lifted my head again to look ahead.
“…?”
Alicia blinked her big eyes at me, tilting her head slightly.
It seemed she noticed me pressing my eyes with my finger out of the corner of her vision.
“…”
For some reason, I averted my gaze and glanced over at Erica sitting next to me.
Erica was quietly watching Alicia.
She wore a gentle smile, like that of a sister proud of her younger sibling’s growth.
When I stood up, Erica turned her head away.
“Are you leaving already?”
“Yeah. I figured the store is doing just fine without me, so no need to waste time.”
“I see…”
“Do you want to come with me?”
“Um… I…”
For some reason, Erica didn’t immediately respond that she wanted to go.
She pursed her lips in thought before speaking.
“I’d like to stay a bit longer.”
“Really?”
“…I want to watch a little more.”
Erica’s blue eyes turned back to Alicia.
In a soft voice, she said she would catch up later if I went ahead.
Seeing Erica take the lead like that made me smile involuntarily, and I responded, “Alright then, I’ll go on ahead.”
“Okay, see you in the room.”
I exited the Research Society Room.
With no reason to make any stops, I headed straight back to the Dormitory.
Once inside my room, I unfolded a white handkerchief and pulled out a crystal sphere the size of a human face.
I placed the crystal on my desk and sat down, channeling my mana into it until a video sprang to life like a television screen.
—Crackle, crackle…
—Ah, Vargan! It’s been a while! Have you been well?
A wrinkled old man appeared on the connected video.
It was Bart, the Chancellor of Rubid Village.
At first, the video had been shaky since he wasn’t familiar with the communication, but now it seemed he had found his angle and was fully in view.
“You seem to be doing well.”
It was a heartfelt compliment, completely genuine.
The wrinkles on his face were inevitable due to age, but his body was more robust than in his prime.
I hadn’t expected my support to be this beneficial.
—Isn’t it all thanks to you, Vargan? The peace of Rubid Village and my health have been possible solely due to your grace.
Bart chuckled, sounding cheerful.
Though aged, he still emitted a joyful aura, and he wheezed slightly with every laugh, though it had improved significantly.
—By the way, Vargan, did you receive ‘that item’ I sent?
“Yeah. Despite the chaos of war, I managed to receive it safely at just the right time.”
—It’s quite cumbersome to send something like that to Academia.
“Didn’t I tell you? Sending that to Academia would be madness. They would have pulled me in before I even got my hands on it.”
—That’s a fair point.
A few days after the Goddess Church forces retreated, Nikki, the exclusive courier of the Terrarium, came by again.
Even though I asked the Village Chief to send it, I had expected another person to arrive since it was around the same time as receiving the staff, but it was the same courier.
I was expecting a different person to show up around the time I received the package, but it was the same delivery guy.
He must be incredibly fast on his feet.
—Francesca and Frikkanrisk have been getting quicker at locating Goddess Church followers and bishops as the days go by. Thanks to that, acquiring items has been a breeze.
“They seem to be doing well.”
—Of course. They’re almost like detectives… Oh? Hold on a second, Francesca! We haven’t finished our in-depth conversation with Vargan yet…!
—Long time no see.
Whoa.
What a pleasant surprise this is.
Isn’t that a senior who should have advanced to third-year by now?
“Yeah. Have you been well?”
—You don’t even call me senior anymore.
“Because you’re not actually a senior. But since you’re here, why don’t you share your latest research results?”
—Really? We’re jumping straight into work talk?
“When have we ever wasted time on small talk?”
—That’s true. I actually showed up because of that.
Francesca smirked slightly and continued.
—It’s now almost entirely possible to resurrect those without intellect, like Altife. Even Special Entities, excluding a few, can output their original capabilities. You’ve heard about this up to now, right?
“Yeah. I’ve received reports and I know. It couldn’t have been easy, but you managed to achieve that.”
—I’m risking my life for this. Anyway, what’s important is this.
“What is it?”
—I successfully got top-tier bishop, Han, to move.
Wow, that’s truly astonishing.
Is it actually possible to move him? I had almost given up on the thought!
—You seem really surprised. You’re making that face.
“Anyone would be surprised. It’s practically an area I’d given up on.”
—But it’s too early to be happy. I managed to get him to move, but he can only wiggle his fingers or shake his head side to side.
“Did you think I expected him to run around? I said I had virtually given up. That’s already praiseworthy. But… is complete control possible?”
—Of course. I have no intention of repeating the same mistakes.
Francesca seemed to remember being used by an Ancient Dragon during the festival season and showed a bittersweet expression.
But she soon shook it off and continued talking.
—By the way, the research on ‘that item’ we sent you… is it really possible?
I could feel hesitation in Francesca’s question.
It seemed she was longing for results desperately.
Well, naturally. Since her uncle, Lucien, ended up in such a state, she wouldn’t take it lightly.
“I plan to get the best results possible. However, don’t jump to conclusions too soon. It’s something that requires time.”
—That’s enough… That will do….
Francesca whispered softly.
An affectionate voice filled with longing for someone already departed.
—If even that way my uncle’s research can see the light… I’d be satisfied with that.
*
“Ah, I can’t fall asleep….”
Diphelia, dozing off, shook her head side to side trying to fend off sleep.
Having just become the Student Council President, her workload was monumental, and on top of that, she was juggling special research, so she was always short on sleep.
It was so bad that even she, a Saint, had days when she skipped praying to Yggdrasil.
“Coffee… coffee….”
She searched for coffee like a child chasing after their mom and made the surrounding plants move like her own arms to brew coffee and pour it into a cup.
Even if her eyes were shut, her Familiar dashed around, so she felt no discomfort.
—Sigh.
“Ha….”
As the warm coffee flowed into her body, Diphelia let out a deep breath.
Thirty-year-old Diphelia.
These days, I can’t function without caffeine.
“…Have I not organized enough?”
She glanced at the messy desk.
Books were sprawled everywhere, with important sentences underlined in bright marker.
Knowing the sacrifice of the trees used to make those books, she felt a pang of guilt, but with so much to remember and so many materials to reference, those marks were made with tears.
Among them were research materials left by Professor Lucien.
All sorts of papers, books, and even the doodles of experimental processes written in a notebook.
Rustle—.
While sipping her coffee, she turned the pages of the book with a flowing vine.
Communicating with plants, Diphelia was more qualified for this research than anyone else.
Diphelia turned her head to look at the small bottles she had just received.
Each bottle contained a bug squirming and trying to escape.
‘Where on earth does Vargan keep getting these “Divine Bugs”?’
Bugs that can transform people into Altife…
It’s been almost a year since she first received the Divine Bugs from Vargan.
That meant it was nearing a year since she started researching them.
Every time Vargan came back from his outings, he handed her a new Divine Bug for experimentation.
Diphelia desperately wanted to know their source, but Vargan, being Vargan, didn’t tell her, as if he’d already given up.
‘This experiment is important. If successful, it could greatly benefit humanity.’
Diphelia continued her experiments at Vargan’s request.
Initially, she was just independently investigating and experimenting, but after receiving continuous support from Vargan and the research achievements of Professor Lucien, she started pushing herself to her limits in this research.
“Oh? Has it really gotten that late already?”
As she noticed the purple flowers planted in a bunch blooming vibrantly, she mused.
She approached the flowers, muttering her apologies, and plucked all the petals.
Then, she crushed the harvested petals and placed them into different bottles, pouring hot water over them and waiting for a while.
About an hour later, the water from the petals turned into a purple liquid.
Using a dropper, she added a special solution to each bottle.
There were no noticeable changes, but this was the poison she aimed to create.
“Will there be changes this time…? I have a feeling it won’t work…”
With countless failures behind her, Diphelia tried to dampen her expectations as she injected the solution into the Divine Bugs.
So far, all she had achieved was slowing down the movements of the bugs and temporarily stiffening them.
How many more hours and efforts would it take to reach further advancements….
“…Huh?!”
Diphelia was startled as she darted her face close to a particular Divine Bug.
It had the eyes of a Familiar, but her shock made her body react instinctively.
—Wiggle wiggle wiggle.
One of them was reacting violently as if in agony.
Other Divine Bugs only showed stiffness, but this one was in an exceptional state.
“I need to… record this…!”
Thrilled, Diphelia’s hands shook as she quickly continued recording.
She meticulously wrote down the specific reactions appearing moment by moment through the eyes of the Familiar and her mana.
Maybe, just maybe, this research could truly bring about a significant change in human history.
A remedy could be created that would restore those who had become Altife back to their original state!
That thought crossed her mind.
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