Chapter 62
After finishing his morning class, Liam walked down the hallway.
Today is April 28th.
Once a year, this day is deeply related to Vargan.
*Tip-tap, tip-tap.*
Liam’s footsteps echoed clearly.
Vargan has two weaknesses.
It’s not an overstatement to say that his almost perfect record was shattered because of these two weaknesses.
The first one is:
‘Vargan secretly suffers from an incurable disease.’
Ironically celebrated as a prodigy since childhood, Vargan had the talent to harbor vast amounts of mana, yet at the same time, he harbored poison.
No great doctor. No high-ranking magician.
Not even a miracle-working saint could heal Vargan’s illness.
The later parts of the novel described Vargan’s illness like this:
*This illness is a curse from God. It gnaws at the soul, not the body. Nothing in this world can cure it, no matter the means or method.*
A disease that defies understanding.
If there is a God, one might suspect that this phenomenon was created to torment Vargan.
A strange ailment that suddenly manifested on a specific day and only worsened for exactly one day each year.
Upon discovering that Vargan was ill, Schugenharz’s family head killed the doctor who examined him to prevent the information from spreading to the world.
The novel stated that he secretly searched for ways to cure Vargan’s disease by any means imaginable, but until his death, he had no success.
An incurable disease that is almost impossible to find a precedent for.
It was even regarded as a sign of doom, beyond a mere illness, known as “God’s Curse,” indicating Vargan’s lifespan. Even if he lived a long life, he would only see his twenties.
This incurable disease restricted Vargan’s actions once a year. The principle behind it remains a mystery. Perhaps it’s part of the setting.
Every year, on exactly April 28th.
For 24 hours.
His magic is restricted.
If he uses a certain amount of mana, he will cough up blood, and his remaining lifespan will shorten.
Liam first learned about Vargan’s condition on April 28th when he recklessly used his magic. Suddenly, Vargan coughed up blood and collapsed on the floor, startling his servants who then reported it to the family head.
The family head killed all those related who knew about this, aside from himself and Vargan. Only they knew this terrible tragedy.
He thoroughly concealed the facts about Vargan’s illness, likely because he was sensitive to the gazes of those around him. He wouldn’t want to witness the genius Vargan’s reputation plummet like a ticking time bomb, forsaken by the God.
For the great Schugenharz.
And for the short life of his third son, Vargan.
…This is merely speculation and an imagined scenario, a “what if?” But if it’s not that, there’s no other reasonable explanation that comes to mind.
By the way, if Vargan is a reincarnated individual like him, then he surely knows about Vargan’s incurable disease.
Yet he always gave off a calm demeanor, as if he had nothing to worry about. Acting as if he wasn’t afraid of the imminent death that awaited him, he twists the plot more freely than the original Vargan.
What confidence does he have?
Or is he perhaps ready to embrace death?
Considering his personality, the latter seems utterly implausible. One would expect him to act tenaciously to survive…
“Same here…”
“Aha.”
As I rounded the corner of the hallway, I came face to face with a tall man.
Schugenharz Troa Vargan.
Just moments ago, he was the one Liam had been thinking about.
Liam looked at him.
His face showed no sign of worry whatsoever.
Really… do you have a plan?
No, that wasn’t written in the novel. If Schugenhartz knew how to heal, the existing Vargan wouldn’t have died.
Vargan.
Whether you’re a reincarnator or something else.
You can never fully heal, right? Can that explicitly stated line be changed? Is that even possible?
…I’m not so sure about that.
If that’s an unchangeable ‘setting of the novel,’ what will you do?
“Move.”
His words, laced with authority, snapped Liam back to reality. Vargan brushed Liam aside with a light tilt of his chin and continued walking.
The glance he shot over his shoulder held an air of overwhelming authority, almost disdainful — definitely not the look of someone whose death was looming or someone to be feared… as if he truly had a solution.
As he walked away, Liam realized he had unconsciously stepped aside for him. It wasn’t as if Vargan used any magic, but the reflexive urge to yield was strong, like standing still to let a luxury car pass by.
“…”
Feeling a sense of unease, Liam resumed walking.
Then he thought.
Or could it be that even that could be changed?
Do you really think that’s possible?
Us, trapped in the novel?
If you sincerely think that…
‘Isn’t that a bit too arrogant?’
*
It was becoming a bit awkward.
According to the existing schedule, I wasn’t supposed to perform any magic today.
There was class, but magic was all about theory and improving physical skills, which could be easily resolved by twitching a finger or shuffling my feet a little.
It was flowing along smoothly.
In Paula’s class, “Advanced Theory of Magic Spells 1.”
Sure enough, this troublemaker was bothering me again.
?It’s boring just sitting around, so today we’re doing practicals!
Okay. Even if the subject is ‘Advanced Theory,’ let’s generously assume we need to perform magic practically. But…
?It’s a simple rule; destroy all obstacles or render them useless, and reach the finish line! You can’t just slip by! I’ll be checking!
Now ‘magic spells’ and ‘advanced theory’ have become irrelevant. The only thing remaining is probably just the ‘1’ at the end.
Or are you trying to say something ridiculous like negative times negative equals positive?
Other students looked a bit puzzled, but they seemed to think Paula had some profound reason for setting up this class. From where I stood, it really seemed like she just thought it would be too boring to teach properly.
Well, enough whining about that.
Now, how am I going to get through this?
“…”
As I looked at the course ahead, I felt a lingering gaze directed at me.
It’s easy to mistake it for Alicia, but she isn’t attending this class. Therefore, she is excluded. The right answer is…
“Erica. If someone saw that, they’d think you’re confessing to me. Did I suddenly become your crush?”
“…”
When I returned her words from the theater back to her, my fiancée frowned. If she makes that face, the soft-hearted me gets hurt.
Erica turned her head sharply and muttered to herself.
“What’s good about a guy like him…?”
“Are you fighting with your past self?”
Erica half-heartedly tossed back my comments without even glancing my way.
“I never liked you.”
“Oh really, then all those cute moments in our early teens were all lies?”
“…I was just pretending to allow my heart to be open.”
“Well, that’s quite a performance.”
As I scoffed at her words, Erica’s eyes narrowed. For just a moment, her attention flickered toward me before drifting back to the course spread out before us.
And then.
BEEP??!
The signal announcing our start rang out.
While everyone busily rushed ahead, Erica and I ambled along as if strolling through a park.
There was a time limit, but we could pass easily without needing to hurry. If we could finish quickly and snag some extra points, that would change things, but that’s not the case.
“It might change, but it won’t.”
“Popular, huh?”
Erica interrupted again suddenly.
Well, I was about to say it’s because we caught Caliculea that people are gathering, but judging by her lackluster reaction, I realized her purpose was different.
“Guhuhuhuh.”
A massive boulder rises up, blocking the path of each line. It’s easily about 4 meters tall.
Erica activated Warp Magic and pierced right through the center of that rock, and I pulled out a Familiar hiding in the shadows to swallow it whole.
Sensing the mood, I said to Erica, “This is related to the Saint.”
“……”
Erica froze the remnants of the rock again. What was once a boulder turned into a majestic iceberg as soon as it touched her hands.
The speed was deadly. If someone got hit, they’d undoubtedly end up as a frozen human.
“I told you not to touch Diphelia.”
Her voice deepened.
“I replied that I wouldn’t say a word about the Saint unless it was business, just like your request.”
“It wasn’t a request, it was a warning.”
“I took it that way.”
“……”
At this point, Erica’s sharp voice should have been ringing in my ears, but she stayed silent.
She simply walked at the same pace as me.
I refused to adjust my speed to hers.
“Jealousy is an ugly emotion, Erica.”
“If you say that knowing it’s true, you’re admitting your own dirty intentions, Schugenharz.”
Ah, I see.
From this conversation, I understood about 90%.
So, Diphelia, who opened my music box, witnessed the ‘illusion’ I had contained, and got even more confused, feeling the need to gather information about me.
Since she can’t confirm if the illusion is true or false, she must intend to gather some understanding to make an accurate judgment.
The source of that information is Erica.
She probably asked her, who has the most information about me within the Academia.
In dialogue terms, it would go something like this:
“Tell me about Vargan!”
She probably couldn’t share the reason with others. That would mean betraying her faith in Yggdrasil, so she likely fabricated or concealed it. That’s why it got tangled. As evidence, Erica seems to have misunderstood and is pressing me.
“Thinking the Saint has a crush on me is a huge misunderstanding.”
It’s more like distrust and vigilance.
“…Why Diphelia of all people? If it were someone else, I wouldn’t have cared.”
“You seem to have no intention of listening at all.”
Chiiiiiing??!!
This obstacle was a structure that spewed high-temperature steam from both sides. I considered simply blowing up the rock I’d swallowed, but thinking of the fragments scattering everywhere, I chose another method.
Swoosh.
My shadow elongated, inflating, blocking the front of the structure spewing high-temperature steam. It looked like the cap of a soda bottle that was shaken up.
Erica chose to erect two large ice pillars to temporarily block it. The intense heat was quickly melting the iceberg.
“…You’re only using shadows today? Normally, you’d be busy showing off all sorts of ones.”
“Well, isn’t it a good thing to broaden the scope of usage?”
The accurate statement would be that I can’t summon the others, but I don’t bother to say that.
Other Familiars consume mana when summoned, but our ‘Darky’ lives in my shadow, so it only needs a tiny amount of mana, and I don’t feel the need to disclose that.
We continued our conversation while overcoming several obstacles.
From this conversation, I gathered the information that:
Diphelia opened the music box,
She is trying to ascertain its authenticity,
And it’s predicted she’ll approach me soon.
Additionally… Erica has shown interest in my business with Diphelia, so I need to be a bit cautious?
That seems to be about it.
*
In the Arbol Frutal laboratory.
Today was a day without a regular meeting, but here were sixteen members of ‘Stem’ and their leader, Alicia, along with Serena.
They were having a meeting, but the conversation centered around Alicia wasn’t going smoothly.
“Why should we follow your orders, you four-eyed nerd?”
Leaning back in the chair with crossed legs propped on the desk was the first-year noble male, Laban del Tigres.
Laban del Tigres was a first-year noble male, and he eyed Alicia with a sideways glare.
His eager hands seemed to touch Alicia’s body, filled with a dense and specific desire.
Alicia shook off the discomfort and said, “I am the head of the branch. Before we entered Arbol Frutal, wasn’t there a rule stating that members must follow the head’s directives unless they are unreasonable?”
*BANG!*
Tigres slammed his foot down on the desk, dismissing her words.
The teacups on top toppled over, spilling liquid everywhere or flying off and smashing to the ground.
With anger in his eyes, Tigres muttered, “Are you saying those orders are unreasonable?! You filthy wretch.”
The atmosphere, which had been precariously balanced from the start, completely soured at this point.
Tigres wiggled his foot and pointed at Alicia. “You’re Alicia, right? Your skills seem decent, but in the end, you’re just a lowly commoner without even a surname. Am I wrong?”
His words were a question, but he didn’t want an answer. They were merely a stepping stone to chew on his anger and move to the next stage.
“No, you’ve crawled like a dog between the legs of the prestigious Schugenharz, so it’s not just a commoner, but you could rightly be called a ‘sex slave.’”
“…!!”
“Just a moment, Serena.”
The one who reacted with strong anger to his statement wasn’t the insulted Alicia, but the always-unemotional Serena. She displayed an emotion that was rarely seen, and Alicia tried to shield herself from it.
Tigres chuckled. “Why? Did I say something wrong? With that decent appearance of yours, aren’t you receiving Vargan’s favor every night? It’s already widely known in the Academia that you’ve been leading him into your room.”
He continued.
Following the words of Alicia, who didn’t know what chastity was and had a ruined status, was almost a humiliation for a noble like himself, he claimed it was ‘unfair.’
“But, as you said, entering Arbol Frutal was my choice, and it was clearly stated. Therefore…”
While expressing his anger, Tigres’s eyes meticulously scanned Alicia’s body. Alicia could tell what vile thoughts he was harboring deep down.
Tigres’s eyes narrowed like a crescent moon. “If you were to show me the charm that earned Vargan’s affection, then I’d follow your orders without any complaints.”
It was a degrading remark.
A cruel sentence that saw Alicia merely as a tool for fulfilling his lust. Others would typically show tears or anger in response.
However, what surfaced in Alicia’s mind wasn’t a rush of clumsy emotions but a fragment of the conversation from the previous day.
*“Today is already the 27th. The month will soon pass, and it’s better for me to battle for ranks and earn Cattia soon, don’t you think?”*
*“No. Wait until at least the 30th. A ‘suitable opportunity’ will be arranged soon. If by then there are no suitable reactions, I’ll allow it, so the rank battle is forbidden until I give the direct order.”*
Ah.
So that’s why you told me to wait.
“……”
With calm eyes, Alicia slowly rose to her feet.
Facing the nauseating gaze of Tigres head-on, she countered. Her tone was clear.
“Alright. I’ll show you what kind of charm I’ve been using on the Young Master every night.”
Tigres let out a scoff at her audacity.
“Did my gentle expression lead to a misunderstanding? I meant…”
“No, I’ve already understood your intentions. You want to experience what the Young Master and I share every night, isn’t that right?”
“…So what does this mean now?”
Tigres pointed at the sword aimed at him, and Alicia’s practice sword radiated an energy that seemed ready to slice him in half.
On the other hand, her eyes remained calm.
Complete and resolute.
“Laban del Tigres, I challenge you to a rank battle.”
Alicia had understood Vargan’s intent.
She grasped what he meant by a “suitable opportunity.”
Why he had forbidden them from having a rank battle.
Why such a person was allowed to pass the interview for the Research Society.
And.
What her duties were from then on.
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