The wind blowing from the north froze the world.
At the same time, the scenery of the academy, which had recently been filled with festivities, now appeared empty and devoid of life.
Most of the students and staff saw it as an opportunity to return to their hometowns after a long time, but a few remained in the academy, spending their time in the dormitories.
Although there were no lectures, individual lessons with professors were available for those who requested them, and there were students who stayed for various reasons other than going back to their hometowns.
Swoosh.
A strong wind swept past Lucia Everlast's protective barrier.
Though the wind did not enter, she tightly wrapped her clothes around herself and entered the building in front of her.
"Oh, Miss Lucia, you've come again today."
As she entered the building, a woman dressed as a nurse warmly greeted her.
Lucia nodded and handed something to her, placing it in her arms.
"These are some new snacks from the capital."
The cookies with the words "Mint Chocolate Flavor" emitted a strong sense of personal preference, but the nurse received them with a smile.
"Yes, I will gratefully enjoy them."
Lucia placed the package of cookies on the desk and continued speaking.
"You came to meet Adrias, right?"
"I just came to bring snacks, but yes, coincidentally, Lady Vivian also came to visit."
"Is that so?"
Lucia casually nodded her head and glanced at the stairs leading to the patient rooms.
Then, she bowed her head slightly and ascended the stairs.
"Really, why do they take turns visiting like this?"
The nurse shook her head as if she couldn't understand and went about her work.
When Lucia arrived in front of the patient room, she stood hesitantly at the door for a moment before finally pushing it open.
Inside, she saw Vivian sitting beside Adrias, who appeared motionless with a slightly surprised expression.
"..."
"..."
The two locked eyes for a while in silence, and then Lucia walked towards Vivian and took a seat across from her.
The air felt awkward, and finally, Lucia broke the silence.
"You come here every day. Aren't you tired of it?"
In response to Lucia's question, Vivian nodded softly.
Then Lucia, tilting her head in curiosity, asked, "You didn't go back to your hometown?"
Vivian glanced at Adrias' face and shook her head.
"I'm from the Kingdom of Nyselle. There's no need to go far."
"Even if it's the Kingdom of Nyselle, it would only take five days by train."
"...I don't really want to go."
Well, there was no need to say more if she didn't want to.
Lucia nodded her head as if nothing was out of the ordinary and said, "You're here to meet a senior, right?"
"Just to bring snacks."
"By the way, Vivian also asked about you."
"Is that so?"
Lucia nonchalantly nodded her head and observed Vivian, who was looking at Adrias as if lost in thought.
Suddenly, an unexpected thought came to Lucia's mind, and without realizing it, she blurted it out.
"Do you like him, by any chance?"
Was it such a sudden question?
Vivian turned her gaze away from Lucia and stared blankly ahead.
But the answer came quickly.
"Maybe."
After speaking, Vivian began to doubt herself.
Do I like Adrias Cromwell?
Or do I like the fairy who saved me from despair?
"In the end, it's the same person."
There was no need to hesitate.
I like Adrias Cromwell.
That's enough.
Of course, she wasn't yet confident enough to tell him directly about her feelings.
Perhaps when her feelings ripened a little more.
"Is that so?"
Lucia nodded her head, concealing her surprise.
She never expected Vivian to speak so confidently.
Nor did she expect her own thoughts to come out like that.
Then Vivian asked the same question to Lucia.
"What about you?"
"Do you like him?"
"Yeah."
Do I like him as a senior?
Honestly, I'm not sure.
Of course, I do like him.
Not as a romantic interest, but as a friend.
But what Vivian was asking now probably referred to romantic feelings.
Lucia hesitated for a moment and, bolstered by Vivian's confidence, shook her head.
"I'm not sure. I do like him, but I feel that it's subtly different from how I feel about you."
"I see."
Vivian responded with an attitude that she didn't really care and turned her gaze back to Adrias.
In reality, she didn't care much.
What mattered to her was that she liked Adrias.
Her own feelings were important.
In that peculiar silence, the two simply let time pass.
["How long are you going to keep sleeping? Wake up already."]
It felt as if someone was whispering in my ear, and slowly, consciousness began to rise to the surface.
As my consciousness awakened, my brain slowly started to function.
"Where am I...?"
My body didn't move.
Although my consciousness was awake, I couldn't do anything, as if I were being pressed by a pair of scissors.
I felt powerless.
But even as I struggled to move my body somehow, I gradually regained my sense of touch.
And just as I was exerting all my strength on my own, a feeling of my body gradually coming back returned.
At that moment...
[Remaining Time: 00 seconds]
[Adrias Cromwell has evolved.]
[Metamorphosis complete]
[The attribute 'Dual Core (Epic)' will disappear.]
[The attribute 'Vessel (Unique)' will be created.]
[Talent 'Mana (Prodigy)' will be created.]
Even though my eyes were closed, I saw the message window.
Simultaneously, I remembered how I ended up like this.
"I fought Payat. Did I stop the terror?"
Someone could have asked why I had to go through all this trouble alone.
But if I thought the other way around if only I knew about the existence of the terror, who would believe me and come to help?
If I spoke, it would only bring unnecessary suspicion or be treated as the ramblings of a madman.
"I hope Carlos is alive..."
It was different from the initial goal of saving Dianne just for the sake of a playable character.
Now that I had firmly established my identity as Adrias Cromwell, I couldn't let Carlos, who had treated me well along with Amy, die.
"If I only had the identity of Kim Jinhwan, the outcome wouldn't change."
I had the ability to accomplish it, and even though I knew the information in advance, it didn't match my temperament to do anything.
Of course, I nearly died due to unexpected appearances breaking my calculations, but even if I had known, I would have tried to stop the terror.
"But from now on, I shouldn't use the special techniques of the Original Sin recklessly."
Although I almost died from the recoil, ironically, if I didn't have the special technique, both Vivian and I would have been killed by Payat.
However, when I thought about that damn feeling of emptiness, chills ran down my spine.
"Is Vivian unharmed?"
Thanks to evolution, I might be alive, but regardless, if it weren't for Vivian, I would have died in an instant.
"I've been ignoring her efforts until now..."
Now I couldn't deny it anymore.
The month I spent in the laziness boundary had a significant meaning not only to her but also to me.
Furthermore, I even risked my life in this incident.
"I definitely need to change my attitude towards Vivian."
Thoughts were spinning in my head, but now opening my eyes was the priority.
My hearing and sense of touch were gradually returning, but my eyelids still felt heavy.
"Now, let's try to get up."
I exerted all my strength to move at least a part of my body.
Then, I could faintly feel my index finger moving.
"Oh? It moved."
And I heard a voice beside me as if someone was speaking.
Is that Lucia's voice?
As I listened to her voice, I felt my senses returning a little more.
I struggled alone for a while, and finally, I felt my eyelids trembling.
"Please, just open."
Light seeped through the trembling eyelids.
And finally, I succeeded in opening my eyes.
A white ceiling and on either side of it, I saw Lucia and Vivian.
"Is this the infirmary?"
Lucia, noticing that my eyes were open, leaned in closer.
"Are you awake? I'll call the doctor right away, so please wait."
Only after hearing her words did I realize the fact that I was alive.
And I felt relieved when I saw Vivian, her eyes wide open, sitting next to me.
"Vivian is alive too. Thank goodness."
I wanted to express my gratitude for saving us, but my lips wouldn't move.
Then Lucia left the room, and Vivian spoke softly.
"Adrias."
She called my name and cautiously approached my ear.
"The power that Adrias showed, we should keep it hidden, right?"
That power?
Could it be referring to the special techniques?
"For now, I managed to confuse them during the investigation."
It seems that I failed, considering that I was being investigated after quietly trying to stop the terror.
I can't make any excuses in this state.
"What should I explain to Vivian about the special techniques? It's fortunate that it doesn't feel like black magic."
As if she read my thoughts, she said, "You don't have to tell me. I'm just grateful that Adrias is alive."
Afterward, Vivian quietly conveyed the contents of her statement during the investigation.
"We followed Haji, whom we hadn't seen in a long time and coincidentally got involved in the incident. Then, we were cornered by the giants and almost died, but an unidentified person came to help."
Of course, saying it like this raised many suspicions and had many suspicious points.
But what can I do?
As long as there are only Vivian and me as witnesses, they have no choice but to listen to us.
But they can't threaten or torture us, claiming that we have achieved great things by stopping the terror.
Moreover, even if we tell the truth as it is, it won't be believed.
To realize that it was me who did it, they would need to know that I have the Original Sin and the special technique called "Laziness," but even if I explain it, it would be hard to believe.
I managed to nod my head slightly to show that I understood, and Vivian understood my intention and smiled.
As some time passed, Lucia came back with the doctor.
The doctor who approached me conducted a simple examination and then spoke.
"You're lucky. In fact, you might not have woken up at all."
Is this something to say to a patient?
I wanted to say something, but I couldn't move.
Strangely enough, even though I had just opened my eyes, drowsiness began to overwhelm me.
"Adrias Cromwell has been lying here for two weeks. So even if your body recovers, some rehabilitation will be necessary."
Whether I doze off or not, the doctor continued speaking, and I realized that two weeks had already passed.
"Two weeks, my precious time."
Then the vacation must have started by now.
I had planned what to do during the vacation in advance...
As I continued my thoughts, I eventually fell into a deep slumber.
It's been five days since I woke up.
During that time, despite the objections of the doctors, I proceeded with the discharge and treated my body on my own.
Thanks to the regeneration and recovery potions that others don't know about, it was possible.
"The terror has been concealed from the world. Not bad."
I just needed to stop it.
It's not like I did something out of a sense of justice. I'm just glad that the terror was prevented.
"Thanks to that, Carlos Alvin is alive. I don't know what impact this will have on Diene, but..."
It's enough that he's alive.
I didn't expect anything big.
I just want to live a more human life than in my previous life.
To do that, first, I need to prevent the destruction of the world...
Sometimes I wonder how things would have been if I didn't have this information.
If that were the case, without knowing the fact that destruction was going to happen, I would have lived happily with Amy day by day.
"But it's a useless thought. Now that I know, I have to struggle to live."
Sighing with a mixed sense of resignation, I looked at the building in front of me.
Today is December 31st.
It's the last day with the bet on the line with Bahat.
Actually, I woke up five days ago, so I should have gone straight away. But my physical condition wasn't good, so I couldn't help it.
Anyway, at least I'm going to the Matap today.
But...
"What are you doing here?"
Lucia walked beside me, heading toward the Matap, and Vivian followed behind her as if guarding her.
"Just bored. And I'm curious about the new potions I made."
Vivian, who was following behind, didn't answer.
It wasn't bothering me, and it was troublesome to separate them just for the sake of it, so I sighed and headed towards the Matap.
When I arrived at the Matap and entered the first floor, I could see the assistant who had guided us before.
"What brings you here?"
"I have an appointment with the Tower Lord."
The assistant, upon hearing my words, looked at the two people standing beside me and asked, "Are these two also part of the appointment?"
In response to his question, I looked at the two and nodded.
Well, I can't expect anyone and everyone to meet the Tower Lord, and it's impossible for the two of them to go together.
After using a communication artifact to make a call somewhere, the assistant said to me, "Adrias Cromwell, you have been granted entry. I'm sorry, but the two of them should wait here or attend to their own business."
In the end, I decided to leave it here with them.
I exchanged a glance with Lucia and Vivian, and then I followed the assistant's guidance and entered the tower.
Following the assistant without being distracted as much as possible after the previous mistake, I was able to safely arrive at Bahat's office in the Matap.
Knock, knock.
"Tower Lord, Adrias Cromwell has arrived."
"Come in."
As I opened the door and entered, a chaotic scene unfolded in the room.
Various books were scattered haphazardly, and unknown objects emitted a presence here and there.
Amidst such clutter, I could see Bahat sitting on top of a stack of books.
"He doesn't seem to have strong emotions."
Although he is related to my father, seeing Bahat didn't evoke much emotion in me.
Or rather, it felt unreal.
The anger I feel toward the Emperor is more direct.
Of course, that doesn't mean I forgive him.
"I'm still weak."
Perhaps because I know my purpose, my anger might be weaker.
But I believe that someday I will reach him.
While lost in my thoughts, Bahat looked away from the book he was reading and spoke to me.
"I know you achieved something significant this time, but let's set that aside. Are you ready for the bet?"
Actually, Bahat came to see me the day after I woke up.
He had an annoyed expression on his face, and after asking me about the outline of the incident, he left without further explanation.
I thought there would be more investigations after such a casual inquiry, but there haven't been any since then.
It was quite sloppy, but it was good for me, although I couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy.
"I brought it."
I took out a potion from my pocket.
Then Bahat slowly descended from the air and examined the potion I took out.
"It talks big but seems like you made it."
He immediately received the potion I handed him and drank it on the spot.
Bahat, who seemed to be regaining his taste, looked at me with a strange gaze.
"Emeth Potion? Are you joking with me?"
Emeth Potion is the name of the original recovery potion, and unlike the one I made, it is of the lowest quality with side effects.
It seems like he mistook it because the effects were similar, but I could naturally smile.
"Do you see them as the same?"
Rather than answering, Bahat seemed to notice something and looked at the empty potion bottle for a moment.
Then, with slightly narrowed eyes, he turned to me.
"Heh, hehehe."
He let out a hollow laugh for a moment, and then he sat down on the messy books and looked at the bottle again.
"It's different. I acknowledge that. To think you were trying to eliminate the side effects..."
And then, with curiosity filling his eyes, he looked at me.
"I thought you were just a blockhead. But you have an unexpected talent. How did you come up with this?"
"Tower Lord, before we continue, did I win the bet?"
At my bold question, he let out a smirk.
"Yeah, you won. You paid off all your debts as promised, and I'll give you one of the things I cherish."
"Tower Lord."
"Why?"
"If what I brought isn't just one thing, what would you do?"
I took out one more potion from my pocket and showed it to him.
Bahat's mouth slowly opened as he looked at it.