Chapter 208

Chapter 208

Chapter 208 – A Heart-Wrenching Heart

I stared at Henji’s exasperating expression.

“This bastard…”

It was as if he were asking me, “Are you really going to learn something that dangerous?” It was in terrible taste—throwing out bait and testing my reaction.

I wanted to punch him…

“What else? I’ll just see what happens.”

“Aren’t you going to learn it right away? I thought it would be a good source of data.”

“Good data, my foot!”

If I had told him I was going to learn it, he probably would have asked me for progress reports.

The Heavenly Origin Art was a novel secret technique for which no training data yet existed.

But wait.

“Is he taking it for granted that I can learn the new Heavenly Origin Art now?”

I didn’t like the subtle probing, but whatever. Who cares about such trifles these days?

“Anyway, even if I figure it out, I won’t tell you anything. Look for your own data.”

It wouldn’t hurt me to accumulate data, but I had no interest in him meddling in my training.

I no longer had a reason to stay, so I pocketed the Heavenly Origin Art manual that was on the table and called it a day.

That was when I heard Henji’s voice.

“Seriously, it could be a great help.”

This time his tone had lost some of its playfulness, so I responded seriously.

With my middle finger, of course.

“……?”

“A greeting between blacks and whites in the slums. It means thank you. Try it on the patriarch later. He’ll love it.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Yeah, anyway. If I learn the Heavenly Origin Art, I’ll let you know. And as for your little brother…”

“I will prepare him moderately and send him to the academy. I’ll handle the contact.”

“The talent list?”

“I’ll get it to you before you leave the academy.”

After that, we exchanged thoughts on a few more matters before wrapping up the meeting.

It wasn’t that any definitive conclusion was reached; we were simply sharing information about the Heavenly Origin Art, the tower, and future lines of research for the thesis.

And then.

“See you later. Wait until the next recess for the thesis, or find your own solution.”

“Yeah, don’t worry about that.”

I downed the half-cold tea in one gulp and stood up.

“Wyvern, let’s go.”

[Ah, I get it.]

The winged dragon, which had been fighting in size with Dinner No. 1, came running after me.

I watched the wobbling beast for a moment, then glanced at Dinner No. 1.

‘…Lost, huh?’

It seems the wyvern lost the size competition; Dinner No. 1 had a triumphant air.

Cheer up! You can still win in a real fight.

I offered the dragon some unconvincing consolation and leapt toward the window. Or tried to.

If it weren’t for Henji’s voice from behind.

“Oh, Aster.”

“……?”

I sat awkwardly on the window sill and looked at Henji.

He was looking at me with an unusually serious expression, his eyes sunken and deep.

The atmosphere suddenly turned tense, and I tilted my head; shortly after, he spoke.

“Do you mind if I ask why you are suddenly trying to increase your strength?”

I held his serious gaze for an instant before opening my mouth.

“Should I sit back down?”

“……”

Why ask something like that right before I jump?

Henji seemed to realize it too, and cracked an awkward smile.

I returned the smile and answered over my shoulder as I jumped out the window.

“I’ve always liked wealth and glory. Luxury and indulgence too.”

Yes, that was it.

Nothing more.

Build the tower, become a revered great mage, leverage that fame to live in wealth and glory, enjoying luxury.

Stuff myself with expensive meals three times a day… Ah, a key point: exactly one bite per dish, and that has to fill you up.

Then, when paying the bill at the restaurant, just walk out without taking the change.

That was all I wanted.

Exactly that.

Gliding through the night sky with the wind, Henji’s voice lightly brushed my ear.

“Take good care of Roden.”

The words imbued with mana pierced my ear faintly but clearly.

I nodded silently in response.

‘Don’t worry.’

Your brother is going to be a good slave for the magic tower.

Time flew by after my meeting with Henji.

The 10-page reflection essays, done three times a day (morning, noon, and night), had become a routine.

Now I even had free time after writing them, which I invested in studying the Heavenly Origin Art manual and reviewing Master Teheman’s collection of summaries.

For the record, I had not learned the Heavenly Origin Art.

‘For now… yeah, it still doesn’t feel right.’

Being an unproven manual without a clear target, it required caution. The rest of my time was spent examining the fragment of Reverse Heaven I had just acquired from Baharmut.

But why?

“It seems nothing has really changed this time.”

I stood in front of the mirror and studied my reflection.

A muscular body? Not exactly, but well-proportioned. Three fire brands over my left chest.

The third had clearly established itself successfully…

“Absolutely nothing is happening this time…”

No real changes.

“I thought I would at least get the ability to see the future or something.”

Was that vision of the future only possible thanks to the help of the spirits that day?

It was just as I thought about that.

“Partner!”

A thundering voice came from the other side of the door.

I finished dressing. Just as I was straightening my clothes, the door didn’t just open—it slammed open!

It’s time to go out!

I observed Damian calmly.

Today the contact-free confinement ended.

Damian, whom I hadn’t seen in days, didn’t look quite the same as usual…

‘…Has he grown?’

What the hell? Does Blandaga feed him something special?

Perhaps he noticed my gaze.

Damian subtly shifted his eyes toward my head, a mischievous smile playing on his lips.

That was when I noticed the shadow looming behind him.

“Young Master Damian, do you wish to take a semester off from the academy? Please behave properly.”

The grumpy butler Ransi tried to keep him in check, as always. Or at least he tried.

But.

“Think about it: if I take a semester off from the academy, who suffers more—me or you, Ransi? Have you ever considered that?”

“……”

Damian masterfully subdued Ransi.

‘…He has become an even greater monster.’

I stared at Ransi, speechless for a while, and then finished packing. Not that there was much, just the storage bag and a few books scattered across the desk.

“Let’s go.”

“It’s trouble time.”

“Time for trouble, you mean.”

“This time, trouble is just around the corner.”

“…Yeah, right.”

He knew what it meant and used it correctly.

Anyway, as I walked beside Damian, I finished wrapping up my reflections on the Fire Brand.

‘Too bad I couldn’t figure out the power of the third one…’

But it wasn’t all disappointment.

The power of the second fragment.

Space.

I still couldn’t handle even that properly.

Now I could probably use it in real combat, but testing it against Infernal in Baharmut had completely drained me mentally.

And above all.

‘I haven’t split my circle yet either.’

Blink and make a circle.

Even without the third fragment, I had a mountain of problems to solve.

So, for the time being, instead of looking for new things, I will focus on mastering what I already have.

And—

‘Gather some talents on your own.’

Now was the time to gain strength, not to look for more profit.

Before, I was worried about accidents, but not anymore.

“Are you watching, Wyvern?”

[Watch what?]

Good. As long as you weren’t.

“Keep slacking off.”

[Thanks, buddy.]

The dragon, materialized at my call, gently faded away. Though it didn’t deceive my eyes.

Anyway, with the wyvern perched on my head, I headed to the main gate of Blandaga along with Damian.

Lady Gammo, Butler Alfredo, and several Blandoga servants had gathered. Standing next to Lady Gammo were Chenbi and his family.

Chenbi was chatting with them when he saw us approaching and smiled broadly… or rather, his face stiffened slightly.

“Long time no see, you two. We’ll be seeing each other.”

“Doesn’t look like it.”

“If it looks like that, you have very good eyesight.”

I patted Chenbi on the shoulder and greeted everyone in turn.

“Aster, no news is good news.”

That was Lady Gammo. Which means: don’t cause trouble.

Then, brief greetings to Chenbi’s family and a wink to Henji, who stood a bit apart.

We were about to return to the academy when…

“Aster!”

A voice called out to me.

It was Butler Alfredo.

“If you run into difficulties, think of this Alfredo. Financial troubles or… obstacles to completing your studies!”

“……?”

“Hehe, you don’t need to understand right now. Just don’t forget: this Alfredo is always cheering you on.”

Alfredo turned around with surprising abruptness.

I watched him for a moment and then joined the procession.

‘…Damn it.’

Still not giving up?

But that feeling quickly dissipated.

I pushed thoughts of Alfredo out of my mind.

I caught a glimpse of the Blandoga estate receding into the horizon and matched my pace with the group heading to the teleportation portal.

There’s a week left before the semester starts.

‘Man…’

What an unusually long break.

Hopefully, the second semester will be peaceful.

‘Please, moon.’

The sun was at full noon, of course.

Upon arriving at the academy, we notified the dorm supervisor and headed to our rooms.

I understood what Alfredo meant right before we parted ways around that time.

“…What the hell?”

Did Pola, your roommate, move it?

A letter neatly placed on my desk.

I looked at the envelope bearing the seal of Jenion Academy and then checked the contents. Nothing special.

Just…

[Notice Regarding Second Semester Tuition]

Pay up.

Why me?

The question didn’t last long.

It didn’t take us long to find out.

In contrast to his intense gaze before parting, Alfredo’s straightforward attitude came to mind.

And above all…

—Aster, I’ll be staying in Hazen until classes start, so let me know if anything comes up. For the record, whatever happens has nothing to do with Lady Gammo’s will.

It was also Ransi’s reminder before saying goodbye.

I stared at the tuition notice, sighed deeply, and left the room.

But not to pay it, nor to go to Ransi’s inn.

‘It’s time to stop accepting Blandoga’s handouts.’

Though I appreciated their goodwill, I was ready to stop living off of others.

Anyway, last semester I made a killing; my pockets were full.

‘Ah, right, I also need to take care of those relics from Baharmut.’

The books would go to the tower later, but I had brought plenty of other items to sell.

Of course, I had a plan for that.

‘To recruit talent, you have to test their skills.’

I would use these relic sales to evaluate someone exceptional in the business world.

Absolutely not because I am lazy!

No, sir.

The question was whom to trust it to…

‘Honestly, Evelyn is perfect, but…’

To tell the truth, Evelyn was a lost cause.

She was already handling the trading company’s affairs as if it were the forbidden fruit of Goldrin.

‘Let’s put it this way: she has no flaws.’

Sure, I had that blackmail sphere, but that’s for leverage, not for coercing a partner (?).

And I couldn’t just tear Goldrin apart.

Not that I had given up.

I would observe the situation calmly for a while.

There’s no rush to decide if a good opportunity arises.

Reflecting on my regret, I kept walking.

…That was when I realized the “good opportunity” had arrived sooner than expected.

“Man, I never thought I’d live to see this.”

“Wow, how pathetic. How pathetic. What’s wrong with that guy? It makes you want to cry.”

Some kind of show?

Students were crowding in front of the admissions desk.

I stood on my tiptoes to peer inside, when a voice rang out with particular clarity in my ears.

“Goldrin was ruthless, ruthless, they said, but she had no mercy even for the forbidden. Though I guess the boss favored her quite a bit.”

“She was favored because she had talent. But did she anger her somehow? That’s all.”

Goldrin… Evelyn?

What?

Did Evelyn fall from grace with the boss?

Bewildered, I jumped up to get a better look, and then I spotted the admissions desk.

I immediately knew why the students had gathered.

“T-this… isn’t this enough for tuition? These accessories alone should be more than enough…”

“W-well… unfortunately, payments in kind violate the regulations.”

The receptionist looked troubled; Evelyn’s face was flushed red, as if she were about to cry.

A single glance was enough to understand the situation.

‘Evelyn… a beggar now?’

At that unbelievable sight, I blinked hard.

No, Evelyn a beggar? In disgrace with Goldrin? Doesn’t make sense? But her state indicates otherwise…

They say that when an emotion reaches its peak, the opposite reaction occurs.

My heart bled for Evelyn’s situation. The corners of my mouth curled upward… surely out of pure compassion.

Yes, that was it.