NOVEL NEXT chapter 48
48 – 7. The Second Piece (7)
What is the condition for a miracle?
Pious priests say.
It is diligent will and faith in God.
Meanwhile, tough adventurers shout.
It’s tremendous misfortune and sheer guts.
However, the wise sorcerers respond.
It requires sufficient time, budget, and the possessor of genius intelligence.
“Hoo…”
I steadied my breath and flipped the ‘work’ in my mind. With trembling hands, I pressed the operation button attached to the temple.
Uuuuung__
The low resonance of the magic stone echoed in my ears. Suppressing the tension, I tightly closed my eyes.
Five months of effort,
Experiments numbering 372 times,
37.4L of Melania solution used to avoid eye contact with Lem.
The culmination of all of that finally unfolds before my eyes.
I placed my hand on my pounding heart and took a deep breath again. Slowly, I opened the tightly closed eyelids.
And…
“Aaaargh!!”
“W-What’s happening?!”
The dormitory supervisor burst in, forcefully opening the door. Whether she expected some kind of accident or not, her face turned pale.
However, I didn’t respond to her question. More precisely, I couldn’t.
“P-Parsley…?!”
The moment she opened the door, I had already dashed out into the corridor, avoiding her.
I run through the corridor with all my might, where snow-covered scenes are visible through the windows.
The cold air of winter permeates my lungs. Not to mention the winter chill penetrating through the thin pajamas.
However, I couldn’t stop my legs, nor could I erase the smile that appeared on my face.
Success!
And not just success, it’s perfect!
No, even the adjective ‘perfect’ falls short!
It’s proof of genius!
It’s the opening of revenge!
It’s the pinnacle of intelligence!
I will achieve achievements that criminals dare not even dream of!
And this is only natural!
A genius like me devoted day and night for a single task for a whopping 5 months. I dedicated my entire mind and soul to the completion of this task.
However, how can such a fruit be so useless!
I could already imagine Ray kneeling in front of me, crying.
No, no.
Let’s not be too quick to be happy.
There is still one final stage left.
“Haa… Haa…”
The center of the matop, the plaza where all the wizards and students gather.
I stopped at the entrance and took a deep breath. I could feel the gazes flickering towards me, but I didn’t care.
I simply looked around, searching diligently for a boy who would surely be here.
And soon, I found him.
Coincidentally, at that very moment, he also found me.
The look of surprise appeared for a brief moment on his face. He approached me, halfway running.
Immediately, he used his telekinesis to remove my coat and wrapped it around me. With a worried expression, he whispered to me.
“You crazy girl, do you know how much it’s snowing outside, dressed so lightly like this!”
“Never mind.”
I displayed the most confident smile I could muster. I looked challengingly at his bewildered face and declared.
“Today, at 5 p.m., in my room.”
“What?”
“If you’re late, I won’t let it slide.”
And then, I turned my back on Ray, with his surprised face. I walked elegantly back towards the hallway, chuckling to myself.
It was perfect.
Truly the epitome of a mage overflowing with grace and intellect.
Right now, Ray must be watching my retreating figure with a dumbfounded expression. In the heat rising to his cheeks, he must be feeling bewildered!
How can he not be like that!
A beautiful girl like me, in such a splendid appearance…
Sound of footsteps.
Flow of magical power approaching my cheek.
Instinctively, I turned back and looked behind me.
And, everything flashed before my eyes.
“Ouch! Oof! Nyeo Chbeum! Nyeo Chbeum!! Oof!!”
On this cold day, when you were wandering around in your pajamas, I worried and even took off your outerwear for you. But seriously, where did you learn such manners of just stating your business and leaving?
“Brr! Zzut Euf!! Euf!!”
“At the very least, shouldn’t you put your outerwear back on before leaving? Have you grown any wisdom in your brain after being cooped up in the room for five months? Huh? Hmm?!”
“Mmuen!! Zzut Mmuen!! Grumbling, brr!! Brr!!”
***
A little later, inside my room.
“Savage.”
I continued to stroke my chilly cheeks and glanced at Lem. However, Lem seemed unfazed by my gaze.
“Aren’t you the real savage, wandering around in just pajamas in the middle of winter?”
“…Honestly, tell me. You’re not blind, right? If I’m blind, how do you explain me wearing pajamas?”
“The kids right next to me were gossiping about the Chief wandering around the square in pajamas. How could I not know? Are you really a blockhead?”
Chimi’s irritation reached its peak, and her cheeks swelled up. However, I swallowed my annoyance.
“Anyway, come back to my room at 5 PM. I’ll show you something then.”
“Why wait until 5 PM? Why not show it now?”
Lem nonchalantly sat down on the chair in front of my desk. Tilting her head boldly toward me, she spoke.
“You finally finished what you’ve been researching for five months, right?”
…Lem’s insight was sometimes chillingly sharp. I felt a shiver running through my body.
“W-Well, yeah. But I’m not fully prepared yet…”
“It’s already in the socket and on its way back, right? But it’s a bit of a peculiar shape. Looks like some kind of goggles…”
“Waaaah!”
Knowing it was futile, I screamed and blocked the view of the ‘work.’
“Oh, you can’t see it yet!”
“To be precise, not even guessing the shape with telekinesis or reading the flow of magic is allowed!”
Lem’s face showed dissatisfaction.
“Why are you trying to hide it? Anyway, I’ll show it in a little while…”
“S-Surprise…”
Feeling my face burning, I lowered my head.
“I wanted to surprise you, that’s all…”
Lem’s words trailed off, and silence settled in.
Soon, along with the faint scratching sound, Rem’s voice echoed.
“Sorry.”
I glanced up to see his remorseful face, avoiding my gaze as he spoke.
“I was just… too curious. For 5 months, you never mentioned it. Always holed up in your room, hardly spending time with us. That’s why…”
Before he could finish, he nervously tousled his hair, then rose from his seat, heading straight for the door.
“Fine, you’ll be here at 5, right? Come back at the appointed time…”
“Wait, just a moment!”
Rem looked at me with a puzzled expression.
“S-sit down again. I’ll just show you now.”
Despite his confusion, Rem reluctantly complied.
Taking a deep breath, I composed my thoughts.
Yes, I’ve dragged this out for too long.
…And as he said, the preparations were finally complete.
Originally, I intended to present it in a more dramatic way, but making him wait excessively wouldn’t be courteous.
Swallowing hard, I said, “Close your eyes for now.”
“…Remember I’m blind, right?”
“Even so, close them.”
Rem complied, still puzzled.
“And stop all visual aid spells and magical perceptions. Cease reading the flow of magic.”
“Then I won’t see anything at all.”
“It’s necessary.”
“…”
Though Rem furrowed his brow momentarily, he soon did as I asked. I could no longer sense any magical energy from him.
Finally, I picked up the ‘piece’ from the desk. With cautious steps, I approached him.
And then, the moment I lifted the ‘piece’…
I suddenly felt an intense surge of anxiety engulfing me.
There’s no guarantee that my best effort would also be the best for the other person. I learned that from my mother.
Even fervent efforts could be as meaningless to someone as roadside flowers.
Perhaps, he might not like receiving this gift at all. He might even get angry, questioning why I’d give him something like this.
If such a situation comes, what should I do?
“…!”
I vigorously shook my head to dispel the distraction.
My name is Parsley,
a genius of the century.
My best is soon the best, and perfection itself.
… And, I really worked hard.
I clenched courage and inscribed ‘artwork’ on his head. I pressed the button in his temple.
Woooong___
With a resonating sound, light slowly entered the ‘artwork.’ Hundreds of magic circles I had worked on for five months emerged.
I opened my mouth, feeling the tremor in my voice.
“You… can open your eyes now. D-don’t use magic. Just the eyelids.”
A discontented murmur escaped from Rem’s lips as he raised his magical power. Momentarily, he suppressed it again.
And the ‘eyelids’ of the ‘artwork’ began to open.
In response to Rem’s facial muscles, gears turned with a precise sound. The aperture connected to the gears opened smoothly.
Revealing a structure made of emerald crystals beyond.
“…Huh?”
A surprised voice flowed from Rem’s lips.
I anxiously asked, trying to suppress my unease.
“How is it, does it look good?”
Rem didn’t answer.
He just looked at me with a slightly open mouth.
At that moment, the anxiety that had been postponed surged again.
Could it be that he really doesn’t like it?
Did I reveal it too hastily?
Should I have worked on it a bit more before unveiling it?
In my haste, I blurted out excuses incoherently.
“Th-the greenish tint is because I used emerald for the crystal, um, that’s why. I can change it when diamonds come in next time. And, the blurry vision is because the calculation magic’s processing speed is still insufficient… Rem?”
I looked at Rem, who was rising abruptly with puzzled eyes. He approached the window with slow steps, as if awakening from a long sleep.
He gazed outside, where the snow was falling in large flakes.
As if enchanted by something, a figure that seemed to be in a trance.
In a completely different demeanor than usual, unease creeps into the heart.
“…Rem? Are you okay…?”
In response to my worried voice, as if finally awakening from a dream, Rem’s shoulders tremble.
He turns to me and manages a faint smile.
“Yeah, I’m fine. It’s nothing.”
Then, sitting on the windowsill, he removes his goggles. Playfully tapping the goggles, he speaks.
“That aside, goggles that make you see again.”
A playful tone and a strangely awkward smile.
Returning completely to his usual self, he shrugs his shoulders with a sideways tilt of his head.
“I’ll admit it this time, Parsley. I was really surprised.”
However, I couldn’t bring myself to laugh as I looked at him.
It was because of the eerie feeling.
The moment the mask is removed is inevitable.
“I never thought the day would come when I’d see the sky again, even in a dream…”
His words get caught in his throat.
His face stiffens.
But he deliberately tries to smile again.
“Really, even in a dream…”
However, a genuine reluctance in his heart once again twists his words.
A slow tremor passes through his arms.
That tremor quickly transfers to his voice.
“A dream… even in…”
Finally, his mask crumbles.
His body crumbles with it.
He slowly descends to the ground like a pure white snowflake, hunching over on the floor.
After a while, a sound resembling a beast, more of a howl than a cry, emanates as his back shudders.
It was the first time I saw Rem cry.
…I have already decided what to do next.
With a victorious and dignified smile, I will look down on him. Boldly nodding my head, I will await his praise.
When I decided to create this “piece,” that’s how I had envisioned it.
…It was definitely like that.
The sight of Ray crying,
Was more heartbreaking than I had thought,
Looked sadder than I had imagined,
…Seemed more painful than I had anticipated.
When I came to my senses, I found myself embracing Rem without realizing it.
Receiving his cries with my entire body, I gently wiped away his black hair. Leaning my chin on his back, I whispered.
“Shh… It’s okay… Everything’s okay now…”
Just like my mom once said to me after a nightmare.