“It feels like it’s been a long time since we talked face to face like this.”
He smiled faintly, looking as if he was a real person.
Svangali muttered quietly as he saw him.
[He always amazes me. A homunculus who is no different from a human…]
“That’s right.”
“I heard you’re not feeling well.”
Cas Ryle looked at me with concern.
Even though he knew he was a homunculus, an artificial human, he didn’t feel any discomfort from him.
The instinctive hatred and repulsion I felt when I first saw him with the branch of the World Tree was gone now.
Then, I noticed his appearance, which was so beautiful that it seemed inhuman, not to mention masculine.
He had very pale platinum blonde hair and snow-white skin.
His eyes were also very light in color.
He wore large glasses, but they couldn’t hide his beauty.
‘Come to think of it, he could change his gender at will.’
…I was able to recall some memories that I had intentionally forgotten by someone while fighting Svangali.
And among them, there were many information about Cas Ryle.
Cas Ryle.
One of the eight playable characters and the only homunculus.
He excelled in various fields such as alchemy, barrier, curse, enchantment, and so on, and was more specialized in support than direct combat.
Of course, there were other characters who could support the allies, such as Ando Hoon, Lee Ye Eun, and Ivan Hunt, but if we only compare the support abilities, Cas Ryle was incomparable.
In theory, if Ando Hoon buffed the front line, Lee Ye Eun bestowed the blessing of the World Tree, Ivan asked for help from the spirits, and Cas Ryle provided all kinds of assistance with potions, alchemy, curse, and barrier, they would have no match… But since Cas Ryle and Lee Ye Eun had such a bad relationship, it was only possible in theory.
That was because the branch of the World Tree, which was the basis of Lee Ye Eun, valued the balance and flow of nature and received the protection of the spirits, while Cas Ryle, the homunculus, was a being that defied the laws of nature.
Other people who were related to him were Alice Blessbuck, Isaac Maxwell and Big Watch, and among the seven evil races, he had the deepest connection with Milted.
The most notable feature of him was that he had no penalty for death.
I had seen a similar case next to me.
It was Jin Ye Jung.
But in Jin Ye Jung’s case, she was a great alchemist herself, and her ability itself was a very rare one that dealt with the mind and soul.
And she was able to imitate it with the help of Evangeline Roengrin, the ten-strong, and Alice Blessbuck, who deserved the title of the great alchemist.
I also knew that she failed to implement it properly and suffered a lot of pain, and she didn’t settle in the weakened and frail body.
But he was different.
If Cas Ryle died, one of the many bodies he had prepared as a spare would wake up and move instead, and he didn’t need any price for this process.
If I had to pick one, it was that he felt a little pain and discomfort when his soul moved.
And he had bodies that he could switch depending on the situation, such as young, adult, and middle-aged, as well as bodies that were good at physical combat, and bodies that were specialized in handling magic.
He even had female bodies.
Homunculi didn’t have genders in the first place, so it was natural.
…But Cas Ryle insisted on being male.
He said that the male body was more powerful and comfortable than the female body, but in fact, he didn’t know that the reason was because of Alice Blessbuck.
And then…
“Oh, this is a gift for visiting the sick.”
“Thank you.”
He opened the bag he brought with a clinking sound.
Inside, there were glass bottles of various sizes.
“You can give it to me.”
“Here you are.”
Euna took the rather heavy thing without difficulty.
She wondered how to organize it and Cas Ryle said to her.
“You can just leave it at room temperature.”
“Okay. Um, what are these…”
“It’s nothing much.”
Cas Ryle answered with a gentle smile.
“I heard that Ji Hyuk’s condition was not good, so I tried to make something with my poor skills. Potions that boost the vitality of the body, or something that enhances the energy, or something that helps you sleep well…”
He looked at Euna, who nodded her head, and turned his eyes to me.
“I made it so that it has no side effects as much as possible, so it won’t burden your body. It’s okay for other people to take it, too. I put explanations on the surface of the bottles.”
“Thank you, senior. I really didn’t expect this gift. I’ll use it gratefully.”
“What’s that for.”
He waved his hand as if it was nothing.
“But it seems like you had a big trouble.”
He muttered quietly and closed his eyes slightly as if he was listening.
“I met two of the ten-strong outside on my way here. The witch and the paladin.”
“Evangeline and Laura?”
“Yeah, those two.”
He nodded.
“And they each took a student under their wing and gave them some advice and training. The one who received the paladin’s teachings was beaten up while trying to spar with a lance.”
He seemed to be talking about Ando Hoon and Ivan.
I knew that Ivan had received Evangeline’s help during the siege of Minerva, and that he often asked her for advice, but Ando Hoon was quite surprising.
‘…Well, that’s a good direction, I guess.’
He was a type that mixed the fighting styles of Laura Hartman and An Ju Hyuk.
I was worried about him since he had almost no contact with Cas Ryle, but I was glad that he was going in the right direction.
“…”
…Yeah.
Come to think of it, Cas Ryle and I had very little contact.
To the extent that Cas Ryle was the only playable character and major character who didn’t participate in the siege of Minerva.
Even Ando Hoon, who would never have met them otherwise, joined the battle, and they even gathered the ten-strong, Belluna, and Nam Hyun Hwa, which made it even more impressive.
The only thing that connected me and him was the alchemy club and being Alice Blessbuck’s disciple.
He didn’t like contact with others from his personality and innate nature, but the biggest reason was that Alice Blessbuck left the academy much earlier than in the original work and was mentally cornered.
But, despite that, he came all the way to visit me…
“Euna.”
“Hmm?”
“Can you check if there’s anyone outside for a moment?”
At my words, Euna opened the door and looked around.
Then she nodded at me as if there was no one.
“Senior.”
When I called him, Cas Ryle was still smiling.
“Is it about Professor Alice?”
He was silent for a moment.
“I guess I was too obvious.”
He sighed softly and nodded.
Then he rubbed his face with a sigh that showed more human emotion than before.
“Yeah, it’s about Professor Alice.”
“Euna can be trusted.”
At my words, Euna, who was about to open the door and leave, flinched and shivered.
I nodded at her.
Then Euna looked at me with an expression that she had something to say and closed the half-open door again.
“…Well, then, where should I start?”
He tapped his arm with his finger and fell into thought.
“I won’t beat around the bush and just tell you straight. Professor Alice just returned to the country.”
I nodded quietly at his words.
“But she can’t move around freely yet. There are still forces chasing after her.”
I didn’t know if the force chasing after her was Big Watch, or Milted’s children, or both.
Maybe it was both.
‘Could it be that her real name is Alice Milted…’
Jin Ye Seul wouldn’t lie to me, so it must be true.
I realized that I understood her words and actions that were vague in the original work and waited for what he would say next.
“She wanted to see you.”
“Me?”
He nodded.
“Then there must be a way to connect with communication magic.”
“I already tried that. But she said she had to see you and me face to face. She even said that you could sit with Lee Myung Joon if you were worried.”
“She said she had to see us face to face?”
“Yeah.”
“For what reason…”
“I don’t know either. I wondered if you knew anything, but it seems you’re the same as me.”
He looked regretful.
“Well… It’s not like she wants to meet right now, and more importantly, your condition is not good, Ji Hyuk. She just asked me to tell you, so I came to visit you.”
“Haha.”
“I don’t want to bother you when you’re sick, so I’ll go now. And if you ever need my help, don’t hesitate to…”
He was interrupted by the door opening with a bang.
Thanks to that, Euna, who was leaning against the door, was startled and moved to the side as if she had fallen.
“…Why are you here?”
The person who came in was none other than Lee Ye Eun.
She spat out a voice full of hostility and suspicion as soon as she saw Cas Ryle sitting next to me.
“…Do I need a grand reason to visit my junior?”
Cas Ryle also returned her words with a sharp tone that was unlike his gentle atmosphere before.
Then Lee Ye Eun smiled with a clear ill intent.
“My junior?”
“Yeah, my junior.”
Cas Ryle deliberately let out a low laugh and emphasized the words ‘my junior’.
Anyone could see that he was provoking Lee Ye Eun, but she fell for his bait.
“Ji Hyuk is ‘my brother’.”
“Yeah? So what? I said I’m Ji Hyuk’s senior, not his brother.”
“Bro, brother…!?”
Lee Ye Eun closed her eyes tightly as if she was dizzy.
Then, a moment later, she showed a smile that was almost artificial.
“I have something urgent to talk to Ji Hyuk about, so can you please leave?”
“Do you have to kick out someone who came to visit? And that someone is the head of a huge family.”
“I came here to have an important talk with Ji Hyuk as his family.”
Lee Ye Eun spoke in a threatening tone, cutting off each word sharply.
Then, Cas Ryle, who also didn’t hide his dislike for the other person, nodded and got up from his seat.
“Fine, then I’ll go for now.”
He looked at me and said.
“Let’s talk again when you’re feeling better.”
And he glanced at Lee Ye Eun, who was glaring at him, and left the room.
Lee Ye Eun shivered as if she was disgusted and immediately sprayed deodorant everywhere.
“Whew.”
After a while, she nodded slightly as if she was refreshed.
And then she walked towards me with a confident stride, pushed the chair where Cas Ryle had been sitting to the corner, and brought a new chair to sit on.
“Euna, would you like to sit down too?”
“Ah, no. I have something to do for a moment…”
Euna waved her hand and opened the door and left.
Lee Ye Eun looked at her with an expression that she couldn’t understand.
“Then…”
“What, did you really have something to talk about?”
She frowned as if she was offended by my words.
“What, did you think I was lying?”
“No, not that…”
“I really came here to tell you something, Ji Hyuk.”
She grumbled a little and then cleared her throat.
“First of all, the academy is reopening next week.”
“Next week? That’s faster than expected. And a lot.”
“Yeah. It’s not announced yet. It’s just a rumor that some people heard… But I guess it’ll be on the media by tomorrow or the day after.”
Lee Ye Eun spoke in her usual calm and soothing voice.
“And this year’s festival is canceled, of course.”
“Festival?”
“The one they do at the five streets…”
“Ah…”
That made sense.
The place where Minerva’s statue was had been completely destroyed, and most of the five streets were still under reconstruction.
And more importantly, the festival was to commemorate the sealing of the seven evils, and they started the celebration right under Minerva’s statue, but the most important Minerva’s statue was gone…
“So the academy and other places are having a hard time adjusting their schedules. Well, it’s not a big deal for us, though.”
And…
She trailed off.
“They just finished preparing to hit the association. They’re going to attack the association with the media in a few days.”
“The association?”
“Yeah.”
She nodded slightly and added.
“You just need to know this much, Ji Hyuk. The rest is up to us.”
“…”
Now that I think about it, the association was openly hostile to us.
Lee Ye Eun and the ten-strong were not easy opponents, so they must have planned to crush them before they became annoying.
I nodded as if I understood and she looked at me intently and reached out to hold my hand.
“Ji Hyuk.”
“Yes.”
“You’re going to the academy, right?”
I nodded.
Then she rolled her eyes as if she knew it.
“Yeah… I guess so.”
She bowed her head for a moment as if she was complaining.
Then she lifted her head and looked at me carefully.
“Then can you promise me a few things?”
“Promise?”
“I know why you want to go to the academy, why you have to go, so I won’t stop you. But, considering your condition, please keep these things in mind.”
I agreed to her request and nodded.
Then she relaxed her tense expression as if she was relieved by my words.
“First of all, don’t wander around alone and always stay with someone you trust until you’re fully recovered.”
“…!”
Raune, who was next to me, nodded as if he agreed.
Lee Ye Eun was surprised to see him and then smiled as if he was cute and stroked his head.
“And second, don’t participate in any practical classes if possible. Third, if anyone tries to pick a fight with you or shows signs of attacking you, run away and ask for help from someone you trust…”
“Huh?”
I tilted my head and she looked at me as if something was wrong.
I waved my hand and answered.
“No, it just felt like something was wriggling under my feet.”
“Under your feet?”
There was nothing under my feet.
Except for Henir’s shadow.
[…]
“Wasn’t it just your imagination?”
“Yes.”
I nodded.
The shadow was quiet as always.
“I guess so.”
As always.
[…]
