548 – Malice (2)

After witnessing the wickedness of Seolhwa with my own eyes, I became a little worried.

Is it really right to bring this hideous villain to Jane?

I was very worried that Jane might end up destroying all the machines she had worked so hard to build.

If that happens, I’ll try my best to stop it, but Jane’s favorability rating will drop. I want to prevent any mishaps as much as possible.

‘On the other hand, Jane may be rude to Seol-hwa.’

Jane is a typical Gongsun. She is a little awkward in dealing with people.

Besides, I don’t meet many people, including myself. I don’t go out much unless I go looking for them in person.

A gorgeous combination of Gongsoon + Jipsoon + Assa. Thanks to this nature, she is making good use of her extraordinary brain.

If he didn’t have that brain, he would have been nothing more than a waste. I was satisfied that he was able to fully display his talent now.

‘Now the next biggest episode is also the Santiago episode.’

Stories related to Jane will gradually come out. The most representative one will be the admission of Santiago.

Although there are no major figures among the first-year students, it will be mentioned that a particularly large number of Santiago students were admitted.

And the Academy will probably figure out something is going to happen to Santiago sooner or later.

In fact, just because that’s what happened in the East, there’s no guarantee that something similar won’t happen again this time.

“What about this Jane?”

“Um······ From what I remember, he was a person who made various machines.”

“Are you a woman?”

“Yes. Is that a problem?”

“A little bit. I guess I’ll have to meet you in person to find out.”

As we headed to the workshop, Luna told me a little about Jane. She probably didn’t know much about Jane either.

Ellie would be better, since she’s in the same non-combat role and we’ve met often. Still, we’ll be similar.

Jane’s daily routine is monotonous, if not repetitive. Her daily routine consists of touching machines.

I’m attending classes and taking tests regularly, but… I’m starting to feel a little uneasy. I’m worried that I might get expelled.

Besides, Jane will be a senior soon. She’s one year older than me.

‘I don’t know if it’ll be different if I get paid.’

For Jane, the Academy is nothing more than an institution that rents out workshops. If there’s a workshop, she’ll go anywhere.

Of course, since I am a student at the academy, I will not leave for another place. I cannot stand the investment money.

Finally, I arrived at Jane’s studio and prepared to go in. I didn’t forget to give Seol-hwa a warning just before I went in.

“Remember, you shouldn’t break anything.”

“Keep that in mind.”

“Aren’t you better at breaking things?”

“Be quiet.”

Let’s lightly ignore Luna’s words that were just spouting facts instead of chaos. I carefully opened the entrance to the workshop.

I was worried because something like an emergency alarm went off before, but this time it’s quiet. Judging from the fact that it’s bright inside, there’s a high chance that Jane is there.

“Jane? Are you in there?”

So I cautiously called Jane and went inside. As I went inside, a now familiar suit caught my eye.

Judging by the way that suit is out in the open, it’s clear that he was fiddling with it just now. That means Jane······

[Kooo······]

You’re sleeping inside. I was speechless at the snoring coming from inside the suit.

Not only me, but Luna too. She pointed and asked.

“Is there anyone in there?”

“··· ···”

Of course it’s a person. Who else could it be?

But Luna’s mouth didn’t stop there.

“You passed out in a coffin or something?”

Let’s not talk.

*****

It didn’t take long for Jane, who was sleeping soundly in her suit, to wake up.

I think I dozed off for a moment, whether it was because of the accumulated fatigue or because the suit was surprisingly cozy.

She was startled by our appearance for a moment, but then she quickly took off her suit and ran outside.

“Ugh!”

As soon as she landed on the floor, he barely managed to catch Jane, who almost fell, and then slowly helped her up.

Her glasses had slipped down, as if she had been sleeping soundly inside. Her eyes had widened considerably, giving her a more beautiful appearance.

‘So that’s why it’s called a fucking mirror.’

It’s always amazing to see how a person can change just by taking off one pair of glasses.

Of course, from Jane’s perspective, it was as if she had lost her eyes. She hastily put on her glasses that had slipped down.

Thanks to that, she returned from being a beautiful young lady to being an outcast and a public servant.

“Oh, you came! I’ve been waiting for you!”

“Are you sleeping well inside?”

“That, that’s······! I was trying to surprise you······!”

Jane flinched at my not-so-joke joke. I checked her complexion while telling her it was okay.

I haven’t been sleeping well for a while, so my skin has become dry and dark circles have become more intense.

His complexion is so bad that I’m worried he might collapse. I wonder how long he hasn’t slept.

“You look very tired. What’s wrong?”

“Ah. That’s······ I heard that Lord Shivar is dangerous······”

Is it because of the rumors spreading around the Academy? Jane originally wasn’t very interested in Academy news.

But since I didn’t come to you at all, you must have been curious and looked for news of me. And you must have been very surprised.

From Jane’s perspective, she must have been anxious because the person she had been investing in was in danger. She probably couldn’t even eat well.

“If anything, I was going to ride this suit! After several inspections, I was just about to go······!”

“No. You don’t have to go that far. I’m okay now.”

“That’s fortunate. Hehe······”

Jane smiled faintly. She seemed okay, despite looking a little tired.

But that was just my thought, not Seol-hwa’s, who was quietly watching from behind.

“It’s dangerous.”

“What? Is Shivar having a girlfriend?”

How can that guy’s snout be uncontrollable?

As I was thinking about that, Seolhwa came to me.

Eventually, she came face to face with Jane. Jane also opened her eyes slightly wide at the sight of her new face.

Not only the appearance, but there will also be an aura that can be felt from the story. It will feel as if it is not human.

“It’s going to collapse soon.”

“yes?”

“The body is filled with the aura of death. The head in particular is on the verge of destruction.”

“······?”

Jane tilted her head at the unknown words. Seolhwa slowly reached out her hand along with them.

Soon, her hand reached Jane’s head. At this, Jane was startled and was about to step back.

-dump

Jane fell down like a puppet whose strings had snapped. It was a completely unexpected situation, so no one could catch her.

First, I laid Jane down on the floor properly. I couldn’t even ask her what she was doing.

Because what Sulwha had just said really bothered me, I asked as soon as the situation calmed down.

“······Was Jane very sick?”

“It would have been dangerous if we had made them work harder for another day.”

“Shivar. Do you know what’s going on?”

Luna asked cautiously, still not fully aware of the situation. She must have been watching the mood.

I nodded to her question. Something came to mind when I saw the aura of death hanging over Jane and Seol-hwa’s actions.

“strain.”

“strain?”

“Yeah. Jane doesn’t rest well.”

Exactly, death from overwork. If it had been even one day later, Jane would have likely died from overwork.

In fact, there were several signs. Every time we met, he had a tired expression, or he seemed to have been absorbed in his research for several days.

I never heard that he had a proper rest, except that he took breaks to play with Ellie here and there.

‘But why did you sleep in the suit?’

Even though there are some parts I don’t understand, what I need now is rest.

I waited quietly for Jane to wake up. She should wake up soon, since Sulwha took action.

“Hmm······”

As I expected, Jane soon came to her senses, sobbing.

Her face is much clearer than before, and her complexion has improved. Until just a moment ago, her complexion was sallow.

Now it is the original skin color, that is, the color that has not been exposed to sunlight. A pure white skin color.

The original plate, which was already pretty, has become even more plump now that it has regained its health.

“······Huh?”

Jane, who had come to her senses, spoke in a puzzled voice. Her expression seemed to ask what on earth was going on.

After a while, he blinked his eyes a couple of times and then raised his upper body. What if his health worsens again?

“It must be okay now.”

“Huh? Huh? Huh? I, really······ my body······”

Jane checked her body’s fatigue by touching her head and eyes.

As the story goes, the fatigue from my body has completely disappeared and my health has been restored.

Looking at this, it was definitely a ‘transcendent’ appearance. This must be why the Demonic Cult believes in it.

“How on earth······?”

“I just got rid of the toxins that had accumulated in my body. But if I continue to live that way, they will accumulate again.”

“The table······?”

“I’m talking about fatigue.”

Jane nodded her head in agreement with my explanation. Perhaps she had felt the same way.

If it continued like this, my body would collapse first. But I couldn’t stop because of that.

I don’t know why. Why Jane kept running forward without stopping.

Was it because I lacked the trust, or was there another reason?

“zein.”

“yes?”

“Why didn’t you rest? Is there a reason? I told you to do it while resting.”

So I asked him directly. His obsession was too much to just be a simple work-related obsession.

I’m not wearing a bomb necklace around my neck, and I’m not being chased by anyone.

Even she has already shown results. Who can blame her when she has already shown results?

“··· ···”

Jane began to look at me carefully after hearing my question. Her reaction was as if she was wondering if she should say this.

I held out my hand as if to say, “It’s okay. I don’t know what’s going on, but since I’m here, everything will be resolved.”

Jane also scratched her cheek with her finger as if she understood what I was thinking.

“That’s true······the professor visited the workshop.”

“Professor? Godin?”

“No. It was when Lord Shivar went to the East. But······”

When I heard that, I realized.

“The professor told me to sell it and he would pay me for it… I stubbornly refused.”

“··· ···”

“Then suddenly the emergency bell rang… I was so anxious that I couldn’t sleep.”

The future is slightly twisted.