Ch.146Apology (1)

[— A chilling energy wraps around the surroundings.]

It’s about time.

For today’s operation, I need a woman who can quickly assess situations, listens well to me, and is capable of unlimited skinship with me.

Ireh is in charge of Director Hueritia, and Rustila is busy with entrance exams, so they’re out.

Therefore.

“Are you ready, Sonia?”

“At your command, Young Master.”

My most reliable maid android is today’s partner.

“The CNN architecture embedded in my neural network is telling me. Right now, Young Master’s eyes show the look of someone speaking the truth.”

I nodded with satisfaction.

“Jump in when I give the signal.”

“Breaking and entering, how outrageous.”

“As a man, I can’t just walk into a girl’s room.”

“Then have you considered gender reassignment surgery? Your personality might become more gentle.”

“……”

“Yes, I’m joking. Don’t make such a rotten expression. I’m quite satisfied with you being male. Yes.”

The atmosphere froze. Sonia fidgeted and then tapped my shoulder.

“Shall I enter now?”

“Not yet.”

“Sonia is bored.”

That’s when it happened.

[— A contract is about to be formed somewhere…]

I gave the signal. Sonia slid down the rope. She kicked in the apartment window and went straight in.

“Young Master!”

“What!”

“We’re fucked!”

“I know!”

Crash!

Something flew out, breaking another window. It was an irregular polyhedron. From the circumstances, it seems Zernya threw it.

That confirms it. The foreign god has appeared.

But is it even possible to throw that thing?

When I met Cartesia, I couldn’t let go of it and was forcibly absorbed.

The irregular polyhedron traced an arc through the air, then burned up and disappeared like a shooting star. After staring blankly at the empty space, I looked down.

Sonia quickly provided a foothold.

“Oh, damn.”

I hesitate to go down. It’s essentially a cliff below. We’re currently at the height of the 15th floor.

I couldn’t delay even for a second. I carefully landed on the balcony.

Zernya, covered in blood, comes into view. There’s so much bleeding that a puddle has formed.

Her status window also shows a red alert. Her eyes look dazed. Her mental strength has already reached its limit.

“The irregular polyhedron is nowhere to be seen.”

“It flew outside and disappeared earlier.”

I poured two star candies I had prepared into Zernya’s mouth.

[— Maximum acceptable Pron value has increased by 1000.]

[— Zernya von Adelbein: 890/2000]

With this, I’ve used up all the consumable items I received during the Celestine Incident. I’m really glad I saved them all this time.

“Hey, are you okay?”

“Ha, ha.”

Her purple pupils tremble delicately. The kid can’t speak.

“Sonia. Diagnose her.”

“Yes. Hmm, her blood pressure is low but her pulse is high. The bleeding is severe. If appropriate measures aren’t taken in time, she’ll lose her life.”

She’s one step away from death.

“Carry her!”

“But Young Master, my frills will get dirty.”

“I’ll buy you better ones!”

“Thank you. Three sets, please.”

Sonia and I took Zernya to the Southern Spirit Temple. We called the priests for emergency treatment and prepared for an urgent blood transfusion.

Since coming under the Rheinland family’s control, the Southern Spirit Temple had become a full-fledged medical facility. It accommodates hundreds of patients daily, with priest-doctors performing surgeries both large and small.

Following my father’s wishes, it operates at a low cost, so there’s considerable foot traffic, which often leads to resource shortages.

“We’re short on artificial blood due to the number of patients!”

“Is there anyone with a matching blood type? It’s urgent!”

I rolled up my sleeve and said,

“I have the same blood type.”

***

Her heart aches as if it’s about to burst. Her breathing alternates between rapid and stopped. Her consciousness is hazy, and her limbs won’t move.

The sensation of being separated from herself and the world. Zernya feels an indescribable terror. It might be even more dangerous than when she was defeated by the avatar.

She’s dying.

There are things you can only see when standing at the crossroads between life and death. Like a life flashing before your eyes. Past memories. What you’ve done. Why you lived the way you did.

It was a life of endless effort. But it was a passive life. For the first 15 years, she had no sense of self.

Then one day, he appeared. He began to paint over her life like spreading paint.

For the first time in her life, she experienced being second best instead of first. She realized how vast the world is. She understood what it meant to be powerless.

She tried to move forward with competitive spirit, but the further she went, the more miserable she felt. Childish emotions became stubborn prejudice.

Though she grew up in the greatest wealth, she lived more impoverished than anyone.

Now it all means nothing. Yes, what’s first place and what’s second place? Many people live happily without being first.

For the first time, the Adelbein name feels like shackles. Perhaps letting go of everything would be more peaceful.

“……”

Her fluctuating consciousness slowly rises.

Zernya gently opened her eyes.

With an IV in her arm, changed into a patient gown, she’s lying on a bed in a recovery room without windows.

A familiar scene.

It’s the Southern Spirit Temple. She was ultimately defeated by the foreign god.

As logic belatedly concludes, what follows is shame.

“Ah, haha.”

Zernya laughed emptily.

The voice of the constellation, no, the foreign god, is not heard.

Her body feels slightly heavy, but not enough to miss school. Zernya carefully got up and took a step.

She hears murmuring from outside.

Zernya put her ear to the iron door that felt like a wall.

“…the artificial constellation played an unexpected role. Without it, she would have died on the spot.”

It was Professor Arnold Rheinland’s voice.

“You acted quickly, Eidel. You saved the direct line of the Adelbein family. If you had made a mistake, it could have been disastrous for both families. I’m proud of you this time.”

“When was I not worthy of pride?”

Ahem, Arnold cleared his throat and changed the subject.

“It was fate that you and that child have the same blood type. Anyway, it was a good decision, my son.”

At those words, Zernya almost stopped breathing.

She remembers coughing up a handful of blood. It was definitely excessive bleeding. The transfusion itself was inevitable.

But instead of artificially made blood, she received a person’s blood.

Directly from Eidel.

This is an era where artificial blood is commonplace. Artificial blood isn’t restricted by blood type. There’s no reason to go through the trouble of receiving human blood. Therefore, this has great religious significance.

‘I would give my life for you.’

That’s what it means.

Thump thump, her heart beats roughly.

Realizing that her heart can beat now thanks to Eidel’s blood, the pulse monitor started beeping.

“Besides, it seems the fake constellation is completely dead. That tattoo mark you mentioned is gone too, Eidel.”

“…!”

Zernya hurriedly touched the nape of her neck.

There was no mirror, but she could feel it through the flow of Aether.

The barcode mark that had been her complex was gone.

“W-what on earth…”

To summarize:

1. She nearly died after contracting with a foreign god but barely survived.

2. In the final moment, she resisted the irregular polyhedron, but that wasn’t due to her own resourcefulness but thanks to the physical action of the fake constellation.

“We’ll talk more about the Adelbein family matter later.”

The father-son conversation ended. Eidel was coming this way.

Zernya hurriedly got into bed, covered herself with the blanket, and pretended to be asleep.

Click.

Eidel and Sonia entered, opening the door. Sonia spoke first.

“A foreign god mimicking a constellation’s voice, how creepy. Shouldn’t we thoroughly investigate all other constellations too?”

“There’s no need since it’s revealed the moment you contract. More than that, I’m worried about the Adelbein family…”

“There’s nothing we Rheinlands can do about it. One wrong move and you could be in danger too, Young Master. Didn’t you see how twenty-one people responsible for the irregular polyhedron disappeared without a trace?”

“That’s why we need to move first.”

Hearing their conversation, Zernya felt complicated.

Objectively speaking, her family started it first.

And she ended up in this state because of her unnecessary stubbornness.

“Miss Adelbein still hasn’t woken up. Blood pressure, pulse, ECG, EEG are all normal though.”

“She’s a medical student, so she’s always sleep-deprived.”

The voice gets closer.

Accordingly, Zernya’s heart began to pound.

She realized that shame underlies the cause.

“She looks like a complete angel when sleeping.”

Beep, beep.

“The kid is cute-looking.”

Beep, beep, beep, beep.

“…Young Master. Her pulse is suddenly rising, is that okay?”

“Call my father, now!”

Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep.

It took some time for the situation to calm down.

***

Zernya couldn’t lift her head due to embarrassment. As she kept her mouth shut, Sonia began to taunt her.

“I heard you promised the Young Master? That if the constellation was actually a foreign god, you would willingly die.”

“No, that was saying I’d die to the foreign god…”

“Does the loser get to talk back?”

“……”

“Looks like you need to die.”

She actually felt like dying.

“That’s enough, Sonia.”

Eidel calmed the atmosphere. He pulled up a chair and sat next to Zernya. A languid explanation followed.

Zernya was being tracked by a foreign god. From now on, she needs to stay at the Spirit Temple. Her physical condition is normal, but she needs to rest for a while.

“Let’s handle student council work via video call. I’ll bring a laptop.”

“…Wait.”

Zernya grabbed Eidel as he was about to get up.

“What?”

“Ah…”

Action came before thought.

It was a simple intuition.

She needs to say what needs to be said now. If she doesn’t, it’s truly over. Not only will she lose her last ally, but she won’t be able to move forward properly. With that anxiety, Zernya slowly opened her mouth.

“…I’m sorry.”

“What?”

“I said… I’m sorry…”