episode_0194

My eyes opened without any warning. Alisa blinked, noticing the unfamiliar ceiling, then cautiously raised her upper body. “Here is…” It was the sect’s recovery room. Just as she pondered why she was here, all the memories she had experienced before collapsing vividly resurfaced.

Alisa unconsciously meticulously scanned every corner of the recovery room. Her eyes were searching for someone. But the moment she realized she was alone in the recovery room, loneliness and self-reproach engulfed her entire body.

She clutched the blanket so tightly it felt like it would tear. “Idiot. Stupid bitch.” It was pathetic that she still clung to lingering attachments, having been played by all sorts of deception only to be abandoned in the end.

More than anything, what would she do if Ruan were here? Would she say she’d forget everything from the past and ask to start over from the beginning? Or would she cling to him, begging him not to abandon her, saying none of that mattered?

Neither option appealed to her. The moment she made such a choice, she feared she would lose herself. A life without purpose, losing autonomy, and simply relying on Ruan, swinging between joy and sorrow with his every action. Could such a life truly be called a life?

She couldn’t be sure, but at least she would have thought this about someone like that: Like a pet. She would perceive them as a separate being, distinctly inferior, not an equal. Alisa did not want that.

Just as she thrashed, trapped in a swamp of self-reproach, the door opened and someone entered. “Oh! You’re awake?” Pink hair and innocent golden eyes. Even dressed in a nun’s habit that showed no skin, the epitome of modesty, her voluptuous bosom exuded sensual charm.

“…Saintess-nim?” The visitor was Saintess Iris. The pink-haired Saintess rushed over, a stray hair fluttering, and examined Alisa.

“Please excuse me for a moment!” Having asked for permission, she lifted the patient’s gown, placed her hand on Alisa’s smooth, unblemished lower abdomen, and released divine power. Maintaining that state for a moment, the Saintess removed her hand with a sigh.

“Fortunately, there are no immediate issues.” “…What’s my condition?” Alisa knew her own body best. But she wanted to hear it from the Saintess.

At her question, the Saintess mumbled before explaining with difficulty. “First, your Dantian is completely sealed. There was no other choice; otherwise, your mana would keep overflowing.”

“Is that how it is?” “From what I can see, this is a mental issue. Something is clashing between your body and mind. Do you have any idea what it might be?”

“…” She did have an idea. She couldn’t possibly not know. The cause was still constantly swirling in her mind.

But knowing the reason didn’t mean she could solve it. To resolve this, Ruan’s memories would have to be erased entirely. And as far as she knew, there was currently no way to cleanly erase memories without any side effects. She didn’t even want to in the first place.

“I don’t know either.” “I see…” “Does sealing my Dantian mean I can’t use magic power?”

“Yes, that’s right. It would be difficult even if you tried to force it. And you shouldn’t.” She couldn’t use magic power. That meant she also couldn’t train her swordsmanship, and that, in turn, meant she had outlived her usefulness.

Alisa Bretes, without swordsmanship, was merely a beautiful bastard. Hardly anyone would want such a half-wit. ‘Even if there were, it would only be old geezers.’ Alisa laughed self-deprecatingly.

Seeing her expression, the Saintess patted her shoulder comfortingly. “Don’t be too disappointed. Once we find the cause, we can treat it somehow. I’ll do my best!” “…Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it! It’s what I’m supposed to do.” The Saintess pounded her chest with a fist, thump! revealing her confidence. Thanks to that, her overwhelmingly large breasts jiggled wildly, drawing attention. They were truly enormous, every time she saw them.

“By the way, Saintess-nim. How long has it been since I was hospitalized?” “Today marks the second day. You were asleep for a full day.” “Two days… then do you happen to know who brought me here? I don’t remember.”

Alisa tensed as she asked. Two contradictory thoughts crossed her mind: wishing it was Ruan, and wishing it was someone else entirely. In the former case, her already unstable heart felt like it would waver even more, and in the latter case, she was simply scared.

The last voice she had heard was clearly a man’s. The thought of a man she’d never met touching her body made her uneasy. Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, the Saintess gave the expected answer.

“Young Master Ruan brought you. Do you know how surprised I was? Even while unconscious, you were spewing blood from your mouth, and at first, I thought you’d been attacked by terrorists!” “Really?” “Yes! Ruan’s face was completely pale, and he pressed me, saying I had to save you somehow. You should have seen it, Alisa.”

“…” In contrast to the brightly chattering Saintess, Alisa’s mood sank into despair. ‘Is he pitying me?’

He arbitrarily ended things for his own convenience, but then saw her collapsed and felt pity? What an arrogant man. He might have thought he was doing her a favor, but she felt no gratitude whatsoever.

Instead, she was furious. At him, for continuously leaving room for hope, and at herself, for still wavering. Just as she was suppressing her anger internally, the Saintess cautiously peered at her.

“Alisa? Are you in pain?” “Huh? What did you say?” “Your expression looks bad. Is your mana overflowing again?”

It seemed her emotions had shown on her face. Alisa quickly regained her composure, looking at the kind golden eyes. “No, it’s nothing. I was just thinking about what the cause might be. Anyway, does this mean I’ll have to stay in the recovery room for a while?”

“Yes. For at least a week or so. We’ve sent a letter to the Bretes Dukedom, so they’ll come to pick you up soon.” “Ah… I see. Understood. Then, please take care of me until then.” “You too!”

Alisa and the Saintess exchanged smiles. *

“Hey! Alisa’s awake!” As we were moving to the dining hall for lunch, Yas delivered important news. I immediately questioned him.

“Is that true? She’s awake?” “Yes, I’m telling you! She woke up this morning. How about we all go visit her after school?” “I’m in!” “Me too!”

At Yas’s suggestion, the group gave positive replies without any delay. All eyes turned to me, the only one silent. “Sorry, but I’ll skip this one.”

“What? Are you serious? Winter vacation is in a week. If you don’t go this time, you won’t see her until spring, you know?” “I have something important to do. Besides, Alisa probably doesn’t want to see me anyway.” “That might be true… *Sigh*, well, if that’s how it is, there’s nothing we can do. We’ll go on our own today.” “Alright.”

After that, a conclusion was reached, and the group split into male and female, beginning to discuss their own topics. Naturally, Yas was leading the conversation.

“Hey, by the way, did you know? The Yellow Magic Tower apparently created a virginity testing device this time.” “…A virginity testing device? What kind of idiotic name is that?”

“It’s exactly as the name suggests. They say they analyzed the mechanism of a unicorn and reproduced it with magic. It’s supposed to tell you if a woman is a virgin or not.” At first glance, I wondered what it could be used for, but upon further thought, it seemed surprisingly useful.

I’d heard that these days, many women played around dissolutely from a young age, then reconstructed their hymens with cosmetic surgery, laundered their identities, and married into wealth. A virginity testing device would easily weed out such ‘mines’.

For a typical couple, the very attempt would shatter trust, but for an arranged marriage, there would be no problem. The women’s side would be happy to prove their purity, and the men’s side would be happy to filter them beforehand.

Eventually, over time, it would likely be regarded as a natural pre-marital procedure. I nodded, accepting my own judgment, yet voiced a question.

“But who made it? Doesn’t seem like an ordinary human.” “Oh, they say the Yellow Magic Tower Master made it? He apparently spent a considerable amount of time in the Elf Kingdom for this. As you know, unicorns are only found there.” “Figures it was that person.”

The Yellow Magic Tower Master was the eccentric who even made a secret passage in the academy wall. Such a person would indeed develop a magical tool like a virginity testing device. Thanks to this, a bloodbath was about to sweep through the marriage market for a while. Of course, it was none of my business.

While we were having all sorts of idiotic conversations, I spotted an impressive sight. “Hey, look over there. It’s Professor Sara and Professor Verdan.”

Looking in the direction Yas pointed, sure enough, Sara and Verdan were standing face to face. I couldn’t tell what they were talking about, but their expressions weren’t good. ‘They’re still like that, huh.’

From the conversation I had with Sara during sex, I knew there hadn’t been any change between them, but it really seemed like there had been no progress at all. Verdan showed a truly admirable consistency in his feelings, while Sara desperately refused him.

Looking into her eyes, they were full of a desire to accept, but her will to not accept was equally strong, enough to overwhelm that desire. What supported that was guilt.

As if to prove it, Sara shook off Verdan’s grasping hand and left. The direction she headed was, coincidentally, towards us.

“Professor-nim. Hello!” “Hello!” The group greeted her with bright smiles, pretending they hadn’t seen anything.

Sara quickly corrected her expression. “Yes. Hello, everyone. You haven’t eaten yet, have you? Have a delicious lunch.” “Yes, you too, Professor-nim!”

Sara, who had been exchanging pleasantries, looked around the group, and when her eyes met mine, she bit her lip tightly and averted her gaze. I got a strange feeling from that.

‘Why isn’t she saying anything?’ This wasn’t just limited to this moment, but encompassed the entire past week. Surely she, too, must have realized I was Eunrang through what happened at the festival. She should have said something, anything, yet Sara continued to do only what she had to, without a single mention.

Perhaps it was because I held no meaning for her beyond providing semen. If she could just obtain semen, my identity wouldn’t matter in the slightest, she must think.

Thanks to this, I no longer needed to make excuses to her, but strangely, a corner of my chest felt cold. I silently bowed my head in greeting.

Sara, who likewise gave a slight nod, quickened her steps and disappeared into the building. “Hoo…” An unnecessary sigh escaped my lips.

My head was already pounding because of Alisa, and now with Sara’s issues piled on, I felt like I might go crazy. I just hoped everything would pass quietly until vacation.