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“We need to start Experiment 144. Right now.”

“Right now?”

Instead of answering, Jhordin turned and began descending the stairs with unsteady steps, like a deer on unsteady legs. The essence of Pure blood was still clutched in Ronan’s hand.

“God dammit.”

Ronan, scratching his head, followed Jhordin. The dimly lit laboratory still smelled of ink, iron, and the overpowering scent of roses.

A glass container containing Sunya sparkled like starlight in the distance. Ronan stepped over fallen leaves of books as he moved forward.

“You’re late.”

Jhordin, who had arrived earlier, was rummaging through his notes as if he was mad. Without even looking, he reached out his hand.

“Come here. We need to extract mana quickly.”

“Isn’t it supposed to go in all at once?”

“A small amount is sufficient. It will be done quickly, so just wait a bit.”

On the old and worn desk lay the tools used to extract mana from Sarante’s ring in the past. With the essence of Pure blood in hand, Jhordin immediately began the extraction.

It took less than 10 minutes for the process to be completed. The separated mana from the Pure blood pulsed within a small flask. Jhordin took a deep breath and spoke.

“Now, let’s begin Experiment Resurrection no. 144. The experimenter is Jhordin Stonesong. The test subject is Sunya.”

Holding two flasks, Jhordin headed towards the glass container. In the other flask, mana extracted from Sarante’s ring shimmered.

Sunya, with her eyes still closed, floated in the middle of the glass container. She wore a different dress than before.

As Jhordin chanted a spell, the two types of mana inside the flasks transferred into the glass container. A scene reminiscent of mixing red and blue paint unfolded. A dry voice escaped through cracked lips.

“Please…”

Ssshh –

Mana began to slowly permeate into Sunya’s body, mingling with an unknown liquid. Jhordin watched this scene for a while before turning away.

“Let me say this first. Thank you.”

“Is it all done now?”

“No, we have to wait until all the mana has permeated. It should take about an hour.”

Jhordin’s face showed a mixture of hope and resignation. It was the expression of someone who was aware that this, too, was just one attempt among countless others. Jhordin spoke.

“I apologize for my rashness. The essence of pure blood is best when it’s as fresh as possible.”

“It’s okay.”

“I appreciate your understanding. Do you have some time?”

“Yes.”

“Well then, let’s chat for a bit.”

Ronan nodded his head. There were so many questions they wanted to ask each other. They sat side by side on the bed and began their conversation.

“Why are you helping me?”

“Because I want to.”

“If you don’t want to talk about it, you don’t have to. But there’s one thing I must know. What did you do to get your hands on the essence of that crazy vampire?”

“Wait, you knew?”

“Yeah. I had a feeling, and it turned out to be what I suspected.”

“Um… it’s a bit of a long story.”

Ronan briefly explained the events of the previous night, albeit with some embellishments. The conspiracy involving the Blood Hook, the bet with the Valzac, and as the story progressed, Jhordin’s eyes gradually widened.

“Betting on yourself, you’re crazy.”

“As long as the result is good, that’s all that matters, right?”

“By the way, that guy Valzac, Is he still looking for me?”

“He’s completely obsessed with you. What kind of wonderful experience did you give him to make him like that?”

“I can’t really answer that because there are too many guesses. It was a fierce battle where we could have killed each other ten times over.”

Jhordin had numerous questions about Valzac’s current status, and Ronan answered them to his satisfaction. Jhordin, leaning on his chin, listened attentively before he spoke.

“…I’ve felt it for a while now, but when I look at you, it reminds me of my younger days.”

“What’s with you out of nowhere?”

“Yeah. Back then I felt invincible too. It was a time when I thought the world revolved around me.”

Ronan raised an eyebrow. Jhordin had suddenly started talking about his past. His youth was like a tree that grew straight up without branches.

“The Stonesong family was the most prestigious magic lineage in the South. I was a genius that only came along once every few centuries. Wealth and honor were as natural as the sunrise to me.”

“You must be very unlucky if you are saying this yourself.”

“Yeah, I was arrogant, incredibly so. I treated everyone, including my family, like stepping stones.”

Jhordin was a prodigy. He solved challenges that others would spend their entire lives on as easily as wiping his nose. He even challenged those known as the strongest, but in the end, he scoffed at their efforts and moved on.

Around the age of eighteen, everything became mundane, so he left on a journey. He threw himself into being a free mercenary, giving in to his impulses.

Although he earned a lot of money with his skills, he said he squandered it all on alcohol and women at night. Ronan could relate to his reckless behavior more than he cared to admit.

“You were the epitome of a scoundrel.”

“I won’t deny that. I probably would have continued like that if I hadn’t met those two women.”

“One of them must have been your wife. Who was the other?”

“Navirose. You’re quite familiar with that monster too.”

The first time they met was in the dense southern jungle. Back then, Navirose, like Jhordin, was a free mercenary, and strangely enough, their employers wanted them to capture each other. Jhordin mentioned that Navirose was quite different from her current persona.

“She threatened to cut my throat and turn me into a torch if I didn’t give in completely.”

“Shit, did our professor go a bit off the rails? Seems like she did.”

“Valzac was tamer than her. Students should have witnessed her poking holes in palm leaves with her finger.”

Jhordin shivered as he recounted his battle with the Navirose, describing it in detail, which took nearly thirty minutes.

It was like a tidal wave rising and a massive sword striking down every time. Hundreds of trees were cut down with each swing of their swords. The duel that began at noon lasted until midnight. The winner was Navirose.

“That was my first defeat in my life. No matter what I tried, I couldn’t win. She threw me, who had become half-dead, into the middle of nowhere in the jungle.”

“…Well, that’s more cruel than I thought.”

“The lesson in humility came at quite a cost. If it weren’t for Sunya hearing the noise and coming to my rescue, I would have truly become food for those beasts.”

Sunya was a native living in the dense jungle. She took Jhordin in and nursed him back to health for nearly a year, despite his rebellious nature. What was even stranger was that he fell in love with her. At some point, he couldn’t imagine days without her.

“I couldn’t even eat by myself, and I slept on a bed made of woven straw. But looking back, that was the happiest time of my life.”

The two of them naturally became lovers, and in the end, they held a wedding ceremony amidst the blessings of the natives. Jhordin, now fully restored, immediately returned to the Stonesong family with Sunya. Up to this point, everything seemed fine. However, a shadow fell across Jhordin’s face.

“The problem is that I was a fool.”

But the way people looked at Sunya was far from pleasant. The family treated her more like a curious exhibit than Jhordin Stonesong’s wife.

Of course, Sunya paid no mind to such disdain. She continued to love her husband as she always had. The problem was with Jhordin himself. He didn’t get angry at those who asked crazy questions. The main voice came from Jhordin’s lips.

“…I started to feel ashamed of my wife.”

“That’s messed up.”

Ronan nearly drew his sword in response. The experiment still had about ten minutes left. Jhordin continued speaking.

“People frequently asked me why I married her. I gave different answers every time. For the sake of friendship with the natives, for some magical research… Several times, these questions were asked in her presence.”

Whenever such incidents occurred, Jhordin would apologize to his wife. He would hand her a bouquet of roses, her favorite. Sunya always responded by smiling like a fool and repeating that it was okay.

Her death came at a time when Jhordin had stopped saying sorry to her. When he returned from work, she was dead.

“Do you know why she died?”

“I don’t. It wasn’t an illness or poison. I couldn’t figure out the cause, no matter what I tried.”

No method revealed the cause. The subsequent events matched what Ronan had read in the diary.

Jhordin was risking everything to bring his wife back to life. After he finished his story, he fell silent. Ronan spat on the floor and stood up.

“I hate to say this, but you really were a bastard, Professor.”

“I won’t deny that.”

“Then are you trying to revive your wife to find out why she died?”

“That’s part of it, of course, and I need to apologize. But the biggest reason is to answer the question I’ve been asked countless times: why did you marry her?”

“What will you say?”

“First, no matter who asks, I’ll punch them in the face. And… ”

As Jhordin trailed off, he looked at Ronan. His eyes, deeply embedded, were now bloodshot. His mouth opened with a low growl.

“Just… I’ll answer that I married her because I love her.”

Ronan couldn’t say anything. At that moment, the chime signaling an hour passed, resonated through the room. Simultaneously, both of them turned to look at the glass container. Jhordin’s face froze.

“···”

No more mana remained visible. Sunya still had her eyes closed. After observing for another five minutes, Jhordin stood up. He placed his hand on the glass container and muttered quietly.

“…It’s a failure.”

Jhordin’s expression was grim. He then shuffled over to his desk and slumped down onto the chair.

Before long, the sound of a feather pen scribbling echoed in the silence. He must have been writing about the 144th failure. Ronan twisted his lips in frustration.

“Damn it…”

In a way, it was expected. Despite the grandiose materials used, this was just one attempt among countless others. Ronan was about to take a step forward when an unfamiliar sound rang in his ears.

– Gurgling.

“Hmm?”

Ronan turned around. At the same time, his eyes widened. Suppressing the urge to shout, he called out to Jhordin, who was still writing his report.

“Jhordin?”

“What is it?”

“I think you should come and see this.”

Jhordin slowly turned his head. Ronan’s eyes were wide, as if about to pop out of his head, and he was pointing at the glass container. Jhordin’s gaze landed on Sunya. The feather pen he had been holding slipped from his hand.

“Oh my goodness.”

Jhordin got up, but his legs seemed to have lost their strength, and he stumbled three times in the short distance of less than five steps.

Finally, he reached the glass container and fell on the floor. Transparent tears streamed down Jhordin’s cheeks incessantly. He clutched the glass container and buried his head in it. His frail shoulders began to tremble.

“Ah… Ahhh…”

Bubbles were rising at the corner of Sunya’s lips. They appeared at a steady pace, like breathing. Her once pale body now had a subtle flush of color.

***

Ronan left the 41st Tower. The atmosphere inside was unbearable. Jhordin, who had been sobbing uncontrollably a moment ago, had now gone back to his research as if driven insane.

“Anyway, it seems like it went well. It was different from before.”

The 144th attempt at revival was not a failure. Sunya had started breathing again and exhibited signs of life.

However, her consciousness had not yet returned, and her eyes remained closed. Whether Jhordin had truly succeeded in fully reviving a person would require further observation.

As Ronan walked around the campus, he thought about the story of Jhordin and Sunya. It was truly a tale that complicated the human heart.

‘I married her because I love her.’

Ronan returned to the dormitory as it was. Somehow, he felt like he hadn’t slept at all. Just as he was about to enter the building, he heard a familiar voice from behind.

“Ronan.”

Ronan turned his head. A tall girl was leaning against the wall of the building. She held a set of martial arts department clothing in her hand. Ronan raised an eyebrow.

“Adeshan?”

“Yeah. It hasn’t been that long… just a day.”

“What’s going on here?”

“The Rising Star of the Empire was looking for you, so I came here just in case. He was talking about a mission or something.”

“A mission?”

“Yeah. He said it was extremely urgent. He asked me to bring you to the club building quickly.”

“What the hell is that guy up to now… Thanks for letting me know.”

He wanted to ignore it, but it wasn’t a topic he could dismiss. As Ronan was about to turn and go inside the building, Adeshan, who had stepped away from the wall, grabbed his sleeve.

“Just wait a moment.”