Chapter 281: The Exploding Berserk Field
The season where even the gentlest breeze brings an unbearable heat had arrived, with the sun shining fiercely and dazzlingly.
This elegant building at the edge of the ancient streets of the Capital City was no exception after a thirty-minute walk.
It was one afternoon in July.
Mia arrived at the entrance of Happening Group with Princess Alice.
“Alice, this isn’t a place to hold parties; it’s a company. You must follow me carefully!”
Mia placed her hand on the door, glancing back to give Alice a final reminder.
“I know, Mia!”
Alice seemed restless from her boredom in the Royal Palace. Mia wanted to visit Happening Group to make some potions, and Alice insisted on coming along.
Mia pushed the heavy heartwood door open.
But in the next moment, she slammed it shut.
Mia, with her hands still supporting the doorknob, remained frozen as if trying to process some intricate and complicated information.
“What’s the matter, Mia?”
Alice asked, puzzled.
“I just remembered that my task is already complete. We should go back today.”
Cold sweat began to trickle down Mia’s forehead.
“We’ve already come…”
“Alice, trust me. I will take you to other fun places.”
“Alright.”
Hearing Alice’s compliant reply, Mia finally breathed a sigh of relief. The scene she had glimpsed the moment she opened the door was so bizarre that it made her decisively conclude this was an absolutely forbidden terrain to intrude upon.
“What the heck was that…”
Mia muttered softly, pinching her brow as she walked, still perplexed.
She only remembered there were six prominent individuals in the hall.
At the staircase leading from the upper floor to the ground level, Cornelia was affectionately hugging Dekan, who was trembling out of sheer fear.
In the first-floor hall, Chloix was beaded with profuse cold sweat, constantly sending desperate glances toward Dekan for help.
Beside Chloix stood his childhood friend, Claire, crying sorrowfully.
Upstairs, the Ice Snow Princess was singing, her thoughts a mystery to everyone present.
Right in the midst of everything stood the former Knights Commander, Judith, looking completely baffled.
The scene was utterly chaotic, as if everyone had gone mad.
Still, Mia was confident in her deduction through their peculiar states. This wasn’t the result of the [Three Corpse Frenzy].
But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t figure out what could have caused such chaos.
The safest option was to leave.
Curiosity truly killed the cat…
Maybe she’d ask Tarta later…
…
To understand the reasons behind all of this, we have to go back to the previous afternoon.
Let’s rewind the time by twenty-four hours.
…
The college library during the holidays was far emptier compared to its usual crowdedness.
A day like any other.
At that small round table sat Dekan and Cornelia.
Occasionally, Chloix and Mia would join them, but today they were absent.
The freshly graduated Chloix was entirely focused on his company’s affairs. Soon, the upcoming Kingdom Union Hero Festival would take place, and Happening Group’s idol group had to perform, leaving Chloix with numerous tasks.
Mia, on the other hand, was almost inseparable from Princess Alice.
With the holidays, the bored Alice seemingly required Mia by her side every day.
A few days later, they all would set off toward the southern Felovin Kingdom – the venue for the Kingdom Union Hero Festival.
Right now, though, Dekan and Cornelia had one more thing to prepare for.
After Dekan finished his report, they would face the final exam they had missed due to the Shadow Realm.
The school usually arranged special exam times in cases of such absences.
Once tomorrow’s exam was over, Dekan and Cornelia could have their proper vacation.
Cornelia had already revised well before entering the Shadow Realm; they were now only doing some supplementary reviews.
Noticing Cornelia had almost flipped through all the pages in her notebook, Dekan waited a few seconds before asking,
“Cornelia, do you have free time after tomorrow’s exam?”
Cornelia glanced up at him,
“Hm.”
“Can you accompany me?”
“Sure.”
The two didn’t linger much longer in the library and left together.
…
The following noon,
At the back mountain of the school.
Under the sunlight, the flowers and grass glimmered with their usual brightness.
Dekan and Cornelia were sitting on the grass, leaning against their familiar large tree.
Dekan originally intended to first ask Cornelia how the exam went.
But then he reconsidered.
A single glance at Cornelia’s face upon leaving the exam hall told him that she had performed well enough. Asking these questions seemed like he was shrinking back from something important instead.
A prolonged silence followed until Dekan broke it.
“Even though…”
“Hm?”
Dekan unintentionally muttered under his breath, prompting Cornelia to tilt her head inquisitively.
“Even though, I haven’t reached any conclusion…”
“Hm.”
“But I have gradually realized.”
She waited quietly for him to continue.
He hesitated, searching for words, and finally said,
“I think, probably, I want to be with you forever, just with you.”
Dekan understood.
Some words were just like that.
When spoken to someone truly important to you, things that seemed so easy to rehearse mentally could turn impossible to express once they reached your throat, stumbling like a broken record.
He always found it simple to laugh at Chloix’s romantic dilemmas from the sidelines, but now upon thinking about his own situation, he realized Chloix was far braver than him.
In reality, Dekan hadn’t thoroughly figured out what changes he hoped for in the relationship after saying something to Cornelia. Perhaps he didn’t desire any changes. He simply hoped that their present days together wouldn’t be disrupted.
The Revival Church, the Northern Kingdoms and the Empire, even the Tenth Level Shadow World, all these things – to him, they were merely for ensuring the peace and safety of himself and his friends’ ordinary lives, as well as the most crucial component of his everyday existence – Cornelia before him.
“That’s so.”
In Cornelia’s eyes, Dekan now resembled a boyishly naive and awkward young man. She couldn’t help but smile when she finally grasped the feeling Dekan had upon their first encounter.
Back then, perhaps Dekan saw her as just like this. Despite his hesitant expressions, she could strangely understand his meanings.
She, however, had changed from the time she first arrived at Hewenlit Academy. Now, she could clearly express her thoughts.
“Sure, I’ll be with you until you reach a final decision.”
Cornelia felt incredibly relaxed and light-hearted, brimming with joy despite Dekan’s vague expressions. She had fully understood what Dekan was indirectly telling her. She’d wait for him to think through everything, resolve all the issues, prepare properly, and then proclaim his decision frankly and directly to her.
Dekan nodded quietly.
“Tell me, Dekan.”
Cornelia’s pulse raced excitedly.
“What’s the matter?”
“Do you have anything else you wish to tell me today?”
Cornelia asked. At her words, Dekan immediately went silent.
“Ah… well, if you don’t want to say, that’s fine…”
“Actually, I lied to you in the past.”
Dekan shook his head slowly to Cornelia’s supplementary statement,
“But it wasn’t my intention to deceive you.”
“My original motive was simply not to let you feel down before entering the Shadow Realm, and then get injured…”
“Afterwards, I gradually lost the opportunity to confess the truth to you. As I kept looking at you, I no longer knew how to bring it up.”
That was the extent of the reasons.
Dekan whispered.
Dekan remained silent thereafter, as if waiting for Cornelia’s response.
“——I got angry though.”
Even to herself, she complained. “What nonsense! I wouldn’t have blamed you, you fool.”
Despite her thoughts, she didn’t treat Dekan with any particular gentleness; instead, her tone was more like gentle scolding,
“But in the future, whatever it is, if you just tell me, I’ll understand!”
Her voice carried genuine sincerity.
“——Therefore, I won’t dislike you because of this.”
She couldn’t help but show a bashful smile, like a flower in bloom.
“That’s good…”
Dekan released a sigh of relief.
Dekan, who had acted wrongly, was exceptionally mild-tempered.
If Teacher Cat had seen Dekan like this, he would definitely have shouted: “Where is the real Dekan hiding, meow?!”
Unfortunately, Dekan had sent Teacher Cat away early today.
“But—I haven’t forgiven you.”
Cornelia continued in mock irritation,
“You’ve deceived a girl’s feelings, you know.”
“Then…”
A harmless punch that Dekan could not dodge.
Cornelia’s reproving words, though not delivered with any real anger, made Dekan feel even guiltier. He looked at Cornelia.
Even though he didn’t say a word, his expression was that of complete surrender as if saying “do whatever you fancy.”
Seeing Dekan turn out exactly how Teacher Cat had anticipated, Cornelia couldn’t help but wear a cunning smile as she inhaled deeply and said,
“Turn into Little Gray and accompany me for a whole day.”
Dekan: “Ah???”
“Not possible…”
Seeing Dekan stunned, Cornelia shook her head in disappointment,
“If Dekan doesn’t want to, it’s fine… Let’s forget it.”
“Would you forgive me if I agree to this request?”
Dekan asked through clenched teeth. He never expected Cornelia to make such a request after his confession.
To transform into Little Gray right after confessing was undoubtedly a punishment for him.
Certainly, she wouldn’t come up with such a bad idea herself. There must be someone, no, probably several advisors behind her.
“Hmm, then this matter will be erased.”
Cornelia nodded affirmatively.
“Alright.”
Helplessly, Dekan transformed into a gray spirit cat before Cornelia’s very eyes, under her intense gaze using [Change Magic: Spirit Cat]. The sensation of lowered perspective and lightened body was now akin to torture.
Cornelia quickly embraced Little Gray happily.
“Promise, today, you’re my Little Gray, and you’re not allowed to run away.”
The last four words seemed to hint at her resentment over the previous instances when Little Gray always fled.
“Unngh…”
Dekan reluctantly replied.
Just turning into a cat.
It should…
Not lead to any problems, right?
Dekan consoled himself mentally.
…
Thus that afternoon,
Cornelia happily left the campus, wandering the streets of the Capital City, holding Little Gray.
Much better than Dekan had imagined.
All he needed to do was to play the part of a gentle cat.
Hmm, more like going on a date.
Notwithstanding their earlier outings, they had never been this close.
Walking leisurely here and there, it seemed like the sun was at its highest point at this time; Cornelia wanted to wait for the evening glow before continuing her stroll on the Capital City streets. Hence, she arrived at the Happening Group Mansion.
The mansion was equipped with cooling props made by the Ice Snow Princess, a rare respite from the summer heat.
As soon as they entered the mansion, the oppressive heat of the Capital City dissipated as if peeled off their bodies, making little Gray relax and even stretch.
However, he quickly became alert.
He was now a cat, completely unrelatable to Dekan.
Cornelia had just arrived at the mansion’s ground floor when her good friend, the sibling of Morion, the prodigious idol Flora, came bouncing towards them, followed by the shy and petite Tarta.
“Cornelia, is this the one you mentioned as Little Gray?”
As soon as Flora reached Cornelia’s side, she eagerly extended her hand to touch Little Gray.
“!”
Cornelia sharply turned her body to the side, protectively hugging Little Gray, preventing Flora from touching it.
“Uuu~ Cornelia, you’ve changed.”
Flora seemed hurt but was busy wiping her tears despite not crying aloud.
“Ah, sorry. Little Gray doesn’t like other people to touch it. It only lets me touch it without flinching…”
Cornelia quickly stretched a hand forward, trying to check if Flora was crying. Though her excuse sounded flimsy, it was the truth.
No matter which girl tried to touch Dekan, it would always prompt him to dodge and strongly alert.
“Ah, it’s like that… Sorry, I scared Little Gray.”
Upon hearing Cornelia’s explanation and seeing the slightly bristling Little Gray, Flora quickly forgave it.
Thus, Flora and Cornelia started chatting as they ascended the stairs to the second floor while the cat was quietly observed by Flora and Tarta.
“Speaking of which, Little Gray is really extraordinary…”
Flora was in awe.
She had never seen a Spirit Cat that could come so close to Cornelia, except for Teacher Cat.
Other cats weren’t afraid of regular people, but they feared Cornelia.
Only this Little Gray, unlike the rest, wasn’t afraid of Cornelia but was wary of others.
Uh, on closer inspection, Little Gray’s expression seemed not of fear, but rather disdain…
Although Little Gray didn’t let others touch,
They could at least look.
Thus, while being displayed like public punishment by Cornelia’s possessive gesture, the poor Little Gray felt utterly hopeless.
Deakan tightly closed his eyes, experiencing immense agony.
Fortunately, none of the girls knew that Little Gray was actually him.
Only Teacher Cat, Mia, Chloix, and the Ice Snow Princess knew the truth.
Teacher Cat as the instigator had a solid confidentiality agreement with him.
Mia saw the gray cat in Deakan’s dormitory and quickly deduced it was Deakan.
Chloix had witnessed Deakan turn into Little Gray during his battle with Isabel outside Tristin City.
Mia and Chloix were close friends and wouldn’t betray him.
Deakan had saved the Ice Snow Princess’s life, so he assumed she wouldn’t disclose his secret.
Wait a moment!
There must be someone else!
Deakan suddenly remembered a grave issue. After defeating Evans in Tristin City, Deakan had demonstrated the [Alteration Magic: Spirit Cat] and [Purification of Blood] in the Lord’s mansion to clear his name before Judith.
At the time, Deakan hadn’t thought much about it.
He believed Judith would never witness the sight of him turning into Little Gray.
However, this unintentional oversight from the past has now become the biggest threat to his social life!
If Judith sees Cornelia holding a gray Spirit Cat with blue eyes…
Even someone as dense as Judith would immediately recognize the cat as the same one.
That would be the end!
Little Gray instinctively lowered his head and curled up tightly to hide all his features under the gray fur ball.
He mustn’t encounter Judith under any circumstances!
Deakan prayed inwardly.
Meanwhile, Cornelia seemed to notice the reaction of the kitten in her arms.
“Little Gray, are you cold?”
Cornelia bent down, whispering near the kitten’s ear, thinking it was because of the mansion’s cold temperature.
However, Little Gray didn’t respond.
Deakan couldn’t dare to speak with these girls around.
‘Alright, let’s say it’s cold,’ thought Deakan.
“Flora, how do we adjust the temperature a bit higher?”
Seeing Little Gray remained silent, Cornelia looked at Flora.
“Hmm, summon the Ice Princess herself. She should be in that room.”
Flora pointed towards a room by the entrance of the second floor staircase.
It seemed to be a soundproof room for practice.
Since it had soundproof barriers, knocking couldn’t make the person inside hear. Therefore, Flora directly deactivated the soundproof barrier at the door.
Instantly, the voice of the Ice Princess could be clearly heard outside the room.
“Ice Princess! Could you please adjust the temperature a little higher?”
Flora shouted. However, the Ice Princess seemed to still be focused on practicing her song.
Even after the soundproof barriers were turned off, the room was still full of the accompaniment from the speaker and the Ice Princess’s own voice.
She didn’t seem to hear Flora’s call from outside.
“We might just have to wait for her to finish this song.”
Listening to the sad melody coming from the room, Cornelia said.
It seemed like the Ice Princess was singing a touching ballad with deep emotion and focus.
It felt heartless to interrupt her.
Thus, the three stood by the door, appreciating the Ice Princess’s stirring performance.
“Cornelia, she is truly remarkable, capable of such fine voice in this short span.”
Flora commented, “Yes. The Ice Princess is very dedicated to whatever she does. Flora truly admires her.”
Tarta chimed in, “Me too!”
In the midst of their conversation,
As the Ice Princess finished a segment of her song, she sighed softly and raised her head.
Upon noticing someone waiting outside her room,
She decided to stop singing and get up.
However, before she could fully stand up,
Her gaze was captured by the bundle of gray in Cornelia’s arms.
This faint hint of gray sparked a flood of thoughts in her mind.
But she quickly convinced herself it was just overthinking.
Yet, after a moment, why hadn’t Cornelia arrived with Dekan? And why was a gray Spirit Cat with her?
She conducted a brief detection using her magic.
By just analyzing the magic residue, she quickly realized…
This was a familiar magic – [Alteration Magic: Spirit Cat]
In other words, the cat wasn’t a true Spirit Cat.
“Chi…”
The Ice Princess understood everything immediately.
Indeed, the Gray Cat in Cornelia’s arms was Dekan…
They had indeed become inseparable…
Her eyes brimmed with tears.
Despite wanting to look away from the gray cat in Cornelia’s arms as soon as possible—knowing that every extra glance was tormenting—she still couldn’t help but steal one more look.
This was a kind of helpless envy.
“I can only watch your life as a passerby, feeling your joys and sorrows, without being part of it…”
The Ice Princess picked up the microphone again, trying her best not to let the acid in her nose overwhelm her, and continued the song.
To her, the best decision was to pretend she hadn’t seen.
Otherwise, if Dekan realized she had discovered his identity,
He would be extremely embarrassed.
Also, in her current state, she wasn’t very confident to meet Cornelia without breaking down into tears.
The Ice Princess chose to avoid the situation.
“Even liking you is something I have to secretly do…”
She sang,
The sorrowful song that was already heart-wrenching, now carried the Ice Princess’s inevitable sob in her voice, making it especially touching to the audience.
“Ice Princess, why has her singing changed like this?”
“Full of emotion, discarding all techniques! Could this be the realm where Ice Princess finally arrived at?”
Flora and her companions standing outside the door were moved by the Ice Princess’s singing. They closed their eyes and didn’t want to leave.
Dekan didn’t know why Ice Princess’s singing skill suddenly reached another level.
But for him, every second was torture.
The longer they stayed here, the higher the probability of meeting Judith.
If he didn’t encounter Judith today, he would be ruined for sure.
Moreover, Ice Princess’s song was so heart-wrenching.
He wondered what kind of experience could make her sing like this.
Listening to it, Dekan’s already agonizing heart ached even more.
While Dekan felt like time dragged on,
The front door of the hall creaked open.
Chloix and Judith had returned.
They had been out together and were laughing happily as they returned.
It was over.
Dekan felt his body went cold.
After all, he couldn’t escape this fate this time.
However, when Chloix walked into the hall and looked up towards Cornelia and the others on the staircase,
His eyebrows furrowed.
Seemingly, he had noticed the gray cat in Cornelia’s hands, trembling while curling up tightly.
Chloix immediately understood everything in an instant.
Dekan needed help!
“Judith, let’s go outside for another walk!”
Chloix hurriedly said to Judith.
Judith should not get too close to the gray kitten!
Dekan had already felt a glimmer of hope hearing Chloix’s call from the upstairs room.
Good brother! He had to save his life!
“You didn’t feel it’s a bit hot outside? And listen, Ice Princess’s voice is so nice.”
However, Judith was already captivated by Ice Princess’s voice, not wanting to go out in the scorching sun. She quickly walked towards the staircase direction.
Chloix felt his friend was in deep trouble, urgently thinking of a quick plan.
Maybe it was always in his character,
Or for the sake of a friend,
He suddenly reached out and grabbed Judith’s hand, pulling her close to his body.
Until she was in his embrace.
Judith only took about a second to react.
“You! What are you doing!”
Her face instantly turned a deep red. She had not expected such forceful behavior from Chloix, who was always gentlemanly towards her.
Although they had been talking well and enjoying each other’s company, they had never touched each other.
Now, the moment she realized what was happening, Judith found herself embraced by Chloix.
They were so close that even if Chloix kissed her,
It would seem utterly natural.
Judith’s heart beat wildly.
Her rational mind told her to push away this man whose strength was far below hers as a seventh-level mage.
But she was lost in a daze and closed her eyes.
Now the problem was Chloix’s.
Though he originally had not intended to take it this far,
Unknowingly, the situation had spiraled out of control.
Just when Chloix was contemplating whether to kiss or not,
A sound drew his attention.
“Bang.”
It was the sound of something falling at the entrance.
Claire stood just inside the door, her hands upstretched but empty, staring vacantly at Chloix and Judith who looked like they had kissed or were just about to. The small iron box she had been holding had fallen to the floor.
…
Dekan secretly lifted his head to look down at the first floor.
Such a scene.
A second encore, and more thrilling than the first.
Chloix was indeed a lifelong brother. He was like shielding him from a nuclear bomb.
Dekan, though feeling deeply sorry for Chloix and his childhood friend, Claire,
Knew that once they were caught in a battlefield on the first floor, those upstairs, who were in danger, would naturally be overlooked.
Surely, Claire would soon be crying and running away.
Then Chloix would continue to distract Judith.
Judith would naturally ignore the upstairs.
This way, the classic drama that had previously occurred would be repeated.
Dekan’s crisis would be finally averted!
However, downstairs,
Claire bit her lip, trying to hold back tears as she bent down to pick up the small iron box.
Then,
She walked step by step towards Chloix and Judith.
She hung her head low for a while in silence.
Seeing so close to Claire, Chloix simply couldn’t continue hugging Judith.
Or maybe Judith felt too embarrassed, and she pushed him away first.
Seeing them finally parting,
“This…this is from your father, Uncle Border Baron, …for you…he heard you’ve reached seventh level and that you…you’re not coming home for holidays, so he…asked me to give this…to you…”
Claire’s tears poured down like a waterfall as she stammered and said the whole sentence in a broken, child-like voice, full of grievance.
Chloix’s father had clearly favored the marriage between Chloix and Claire since a long time ago. So, after knowing Claire’s situation,
He still wanted to help Claire slightly.
“Claire…what’s wrong with you…”
Chloix was flustered and questioned, bewildered. He had never seen Claire in this state. She who had always seemed so firm was now displaying so much softness and vulnerability.
Chloix’s gentle inquiry made Claire feel even more heartbroken.
She knew it wasn’t Chloix’s fault.
She was more filled with remorse.
She wanted to say something, but a vast ocean of guilt drowned her, leaving her unsure where to begin. It felt like there was no air left in her lungs, unable to utter a single coherent sentence.
“Hu-”
Claire tried hard to take in a deep breath.
At least, she didn’t want Chloix or Judith to see her in such an embarrassing state any longer.
“I’m fine actually…”
Originally trying to compose herself while standing there, Claire suddenly heard the Ice Princess’s singing coming down the stairs.
Her heart shattered, as if struck by icy winds, buzzed and resonated as if this song was specially sung for her.
The singer’s voice was brimming with stories, just listening to it made Claire unable to control the emotions welling up in her heart.
In an instant, Claire lost control over her tear ducts and started wailing like a child.
“…”
Frohla and Tarta glanced at each other.
Even though they didn’t fully understand the origin of this hellish scroll,
Frohla knew.
Generally, the meeting of two violent fields is not terrifying.
But when the two violent fields collide, and trigger a reaction akin to a chain reaction,
The outcome is unpredictable.
Explosive.
