Chapter 34
“Oh no, not again… Hey, how about a cigarette?” John extended his hand towards Dillin without any hesitation.
“I don’t have any,” Dillin replied while concentrating on his book.
“Huh? You don’t have any? Is that ‘I don’t have any’ or ‘I’m not giving you any’?”
“I don’t have any.”
“Come on, don’t be stingy! I’m craving! And it’s not like I’m going to smoke in the classroom.”
“I don’t have any.”
“You always say ‘I don’t have any.’ Is that all you know how to say?”
“I didn’t bring any cigarettes.”
“……Alright, you’re harsh. I can’t believe you’d hold out.” John sat next to Dillin, crossing his legs as if ready to camp out until he got what he wanted.
“You’re wasting your time. I’ve quit smoking,” Dillin said after looking up.
“Huh? Quit smoking? Are you serious? Don’t joke around like that. You can’t possibly quit!” Dillin’s claim earned a sarcastic laugh from John.
“I really have quit.”
“Wait, seriously? That’s deep, like a lifetime smoker quitting. Are you possessed or something?” John rubbed his chin, studying Dillin for a while before suddenly looking enlightened.
“I get it now! You’re in love!”
“…………”
“What are you talking about nonsense?”
“Absolutely right! And the object of your affection is none other than your new flame!”
“First of all, explain to me what you mean by ‘new flame.'”
“A new flame simply refers to the new companion you’ve taken after discarding the old one.”
“Don’t say nonsense. And when did I even have an old one?”
“What nonsense? Your old flame is the Silver Moon Elf Princess, isn’t she?”
“That nonsense you can keep to yourself. Don’t spread it around, or I can’t guarantee your safety.” Dillin smirked with a sidelong glance.
“I don’t want to be associated with the Aistride Fan Club, let alone be implicated.”
“So, who’s your new flame? What does she look like? What category of deity maiden is she? Human or demi-human?”
“Hedgehead, the skills granted to you by Althor, the legendary Protector of the Divine Son, are wasted on you. Have you ever thought about becoming a newspaper journalist?”
“Not……. another elf, is it?”
“………….” Dillin suddenly fell silent.
Though John was spouting nonsense, he had hit one point correctly—there was indeed a woman’s scent on Dillin, and that woman was indeed an elf.
But the elf in question was himself.
“Your expression says it all, right? Geez, this is intense!” John slapped the table.
“Intense?”
“Exactly. Think about it, your old flame left you before, right?”
“……………”
“Then you found a new deity maiden, who’s also an elf.”
“………….”
“Isn’t this basically telling your ex-lover: ‘I’ve found someone better. She’s an elf too, but she accepts everything about me while you couldn’t. She’s better than you! There are so many elf maidens in the world who value me more and are more loyal than you.’ Eh, that must be frustrating, right?”
“Eh, have you thought about having your new flame and ex-love meet? That would be an intense scene.”
“Let’s not turn this into a beauty contest.” Dillin closed the book. Thanks to this clown, he had lost all interest in reading. “Would an elf deity maiden even look at me?”
“You’re right. The other day, I was thinking about luring an elf deity maiden into my team, but boy, were they aloof. They didn’t even want to look at me.” John pouted.
“So, if you’re not in love, how could you quit smoking? Usually, isn’t it the case where a man falls in love and willingly follows his partner’s request to give up smoking?”
“You read too many novels.”
“Whatever, you’ve been smoking for years, and now you’ve just quit like that? There must be some hidden reason!” John concluded confidently.
“Hey, just say you’ve found a new deity maiden. It’s not a big deal. Like I could take her away from you or something.” John draped his arm around Dillin’s shoulder.
“……… Let go.” Dillin raised an eyebrow.
“Huh?”
“There’s a strong smell of cigarettes on your clothes. Stay away from me.”
“What…?” John was utterly confused.
After pushing John’s hand away, Dillin brushed his shoulder as if terrified of catching even a speck of tobacco.
“Hey, are you alright?” John was baffled. How much had changed in such a short time? Previously, he never cared about the smell of cigarettes—after all, he was a smoker himself.
At first, John thought his friend was overcompensating or faking some persona due to a blow, but now he genuinely suspected that Dillin might be suffering from some serious illness. Just quitting smoking shouldn’t cause such an extreme reaction to cigarette odors.
Dillin didn’t have the time to deal with John right now. One hand on his textbook, the other subconsciously tightened its grip on the golden butterfly hairpin in his chest.
It’s time for a big lottery.
These days, except for necessary studying, Dillin didn’t miss a thing: weeklies, dailies, everything. He had accumulated quite a few ticket fragments.
This morning, he noticed that the limited-time UP items in the Golden Dandelion Piggy Bank had changed from the previous Azure Cross Lance to a bottle of deep blue potion contained within an elegant glass vial embossed with gold carvings.
【Soul Force Elixir】: After consumption, permanently enhances mental energy. Effect intensity: Significant.
Dillin’s eyes glittered. There was no doubt this was exactly what he needed. Alchemic medications of this level, which could permanently raise one’s mental strength, were such that it was questionable whether the original creator of the formula was even still in this world. Its preciousness was beyond measure by mere money.
But………..
The words “148 guaranteed draws remaining for the UP item” in the lottery section made him dizzy.
How long would it take to save up for this? Would he even have enough before the UP period expired??
