IJWQLBIV 17

Chapter 17: Are You Crazy?

2021.12.28

Askan had a dream. A very long dream. He couldn’t remember it clearly, but in it, he was running for his life, pounding through a deserted house to escape his pursuers, when someone appeared. Wrapping her arms around him just as he was about to be caught, she shouted at the pursuers:

—You belong to me.

The memory of that line surfaced in his mind, and the moment he realized it had been a dream, his eyes snapped open as if in disbelief. The first thing he saw was a familiar ceiling. Askan felt himself fully awake, back in reality. Just like after his usual nightmares, his whole body was drenched in cold sweat. Even though he had only been running in a dream, it felt as exhausting as sprinting in real life.

As he tried to steady his breathing and take in his surroundings, something cold and unfamiliar dropped onto his forehead. Reflexively, he grabbed it—it was a wet towel.

“…….”

It was the first time in his life a towel had ever been placed on his forehead, and he froze, staring at it in shock. Who could have…?

His gaze fell on a girl with strikingly pale skin that contrasted sharply with her jet-black hair. She was beautiful and cold, like an ice sculpture—it was Tanasia. Reading a book beside the bed, she had noticed him getting up and quietly closed it.

“You’re awake? How’s your body feeling?”

“Ah, I’m fine. But… what happened?”

“You don’t remember? You passed out, and I was terrified.”

Askan realized that there was a gap in his memory. He must have lost consciousness while being supported by Tanasia. But what worried him most wasn’t that—he had instinctively hardened his body like steel while being struck by Leiana. The metallic clash had been loud enough that anyone nearby could have noticed, even if Leiana herself hadn’t intended it.

I’ll have to leave this place sooner than planned.

It was true that Tanasia had experimented on him, but the details were private. If she had told others, Askan would have left the Brellof mansion long ago to hide elsewhere. He had stayed because he thought there would be no gossip or suspicion for the time being… but the situation had changed. If word of that incident got out, pursuers would discover him quickly. Even as he endured Leiana’s blows, he mentally strategized. He didn’t care about the pain—it was getting exposed that worried him. Askan looked at Tanasia sitting calmly before him. If she hadn’t intervened to distract Leiana, he might have been forced to kill everyone around him to escape. He didn’t know why Tanasia had saved him, but in truth, she had saved not just him, but everyone nearby.

—Take care of yourself. Please.

He had never heard anyone say that. There was no way to avoid Leiana’s attacks. He had hoped the violence would stop before his secret was discovered, but his mind was already consumed with what to do if it was exposed. He had never once thought it wrong to be struck by Leiana. As he was lost in thought, Tanasia’s hand reached out and touched his forehead. Startled, he jerked back.

“What… are you doing?”

“Just checking your temperature. Stay still.”

Tanasia spoke bluntly and pressed the towel against his forehead again. No one had ever taken his temperature like this, and he felt a strange warmth spread through his head.

“Hm. Good, your fever seems down.”

“Then, please remove your hand. It’s uncomfortable.”

A mischievous glint appeared on Tanasia’s face. Sometimes, the more Askan disliked something, the more she seemed to want to do it.

“If you leave yourself sweating like this, the fever might come back.”

As she spoke, she unbuttoned the top of his shirt. The cold air brushing against his sweat-soaked skin made him shiver, as if electricity had run through his body. Askan leapt up and grabbed her hand.

“Really…!”

Are you crazy?—the words were lodged in his throat. Tanasia laughed, clutching her stomach, the sound cheerful and light, yet it only irritated him more. After a while, wiping the tears from her eyes, she asked in a teasing tone:

“Why are you so embarrassed now, when you didn’t mind exposing yourself before? Isn’t it the same?”

“……”

Askan realized something. During her experiments, he had stripped off his top to show his body changes without hesitation. But now, exposing himself in front of her made him feel embarrassed—a change he couldn’t explain even to himself. Tanasia, however, seemed to understand.

“It’s okay. Everyone feels that way during puberty.”

Askan stared at her in disbelief. Sometimes, she treated him like a much younger sibling. Perhaps misreading his expression, Tanasia waved her hand dismissively.

“I wasn’t trying to undress you for real, don’t misunderstand. If I had done that, I’d be the one getting caught.”

He didn’t understand what she meant by being “caught.” Still, she handed him a fresh towel from a basin filled with water.

“Use this to wipe your sweat. If you stay like this, you’ll catch a real cold.”

Askan shook his head.

“I’m fine. I don’t get sick easily.”

He had become someone whose body could withstand great strain without collapsing—iron-like, yet rarely ill.

“You passed out, and your sweat didn’t stop while sleeping. You even had a fever.”

In truth, he had fainted from suppressing and releasing his powers after being struck, testing how long he could endure in the lab. Wounds like these wouldn’t normally cause unconsciousness, but he didn’t intend to explain his condition in detail.

“I just relaxed. I had a bad dream…”

“A nightmare?”

“Yes, often.”

The truth was he had the same dream every day, but he had no reason to tell Tanasia that.

“What kind of dream?”

“Something from my childhood.”

Even though he was vague, Tanasia’s expression stiffened, as if she knew more.

“Are you really okay?”

As she reached out in concern, Askan noticed something unusual: the magical stone embedded in her bracelet. He instinctively grabbed her wrist. Tanasia was surprised by his sudden action, but he barely noticed.

“Why are you wearing this?”

“You know what it is?”

Of course, he did. His experiments had embedded special powers into an ordinary human body. Magical stones were a common part of that. The title of the book she had been reading caught his eye: How to Use Magitek Weapons. He remembered her declaring she would create the world’s most powerful weapon.

—I’ve decided. I’m going to make a weapon. The most powerful in the world.

At the time, he hadn’t connected it to magitek weapons, but now he realized it was exactly that.

“Do you know what this bracelet does?” she asked again. Askan hesitated. Should he tell her honestly, or evade as usual? He realized that even considering telling her was different from before, though he didn’t consciously notice it. He only concluded that since he’d soon leave the mansion, he might as well show a little gratitude for her help.

“I… have some idea.”

“Really? Can you tell it’s made from a magical stone?”

Ordinary people wouldn’t notice, but Askan could.

“Magical objects are dangerous. Remove it immediately.”

He spoke firmly, but Tanasia only shook her head.

“No. My mentor gave me a task.”

“A task?”

“To figure out what this bracelet can do and how to use it—by myself.”

He couldn’t comprehend whether her mentor was sane.

“You’re wearing something so dangerous without knowing anything?”

“I do know something.”

She pointed at her book and smiled confidently, her sharp blue eyes sparkling.

“The theory is solid. From the yellow stone, I’d say it’s light-element magic.”

She held out her wrist so he could see the stone. Water—blue, fire—red, light—white, darkness—black. Not exact, but the color often corresponded to the element. However, knowing it was light-element didn’t tell her what specific magic it held.

“Second, depending on the maker’s preference, the bracelet’s material can vary.”

She twirled it on her wrist.

“This one’s made from cheap silver. Not ideal for a precious stone. There must be a reason for using silver.”

Her deduction made sense. Askan nodded silently. Her knowledge was surprisingly vast, despite only studying theory. But magitek weapons were still dangerous.

“You know that these weapons have locks to prevent unauthorized use, right?”

“Of course.”

Some magitek weapons couldn’t be bought at any price. If used by the wrong person, they could self-destruct. So Tanasia being tasked to figure out the bracelet alone was extremely risky.

“You’re willing to take that risk?”

“Don’t worry. Even a weird mentor has his reasons. To make the world’s strongest weapon, small risks are inevitable.”

Her courage impressed him. Askan looked at her wrist and averted his gaze. He had done all he could to conceal himself so far. Sharing this much about the stone was the best he could do.

“Understood. Do as you wish.”

“Were you worried about me?”

“Who…!”

Not worry, exactly. He didn’t have a word for it. If fewer people knew his secret, that was better. Showing gratitude was all this feeling amounted to.

“Think whatever you want.”

“Tch, so stubborn.”

Her response was playful rather than critical.

“You don’t need to worry. I have my own plans.”

It was absurd that she was trying to reassure him. It felt less like master and servant and more like friends. Askan pushed the thought away.

Don’t overthink this.

He would leave soon. After that, he wouldn’t see Tanasia again. He thought he would feel relieved, but strangely, he didn’t.