NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 70
The workshop was shrouded in silence. Countless dolls and their parts lay stacked here and there, deepening the quiet atmosphere.
And at the far end of this workshop, under a sunlit window, sat a woman with a pout, sipping tea. Her white hair gleamed under the sunlight.
A cake was placed in front of her. A dessert made with considerable care. I thought maybe it would lift her spirits a bit.
“I prepared a soft and mild dessert that pairs perfectly with the tea you’re drinking. I added some raspberries for a zesty touch. It’ll enhance the tea’s aroma!”
The woman scoffed at it, but her hand had already sneakily reached for the fork, cutting into the cake. A hint of satisfaction crossed her face as she took a bite.
I poured her another cup of tea. She alternated between the cake and tea, savoring the flavors. With each sip, her frown began to lift.
“I’m glad you seem to like it.”
I took a seat at the table. The woman glanced at me and again wore a face full of discontent. As she poured tea into my cup, she forced a soft smile.
At least she was feeling a bit better. Three hours earlier, when she first opened her eyes, it felt like I was going to die. The mist had choked my neck in an instant.
I had expected some resistance since not all adjustments were complete, but I didn’t anticipate being attacked without a word.
Of course, it was understandable. Her last memory was likely me abandoning her.
Still, facing someone whose feelings were so transparent was quite comforting. Memories of past encounters came to mind: Miryeong, Maira, Hwa-ryeong, and others. They were all sneaky pieces of work.
She did have a bit of cunning, but compared to others, hers was rather tame. After all, her desires were displayed quite purely.
Thus, I had continued to do my best to soothe her mood. As a result of my heartfelt efforts, her initially frosty expression had settled a bit.
It seemed we were at a point where we could converse. Cautiously, I opened my mouth towards her.
“I’m relieved; you’ve received the professor’s permission to move about freely like this.”
“Yes, all thanks to you, Ilian. Not you.”
She shot me a glare. The anger in her eyes still seethed strongly. I needed to ease that. I thought for a moment, then gazed at her intently.
“Honestly, would you believe me if I said this was all part of my plan?”
“This was part of your plan? You tossed me aside without a second thought, then tied me down like this?”
A look of disbelief crossed her face, though it was mixed with a hint of curiosity. It seemed I had piqued her interest a bit.
“Yes. I couldn’t seem to control you, you see. So I wasn’t sure if the professor would allow you to come out.”
“Hmm, I see.”
She fiddled with her teacup. I took a sip from mine, moistening my lips.
“But it was clear the professor was watching us. So I fabricated a little story. One that the professor would enjoy. Upon seeing that conclusion, the professor felt quite regretful. That’s when he offered his help. Tying you to this body to keep you under my control and allowing us to emerge like this.”
She stared at me fixedly. With a slight smile, she added, “If you had said so earlier, the professor would have caught on. That’s why you ended up leaving me in there.”
Her face, so reminiscent of the professor, wore a shade of doubt. It seemed my words made her uneasy. Yet the anger that had been blazing in her eyes had considerably diminished.
Yeah, that’s how things turned out. Of course, most of it was a lie.
If it hadn’t been for the professor’s insistence, I would never have dreamed of bringing her out.
As I sipped my tea, I recalled that moment. Holding the eye I had pulled from the storeroom, I made my way toward the professor. And got slapped for it.
Honestly, I’d been thinking a lot while in that treasure trove. Everything felt as though it unfolded in a predetermined flow.
The Mist Heart happened to be there, and it was friendly toward me. So we ended up cooperating. It all seemed quite convenient.
If that’s the case, why was the situation progressing this way? It had to be the professor’s design. After all, it was his command that led me in.
I vaguely suspected that the professor was guiding me to choose that. But why? It fit with me, and it seemed to be something easy to hand over.
So, I fled. I didn’t want to play into those intentions.
Of course, she made me choose the Mist Heart, lamenting how it would be a shame if I didn’t. I groused heavily in front of her; it was more than I could bear.
I had sensed this outcome. No matter what I did, I was going to end up with that Mist Heart. Once she made that decision, I couldn’t escape that fate.
But the process mattered. If I had just brought it out directly, the professor wouldn’t have cared about my words. That would have been my choice.
But this was something she had forced upon me, so some of the responsibility lay with her. I was able to voice at least a bit of my opinion.
After taking quite the beating from the professor, I finally secured some help.
In that process, the Mist Heart, nestled within the doll, integrated completely into that body. I tamed it into my magical power. It was a delicate job that took about a month to complete.
Thus, the woman before me was born. She possessed an almost unnatural vitality, hardly resembling a doll. A harmony created with the Mist Heart.
The connection through the wood was incredibly strong. As long as that heart was trapped within that body, it couldn’t harm me in any way.
Of course, it worked both ways. The strength was so formidable that unless I poured in tremendous magic, making commands would be a challenge. So it was essential to keep a good relationship.
“Then what should I call you? It feels odd to keep saying ‘you’.”
“Call me whatever you want, Ebron.”
She reclined in her chair, closing her eyes. An attitude that indicated I should do as I pleased.
I smiled at that. I had a name in mind that captured her essence perfectly.
“Then I’ll call you Ansim.”
“…No, I’ll choose. Let’s talk about it later.”
The woman’s eyes flew open as she glared at me. A hint of disdain and irritation flickered in her gaze, making me feel a little glum. I thought it was a good name.
“Naming it Ansim encapsulates the core of the Mist Heart…”
“Stop.”
She exhaled mist, sealing my mouth shut. I nodded quietly. If she disliked it, it was a done deal.
Just then, Unit 0 approached us. He showed me a watch and pointed out the window. Glancing outside, I saw many students gathering.
Class was about to begin. That was why she had woken up, even though her adjustments weren’t fully complete.
I needed to be part of that too. If I went in without her, who knew what horrific fate awaited me at the hands of the eye?
“So shall we get up a little later? Class time is upon us.”
She nodded slightly, slowly beginning to sip her tea. It was quite some time before she finally put her cup down.
“Hmph, let’s go.”
With a body language full of complaints, she stood up and swiftly left the workshop.
Unit 0 patted me on the back. I forced a smile at the comfort. It felt as if I had gained another master. Given that he bore the professor’s face, that sensation was even stronger.
I slowly rose to my feet. I needed to hurry and conduct a lecture on treasures for them. I followed the path she had taken.
After that, the lecture time flowed along smoothly.
Within the mist released by the Mist Heart, I sold dolls. The monsters wandered around therein and eventually left. Little points began to gather in a cozy environment devoid of any danger.
Of course, I didn’t let the mist become too thick. I merely designed it to feel somewhat like a barrier. So others wouldn’t sense familiarity.
The mist from the Mist Heart had already been experienced by other students as well. I didn’t want to raise any suspicion among them. There was no need to disclose that I had obtained treasure to them.
I had already felt like a Mirror Bug. Excessive treasures brought excessive attention. This woman should merely be perceived as just a slightly strong, rather unique doll.
A bizarre sensation washed over me, as if I were submerged underwater. It felt quite similar to what I had experienced within that thing’s body before.
This space was crafted from the power extracted from the eye. Perhaps that was why it felt considerably weakened compared to what I had faced before. Of course, it was still enough to deal with the students.
It seemed the professor had deliberately lowered the difficulty.
It had crossed my mind that battling treasures might have been a bit too easy, and now I got my answer. If it had been at full strength, it would have swallowed the others in an instant.
Compared to when it was stored, it felt rather cute now. Not that it meant I was capable of handling it.
The eye glared at me. I could feel its intense malice through its gaze. I subtly hid behind the doll beside me and offered a gentle smile.
It was furious, but it couldn’t launch itself at us. It seemed preoccupied with the Mist Heart.
The woman did not glance at the eye but instead stared into the distance, pointing her finger at something.
“I like that friend over there.”
She said. Looking in the direction she pointed, I saw Kashian maneuvering among the spirits. Every time his sword swung, they crumbled to ash.
Watching Kashian dispatch the spirits made her lick her lips. As he swung his sword, Kashian trembled.
“How can I not have that body? It felt really good the last time I was in.”
Kashian scanned the surroundings and fixed his gaze on us at the top of the hill. Despite the light mist shading our view, she stared straight at us.
As Kashian spotted the doll next to me, he blinked. The doll waved its hand at him, and Kashian responded with a wave before swiftly retreating.
“Such a shame.”
The doll swallowed hard as it spoke. I glanced at it. The Mist Heart had bedded so well into that body. If that body was destroyed, the heart would suffer a significant blow.
If it hadn’t been tied like this, it would have lunged at Kashian right away. And taken that body for itself. That’s precisely why I had placed it there. To prevent it from escaping my control.
In fact, because of that, the eye had no reason to pay us any attention. The Mist Heart was trapped within the doll; its limits were defined. Pouring in too much strength would certainly lead to destruction.
To boost that output, I needed to fortify the body with better materials. And as the Mist Heart suggested, a human body would be the best.
Though, that wasn’t something I could do at the university. If I could toss in one more treasure, that would be fantastic. But the professor would never allow it.
Once again, I find myself staring blankly at the spectacle before me. This lecture had been a success. Other students gradually succumbed to the eye’s assault.
Yet, remarkably, a few managed to endure that power. They weren’t enough to confront the eye, but they could at least escape its grip.
That was the result of growth over the course. They had given their all to obtain treasure. Though, time ran out, and they ultimately failed.
Thus, the treasure hunt drew to a close. It was my sixteenth lecture.
That meant there were four lectures left to go. For those treasures, just like this one, I had to bring them out myself.
Extracting the eye could be managed with the help of other treasures. Thus, it was how the Mist Heart had come out together.
I forced a smile. If that’s the case, what should I do next? I had no sense of what treasure the professor would make me retrieve.
A strong sense of impending struggle flooded in. And that worry turned into reality.
The first treasure was easy to extract. I quickly moved in while it was still dormant.
The second presented challenges due to its clear intellect. I negotiated with it and managed to provide suitable terms for cooperation.
But from the third onward, it was trouble. That treasure was incredibly hostile. Similar to the eye, it nearly ground me to bits before I could finally extract it.
The fourth? I couldn’t even think of touching it. I simply had to roll around in the storeroom until I could escape.
In the end, I failed to extract it in time, got slapped by the professor, and the Mist Heart along with it. I worked hard to help alleviate that mood.
Thus, the four lectures were, against all odds, concluded. The treasure hunting course came to an end. It was five years after entering the university.