Chapter 49 – 48. Inferiority Complex
“Keueuung.”
I don’t know why, but Arthur woke up feeling heavier than usual.
“Uh.? Kwaaaaa!!”
The moment she gave strength to her legs to move, Arthur screamed in pain due to the muscle pain in her legs.
Therefore, Aris, who was sleeping next to her, was surprised and quickly checked Arthur’s condition.
“What’s the matter? Are you okay?”
“Ah, Aris. My legs hurt so much.!!”
Seeing Arthur having a hard time holding on to her leg, Aris placed her hand on Arthur’s calf and felt her muscles.
Arthur’s calf muscles were as hard as a stone when she touched them, and her muscles were swollen as if she had been working hard for a long time.
No matter how I look at it, I think it’s because of me… But I think it’ll be okay if I just take a day off today…
“Arthur, her muscles must have been very tense. “I think it’s probably because I trained too hard yesterday.?”
But Arthur shook his head at Aris’ words.
“No! It wasn’t that bad, and this isn’t the first time this has happened recently. There must be another reason!!”
“Okay.? “I think it’s like muscle pain”
“No? I think mana training is the problem.”
“!!”
Was Arthur this perceptive? Sigh. She should have moderated it. But if I just keep quiet, there will be no evidence, so she can get away with it.
“I think it’s a side effect of mana training. Since doing it every day seems to be the problem, I think I should change it to doing it every two or three days from now on.”
Uh.? Then you can’t do it every day. It shouldn’t be like this…
“Um… Or is there a skill I learned that can help you recover a little when you fall into mana exhaustion? Of course, it’s very difficult to do, but… Arthur, I can do it every day for you.”
It’s all a lie. You can heal them all, and it’s not that difficult, but you had to trick Arthur.
If I recover all my mana too easily, I won’t be able to do it again at night, and Arthur will ask for it every day, so I can never allow it.
It’s muscle pain anyway, there are other solutions. If I restore just a little mana, Arthur will wake up in better condition than usual, so you will have no choice but to believe what I say.
Perhaps because it was a favor filled with impure intentions, Arthur sensed something strange.
“. Aris, are you feeling strange these days.? It’s as if I don’t want to miss mana training even for a day.”
“Uh, huh.?”
“And lately, I feel better at night, and my skin seems to be getting better as the days go by.”
Squinted eyes, as if looking at something suspicious.
Arthur is suspicious of me.?
“Wh. I don’t know what you’re talking about? That’s right… Since you wanted to increase your mana… I tried to help you as much as I could. And at night, I just spend time with you, because I like it. “Isn’t that because my skin sweats harder these days because I exercise harder?”
Very logical answer. If you think about it normally, there seemed to be nothing wrong with what Aris said.
Since he had a suspicion but no physical evidence, Arthur decided to trust Aris for now.
“Okay, then what about the recovery method? Do that now. “I’ll try mana training right away.”
“Ji, now.?”
“Yes, if it doesn’t work, I’ll just cut back on mana training.”
Arthur lay down on her bed again and used up all the mana in her body, and she fell asleep because her mana was exhausted.
“Ha. First, I guess I should pretend to do something to some extent.?”
Aris placed her hand on Arthur’s chest and began to let her mana flow little by little.
The mana that slowly flowed into Arthur’s heart sent her mana back to Arthur’s brain, and after a while, Arthur was able to wake up from his sleep.
“Uuuuu. Aris.?”
What? I put in just a little bit… Oh, that’s right. You said this method is to awaken the mind first, right? So, Arthur is depleted of mana, but her mind is awake?
“Arthur? How are you now? There’s only so much I can do. I don’t think I’ll see any more effects than this…”
“My head hurts a bit. How long has it been since?”
“About 3 minutes.? “It hasn’t been that long.”
“I see… When I check my physical condition now, I can definitely feel that I have recovered a little bit… Still, I think I can carry on with my daily life at this level, right?”
“Is it that much.?”
“Yes, but I think you have to be careful. This is the state where mana is recovered, but it takes half a day to escape from mana exhaustion? I think it will have to pass. “Because I haven’t been able to use any mana so far.”
“Well, I haven’t had to use mana for a while, so wouldn’t it be okay? “If anything happens, I can protect you.”
“… “
Hmm… I thought Aris did something, didn’t she? I feel like she was just suspicious, and I’m sorry… She’s always so nice to me.
Perhaps because of Aris’ somewhat sincere acting, Aris succeeded in removing Arthur’s suspicions.
“Thank you, Aris. “I’m sorry I always get help, so let’s just go on a date this afternoon!”
Arthur was grateful for Aris’s hard work and dedication, and in return she agreed to be her date often, with Aris singing her songs every day.
Of course, contrary to Arthur’s pure heart, Aris gradually became greedy.
What a harvest! You even get a date opportunity by protecting Arthur from using him at night and helping him recover mana in the future!!
The corners of Aris’ mouth gradually rose at her unexpected benefit.
“Then let’s just have lunch and go out later!”
…
In the afternoon, the two had a good time looking around outside the academy, and before heading out in the evening, Aris said she wanted to see a play together for the first time in a long time, so she took Arthur to the theater.
Since it had been a while since she had seen Arthur, she went in with some expectations. However, when the play started, Aris suddenly said she didn’t feel well and left Arthur to go to the bathroom.
“You probably didn’t get caught, right?”
Aris pretended she was going to the bathroom, and she ran towards the potion shop.
The reason she went to the potion store was simple. If I use Arthur at night, does he feel muscle pain the next day? In that case, if you buy a stamina potion and feed it to Arthur after using it, Arthur will not feel any muscle pain the next day, and it will also restore some mana, so you can commit a perfect crime that Arthur will never be suspected of.
“Heh. Heh.”
“Give me 30 stamina potions!! To the lower class!!”
“Yes? 30? Do you have money? The price is a bit…”
Of course, this wasn’t a problem because she was Aris and had saved a lot of money by working as an adventurer.
“Here you go! This is enough, right? The rest is a tip, so please service me later!”
The employee’s eyes widened at the heavy bag of money that Aris handed her, and her attitude changed in an instant.
“Thank you, sir. Here are 30 low-level health potions you mentioned.”
Aris quickly stuffed her potion into her subspace pocket and ran back to the theater.
…
“Aris. Why did you come so late? All the important scenes have passed…”
“I’m sorry. I guess I ate something wrong yesterday. Hmm.”
In fact, if you think about it with common sense, there was no reason for a strong man like Aris to have an upset stomach unless he ingested poison, but since the theater was dark, Aris’ awkward expression could not be seen, and since there was no reason to be suspicious anymore, Arthur just assumed it was okay and moved on. Br〉
…
ㅡClap! Match! Mate!
When the play ended, people’s applause echoed through the theater.
“Was it fun, Arthur?”
“… “
There was no answer, so she looked next to Aris and saw Arthur sleeping in her eyes.
ㅡPisik.
“Ugh. Why don’t you just go to sleep and go on a date when you’re tired?”
Aris left the theater carrying Arthur on her back.
“Sometimes things like this are good. It reminds me of the old days.”
Aris began to reminisce, remembering how when she lived in her village as a child, she carried Arthur on her back a lot.
“At that time, I really lived without any worries.”
Life is short.
No matter how hopeless my situation is.
Even if Arthur doesn’t remember her.
Is it right for me to act like this?
If I were to die, wouldn’t I have regrets? Because I can’t be honest with Arthur.
At the last moment, I will die regretting that I hurt Arthur because of my mistakes.
Let’s stop now.
I can’t tell you about the mistakes I’ve made so far, but I cherish Arthur that much.
Because I want to be honest with Arthur for the last time.
[Is there really any meaning to that action?]
Of course.
[No, there is none. You are destined to die anyway, so what does it mean to you, no matter what you do, you will soon die and disappear?]
No… That’s not right.
[Who decides what is right and wrong? No, that’s not the problem in the first place.]
Then what’s the problem?
[Your life is a very special life. Aren’t you living a life that everyone envies because you are always better than others? But the problem is that you have gained nothing by burning all your life.]
…
[Isn’t there really nothing? On the contrary, death is coming quickly, so you will regret it right before you die without being able to enjoy your youth properly. I shouldn’t have lifted the curse back then…! Tsk.]
Don’t talk nonsense! I didn’t do it with such a light heart!!
[On the other hand, the child you saved will live well even if you die. You must be feeling it too, right? Talent beyond that of humans. Since I have that kind of talent, I will quickly forget things like you and shine brightly.]
Shut up!!
[Or how about talking it? I sold all my life to save you, so please hang out with me for the rest of my life. Just look at me.]
But then…
[Yes, I might die of guilt. Because you are everything to that child.]
That’s right… You should never say that!
[On the other hand, if you close your mouth and die, aren’t you a child who will somehow survive in this world? Then what do you want to do?]
I… I…
[Yes. I should get compensation.]
Bo. Compensation.?
[Isn’t it unfair? A life that everyone else longs for. You, who lived with such a sense of superiority, gave up everything for a child living a life like a gutter, shouldn’t you gain something?]
No. Just being together is enough.
[Is that your truth? Don’t try to fool yourself]
…
[Don’t you want to dominate that child? A child who always had to be protected, a child who was inadequate, a weak child who was bullied. That child is now trying to escape your touch]
[The child would have lived a trash life if it weren’t for your help]
That’s right. I want to rule.
[Kkkk. Don’t you feel inferior? He is a child who is not better than you in any way, but seeing him run wild without knowing grace makes him seem in need of ‘education’]
That’s right. Arthur needs education.
[Okay! So shouldn’t you tell us your original location while you’re still alive?]
That’s right. I… But…?
[There is no need to consider morality. Because it’s your legitimate right]
Right.?
[Have you forgotten what you sacrificed? You are fully qualified]
Yes… I qualify. If not me, who else would deserve that to Arthur?
[Put your current thoughts into practice. You can forcibly subdue that child and do whatever you want. Relieve stress and relieve cravings. Isn’t it good? You won’t even remember it anyway]
[There is no reason to feel inferior or envy that child’s talent and the rest of her life. You will be superior until you die]
…
About two hours after arriving at the academy, Arthur woke up.
“Aris.?”
“You’re awake?”
At her nod, Arthur got up from her bed and began to stretch her, moving her body around, and she began to smile brightly.
“Is it really effective? “I don’t have any muscle pain, and I feel like I’m in better shape than usual!!”
“Aris! Could you do it every day? Of course, there’s nothing we can do if it’s too hard, but…”
“.? When we were dating earlier, you said you would do it all the time.”
“What are you talking about? “You mean when we were on a date?”
What are you talking about? No way.
“Arthur? Do you remember what you did today?”
“Today? I woke up and talked to you, and when I said I was having a hard time because of the mana exhaustion side effect, you said you would help me.”
“… “
Why doesn’t she remember Arthur dating me? Am I missing something?
While thinking about the cause, a curse from Arthur’s status window appeared in Aris’s mind.
[Curse of Oblivion (SS)]
-If you consume all your mana and suffer from mana exhaustion, you will fall into ‘oblivion’.
No way.? If falling into oblivion means losing memories…
Let’s calm down for now. First, let’s go to Arthur’s rhythm.
“Ah… You said you wanted to go on a date before you went to sleep, and you also said you would do it every day if it worked well, but I guess you were too tired to hear me.”
“Is that so?”
Arthur seemed to have thought nothing of it and completely believed Aris’ words.
Afterward, Aris had Arthur train her again.
“Anyway, it’s evening now, so I’ll have to do it again, so I can wake up tomorrow morning. “Don’t you want to change day and night?”
At Aris’s words, Arthur also practiced mana again without saying anything, and when he placed his hand on Arthur’s chest, which had collapsed again, and sent mana, Arthur woke up again like in the morning.
Aris forcibly pulled her away from Arthur once to see if her thoughts were correct, and Arthur, greatly offended, got angry at her and threw Aris out of her room.
Of course, this method was a risky one for Aris, but it was also her surest method. Even if Arthur remembered her anyway, she was at a level where she could at least vent her anger, so she wasn’t too worried.
So the next day, Aris went to Arthur’s room and saw Arthur smiling brightly, as if he didn’t remember what happened last night.
Maybe it was just because it was morning, and she was in a good mood, so she saw it. Let’s ask her if she remembers correctly.
“Arthur, do you remember yesterday’s Mana training?”
“Huh? “What memory?”
As expected, Arthur doesn’t remember what happened last night?
What does that mean.?
I guess I can play with it as much as I want from now on?
