Memoirs of the Returnee - Chapter 279



Only Krnovel

Episode 279

What is emotion (5)

Late at night.

Jahanna returned to Libra Medical Center.

“My lord, the press is on the loose.”

Vitor said.

Of course, the fact that she, the eldest daughter, has been hospitalized for such a long time is a major incident that could shake the stock price of the affiliated company.

“It doesn’t matter. If the article breaks, will it go down by 5%? Since I have a lot of cash, I’ll buy it this time and increase my stake.”

Jahanna grabbed the VVIP room doorknob as if it was nothing.

“Oh, and.”

He looked back at Vitro and said:

“From now on, Jia is my enemy. Press her as hard as you can.”

“yes.”

Jahanna entered the hospital room.

“……hmm.”

I’ve been staying here for quite some time now and it feels like home to me.

Come to think of it, this seems to be the first time I’ve stayed in a space so continuously since becoming an adult.

Slap-

She lay on her soft bed and looked up at the ceiling.

It’s pure white.

There is no decoration whatsoever.

Thanks to this, I naturally fall into some thoughts.

─Get as far away as possible from Zion Askar.

It was a sudden crazy remark from the professor, but maybe he was right.

Objectively speaking, I think he is obsessed with Zion Ascal.

Even if it’s just greed, it’s too much.

They are trying to get a single Chaser who is not even a Balancer by giving up part of the shares of Golden Casino.

……then.

Why do you want that guy who doesn’t make sense?

Because of the potential he holds as a talented person?

Or, as Professor Yuhains said─

“……affection.”

Jahanna muttered quietly.

If it really was that kind of emotion, it might be possible to explain it, but sadly, she has never even felt a ‘feeling’ similar to love.

“… … .”

Suddenly, a knight appeared in her mind.

Was it about a dozen years ago?

When I was still a student, I once watched an unknown man pounding a scarecrow.

Knock—knock—knock—

It was Jahanna’s routine to watch the knight’s routine of practicing swordsmanship with a dummy.

The knight died one day.

It was really strange.

The guy who was there almost every day suddenly disappeared, so I asked why and he said he died.

I thought people didn’t die easily, but he died easily.

He himself did not know the process and scene of his death, so he died with just one word, ‘he died.’

From that day on, Jahanna consciously avoided that place.

I avoided it, but sometimes I walked there.

So, one day, about ten years later.

Knock—knock—knock—

Jahanna then found Zion Askar beating the scarecrow just like the man.

The final destination of this flashback was ultimately Zion Ascal.

“… …Fuck.”

Jahanna lifted her lips in a pout.

Above all, she does not understand Zion Askar.

Why does he admire me but not come near me?

Simply because he serves Zia? Because it’s a promise he made to his already dead father?

If that’s the case, if you don’t come, Zia will become my enemy.

For Gia’s sake, it would be the right choice to crawl under me.

─If Lady Jahanna really cares about him, stay as far away from him as possible.

The professor’s hint… … seems similar, but it’s difficult for Jahanna to understand.

I learned the skill of judging the moment and figuring out the opponent’s intentions ‘in order to win’, but this was definitely the first time I’d ever played with emotions so messily.

─When you acknowledge my love, come to me.

“… … That’s crazy.”

Jahanna laughed vainly.

To admit that you love someone is to deny everything about the life you have lived.

Even if that were the case, the target could not be Zion Askar.

First of all, his bloodline is Fujimura.

“Write… … .”

Booths- She raised only her upper body and placed the laptop on her lap.

He is now officially hospitalized.

That is, it is in a weakened state.

The various bugs, leeches, and maggots that have entered my ranks will try to do dirty work using this opportunity, so let’s use this opportunity to hunt them all down and kill them all…

As such, Jahanna doesn’t waste time.

Time is the only thing in this world that is given equally to everyone. It is too precious a treasure to be wasted on mere emotions.

***

Eternal life.

I thought about the information that Sierin released today.

“weird.”

“What are you talking about?”

Solliet asked back.

By the way, this is the Endex building. My old residence, now owned by Soliet.

“Was Sierrin originally that insightful?”

It is still unclear why she is chasing Nightmare, and it is also strange that she includes the Aventaher family, that is, her own family, in the suspects.

Unlike before the regression, he is meticulous, smart, and cool-headed.

“… … You seem very interested.”

Soliet looked at me with a strange look.

“Well, you are as white as a snowman.”

“What are you talking about? That’s not it. I don’t know. Why are you helping us?”

“Yes? Why don’t you know? Of course I should help you.”

Soliet asked back, tilting her head. I frowned slightly.

“What is obvious?”

“We have done a great job in making [Bethundun] a reality.”

“… … Oh, right.”

“Once the server stabilizes and [Bedondon] is incorporated into the dungeon system, the Sierin Sieric siblings will sit on a pile of money.”

Indeed, while we were struggling underground, the Aventajer family poured time and effort into laying the ‘foundation’.

They probably own a good portion of the city center.

I heard they’re going to build a new town.

“Zion, don’t be too upset. We also received a share. Each of us gets 2.5%.”

“Oh really?”

“Yes. Once the server stabilizes, we’ll be sitting on a mountain of money.”

“Well then… … that’s fortunate.”

I don’t know about Aventajr, but I trust Sierrin.

“Hmm… … But, Zion.”

Solliet sank into the sofa, her expression silent and hard.

“Why would the high-ranking families study eternal life?”

“You have a lot of money and power. And the possibility of eternal life is not completely impossible, so you must have wanted to try.”

Suddenly, I remembered what Dr. Vito of Libra had said.

─I originally studied eternal life. Eternal life is theoretically possible.

Soliet opened her eyes wide.

“Yes. Is it not impossible?”

“Oh. There’s a 300-year-old guy in the underworld right now. He’s barely human because his body is replaced with a monster every time it dies, but he’s still here.”

If there is no possibility, it is easy to give up.

However, if there is even a slight possibility, it is difficult to give up.

It’s simple logic.

Right now, I’m pouring money into Yuhains while clinging to the slim possibility of a cure.

“If nightmares are a byproduct of eternal life research… … .”

Maybe Vito knows.

“Zion.”

Soliet called me in a very dark voice.

“why?”

“Mr. Sierin also mentioned Arcne as a suspicious candidate.”

“……yes.”

The guy muttered while petting my cat.

“If the Nightmare was truly born as a result of the Arcne family’s mistake or intention, what should I do?”

“… … .”

I pondered in silence.

If it was Soliet before the regression, then perhaps──

“suicide.”

“yes?”

Soliet flinched. She glared at me with eyes filled with shock.

“Are you crazy, Zion? Do you think I should die─”

“I’m kidding.”

I just took a quick look. I thought she might have some memories from before her regression.

If I remember correctly, this wouldn’t have been my reaction.

Solliet made her face look like a pissed off bulldog.

“That joke is too strong.”

“Oh. So, never commit suicide. Don’t die, fight and win. Even if Arkne is one of the families behind it, you are Soliet, not Arkne.”

“… … It would have been like that anyway.”

Soliet nodded curtly.

“For now, let’s keep this information as quiet as possible.”

“Of course.”

“Then I… … have something to do today. I’m going.”

I got up.

… … .

“Eternal life, you mean?”

As soon as I got to work at the lab, I asked Vito about eternal life.

“Yes. Dr. Vito has previously studied eternal life… … .”

“That’s right. Why is our research not fun now?”

Vito chuckled. I quickly waved my hand.

“No, that’s not it, but I’d like to follow in Dr. Vito’s glorious footsteps a little. Eternal life and artificial intelligence seem to be somewhat related… … .”

“Actually, it’s not related. If you put your soul in an inorganic body, it seems like it will live forever, but in reality, it has a lifespan.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“Yes. They say that the soul wears out. That’s why we bleach it. If we wash the soul clean, we won’t have to worry for 100 years.”

I followed Vito around, writing down his words in a notebook.

“And eternal life was impossible.”

“Yes? Even with Dr. Vito’s intelligence and wisdom?”

“haha.”

Vito laughed. He looked at me as if he couldn’t stop me and shook his head.

“It’s not an easy task, even if you just look at it. Eternal life is about overcoming all the shackles, laws, and principles of the human world. That’s why ‘he’ eventually gave up.”

He would be Sheiloch, of course.

“Instead, now you want to continue the Libra family line forever.”

“aha…….”

“Enough chatting. What did I ask for?”

“Oh, here it is.”

I handed Vito a piece of paper with his recipe checked.

“This time it’s perfect. There’s not a single thing that needs fixing.”

“… …Thanks to you. As I wrote while being conscious of Dr. Killian’s intuition, I tried to write well from the beginning.”

“You are too kind.”

“That’s not an exaggeration.”

“Then it would be an honor.”

“… … Haha. This guy is really.”

I pretended to be infinitely in awe of Vito, but in my head I was thinking about Shelock.

“The prototype will be ready for release soon.”

Vito had just said that Sheiloch had given up on eternal life. But he wasn’t a perfect liar, so there was a slight wavering in his voice and expression.

You could say it was the result of honing my gambling skills.

“There are more orders than I expected, so I’ll have to find some more people to do the bleaching… … I guess I’ll have to ask the Information Bureau for that.”

“yes.”

I had a gut feeling.

Vito knows something.

Plus, Sheiloch has a secret.

A secret of unfathomable depth, shrouded in a dark veil… …

Tiring-

A text message rang on my personal phone.

The only person whose phone alarm will ring is ‘Gia’.

[Z: Oh no. My sister suddenly cut off my money.]

Of course, it looks like Jahanna is starting to lose patience.

Should I start to slow down the progress of the setup now?

I replied slowly, watching the back of Vito’s head.

[I have a plan. Please summon Princess Jahanna to the Hanging Gardens.]

***

Jahanna immediately cut off Zia’s finances. She put strong pressure on the banks and creditors who had lent her money.

The effect was amazing.

The very next day, Jia contacted me and begged to meet me─

“… … .”

Anyway, Jahanna came up to the sky garden to meet Jia, but suddenly her mood became very bad.

It was because Jade appeared.

“… … .”

Jade also had a shit-chewing expression.

Jahanna asked, running her hands through her hair.

“What are you doing there?”

Jade lifted her coffee cup.

“Tea time.”

“… … .”

“I heard a rumor that you were hospitalized. Are you discharged already?”

This time it was Jade’s question.

Jahanna raised her middle finger.

“No. I haven’t been discharged yet.”

“That’s fortunate. Am I going to die tomorrow?”

“haha.”

Jahanna laughed. Jade, that damn bastard, hasn’t changed at all since then.

“You die.”

“That’s a bit difficult. If there’s anything that can kill me, it’s probably overwork. Heh.”

Jade smiled at her own words.

“What are you talking about, you idiot? Just get out.”

Now that we’re old enough to be polite to each other, and I really want to be, but whenever we meet like this, problems always arise.

“Managing the extreme magic stone ore, diplomacy with the cafe balancer, and talking to various royal families… … .”

To avoid the idiot who was constantly bragging about himself, Jahanna went out of the mansion. She picked up her cell phone and called Zia.

Tu- tu-

This time I won’t receive it either.

Was this bitch playing tricks again? I was suddenly getting excited.

Thump─!

The sound of a scarecrow being knocked rang out.

Jahanna realized belatedly that she had entered ‘that place’.

Thump─!

She followed the crackling sound along the road.

I circled the garden, stopped behind a wall of grass, and looked at someone’s back.

Zion Ascal.

Thump─!

He swung his wooden sword at the scarecrow. He had been doing this for quite some time, so beads of sweat were dripping down his face.

Knock! Knock!

His swordsmanship was quite exquisite. It was a type I had never seen before, but it was never messy. There was formality to his swordsmanship, and his initial movements were elegantly straight.

Jahanna watches the scene with her arms crossed… … .

─… … Huh.

Suddenly he put down his sword. He coughed, clutching his chest.

─Coolook!

Blood flowed out through the gap. Dark red blood spread like spots on the sandy floor.

─… … Phew.

He quickly licked his lips and grabbed the wooden sword, but Jahanna was speechless for a moment.

A strange tremble occurred in my heart.