Chapter 47
“Recently, only bad news seems to come from the Second Elder’s side.”
“…”
Randgar Bayel, the Second Elder of the Nameless Organization, couldn’t respond to the remark.
Because it was an indisputable fact.
It started with the theft of the Hourglass.
Although the theft wasn’t solely Randgar’s fault, he was deeply involved nonetheless.
He had guaranteed an impenetrable barrier and was responsible for overseeing security.
On top of that, his attempt to capture the “sacrifice” using the Undead had failed spectacularly.
He even lost the Green-Flamed Death Knight in the process.
“There will surely be good news next time.”
“Do you need me to step in to assist?”
Randgar gritted his teeth at the Third Elder’s open mockery but held his tongue.
It was a meeting conducted entirely through voices, and the failures kept piling up on his side.
“Any leads on the Hourglass?”
“Grr. Those thieves are so meticulous that it’s difficult to trace them.”
Randgar had no additional information about the Black Shadow Corps.
Not that he had high expectations, but the results were even more disastrous than he anticipated.
“Still, the rumors about the Undead haven’t spread.”
“Hmph. That’s only to be expected. If even that couldn’t be managed…”
‘Damn it.’
Randgar clenched his teeth, careful not to let his frustration show.
The Third Elder’s remarks had been grating on his nerves for a while.
To be treated this way…
For someone as prideful as Randgar, it was hard to swallow, but now wasn’t the time to raise his voice.
“There is hopeful news, though.”
“And what’s that?”
“The drug is nearly complete.”
“Oh.”
Randgar seized the chance to speak confidently about the one piece of good news.
The drug was a concoction developed by the organization to enhance the combat abilities of their warriors in preparation for future battles.
It was a kind of elixir that could exponentially improve a person’s abilities temporarily.
Of course, there were side effects, but they were gradually being addressed through various experiments.
Even human trials were underway in different ways.
“I will have results to present at the next meeting.”
“You’d better. Because of your failure, our plans have been delayed.”
‘Tch.’
Randgar bit his lip at the Third Elder’s accusatory tone.
He resolved to succeed next time, no matter what, and shut that man’s mouth for good.
***
“Ugh, seriously, what am I doing…”
Cynthia Surplus muttered to herself as she trudged along.
Once again, she failed to muster the courage to talk to her friends.
At first, it was guilt and self-loathing.
Guilt for doing nothing during the Academic Year Battle and self-loathing for trembling in fear at the sight of the enemy.
Cynthia thought she could overcome these feelings quickly.
She believed that apologizing to her friends and working harder to improve her skills would resolve everything.
But the emotions ran deeper and lasted longer than she expected.
The opportunity to apologize to her friends didn’t come easily, and the self-loathing about her lack of skills showed no signs of fading.
As time passed without addressing it, she missed her chance.
It had already been over a week since the Academic Year Battle ended, and the topic was starting to fade from people’s conversations.
Yet she alone remained stuck in the past.
This made it increasingly difficult to talk to her friends.
Despite the efforts of Ryu Yeong and the others to make things work, Cynthia couldn’t bring herself to respond.
The more time passed, the more awkward and difficult it became.
Suddenly changing her attitude as if nothing had happened felt impossible, too.
“Ugh.”
Cynthia sighed deeply and walked aimlessly.
She had told her friends that she was too busy to join them for dinner, but in truth, she had nothing to do.
She had lied to avoid an uncomfortable situation.
“Cynthia Surplus, correct?”
“…!”
Startled by the sudden mention of her name, Cynthia instinctively flinched and turned toward the voice.
“Who are you?”
The person calling her was someone she didn’t recognize.
Judging by the uniform, they appeared to be a staff member of the Academy.
“I work in the Vice Principal’s direct department.”
“The Vice Principal’s department…?”
“Yes.”
The man, who looked gentle, smiled warmly at Cynthia.
His appearance alone seemed to exude trustworthiness.
“And why are you looking for me?”
“First of all, congratulations on the Academic Year Battle. To think the first-year class won first place. The Vice Principal was genuinely impressed.”
“Ah.”
Cynthia grimaced at the mention of the Academic Year Battle.
To the others, it might have been an achievement worth celebrating, but not to her.
To outsiders, she might seem like a proud member of the winning team, but Cynthia didn’t feel that way.
She saw herself as someone who had been carried by the other three, contributing nothing and merely filling a spot.
“The Vice Principal was particularly impressed by you, Cynthia.”
“… But I didn’t do anything.”
Cynthia spoke with complete sincerity.
The staff member in front of her only smiled warmly at her self-deprecating comment.
“That’s not true. You had the potential to contribute significantly. You just lacked the courage.”
“… Can you just get to the point about why you’re here?”
Cynthia felt the urge to leave immediately as she sensed another round of forced encouragement coming her way.
She had heard these kinds of reassurances far too many times already.
“The Vice Principal hopes that you’ll muster a bit more courage.”
“What?”
The man’s unexpected statement caught Cynthia completely off guard.
What was this about all of a sudden?
“If you’d had just a bit more courage back then, you might have boldly fired your bow at the Ghouls, preventing Elaine from ever being put in danger.”
“…”
“Similarly, if you had distracted the Death Knight from a distance, Ryu would have been able to handle it more easily.”
Cynthia bit her lip as the man’s words poked at her sore spots.
She didn’t need him to point it out—she had already replayed those moments in her head hundreds of times.
What if she had done this? What if she had done that?
No matter how many times she imagined different scenarios, it was all meaningless in the end.
“The Vice Principal hopes that if such a situation arises again, you’ll have the courage to pick up your bow.”
“So, what are you trying to say…?”
“Take this.”
Just as Cynthia was about to snap, the man held something out in front of her.
It was a small pouch.
“What is this?”
“It’s something that might fill the small gap in your courage.”
“What?”
Cynthia asked incredulously, but the man merely smiled.
Feeling uneasy, Cynthia hesitated to take the pouch he was offering.
“Don’t worry. It’s nothing strange. Just take it.”
At his continued urging, Cynthia cautiously accepted the pouch.
Inside the fabric pouch, she could feel a few small, round objects.
“Think of them as candies that give you courage. The Vice Principal only gives them to students he personally selects.”
“Candies?”
As she heard the word “candies,” she touched the objects inside and realized they did feel like candies.
She opened the drawstring and looked inside.
The pouch released a sweet aroma, revealing brightly colored round candies.
“What is this all of a sudden…”
“Well then, see you later. I’ll be cheering for your time at the Academy, Cynthia.”
“Huh? Wait a second!”
But as soon as he handed over the candy pouch, the man walked away without looking back, as though he had nothing more to say.
Cynthia stared blankly at the retreating figure before shifting her gaze back to the candies.
“The Vice Principal sent these…?”
Cynthia picked up one of the candies, which emitted a sweet scent.
There were five candies in total, each a different color.
“Oh, come on…”
Scoffing, Cynthia stared at the red candy.
The Vice Principal must really think of the Academy students as little kids, maybe six or seven years old.
Did he honestly believe that offering “candies of courage” would make her say, “Wow! Thank you!” and feel better?
“Guess I’ve been pretty out of it lately.”
Concluding that her recent state must have been bad enough to catch the Vice Principal’s attention, Cynthia sighed.
If her situation seemed serious even to outsiders, then she truly needed to reflect.
Sigh.
With a long sigh, Cynthia absentmindedly popped the red candy into her mouth.
As soon as it touched her tongue, a sweet flavor filled her mouth.
Since it was red, she assumed it would taste like strawberry, but it wasn’t that at all.
It was just… sweet.
Despite its solid appearance, the candy quickly melted on her tongue.
She had planned to roll it around in her mouth as she walked home, but—
Gulp.
The candy melted rapidly, turning into liquid and sliding down her throat.
“Now that I’ve eaten a candy of courage, will I become braver?”
Heh.
Cynthia let out a small laugh at the absurd thought and took a step forward—only to stop mid-step.
“Huh?”
In that brief moment, Cynthia noticed a small ant scurrying along the path where her foot was about to land.
Thump.
“W-Wait.”
The realization came so naturally that it startled her.
Suddenly, Cynthia’s view of the world shifted entirely.
No, it wasn’t entirely different—it was the same as always, but now she noticed things she had never paid attention to before.
“What is this…”
Thump.
Everything, from the ant beneath her feet to the surroundings, appeared vivid and dynamic.
Thump, thump.
And that wasn’t all.
The “Candy of Courage” seemed to be no lie; a growing sense of confidence welled up inside her.
She felt as though she could do anything.
If one of the Ghouls from the Academic Year Battle appeared before her now, she was certain she could fire an arrow straight into its head.
Thump, thump, thump.
Cynthia’s heart began to beat faster.
—
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