“Sigh….”
“What’s with that heavy sigh, Victor?” Ashara Nightfire tilted her head curiously, her crimson eyes narrowing as she studied him.
Victor was beside her exhaled heavily, lost in thought, his brows furrowed in contemplation.
Yesterday, his plan had gone awry…. A total Mess!
He had intended to establish a friendly relationship with the so-called Mother, but everything went haywire, and he fucked up.
‘Tsk, it’s not my fault to begin with. She’s the one who nearly killed me.
How was I supposed to react calmly to that?’ Victor thought with an annoyed expression. He had been trying to create a friendly relationship, thinking it better to have an ally than an enemy, yet he let his emotions get the better of him and… fucked up.
‘Sigh, what should I do now?’ He wondered as he glanced at his mission tab:
[Survive until the beginning:- Time remaining: 300 days 6 hours 45 minutes 22 seconds]
Something was going to happen within the year, and he didn’t know what it was, but he was certain he needed to be ready. Otherwise, he wasn’t sure what would happen, but seeing the timer ticking like a bomb… he knew when it exploded, he would either be dead or in a seriously fucked up situation.
‘Before that happens, I need to remove my Slave Seal and then–‘
“Sssh!” Victor suddenly hissed, a pained expression flashing across his face as he snapped out of his thoughts. He turned his head to see Ashara pinching his hip, her finger pointing towards the front.
“Are you not interested in my class, Mr. Victor?” The professor’s voice rang out, sharp and filled with disapproval.
He stood at the front of the laboratory, arms crossed, his eyes narrowed in annoyance.
Victor looked up, meeting the professor’s gaze with an indifferent shrug. “… Well, yeah,” he admitted, not bothering to hide his lack of enthusiasm.
The professor had been lecturing on the mechanics of basic technologies, like connecting circuits and the functions of Artificial crystals similar to the ones that were seen in Helena’s bathroom.
Actually, that crystal broke not because of Helena pouring in extra energy, but because Aether caused the problem….. It was pretty amusing that after reading that old book in the archive, he understood most of the principles and functions; all he needed was a guide for practical use.
Victor was not interested in learning theories.
The professor’s lips twitched with annoyance at Victor’s arrogant and casual response. “Then why don’t you demonstrate your understanding by connecting the circuit? I want to see a fire crystal from your team,” he said, his tone strict, though there was a glint of amusement in his eyes.
“Fine then…” Victor agreed with a nonchalant nod, his lack of concern further irritating the professor.
“W-Wait, I haven’t done anything!” Ashara protested, her eyes widening in surprise but it never reached no one. She glanced around at the other teams, who were watching with amused or pitying expressions. Except for two individuals who were glaring at her as if she had committed a grave offence.
The laboratory was set up for experimental training, with students paired up to complete the tasks. Ashara, being Victor’s (forced) friend, had been (forced) to team up with him. She sighed, resigning herself to the situation.
Victor ignored the stares and looked at Ashara, who wore a shocked expression as she watched him pick up a small, ball-sized crystal that was transparent.
“Hey, Victor, are you serious? Do you even know how to connect the circuits or add the function?” Ashara asked, her curiosity piqued despite herself.
Victor hummed in response, not looking up. He placed the small, transparent white crystal ball under a device resembling….. a surgical microscope, equipped with a controller. To program the predetermined function into the crystal, he needed to use this precise equipment.
He inspected the crystal under the magnified lens.
No cracks on the surface? Checked!
No dents? Checked!
Victor carefully used the controller to manoeuvre the tiny pins towards the crystal, then glanced at Ashara, “Show me the circuit structure for the fire function,” he asked, his voice steady.
Ashara nodded, “Here it is. But, Victor, are you sure about this? Can’t you just apologize to the professor? It might make things easier,” she suggested, her voice low and concerned as she gestured towards the professor, who still looked irritated.
Victor dismissed her concern with a slight shake of his head, focusing intently on the task at hand. He began etching the circuit pattern into the small crystal, using the pins like a delicate pen.
The process required precision, as any mistake… such as an extra scratch or a pin going too deep—could result in failure.
The pins scratched the surface of the crystal, releasing a small amount of ink-like substance. Some etchings were deeper, some shallow, and each line had to be perfectly executed.
Ashara watched Victor’s meticulous work with a sense of awkwardness, feeling somewhat useless as she hadn’t contributed much to the task.
Though she knew that Victor had caused the situation they were in, they were still a team, and she wanted to support him. Seeing how focused he was, she decided to help in a different way and gently wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief.
“BIT—-”
“BI—”
Two furious voices suddenly rang out, but they were abruptly cut off. Ashara turned her head and saw that it was Selene and Aria, who had been paired together for the task.
Selene and Aria were on the verge of breaking out in anger, if not for Aether’s stern advice to avoid contacting Victor while he was in ‘Victor mode.’
‘That damn succubus! If she tries anything funny, I will…’ Selene’s thoughts trailed off in fury.
‘That damn succubus! If she tries anything funny, I will…’ Aria’s thoughts echoed Selene’s sentiment, both fuming silently.
Suddenly, they both received a telepathic message individually:
/Selene/
/Aria/
The telepathy seemed to calm them, and they reluctantly returned to their work, pouting slightly as they did.
Selene glanced at Aria, unsure whether this woman was Aether’s target or not. Kai had told her that Aether was here for trial purposes, so she wasn’t exactly sure about Aria’s role.
“Ahem,” Selene cleared her throat, drawing Aria’s attention.
“Hmm?” Aria looked up, her expression questioning.
“I… Well, why did you ask my brother to have Aether accompany you?” Selene asked, pretending to read her book but clearly probing for answers.
“… Did your brother say anything to you?” Aria inquired, her tone guarded.
“…Yes,” Selene replied, trying to sound casual.
“Then, it is what it is,” Aria said nonchalantly, returning to her book while holding the crystal ball.
She knew she couldn’t reveal the true nature of her relationship with Aether, especially not to Selene, Kai’s sister. She was sure Kai would take drastic actions if he found out.
Selene’s lips twitched in annoyance at Aria’s evasive answer, “If you dare hurt Aether, I won’t stay silent…”
Aria blinked, surprised by Selene’s protectiveness. She thought to herself, ‘I guess she might actually be a good person…’ Aloud, she said, “Well, since he’s stronger than my other servan–” but Selene interrupted her, her face lighting up with pride.
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“Isn’t he?!!” Selene’s face radiated pure bliss as she boasted about Aether’s strength, clearly proud and joyful.
“He is! He is even better than I expected,” Aria agreed, smiling with pride as well.
“Yes, he is the best!” Selene declared with conviction. She added, “That time, he defeated the bears with a single spell and flew through the sky with utmost precision… He is the best!!”
Aria smiled gently, feeling a kinship with Selene. “Not only that, but he’s also very capable of learning new things quickly, and his curiosity… it’s like a child’s!”
Selene laughed, her eyes sparkling with amusement. “Haha… Yes, once his curiosity gets the better of him, he acts like a child, which makes everyone want to pamper him.”
The two women found themselves bonding over their mutual admiration for Aether. The wavelength between the two Yanderes seemed to sync perfectly… at least initially!
Selene and Aria continued their conversation, exclusively talking about Aether and the situations surrounding him. As they grew closer, they decided to have a separate chat, laughing and smiling quietly together.
“T-That time, hah… He almost broke that bully’s hand and… Pfffftttt!!” Selene started, struggling to contain her laughter.
“He broke the hand? And?” Aria prompted, eager to hear more.
“Yeah, and… the bully wet himself inside the carriage, ahahaha…. and…ha… they never even approached him again. Heck, they even licked his shoes and followed him like a dog… ahaha,” Selene recounted, both of them bursting into laughter.
“Hahaha–”
Suddenly, there was a loud explosion.
BOOM!!!
“I AM SORRY!!!”