Chapter 39: Deus Verdi

“......”

In the quiet and desolate hospital room, where even the faint sound of droplets falling grated on the ears, Erica Bright stood next to Deus' bed, her head lowered in self-blame as he lay there with closed eyes.

Deus had once said this to her.

-The Academy indeed holds some secrets, but it’s not 'them' who intend to kill me.

‘Right.’ 

Only now did Erica begin to understand the meaning of those words.

It wasn’t the evil spirits of the Academy that were the problem; there was another spirit dwelling within him.

She didn’t know what their true identity was, though.

“I’m sorry.”

‘I couldn’t protect you.’

Instead of protecting him, she had even hurt him.

Her nose twitched slightly, as if tears were about to well up. Lately, her tears had been flowing more frequently, leaving her feeling weak.

As she used the back of her cold hand to wipe her warm eyes…

Creak.

The door opened, and the maid, Finden Ai, entered the hospital room. She had finally finished her cigarette. 

Finden Ai looked at Erica and clicked her tongue.

“His life is not in danger. Don’t worry too much.”

When Deus fell from the rooftop, it was quite shocking, but there were numerous professors and security guards around him.

Naturally, they immediately provided emergency treatment, and his life was not in danger.

The problem was that even though his body was gradually recovering, he still wouldn’t open his eyes.

“Master probably jumped without worrying because he knew you were below.”

“......”

“So, take care of yourself… After all, you have his trust, don’t you?”

“Are you saying that knowing everything?”

Erica turned her head sharply and glared at Finden Ai.

However, since she, a professor teaching at the Academy didn’t have a murderous aura to scare her, Findenai didn’t stop speaking, despite finding it interesting.

“I could have saved him.”

Finden Ai stated confidently. Upon hearing those words, Erica felt her blood boil and summoned mana, but Finden Ai continued speaking with her arms crossed.

“But master told me not to. Though I’m not sure what he was thinking, but….”

“......!”

“I trust him: He won’t do anything for no reason.”

“......”

Erica was momentarily at a loss for words, overwhelmed by a strange sense of defeat.

While Finden Ai couldn’t be seen as having such a strong affection for Deus as to call it love, her trust was genuine.

Not trusting him as much as his maid despite being his fiancée, Erica pursed her lips tightly.

Creak!

Once again, the door opened, and the red-haired Gideon entered.

He approached Erica, his face as red as his hair, in an agitated state.

“What are you doing here! You’re my lover! Who are you nursing?”

Gideon roughly grabbed Erica’s wrist and tried to pull her along.

“No, I am not!”

Swish!

Erica pushed away his hand, refusing him.

“I clearly warned you not to touch me.”

Using the mana that had surged up due to Finden Ai, Erica warned Gideon seriously.

“You...!”

“Shut up and leave. This place is where the patients could rest quietly.”

“…….”

Gideon glanced at Finden Ai beside him and Deus lying in the hospital bed, as if at a loss for words.

Then, he suddenly realized something and gestured to Erica with his finger.

“The Bright family is already considering our engagement in a positive light.”

“......!”

Erica’s next words were instantly cut off. It felt like a heavy stone lodged itself in her throat.

“Let’s see if you keep the same attitude then!”

Shouting like that, Gideon roughly opened the door and went outside.

Seeing his figure leave, Erica let out a long sigh and sat down, feeling like she would collapse any moment now.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

Erica, who didn’t want to be like this beside Deus, headed outside.

Finden Ai followed behind.

“Should I offer you a cigarette, at least?”

With a wry smile, Finden Ai sneaked a cigarette out of her pocket. Erica hesitated for a moment, then shook her head.

“Let’s have some coffee. I also have something I’m curious about.”

“I’m curious about something too. Can you tell me?”

“If you don’t regard it as a game.”

“Well, that won’t do! In the end, it all comes down to whether it’s fun or not!”

“… You are really hard to get along with.”

Feeling annoyed, Erica headed to a nearby café with Finden Ai.

Peace and tranquility returned once again. However, it didn’t last long and was shattered.

Creak.

A black-haired female student entered through the door. Her red necktie indicated that she was a first-year student at the Robern Academy.

She was Aria Rias, the protagonist of Retry.

She approached without expression, looked down at the unconscious Deus, and said, “Ah, I see.”

Then, her eyes blurred and she slowly reached out her hand to caress his face.

Starting from his eyes, moving across his forehead, down his nose, and naturally wiping his cheeks, she finally reached his lips.

“Ah, Professor.”

As she gazed at his soft lips, Aria’s mouth watered with the desire to taste them, but she held back and let out a hot breath.

No matter how strong her desire surged, Aria had no intention of doing anything without Deus’ consent.

“Professor.”

Aria slowly lifted his hand and brought it to her own cheek.

Perhaps because he was covered with a blanket, Deus’ warm touch intensified the sensations coursing through Aria’s body.

“I was really surprised.”

She never expected him to jump off the rooftop like that. Although Aria was momentarily shocked and tried to rush forward, she refrained from interfering because Karen and Erica, who were nearby, skillfully administered first aid.

“Last time, such things never happened, so you really caught me off guard.”

Gently, Aria lowered her head and pressed her ear against Deus’ chest.

Thump, thump.

The sound of his heartbeat reassured her that Deus was still alive, and that alone brought peace and happiness to Aria’s heart.

“It seems like you’re already planning to deal with that person, Professor. It seems my efforts weren’t in vain.”

With her ear pressed against his chest, Aria turned her head sharply and stared intently at Deus’ lips.

Should she just devour them?

That desire surged uncontrollably and filled Aria’s body. Her body hesitantly moved forward-

“Make sure you win and come back.”

However, as a compromise, Aria kissed Deus on the forehead and left the hospital room.

“This time, I will...”

And her quiet pledge disappeared as if it were a whisper.

* * *

“...”

I raised my hand to check.

The skin wasn’t the white color I remembered from Deus’ vision. Looking at the typical East Asian skin tone, I realized that I had succeeded.

I was now Kim Shin-woo - a South Korean native who had been separated from my parents due to my insistence on seeing ghosts. 

These supernatural apparitions tormented me relentlessly, leading me to develop a defense mechanism that gradually eroded my emotional range. 

Despite these challenges, I managed to pursue higher education and complete my military service, subsequently leading an ordinary life with a regular job.

“...”

Even the clothes I was wearing were the ones I used to wear at work. 

Come to think of it, it felt like the same clothes I had when I entered the game.

Looking around, I recognized the familiar Verdy mansion.

However, it was evident that the scenery outside the mansion, which was not reality, did not display a proper form but rather resembled hazy colors diluted in water.

At that moment...

Creak.

The front gate opened, and a very familiar man walked out of the mansion.

He had a deep anger evident from his expression, and he glared at me as if he would tear me apart at any moment.

Deus Verdy.

“You’re still here!”

He was the original owner of the body I possessed.

“You’re still alive! You’re still parasitizing my body! I’ll kill you no matter what. I’ll kick you out no matter what!”

Deus grabbed my collar, venting his anger.

If you really think about it, this was actually our first meeting.

I pushed his hand away and replied.

“Now, I am the owner of this body, not you.”

“Don’t talk nonsense! I am Deus! I am Verdy’s son!”

“...”

“You bastard! Get out of my body quickly! Did you think it was fun to pretend to be me like that? Huh? Did you enjoy it? Did it thrill you, with people fawning over you?”

“...”

“You fucking bastard! Answer me! You took over someone else’s body, and yet you shamelessly act like this? How can you behave like that?”

To him who was partially holding back tears, I calmly replied as if exhaling slowly.

“All I did was to survive, that’s all.”

“You...!”

“However, while I was living as Deus Verdy.”

Calmly and confidently, I said.

“No one missed you.”

“You bastard...!”

Deus swung his fist forcefully and struck my face accurately. My head turned, but it didn’t hurt.

“You were the owner of a twisted sexual desire to the point of lusting after your only sister.”

“Shut up!”

Thud!

“If there were not enough drugs, you were a junkie who would even lick the shoes of lowlifes in the back alleys.”

“So what? What does that have to do with anything? That was my life!”

Thud!

Deus’s punches continued, but gradually, his strength weakened.

“Furthermore, you had no sense of responsibility as Verdy, you never had the will to protect North Whedon.”

At least Darius had that. The family was his top priority, and North Whedon came second.

But the man in front of me simply saw everything as his playground.

“To be honest, I wanted to meet you. And I had a serious question to ask.”

“…And what the f*ck is that?”

In an instant, Deus, who had been swinging his fists, unexpectedly became a pitiful figure, his face covered in tears.

“I have seen countless souls. They couldn’t let go of the regrets in their lives because they held onto their own beliefs and values.”

I finally asked the question I had wanted to ask for a long time.

“Deus Verdy, what regrets do you hold?”

--- End of The Chapter --

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