NOVEL WEB Chapter 162
“Suddenly called in, this is awkward.”
I thought being summoned like this meant I did something wrong, but hey, I didn’t do anything wrong. So, I decided to put on a brave face and walk out. However, once I stood before her, I couldn’t shake off this instinctive feeling of intimidation.
From her appearance, it looked like Lapiz had grown up well, but there was something fundamentally different about her.
It wasn’t her power or authority that made me feel this way. It was a primal fear at a more instinctual level.
Seeing her with just a flick of her wrist, I felt the fear that, quite literally, she could tear me apart.
The person before me was someone who, if she wanted, could create an earthquake strong enough to split this continent in half.
“From your outfit, you don’t seem like you’re with Heros Company… Are you a student from the Academy?”
Her golden eyes penetrated deep into my heart as if she was looking right through me. I really got the feeling that standing in front of a dragon would be like this.
Even though I hadn’t done anything wrong, I felt my body stiffening involuntarily. But staying quiet wouldn’t help me, so I mustered up my courage and replied.
“Yes. I was brought here because of what happened this morning… I just woke up.”
“Ah, so you’re a victim. Well, considering the whole year was involved…you all have a pretty unfortunate fate. So, what brings you here? A student shouldn’t have business with me.”
Oh, she doesn’t even know why I’m here. So that explains why she seems a bit prickly.
As soon as I got the situation, I promptly informed Lapiz’s grandmother of who I was.
“Well, I’m here to see Lapiz. We’re close friends, you know, Minho… Lapiz must have surely told you I’m her friend.”
Upon hearing this, Lapiz’s grandmother seemed to ponder for a moment, then her expression quickly changed to one of warmth and recognition.
Honestly, she felt less like a grandmother and more like an older sister with some age difference. Now I understood why Lapiz sought her out.
“Oh, you’re a friend. What a shame to see her in such a state. Come in. Lapiz is still asleep.”
Recognizing who I was, her grandmother welcomed me and opened the door to the hospital room.
Inside, there was a man I had never seen before, standing guard by her side with an enormous paintbrush on his shoulder.
He looked like he was about to ask who I was, but when her grandmother said I was a friend, he immediately relaxed all his previous guardedness.
“Well, this is the first time we’ve met face to face. I’m her grandfather.”
The man introduced himself as her grandfather and nudged a chair towards me, signaling for me to sit.
“What about Lapiz’s parents?”
“They’re currently very busy working. The Liberators seem to be stirring things up left and right during this short period.”
Her parents really don’t get a moment of rest.
Sitting down, he let out a deep sigh and muttered whether she could really endure this cruel turn of events.
“…She will endure. Lapiz may seem a bit fragile, but she’s not that weak.”
“So you think. It looks like she’s brightened up a lot spending time with her friends. I wish I could say the same… but somehow it feels ominous.”
His presumption of the worst was oddly reminiscent of the past me. Of course, it wasn’t a bad thing.
Some people prefer to prepare for the worst, but just watching him brought back memories of my own past self, who was too scared to find the courage.
“We have no choice but to believe. Of course, we must do our best, but ultimately, we have no choice but to believe, right?”
“Of course, I am believing. But she was your first friend, wasn’t she? The closest and dearest person to you turned out to do such a thing…”
However, I couldn’t confidently say that was okay with her grandfather’s lingering concerns hanging over me. I came here because I was worried about that very thing.
Could Lapiz accept Blanca’s betrayal? If she couldn’t, I wanted to at least help her come to terms with it.
But if her grandfather was already worried, I began to doubt what I could really do.
“That paintbrush on your back… what is it? It can’t just be an ornament.”
I awkwardly steered the conversation towards the paintbrush, trying to shake off some disturbing thoughts.
He seemed to think for a moment, tapping his fingers, and said it had so many uses that even he struggled to answer properly.
“Right now… Well, it’s meant to touch the heart. If Lapiz is suffering too much, it might help with her memories…”
As I was talking briefly with her grandfather, Lapiz began to stir slightly and finally opened her eyes.
“…Ugh, yawn… I slept well. I’m supposed to go to the Academy now… Where am I? Grandpa? Minho? Why are you here?”
“Are you feeling okay?”
“I-I’m fine and all, but I just woke up… What am I doing in the hospital?”
Lapiz didn’t seem to have her memories completely intact, so I tried to jog her memory by briefly recapping what happened to us.
The betrayal that occurred during the ceremony.
As she seemed to gradually recall her memories, she furrowed her brows and tried hard to remember, soon displaying a deeply shocked expression.
“Ah…”
“Lapiz? Are you alright?”
Calling out to her to check her status, she didn’t respond at all. She just looked incredibly shocked.
She kept repeating short “ah” sounds a few times, and then small tears began to flow from her eyes.
“Poor thing…”
Her grandmother couldn’t bear to look and merely shut her eyes tight.
“Ah… Ugh, sob, huh… Ahhh, aahhh!!”
It seemed like she fully remembered everything, and she began to cry uncontrollably like a dam bursting.
Not only that, the building began to shake as well, causing her grandmother to counteract the vibrations while her grandfather brought the brush close to her body, writing something down.
Then, she collapsed back into unconsciousness.
…It seemed like she wasn’t as strong as I had anticipated.
“Maybe it would have been better to erase those memories…”
Her grandfather murmured quietly. But that just couldn’t happen. Regardless of the unfolding events or anything else, she shouldn’t forget that.
“No! What I mean is… That can’t happen! If you erase that, who knows what will happen to her memories after that!”
“I get that. But look what almost happened just now. It will all come crashing down.”
“She was betrayed by her closest friend, so it’s only natural for her to feel deeply heartbroken. I also don’t want this, but… it’s better than turning into a shell of a human, right?”
I wanted to scream at how they could say such things. But their faces were shrouded in darkness.
It was clear they weren’t comfortable with this either.
What should I do? After deep contemplation, I finally thought of something that could be a solution.
“Blanca… even though she talked about being friends at the end, before that, she warned us repeatedly not to come to the Academy. If it really was about being friends, she wouldn’t have sent such a warning!”
“So you’re asking us not to erase her memories.”
I thought it might be better than her forgetting everything. I knew it sounded selfish and forceful, but I made that request.
“Alright, for now… I’ll give it some time and observe. Whether she can accept it or not.”
“Thank you. Then, I will take my leave now. I doubt my presence will be much help.”
Her grandmother, who had initially greeted me warmly, now seemed to offer nothing but a simple thank you for my visit.
As I stepped into the hallway, medical staff and the few patients who could still walk were in a panic, asking if it was an earthquake or an attack.
…In the past, I would’ve just brushed it off as an earthquake, but fear had already spread everywhere.
Swallowing my bitterness, I searched for my friends scattered across the hospital. Most of them were displaying reactions similar to Lapiz’s.
They hadn’t completely lost control of their abilities and been swallowed by sadness, at least not like her.
“I’m sorry, I just… want to be alone.”
“It’s okay. Just let me be like this. Really, it’s fine.”
Ageha and Seolhwa asked to be left alone. I tried to persuade them somehow, but it didn’t work.
The only one I could still talk to was Yeonhwa. But she, too, seemed deeply shocked and saddened by the way Blanca had just left us like that.
I tried to convince her that based on the message she sent, she probably hadn’t completely abandoned us, but she was in tears, saying if she really thought of us as friends, she shouldn’t have left like that.
“…That’s true, but.”
“Why did she leave like that, hurting us all…”
Yeonhwa looked deeply heartbroken, and no comfort or encouragement seemed to reach her.
For what it was worth, Jin-hyeon was the only one still able to talk, but… he seemed to be overly energized in a way that was a bit off.
“Blanca… crossed a line. No matter the circumstances, her actions cannot be justified!”
The vivid red of his hair showed just how angry he was.
“…So, you mean to capture Blanca or something?”
“Of course! She needs to face the consequences of her actions. That’s… the right thing to do.”
Even Jin-hyeon, who usually remained indifferent, seemed to have changed in the face of Blanca’s actions and absence.
…It seemed like none of us would be able to return to the way things were before.