Chapter 049 "What... exactly am I looking at right now?"
Pink hair fluttered like cotton candy as it rushed straight toward me.
"What... exactly am I looking at right now?"
Evelyn stared blankly ahead, forgetting to even breathe. Filling her entire field of vision was a thick brown wall. But could you really call that living, writhing mass a wall?
Rumble rumble rumble—!
The ground screamed in agony. A massive tidal wave of mud surged forward, threatening to swallow the entire village in its path, sweeping everything away. Houses looked like they would crumble, people like they would be swept off their feet.
If this was a disaster, she should be screaming or running. Yet Evelyn couldn't twitch a finger. The terror of that overwhelming mass and energy had rooted her feet to the spot.
I need to stop it... but can I?
Impossible. Natural disasters were, by definition, beyond human power to defy.
And yet.
Roooar!
An unbelievable sight unfolded. The colossal wave charging toward where she stood suddenly veered off—as if an invisible hand had grabbed it by the scruff of the neck—turning at a near-perfect right angle.
"...Huh?"
Her jaw dropped. It was grotesque. In a world governed by physics and inertia, for that enormous lump of mass to alter its trajectory so smoothly? It was as artificial as if someone had cast a spell.
Splash!
After the wave passed. As the dust settled, the revealed scene was even more shocking.
"Huh?"
"W-What is..."
Gasps erupted from all around. The sticky ground, covered in filth and trash, had vanished. In its place lay a perfectly leveled and compacted plain, measured with a ruler, flanked by meticulously carved drainage ditches—like something out of a fairy tale.
In mere seconds. The village map had been redrawn.
"Kahahahaha!"
A hearty laugh shattered the silence. It was Professor Wilhelm.
Evelyn dragged her trembling legs over to him.
"Professor... what in the world just happened?"
"Ah, Your Highness. You've arrived."
Wilhelm turned, wiping tears from his eyes. Evelyn flinched at the ecstasy on his face.
"Did you see it? That beautiful trajectory!"
"Trajectory? That was a catastrophe! Who the hell did this...?"
"Catastrophe?"
Wilhelm pointed his baton at the neatly prepared ground.
"It seems Kasian del Parne is far—far—more of a freakish genius than we ever imagined."
"...What did you say?"
Evelyn's ears doubted her.
"Kasian... del Parne?"
"Yes. That boy's handiwork."
"..."
Evelyn's entire body shuddered. Her gaze drifted to where the wave had halted in the distance.
That was... something a human did?
A mere twenty-year-old freshman? How much mana did he pour into that? No, mana pool size wasn't the issue. Calculating and controlling every possible outcome from stimulating that complex terrain in real time?
Impossible.
She couldn't comprehend it. The magical common sense she'd built her whole life was shattering with a single gesture from that man.
In that moment, a foreign emotion stirred deep in Evelyn's chest. Not jealousy or envy, but something different.
...Scary.
It was fear. Instinctual terror before overwhelming power. Evelyn bit her lip until blood welled up. It disgusted her. She, an imperial princess, afraid of someone? Unbearable.
No. That's not it.
She instinctively denied the feeling. It wasn't fear—just physiological shock from the unexpected.
As she hypnotized herself like that.
Whoooosh... thud.
The dust settled like magic, and the ground fell into perfect silence. People stared blankly at the miraculously renovated land, deathly quiet.
Then.
A man from the corner raised his voice.
"Alright! Everyone, snap out of it!"
Covered in dirt, the man stood before the crowd, eyes blazing.
"Road construction's done, so save the awe for later! Let's get to work!"
"..."
"We've still got our share left! If we leave it like this, it'll collapse again! We need to treat it with chemicals before it sets!"
At his urging, the frozen male students began snapping out of it one by one.
"Oh, right. The well..."
"Grab your shovels!"
A strange fervor spread. In a situation that should have them fleeing in terror, the students instead burned with zeal and got moving—like crowds in myths following a hero's back.
...What the hell?
Evelyn was baffled. How could he spout such nonsense right after witnessing that absurdity? And why were people responding to it? Were they all crazy? Or was she the weird one?
"Your Highness, it's dangerous!"
Her maid frantically blocked her path.
"The ground might still be unstable! Please step back..."
"Out of my way."
Evelyn commanded coldly.
"But Your Highness!"
"I said move."
Ignoring the maid, Evelyn strode forward. The ground underfoot was firm. Hard to believe this was the filthy mud pit from moments ago—the spot she trod felt like a professional's perfect road base.
I have to confirm it.
She didn't care if her dress hem dragged in the dirt. Her eyes fixed on one place: the point where that impossible wave had begun. Where that man would be.
The village was small to begin with. Especially on the well-paved path—just a few minutes to the edge.
In that short time, her mind screamed as tens of thousands of formulas and theories clashed.
But the conclusion was singular.
No human could do this. Ever.
Earth elements, unlike water or fire, couldn't be created—they had to communicate with existing matter. Communicate with this vast earth? Control it to move precisely as ordered, results perfectly aligned?
If that's possible, it'd be a dragon or spirit. Not human.
There, on the ground where dust hadn't fully settled, sat a man slumped over, rubbing his arms.
As she approached and cast her shadow, Kasian del Parne looked up. His hollow eyes held no dignity, yet brimmed with vitality.
"What brings Her Highness here? Ugh!"
Kasian tried to stand and bow, but his body wouldn't obey—he staggered.
Thud. He slumped back, grimacing.
"Sorry. My body's wrecked right now; can't get up. Legs declared a strike."
"...Doesn't matter."
Evelyn looked down coldly. She had to tense her core to keep her voice steady.
"That spell just now. You did it."
"Yeah. Pretty much."
So curt an affirmation. Evelyn's lips twitched at his casual tone, like answering "Yep" to "Eaten yet?"
She wanted to ask. What incantation? Mana array? Real-time terrain calculations?
"What in the..."
But she stopped before speaking. She knew his answer already.
Just did it? Worked, so I made it work?
That bullshit again. Like last time. What a stupid question. And every time she witnessed his sky-high feats, asking "How?" from her crawling-on-the-ground perspective made her feel pathetic and dumb.
Grind.
Clenching her teeth, Evelyn desperately clung to reason. She couldn't repeat that disgrace from Professor Iris's lab. Lose her dignity as princess, and she'd be nothing.
Suppressing her primal fear of him with all her might, she spat the best superior's line she could muster.
"...Good work."
"Ah, thanks."
After a near-miraculous feat, he sat awkwardly like it was nothing, nodding sheepishly. Evelyn felt that grotesqueness again. As if the man before her lived in another dimension, under different physical laws.
She had nothing more to say. Couldn't say it.
Evelyn turned and fled.
A moment later, as Evelyn neared the village entrance where Professor Wilhelm and the students had set up camp.
Pat pat pat!
Far off, a small shadow kicked up white dust as it raced closer. Pink hair. Petite build. A girl she'd seen somewhere.
Her face pale, she sprinted full-tilt.
"Huff, huff! Y-Your Highness!"
Spotting Evelyn, the girl skidded to a panicked halt, bowing deeply. Even in that brief greeting, she fidgeted impatiently.
Evelyn had no emotion or energy to spare.
"Yes."
A curt permission. Then Lily snapped her head up and—
Whoosh!
—bolted past like her feet had carriage wheels. Straight toward where Kasian del Parne lay collapsed.
Evelyn halted, glancing back. She'd fled in fear. But that girl charged fearlessly toward the monster.
"...Hah."
A hollow laugh escaped. Self-loathing surged once more.
Watching Evelyn's retreating back, I barely swallowed the "What the fuck?" rising to my throat.
"...Whew."
Thought I was screwed for real. Feared my ankle was toast the second the ability ended.
Luckily, no pain there. My whole body was screaming, shoving ankle pain to the back burner.
"Ughhh."
Am I seriously gonna die like this?
Pain like my whole body got blendered—couldn't think straight. Felt like every muscle tore. Heart throbbed like hell too. No clue if it was stomach, lungs, or heart—chest pain was a bitch anyway.
First time using ability and feeling like this.
Fucked. How am I supposed to use the last two clicks now?
How to boil water? Die trying? Nah, can't.
Just let Lucius throw money at it.
Realizing how sloppily I'd lived my life—only now, at twenty, hitting this ability's limit with my spud-digging past. First time knowing it had a ceiling.
Feared divine lightning for abusing "limitless" power, but no need. There is a ceiling.
But shit, big problem. How to even stand?
Fingers protested with cracks at the slightest twitch. No choice, though. Couldn't sprawl here. Still needed hardener, finishing touches. Gotta close out my own mess to save face.
"Grraaah!!"
Grinding teeth, I let out a beastly groan. Forced shaking legs to push me up.
World spun dizzily.
"Urk..."
Stomach churning bad. Rollercoaster gut after forever. Gonna puke, but can't right after fixing the ground—pre-coating, no vom on my blood-sweat masterpiece.
"Kuhhh."
Damn. Should've got antacids or painkillers from Lucius beforehand.
Desperately swallowing bile to calm down when—
Pat pat!
Sound of someone pounding the ground from afar.
...Fuck.
Just packed it, now someone's trampling it again? Pissed, I looked up.
"...?"
Pink hair fluttered like cotton candy as it rushed straight toward me.
It was Lily. Where'd she hawk the soup to come here?
Face ashen, teary-eyed, she screeched to a halt right in front.
"Haa, haa! Kasian!"
"..."
"A-Are you okay? Hurt anywhere?"
She grabbed my arm frantically.
"Huh? Urk!"
Trying to answer opened my mouth—acid reflux hit.
Damn. Don't make me talk. Gonna hurl.
I clamped my mouth, dry-heaving. Lily's eyes filled with horror.
"Oh no! You look awful!"
Ugh, nauseating. Already queasy enough.
She fumbled in her bosom, pulling out a small glass vial.
"Quick, drink this!"
"...?"
What's this?