Chapter 15
Chapter 15
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: When Your Choice Calls Me (2)
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We had dinner with Professor Rozali, leaving a sniffling Irha right there in her seat.
"Hic... hic...!! Nom nom...!!! Myam myam myam!!"
"Hey... slow down. You'll get indigestion."
Her face flushed as she shoveled food into her mouth like some kind of warrior in battle—it somehow looked utterly sincere.
This foolish girl has zero talent for lying.
I might find Irha's stupidity endearing, but there are times when a person can't afford to be that naive.
Because if that stupidity drags on out of sheer obliviousness, turning into "I didn't know! Please forgive me!", it won't be excusable anymore.
In her previous life, she was naive in all sorts of ways, and the situation was an utter desperate mess.
Or rather, those two factors fed into each other in a vicious cycle.
When you're scrambling just to handle what's right in front of you, let alone seeing far ahead, people turn stupid. And that stupidity drags the situation even deeper into the pit.
So even with her conscience tearing at her, she couldn't ultimately refuse Emma's outstretched hand.
It was too urgent, and she didn't know much to begin with, so she had no clue about the flaws lurking in her own choices.
But judging by Irha's demeanor now, she'd clearly chosen to slap away Emma's hand.
This naive but honest girl isn't the type to stab you in the back while brazenly asking you to buy her food to your face.
I'm not overconfident enough to think I've fully read her after just a few days of interaction, or that my insight into people is that sharp.
This judgment comes from knowing the path Irha Livingston took in my memories of the past life.
In that previous life, this girl came to me—bedridden and broken—and to Professor Rozali, who was caring for me. She bawled her eyes out and spilled every single detail of everything that had happened.
She laid it all bare honestly, said she'd pay whatever price, no matter what. And begged us not to forgive her.
I still remember the girl who said those words.
Her end was just... empty.
What could a country bumpkin gull dragged into the nobles' sordid games even do?
She made some gestures about exposing the truth and all that... but got caught in the merciless gears of their pastime, vanishing without a trace in a "suicide" that wrapped up her life.
Even if not that, her life was doomed to be snuffed out soon enough to cover it all up.
If she'd truly been a villain, she would've at least kept her mouth shut around me and played dumb.
If so, I really wouldn't have known a thing until Leon mocked me by spilling the whole story.
"Um... Ras... We have something to talk about alone... Mind stepping out for a sec...?"
Irha, who had been chomping away at her stew, suddenly started peeking at me cautiously as she spoke.
Professor Rozali, seeing Irha fidget, let out a thoughtful "Hmm~."
"You two have a weird vibe going. Ras, you break up with your girlfriend? Or are you dating Rizli now?"
What the hell is this lady saying...? I don't have a girlfriend like that. Don't say creepy stuff...
We're planning to break up officially soon anyway...!
I couldn't say that outright, so I mumbled something vague.
"Ah... well, we're in a rut. I'm enjoying some alone time these days. Anyway, we'll step out for a bit."
"Sure~ I'll be bored. If you two ditch me, I'll punish you? Hurry up and talk, then come back. Teacher's gonna have a drink alone!"
This was a fresh situation—Irha actively trying to confess something to me directly—so I took her outside the dining hall.
The two of us sat on a bench in the park near the dining hall.
It was a quiet little spot with only the occasional passerby.
"Urgh...."
Ginger ale in hand, she groaned like some tortured drunkard.
"Ah, what? Did you really call me out here to confess you love me or something?"
I spat out something random to cut the awkward air, recalling how Professor Rozali had teased me.
"That's not it..!!!!"
But her shout was so firm it stung a little.
What's with denying it so seriously?
After fidgeting another three seconds, she chugged the ginger ale like it was booze, tossed the bottle in the trash, and then spilled it all out like a drunk's heartfelt ramble.
"Truth is, Ras. Emma made me a shady offer today. Something about messing with you, maybe even hurting you if it goes wrong."
Her serious, measured tone was a far cry from her usual slightly dim, plodding way of talking.
At my gesture urging her to go on, Irha continued in a rush.
"She told me to slip you some drug during next week's evaluation if I got the chance. Said if you ace it, she'd have to drop out of the academy. Something about noble family stuff I can't really understand."
"What an absurd girl."
The story matched what I already knew, with my interjections.
Emma knew her little sister had a rare disease with a time limit. Offered to cover surgery costs and hook her up with a good place...
And the story led her finally to...
"Sorry, Ras. Truth is, I hesitated for a moment. My sister's sick, I'm poor... I know that's no excuse to screw over someone innocent like you. I shouldn't have even hesitated for a second."
It was a proper apology—something I'd never heard from the desperately frantic Irha of my past life, but desperately wanted to hear.
Words I hadn't even dreamed of hearing after regressing, in this life.
No matter my circumstances, that can't be an excuse to treat some innocent guy harshly.
That's exactly why, in this life, I don't want to turn into the blood-soaked monster from before unless pushed.
Because of my harsh pre-regression life, I spilled way too much blood that didn't need to flow.
Enough that it felt like karmic payback when I died so miserably and pointlessly.
Anyway, this time, I'm just gonna torment the ones who come at me first, properly.
I won't let anyone touch me directly, whatever it is.
I patted the head of my minion spouting such mature words, making her look surprisingly sharp.
"Hey. You only hesitated, right? That's fine. That's way better than making me buy you that mint choco bread. Thanks for being honest."
Mint choco bread is an unforgivable evil, but anyway...!
I was grateful she'd come clean to the almost-victim instead of brooding alone.
A few days of good feeding, and the kid's judgment's improving. People really do get smarter with proper meals.
Irha still has tons to learn to navigate a harsh world like this.
But smarts and common sense? Those can always be picked up later if you have shame and conscience.
As I nodded in satisfaction, Irha glanced at me slyly and continued, fidgeting again.
"Um... Ras... I'm really sorry, but... about Mirha... could you help somehow? I know it's shameless, but I'll repay it over my lifetime if I have to..."
And this right here? Proper socialization.
Opening up honestly to the right person and asking for help.
Plus, cultivating the eye to tell if someone's help—like from bad apples like Leon, Rizli, or Emma—is genuine goodwill or a ploy to use you.
Grab those black-hearted hands, and your life's ruined pronto.
"Well... gotta help, right? Taking good care of your minions when they're in trouble is a great boss's virtue."
"Waaah...!"
Her innocent face broke into a beaming grin.
"But it's not free. Let's see... This one's bigger than the 'Hiols' thing last time. You'll have to minion nonstop for about 20 years."
But the second I finished, she threw her arms wide and hugged me tight! This minion's finally lost it!
"I'll do it. Not 20 years—lifetime. Thanks, Ras. I'll do whatever you say!"
No... wait, 20 years won't work. We all die in a massacre 10 years from now, world ends...
And honestly, I don't know the exact symptoms of your sister, so no guarantees I can save her.
But anyway, a woman's hug after so long felt nice, so I savored it briefly.
She's got such a generous embrace... feels good...!
Like the comfort from my beautiful master who used to hug me sometimes.
But that short bliss under 30 seconds was cut short by a very displeased voice.
"Oh man~ You young things having a blast...! In some secluded spot! Leaving the old fogey alone to hug it out. Real nice, huh~?"
And there was Professor Rozali, who'd gotten pissed off drinking alone at the tavern and tracked us down.
A sulky mature beauty was surprisingly easy on the eyes.
"Ahh..! Professor, Ras and I aren't like that...! I was just grateful for something..!"
"Oh~ I heard it all. 'Lifetime. Thanks, Ras. I'll do whatever you say!' Nice set of lungs you got, Irha?"
Our fool really does have lungs that are too loud.
I smacked my lips and pried Irha off me.
Anyway, I'd singled out Professor Rozali today because, to my knowledge, she's the fastest way to help Irha's sister.
I'm a fighter clueless about diseases or rare mana ailments, but this woman's the second-best at saving lives I know of.
If she can't save Mirha, I'm out of options.
Idiots like Emma or her family couldn't touch it, and Leon might could, but no way he'd bother.
"We're really not like that. Perfect timing, Professor—you can take over the convo. Irha, explain your sister's symptoms in detail. She's the real expert... Get ready for a tight hug from the prof too."
"...???"
To the baffled Professor Rozali, Irha started chattering about her sister's condition.
After hearing Mirha's symptoms, Professor Rozali and I both blurted questions at Irha in shock.
Though for slightly different reasons.
"Hold on... Irha, your sister's Mirha Livingston?"
Professor Rozali already knew of Mirha's case somehow, so she was shocked recognizing the girl herself.
"Irha, what exactly are your sister's symptoms? Tell me slowly again."
In my case, I knew Mirha's symptoms—and even the cure—from my past life.
Lately, I'd been torn between getting strong the same way as before or seeking another path.
One thing was clear: the former let me recover my past life's power fast via attributes, but it was hellish.
Because the breakthrough I'd found pre-regression wasn't something sane or normal.
Nah, it was more like a lucky patch on an insanely abnormal situation, leaving me doubtful if it even counted.
But with a minion's sister on a one-month death sentence, no time for other paths.
Mirha's choice in this life had called me, so I'd end up walking the same road as before.
But even on the same road, this me was different from then, so the journey would differ.
The path ahead blazed blood-red.
'Welcome to hell after all...! World's still a fiery inferno, huh..!'
I let out a deep sigh.
Looks like Irha's stuck as my minion till death's door.