Chapter 328

Jane momentarily short-circuited when she collapsed, but we quickly got her to the hospital.

The Academy is structured in such a way that injuries happen frequently. Consequently, the manual is quite well-organized.

Thus, we were able to quickly determine the reason for Jane’s collapse, and before long, the doctor spoke to me.

“She’s overworked.”

“Overworked?”

“Yes. Fortunately, her nutritional status is good, so she just needs to rest.”

Luckily, there are no major issues—just simple overwork. Sleep deprivation seems to be the most critical problem.

The disheveled appearance she had was due to not washing for several days, the doctor said. I looked at the collapsed Jane.

How engrossed must she have been to forget to sleep? I have to acknowledge her passion.

However, when it crossed over to the demons’ side, that passion turns toxic. This part didn’t seem to require extra concern.

“Hmm…”

I was waiting while voluntarily taking care of Jane. It was only after half a day had passed since she fainted that she regained consciousness.

She blinked her eyes, still sporting a dazed expression. Without her glasses, her vision must have been blurry.

‘She looks so much prettier without glasses.’

Who said it? Glasses are perfect for sealing away beauty.

In reality, Jane’s glasses must have had a high prescription because, once off, her eyes appeared much prettier.

Especially her previously hidden eyelashes stood out, dramatically changing her impression.

When she wore glasses, she had an intellectual and dull image; without them, she appeared sharper.

“Where am I…?”

“Are you back to your senses?”

I leaned in closer to Jane, who still seemed out of it. She blinked a couple more times.

Could it be that she couldn’t see well without her glasses? Jane frowned and eventually muttered in confusion.

“Sivar…? Where exactly am I…?”

“They said it was overwork. You need to rest.”

“Oh. Is that so…? Did I collapse from overwork…?”

“Just lie down.”

I forced Jane back down as she tried to get up. Right now, she needs rest above all.

I know all too well what happens when fatigue builds up. I’m not immune to it either.

Moreover, Jane is a blacksmith and engineer. Enduring scorching heat to create something is inherently tough work.

She had been working tirelessly, so it’s only natural she would strain her body. At least, it’s a relief that her nutrition is good.

“Fortunately, it seems you’ve been eating regularly. Did you eat alone?”

“No… Eli took me out…”

It seems Eli has been visiting her often. Perhaps that’s why she felt more fatigued.

Jane is naturally introverted. Unless there’s a special occasion, she dislikes going outside.

Of course, if Eli hadn’t taken her out, she would have collapsed much earlier. Irregular meals can hasten fatigue.

“…Sivar.”

“Yeah?”

“Is it okay for me to be here?”

“?”

What on earth is she talking about? I blinked, as if her question didn’t quite register.

Jane looked at me and began to fumble around her side. It seems she’s looking for her glasses on the dresser.

I already knew she would be searching for them. So, I carefully handed her the glasses I had been holding.

“Here.”

“Oh. My glasses… Did you have them, Sivar?”

“Yeah.”

“Thank you.”

Jane expressed her gratitude as she put on her glasses. With them back on, her sharp eyes softened.

It’s amazing how one pair of glasses can make eyes look smaller and a person appear gentler. It must be the high prescription.

With her glasses on, Jane stared blankly at the ceiling for a while. Her expression showed she was deep in thought.

Then she glanced at me and asked in a still-drowsy voice.

“What… did I say earlier?”

“You asked if it’s okay for you to be here.”

“Oh. Right. I need to finish the test quickly…”

She still seems hesitant. However, I have no intention of letting her go.

Honestly speaking, I want her to rush and wear it right away, but her health is the most important thing right now.

So, until the doctor says she can be discharged, I plan to stay by her side.

“Just rest. There’s still plenty of time.”

“…Can I really wait?”

“Yeah. Is there a problem?”

“I just… felt that way. I don’t have anything after all…”

I was a bit surprised when I heard that, but considering Jane’s circumstances, it made sense.

Jane is poor. At least until I invested in her, she was barely scraping by.

United Academy, being the world’s best educational institution, has significant tuition fees.

She probably scraped together every penny she had to enroll.

‘Was the source of that money her grandfather’s inheritance?’

Jane’s parents and grandfather were excellent engineers. Jane inherited that talent.

However, unfortunately, Saintia is a country with a very oppressive dictatorship. Anyone who criticizes even a little is subject to harsh punishment.

Especially due to the surveillance system resembling Big Brother, even freedom wasn’t easily granted. That’s the reason her grandfather desperately enrolled her.

‘There was a reason why she panicked when Rod confiscated her boots.’

For Jane, it seems she must achieve results no matter what. It’s not just about success.

The love and care she received from her deceased parents and grandfather. And the last remaining inheritance left her clawing for it.

Later, when all her achievements were taken away, it was also the reason she turned to the side of the demons. There were only two options: suicide or conversion.

“Jane.”

“Yeah?”

“What do you want to do after this?”

The Steel Suit is an invention that absolutely must succeed. Even if it doesn’t work out, there are substitutes for mana stones.

To be honest, just having a substitute for mana stones would bring her immense wealth and honor. It would be like half achieving her life’s goal.

“…I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

“Yeah. I’ve definitely made what I wanted to make, but… I’m not sure.”

Jane answered in a thoughtful tone. She seemed to be deeply troubled in various ways.

It’s true, if she completes the suit, she’ll be wondering what to create next.

“Sivar, can I ask you a question?”

“A question?”

“Yes. Just one.”

“You can go ahead.”

Jane turned to me and looked straight at me. I looked back at her too.

I couldn’t read her inner thoughts, but her face seemed somewhat organized.

After staring at each other for a while, Jane was the first to speak.

“What did you see in me that made you decide to invest?”

“What I saw?”

“Yes. No matter how I think about it, I don’t understand.”

“You’re a believer of Chaos.”

That’s a universal excuse. Because she’s a believer of Chaos, I invested.

But Jane is far more intelligent than others. She quickly countered my statement.

“I remember it was before I believed in Lord Chaos. I could tell through the axe the Saintess gave me.”

“…”

“You can be honest. What was it about me that made you decide to invest?”

Hmm. What should I say at a moment like this? I pondered.

To say I knew the future would be a big risk.

It’s inherently questionable if Jane would even believe it. I needed to come up with a suitable excuse.

After much contemplation, I answered in a way that Jane could understand.

“You seemed desperate.”

“Desperate… you say?”

“Yep. And my intuition.”

“…”

That’s all I can say. Jane looked stunned after hearing my words.

“…… Huh. Sniff sniff.”

But soon after, she started making a deflating noise while laughing.

I had seen Jane smile many times, but this deflating laughter was a first.

For quite a while, Jane laughed with that deflating noise before saying with a relieved expression.

“Is that all?”

“Yep.”

“I see.”

Then Jane followed up with:

“Thank you. Really.”

She looked somewhat relieved.

******

Jane could say that she felt the word desperation more than anyone else.

She had enrolled in the world’s finest educational institution, United Academy, but it was a dreadful jungle.

It was not a place where one could do what they want; it was a place where one must follow a set path to reach the top.

Back in her hometown, she could create what she wanted, but in the Academy, that was not the case. She often faced persecution, claiming it had nothing to do with grades.

[Keep making stuff like this, and you’ll get an academic warning.]

[What? But this has its uses…]

[Uses? This trash? Hurry up and go study!]

The memory is still vivid. The things she had made during breaks right after class.

Items that would have garnered praise had she shown them to her grandfather ended up in the trash in an instant.

That was a memory that remained as a trauma, beyond an impact for Jane. Yet, skipping classes wasn’t an option.

[What’s up with her? Saying all sorts of weird things.]

[There are plenty of those types at the academy, right? They’ll drop out by themselves.]

However, as time went on, Jane’s heart began to rot little by little.

Her ideas, which were almost fantastical, were dismissed by her peers and criticized by professors.

In Jane’s view, these were things she could definitely invent, but as is typical for geniuses who are far ahead of their times, no one recognized her.

Thus, Jane made her decision. Rather than remaining idle, she would seek investment to create things.

[Investment? Why would I?]

[What could a student like you possibly make?]

[Focus on graduating and talk about that later.]

But even receiving investment proved challenging. This was, in fact, a natural response.

Outwardly, Jane was viewed as a weirdo with poor grades. Even getting letters of recommendation from professors was tough.

[Wanting investment, huh? That’s doable.]

[Are you serious?]

[Yeah. But only if you spend a night with me.]

[That, that’s…]

There were times when she’d receive conditions she absolutely did not want to accept. Jane refused that with all her might.

Selling her body for money was something only prostitutes did. She rejected it for the sake of her deceased family.

Luckily, the only one who recognized her talent was not a student or professor, but the academy’s blacksmith.

[You’re good with your hands, huh? Want to try making a few things?]

[What’s the pay for that…?]

[While it might not be an investment, I can pay you a salary.]

[Thank you!]

The blacksmith agreed to pay Jane money on the condition she made a few items. This enabled her to rent the cheapest workshop.

However, that alone was not enough to create what she desired. Jane endlessly searched for investors.

Some might say, “Why not focus on getting good grades instead of worrying about investment?”

After all, once she graduates, she’ll return to her hometown and unleash her talents to her heart’s content, so why bother?

‘That’s a valid point. But…’

What to do when there’s something you desperately want to make? That’s just how she was born.

However, there are times when one must compromise with reality. Jane gradually began to give up on finding investors.

‘Let’s try just once.’

Coincidentally, there was someone recently who was said to have made a lot of money. I heard he was a troublemaking student.

A man from the wilderness, detached from civilization. Therefore, he was said to lack basic common sense.

‘It feels like scamming…’

Though my conscience pricked, the mindset was one of grabbing at straws. If this failed as well, I would quietly think of graduating.

“I’ll do it. Investment.”

“Really? Are you serious?”

“Yep.”

She truly received the investment. At first, Jane thought it was a lie.

But as the sum of money she would never touch in her lifetime came into her hands, she was brought back to her senses. I really got an investment.

Why did the investor, Sivar, invest in her? What on earth did he know?

It was full of incomprehensible things, but Jane silently focused on what she had to do. Thinking wouldn’t bring any benefits.

As time passed and she gradually approached completion, Jane experienced a certain incident.

-Kwahh!!

“Wow! I just flew!”

“Oh…”

“Sister! Sister! Make me one too!”

It was during the testing of the Steel Boots. As soon as Sivar tested them, he soared into the sky.

Ignoring the request of the little boy, Dun, whom Sivar had brought, Jane stared up at the gaping hole in the ceiling.

She had anticipated flying to some extent. But she hadn’t expected to break through the ceiling.

‘…What am I creating?’

Jane was beginning to realize her own talent.

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