Chapter 335

“Put on some clothes. I have no interest in seeing someone else’s bare body.”

“Wow, is this real skin? It feels similar to the virtual reality, soft and squishy… Does it hurt if I pinch it? Ouch!”

I threw a black tracksuit set at Adella, who was acting like a curious baby.

“Oh, thank you. But what about underwear?”

“Underwear?”

“Please tell me you didn’t forget it!”

“Yeah, I forgot.”

“You have a knack for forgetting the wrong things!”

She complained grumpily while zipping up her tracksuit to the neck.

The inside of the tent was no different from when we first arrived.

The floor mat, damp from cold sweat, was already drying out due to the dry weather.

“Achoo!”

Adella sneezed while trying to put on her pants and fell flat on the floor.

“What are you, a baby calf?”

“The pants feel a little small for me. My thighs are too tight.”

“Just wear it loosely.”

Meanwhile, I turned on the phone that I had thrown into the corner and checked the weather outside.

Minus four degrees.

Adella, whose immunity had weakened, was bound to catch a cold tomorrow.

I held her hand, sharing my aura to warm up her cold body.

It was time to open the tent door.

The mana transmission speed from the power plant was too slow, and I had spent too much time in the Akashic records stage.

The people outside were not ones to complain about the cold, but the wait had been long enough that it wouldn’t be pleasant.

“Ugh… I can’t get up. My legs feel weak.”

Adella stood up, wobbling unsteadily and then falling again.

It was just like what the infant had gone through.

“Wait here for a second. I’ll go out first. In the meantime, prepare your greetings.”

“Greetings? What should I say? Wait, don’t open it yet! I need a moment!”

Ignoring her pleas, I released the boundary and the counteracting interference magic circle.

Zzzzip—

As I opened the zipper and poked my head out, a cold wind rushed in.

“Nameya!”

“Are you okay? You really know how to make someone worried…!”

Professor Cheon and Baek Hoon-jang rushed over.

“Did it take long? Sorry for causing you worry.”

“Are you okay? Are you hurt at all?”

“I barely stopped your dad from forcing his way in. Just look at what you’ve done.”

Following his gesture, I shifted my gaze.

“Ah…”

No wonder the tent looked fine; the grass around it had been completely blown away.

Was it because of the type of magic from the Nashentia lineage that caused an external shockwave?

Thank goodness it didn’t create a crater; otherwise, I would have been digging late at night.

“How’s the magic?”

“It was successful.”

“Really…?”

“Here’s the mana bill.”

To check whether the magic succeeded or failed, I only needed to look at the mana payment bill.

How convenient and revolutionary is this system?

Calculating the production function of magic and assessing complete casting is a skill that would be welcomed with open arms in the Mage Tower, but it was exploiting the taxes of the people.

Of course, the Korea Mana Corporation didn’t send bills through a messenger.

To avoid violating confidentiality obligations, I accessed the bank account to show the withdrawal records and the encrypted bill.

[Withdrawal Records]

<2052.03.14 08:41:38>

[Withdrawal: 21,000,000,000 won]

<2052.03.15 21:46:53>

[Withdrawal: 189,035,928,154 won]

A prepayment of 21 billion, with the deducted tax amounting to 189 billion, totals 210 billion won.

I ended up spending 9 billion more than the initial estimate of 209 billion won.

Considering I also spent over 5 billion on mana stones, it would be fair to say that I have nearly run out of money.

[Balance: 49,103,948 won]

In fact, it was quite precarious.

If I hadn’t made some money through advertisements, I would have been in a deficit.

“210 billion! Oh my!”

Baek Hoon-jang cried out, clutching his neck and collapsing.

“Well, at least we can get a car…”

I trailed off.

It suddenly came to mind that I had to pay back 5 billion to the manager who lent me extra mana stones.

‘In the end, it’s a deficit.’

Let’s put aside money matters for now.

“Is that friend inside right now?”

Professor Cheon asked with persistent suspicion.

“Yes, she’s now my sister.”

“Wait, can I go in and see?”

“Yes, of course.”

He seems worried that I might have created a chimera or something.

We folded the nylon tent and stepped inside together.

As I turned on the light, bright illumination filled the interior.

“Whoa!”

“What in the world…!”

“What are you doing, Adella?”

Adella was lying flat on the ground, with her head pressed to the floor.

“Doing this is for apologies.”

“Ah! I’m sorry…!”

Adella quickly raised her head and knelt down.

“Enough with the jokes! How did you get in here?”

Baek Hoon-jang thoroughly searched the inside of the tent.

It seemed he thought it was magic and activated his fierce gaze to find a trick.

Eventually, after rubbing his tired eyes several times, he broke the silence and asked.

“Who is this lady?”

Adella took a deep breath.

The anxious look in her eyes had vanished.

“My name is Asaneko Adella! It’s my first time in the Real World, so there’s a lot I’m lacking, but I look forward to your guidance!”

Adella extended her hand.

However, her pale, delicate hand soon lost its destination.

An icy silence was colder than the winter wind.

“Ahahaha… Is this not how it’s done? Why is the atmosphere like this?”

“…”

“Anyway, you will take care of her, right?”

* * *

“Thank you for your help over the last two days, Mr. Baek.”

“Oh dear… it seems like this old man is going to die soon. I keep seeing things that aren’t there…”

“Please take care on your way home, Master Hoon. Adella, say goodbye.”

“Don’t bring that up! That’s unlucky; a ghost might cling to me!”

Baek Hoon-jang asked to be dropped off at a reasonable intersection in Gunsan.

“Will you have a place to sleep if you leave now?”

“I’ll manage! I can sleep at a friend’s place!”

Thinking of Adella as some sort of divine being, he left without looking back.

Thud, thud, thud—

The sound of steel being knocked echoed several times from the trunk.

I opened the trunk wide with both hands, and Adella tumbled out, squished uncomfortably like a weeble.

“Ugh, that was suffocating! Why haven’t we gotten out yet after passing the power station?”

“We still have a long way to go, so let’s get in quickly. It’ll take two and a half hours to get home. We’ll arrive by 1 AM.”

“Okay, I get it. But seriously, what kind of ghost is this to humans…”

“Is it okay for Adella to sit in the back seat with me? I have several things to check.”

It would be impolite not to sit in the front passenger seat, yet this was a slightly special case, so I asked Professor Cheon for leniency.

The car entered the highway.

I turned on the lights to examine Adella’s body thoroughly.

[Cast: Diagnosis]

“Open your mouth.”

“Aaah!”

Tap, tap—

I checked each tooth by tapping them with my fingertips.

“No cavities. Are you uncomfortable anywhere right now?”

“My ears are itchy.”

“Can you describe how itchy?”

“Um, kind of sensitive, I guess…?”

“How does it feel if I touch it this way?”

“Ahhh!”

I just touched her earlobe with my finger.

Adella flailed around as if tickled and, with the momentum, the car bounced up and down.

“Stay still. Why are you being so extra?”

“I said I was sensitive! Why are you touching me without saying anything?”

“From now on, listen to ASMR or something while you sleep. That way, you’ll adapt quickly.”

“I get it, just stop touching me, uh!”

It seems she wasn’t used to the transformed parts of her body.

“By the way, is it alright not to have a tail?”

“Uh, a tail? Where did my tail go! My tail!”

“This side doesn’t seem to have any issues.”

It seems the tail was merely a decoration rather than a means of expressing emotions.

So, there are three things Adella needed to practice.

Adapting to her new ears, regaining her sense of balance, and…

Grrrr—

“What was that sound?”

Professor Cheon asked, surprised to hear a sound he had never heard before.

Adella’s face turned bright red as she lowered her head.

It wasn’t just a grumble; it was a growl.

The intensity of the thunder was different.

“Are you hungry?”

“Yeah, a little… no, actually, I feel like I’m going to die from hunger since earlier.”

* * *

I couldn’t let Adella go out looking like this.

Even if it was 11 PM, a silver-haired beauty wandering around in tight tracksuits would attract too much attention.

I bought a convenience store lunch box from a rest area and handed it to her.

She devoured the spicy pork, crying.

“I’m sorry, pigs! Why are you all so delicious, ugh.”

Tears soaked the rice grains as they entered her mouth.

Now, there were hardly any vehicles on the highway.

Professor Cheon paused driving for a moment and joined the conversation.

“You’re eating well. Is it tasty?”

“Yes, it’s delicious, ugh! Thank you so much for providing me with my daily sustenance! I won’t forget this kindness and will repay it!”

“No need for that. But Nameya, what state is she in now? She’s moving so naturally.”

“State?”

“If we call a scrap robot 0 and a human 1.”

“She’ll converge toward limit 1. You can think of her as a human like us, as she thinks, has a heartbeat, and can manipulate aura.”

Professor Cheon repeatedly asked the same question several times.

It must be hard for him to believe.

For a magic practitioner, it would be nothing short of a miracle.

“It’s not fully interpreted magic. It’s just peeking at what’s stored in the Akashic records. While I can create a perfect human body, I don’t know anything about the individual organs.”

“Peek? How?”

“Just like that.”

Somehow, “just like that” became my go-to phrase for avoiding questions.

After much deliberation, he finally resolved to accept Adella.

In that decision was the dual meaning of recognizing her as a human and accepting her as family.

“First of all, we should keep it a secret from others. The mere existence of this magic is too dangerous.”

“I agree. That’s why I’m troubled about Adella’s treatment…”

“Huh?”

“Never mind. Let’s eat without worrying about it.”

“Hehe, this omelet is really delicious. Would you like a bite, sister?”

“I’m fine.”

I sneaked glances at Adella’s meal.

The speed at which she moved her chopsticks had noticeably slowed down.

As if she was trying to pretend to be calm.

It seemed she was feeling uncomfortable as we gradually faced realistic problems.

“I’ll figure something out, so you don’t need to worry too much, Nameya.”

“Okay, thank you, Dad.”

It’s really reassuring to have an adult around in times like this.

Feeling grateful, I slightly hugged him from behind, with the headrest of the car seat between us.

The orange streetlight flashed past rapidly.

* * *

Bang!

The bathroom door swung open violently.

I had just arrived home, changed into new pajamas, and was happily brushing my teeth with a new toothbrush.

“Take it off.”

“What?”

“I said take off your clothes!”

“What are you saying, barging in here all of a sudden!”

“I need to get the residue lodged in your pores out before you sleep.”

“Why are you asking me to take off my clothes out of nowhere? What residue?”

“Do you know what it is if I tell you? It’s a sediment that occurs when mana is incompletely condensed… Anyway, let’s wash up and go to bed. I’m so sleepy.”

“Ahhh!”

The door clicked shut, and Adella’s desperate cry was quickly suppressed.