CH 16

Nathan tried to get out of the situation with a nervous feeling that she might notice something strange after seeing Nathan for a long time, However, Matilda, who was using her divine power to treat him, was surprised by Nathan’s sudden change of constitution and somehow he escaped that day.

Nathan was originally a body through which divine power worked, but somehow, divine power no longer works. He didn’t know if it was because he was in Nathan’s body. This is because there were so few similar precedents that there were few stories of people whose constitution changed, let alone solutions.

“It’s not good for you to rely on divine power healing, but I’m sorry that it doesn’t help you when you’re sick like this.”

“Oh, it’s nothing serious! Thanks to you, I feel much better!”

I don’t know if it’s really improved, but Nathan said so for now. After that, Nurse Matilda briefly explained Nathan’s physical condition and stood up from his seat.

“You’d better lie down for a few more days. It should be okay to take a little more rest and then move back to your dorm.”

“Yes, I will. Thank you.”

“I’ll be away for a while, so go on and make yourself comfortable.”

Nathan forced a smile to Nurse Matilda until she left. The silence fell when the door of the infirmary closed. Nathan laid down on the bed as if he were falling. The faint smell of herbs tickles the tip of his nose. Nathan thought that the second magic room smelled worse than in the infirmary.

When he leaned his head on a soft pillow, his eyes closed automatically, but it was not enough to fall asleep. Nathan burst into laughter as he pondered what Nurse Matilda had said. He suffered permanent wounds from excessive use of mana on his fragile body.

It’s not even funny. Nathan couldn’t understand what he was doing so wrong. The pain around his heart was mild, but it got on his nerves. But this was the pain Nathan had to bear in the future.

Nurse Matilda said it was like an aftereffect of magic.

If he doesn’t overdo it, he’ll most likely die early, and the pain will increase if he takes the medicine and study. Nathan was crushed by despondency. Compared to running, it was as if he couldn’t get up on his feet even before touching the starting line.

“This damned body.”

His body will now bleed if he overdoes anything, and the heart-binding manna will press on his heart. Others would not have been so damaged even if they were overworked like this, but Nathan created this situation for himself due to his overlapping bad health.

Usually, his weak body creaked externally, internally, and mentally. This is a scheduled tragedy because once someone overdoes it continuously, they’ll end up in such a state.

Therefore, Nathan decided to live a life of desperation after learning about it. If one doesn’t overdo it, they’ll be in the middle. ‘My efforts up to now have been helpful.’ Nathan, who wasn’t as good as the average, is halfway there. The fact made him happy while feeling a little more despondent.

‘I thought that if I had been careful, my future would have been different.’

At some point, the initial plan to become close to Hazard was erased from his mind. With the small ability to do some things with this body, he would only be a burden, let alone help the main character. Somehow if he got close to Hazard, he would just end up just saying hello. 

We won’t be able to meet until maybe after graduation. So let’s end that kind of thinking. 

But that doesn’t mean Nathan gave up right away. Just in case. For some time, Nathan scoured the academy to try and meet Hazard. Nathan searched for places where Hazard might be and tried to get acquainted with his colleagues, but his efforts, unfortunately, did not pay off.

Nathan himself was gradually feeling that the more he tried the more everything seemed to go wrong. So he started to give up. The fact that he has never met Hazard since that first week encouraged his abandonment. Time flew by without him even realizing his own feelings properly.

He couldn’t even find the tip of Hazard’s hair until Nathan turned 19 and his graduation was just around the corner.

. . . 

Wake up if it’s a dream.

Crispy.

“What? Why is there sand?”

Nathan lowered his foot under the bed and frowned slightly at the sand being stepped on the soles of his feet. Nathan is Korean, so he didn’t walk around his room wearing outside shoes like everyone else at the academy. It was like his pride as a Korean. Why are you walking around in your room with your shoes on? Nathan’s shoes were habitually always neatly placed by the door, and the floor of his room was always clean. So there shouldn’t have been sand on the floor.

“That’s strange. The sand definitely came from somewhere.”

It was a strange thing, but it wasn’t that important. So Nathan let go of this strange sign like rainwater.

It’s been two years since he became ‘Nathan Norbert’. Time flew by, and graduation was coming in a few months. Nathan, however, had a lot of worries these days like accidents on graduation day and natural disasters that will happen afterward. None of which Nathan could solve. Nothing would change if only a powerless person like himself knew the future.

He slipped out of the bathroom with a light brush of wet hair. Nathan’s grown taller than ever in these past two years. It was likely to easily exceed 180cm. Even so, he was still skinny, just tall like a pine tree. The first loose school uniform was still loose, but the arms and legs were just right. I wish I could gain some weight here.

“But I don’t think about it all the time because I’m less hungry..” 

He swept his dry stomach with his hand and continued to get dressed. Nathan woke up late again today, so he arrived at the restaurant just before the end of breakfast time. The restaurant, which was supposed to be quiet because it was late, was noisy today. Among the foods displayed in the buffet style, he chose what to eat and sat down. When he ate he moved his hand mechanically. The students gathered at the table next door burned with a new theme. 

“Did you hear that? Mado and Pelley both saw the ghost yesterday!”

“Hyuk, are you serious?”

“It’s real! My friend is Pelley’s roommate! He was doing his homework in the lab until late at night, and he stood up to take a break and it passed by the window!”

“I would’ve been screaming!”

“I’m scared!”

A playful scream that didn’t seem to be scary at all rang out in the restaurant. No one took the scream very seriously. Just as summer approaches, these rumors circulated in the academy. The students were tired of studying, so they just wanted something fun to happen. They seemed to be just making up stories.

“It’s a ghost. There was a similar rumor two years ago and last year.”

Nathan saw it as them just making up interesting stories to share. As similar rumors circulated every year, the mystery became stronger, but it was just a rumor that felt to be everywhere from Nathan’s point of view. Why is it a ghost story in every school? I thought this academy had nothing to do with where I used to live.

“The kids in your department sometimes work until late at night, right? But I saw it on the way to the dorm yesterday! The ghost from the rumors!”

Nathan stopped listening to unusual stories and focused more on eating breakfast. Nathan’s diet was simple. A little salad, an egg, a sausage, and a soft butter bread. 

I wanted to eat rice. I craved budae-jjigae with white rice. It wasn’t that I hated Western food. If it suits your taste, it does. But it’s been going on for years, so I just want to eat something else. He thought about eating better, but he held back his thoughts by putting in the leftover bread. 

(T/N: Budae-jjigae or spicy sausage stew is a type of Korean jjigae, made with ham, sausage, Spam, baked beans, kimchi, instant noodles, and gochujang.) 

Today, there was a theory and history class in the morning, and a practical class in the afternoon. Nathan was the last to arrive in the classroom.

“Nathan!”

“Hey, Norbert!”

“Hello.”

“You’re late again today!”

“Yeah, you need to go to bed early at night.”

“I went to bed early. I guess I’ve just been sleeping better lately.”

As Nathan entered the classroom, people greeted him here and there. There has been a small change in the last two years. The number of students who spoke to Nathan increased, and he got mixed up in a few groups. The people who just said hello were students named Etton, Robert, and Berry. Nathan can be said to be somewhat a part of that group who goes around together only when necessary. Nathan still felt a bit awkward around them but he was too lonely to be completely independent of them.

“I thought you’d be late, so I saved you a seat!”

“Oh, thank you, Etton.”

“You’re welcome! Let me know some of your answers later!”

Nathan obediently went to the seat that Etton pointed to and sat down. In fact, the seats were overflowing, but he had no intention of ignoring their good intentions.

Yawwwwnn

As soon as Nathan sat down, he yawned. It’s been like this lately. Sleepiness poured out even when he slept. His body was more lethargic than usual. It was no big deal now to listen to some classes and doze off in others. Sometimes, he missed morning classes because he felt like he couldn’t open his eyes. When he opened the book he was too tired to read the letters. He couldn’t remember what happened just yesterday. Nathan gradually became lethargic without even realizing it. He just kept letting the day slip by.