Chapter 54 Memories

Tess was one of the protagonists and possessed charm and beauty that could attract any healthy male.

While this may seem like a blessing, it also came with its own set of problems for Tess.

"Please go out with me!"

The senior student bowed his head, his face flushed and adorned with a subtle grin. His brain seemed to assume that there was no other option for Tess but to accept.

Tess and the senior were both nobles, and their relationship would bring positive benefits to both families.

'...'

As I looked at his face, I had to cover my mouth or else a giggle would've escaped. The guy was a literal definition of a young, narrow-minded master.

While it might seem like a really good offer from today's perspective, there was one big problem that the senior seemed to have overlooked...

Tess's Talent!

She was far more talented than he was, and the gap between their abilities was evident.

Furthermore, there was the issue of the senior only lusting after Tess's beautiful appearance, as they had never interacted before.

"No, thank you. I'm currently not searching for a partner."

Tess politely declined the senior student's offer. It was obvious that she would reject his confession, but the guy's eyes rolled back in surprise.

He raised his head, looking confused and thinking that he might have misheard her.

"I think I might have forgotten something..."

He said, scratching his neck with slight embarrassment before doing another bow.

"My name is Arthur Norder, the son of Nord Count..."

Arthur introduced himself, hoping to see recognition in Tess's eyes, but her expression didn't change.

In reality, she didn't care who the person before her was - it could even be the prince, and she still wouldn't accept.

"It is nice to meet you, Arthur, but I'm sorry."

Tess said politely, however her voice seemed somewhat irritated. She did another bow and turned around, planning to leave the Garden.

"Soil Dance: Reinforce!"

Suddenly the dirt around Tess's feet hardened, preventing her from taking another step away from Arthur.

"Could you at least tell me why?"

Arthur spoke, looking at Tess with a mix of anger and sadness.

Swish...

Although invisible, I could see Tess's aura growing more eerie, reaching a level where I could see the air around her rippling.

"I've already stated my reason. I'm not searching for a partner."

Tess replied firmly, stomping her foot and freeing herself from the grasp of the soil. She turned to face Arthur, who was grinding his teeth.

"Don't you dare try to attack me with your art..."

She warned, her brown eyes glittering as she pointed to the rapier she had strapped to her hip.

"Or else you might lose a limb."

I looked at the pair, feeling slightly troubled. If a fight broke out, there would surely be some commotion.

It would attract too much attention to this specific location, and the teachers would inquire to review the camera footage.

The video would probably display me giving blood to a Vampiric Plant and then taking it for myself, which could lead to charges of thievery.

'Should I reveal myself?'

Perhaps if there was a witness, Arthur wouldn't attack Tess.

I scratched my cheek, deep in thought and, finally, I decided to act as if I had accidentally stumbled upon them.

Crack...

I quickly found a dry branch and stepped on it, making it break in half. The noise caught the attention of the pair, and they turned to look at me.

Walking out from behind the bushes, I glanced at them with a hint of slight surprise on my face.

I instantly noticed that Tess's aura disappeared upon the sight of the other student, while Arthur's hands went right back into his pockets.

"..."

Both glared me down as I walked past them, when suddenly Tess grabbed the corner of my jacket's alcove.

"Wait for a bit."

My golden eyes met with her brown ones and I silently nodded my head.

"We'll talk next time, Arthur..."

She pulled me away from the senior, whose expression was unreadable, only his grey eyes seemed to radiate some kind of anger and confusion. I didn't blame him; rejection can be a hard pill to swallow.

Tap… Tap…

I thought Tess would let me go as soon as we disappeared from the guy's view, but instead, she led me deeper into the garden towards a water fountain.

"..."

Without a word, we took a seat on one of the benches. The silence was becoming overwhelming, and I was growing increasingly self-conscious of the protagonist sitting next to me.

"So, what did you want to talk about?"

I spoke, attempting to maintain a calm and composed voice.

Upon hearing Tess's question, she let out a sigh, her eyes fixated on the water fountain.

"...I have a question."

Her voice was barely above a whisper, making me lean in closer to hear her over the sound of the fountain.

"What is your connection to Rose?"

Her question made a bitter smile form on my face.

I often found myself wondering how I could keep running into Rose, despite my best efforts to avoid the protagonists.

Our strange connection, whatever it may be, was not something I desired.

"..."

After collecting my thoughts, I realized Tess was likely aware that I had met Rose in Helixia and that I was the last person to see her in the dungeon before she fought the Wyvern.

Tess's actual question seemed to be more complex.

"I've always looked up to the princess..."

However, there was no reason for me to read in between the lines, so I decided to play dumb and simply answer the question she asked.

"I'm actually a huge fan of the princess and always looked up to her. Did you know she slayed her first monster when she was just seven years old? It's incredible!"

I started to ramble on about random facts known to the public about Rose, which slowly changed Tess's expression from an emotionless to a smiling one.

"She really is a person to look up to..."

Tess said after a moment, and I nodded my head, trying to appear as enthusiastic as possible.

"Well, thank you for your time, Aiden. Let's talk again next time."

Tess said, rising from the bench and dusting off her black skirt before waving me goodbye.

"Have a good day!"

I watched as her red hair disappeared behind the greenery, and slumped back onto the bench, feeling my entire body relax.

It was starting to concern me that a simple conversation with the protagonist could drain so much energy from me. My body felt like I had just finished another spar.

I couldn't help but wonder if I was dealing with some kind of mental health issue.

"I just don't like their company..."

I grumbled to myself, crossing my arms and trying to convince myself that it was because I chose not to interact with people, not because I lacked social skills.

There was no problem talking with Oscar!

Suddenly, as if something clicked within my mind, I slapped myself in the cheeks.

"Now that I think about it, I feel like running only when I interact with women..."

I felt... I don't know how I felt, like shit?

"Shit!"

I kicked the gravel, finding it hard to believe that I was scared of interacting with women. As far as I could recall, I never had such issues in my previous life.

Could this have something to do with Aiden's past?

I tried to recall Aiden's memories, but most of them were blurry. I could barely make out the faces of his deceased parents.

"Aghh..."

Suddenly, a sharp pain jolted through my head, forcing me to drop my thoughts. It was as if someone had punched me in the head, and I felt blood gathering in my mouth.

"What the hell!?"

I kneeled on the ground, waiting for the strange pain to subside.

This was real pain, and even I had to acknowledge it. It felt like someone was stabbing needles into my brain, which was not a pleasant feeling.

Slowly rising from the ground, I quickly took out my phone and looked at my reflection.

"..."

Blood was streaming from my eyes.

Whatever had just happened or prevented me from investigating Aiden's memories had inflicted significant damage.

"Damn..."

I gingerly touched my eyes, feeling the stickiness of the blood.

I decided that it was best not to continue experimenting outside of my apartment.

As I left the garden, I was careful to avoid the gazes of other students, some of whom might have thought I was hurt in a fight.

"In what body did I reincarnate?"

Entering my apartment, I stumbled to the couch, clutching my head in pain. The memories of Aiden's past were hazy and elusive, as if they were deliberately hidden from me.

The effort of trying to piece together the missing memories made me feel sick, and I found myself coughing up blood.

I remembered the weakened body of Aiden whose health I had to restore using the Elixir of Life.

"What happened in the past, Aiden... Who really are you!?"