Chapter 132: Evan (9)

“……I succeeded.”

I frowned.

“Pardon?”

Succeeded?

What?

From my perspective, with my guard raised to the max in relation to my identity, the word ‘succeeded’ was just endlessly out of the blue.

But with Evan’s next words, I was able to understand the whole situation.

“The treatment succeeded.”

Like a spring flower bud that blooms after enduring the harsh cold.

The smile that bloomed on Evan’s lips soon spread its leaves wide and contained my name.

“My mother woke up last night. It’s thanks to you, Gerard.”

So it was a misunderstanding.

The reason Evan hadn’t come to the Academy was purely to watch over his mother’s treatment and observe her progress afterward.

“Congratulations, Professor!”

“Haha!”

As if I had never suspected him, I ran up and shook Evan’s hand.

Evan, too, no longer hid his emotions and rejoiced.

I just realized it now, but his face, with the shadow of worry lifted, was quite handsome.

I asked.

“So you’ve collected all the money for the treatment?”

“No. I haven’t.”

“Huh? But how……”

“The doctor was considerate of our situation. He is a grateful person. To my mother and me, he is nothing short of a savior.”

It was true.

No matter how much this was a world where mana existed and supernatural powers like magic and holy magic were rampant, the development of medicine did not reach that of modern medicine.

It was precisely because of the existence of holy magic.

Holy magic, which cures diseases with the blessing of God and medicine, which discovers and treats the cause of diseases with a scientific approach, are complete opposites.

In this world, God actually exists and the religion that serves that God is deeply involved in the human world, so there is no place for science, which is created by nature and cultivated by humans.

At least, with the introduction of the new civilization of magitech, science was gaining attention, but the development of one of its branches, medicine, was a matter for the distant future.

Anyway, the important thing was not this world-building setting.

So, incurable diseases like this ‘Idemacus’ were caused by viruses and could not be cured by holy magic.

Surgical procedures and vaccine treatments had to be used in parallel and if it was true that he had cured this, that doctor was surely a person with genius-level talent in medicine and healing arts.

“What is that doctor’s name, if I may ask?”

“Ralph Hamel. I call him Dr. Hamel.”

It was a name I had never heard anywhere in the original work.

I didn’t think his talent was fake.

He had already proven it by curing Idemacus.

In that case, it was one of two things.

In the original work, he was just an ordinary person, but here, his talent was awakened due to the butterfly effect I caused.

Or, he met with some kind of accident before gaining fame.

‘Ah. One more thing.’

His name was fake.

But I thought the probability of a doctor using a fake name, unlike a thief like me, was nonexistent.

So.

The desire for talent surged again.

In any case, Shadow was currently suffering from a shortage of talent and to become independent from the Beltus Cult in the near future, it was necessary to recruit outstanding talent as soon as possible.

Especially experts with outstanding abilities in one field.

Combat for combat, production for production, information gathering for information gathering.

And medicine for medicine.

And so, inwardly, I was solidifying my resolve to recruit the unknown Dr. Hamel into Shadow, following Evan.

Just then, Evan opened his mouth.

“Of course, it’s too early to celebrate. He said it’s not a complete cure yet. We’ve just passed the critical point and he said we need to go through one more procedure for a complete cure.”

“I see. But that’s still something, isn’t it?”

“Hmm. That’s right.”

Evan grinned.

“So I have a favor to ask of you.”

“A favor?”

“Yes. I don’t know if you remember. On the day it rained, I once said that I really wanted to treat you to my mother’s cooking.”

I shook my head.

There was no way I wouldn’t remember.

“Actually, I’ve told my mother about you. That there’s a grateful fellow who has been helping me recently. When I told her that, she said to be sure to bring you home today.”

Then Evan looked at me.

“Are you free in the evening?”

Hmm.

If it’s a request like this, shouldn’t I make time even if I don’t have it?

“Of course.”

I gladly accepted his request.

At the same time, I completely let go of my suspicion of Evan.

I was certain.

Evan did not suspect my identity.

Because there was no way he would do the crazy thing of inviting a thief to the place where his loved one resides.

It seems it was all my excessive worry and misunderstanding.

And so, time passed, and it was evening.

“Gerard. Over here.”

I left the Academy with Evan and headed to his house.

***

Above the Sewer District, there was a large industrial complex where factories for textiles, sewing, glass, and metal molding were gathered.

Many workers went to work at the industrial complex to make a living, and next to the complex, a residential area for them was naturally formed.

The name of that place was Industrial Complex District 47.

The number was the number of factories in the complex.

This District 47 had a structure where tightly packed houses soared up a hill toward the sky.

Like a moon village.

Disorderly and shabby.

The faces of the workers who had just left work were worn out with the fatigue and hardship of life and the atmosphere of the district they formed was a gloomy gray.

At least the bottom of the hill was in a better state.

The houses built below were made of cement and brick, so they provided protection from the cold and had the minimum form to guarantee personal rest.

But as you went up, the appearance of the houses gradually became shabbier, as if they were too lazy to carry the bricks up and past the middle, the majority were shacks with only thin wooden planks around them.

Evan’s house was one of those shacks.

“Come in. This is the house where my mother and I live.”

Evan said to me, opening a door that looked like it would break if he kicked it.

“As you can see, it’s small and not well-organized, but just bear with it.”

“Hey. It’s clean, though.”

It wasn’t a lie.

The interior was not very large, but it seemed he cleaned often, as not a single speck of dust could be found, and there wasn’t much furniture, so once I came in, it was quite spacious compared to how it looked from the outside.

Also, the joints of the planks were meticulously finished, so a warm air lingered inside.

“You’re here?”

It was then.

With a low voice, the door of the only room in the house opened, and a woman with a haggard impression walked out.

Anyone could see that she was Evan’s mother.

I bowed my head.

“Hello, ma’am? My name is Gerard.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Yael. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Yael greeted me with a benevolent smile.

“I heard you’re my son’s favorite student.”

“Ahem. When did I say that.”

“Oh my. Are you embarrassed?”

The son who coughed awkwardly and the mother who teased him for it.

As I smiled at the two of them, a mother and son in a harmonious present, having overcome a painful past, I suddenly hardened my expression.

The interior of the room, briefly visible behind Yael.

The floor of the room, reflected in the closet mirror, was chaotically drawn with red pictures.

‘What’s that?’

The door was immediately closed by Yael.

So I couldn’t see more in detail.

Was it simply messy because of the sick Yael?

Or was her mental state not yet sound?

If I had seen the pictures in detail, I could have guessed the meaning in their forms.

‘I can’t just ask to check the room.’

It could be like picking at a sick person’s wound.

I was not that lacking in tact or social skills and since a mere picture was unlikely to cause me direct harm, I decided to just let it go.

“Is something wrong? You don’t look well.”

“No, it’s nothing.”

“If there’s anything uncomfortable, don’t hesitate to tell me right away.”

“I will.”

The three of us headed to the kitchen.

Though it was called a kitchen, it was just a space for cooking, dishes, and a dining table barely big enough for three people to sit.

It was when I sat at the dining table.

“You can look forward to it.”

Evan said, putting on an apron.

“What are you talking about, putting pressure on me. It’s been a long time, so I’ve forgotten everything.”

Yael retorted, lifting the meat that was being drained of blood in a bucket.

“The menu is lamb stew. It’s my mother’s most confident dish.”

“Honey. I said you’re putting pressure on me.”

“Wait. You will be tasting the best dish in the empire, no, the continent.”

“Evaan?”

“It will be a dinner to remember for a lifetime.”

“……Hmm.”

It seemed that his mother’s words were not reaching Evan’s ears.

Yael also seemed to have given up, as she shook her head and just smiled faintly, then said to me.

“Just sit and wait a little. Oh, and ignore what Evan said?”

I laughed.

The two of them, a mother and son, went into the kitchen and started cooking.

“By the way, didn’t you say Dr. Hamel was coming too, mother?”

“He’ll be here soon.”

Amidst the sound of their conversation, I sat quietly and looked around.

I tried to forget, but the scene in the room kept coming to mind.

It felt somewhat unsettling.

Just in case, I scanned the surroundings with [Detection], but there was nothing that caught my attention.

‘Should I go in and check.’

It was just a thought.

Even if I hid my presence and went in secretly, it was so close to the kitchen that Evan would surely notice immediately.

“Evan! I told you to just slice the mushrooms and put them in later!”

“Umm.”

“Aah. This burden. Why don’t you just sit and wait with the student?”

“Hmm.”

I chuckled at the bickering two.

Right, what could possibly happen?

Being cautious is good, but too much of it is a disease.

I was just being sensitive because it was something I hadn’t experienced in the original work.

One thing was certain.

Evan was a trustworthy person.

That was enough, and so I suppressed the anxiety and unease that kept stimulating my instincts and decided to be faithful to my current emotions and feelings.

“You’ve waited a long time.”

Not long after, food was laid out on the table.

There wasn’t much, but it was full of sincerity, and the steaming hot food stimulated my salivary glands just by looking at it.

Evan served the lamb stew into my bowl with a nonchalant hand.

“Try it.”

I took a spoonful of the stew.

Then my eyes widened, and I gave a thumbs-up.

“It’s delicious.”

“……That’s a relief.”

Evan, who answered with a short reply, also began to move his spoon.

In a way, it could be seen as a cold reaction.

But I did not miss the corners of Evan’s mouth rising.

“I’ll eat well.”

“Eat a lot.”

The atmosphere of the meal was good.

Just like any other family, we chatted and occasionally burst into laughter.

The conversation consisted of Yael asking questions and me answering, and the topic was Evan.

“Is that really true?”

“Of course. You have no idea how well the professor teaches the kids.”

“Hmm. I don’t really believe it.”

When Yael looked at Evan with narrowed eyes, Evan stealthily averted her gaze.

Yael burst out laughing.

Before long, the prepared dishes were starting to disappear one by one.

“Anyway, I know that you helped my son, a student. So, I’ve prepared a special gift for you.”

“Eh? A gift?”

“Yes. Ta-da!”

What she brought out was none other than alcohol.

At that moment, for the first time in the whole day, a crack appeared on Evan’s face, which had not lost its smile.

“Have a glass. Quickly.”

Pop, Yael uncorked the bottle and held it out.

I held out my glass in a daze, and soon my water glass was filled with a clear liquid.

“It’s a token of my gratitude for helping my son. I made it with things that are good for your body, so drink it all up.”

It was a token of gratitude, so I couldn’t refuse.

No.

In the first place, Yael didn’t even give me time to hesitate, and swept away by the atmosphere, I drank the alcohol as it was.

The alcohol went down smoothly.

I smacked my lips and asked.

“It has a bit of a kick, but it’s good. What kind of alcohol is this?”

“Ah. That is.”

Yael thought for a moment and then grinned.

“……It’s a secret.”

Creepy──!

‘What was that?’

It disappeared quickly, but I thought that her smile just now was somehow strangely different from before.

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