234 Envy’s Aspiration
— Tessia Kingdom - 2 AM. —
Within the dim yet cozy bedroom, Daniel lay in a large bed with his little daughter, Sylvana. The contrast was stark; most of the bed was occupied by Sylvana in an unlady-like sleeping posture, leaving only a tiny portion for Daniel, who struggled to find a comfortable spot. He was afraid that any sudden movement might wake her or inadvertently crush her beneath his body during the night.
"Hey… Daniel…. Daniel… Hey!" A hushed but familiar voice called out to him.
Groggily, Daniel opened his eyes and slowly sat up in bed as quietly as possible, making every effort not to disturb his slumbering daughter. After a few moments of rubbing his eyes, his sleepiness began to subside. However, before him appeared a woman with a green, glowing face, her long black hair obscuring her features.
"Ah, I'm hurt—why!? Give me back MY LIFE!!!!!!!" A cold and vengeful voice cried out.
The scene unfolding before him resembled a horror movie, with a vengeful ghost seemingly bent on revenge.
Reacting instinctively, Daniel, with the experience of a Grand Hunter in his body, activated a soundproof barrier spell to protect Sylvana's slumbering form. A large handgun, typically used to vanquish vampires, suddenly materialized in his hand, its barrel aimed at the vengeful spirit's forehead.
At that moment, the vengeful spirit stopped screaming, she seemingly knew, that she fucked up. The menacing power of holy elements imbued within each bullet in the magazine about to be loaded into the gun's chamber made it clear that a single shot would disperse her spirit to the underworld instantly.
"Can't you see a child is sleeping? Have your f*cking manners die along with your f*cking life, you damn ghost!?" Daniel exclaimed in annoyance before pulling the trigger.
"Arrrggghh, Stoooop, stop, stop, stop! It's me! It's me!" The vengeful spirit screamed in horror and hastily retreated from the gun barrel pointed at her forehead.
The vengeful spirit quickly adjusted her appearance. Her hair fell back into a familiar style, and her attire transformed from the white cloth typical of vengeful spirits in horror movies to an elegant dress familiar to Daniel.
The spirit's true identity was none other than Envy. She had intended to prank Daniel, not realizing it would backfire and almost cost her not just her life but also her afterlife as a wandering soul.
"Envy!?" Daniel said her name with suspicion in his voice.
"The last time you visited me in my personal office at home, I told you that I had decided to go along with your wish to assist the Hightower. What did you offer me?" Daniel suddenly inquires.
"No, the last time, you told me to choose a side. You made it clear that you despise the Hightower, comparing it to hating a cockroach on your dinner plate. There's no way you would help them," Envy promptly responds, swiftly steering the conversation back to Daniel's trap question. If it were anyone other than the real Envy, they might have fallen for it.
"So, it's really you," Daniel exhales a sigh of relief, keeping his gun away in his storage space. He then asks, "What happened? Who killed you?"
"Well, technically, I didn't die. My soul was forcibly expelled from my body by a spell, and that spell replaced me with another entity's soul in my body," Envy explains.
"I see... Is it Cyrus?" Daniel inquires, aware of Cyrus's issues with Envy.
"It's quite a long and intricate story. I'd prefer to discuss it after you've watched the news on the TV in your living room," Envy suggests, gesturing toward the living room beyond.
"Okay..." Daniel nods and follows Envy into the living room, leaving his daughter to continue sleeping.
In the living room, Daniel switched on the TV and tuned in to breaking news from London. The broadcast displayed a scene featuring a colossal blue pillar shooting towards the sky. A news helicopter's video feed revealed that surrounding the pillar were old buildings with Victorian-era architecture, mixed with a cathedral reminiscent of Notre Dame.
The on-site reporter began her report, saying, "I'm Lucy Bennett from TI News. We are currently standing before a mysterious area that has suddenly replaced the prestigious community of London's elite. According to our sources and local authorities, we still have no information about the nature of this area, why it appeared suddenly, and the significance of the blue energy pillar captured by nearby residents. We will be seeking the opinions of Londoners who witnessed this incident." The reporter then approached an excited man in the crowd, and the camera focused on him.
"Excuse me, sir. Do you have any thoughts about these mysterious buildings that have suddenly appeared?" the field reporter inquired.
"I'm convinced that this must be a secret government base where they're experimenting with alien technology! See, I told you all that aliens are real!" the man exclaimed enthusiastically into the camera.
"Thank you for sharing your opinion, sir. Now, let's move on to the next one," the reporter said, turning to ask the next man, who looked at the mysterious buildings with disdain in his eyes.
"Sir..." the reporter began, but the man smiled and turned towards the camera.
"You don't need to ask, Miss Reporter. I know exactly who they are. These buildings belong to the Hightower, the organization of mages who control the world… urggghh!" Halfway through his sentence, the man began to choke on blood oozing from his mouth.
Instead of fear, he smiled in excitement and stared directly into the camera.
"Look! Capture all of this!" The man displayed his face, covered in black veins and black blood seeping from all his facial orifices, without a hint of fear. At this point, it was more like the man was displaying self-destructive bravery, unafraid of death.
"These are the curses... the curses that those heartless mages in the Hightower place on anyone who... knows about them!... They... they rule the world... from... behind... the scenes!!!" As the man's final words left his lips, blood erupted from all his orifices like geysers, creating a horrific scene for the world to witness.
"Holy... shit..." Daniel uttered in disbelief, then turned towards Envy and asked, "What the hell happened?"
Envy smiled and took a seat beside Daniel, despite being a spirit. She began recounting all the recent incidents that had befallen her, including Harry's betrayal, the ambush by the two Grand Councilors, the magic that expelled her soul from her body, and the ensuing trap.
After listening to Envy's explanation, Daniel contemplated it for a moment before grinning slyly. He had some rough ideas in mind that could potentially shift the world's power dynamics in his favor and earn him substantial merit point rewards for his new card sets. However, these were just preliminary thoughts that had formed spontaneously. He needed to discuss them and work out the details with Odysseus at their meeting the following day.
With his decision made, Daniel turned to Envy and posed a question, "Would you like to inhabit a perfect homunculus body? I'll craft a body designed to your exact specifications. Just tell me what you require."
"Right now?" Envy inquired.
"Yes, why not? My main laboratory is just a five-minute drive from here. I'm confident we can return before breakfast. Besides, Sylvana seems to adore your cooking, and you can't cook without a body, can you?" Daniel suggested.
"Okay, thank you," Envy agreed, and she accompanied Daniel to his laboratory.
In Daniel's main laboratory, Envy bore witness to a plethora of miraculous and awe-inspiring magical technologies and wonders. Among them, the most astonishing was the presence of Hermes Trismegistus, the Greek God known as the inventor of Alchemy. Daniel introduced him as his alchemy teacher.
Having a deity who invented alchemy as a teacher was a dream beyond even the most ambitious and aspiring Alchemists of the Path of Knowledge. Envy shuddered to think about what would happen if the Alchemists in the Path of Knowledge faction ever learned of this fact.
The next hour was filled with wonder as she observed the epitome of alchemical mastery. Both Daniel and Hermes engaged in discussions on how to craft her new body, one that would surpass even the perfection of a homunculus.
After a brief planning and discussion between teacher and student, they initiated the creation of her new body. They began by transforming hundreds of genuine Philosopher's Stones into a mold for her new form. Then, they meticulously shaped bones, muscles, organs, and incorporated specific features according to her instructions. This included a grand jewel that would serve as a backup mana reservoir for emergencies and enhanced mana generation.
Within an hour, her blank body was complete. Unlike the typical Alchemont homunculus, it lacked facial and body features, resembling a humanoid figure in form. Following Hermes's instructions, she entered her new body.
As she did so, the homunculus's blank form gradually adopted features based on the image of her soul and her aspirations.
After the body took shape, Hermes examined it to ensure everything was as it should be. To Daniel's surprise, Hermes emerged from the room wearing a mischievous, teasing smile, while Envy's face turned as red as a tomato.
"Um... What's wrong, teacher? Did something go wrong?" Daniel inquired.
Hermes maintained his mysterious demeanor, still smiling mischievously, and replied, "Well, yes and no. You're aware that homunculi can't have children, right? Even our perfect homunculus can't."
"Yes, teacher... Wait... does this mean..." Daniel hesitated, not wanting to voice the next thought.
"Yes, that's right. It seems she aspires to have a family and be a mother quite desperately. That's why she can have a child, even though she's a homunculus," Hermes said with a teasing smile, looking directly at Daniel. Envy, her face burning with embarrassment, quickly excused herself from the laboratory, fleeing the awkward situation.
New n𝙤vel chapters are published on f(r)e𝒆webn(o)vel.com