Chapter 222 Volume IV - Chapter 67: A Person Without a Purpose
"Hey, hey, hey! Get back, get back! Don't go near the flames!"
As the voices from outside echoed like a whisper in the huge bedroom, I slowly moved to the single armchair, slowly.
I pulled a long needle from my waist and started twirling it in my hand, just as a shaky voice echoed through the room. Then I sat calmly on the couch, ignoring my surroundings.
"W- What do you want?!"
I lifted my eyes up and looked where the voice came from, at the big bed in the center of the room.
A man was there, naked, with the duvet covering his lower back. He was sweating, his eyes darting here and there, looking for a way out.
I whispered in a low voice, completely oblivious to his futile efforts.
"Guess."
The man looked fearfully at the woman lying next to him, just like him. The only difference was that her eyes were closed and she was lying down.
He tried to wake her up, sought her out. But she never opened her eyes.
"She's already dead, don't bother with her."
This time the man trembled violently. For a moment he just stood there. He slowly moved his trembling hand to her neck and checked her pulse. His head lowered with each passing second so that his hair fell in front of him.
"What did you..."
His voice was suddenly hoarse, weak.
"I poisoned her, it's not a big thing-"
"What the fuck did you do to my wife?!"
The guy jumped out of the bed at me. However, he failed miserably. The moment he got out of bed he fell down, he had tripped.
But he didn't stop, he tried to get up again. And yet, it too was futile. He fell down once again. As if his muscles were failing him every time he tried.
"What's the matter? Is your anger only this much, Count?"
Hearing this, the Count slammed his fist into the floor. His whole body trembled again as the floor shattered with the impact.
He started to cry.
"I- If only I wasn't sick... If only I wasn't in a weaken-"
"Oh, that? My poison seems to have affected you more than I thought."
The Count froze in place, raised his head, and looked at me with pitiful eyes, and then tied it all together.
His expression first distorted, then trembled. His head returned to the floor. This time, though, he didn't stop there. He dug his nails into the floor, then began to crawl.
"Die... I- I'll kill you..."
He threw his other hand forward, dragging his body toward me.
"My... My children, my w- wife... all of them..."
"Yes, Count. I killed them all. The question is... what can you do?"
The count dragged his body toward me again.
"You were a count, even if you were one of the weakest counts in the kingdom. And look at you now."
I punched the mirror on my left side and when it shattered into pieces, I pulled out a large piece and threw it in front of me.
The mirror shard landed right in front of the count, under his hair, which fell to the floor. The count faced his own face and paused.
He saw his tear-stained eyes, the drool dripping from his mouth, and his disheveled hair.
"You were an A grade spear wielder, and now you crawl in front of an E grade person... Poisons are truly miraculous, aren't they?"
Sighing slightly, I stood up, approached the count, who could barely take a step, and placed my foot on his head.
"Do you know who I am?"
The count didn't answer, just staring at himself in the piece of mirror beneath him.
"Alexander Callidas. The weak guy whose mother you decided to kill just because he might cause you trouble in the future, just as a warning, just so that he would fall into decadence."
When the Count didn't react again, I pulled my foot back, squinting in disgust.
"You've gone mad, haven't you?"
I bent down, gently pricked the count's hand with the tip of the needle I had been holding in my hand, and then stood up again.
"It was an honor to meet you in your last moments, Count Herun. I hope you suffer greatly."
With that, I turned away, and the last thing I heard before I left the bedroom and went into the flames was the pitiful sound of the Count screaming and crying.
*******
I pulled my hoodie over my head, threw the changed clothes in a corner of my room, and went outside.
Even though it was March, it was quite cold and I even felt the need to put on a winter coat. I didn't go back though, I walked through the city and approached one of Cevilian's huge lakes.
I found a bench, sat down, breathed in the fresh air, and closed my eyes in the darkness of the night.
I thought of the past, of the time I spent with my mother before she was sick in bed.
I took my revenge, one by one I killed everyone who was behind my mother's death.
I'm at peace. But... why am I not happy?
No, it's not that I'm not happy... I'm just... purposeless.
For the last month and a half, I've been totally dedicated to avenging my mother's death. Every night, every day I've worked for it and I've achieved my goal. I gave them all a painful death... And now, I have nothing to do.
I never imagined, never wanted to imagine, a future without my mother. And now I am in such a world...
I opened my eyes and looked at the still surface of the huge lake that seemed to stretch to the horizon like a sea, reflecting the lights.
Should I commit suicide? Would I meet my mother if I did that?
I imagined my mother's face, the beautiful face I had seen only a few months ago.
I narrowed my eyes.
No... My mother wouldn't like that.
So I started thinking about something else.
Aiden... He helped me heal my mom. I'm grateful to him, even if the outcome wasn't what I wanted. I could have served him for the rest of my life if the stupid nobles hadn't done something stupid, as usual.
I paused, then smiled.
Now that I have no purpose in life... The least I can do is help him. Even if he didn't do me any favors for nothing, he truly considered me his friend during our time together. He didn't ask for anything for the plant that would cure my mother, he even offered me more.
He is a good person... not like me.
When I've already gotten my hands dirty, when I already have nothing to do in this world... At least I can be of use to him.
I stood up and started walking back toward my hotel room.
Yes, there is nothing I can do but return the favor.
*******
After returning to my hotel room, I went straight back to the academy. Since there was still time for my permit to expire, I went in without any problem and stepped into my dormitory room, where I had last set foot almost two months ago, for the first time in a long time.
It felt a bit nostalgic, like it was a long time ago, even though it hadn't been years.
I let out a deep sigh, then opened my watch, which I hadn't touched for who knows how long. The first thing I did was to find Aiden's name and text him.
<<------------------------------
You: Please text me back when you can.
------------------------------>>
I put my head on the pillow, knowing that if I got a text message I would wake up to the notification sound, so I wanted to get some rest. When I closed my eyes, it didn't take long for darkness to descend on me and I lost touch with the outside world.
It was a sound sleep, without dreams. Still, it didn't take long for my eyes to open again.
It was midnight when I woke up, having slept only a few hours because of my ruined sleep patterns.
I opened my watch, checked to see if Aiden had written me a reply, but then I realized that the message hadn't been sent... let alone read.
I frowned. Even though it was midnight, I called Aiden.
"The person you have called ca-."
I turned off the watch, and for a moment I just stood there.
It didn't last long though, as soon as I got out of bed, I threw on some clothes and left my dorm room, heading straight for the research building.
I still remember the offer Aiden made me, he told me that Ulka DeLaor was working under him. That crazy man is definitely in his lab, even at this time of night.
By talking to him, I could get a head start on the 'job' Aiden had told me about, and I could also get some information about him.
I entered the building a few minutes later, and when I approached the reception desk I was greeted by a friendly receptionist.
"Alexander Callidas, I'm here to see Ulka DeLaor."
The receptionist's smiling face instantly fell slightly at this.
"Professor Ulka said that no one should disturb him..."
So he's really here... I knew it.
"Tell him I'm here for a job offer and my name. He'll let me in."
The receptionist grunted slightly this time, clearly not wanting to deal with that maniac Ulka DeLaor. Nevertheless, he did as I said and called the professor.
He expected me to be rejected, I could see it in his expression, but when his eyes widened during the call, it wasn't hard to guess the answer he got on the other end.
"P- Professor Ulka is waiting for you..."
I nodded, and after finding out where the professor's lab was, it took me three minutes to get to his doorstep.
As soon as I reached the door, I pressed the screen next to it and waited.
After only three seconds, the door opened wide and a pair of golden eyes greeted me.
"Come in."
I walked in without waiting, while Professor Ulka closed the door directly and gestured to the seats immediately to our left.
I took the seat. Then he sat opposite me and looked at me, surveying the lab.
It was a simple lab, at least the entrance was.
"Job offer, Aiden offered it to you, didn't he?"
I could tell by his dull tone that he already knew the subject, but he wasn't happy about it.
"Yes, he said I should normally wait a year for it, but I wanted to start early."
Ulka didn't change his posture one bit.
"Do you want money?"
"No, I want to work for Aiden."
"So you want to be his dog?"
It might have been uncomfortable if it had been someone else.
"I have nothing left to lose in my life, professor. I don't even have a reason to live, I took revenge for my family and that's it. It's all over for me. So, for the rest of my life, I will return the favor."
Ulka raised his eyebrows in surprise, then sighed slightly, keeping the same coldness in his expression.
"Well, if you really want to, you can start by helping me with my projects."
I nodded in agreement, though I didn't let him get up from the couch right away.
"By the way... Aiden is at the academy, right?"
This time Ulka froze in place. It was quite momentary, though.
"Oh, right... It's normal that you don't know."
My eyebrows furrowed, it was clear that something was going on that I didn't know about and I didn't like it.
"It's normal not to know what?"
"He's dead."
Time stopped in an instant, the professor's words echoed one after another in my mind.
"W- What?"
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