༺ Deus Verdi ༻
“……”
In the quiet and desolate hospital room, where even the faint sound of droplets could be heard, Erica Bright stood next to Deus’ bed. Her head was lowered in self-reproach as he lay there with closed eyes.
Deus had once told this to her.
That something did exist in the academy, but they weren’t trying to kill him,
‘That’s right…’
Only now did Erica begin to understand the meaning of those words.
It wasn’t the evil spirits of the academy who wanted to claim his life; there was another spirit dwelling within him.
However, she didn’t know what its true identity was.
“I’m sorry.”
‘I couldn’t protect you.’
Instead of helping, she had hurt him.
Her nose twitched, as if tears were about to well up. She’d been feeling vulnerable quite often lately.
As she used the back of her cold hand to wipe her eyes…
Creak.
The door opened, and Deus’ personal maid, Findenai, entered the hospital room. She finally finished smoking her cigarette.
Findenai looked at Erica and clicked her tongue.
“His life isn’t in danger. Don’t worry too much.”
It was a shocking moment when Deus suddenly jumped from the rooftop. However, there were numerous professors around him. They were able to provide immediate treatment, ensuring that his life wasn’t in danger.
But the problem was that even though his body was gradually recovering, he still didn’t open his eyes.
“Master probably didn’t worry about jumping off because he knew you were below.”
“…”
“So, you should take care of yourself. After all, you have his trust, don’t you?”
“How does that make any sense?”
Erica turned her head sharply and glared at Findenai.
However, since she didn’t have the capabilities nor threatening aura to scare her, Findenai didn’t stop speaking, finding the situation interesting.
“You know, I could have saved him.”
Findenai stated confidently. And upon hearing those words, Erica felt her blood boil and quickly tried summoning mana. Findenai ignored her and continued speaking with her arms crossed.
“But Master told me not to. I’m not sure what he was thinking, but….”
“……!”
“I trust him. He doesn’t do things for no reason.”
“……”
Erica was at a loss for words, overwhelmed by a strange emotion.
While Findenai didn’t have a strong enough affection for Deus to call it love, she had the utmost trust in him.
Imagine that. Despite being his fiancée, she hadn’t placed as much trust in him as his maid. Erica pursed her lips tightly.
Creak!
Once again, the door opened, and this time, Gideon entered.
He approached Erica with his face as red as his hair, clearly in an agitated state.
“What are you doing here! You’re my lover! Who the hell are you nursing?”
Gideon suddenly grabbed Erica’s wrist and tried pulling her outside the room.
“No, I am not!”
Swish!
Erica pushed away his hand, evidently refusing his advances.
“I clearly warned you not to touch me.”
With the mana that had surged up because of Findenai, Erica used it to warn Gideon seriously.
“You…!”
“Shut up and leave. Patients are here to rest quietly.”
“…….”
Gideon glanced at Findenai who was beside him, and at Deus who was lying in the hospital bed, as if at a loss for words.
Then, he suddenly spoke as he pointed to Erica with his finger.
“The Bright Household is already considering our engagement in a positive light.”
“……!”
Erica’s next words were instantly cut off. It felt like something heavy lodged itself in her throat.
“Let’s see if you keep the same attitude then!”
And just like that, Gideon roughly opened the door and went outside.
Seeing his figure leave, Erica let out a long sigh and sat down, feeling like she could collapse any moment now.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
Erica didn’t want to be like this beside Deus, so she headed outside.
Findenai followed behind her.
“Should I offer you a cigarette, at least?”
With a wry smile, Findenai sneaked a cigarette out of her pocket. Erica hesitated for a moment before shaking her head.
“Let’s have some coffee. I also have something I’m curious about.”
“Sure, I’m curious about something too. Can you tell me?”
“Only if you don’t treat it like a game.”
“Well, that won’t do! It all comes down to whether it’s fun or not! Hahaha!”
“…You’re really hard to get along with.”
Feeling annoyed, Erica headed to a nearby cafe with Findenai.
Peace and tranquility returned to the room once again. However, it didn’t last long.
Creak.
A black-haired female student entered through the hospital room’s door. Her red necktie indicated that she was a first-year student at Loberne Academy.
Her name was Aria Rias, the protagonist of [Retry].
She approached the bed without an expression on her face. She looked down and saw the unconscious Deus.
Then, her eyes blurred as she slowly reached out her hand to touch his face.
Starting from his eyes, moving across his forehead, down his nose, and lovingly caressing his cheeks, she finally reached his lips.
“Ah, Professor.”
As she gazed at his soft lips, Aria’s mouth watered with the desire to taste them. But she held back and let out a hot breath.
No matter how strong her desires surged, Aria had no intention of doing anything without Deus’ consent.
“Professor.”
Aria slowly lifted his hand and brought it to her own face, making it touch her cheek.
Perhaps because he was covered with a blanket, Deus’ warmth intensified the sensations coursing through Aria’s body.
“I was really surprised.”
She never expected him to jump off the rooftop like that. Although Aria momentarily paused due to the shock, she tried to save him. However, she refrained from interfering because Caren and Erica, who were nearby, skillfully administered first aid.
“Last time, these things never happened, so you caught me off guard.”
Gently, Aria lowered her head and pressed her ear against Deus’ chest.
Thump. Thump.
The sound of his heartbeat reassured her that Deus was still alive, and that alone brought peace and happiness to Aria.
“It seems like you’re already planning to deal with that person, Professor. It seems that my efforts weren’t in vain.”
With her ear pressed against his chest, Aria turned her head slowly, staring at his lips. Should… should she just devour them?
That desire made Aria move forward and—
“Make sure you win and come back.”
As a compromise, Aria kissed Deus on the forehead and left the hospital room.
“This time, I will…”
And her quiet pledge disappeared as if it were a whisper.
* * *
“…”
I raised my hand to check.
My skin wasn’t the white color I remembered from Deus’ vision. I realized I succeeded when I saw the typical East Asian skin tone.
I was now Kim Shinwoo—a South Korean native who had been separated from my parents due to my ability to see ghosts.
The supernatural apparitions tormented me relentlessly, leading me to develop a defense mechanism that gradually eroded my emotional health.
However, despite these challenges, I still managed to pursue a higher education and complete my military service, subsequently leading an ordinary life with a regular job.
“…”
Even the clothes I was wearing were the ones I used to wear at work.
Come to think of it, these felt like the same clothes I had when I entered the game.
Looking around, I recognized the familiar Verdi mansion.
However, it was evident that the scenery outside the mansion, which was not reality, did not display a proper form but rather resembled hazy colors diluted in water.
At that moment…
Creak.
The front gate opened and a very familiar man walked out of the mansion.
Deep anger was apparent from his expression, and he glared at me as if he would tear me apart at any moment.
It was Deus Verdi.
“You’re still here!”
He was the original owner of the body I possessed.
“You’re still alive! You’re still parasitizing my body! I’ll kill you no matter what. I’ll kick you out of my body no matter what!”
Deus grabbed my collar, venting out his anger.
If you really think about it, this was our first proper meeting.
I pushed his hand away and responded.
“I am now the owner of this body, not you.”
“Don’t talk nonsense! I am Deus! I am the Verdi Household’s second son!”
“…”
“You bastard! Get out of my body quickly! Did you think it was fun to pretend to be me? Huh? Did you enjoy it? Did you feel thrilled when people fawned over you?”
“…”
“You fucking bastard! Answer me! You took over someone else’s body, and yet you shamelessly act like this? How can you behave like that?”
I calmly replied to him, who was partially holding back tears.
“Everything I did was to survive, that’s all.”
“You…!”
“However, while I was living as Deus Verdi.”
Calmly and confidently, I continued.
“No one missed you.”
“You bastard…!”
Deus swung his fist and struck my face. Although my head turned from the impact, it didn’t hurt.
“You were a pervert who had twisted sexual desires, to the point of even lusting after your sister.”
“Shut up!”
Thud!
“If you couldn’t afford drugs, you would even lick the shoes of lowlives in the back alleys.”
“So, what? What does that have to do with anything? That was my life!”
Thud!
Deus’ punches continued, but gradually, his strength weakened.
“Furthermore, you had no sense of responsibility as a Verdi, you never had any desire nor will to protect Norseweden.”
At least Darius had that. Protecting the family was his top priority, and Norsewden came second.
But the man in front of me simply saw everything as his playground.
“At the very least, I wanted to meet you. I had a question I wanted to ask.”
“…And what the fuck is that?”
Deus, who had been swinging his fists, became a pitiful figure with his face covered in tears.
“I have seen countless souls. They couldn’t let go of the regrets in their lives because they held onto their own beliefs and values.”
I finally asked the question I had wanted to ask for a long time.
“Deus Verdi, what regrets do you hold?”
