I Became the Must-Have Character of the Academy City

57 – Monolith -5-

[ Rohan’s story is now open. ]

His gaze was clearly directed at the dungeon’s sky, but the things seeping into his mind made him forget the scorching heat.

Rohan’s consciousness began to drift to a completely different place.

Even though he had never experienced it, vivid moments began to paint themselves in his mind.

Was it something that had come into existence? Or something forgotten that resurfaced?

He couldn’t judge at the moment.

[ Playing restricted video #1 for authorized personnel only. ]

With the notification window, his consciousness briefly flickered.

And Rohan began to take in a completely different place, not a dungeon.

.

Click. Click. Click.

I was walking inside an old-fashioned building, the location of which I did not know.

The exact location was unknown.

However, I recognized that it was a building that existed in Solarea.

‘No.’

This is not me. Same gender, but a different person.

It was clear that I was borrowing someone else’s perspective. I was in a position to quietly observe without intervening.

Hmm.

The man naturally stopped walking and admired the large painting hanging in the hallway.

A work depicting the horizon at dawn in oil paint. The title of the work is ‘Light’ as indicated at the bottom.

Rohan, who had no choice but to watch, could tell.

‘…I feel emotion.’

This man seems to really like this painting.

Admiring the artwork briefly in the hallway and making a resolution is also the start of his daily routine.

Master!

The man, who had been quietly admiring the painting, turned his head when the voice of the presence he had sensed earlier spoke up.

‘Is it like this?’

It seems that the man who lends his perspective is informing Rohan. The information that came to mind was filled with certainty.

The woman approaching with a greeting is Faelor’s adopted daughter.

“. You’re out early.”

It seemed like she called a name. However, it was not recognized by Rohan, who was watching, as it was filled with tinnitus and noise.

Moreover, the face of the woman who came calling for the head of the family was shattered like a mosaic.

He could only determine the gender by looking below the face.

Is this intentional information blocking?

Or, it might be the result of this man’s perception and emotions.

‘…Who is Faelor’s adopted daughter? This is the first time I’ve heard of Faelor.’

Rohan had a strong intuition that he needed to know the identity of this woman.

He tried to accept even the trivial and small information around him without missing anything.

“Rather than coming early, I haven’t left since yesterday.”

“Be careful not to harm yourself. Faelor will be worried.”

The man smiled and turned his gaze back to the painting. He did not utter any more empty words.

The man called the head of the family had been suspicious of this woman from the beginning.

But the head of the family is confident that it doesn’t matter.

No matter what intention had in wanting to work in this place, he just needs to uphold the face of his friend Faelor by keeping one thing.

‘It’s enough if that child is not exposed.’

After a short conversation with , he moves on.

He checks his surroundings several times and confirms with magic that no one is there.

No one in Solarea can escape his senses. is no exception.

Screech!

The head of the household only stepped into his office after confirming multiple times that no one was watching.

He slumped into his chair, a smile on his face as he basked in the sunlight streaming down.

The flourishing Solarea, unseen in Abyss City, spread out before him.

“Nice weather.”

Though the head of the household exuded a relaxed demeanor and posture, Rohan could sense his emotions.

‘He’s feeling uneasy. Why?’

His chest was filled with nothing but the word guilt.

It was an inner turmoil that couldn’t be linked to the face habitually smiling.

How much time had he spent staring at the sky?

“.”

He rose from his seat and stood before the bookshelf.

When he grabbed a book and infused it with magic, the bookshelf turned translucent.

The head of the household passed through it nonchalantly and stepped into a secret place.

“Why are you so late?”

A woman greeted him with a scolding as soon as he arrived.

Unfortunately, Rohan couldn’t see this person’s face either.

But there was a difference from the previous woman. This time, it wasn’t that her face was shattered beyond recognition.

Her face was blurred as if tears had been streaming down it.

‘Still.’

I can tell he has a cigarette in his mouth.

Gaju brushed off the question with a laugh and asked her.

“How’s the situation?”

“The same every day.”

“Good. Thanks for keeping an eye on things, but don’t smoke in front of the kid.”

“Ugh… I didn’t sign up for this.”

She grumbled as she stubbed out the cigarette in the ashtray.

Gaju nodded with satisfaction and turned his gaze to one side.

He approached with a smile.

And greeted.

“Good morning.”

“.”

A boy was sitting in the chair. At a glance, it was clear he wasn’t in a normal state.

There were no visible wounds, but his pupils were dilated. He didn’t respond to the greeting or even look in their direction.

He looked like an empty doll.

‘What is this?’

Rohan, who was watching the scene, was bewildered.

No matter how young that boy looked, he couldn’t deny it. That boy was definitely Rohan himself.

“Hey. Talking to him like that won’t leave any memories, you know?”

“You wouldn’t understand, being so theoretical. I’m sure he’ll remember.”

“At it again.”

“Hey, watch your language in front of the kid.”

The head of the family felt endless gratitude towards the woman who was glaring at him.

Rohan could feel it too.

This man finds a small sense of peace when he is with this woman.

“And this is also something I say to myself.”

“Idiot… Do as you please.”

The woman, who sighed as if she couldn’t stop him, took out a cigarette from her pocket and moved away.

She would probably go to the next room and chain-smoke.

And the head of the family knelt down and took the boy’s hand, who was sitting on the chair.

He held it gently without applying any pressure.

Staring into the unfocused eyes, he spoke as if making a vow.

“Remember this. You must never forget this mindset.”

“.”

“Unlike us, you are not at war with them.”

Never stand on equal footing with them. You cannot defeat those beings that way.

Humanity still does not fully understand the Abyss.

“You simply hunt and crush them.”

When the dark tribes committed their persistent sins, we were certain.

They fear this power.

Thus, it tries to overflow recklessly.

The turbid stream is surging, trying to cross the line.

The head of the family sensed that the end, an unknown form, was approaching.

Nevertheless, it doesn’t matter. He will not struggle.

He is willing to give up his life. He was even joyful, to the point of ecstasy.

Because the path he is creating now is instilling fear to the extent that it causes them to waver.

“And…”

The head of the family had something he wanted to say to the boy, not a story he wanted to tell.

A story filled with personal emotions. He bit his lip, wondering if it was okay to say it.

It was something he had never said before.

Nevertheless, he decided to try it just for today.

“You… more than anyone else… must never forgive me.”

“.”

“When I die, come to my grave, stab it with a sword, and resent me. Only then will I feel at ease.”

Those words dug into Rohan’s mind like a scar.

His mind swirled as if in a vortex, and his vision began to blur.

‘Ah.’

Consciousness flickered for the last time.

[ End of Restricted Viewing Video #1 ]

“Ugh!”

Rohan, who had been mumbling with a blank face, staggered greatly.

Sion and Clara reflexively stomped the ground.

“Brother!”

“What happened all of a sudden?”

The voices of Sion and Clara, who came closer to support him, pierced his ears.

Rohan slowly lifted his tightly closed eyelids from the consciousness that was floating at the bottom.

‘Ah, the video ended… am I back?’

Rohan sat down and repeatedly rubbed his face with his dry hands.

A stickiness as if his body and mind were submerged in a swamp. It wasn’t easy to shake off.

“Whew…”

Was it because he borrowed someone’s vision and even tasted their emotions? A heavy sigh flowed endlessly.

It was a strange feeling as the tangled senses slowly unraveled.

“Is it hard to move from your seat? It might be heatstroke.”

“Brother, are you okay?”

Clara couldn’t easily approach Rohan, who was different from usual.

She squatted down with a worried face and tried to make eye contact.

“I’m fine. I just need to catch my breath.”

Rohan lifted his head to calm the two flustered girls and somehow managed to lift the corners of his mouth.

Contrary to Rohan’s expectation that he had drawn the same expression as usual, that face presented a very foreign sensation to Sion and Clara.

It gave them the certainty that it was fabricated.

“This won’t do. I’ll look for a safe place nearby. It’s best to let him rest.”

“Y-yes, please do!”

Rohan repeatedly mentioned that he would recover if he rested for a while, but the girls began to ignore him.

In reality, he was so dizzy that he couldn’t even get up from his seat.

He wasn’t in a very good condition.

“Clara. I’ll check inside the building. Until then, go under the shade and administer first aid.”

“First aid?”

When Clara showed a nuance of asking how to do it,

Sion calmly continued to explain and handed Clara a canteen filled with cold water.

“First aid for heatstroke is simple. First, loosen his clothes. Then, wet his body and fan him.”

“Ah!”

“And use this canteen as an ice pack substitute to lower his body temperature by placing it on his neck, underarms, and groin.”

“!?”

With those words, Sion entered the small shop to check inside.

Clara alternated between looking at the canteen in her hand and Rohan, who was sitting under the sun.