Chapter 71 - Magus Veil, Part 1

Van sat silently at the living room table, fingers tapping restlessly on his thigh in rhythm, though no sound escaped him. His gaze drifted blankly to the window, where moonlight slipped through, casting a soft glow that offered brief solace from the storm of questions swirling in his mind.The gentle sound of water flowing from the kitchen pulled him back into the moment, grounding him."Sorry for the wait," Amoria's voice flowed casually from the kitchen. "You came by so suddenly, the tea almost went cold." She poured gracefully, the steady stream filling the sturdy wooden cups.Van turned his head slowly, watching the way her small frame bent over the kettle, her hair cascading freely down her back, catching the faint glimmer of light from the flame dancing beneath the pot.As the sound of pouring water filled the quiet, Van felt his confusion ebb, replaced by the serene glow of moonlight and the flicker of firelight that bathed the room—and her presence."I was lucky you were still awake," Van murmured, voice barely above a whisper. "And your daughter?"Amoria placed the kettle down, carrying two cups toward the table. "Don't worry about Liz," she said warmly, her smile soft. "She's a deep sleeper. And, as I keep telling you, she wouldn't mind you being here as much as you think." She set a cup before Van and settled opposite him, her own steps echoing lightly in the quiet room."As for me..." Amoria leaned back in her seat, exhaling over her tea, causing the steam to swirl and drift. "I had a feeling you'd come, so I stayed awake a little longer."Van raised a brow. "A message from your goddess?" he asked, half-joking.Amoria shook her head with a quiet chuckle. "No... It was how you spoke to me at the guild today. I hated it," she admitted, voice low. "A part of me hoped you hated it too. So, I stayed awake... hoping you'd come." She lifted her gaze, meeting his.Van's eyes lingered on her, on the way she cupped the tea delicately, gently blowing over it to cool it once more. The quiet that followed was not uncomfortable.After a moment of quiet, Van let his mind wander before speaking."I doubt that would burn you, even if you drank it boiling." His voice was casual, but it made her pause and lift her gaze."I beg your pardon?" she asked, tilting her head, her cup still cradled gently in her hands.Van gave a small shake of his head. "It's just... something I noticed. As my resistance grew, I stopped needing to blow on hot drinks. Boiling tea wouldn't hurt my throat or stomach anymore. I bet your resistance is the same."Amoria pondered for a moment, tapping a finger against her chin. "Hmm, you're right. If it's just boiling water, I can drink it fine. It feels perfectly normal, no matter how hot it is." Her lips curled into a small smile. "I actually tried it once, just out of curiosity."Van nodded. "So why do you still blow on it?"Her eyes softened as she stared at the rising steam. "It feels like... if I stop, I'd lose something." She traced her finger along the rim of the cup. "Blowing on tea, it's part of who I am. I've always loved tea—not just drinking it, but the whole experience. If I just gulp it down, I feel like I'd lose that part of me.""... Like pretending to get drunk?" Van mused, recalling Marcy's behavior."Exactly!" Amoria's eyes brightened. "I don't drink, but Marcy and others do—they act like they can get drunk. Not because they need to, but because they want to keep a part of themselves alive, the part that remembers how fun it used to be." She chuckled softly. "Everyone plays along. It's like... they cherish the memory, even if they can't feel it anymore."Van leaned in slightly, his curiosity piqued. "So... it's a known thing?""Oh, absolutely," Amoria said with a nod. "Especially among B-rankers and higher. Some even host seminars with lower-rankers to remind each other how to stay... human. As resistances build, people start feeling disconnected—it's easy to get depressed." She blew gently on her tea again, more out of habit than need.'Odd... Varlog or Alicia never mentioned anything about that...' Van lowered his head, the thought pressing deeper. 'No... I just never noticed. I didn't think to look for something like that. I only wanted her to marry me... but how well do I really know Alicia?' A faint frown formed on his face.His gaze drifted down to the cup in his hands, the steam curling upward like a fleeting invitation to blow before it vanished. His expression softened."So, even if you can't feel something anymore... you pretend it's still there. Otherwise... you lose yourself," Van whispered, his voice hoarse.Amoria's hands trembled slightly at his words, but she covered it with a soft laugh, sipping her tea without fully blowing on it."A-anyway," she chuckled lightly, forcing a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "The fact you came to me first to tell me about how you knew —Vanny, that means a lot. I'm flattered... And relieved. I was the only one out of the girls who knew about it."Van stayed quiet, waiting. Amoria's gaze shifted cautiously to his, carefully weighing his reaction."I'll tell you about Magus's story," she said, studying him closely. His expression didn't waver, his attention sharp. She let herself continue. "You know what happened. He told you. It was after Millina's death... That's when I found him, and we got together."Her smile faltered, dimming into something hollow. She stared down at her reflection in the tea."But I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel a change in my heart before it all happened... I bet you felt it too, didn't you?"Van inhaled deeply, words resting on the tip of his tongue, but before he could speak, Amoria continued."It wasn't an accident," she whispered grimly, her expression darkening as she gazed deeper into the tea's surface.Van's breath hitched. "What...?" he murmured, leaning forward slightly, eyes wide."Me, finding him; us getting together... Without you knowing... it wasn't by chance," she confessed, her voice low and haunted. "He told me everything, years later. Every thought, every reason." She closed her eyes briefly. "He came to me because... he didn't want to be judged. But there was more—he came to me because guilt was drowning him."She paused, her voice tightening. "But what he felt... it wasn't just guilt."Van clenched his jaw but said nothing, feeling the weight of her words settle between them."And in the end..." she continued, her voice barely above a whisper, "that guilt... that burden... It's what led to his suicide."=====================23 YEARS AGO====================="I'M GONNA BE AN OVERPOWERED MAGE, BRO! LET'S GOOOO!!!!"Magus's excitement boiled over as he scanned his skillset, his legs almost giving out beneath him from pure hype."Holy shit, holy shit... HOLY SHIEEEET! CAN YOU SEE THESE SKILLS!? I'M GONNA HAVE A HAREM! A REAL, FRIGGITY-FUCKITY HAREM!!! OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD!!!"He was nearly breathless from the possibilities spiraling in his head.'Wait... Isn't that kinda... mind-controlling?' he wondered briefly—only to shrug it off immediately. 'Ah, who the fuck cares!? I'M GONNA BE THE MAIN CHARACTER OF MY OWN ANIME!!!'Lost in his fantasies, he grinned to himself. 'And once I'm at the top, I'll even throw a few girls Van's way! We'll both sit on our thrones! Man, this is gonna rock SO HARD!'Magus's gaze drifted to the side, landing on a young priestess watching him from across the room. As soon as their eyes met, her face turned bright red, and she quickly looked away, flustered.'Holy shit...' Magus gulped, heart racing. 'That girl... She's TOTALLY my type. With these charm skills... All I gotta do is walk over, say hi, and bam—she'll be mine. And with all these passives, she won't even care if I talk to other girls!'Just as Magus reveled in his inevitable future, Van's frustrated voice cut through the air like a thunderclap."THEN WHY EVEN GIVE ME AN ACTIVE SKILL!?" Van shouted, glaring at his skill window inside the church.Magus flinched. 'Holy shit, that scared me!' he thought, glancing nervously at Van. 'What's his problem... Did he get shafted with crap-tier skills?'But the excitement quickly returned as Magus reassured himself. 'No worries. If his skills suck, I'll just carry him. I've got a party buff that levels everyone with me. Uncle Magus has got you, Vanny!'He placed a comforting hand on Van's shoulder after hearing the sad details of his skillset. But deep down, Magus couldn't shake the truth.'Damn... Even with Dark Soul, what a garbage skillset.' He winced, unwilling to say it aloud. 'It's like she designed him to be the perfect meatshield instead of a real fighter.'Then, realization struck him like a hammer.'Wait... He can't even benefit from my leveling buff...' Magus frowned, the pieces falling into place. 'Oh wow... She actually hates him.'Magus tilted his head back, squinting toward the heavens. "WHAT THE HELL, GODDESS!? Couldn't you at least give him ONE cool skill TOO!?!?"His voice trailed off, shrinking under the weight of what he just did. He cleared his throat awkwardly, suddenly realizing the danger of yelling at a divine being who'd been exceedingly generous to him.'Just... If you ARE going to do it, M-maybe not a harem one? I mean, imagine if we accidentally NTR each other...' Magus thought, grimacing.Meanwhile, Van tried to force a smile, burying his face into his arms. "It's okay, dude... Maybe I'm just a late bloomer? Haha..." he mumbled, though his voice lacked conviction.Magus glanced at his friend, feeling the weight of his words, when suddenly, a message prompt materialized in front of him:[Goddess Varolia has heard your plea and urges you to leave this... friend of yours behind. There is great evil within him. Leave him, save the world on your own.]'What the... a message prompt?' Magus blinked, looking around. The royal guards glanced his way briefly but gave no reaction. 'Do they not see this...?' His heart raced as he reread the message, each word twisting like a knife.His frown deepened. 'Fuck you and fuck that. No way I'm ditching him. If he's evil, then fine—he's my goddamn Sasuke. We'll fight to the death at the end, I'll barely pull through, and then I'll drag him back to the light. We'll both lose an arm, lie side by side staring at the sun like legends as we get healed by a cute ninja and—'"Bro?" Van's voice cut into his thoughts, lifting his head just slightly."A-ah, yeah?" Magus said, snapping back to reality with an awkward smile."... You were ogling me. It was kinda creepy," Van muttered, raising an eyebrow.Magus sneered instantly. "Yuck. Who'd ogle your ugly-ass face? Plant that head back into your arms so I don't have to see it, gayboy."Van rolled his eyes, scoffing. "Gangster fuckboy.""Bitch." Magus shot back without missing a beat.As Van slumped back down, Magus shifted his attention to his status window, skimming his overpowered skill list. 'Fuck yeah... With these skills, I can have anything I want. And since I'm obviously the main character, I can even rewrite fate. Screw the goddess... Hell, maybe I'll even screw her, too.'He grinned to himself, shutting the window. '...Best not tell Van about what she said, though. He's already going through enough.'