Chapter 4

Cecil bit her lower lip, playing with her fingers as she sat on a luxurious sofa, a cup of hot tea placed in front of her on the marble table.

The occasional wind from the balcony blew by, causing the steam from the hot tea to be blown slightly towards Cecil's direction.

A familiar man sat opposite her, his arms folded across his chest and she could feel his eyes on her.

A pair of grey, shadowy eyes.

Cecil decided to peek at Xue, and she looked away quickly when his eyebrows narrowed even further as he met her gaze.

The protagonist is sitting opposite me, but I can't cuddle him!

How unfair!

He still doesn't like me even after Hana insisted I am her best friend.

...but of course, Xue knew Hana's personality well. He doubts everyone close to her, her personality was the same as the "Hana" in her previous life with Xue...and he doesn't trust anyone other than Hana.

Cecil tapped her fingers on her knees, before reaching out and taking a sip of her tea nervously.

"Ouch, hot!" Cecil winced out, the hot tea scalding her tongue.

She heard a mocking scoff from Xue, and she looked up at him.

Disdain.

That's all she could see in his eyes.

"You don't deserve to have Hana as your best friend."

Cecil agreed sadly to his words in her heart, she was a cannon fodder villain after all. However, she did not show any response on the outside, maintaining her arrogant demeanor.

Xue lifted his cup of tea, sipping carefully, his actions graceful. Cecil stared in admiration, even a simple act of drinking tea makes him look so handsome.

I am proud to call him my favourite protagonist.

Xue noticed her strange gaze, frowning to himself as he placed the cup back down.

"You are a weird, pompous woman." he spat out those words without any tact.

Cecil only gave him a closed-lip smile in return.

The doors to the room were pushed open, and Hana woman strolled in with a grin.

Oh thank god, I've been drinking tea for thirty minutes.

Hana held a pair of clothes in her arms, approaching Xue. Xue watched her with a genial expression, and Cecil sighed blissfully at their interactions.

"Xue! I'm finally done, I apologise for the wait. Your clothing has been sewn, and my mother decided to gift you another pair of clothes as thanks!"

Xue naturally accepted her gift without any qualms. "Thank you, Hana. You didn't need to do this."

Hana shook her head, "I can't do that, you helped me once again."

Cecil and Hana decided to take a stroll around the marketplace, only to get caught in a drunken brawl. Xue stepped in to help Hana...and only Hana.

Cecil had barely managed to avoid the drunken man.

After which, Xue's worn clothes were torn due to the scuffle. Cecil suggested to Hana, secretly, to amend his clothes.

She even told her to give him a pair of clothing if she wanted to.

[ Mission 2 successfully completed!

Reward : 10 points

The protagonist impression points of you has increased as well! ]

Cecil perked up, breaking her gaze away from the loving couple.

[ Impression points remaining : 90.01

Congratulations, you have increase by a 0.01 points~ ]

"..."

"...is that even an increase...?" Cecil deadpanned, whispering to herself.

"Cecil?"

Cecil turned her attention towards Hana, a blank expression on her face.

"Are you going to have lessons today with your mother?"

Cecil paused for a moment before humming in agreement. Hana beamed at her in an instant, a pleading look in her eyes.

"Can I bring Xue along, please?"

Xue looked at Cecil in shock, casting a derisive glance at Cecil.

"Sorry, Hana. My mother says today's lesson is rather private, no one can observe today."

Hana instantly deflated and Cecil imagine her as an adorable rabbit with ears flattened against her head.

"You should spend your time today with Xue." Cecil proposed.

[ Impression points remaining : 90.02

Congratulations, you have increase by a 0.01 points~ ]

Cecil saw the notification, her eyes seeing the pleased look on Xue's face. She inwardly raised her fist, clenching it in victory.

The pleased look on Xue's face is worth the...0.01 points.

An obvious blush adorned Hana's face as she glanced coyly at Xue.

"...okay." she uttered softly.

[ Impression points remaining : 90.04

Congratulations, you have increase by a 0.02 points~ ]

Cecil made another internal fist pump into the air. She proceeded to excuse herself from the couple, the pink atmosphere in the air making her feel rather stuffy.

She headed back to her bedroom, and instead of taking the dancing outfit on her bed, she went into the wardrobe, searching for something else.

Earlier, she had excused herself from the dancing lessons today, and her mother agreed to her request without any resistance.

"I remember I hid it here somwhere..." Cecil murmured to herself and her eyes caught the folded clothes in one of the compartment. "Here it is!"

Taking it out, she closed the wardrobe doors and changed into those clothes.

The clothes she was currently wearing were unlike her usual feminine clothes. She was completely covered, with an steel blue vest with black arm warmers, and grey pants with a belt loop. There was a light grey cloth tied around her hip area which came along with the pants.

She didn't understand its design purpose, but as long as it allowed her the freedom of movement, she was satisfied.

She grabbed the same pair of boots she has been using for her recent outdoor activities, wearing it effortlessly.

It was still in the early afternoon, so it was still safe for her.

Sneaking her way to the mansion doors, she left quickly.

Cecil tied her hair into a long ponytail, fluffing it to ensure that weren't any tangled hair. Now that she had removed any beauty products she applied on her face, along with the clothes she wore, Cecil looked like a female fighter.

Just leaning towards the skinnier side.

Taking in her peaceful surroundings, filled with trees and the rustling of leaves, Cecil looked around once more before nodding to herself.

She stumbled upon this spot yesterday after strolling about, her mind had been occupied with finding a quiet area. Thus, she was pleased when she found an spot like that.

She wanted to use to practice in secrecy.

Hantulsennem.

It was the name of this world that the novel was situated in.

Elements of the world were present in every individual, and every individual had an affinity to one of them.

"Water, air, fire and earth...and one's body will be in tune with one of the element," Cecil ruminated, her finger tapping on her chin. "It wasn't stated what element Cecil Lan had an affinity with in the novel, but she wouldn't be interested in all these anyway."

Cecil remembered the author explaining in exhaustive detail of these elements. She could only understand it fully after reading it three consecutive times. It wasn't that it was boring, but the author was an utter disaster at world building. Her explanations of the technical terms were convoluted and disordered.

...to know one's affinity with the elements, they utilize a test. The test was to awaken the elements sealed inside the individual's body.

After which, a symbol will be imprinted on the inside of their palms. Upon seeing it, they would know their element category.

"The test...what was the test again?" Cecil mumbled to herself, searching through her memories about the novel.

A few minutes passed and Cecil opened her onyx eyes, her limpid eyes seemingly conflicted.

"...that's right, how could I forget, the test..."

[ Do you require my assistance? The test is to simply go to a tavern, and order a cup of "Widerlich". Brace yourself before you drink it! ]

The test wasn't actually unknown to the people of Hantulsennem. It was, in fact, known everywhere but many were hesitant to take the test.

That because the drink, Widerlich, was nasty.

Absolutely, completely and terrifyingly disgusting.

It was said that one could never forget the taste of Widerlich their entire lives, if they were to ever drink it.

There was even a fifty year old man who passed away after drinking it.

Even seasoned fighters and renowned wanderers from across the four continents vomited after smelling it. Some of them even fainted from the taste itself.

"AI500, is there a rating I can compare the taste of Widerlich to?"

[ The scent of the drink is close to those fermented food, but to an extreme level. The taste is comparable to the bitter gourd of your previous world. Just imagine the most bitter stage of the bitter gourd, and multiply it by a thousand times. ]

Cecil blanched, a chill running down her back.

There was a long moment of silence, accompanied by the wind rustling the leaves on the trees. The afternoon sun was covered by the clouds, only allowing limited light to pass through.

Cecil has been rooted to the spot the entire time, and now, she suddenly moved. She turned and headed out of the clearing, the only destination in her mind was the town's tavern.

I'll do it.

Cecil inhaled deeply and she couldn't help but let out a whine.

...this is all for the sake of my protagonist and his beloved Hana...

The protagonist was weak now, and he will only grow stronger once he starts to venture further into the continents and encounter challenges, meeting his scattered soul fragments.

His alters.

Some of the protagonist's alters were evil villains, and they were formidable. Some of them were even in situations that required the protagonist to take his own action to save them.

Sadly, the alters were one of the cause for the protagonist's suffering.

Poor little Xue...

There are so many things in this novel that caused him suffering.

Even normal people, they seem to get jealous of him for no reason.

Cecil huffed, feeling a surge of emotions. She grew resolute, steeling her resolve to drink down the cup of Widerlich.

A thought suddenly occured in Cecil's mind as she began pressing her fingers gently onto her face. She then looked down, seeing the grey cloth around her.

She tugged at it, hearing a small clicking sound. To her delight, her belt loops behind her pants were actual loops with mechanism. "This will come in handy."

The tavern door opened, the bell hung on it swinging along to the movement, signaling the arrival of a new customer. Cecil walked in briskly, settling down herself onto a stool. Her face was covered by a grey cloth, concealing her looks, only showing her limpid onyx eyes.

"What would you like, missus?"

"A cup of..."

"A cup of?"

Cecil narrowed her eyes at the tavern owner, who was an average man in his fifties.

"A cup of Widerlich!" she announced, her voice clearly heard throughout the tavern.

"Widerlich?!"

"How can it be?"

"Impossible!"

"She's so young!"

The tavern owner knew it must have taken courage to spill those words out. The owner nodded solemnly, going into the storage room and a minute later, he came out with a cup in his hand.

His nose was clipped with a clothes peg, and the customers who managed to get a tiny whiff of the cup instantly gagged. There were even some who had scrambled out of the way when the tavern owner took a step out of the storage room.

"Missus, you'll need this."

Cecil regarded him with a frigid stare, taking the clothes peg from his palm.

"Thank you."

The tavern owner placed the wooden cup on her table, and Cecil grew curious. She leaned over, surprised to see that the liquid inside the cup was crystal clear.

It was like plain water.

She glanced around, seeing the terrified faces of everyone, recalling how some of them were even gagging before.

She stopped holding her breath, daring herself to sniff...and she regretted it.

Her body's reaction was immediate as she gagged harshly and swivelled her head to the left, clasping the clothes peg on her nose that was hidden by the grey cloth.

Fu...ck!

The smell...is horrendous! It's way too pungent!

The cloth doesn't even help at all!

The tavern owner regarded her with concern, folding his arms across his chest in a grim manner.

Cecil gritted her teeth.

Let's just get this over with!

Cecil took the cup into her hand, hesitant. She then braced herself for the taste, the cup under the grey cloth as she brought it up to her concealed mouth, gulping the drink down.

Everyone watched with bated breath.

Alas, one gulp in and she instinctively spit the rest of it out.

"She drank it!"

"She really drank it!"

"She actually drank it!"

"Oh god, I want to faint for her."

Pressing her hand over her mouth, Cecil's face became rather green and she began to gag. There was something on the verge of spilling out from her throat, and she swallowed it down.

She gagged again once more and tears sprang to her eyes.

Cecil moved her eyes back to the cup, and she let out a choked sob when she saw it was still partially full.

This isn't plain water at all!

It's a potent bitter gourd in disguise!

It's like someone made it into a liquefied form, and made it so bitter, bitter isn't a word to describe it anymore!

I'll rather eat hospital food for a hundred years than drink this!

Cecil gagged once more, her vision growing blurry. Her nose was already sore from the clothes peg, and she could nothing but reach forward and grab the cup.

Fuck it!

She drank the contents, gagging once and forcing herself to swallow it completely. Slamming the empty wooden cup down on the table, she could hear the loud gasps of different pitches surrounding her.

"She finished it!"

"She really finished it!"

"She actually finished it!"

"Oh god, it makes me wanna die for her."

The tavern owner rushed forward to bring the empty cup away from the table, revealing a pillow behind him as he placed it under Cecil's head. Her head dropped onto the pillow involuntarily, it was as if the tavern owner had seen these a million times. Her face had grown pale, and she unconsciously gagged from time to time. A few tears slid down her cheeks, staining the grey cloth.

Applause was heard from around her, and Cecil smiled weakly. She felt extremely light-headed, the aftertaste in her mouth making her sick to the stomach.

"You're a brave young gal. Here's something to make you feel better, it'll help with the aftertaste." The tavern owner pushed a tiny glass cup to her.

"Th--" Cecil started to utter, only to feel an intense sensation to vomit.

"Don't speak, you'll make it worse. Just drink this first."

Cecil accepted the cup, lifting her head weakly and though it was a tiny amount, the tiny amount she gulped down made her slightly better.

It felt smooth, and it made her tongue tingle in a way like it was washing off the taste of the previous drink.

She made a questioning gesture to the cup and the tavern owner nodded in understanding.

"An extreme version of sugar syrup. I wouldn't recommend drinking this in a large amount," The tavern owner explained and his lips crinkled into an amiable smile. "You must have a strong stomach. Fainting is common for those who have drank this, not fainting is uncommon instead. This old man, sincerely respect you for doing this."

Cecil found it amusing.

It was just a single drink. Why were people admiring her for just a single drink? Even a tavern owner like this old man?

[ Alert! Secret mission discovered! Congratulations on finding your first secret mission! Secret mission #1 : It-- ]

Cecil's eyes widened in disbelief as she read the message in front of her, until the message abruptly stopped typing.

[ ... ]

[ Secret mission halted due to unforeseen circumstances. Secret mission will be postponed until further notice. ]

"...?!"

"AI500, what is the meaning of this?"

[ I am unable to offer any explanation for that. Instead, please pay close attention to your inner right palm. ]

Cecil was rather alert now, due to the unexpected situation. Her mind was distracted, and she had temporarily forgot about the nauseous aftertaste of Widerlich.

She brought her right hand to her line of sight, turning it to the inner side. In the middle of her palm, a symbol was gradually drawn out, hovering over her palm.

《 start 》

Hi author, can you please answer why you made Hana betray Xue?

Hahaha, it's supposed to be a secret! I suppose I can satisfy a bit of your curiosity. I just felt that after a while, Xue and Hana aren't meant to be.

Can you explain why? This couple is the OTP to a lot of us ;_; ;_; ;_;

Xue feels more like an obsessive babysitter of Hana, rather than his beloved. My Xue deserves someone that complements him and supports him fully. He deserves happiness, wholly, not like Hana. Hana feels incomplete for him.

...but author, you are the one that makes him suffer in the story! You take away his happiness! You made him incomplete! *sob*

That's true, hahahaha!

this author is evil

Evil, evil, evil, evil

A conversation between the readers and the original author

《 stop 》