The Change

Chapter 9: The Change

Dahlia was busy researching the magic battery inside her 'green' tower. It has been just recently since she signed the contract, but her new boss is one hell of a slave driver. He wants at least a prototype by the end of this month. If she can't create a magic battery, then at least a battery to store electricity made from the material of this world.

With such an impending deadline, she started the arduous pursuit of science ..., or magic, in this world. She has forgotten most of the knowledge about fundamental physics and chemistry from her past life. But in these two days, Satria helped her refresh the memories.

In the evening, Satria would visit the green tower and learn the written language of the kingdom. While he taught her everything he know about electrochemistry. And truth be told, she was impressed by his deep understanding of the subject.

'Nanotechnology Engineering, huh? That sounds cool.' Dahlia thought in her mind, recalling the conversation where he told her the major he was currently attending.

He was currently a second-year undergraduate student in that major, at one of the universities in his country, Indonesia. She was very bad at geography that she honestly couldn't remember a country named Indonesia, but then he told her that it was the country where's Bali at. She had heard of Bali island, but isn't Bali an independent country?

"Does he not come tonight?" she muttered while glancing at the clock that pointed at 8 o'clock. Usually, he would knock on the gate around six in the evening. But two hours passed and he didn't come.

For some reason, she started thinking more and more of her new boss. Satria might be not the most charming man out there. There were plenty of charming men in this world and back in the world of her previous life. However, there's a time when she got mesmerized by him. It was not out of love, she know it. Maybe some form of admiration for his vast knowledge.

It has been three days since the annulment of her engagement, and she already put Tobias in the back of her mind. They would be separated after all, why would she mind about the man who never loved and cherished her?

After reading the novel version of her life, she realized how dumb she was and what a shallow man her ex-fiancé was. There's a chapter that detailed how Tobias has a deep insecurity complex on her and is always envious of her talent in the magic craft. But that just can't justify all of his actions.

Of course, she also read about the part where she had a fateful meeting with the male protagonist of this world. The injured knight from the prestigious Scalfarotto family. However, it seems like thing doesn't go just like what the novel described. She went out to the forest procuring materials but didn't encounter the ikkemen knight along the way.

'Maybe ..., his arrival into this world caused the change in the story plot?' she surmised in her mind.

"He didn't come tonight. Oh well whatever, I'll just cook some simple dinner and then go to sleep."

Dahlia decided to stop thinking about her new boss. She knows that he has his own life and maybe he was too busy to come. Though, she was slightly disappointed that he didn't come tonight.

The following morning, Dahlia woke up feeling refreshed. She cooked a simple breakfast of toast, egg, and bacon. She ate breakfast while reading Satria's note. It was his first-semester note, and thankfully he always wrote it in English although there's some occasional scribble written in Bahasa.

When she was reading and rummaging through its content, the bell of the tower rang. It was not the bell on the gate, but the one attached to the door.

There were only a few people who could open the gate. Dahlia thought it was her childhood friend Irma. But when she opened the door, there he was, standing there with a panic-stricken face.

"Oh, hello Mr. Orlando. What can I help you in this lovely morning?" she asked with a mask of politeness, inwardly she thought. 'I need to change the gate access.'

"Um ..., I'm sorry, but I want you to return the engagement bracelet?"

'Right ..., this scene.' Dahlia recalled the earlier chapters of the first volume in which seems like the author tried to make her life so miserable and portray Tobias as a dork without any redeeming quality. She lifted up her lips forming a playful smile, thinking. 'Heh, do you think after knowing that I'd willingly give it to you? Dream on!'

"You're a bit too late for that, Mr. Orlando."

"What? What do you mean?"

"I sold them yesterday."

After knowing that he would come barging and demanding the engagement bracelet, she unhesitatingly sold it to a pawnshop. Because it was a used good no matter how good the quality is, the two accessories only sell for 1 gold and 76 silver. About 2/5 of the original price. But the amount doesn't matter, money is still money.

"WHAT!? How can you sell that? Dahlia, just what are you thinking?! That's our engagement bracelet!" Tobias raised his voice as if accusing her.

"The engagement which has been annulled, yes," Dahlia stated blandly. "As I recall, even if the engagement got canceled, the bracelet still belongs to me."

"You ..., how could you do this to me?" Tobias asked in disbelief.

'Ask that yourself, I always abide by your whim and followed your words and command just like your little puppy. But this is what I get? And now you're wondering why I can do this to you? Oh, you have no idea what am I capable of.' she squinted her eyes trying to suppress the victorious smirk that almost appeared on her face.

"If that is all, then please leave Mr. Orlando. I am sure you have a tight schedule, just like me. Now, if you excuse me ..." she was about to close the door, but Tobias called out in desperation.

"Wait ..., please, Dahlia! I'm in hurry to make an engagement bracelet for Emilia, but I don't have much time, and ... reserves. Please stop lying to me, I need that bracelet."

"As I said, I sold it at the pawnshop yesterday. I don't have it."

"Then give the money to me! Dahlia, I need that money!?" Tobias shouted at her in desperation.

"And why should I care, that's your problem, not mine."

"Look, I know I've hurt you, and I'm sorry. But please ..., just this time, let me borrow your money, Dahlia." Tobias pleaded.

She knows that it won't stop with just borrowing her money if she agrees to it. However, she could see that he won't leave until he get that money.

'Troublesome ...' she sighed and think of how to escape from this situation. "I won't lend you, but I'll buy back the gemstone I gave you back on your birthday."

"Uhmm ..., but-"

"If you don't agree to it, then there's nothing to discuss."

"..."

Tobias silently took a box and hand it over to her. Dahlia opened the box and there was the red ruby a size of a thumb. She nodded and silently went back inside to retrieve the money.

"Here's the money I got from selling the bracelet." she handed him the coin pouch from yesterday.

"..., I'm sorry, and thank you for this." Tobias took the coin pouch, turned around, and walked away.

But before he reached the gate, a carriage stopped and a young woman with a guild worker's uniform stepped out.

"Ms. Rosetti!"

"You are ..., Clara Vasari?"

"Yes, that's me. No, that's not the point. There's something bad that happened with Mr. Dimas! I need you to come with me."

"Huh? What happened?"

"I'll talk along the way, please come with me."

"Okay ..., please wait, I need to grab something." Dahlia hurriedly ran inside after seeing the panic on Clara's face.

---=---=---

Clara was sent by the vice guild leader to hand over an invitation to a party celebrating City Lord's son's birthday to Satria. Gabriella wanted to use this opportunity to introduce him to the city lord. After all, his product was so unique that it sold out on its third day after it was introduced. Someone like him must pique the eye of a noble like the city lord.

Because she occasionally talked with him, Clara know about the place where he stay. It didn't take a long time before she arrived at the Stargate Inn. She asked the innkeeper whether he already left, but then the proprietress said that she hadn't seen him since last night. He didn't even bother to come down for a dinner. And this morning, he hadn't come out of his room.

The proprietress who also noticed this went upstairs to check on his room along with Clara. But after a few minutes of knocking, they receive no answer. They become more worried when they smelled a foul stench coming from inside. With a spare key, the proprietress unlocked the door and barged in.

But then, they saw Dimas lying on the floor in a room that was in a total mess. His body was riddled with filth in the form of black ooze. These black gooey things around his body might be the cause of the nasty smell. Empty glass vials scattered beside him and many of his things were either damaged or completely destroyed.

"Dear gods in heaven ..., what happened?" Clara, disregarding the nasty smell that was coming from him, approached him and checked on his condition.

She let out a sigh of relief after noticing that he still breathing and has a heartbeat. But then, her sense of smell couldn't bear the stench, she ran to the bathroom and puke out her breakfast.

The proprietress with a cloth mask to filter her olfactory, pulled him into the bathroom and washed the filth on his body.

"Girl, do you know his family? Or does he has a friend in this town?"

"I don't know about his family, but I know someone who might be his friend."

"Alright, I'll bring him to the clinic after I'm done cleaning his body. You go fetch his friend."

"I ..., yes, Ma'am." Clara followed her word because it seems that the elf proprietress somewhat knew what was going on with him.

Clara left the inn and hastily went to the outskirts of the town. There's only one person that can be considered as Dimas' the merchant from Atlantis friend. That was Dahlia, the unfortunate girl who got dumped by her fiancé.

She didn't know her and never got acquainted because Dahlia seems to have a certain connection and the one who dealt with her was the guild's upper echelon. But this town is pretty small, and it's very easy to overhear such rumors.

However, albeit Clara knows that Dahlia was supposed to be the unfortunate heroine. She still resents and feels jealous because she seems to catch the attention of this mysterious merchant.

"That's the gist of it ..., I don't know what happened, but what I know is that he's alive and breathing," Clara explained everything that happened to Dahlia.

'Did he got poisoned? But why? Is it because his paper sold like hot cakes, and the noble who owned the paper mill industry got threatened that they sorting on these extreme measures?' Dahlia's mind was filled with conspiracy.

She was worried about his well-being, but her mind couldn't get rid of such a thought. She knew how heinous and underhanded some of the nobles in this kingdom were. Even though she never experienced it herself, her family was once a victim of a noble plot.

'If this is the work of those nobles ..., I swear I will make them know the taste of hell.' she squinted her eyes as a dangerous thought filled up her mind.

The carriage finally arrived at the destination, the town clinic. In the lobby, Clara saw the elf proprietress and approached her.

"Mrs. Proprietress, I've brought her here. What is his condition?"

"You are ..., Dahlia Rosetti?" the elf proprietress recognized her after a momentary pause.

"You know me?"

"Of course, how can I forget the daughter of a friend? I'm sorry for what has happened with your father."

"I see, it's fine. and Thanks, Mrs ..."

"Vara. You can call me that, Dahlia. As for that young man ..., let's just wait for the healer. I'm not well versed in human physiology."

At the right time, a middle-aged woman in a nun robe stepped out of a room. She was approached by the three and then the one most anxious of them asked.

"Sister ..., how is he?"

"The young man is alright, his condition has already stabilized. At the moment, he is just sleeping and recuperating. Now, which one of you will handle the bills?"

"That would be me ..., but let me see him first, I need to see him." Dahlia raised her hands.

"Alright, I won't go anywhere. Just call the nurse if you want to pay the bills."

"Thank you very much, sister. May the goddess of Life bestow us a healthy life."

"May the goddess bless us." the sister returned the blessing and then retreated.

The three entered the room to see a patient lying on a bed. It was Satria, and he was sleeping peacefully without any disturbance. The only thing that's strange is the slow and subtle suction of magical energy in the air toward his abdomen. Though, only Vara could notice this phenomenon.

"Is he always this handsome?" muttered Dahlia in wonder.

[A/N: MC's got plastic surgery after the whole cultivation fiasco, just think of him as Thorns from Arknight. Ah right ..., did I mention that the proprietress is an elf? Well, I added it at the last moment because why not?]