Chapter 93: Father (4)

“Please… please don’t kill our professor! Whatever you want, we’ll do anything…!”

The desperate cry of a disciple.

Evan let out a deep inward sigh.

Why is the first thing that comes out of their mouths “don’t kill him”? 

What did I even do?

…No, I guess it does look suspicious.

To be perfectly honest, even Evan had to admit the scene looked, well, extremely suspicious.

A professor collapsed and sobbing.

One unidentified corpse.

The preserved body of a young girl inside a tank.

And right in front of it all, Evan and Royan standing perfectly unharmed.

Anyone would think Evan was the mastermind behind everything.

Still… they really do care about him.

Would ordinary graduate students beg like this for their professor’s life?

They weren’t even close to graduating.

Normally, in academies—especially prestigious ones like this—graduate students were treated worse than dirt.

Just ask anyone.

“Aren’t they basically slaves?”

“Do graduate students even count as human?”

“Wow, working conditions have improved. I heard they at least guarantee the minimum cost of living now?”

Those jokes that floated around weren’t entirely jokes.

Many professors treated researchers like disposable tools or instruments for their own achievements.

But Professor Moriarty was different.

Opinions about him were split into extremes.

Ruthlessly cold and merciless—yet at the same time, a true teacher.

The reason was simple.

Professor Moriarty mercilessly cut away anyone without ability.

But to the graduate students who met his standards, he gave treatment befitting their worth.

Full research support, strict but guaranteed rest periods and vacations, and fair compensation.

He respected them not as mere assistants, but as disciples who learned from him and as fellow researchers.

Though his personality was harsh and he sometimes showed near-mad obsession, his students knew they could grow through research under him.

That was why they genuinely followed Professor Moriarty.

And right now, in their eyes, Evan was?

A colossal power threatening their beloved teacher.

A bomb that could explode at any moment.

The weight behind the name Evan Alkart.

The recent waves he had caused within the academy.

The fear that their professor might have offended this overwhelmingly powerful noble heir and suffered for it.

That was what drove them to such desperation.

Evan found the misunderstanding absurd, but he kept his usual blank expression.

“Calm yourselves.”

A low, steady voice.

The complete absence of emotional fluctuation in that voice only heightened the disciples’ tension.

“I have no intention of harming Professor Moriarty.”

Seriously.

Why would I poke that bomb?

Evan was only stating the truth.

Yet contrary to his intent, the disciples couldn’t take his words at face value.

“H-hiiik…”

Some unconsciously stepped back, swallowing hard.

That overwhelming presence. Unwavering eyes. Cold composure that didn’t budge even at their pleas.

To them, Evan remained a terrifying, incomprehensible existence. 

His very calmness felt like an even greater threat.

As expected… he’s no ordinary person.

“No intention of harm”… does that mean he wants something else?

Could he be after the professor’s research results…?

Contrary to Evan’s wishes, the disciples’ misunderstandings only deepened.

“…Really?”

“Yes. I promise.”

Fortunately or unfortunately, Professor Moriarty’s disciples somehow accepted it.

Of course, they didn’t actually believe him.

It was closer to deciding to accept it for now.

They had instinctively realized resistance was pointless.

Trembling, they watched Evan’s every next move.

…Fine. I didn’t expect you to believe me anyway.

Evan smiled bitterly inside.

Yeah, yeah.

Just think of me as the bad guy… I’ll handle things myself…

What mattered now was how to return Professor Moriarty to normal.

The method was simple.

Just let the crying father see his daughter’s soul right beside him.

The problem was that he had no idea how.

At that moment—

“Evan!”

“We’re here! Look at this!”

Rumble rumble!

Frey and Lapis came rushing in, arms full of thick stacks of documents and research notebooks.

“This is all of Professor Moriarty’s research material! We even found proof he studied black magic! If we leak this, we can completely bury him!”

Lapis shouted excitedly. 

Frey nodded beside her.

“That’s right. Let’s finish him with this.”

The two proudly chattered about their “trophies.”

They still hadn’t fully grasped the delicate atmosphere inside the lab or noticed Lati’s soul floating beside the professor.

…The disciples began trembling even harder.

Evan swallowed a sigh and answered.

“Calm down. I already know about the black magic.”

“Huh? No way. We worked so hard to find it… huh?”

Frey looked at Evan in confusion, then suddenly turned her gaze sideways.

Her eyes landed on the translucent soul of Lati.

“Oh? There’s a soul over there. Isn’t that his daughter? She looks exactly the same.”

Lapis followed Frey’s gaze and spotted Lati too.

“She really is. She’s right beside him—why doesn’t he know yet?”

“He said he did it all for his daughter…”

Lapis tilted her head and asked.

“Can’t he see her?”

“That’s strange.”

Frey tapped her lips.

“He even learned black magic, yet he can’t see his own daughter’s soul…”

…Huh?

Why can’t he see her?

At that moment, a flash of insight struck Evan.

The White Shadow Cult’s suggestion. 

They had interfered with Professor Moriarty’s mind to exploit his paternal love.

Could that suggestion be the very thing preventing him from seeing his daughter’s soul?

…How do I fix this?

Come to think of it, Evan himself couldn’t see her until he made contact with Royan.

So this time too…?

Lapis… no. 

And Royan seems… angry, so no.

Then maybe—

“Frey.”

Evan called her and asked.

“Can you lift the suggestion placed on the professor?”

“Suggestion? Hmm…”

Frey stared intently at Professor Moriarty. 

A strange light flickered in her eyes.

The Sin of Pride (Superbia).

The authority to interfere with others’ minds, to amplify or suppress emotions related to arrogance.

Though not fully awakened yet, fragments of the power dwelling in her soul had already begun to show.

Every use of this power existed solely for Evan.

“Easy.”

Frey lightly snapped her fingers.

An invisible force flowed into Professor Moriarty.

In that instant, his eyes changed.

***

It felt like a hazy fog covering his vision had lifted.

Like heavy shackles that had bound him for so long were finally released—his mind cleared.

The obsessive fixation and compulsive thoughts that had imprisoned him melted away like lies.

What… have I been doing all this time…?

The thought that he had to revive his daughter.

That single thought had filled his mind. 

Everything else had been faint; only that goal had been everything.

But now he realized the source of that intense desire had been implanted from the outside.

That someone had exploited his grief and longing.

Yet even so, his yearning for his daughter did not vanish. If anything, it became clearer.

Lati… my daughter…!

The child who had died so senselessly in a carriage accident because of his own carelessness when she was young.

Her mother had passed early due to frail health.

She had been his only remaining blood and family in this world.

The despair of that moment when her tiny body grew cold still felt vivid.

After that, he had merely been existing, not living. He had endured each day in guilt and longing.

Then someone had approached him. With sweet words that he could see his daughter again.

The White Shadow Cult.

They were by no means good people.

Closer to evil.

As a professor, he should have killed them on sight…

But Professor Moriarty had been drowning in despair and was already prepared to commit any sin.

Even vaguely aware that they were covering his eyes and ears, he had willingly been deceived.

If only he could see his daughter again, he would pay any price.

Now that deceptive veil had been lifted.

And right before his eyes—

“…Lati?”

An unbelievable sight unfolded.

A faint but unmistakable form. His daughter’s soul, tears in her eyes, looking exactly as she had in life.

The face he had longed for so desperately.

The beloved daughter he couldn’t even see properly in dreams was now right in front of him.

“Lati… my daughter…”

…Dad.

“Ah… aaaah…”

The voice that reached his ears.

This was no trick.

This was no fake.

This was real… his longed-for family.

“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…!”

Professor Moriarty could no longer hold back and broke into sobs. 

He fell to the floor and wailed like a child.

Years of suppressed grief, regret, and guilt toward his daughter exploded all at once.

Dad… Dad…!

Lati also shed tears and tried to run to her father, but her hands still passed through him.

Yet now their eyes clearly held each other.

They confirmed each other’s existence and shared the longing built up over years through tears.

The laboratory fell into a solemn silence at the tearful reunion of father and daughter. 

The disciples watched with reddened eyes.

Evan and Royan simply watched the scene in silence.

As the touching reunion continued—

Shhhhk—

“…The timing isn’t exactly great.”

Another figure appeared at the entrance.

Completely different aura from the previous White Shadow archbishop. 

A woman neatly dressed in pure white priestly robes, radiating a gentle yet sacred aura.

As though she alone stood bathed in sunlight, detached from everything else…

…What.

Evan blinked.

Why are you coming out here…?

She slowly surveyed the interior of the laboratory.

The fallen archbishop’s corpse, the crying Professor Moriarty and Lati’s soul, then Evan and his group in turn.

Her gaze finally settled on Evan.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Young Master Evan Alkart.”

A clear, pure voice. It rang out like a hymn.

“This is the first time we’re meeting in person, isn’t it? Ever since you sent me that… I felt it would be rude to keep contacting you only through letters, so I came myself.”

“…?”

“I was wondering why I could obtain information about you so easily…”

Shhk.

Adrianna’s gaze landed on the archbishop’s corpse.

“The archbishop of the White Shadow Cult… a vicious bunch that leaves curses even in death.”

Ah—

Adrianna nodded as if she understood.

“You called me here knowing this.”

The Saintess of the Sun, Adrianna.

Adrianna smiled gently and nodded as if she understood everything.

The disciples, eyes still red, now looked at Evan with genuine “Really??” stares.

Awe that surpassed fear… gazes that looked upon a transcendent being…

…Huh?

Meanwhile, Evan.

Evan, who had heard everything, blinked.

…You’re saying I orchestrated all of this?

Me?

No.

…Me?