Her Name

[Two months went by, and with further mastery over the Blood Scripture, you were finally able to measure your progress in the first stage — Vital Purification. Shockingly, despite how powerful you already were… you had only reached 1%.]

[You wanted to devote even more time to practicing the Blood Scripture. You had the stamina and the ability to achieve more. But knowing that would mean cutting into the time you spent with your sister, and with Selena — who you had already made up with — in the end, you didn't.]

[But maybe you didn't need to worry about your training speed after all, because that day, during lunch, Lilith smiled and said: The meal this time is different. Tell me your opinion after finishing it.]

[You finished the meal, which was more delicious than usual easily. But contrary to your expectations, you didn't feel anything. When you told that to Lilith, she only smiled and reassured you that you'd notice the difference later.]

[And just like she said, when you started training later that day, you felt it in real time. What had once been a turtle's pace had now become fast like a rabbit's. Your training speed had leapt forward, and with renewed effort and enthusiasm, you pushed on.]

[22 years old. One time, during one of your dates with Selena, she suddenly apologized to you. She said she still felt bad about her behavior three months ago — that she'd been worried about the condition of your soul, and afraid something would happen to you. Otherwise, she wouldn't have lost her cool or acted so overbearing.]

[You naturally told her that you were already fine. But sensing an opportunity, you still tried to ask for more information — about her, and about the world.]

["You'll come to know everything at the appropriate time," was her reply. But instead of stopping there, she suddenly smiled and added, "But I'll tell you this — I'm the heir of the Everen noble family. So if you ever find yourself in trouble related to the Hidden Society, try using my name. Most problems should be solved then."]

[Against Selena's proud tone, as if saying, you should be honored to have me as your girlfriend, you chuckled, thanked her in an exaggerated manner, and didn't ask anything more.]

Tapping the desk in front of him, Noel, with narrowed eyes, thought back to what he had uncovered before, about how, if his soul were to heal, his life might fall into danger… according to Selena.

Then there was this simulation, and how both Lilith and Selena had reacted to the Blood Refinement Path.

At the end of the day, both of them probably wanted to know about his soul's condition. But each had taken a different approach.

Selena had confronted him head-on… at least that's how it seemed.

Lilith, on the other hand, gave him a small piece of information first — then asked.

She had manipulated the situation so that, under the pretext of helping, she could understand the Blood Refinement Path.

And now Selena, too — suddenly bringing up his soul, her concern about it.

Everything up until this point made sense, but… why hadn't they asked anything more earlier?

Was it because he had finally begun showing results with the Blood Scripture?

But… he had chosen the Strengthened Soul option just yesterday.

Did no one notice that?

Noel was sure that Lilith hadn't noticed anything different in him when he visited her room yesterday. But what about Selena? She was stronger than Lilith.

Then… what about Linda and Ryan — both stronger than the two of them?

Did they really not notice anything?

Was the soul more abstract and harder to detect than he had assumed?

It wasn't because of his injury that he couldn't sense anything about it?

Many questions and doubts circled in Noel's mind. But even so, he still arrived at a conclusion.

Neither Lilith nor Selena planned to tell him anything. And in this simulation, he was probably being played by both of them.

Because when the current situation in this simulation was taken into account — along with their words — what they wanted became easier to understand.

They wanted to throw shade at the other side and check his situation, but instead of doing it directly, they manipulated things. They nudged him to compare.

It was impossible that Lilith didn't know about his fight with Selena, after all. So her showing up as the supportive sister afterward was likely her way of saying: see how different I am from her.

And Selena?

If she truly felt bad about that incident… would she have waited three months before finally apologizing?

He didn't think so.

Noel shook his head as another problem came to mind — Soul, Laws, and Physical Strength. How were the three connected? And was the mainstream path of the world really the Soul Path?

Suddenly, Noel felt like he couldn't trust anyone for information anymore.

Even Selena had told him to use her name if he ever found himself in trouble.

But what does that name mean… when nearly all of his simulation deaths, aside from the first, were related to her? And she couldn't do anything?

No… maybe that's wrong?

If she was constantly monitoring him, then maybe there were problems being solved before he even noticed them?

But doesn't that mean… that if he ever actually does find himself in real trouble, it would mean that the people watching him, and her name, had already failed?

Exhaling softly, Noel decided to stop there with his thoughts.

Anyway, at the very least… it was a relief that things had returned to normal with Selena.

No matter what, he didn't plan to let go of her, after all.

She was his woman. And that was an already established fact — one with no possibility of change.

And so, he just needed to embrace her — with all her flaws…

No, he just needed to embrace her flaws with his own.