Novel Full Chapter 839: Hypocrite [2]
Chapter 839: Hypocrite [2]
It was a distant past.
Evelyn could still remember the moments when Julien turned.
“Stay the fuck away from me. The mere sight of you makes me sick.”
“Nnn? What…?”
“Did you not hear me? Stay the fuck away from me.”
“B-but…!”
“Fuck! Are you deaf?”
In spite of her best attempts at trying to reach out to him, he only pushed her away, turning colder and colder with each of her visits. He soon became an embodiment of hatred. A ball of darkness that seemed to be constantly on the verge of explosion.
After that, she rarely ever talked to him.
Like a shadow, she would watch him from the sidelines.
She would watch as he slowly descended deeper and deeper into the madness. Watched as he started bullying the servants and Leon.
If he had once shone like pure gold, then over time a dark rust had begun to form within it. The change was slow, almost unnoticeable at first, but in hindsight, it was clear that he had been sinking deeper and deeper into the darkness. That the rust had finally corroded every last piece that once shone.
Years passed like that.
Before she knew it, Evelyn was 15.
It had been a while since Julien had turned. On certain occasions, he’d change and revert to a ’different’ version of himself.
That change… was enough to spark hope in her.
“Maybe he’s still there?”
The thought stuck to her mind like some sort of glue. The moment it formed, it refused to leave her mind.
“Yes, that has to be it. He’s still there. I’m sure of it. The Julien that I know is still there…!”
But why was she so obsessed with him?
Was it simply a woman’s young love?
No, not quite…
Evelyn didn’t like Julien romantically. She never had. Not now, not ever. The two had grown up together, and she had known him ever since she was little.
He was more like… a younger brother to her.
Yes, that.
He was someone precious to her, even after everything that he had done.
Because she could see.
She could see the struggle in his eyes. The struggle as he fought against some sort of darkness that was trying to take over.
In her eyes, he seemed to be begging her.
Begging to help him.
That’s why—
“Please teach me.”
One day, when a strange man wearing a dark suit marked with a red cross appeared, Evelyn grabbed onto his clothes, holding him back.
“…Please teach me.”
“Are you sure you want to do this?”
Even now, Evelyn could recall that distinct yet strict voice.
“Why do you want to learn from me in the first place? Your friend… He isn’t possessed. Whatever you do, you won’t be able to help him. This isn’t a path that most people take. It’s one filled with a lot of suffering, and there’s little to no reward for it. Are you really sure you want to learn from me?”
“…..”
Evelyn hesitated.
However,
“Yes.”
Evelyn’s mind had never been clearer.
She wanted to learn.
She wanted to…
Help.
Because in all her fifteen years of life, she had never once been able to help. Not Leon. Not the servants, and not… Julien.
Even if he told her that it wasn’t going to help. Even when he told her that his body wasn’t possessed. Even when he told her that what she was doing was pointless…
Evelyn nodded without hesitation.
“I want to learn. I really want to learn.”
I want to… be helpful.
“…..”
The man stood in silence, staring at the young girl who looked at him with a hopeful yet desperate expression.
“Alright.”
He could only relent in the end.
“…I’ll teach you one spell. That’s all I will teach you. Don’t demand any more from me.”
“Yes!”
The joy the young girl felt back then was indescribable. For the first time in a very long time, she felt as though she had seen the light at the end of the tunnel.
That perhaps…
This was the path that she needed to take in order to be helpful.
With the permission of her father, Evelyn followed the Cleric away from the main estate. In order for her to train, she needed a suitable place.
“I won’t be able to look after you for long. You need to look out for yourself and just observe what I do. Never do anything rash and just observe my job.”
“Understood!”
Her voice gave way to her excitement. Despite not being famous, Evelyn knew all about Clerics. She knew all about their devotion and skills. At how they were the ones that people looked for when in trouble.
She didn’t want to be them, but she wanted to be like them.
It was for this reason that she was desperate to learn.
But at the end of the day, a child’s dream was merely a dream
“Haaaaaaa—!”
When the harsh reality kicked in, that very dream would shatter right before their very eyes.
“H-help! Someone… help me!”
The screams were loud, torn straight from her throat, hoarse and ragged as if her voice were being shredded with every cry.
“Help! Help! Help! Get it out! Get it out!”
“Quickly cast the spell!”
“Evelyn! Evelyn!”
“I.. I…”
“Help you fucking bitch! Get it out! Get it out!!!”
“H-ha…!”
The woman’s hair hung in tangled clumps around her face, matted with sweat and grime. Cracks split across her skin like broken porcelain, some seeping dark red, while her eyes were bloodshot and bulging, glaring at Evelyn, who stood unable to do a single thing.
“I’ll kill you!! Why aren’t you helping!! You’re fucking useless! Usels—ehp!!”
Swooosh!
A powerful spell descended from above, lightning crackling violently through the air as it struck the woman’s head. The impact sent electricity tearing through her body, forcing her limbs to jerk and convulse uncontrollably as the force ravaged her from within.
The entire process lasted no longer than a couple of seconds, and by the time the effects of the spell wore off, the woman fell limply against the floor.
Thud!
She had passed out completely.
“…..”
Silence once again returned.
Staring at the woman, Evelyn slowly raised her head.
She stared at the man in front of her. At her master.
“Evelyn…”
He neither hit her nor chided her.
“…I don’t think you’re cut out for it. I think it would be best if you just gave up. You’re talented, but this isn’t for you.”
He simply gave up on her.
And that…
That hurt her more than anything.
“No, I…”
I can be helpful!
“This isn’t the first time something like this has happened. It’s been like this for the past week.”
No, I really can help!
I’m not useless!
“I know… but I can do better. I-f you—”
Why?
Why couldn’t he hear her?
She screamed, but her words never reached him.
“I can give you another chance, but the patients won’t. Each second that I spend with you is a second that I spend with a patient. I’m sorry, but it looks like this might be it. Thankfully, you’re sharp. You’ve managed to grasp the main concept of the spell that I taught you. With it, when the time comes, you should be able to help.”
No! No! No!
I can help! I can really help!
“Goodbye.”
That was the last time Evelyn had ever seen the Cleric.
Not because she didn’t look for him, but because he passed away shortly after.
That was also the moment Evelyn changed.
That incident truly opened Evelyn up to the reality of her situation.
“I.. I just needed more time. If he had given me more time, I’m sure that I could’ve done something. Yeah, I just needed more time. That’s all… I just needed more time.”
Evelyn’s resolve grew firmer.
“Right, I can do it. I… can definitely do it. I just need more time. I need to observe more before acting. I was rushing too much. I just need to be more patient, and I can… I will definitely be useful!”
From that point forward, Evelyn spent all of her time honing her skills.
But despite this, things never changed.
Even when the Academy began, and various incidents occurred, nothing ever changed. She’d always find herself in situations where she would just end up receiving help. Each time this happened, she’d tell herself, ’Next time. I was observing. I… was waiting for the right moment. Julien… He has changed, right? No, I can’t be certain. I need to be certain. He’s changed, right? But what if I’m thinking too much? Let’s observe more. Yes, I should observe more.’
Her mind was filled with countless thoughts.
Thoughts that… only grew with each of her failures.
*
“Hic… Hic…!”
Soft whimpers echoed within the darkness.
The cries echoed through every corner of the darkness as Evelyn’s figure emerged within it, her body curled in on itself. She hugged her trembling form tightly, drawn into a fetal position, as if desperately trying to preserve what little warmth she had left.
“Hic…!”
Her cries continued to echo across the darkness as dark tendrils tried to curl around her body, trying their best to comfort her.
Seemingly whispering sweet nothings to her.
’You’re not useless.’
’…It’s not that you’re useless, its that you never get the chance to try. This isn’t your fault.’
’Its never your fault.’
’Its… his fault. He always takes the credit from you. He’s the one who should be blamed for all of this. This isn’t your fault at all!’
As the voices whispered through Evelyn’s mind, the tendrils around her thickened, tightening as they curled around her body in a soft embrace. Moments later, her cries began to fade, replaced by a strange, unnatural warmth that slowly seeped through her trembling form.
“Hic…”
Evelyn’s mind started to clear up as she basked in the strange warmth that the tendrils provided her.
Her cries eventually stopped, and so did the voices.
That was also the moment when her mind became clear.
’This isn’t my fault. It never was. It’s his fault. It’s Julien’s fau—’
Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiip—!
A loud ripping sound tore Evelyn from her thoughts. Her eyes flew open as she watched the dark tendrils wrapped around her body being torn apart, a massive hand reaching in to seize them and rip them away by force.
“No, what are you…! No!”
Evelyn tried to stop the hand, but the hand refused to listen.
Riiiiip!
It continued doing its thing, ripping even more tendrils as Evelyn’s expression grew paler and paler.
“What are you doing!? Stop it! I said stop it!!”
Her cries sounded more like a child’s tantrum than genuine cries for help.
Perhaps, they were.
And perhaps… this was the true Evelyn.
Riiiiiip!
“Stop it! No! No! No! No!”
The more tendrils were ripped away, the colder Evelyn became. The warmth that had once wrapped around her, that fragile sense of safety, vanished completely. Torn from her grasp by those massive hands, leaving only biting cold in its wake.
Hatred flashed across Evelyn’s vision as she stared at the hands.
But just as the hand tore away even more tendrils, opening a gap wide enough for someone to step through, a pair of hazel eyes entered Evelyn’s vision.
Hazel eyes, she knew all too well.
Moments later, his voice carried through the darkness.
“That Cleric…”
Then the words that followed made her go completely still.
“You’re the one who killed him, weren’t you?”