"Keeeeen!!"

As I opened the door after barely making it to the top of the tower, Raphne, who had been sitting down, ran towards me.

"Whoa! You're really here! I thought you weren't coming!"

"T-That's why I told you I was coming."

My legs, which had been working hard carrying the luggage, immediately collapsed when Raphne hung on to them.

'The difference in treatment is like day and night.'

Just a moment ago, I had been stared at like filth by Emily, but now Raphne welcomed me warmly.

Ironically, the former was a righteous protagonist, while the latter was the instigator of bullying.

I couldn't help but laugh.

"Sniff, b-but what's all this?"

"Ah, I said I'd fix your curse. This is preparation for that."

As I said before, the distance between the dorms and the tower was from one end of the academy to the other.

The item to fix Raphne's curse wouldn't be finished with just crafting once.

So, in order to prevent the inefficiency of coming here every time I make a test piece, I plan to research item production in Raphne's Tower.

This room where Raphne lives is large enough to accommodate that, and it would be better for Raphne as well.

"Thank you… Thank you, Ken."

Raphne buried her face in my plump belly and cried like that.

[Possessed Trait: Despair - Current Level 56%]

Fortunately, since I visited, the despair level that was over 100% has decreased tremendously.

She’s crying so much that I'm worried about dehydration, but I think she'll be okay if her mind is stable.

"This, this, and this, ah, I prepared this too! Uh, how do you like it? Do you like it?"

After roughly organizing my luggage and sitting on the dining chair, Raphne started bringing out the food she had prepared.

Just like in the morning, there was a huge amount of food on the table.

"Raphne… Did you prepare all this?"

"Yeah, hehe. Do you like this? And this, and this too."

The plate she held out was filled with delicious dishes made from various meats.

My body reacted the moment I saw the menu.

And then it came to my mind naturally.

This is Ken Feinstein's favorite food.

Groan, I heard a tremendous sound from my stomach.

"Slowly! Slowly! Here, water."

I started to devour food like a person possessed.

I picked up something similar to a chicken leg, then drank soup made from meat, and then took a bite of the crispy pork.

This place was heaven.

"Wow, delicious… Delicious, Raphne!"

"Thank goodness."

I just realized.

The decisive reason why Ken couldn't lose weight.

To this guy, food was the joy of life in itself.

He filled his mouth with his favorite food, savored the texture, and swallowed it in his empty stomach.

The satisfaction and pleasure that filled him dominated his brain.

This is fucked up.

How do I lose weight?

"Well, um, but, well, how did you know what I like?"

Feeling somewhat satisfied, I had such a question.

Of course, Raphne and Ken knew each other, but they weren't close enough to eat together.

Rather, since we were bully victim and bully, it was surprising that she knew things like what I liked to eat.

And then, at my question, Raphne hesitated, lowered her eyes, and said in a trembling voice,

"That… Last year, I used to steal your favorite food… I used to steal it… I'm sorry..."

"Oh, I see."

Ken is definitely obsessed with food.

To take that away from him at the moment he feels the happiest.

It must have been more effective than any bullying.

While I was eating the food, I realized that Raphne must have judged that I was angry.

Suddenly, her expression darkened and she continued speaking in a panic.

"I-I'm sorry, are you angry? I'm reflecting on myself. So please forgive me. I'm sorry for stealing your favorite food! Ken likes it so much, and I'm sorry for doing it so carelessly!"

Raphne quickly bowed and rushed to me.

Tears began to form in her cloudy, dark eyes.

[Possessed Trait: Despair - Current values are 78%, 79%, 80%...]

Wait a minute!

Don't let this little thing increase your Despair value!

"No, I really don't care! I'm just happy to be eating something delicious right now?"

That's true.

I don't care if Ken has ever had his food, toys, or allowance stolen.

It wasn’t me after all.

Raphne must have taken my attitude differently because she started to shed tears again.

"Ken is an angel. Thank you. You're actually angry, but you're holding it in because of me, right? Sorry."

"No, that's not it!"

It's really hard to deal with a child whose mind is broken.

I have to do something about that endlessly rising despair level.

While eating, I did my best to cheer Raphne up.

I didn't want her despair level to suddenly skyrocket and lead to a bad ending.

I didn't want to imagine visiting the tower for breakfast only to be greeted by a corpse.

"T-That's why I got that doll..."

"Yeah, yeah."

Among the books I read before coming to this world, I read that people want to be listened to.

That's why I listened to her story as much as I could.

I agreed with her and listened intently.

She must have had a lot to say after being cut off from people for a year.

Even if it was a fantasy talk show with her doll, being able to talk about it and having a real person to listen to would definitely heal her spirit.

[Possession Trait: Despair - Current Value 42%]

Whew, I brought it back down.

Raphne talked so much that I wondered how she had endured without talking before.

Thanks to that, her mood lifted, and her tearful eyes began to come alive.

"You know, I didn't know, but I think I can really communicate well with you Ken."

It was the impression of someone who had been talking alone for about an hour.

They say that humans feel a great sense of intimacy with those who listen to their stories.

I didn't know that this would prove it.

...Huh?

At that moment, my eyes went to another phrase next to the decreasing despair level.

[Possessed Trait: Dependency LV 6]

…Level 6?

Her dependency level had risen.

No, level 6.

If it were a normal swordsmanship skill, it would be the level just before a sword master.

And to achieve that with the debuff skill, Dependency…

"Hey, Ken. There's something I thought about when you left earlier."

As I was staring at the ridiculous level in disbelief, Raphne suddenly spoke.

Her expression was still brightly smiling like before, but her eyes were somehow scary.

"If Ken leaves… Of course, you said you’d come back, but what if you suddenly change your mind? Like, you suddenly don't want to come to the tower anymore, or don't want to see me?"

"I t-told you that wouldn't happen. I’ll come back no matter what."

"But I did something that deserved to be hated and was wrong, so I completely understand. But if you leave here, there will definitely be no more hope."

Raphne's face hardened.

It seemed as if she was thinking about a possible future.

Then, her expression soon relaxed and she looked at me with a hopeful smile.

Her eyes lost their light, but they were definitely smiling.

"So I have a good idea!"

"...What, what is it?"

I gulped nervously as I stared at those eyes that were somehow scarier than before.

And the words she blurted out were shocking.

"I just have to have your baby!"

"...Huh?"

She said a joke with a face that didn't seem like she was joking at all.

Her eyes were sincere.

"Well, if you don't want to come here, then there's nothing I can do, but if I give birth to your baby and raise it, then I won't be alone, right?

Then, even if you change your mind, I have hope to live, and you don't have to force yourself to come to this tower that you don't want to come to. I think this is a really good idea, what do you think, Ken?"

Having a baby wasn't something a girl should easily say.

What was even scarier was that she didn't feel any shame, excitement, or recognition as a member of the opposite sex towards me.

"And if there's a baby, wouldn't you want to keep coming here too? Heh, heh."

She really wanted a baby so that she wouldn't be alone.

Her dark eyes seemed to be looking at me greedily.

"No, no, wait, Now, think carefully! Raphne!"

I stopped Raphne from making a hasty move.

"Why? Isn't that a good idea?"

"What are you going to do about the curse!?"

First of all, it's not good to just deny it.

If even one thing goes wrong, she might use her skill to forcefully create a baby.

I could sense that kind of momentum from her.

That's why I had to approach things rationally and logically, especially in times like these.

"...The curse?

What about the curse?"

"The unborn baby could be affected by the curse."

That's right.

No matter how much I think about it, the reason I'm not affected by Raphne's curse of fear is because I'm a possessor.

Therefore, I don't know if the unborn baby will be affected by the curse or not.

Raphne, who heard my story, seemed taken aback as if her weak point had been hit.

She probably hadn't thought about it that far.

"But it's Ken's baby! Isn't the immunity to the curse also inherited?"

How could there be such luck?

"No, Raphne. Calm down and think carefully. You're not assuming the worst case scenario, but the best."

"Worst?"

"Yeah, if the baby is affected by the curse, the baby can't stay here, right? Then someone has to take care of the baby outside."

There's no way she can raise a baby in an environment that's extremely stressful.

And Raphne seemed to realize what that meant.

"T-then."

"That's right, I won't be able to come to the tower while raising the baby. Then Raphne will be alone again."

"Ah, ah. Aaaah!"

Raphne's eyes filled with despair again, as if she was picturing herself being alone.

[Possessed Trait: Despair - Current Value 74%...

77%...

81%]

"Don't worry, I'll keep coming here, I won't leave you!"

"Sorry..."

Please support the series on NovelUpdates

Read Here for premium chapters