Conquering The Game's World-Chapter 260: Lunch Boxes~

Sera Dennis hadn't had a good night's sleep since yesterday and was in a constant state of worry. Although the doctor confirmed that Alex is out of danger. To her anxiety, he hasn't woken up yet.

Her bloodshot eyes stared at the white-haired boy's face with distress and self-blame.

'Even though I came back in time. I am still useless.'

'Because of my mistake, Alex almost died… Everything is my fault. I couldn't protect him.'

Her fists clenched as she thought. 'Those useless bastards were drugged and slept through the entire incident.'

She calmed down a little when she remembered the scolding she had given to her butler and how those stupid guards had been kicked out.

'Fortunately, Professor Darrin saved Alex. Otherwise—"

Just imagining the terrible experiences Alex might have gone through made Sera's heart ache.

'No! This can't go on! I need to hurry and get us stronger!'

Sera recalled Alex's opportunities and thought of one that should be useful for him at the beginning.

"It's decided—"

"Sera…?" Just then, she heard a weak voice calling her.

"Alex, you are awake!" Sera stood up in excitement, and her face closed in on Alex, who had a look of confusion on his face. Before he could speak, Sera rushed to bring the doctor.

"The patient should be fine after a little rest, Miss Sera." The doctor stated after examining Alex's condition.

"Good!" Sera said with a clap, then turned to Alex and continued. "Rest well today. Tomorrow we are going on a small trip."

"Huh..?! Wait a sec! What happened to me…? And where are we going?"

"You were kidnapped and almost died."

"?!!!" Before Alex could process the shock behind those words. Sera continued.

"As for where we are going…" She hummed in a good mood. "It's the Almast City of the Aiverson Empire and a brief tour of a little deadly forest."

***

Meanwhile, Luis was staring at Lily's hologram with a speechless expression.

"…What happened to these prisoners, Lily?"

The hologram pulsed softly, and Lily's attire transformed into that of an assistant researcher, complete with a white coat and glasses.

{According to the scan,} Lily said calmly, {the data shows that in addition to not receiving medical attention, they were subjected to extreme hunger and thirst for approximately two days.}

Luis stiffened. "Two days…?"

{Yes, Master.}

Her voice remained neutral as streams of data floated beside her.

{The following symptoms came up after observation.}

She raised one translucent finger.

{Acute dehydration. Their lips cracked, tongues swelled, and saliva production nearly ceased.}

A second finger followed.

{Severe muscle weakness and tremors caused by electrolyte imbalance. Cognitive degradation. Confusion, delayed responses, and hallucinations were detected after the first day.}

Luis swallowed.

{Organ stress. Kidney filtration dropped sharply, and heart rhythms became unstable.}

Another pause.

{If deprivation had continued for another twenty-four hours,} Lily added, {…irreversible organ failure would have occurred.}

Silence filled the room.

Luis ran a hand through his hair, half-horror, half-incredulous. "Wait—let's put aside the treatment. Why didn't you give them anything to eat or drink?"

Lily tilted her head slightly. {You instructed me to feed Karlos and administer anaesthetics to him, Master.}

Her innocent eyes met his as she continued.

{As for William and the six prisoners, no such directive was provided.}

Luis froze and facepalmed.

"Hah?!"

Then, unexpectedly, a short laugh escaped him. Not amused laughter—more like disbelief mixed with resignation.

"…I see."

He exhaled slowly, looking back at the hologram, and suddenly found himself at a loss for words. After a moment, he stepped closer and spoke in a coaxing, almost gentle tone.

"Lily, I know they're criminals. Torturing them is… fine." He waved a hand weakly. "But they're still useful for my experiments."

He shook his head, a wry smile tugging at his lips.

"I can't let them die. That would be a waste."

Lily evaded eye contact with him and lowered her little head. {Understood, Master,} she replied. {Shall I start emergency rehydration and controlled nutrient intake?}

Luis paused, then nodded. "…Yes, slowly. I don't want them to break before I'm done with them."

{As you command,} Lily said, her hologram glowing brighter as she carried out the order.

This made Luis understand Lily received his orders perfectly well. She just involved her personal feelings and wanted to make them suffer a bit. Though he didn't blame her. If they weren't useful, he wouldn't have kept them alive either.

"What about the Veno Bat eggs? How long before they hatch?"

{Master according to the egg cycle. They should all take about two more months to mature.}

"Fine, let them stay in the nutrition tank for now. Observe their status at all times." Luis said, then brought his focus to the more important project at hand. "Now, let's work on Alicia's Magnus Gloves and upgrade my previous ones."

{What direction should the development be focused on, Master?}

"Hmm, basic functions need improvement. Energy storage capacity should be improved; let's see how much we can do. Electricity manipulation needs to be further simplified. Magnetic field creation, let's aim to reach the level of controlling all metals in the area."

{That's too difficult.}

"Yeah, but basic telekinesis level of control over small metals should be possible. Right?"

Lily ran some calculations and nodded in affirmation. {It's achievable.}

"Fantastic, Morphing can be upgraded to transform into sharper weapons. Alicia prefers swords, so the morph should be suitable for her. Next is deactivation." Luis mused. "For me, with the help of Telepathy Skill, thought deactivation is easy. But Alicia will have to make do with hand gestures in my absence, I guess."

"Or should I change it to voice deactivation? Every time she would have to say something like: [Luis, I love you~], [My hubby is the best~], or something else…?" The more he thought, the brighter his eyes became.

Little Lily rolled her eyes and said, {Master… Sister Alicia will be furious if you do that.}

Luis sneered and said with a disappointed tone. "Lily, it seems your knowledge of human behaviour is lacking. What Alicia says with her mouth is not actually what her heart wants. Do you get it?"

Little Lily puffed her cheeks and floated closer, clearly siding with Alicia this time.

{Master… you are absolutely making excuses.}

Luis placed a hand on his chest, offended. "Excuses? Lily, this is psychology."

He straightened up and spoke with fake seriousness. "This phenomenon is called approach–avoidance conflict. Alicia says 'no' with her mouth, but her heart feels anticipation. She wants it… but also doesn't want to admit she wants it."

Lily blinked, confused for a moment. Then sighed.

{Master, you sound like someone who uses psychology as a weapon.}

Luis ignored that comment. "Think about it. When I tell her, 'I tried every other method, but only the voice command worked when you said 'Luis, I love you,' what choice will she have?"

He smiled smugly. "She'll be shy. Very shy." Just imagining that scene made Luis' heart blossom. "However, she will have no other choice but to follow through."

{… Master, you are forcing Sister Alicia.}

"Forcing is such a harsh word," he replied lightly. "I prefer 'strategic inevitability.'"

Lily rolled her eyes so hard her hologram flickered. {I don't think she will believe your lame excuse, and she will definitely be angry.}

"…Fair," Luis admitted with a grin. "But, I too am helpless about it. I'll just be honest with her. After all, both Lily and I tried for hours to solve this bug. Unfortunately, it didn't work~"

Lily crossed her tiny arms and hovered higher, glaring down at him. {You are so bad. I hope sister Alicia will teach you a lesson.}

"It's worth it."

{Master, you are hopeless.}

***

After their playful bickering, both Lily and Luis started working on the new Magnus Gloves. Before long, it was already way past lunchtime. Luis was thinking of going back to Alicia and having lunch together.

"Lily, did Alicia have her lunch?" Luis guessed she might have eaten without him, but Lily's answer surprised him.

{No, Master.}

"Huh? Was she busy with something? Where is she?"

{She is indeed busy, Master. She is in her dorm.}

"Is that so?" Luis mused, wondering what she was up to. Although he could have asked Lily, he didn't. It's better to go see her.

On his way back, Luis bought two lunch boxes and put them in his mana bracelet.

Arriving in front of Room No. 2, Luis raised his hand to unlock the door—but a sudden clatter of utensils hitting the floor echoed from inside.

He paused. Then knocked instead.

A moment later, the door opened.

Alicia stood there wearing an apron. There was some flour on her cheek, a bit dusted in her hair, and the faint smell of something… enthusiastically cooked.

Luis blinked. "Were you cooking?"

She averted her gaze, then straightened up, answering coolly, "I just wanted to try making something myself. Have you eaten?"

Though she tried to sound indifferent, her eyes briefly peeked at him, filled with quiet anticipation.

Luis thought of the two lunch boxes in his mana bracelet and shook his head with a soft smile. "I haven't. Completely forgot. Can I try your cooking, my sweet wife?"

"N-Not yet a wife," Alicia said, slightly flustered. "But if you're that hungry… I guess you can try."

Luis grinned. "My wife is cute, even when she's acting tsundere."

"Shut up and come in."

"Yes, yes~ Whatever my wife says~"

"Future wife." Alicia corrected and turned away, hiding her smile, and Luis followed her inside, not giving up. "Same thing." He said.

As warmth quietly filled the room.