Seventy Seventh Seven-Chapter 62: Sealed Letter

"W—What— How do you—"

"...?"

"That smell..."

Gulp.

Seven carefully slurped down another mouthful of ramen, deliberately ignoring Lythian's incredulous stare.

Lythian narrowed his eyes and marched straight toward the small pot on the stove and immediately took a peek inside.

Steam curled up, carrying a rich, savory aroma that was utterly unfamiliar in this world. All he saw were the remnants of thin, wavy noodles bobbing in the broth.

"The fuck is this?"

"Ramen."

"Fucker, I'm asking how do—"

"Gift."

A vague answer. He didn't need to say more. The system was meant to remain hidden, and this was the perfect excuse, letting Lythian believe that his 'gift' allowed him to obtain a limited selection of Earth's products.

"Useful, right?"

"...Yeah, fuck that."

In a way, it wasn't entirely a lie. The system's 'loyalty reward' had indeed given him these items, so calling it a gift wasn't far from the truth.

Step.

Lythian took a step back, wrinkling his nose in distaste. He had never liked ramen, not even back on Earth.

Whether it was instant noodles, canton, or the expensive gourmet kind, it just wasn't to his taste.

He preferred apples.

"Well, whatever. I don't have to deal with your weird shit."

Unexpected.

Unpredictable.

Ever since he met Seven in this world, Lythian found himself constantly caught off guard.

Everything about him was a mystery, made even more frustrating by his silent and detached demeanor. He acted like someone who didn't want to get close to anyone, making sure to keep his words minimal.

Yet...

'No.'

'He wants to.'

Lythian had a feeling. Despite Seven's borderline psychopathic coldness, there was something off about it.

...Like he wasn't truly heartless.

But rather someone who simply didn't know how to interact properly.

And then there was something else.

'He seems like an anime character.'

Lythian's mind wandered. Seven's mannerisms, his speech, even the way he reacted to things—it was like watching a protagonist straight out of a manga or anime.

Too calm.

Tooo composed.

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Too... scripted.

As if he was unconsciously mimicking characters he had seen before.

"Sigh."

Leaning against the doorframe, Lythian crossed his arms, looking unimpressed.

He watched as Seven methodically cleaned up after his meal, wiping his hands before reaching up to fix his messy hair in the mirror.

"The Academy sent a notice. We're being called early tomorrow."

Seven, now focused on brushing his hair back into place, barely reacted. He simply set the bowl down and tilted his head slightly.

"What for?"

"How the fuck should I know? Something about an official briefing for the seventh test."

Seven frowned not as a reaction to Lythian's words, but out of irritation as his hair refused to cooperate.

"...Fudge."

"...?!"

Lythian reached for the knob, prepared to leave, but then hesitated as Seven was still busy with his own thing.

'...I shouldn't have told this fucker.'

"Want some?"

Lythian blinked.

Seven had barely turned his head but had noticed his hesitation. Despite his usual indifferent demeanor, he casually offered the ramen as if it wasn't a big deal.

Though, truthfully, he wasn't even sure if he really wanted to share.

"Fuck off."

Lythian's rejection was immediate and absolute.

Seven frowned.

It wasn't as if he had actually wanted to share, but the blatant refusal still irked him for some reason.

Step.

With that, Lythian left, shutting the door behind him.

For a moment, the room was silent.

Then, Seven chuckled to himself before moving to tidy up the rest of the space.

Step.

He walked to the far corner, reaching for the leather bag he had stashed away.

From inside, he pulled out a handful of Vitalis Pills. Despite the excruciating pain he had experienced from taking the pill for the first time, he barely groaned now.

His body had already adapted, and all of the toxins were purged.

Now, the pills were more of a supplement to support his previously fragile state.

'Not enough...'

He grabbed another handful but hesitated as overdosing crossed his mind, and he clicked his tongue before shoving the extra pills back into the bag.

Instead, his fingers brushed against something else.

A sealed letter.

The one from Iria.

The one she claimed was from Eden.

Curious.

For a moment, his mind drifted to Eden.

'What is she doing now...?'

But knowing her after reading the novel and experiencing her twisted personality personally, he thought that she must have been wandering to get even stronger.

To reach the Pinnacle of both sword and magic.

"Hah..."

The letter before him was slightly crumpled with even damp in some spots from how carelessly he had tossed it into his bag before

Slowly.

Ever so slowly.

He opened it, the envelope, and it was indeed a letter inside.

But instead of a personal letter from Eden herself, it had a logo of the Kingdom.

"An invitation letter...?"

Instead, it was an invitation letter meant specifically for the Harts. It was mentioned in the novel, but never used since Eden graduated fine without using it.

Kingdom of Othrelis

1st day of the First Season, Year 770

Official Seal of the Academy

To the Esteemed Bearer of Hart Bloodline.

It is with great honor that we extend this formal invitation to enroll in the Royal Academy of Grandis. As a direct descendant of the Hart lineage, you are granted a privileged entry into the academy, bypassing traditional examinations and formal procedures.

This is a right exclusively reserved for the bloodline of one of the founding families of the Kingdom.

Should you accept this invitation, present this letter to the academy's administration upon arrival.

Failure to respond within the 7 years will result in the invitation being nullified.

Headmaster Velorian Aldis

"Vaelorian Aldis?"

The name was familiar.

It was the Headmaster before Magnus Havin, and also the only headmaster who left the position right after Eden graduated.

"Do I need this?"

Seven frowned. Indeed, he was pathetic back then as might be the reason why Eden gave it to him. To enroll him in the Academy.

"Then why did she kill me...?"

"Hah..."

Thoughts spiraled.

He did the test. Re-take the missed ones, and confident that he passed them, except for the second test where he only got a score of 777, which was lower than average.

For a while, he simply sat there, staring at the letter.

But after a long while, he stored it inside the dimensional storage along with the pills and the leather bag.

"Just in case..."

Once everything was stored away in his inventory, he grabbed his pillow and followed curled onto the bed.

Snore.