CHAPTER 247: QUIET NIGHTS, SMALL TALKS [1]

The room was quiet. Except the soft scratch of a quill against paper.

Moonlight spilled through the tall window, laying silver lines over the desk and the floor.

Kyle sat at his desk, leaning forward just a little as he wrote in his diary.

He didn’t have to write. It wasn’t something that anyone expected him to do. But it was a habit, one he’d kept from his life back on Earth.

Jotting down thoughts, plans, little observations... it always made him feel like things were a bit more in control. A bit less messy.

This world?

Nothing felt certain here.

Shadows seemed ready to swallow you at any turn. So, yeah... writing helped him keep his head straight.

His notes were nothing grand. Small stuff, what he saw over the past few days, how the midterm exam went, a few plans about what he wanted to try next.

Sometimes, he even wrote about events from the novel he’d read before he died.

Just reminders.

Or maybe he wanted to talk to himself through the pages.

He didn’t care if anyone found it.

The diary wasn’t ordinary anyway.

It was an artifact he’d bought online, of all places.

Only his mana could unlock it.

His mana signature? One-of-a-kind. It’s like a fingerprint nobody else had.

Even if some high ranking mage tried to break in, the diary would burn their hands and turn the pages into ash.

Even if they got it in their hands somehow... it wouldn’t help.

Every page was written in French, his old-world language.

Nobody here knew it.

This world, Aevorath. Everyone here spoke English at least, humans anyway.

Elves spoke Ancient Elvish, dwarves had their old tongue, demi-humans their own dialects.

But they could all speak English when they needed to.

So flipping through it would just waste their time.

Kyle smiled to himself and closed the book with a soft thud.

He leaned back, rubbing the back of his neck, feeling the quiet settle around him.

His eyes wandered across the shelves full of books and then to the window where the moonlight hung steady and calm.

He rubbed his temples, thinking about the money he’d been throwing into stocks lately.

The money Vice Principal Seris had handed him wasn’t something he needed right away, but letting it sit idle felt wasteful. Investing felt better.

The last time, he’d put money into Veyron Industries.

Just like in the novel, they’d hit a breakthrough in mana core stabilization, and their stock price shot up overnight. Exactly like he’d remembered. That win had given him a boost of confidence.

Now he was planning to invest in Gray Owl Consultation and Grimmord Oathkeeper. Both were still small, struggling businesses, but Kyle knew what they could become.

But he knew where they could go.

Grimmord? That guy would be the greatest Dwarven alchemist in all of Aevorath in five years. Stubborn, brilliant, willing to gamble everything.

Grimmord was also the one who had handed Kyle the Black Pill that saved his life when he faked his death at the Viper’s hideout.

Without that pill? He wasn’t sure he’d have made it out.

And Gray Owl... growing fast. Soon, it would be the biggest information broker in the human domain.

Kyle was already one of their VIP customers under the name Dian Vorsk. Now, he could invest and help them grow. It felt good.

Even if it was small, it felt like giving something back.

He let out a breath, long and slow. But it wasn’t only about money. It felt like... taking back a little control. In a world that always tried to shove him around.

His fingers drifted up to his temple again. He rubbed his head.

"I need some coffee."

He mumbled to himself, barely above a whisper. The quiet in the room made even his soft voice feel louder.

Kyle stretched his arms with a tired yawn before pushing himself up from the desk. His steps were slow as he made his way toward the kitchen.

The hallway was dim. The only light came from the living room, spilling out softly and making the walls dance with shadows.

As he walked by, he noticed Aurelia sitting on the sofa, wrapped up in a blanket like it was the coziest thing ever. Her bright blue eyes were glued to the television.

Next to her, lazily stretching like it owned the place, was Zalrielle in her cat form.

The little black kitty kneaded the sofa with her paws like it was some expensive cushion. Every once in a while, she let out a soft sigh and curled up again like she had zero worries in the world.

Kyle stopped for a second, watching them.

"Why are you still awake?" he asked softly, glancing her way. "Aren’t you the tired one after working all day?"

Aurelia looked over with a small amused smile.

"I can ask the same."

Kyle smiled back. Without waiting for more, he headed to the kitchen.

It was already 2 a.m. He rubbed his eyes before reaching for the coffee jar.

"Want something to eat or drink?" he called out.

Aurelia turned her head and thought for a bit before answering.

"Instant noodles."

"Okay."

Kyle smiled to himself. He was a little hungry too. Maybe making two would be better.

He turned on the stove, grabbed two packs from the shelf, and started cooking.

The soft hiss of boiling water and the smell of seasoning filled the air. Five minutes later, he scooped the noodles into bowls and poured coffee into his mug.

Carrying everything carefully, he walked back to the living room.

Aurelia’s face lit up when he handed her the bowl.

"Thank you," she said warmly.

They both ate quietly while the TV’s soft glow lit up their faces.

For a while, nobody spoke.

But as the show kept playing, Kyle’s mind drifted.

’She still hasn’t asked about the spirit mana I used during the exam.’

He remembered how she just smiled when he explained it earlier, like it wasn’t anything worth worrying about.

She had even patted his head when she came back and said,

"You did well."

Maybe she was waiting for him to open up.

A wave of guilt crawled through him.

’Should I tell her? I told Master a little... Maybe I should tell her too.’

He set his bowl down gently on the small table in front of them and stared at her.

Aurelia noticed the shift. She paused the show, her eyes softening with concern.

"What is it?"

Kyle hesitated. His fingers traced the edge of the bowl nervously.

"You... didn’t ask me about the attack I used to kill that Mammoth."

Her eyes got even softer, more understanding.

"You can tell me when you’re ready to share it."

"It’s not that I didn’t want to tell you," Kyle admitted. "It’s just... complicated."

He sighed, running his hand through his messy white hair like it would somehow fix what was tangled up in his mind.

’Screw it.’

His eyes slid toward Zalrielle, curled on the sofa next to Aurelia. Her ears twitched, catching the shift in his voice.

’Zalrielle.’

The cat lifted her eyes.

"You sure about this?"

’Yeah, I’m sure.’

For a second, her whole body stiffened. Then, like smoke, her shape wavered.

In a blink, she turned into a cloud of dark mist, swirling around him before flying into his outstretched hand.

The mist gathered and solidified into a sleek black tachi, its blade and scabbard almost drinking up the light around them.

Aurelia’s eyes went wide. Her mouth hung open in surprise as she pointed at the sword.

"This...?"

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