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Fressia, despite being an artificial spirit that has existed for a long time, never wavered in her sense of self. You might wonder what’s so special about that, but just looking at the stories of Liches, higher undead, you can understand how remarkable it is.

In modern times, Liches have become almost impossible to find. The reason lies in their ambiguous existence—neither truly alive nor truly dead.

To become a Lich, one must store all their life force and essence in a vessel called a Life Vessel. Since their soul is also contained within, the body left behind rapidly decays.

Like most mages, those who choose to become Liches are often obsessed with magic, so they relish the idea of a body that doesn’t need to eat, sleep, or rest. Their ultimate goal in becoming a Lich is to continue their research to see the limits of magic, and in that regard, an undead body is quite useful.

However, the human mind, whether it belongs to a mage or a swordsman, has its limits.

When decades or even centuries pass, they begin to feel a disconnect from their bodies, which can no longer feel stimuli. This disconnect grows over time, turning into emptiness, and eventually into self-loathing for their hasty decision.

Ancient texts record that most mages who become Liches either shatter their Life Vessels to end their existence or descend into madness, committing massacres that leave their mark on history.

Ironically, they become undead to transcend human limits, only to have their existence erased by those very limits. In this context, Fressia, who has maintained a strong sense of self since ancient times, is a marvel.

Perhaps it’s because she was created as an artificial spirit, not a human. The limits apply to the human mind, not the mind of an artificial spirit.

Of course, Fressia’s sense of self was as perfect as any human’s. She could feel jealousy, get annoyed, laugh at happy moments, and cry at sad ones—she had empathy.

So, it’s fair to say that Fressia was no different from a human.

She had no physical body, was created by humans, but she had a sense of self and even a soul.

She appeared human enough, and she believed it herself.

***

Ian had recently been thinking that Fressia was acting strange. He hadn’t known her for long, but since he spent most of his waking hours interacting with her, he naturally understood what kind of artificial spirit she was.

Despite her prickly personality, she had a warm and upright heart. Every snarky remark she made was actually advice and concern for Ian, and she was always attentive to his feelings.

That’s why she really disliked Gilbert. Having heard stories of his delinquent past, Fressia didn’t hesitate to call Gilbert a delinquent, thug, or trash.

Of course, since Ian was the one who told her these stories, there was some bias. He didn’t forget to mention that Gilbert had reformed recently, but the stories were still mostly about his past.

Ian knew it was a bit petty, but at the time, he was consumed by insecurity and let it slip.

Looking back now, it was embarrassing. More shameful than when he used to proudly declare himself the protagonist of the world.

But now, he was different. He still believed he was the center of the world, but he didn’t boast like a child. He no longer felt ugly jealousy or insecurity.

All of this happened after he made a contract with Fressia. His personal growth was entirely thanks to her.

Because she supported and believed in him, he could face his weaknesses and ugliness and choose to move forward.

Yes, all of this was possible because of Fressia.

Ian stared at Fressia’s core with lifeless eyes inside the cockpit.

He had never once seen her call Gilbert by his name when talking about him.

What did that mean?

[Ian! What are you doing? Snap out of it!]

“Ah… Yeah, got it.”

[Now’s the time to join up with Gilbert.]

Again. She called him by his name again.

Ian’s empty eyes turned back to Fressia’s core.

Simply put, it meant Fressia had acknowledged Gilbert. This was something Ian had expected.

Even if Fressia had been biased against Gilbert, hearing rumors and seeing him for herself would eventually change her perspective.

But seeing it firsthand, Ian couldn’t hide his complicated feelings. It felt like Fressia had been taken away, and a sticky, dark jealousy clung to the bottom of his heart.

This must be what they call obsession, but Ian didn’t have the mind to think that far.

[How long are you going to keep spacing out!]

“Stop nagging. I’ll move now.”

Ian answered curtly and pulled the control stick, joining Gilbert, who was sweeping through the Resistance.

As the battle began, his mind cleared, and he could assess the situation. As Fressia said, now was the time to stay sharp.

Especially since they had just been on the brink of hell. If Gilbert hadn’t intervened at the right moment, they might have been blown up along with their Colossal Mechs.

Ian shook his head and focused.

Currently, a large unit of Colossal Mechs, presumed to be from the Resistance, was attacking the Academy. The security system, which had been strengthened after several previous attacks, was useless, allowing the assault too easily.

The Academy’s proud main buildings were all destroyed, with only the partially intact building housing the headmaster’s office remaining as a symbol.

But what did that matter?

If buildings were destroyed, they could just rebuild them. A large-scale assault like this was something you’d expect in a national-level war. With hundreds of Colossal Mechs attacking at once, there was no way the Academy could hold them off.

Ian cut down a Colossal Mech attacking him and carefully observed Gilbert’s movements. His piloting skills seemed to have reached a new level, his movements smoother than before.

[He’s grown again.]

“That guy?”

[Yeah. You know it too. His movements are smoother than before. There used to be a slight jerkiness, but now even that’s gone.]

“Guess he’s a genius.”

[It also means he’s been working hard.]

Ian spoke sarcastically, but Fressia’s reply was pure admiration. That didn’t sit well with him, so he roughly moved the Colossal Mech.

Fressia’s scolding came immediately, but to vent his frustration, he deliberately ignored her. As a result, the battle grew more intense, and the damage to his Colossal Mech piled up.

By the time the battle ended, the difference between Gilbert’s Colossal Mech and Ian’s was stark. Ian bit his lip as he realized this.

[Do you know where Professor Briana and Professor Alexander are?]

Suddenly, Gilbert’s communication came through to Ian, who was swallowing his pride over his renewed insecurity. With his usual expressionless face, Gilbert asked about Professor Briana’s whereabouts.

“No, I don’t know.”

[I see. Alright. I’ll leave the cadets in the back to you.]

Ian felt a rebellious urge to ask who Gilbert thought he was to give orders, but he couldn’t just abandon the people he had worked so hard to protect.

However, his pride wouldn’t allow him to answer, so instead of replying, he cut the communication and rescued the still-frozen cadets. When he looked back, Gilbert had already disappeared with his Colossal Mech.

Ian bit his lip again, feeling like he had actually followed Gilbert’s orders. He really didn’t like that guy.

Meanwhile, after rescuing Ian, Gilbert struggled to find Briana. As he dealt with the Resistance along the way, his progress slowed.

But securing Professor Briana and Professor Alexander was crucial. Even for Gilbert, who was like stagnant water, taking on so many Colossal Mechs alone was impossible.

It wasn’t a matter of his stamina or mana running out, but the operational limits of the Colossal Mech. Under special conditions, he could hijack their mechs, but with so many enemies, even that was unlikely.

Ultimately, to buy time to switch mechs, the two professors needed to join the fight.

Gilbert pierced through a Resistance Colossal Mech’s cockpit and moved forward. Having experienced countless wars, he didn’t hesitate.

The Resistance indiscriminately killed innocent Academy cadets and staff to achieve their goals. To stop them, Gilbert had no qualms about killing.

This was a lesson he had learned painfully as Kang Do-jun before his possession.

After searching for the professors for over ten minutes, Gilbert finally found Professor Alexander, who was evacuating cadets. Surrounded by Colossal Mechs, he was still managing the cadets despite his injuries.

Gilbert began a high-speed maneuver to protect Professor Alexander and the trembling cadets behind him.

 

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