Chapter 32

"Can I borrow it?"

Ife, holding the book with both hands, asked the manager of the library. Although Levi said it could be taken home, it seemed that Miyazawa Yuki was the one with the authority to decide.

"Sure, you can, but please don't damage it, and return it promptly after you're done."

Yuki smiled and readily agreed to the request from the student from another school. Her smile, which seemed to be permanently etched on her face, made it appear as if she didn't know how to refuse anyone.

"Relieved? Sit down, would you like something to drink?"

Even though Yuki was the one preparing the coffee, Levi treated her like a maid. Even Okazaki Tomo, standing nearby, blushed on his behalf.

Ife didn't seem to find anything amiss, or perhaps her mind was simply devoid of such complex concepts. She sat down in the chair next to Levi, still holding the book as if it were a precious treasure. She glanced at the coffee in front of Levi, her delicate nose wrinkling slightly, probably disliking the bitter taste.

" Milk."

"Would you like it warm?"

Under Yuki's expectant gaze, Ife nodded slightly.

"Sure, please wait a moment."

With that, Yuki, as if performing a magic trick, retrieved a 500ml carton of fresh milk from the cabinet.

As long as she was serving others, Yuki found joy in it. Since Levi had known this peculiar girl, she had always been like this. It might be her innate personality, but Levi was more inclined to believe it was due to certain events. Regardless, it was a matter of concern that a teenage girl spent her days in a nearly forgotten library.

However, Levi didn't have the time to play detective right now. There was a more pressing task at hand. If it weren't for the opposing Master at his own school, Levi would have taken a leave of absence and gone home, at least to use Even's villa to prepare, which would be better than waiting for the enemy to come.

"The milk is ready, please enjoy."

When Yuki politely handed the milk to Ife, Ife didn't immediately taste it but made an unexpected move.

"Huh? Do you want coffee?"

Ife picked up Levi's coffee and placed her own cup of milk in front of Levi.

"Stray cat, drink the milk."

"Spit!"

Tomo, who had been pretending to sip coffee but was actually paying close attention, couldn't help but spray the coffee he had just taken a sip of. Fortunately, his head was lowered, and the black liquid didn't stain Yuki's school uniform, only covering the table in front of Tomo's seat.

"Ah, towel, towel."

Yuki hurriedly found a towel to wipe the table clean. Tomo made an apologetic gesture but didn't dare speak, fearing that he would burst out laughing if he opened his mouth. Levi, a grown man, being called a cat, and specifically a stray cat, was indeed the funniest joke he had heard recently. But considering that the person telling the joke seemed completely unaware and was an unfamiliar student from another school, Tomo didn't dare be too bold out of politeness.

"More milk again..."

In that instant, Tomo simulated various possible reactions from Levi in his mind, ranging from laughter, feigning ignorance, to anger. But the result was disappointing.

Levi picked up the cup of milk and took a large sip, savoring the sweetness in his mouth, as if reminiscing about the past. Just a simple cup of milk brought back a flood of memories.

Why is fate always so unpredictable? Would it have been better for Ife if the summoning of the Heroic Spirit had never happened?

Levi stared at the cup of milk with a complex expression.

＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝

This was from a long time ago, a time Levi had long forgotten. At that time, he had just received a high-paying mission: to disrupt a criminal organization and seize some of their research materials.

In the vast universe, crimes were committed every second. Fraud, theft, robbery, and even murder—wherever intelligent life existed, it was a breeding ground for evil. Evil that could never be eradicated, Levi had never thought of making a futile attempt to do so. He was willing to become a feared assassin, trading limited control of evil for enough money to live.

He only accepted missions targeting criminals or criminal organizations. For Levi, this organization was no different from previous missions, except that it was slightly larger and more organized.

The process began as he had expected, and even simpler than some of the missions he had taken before. This criminal organization, which dealt in arms trafficking, had a far less formidable combat capability than its reputation suggested.

Levi effortlessly disrupted their command system and used special equipment to cryogenically freeze the fleeing key figures, completing the initial mission.

With no one to obstruct him, Levi easily entered the biological weapons research lab hidden underground. The research conducted here was not the typical use of microorganisms and toxins to kill enemies, but rather the transformation of living animals into weapons for deployment on the battlefield.

The data provided by the client showed that this organization's research extended beyond large animals to human modification experiments. Even Levi, who had seen countless criminals, could not hide his disgust at such behavior. Receiving this mission was a fortunate thing for him.

The research lab was even larger than the surface buildings. The maze-like corridors forced Levi to check each room one by one.

In the first room he opened, he saw a canine with mechanical limbs. In the next, a bird with bizarre appendages.

After seeing dozens of rooms, Levi had become immune to the sight of the unidentifiable, flesh-like masses floating in the liquid. He flipped through the papers on the desk, as there were no computers, and collected all the documents he found.

Opening the next door, the layout was similar but larger. However, there was only one liquid-filled incubator in the center of the room.

Levi approached the central incubator with quickening steps. There, he saw what he least wanted to see—human.

The incubator was filled with an unknown liquid, emitting a faint green glow. In the liquid, a being that appeared to be a sapient creature similar to Levi floated quietly.

It was a woman. She was naked, and Levi could easily determine her gender. Her golden hair, almost as long as her body, floated and entangled around her in the liquid. Her closed eyes made the seemingly sixteen-year-old girl look peaceful, as if she were sleeping in her mother's womb.

But Levi knew that the green, nauseating liquid could never be the amniotic fluid that symbolized the beginning of human life.

The girl was still alive; the slight rise and fall of her chest confirmed this, much to Levi's relief. He hurriedly turned to the control panel. However, lacking skills outside of combat, he had no idea how to operate it to free the girl.

"Damn, which one is the switch?"

The control panel was covered with buttons, and Levi didn't dare touch any of them. If he made a mistake, it could result in the worst outcome he feared.

He checked his communicator, but it still had no signal. Since entering the underground lab, the special materials of the building had blocked all communication.

Just as he turned to leave the lab and contact someone who could help, the incubator behind him emitted a mechanical sound.

Levi quickly turned around. The indicator lights at the bottom of the incubator flashed, and the green liquid inside slowly drained, clearly being pumped out through underground pipes.

The girl, losing the buoyancy, touched the bottom of the incubator. Instead of falling as Levi expected, she stood steadily inside.

Time seemed to stretch, filled with uncertainty and anticipation. Just as Levi grew impatient and was about to approach, the liquid in the incubator was completely drained.

Facing Levi, the girl's tightly closed eyes finally slowly opened.