Chapter 321: The Real Me, The Fake Me

[Thinker trait activating…]

[You are thinking efficiently about how to conduct this undead surgery.]

[You begin to sculpt.]

[Soft Materials show a unique delicacy in your hands. You look at Sevia's face and sculpt facial features with proportional dimensions for her.]

[You know that a face sculpted this way will inevitably have differences and won't be as natural as the original.]

[But from the very beginning, your goal was not to restore her true face.]

[What you need to do is fill the overly hollow half of her face, making Sevia's face look less terrifying.]

[This is a sore spot for Sevia. The corrosion of Death Qi makes people loathe her and view her as a monster, hence her desire for restoration.]

[You cast the 1st-circle spell: Wizard's Hand.]

[Your Soul Power gathers into a palm, and with precision, you apply the prepared Materials to the Brave's face, shaping them and causing them to solidify rapidly.]

[After solidifying, they adhere firmly to the hollow skull.]

[At the same time, they retain flexibility, possessing the tactile sensation of normal flesh.]

[Eyes, ears, nose, lips…]

[With your help, the Brave Sevia once again possesses a human face. At a glance, no one would be able to discover the hollowness inside.]

"S-succeeded?"

Temporary workshop.

Numerous wizard tools were piled in every corner of the room, with faint traces of supernatural aura echoing throughout.

The undead girl opened her eyes.

She felt that there was something extra on her face, a jelly-like texture that swayed gently with her movements.

Drip—

Drip—

The faint sound of dripping liquid came from the wizard tools surrounding her.

Gentle arms reached out.

Supporting Sevia, she sat up from the experimental table.

"How does it feel, Sevia? Is there any rejection reaction?"

"No…"

The girl shook her head somewhat dazedly, then made a request to Xu Xi.

"Lord Wizard, may I… see my own face?"

Words that were expected.

Anyone who changes their appearance has the same first reaction: to confirm the result with their own eyes.

"Of course, sit still first." Xu Xi retrieved a bottle of liquid. It was the sap of the Blue Crystal Flower, which has the effect of blocking undead Death Qi.

He dipped his finger in some.

He gently applied it to Sevia's face.

The area he applied it to was the sculpted fake face, which lacked sensation, so Sevia felt nothing.

But looking at Xu Xi from such a close distance…

The Brave always felt that some invisible sense was emerging.

One circle.

Two circles.

Not until the liquid in the bottle was completely applied did Xu Xi stop his movements.

He took a few steps back, studied Sevia's face as if confirming it was intact, and then summoned a water mirror for her.

Sevia finally saw it.

What she looked like at this moment.

It was no longer a hollow skull, but a lively, vivid human face. When her real eye blinked, the fake eye blinked along with it.

However.

The fake eye would not provide vision.

The world in Sevia's eyes was still half-missing.

"Is this… the current me?"

Sevia gazed at the water mirror. Her emerald-like eyes, the "intact" cheek, and the exquisitely sculpted facial features looked so perfect.

"Lord Wizard's craftsmanship is truly exquisite."

"…Thank you, Lord Wizard."

Sevia expressed her thanks, her expression bewildered.

It was quite subtle. Clearly, when Xu Xi had asked, she had agreed so impatiently.

Yet when the surgery was complete, and her face was filled with the fake creation, no longer bearing the terrifying undead appearance, her heart felt hollow and filled with Chaos.

"Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere, Sevia?"

Xu Xi noticed the girl's odd behavior.

Sevia shook her head gently.

"I'm fine, Lord Wizard. I'm just feeling a bit… confused."

She lowered her head, facing her skeletal body, her thoughts complex and bewildered.

A fake thing is, after all, a fake thing.

It cannot replace the real thing.

The Brave Sevia had once suffered the beatings and scolding of villagers. People loathed her and hated her, and the root cause was that her undead body was too terrifying.

For this reason, Sevia had to wear heavy armor.

To hide her true self.

To hide all of herself.

To gain people's trust with a fake Brave persona.

So, what about now?

After leaving Claufeel, must she continue to wear another fake face to experience a new life?

Must she interact with Xu Xi every day with this fake face?

Regarding this question, the Brave felt there was someone who could answer it.

"Lord Wizard."

"Am I still me right now?"

With a face where truth and falsehood coexisted, she looked up at Xu Xi and asked this question.

It was not the emerald of Claufeel asking.

It was Sevia, who had suffered so much misfortune and closed herself off due to her undead state, who was asking.

"Sevia…" In that moment, Xu Xi understood something, his eyes reflecting Sevia's undead appearance.

She was somewhat nervous and uneasy.

The girl waited for Xu Xi's reply.

"Isn't the Sevia I know always right here?"

Finally, a peaceful voice rang out, affirming the girl's existence.

No matter what she looked like.

He would always remember Sevia Claufeel.

It had nothing to do with her appearance; it was only because she was her.

"Is that so…"

Her uneasy eyes regained their brightness.

The Brave probably knew what she wanted now. As expected, she still preferred things to be a bit more real.

"Lord Wizard, could you give me a strip of cloth? Thank you."

She took the cloth strip from Xu Xi's hand.

Sevia held one end in each hand, wrapped it carefully, and tightened it ring by ring, covering the half-fake face that Xu Xi had sculpted.

When she finished wrapping, the remaining part of Sevia's face was only the truly existing human flesh.

Such a face was not terrifying.

Her emerald-green eyes were brighter than ever before.

Even though her face was wrapped in a cloth strip, and even though only one eye remained, that eye was still brighter than the stars, and one could even see a hint of a smile and playfulness in it.

"Sorry, Lord Wizard."

"I wasted your hard work."

"As punishment, if there is anything you need, just let me do it."

Seeing Sevia regain her vitality, Xu Xi felt relieved. "That's nothing. It was something prepared for you in the first place, so it's not a waste."

"No," the Brave was exceptionally stubborn, "I wasted your effort, so I must be punished."

The Brave had strong principles.

If she made a mistake, she must be punished.

She vowed that she would definitely protect Xu Xi's safety.

Just then, a muffled thunderclap exploded, and the sky turned dark and gloomy. The Brave Sevia curled up into a ball again.

"Lord Wizard, p-please don't worry."

"I can do it."

Sevia stood up shivering, hugging Xu Xi's arm, her bones rattling from the trembling.

Xu Xi sighed. This Brave was clearly terrified yet incredibly stubborn.

"It feels a bit like Yingxue…"

"Lord Wizard, what did you say?"

"Nothing. I was just thinking that it's time to prepare a new weapon for you."

"Is that so… You're right. It really does need replacing."