Chapter 326: The Pocket Watch
Armand often praised Evelia in his heart for how much she had changed over time. When his memory came back occasionally, he would say things like, “Thanks for taking care of me all this time.” And even when he lost his memory, he would still feel that the Evelia in front of him was different from the one he thought he knew.
This made Evelia feel that, in a way, she was still living in happiness. At the very least, every version of Armand could accept their relationship, their experiences, and the promises they had made together.
Even Rachel started mumbling mysterious things like, “Maybe Dad still has a chance.” But after that, she mostly stayed in her little lab and barely came out.
These days, she didn’t worry about being disturbed anymore, because the two people who used to care about her now didn’t seem to have the energy to bother her.
As for Armand, he had almost completely forgotten about Rachel. He would only show a bit of awkwardness and listen silently when Evelia brought her up and Rachel called him “Dad.”
It wasn’t that Rachel had no place in his memories. It was just that his memory loss had gotten so bad that she no longer existed in his mind at all.
Evelia, however, was still clearly in his memories, only because his remaining memories started from the time they first met.
Thinking about it like that, maybe even back then, when Armand saw the girl with long pink hair, he was already drawn to her. It was just that his feelings took a while to catch up.
But today, something unexpected happened.
Armand, that guy, probably just wanted to step outside to look for something.
He went out alone wearing a thick cloak, seemingly trying to find the coachman’s lounge. But unfortunately, before he could find the coachman, he collapsed in a pile of snow that hadn’t melted yet.
That guy Armand really liked wearing white. Wrapped in a thick white cloak, he fainted in the snow. If the patrolling knights hadn’t found him, he might’ve frozen to death right there.
Since then, until now, Armand still hadn’t woken up.
The blood from his nose had already been wiped clean by Evelia, and even Rachel, who rarely left her lab, came out to check on him.
While Rachel was visiting Armand, she found something interesting.
Evelia’s attention was fully focused on Armand’s condition, but Rachel noticed a strange piece of metal sitting on the nightstand by the bed.
It couldn’t really be called a “piece of junk.” If you looked closely, you'd see it was actually an item with patterns on it.
As for what kind of item it was, Rachel recognized it right away.
Because in a way, it was originally hers.
As an alchemist, Rachel liked to collect strange and random things. These things might not be valuable, but if she took a liking to something, she might one day turn it into a strange experiment tool. This “piece of junk” was exactly that.
But it wasn’t actually junk, it was a pocket watch.
The patterns on it weren’t family crests but rather visible alchemical markings.
This thing was one of Rachel’s old experimental items.
When she was studying alchemy, she had worked with living beings, but of course, she had also worked with non-living things. Not corpses, but objects that were never alive, like this broken, rusty pocket watch with a big hole in it.
Using alchemy on accessories had always been something worth exploring. In the beginning, when Rachel worked as an alchemist under the former Second Princess, one of her research topics was how to apply defensive alchemy to metal objects.
Of course, this kind of technique would later be used on various types of armor. Although the technique wasn’t fully developed yet in those days, the basic idea was already forming. This small pocket watch was one of her test items.
The larger the object, the more alchemical markings it needed. On the other hand, smaller objects used less energy, but they required a much higher level of precision. But for someone experienced like Rachel, her style was always about being delicate and detailed, not big and flashy. So she casually pulled out a nearly broken pocket watch she always carried with her and used it as the first test item.
Besides, a pocket watch is something people usually keep close to their chest. If placed near the heart, it could act as a kind of mini "heart protector." Rachel thought maybe if defensive alchemy was applied to it, it could be unexpectedly useful someday.
That’s what Rachel thought, and that’s what she did.
She carved a type of defensive alchemy pattern she knew onto it. Of course, it wasn’t anything magical like "absolute defense," but by using alchemical formulas and reactions, she made the pocket watch stronger and more durable. It could absorb shock and resist impact better. With a few of her own secret tricks, something only a "genius alchemist" like her would know, she created a super defensive pocket watch that could even block a deadly hit.
Since it was an experiment, she needed a test subject.
So Rachel picked a local “bad guy,” someone known for stealing and getting into fights all the time. This kind of person was perfect for testing things.
During lunch break, Rachel pretended to “accidentally” drop the shiny pocket watch in front of that chubby man. As expected, he took it without a second thought and stuffed it into his pocket. That was also why Rachel chose him, if she had dropped it in front of someone kind and honest, the watch might have just been returned.
After that, Rachel secretly watched the man’s every move. Eventually, one day, he made a red-brown-haired little boy angry.
Rachel had only wanted to test how strong the pocket watch was, but the fight turned out to be far more brutal than she expected.
The small, skinny boy used a blunt weapon and smashed a hole into the man’s skull. Even Rachel, who had lived for over a hundred years, frowned when she saw such a bloody scene. But strangely, the people around them, including the young boy, acted like they were used to the blood and violence. No one was shocked, and barely anyone even made a sound. A deadly fight started suddenly, and ended just as suddenly in blood.
That cold, emotionless atmosphere still gave Rachel goosebumps even now when she thought about it.
The pocket watch used for the experiment was completely unharmed. But the man who had it… well, he died a terrible death. The watch was even taken by the boy as a trophy.
If the pocket watch could talk, Rachel would have loved to ask it, ‘What exactly did you protect?’
That was the end of the experiment. Rachel stopped researching that topic, and the pocket watch disappeared along with it.
She never thought she would see it again after so many years, especially not in such a heavily damaged state.
Looking at it now, maybe the old defense experiment wasn’t a complete failure after all.
After all—
Thinking that, Rachel turned to look at Armand, a man whose entire past still felt like a big mystery.
—Maybe, just maybe, it really did protect one of its owners.