After a long exchange of emotions, Melana finally opened up.
She literally opened the door too.
“I’ll kill you, Johan Damus!”
“Hah! You’re no match for me now!”
So honest.
Behold, I can manipulate people’s emotions!
“Aaaaargh!”
“Hmph!”
I easily blocked Melana’s attack as she charged at me like a madwoman, swinging her scythe.
I’m not who I used to be!
“And now that you don’t even have chains, you’re still sticking with a scythe as your weapon?”
“No?”
“Huh…?”
With that, Melana threw the scythe. The huge blade spinning toward me was definitely terrifying enough to make my legs tremble.
“Ghk!”
But Melana’s real goal was something else. She rushed in immediately and grabbed me by the throat.
Hah, and she calls herself a patient!
Does she really think she can overpower me with that kind of grip strength?
“No chance!”
“You’re awake, Teacher?”
“What are you talking about?”
“You passed out.”
“…What are you talking about?”
The way you say it makes it sound like I couldn’t resist at all and just blacked out on the spot.
As if Melana could do that.
“You might not have realized it, but Melana’s physical abilities are on a completely different level. Back when she was terminally ill, I poured divine power into her trying to save her, and it seems her basic physical capabilities improved to a strange degree.”
“That doesn’t make any sense.”
“It’s kind of like Chris.”
Isn’t there a saying that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger?
Seems like Melana falls into that category too. The world really is unfair.
Some people fight all kinds of terrorists and crawl through hell to barely gain this level of strength, while others just lie in a sickbed getting treatment and end up that strong?
“What time is it?”
“Six. Do you want to stay for dinner?”
“Yeah, I should.”
I was planning to head back early and go see Ariel, but I didn’t expect things to turn out like this…
I should’ve known better than to push it. I got carried away teasing Melana.
This is a place where a bunch of dangerous criminals live, after all.
“So what’s for dinner tonight?”
“It’s seasoned eggplant.”
“I really regret everything.”
Why is it that of all days, they’re not having something like steak?
***
In the end, I decided to pass on dinner. What’s the point of mooching off people who barely have anything?
It’s definitely not because I’m a picky eater. No way I’d refuse food that even Chris eats without complaints.
Let’s just say I have refined tastes.
“So you came all the way here because you didn’t want to eat eggplant?”
“It’s been a while, Cattleya.”
“I wish it had stayed that way.”
“Come on, at least give me something to eat.”
“Do I look like I run a restaurant?”
“If you’re a merchant, shouldn’t you be selling anything?”
“There are snacks on the shelf, go grab something if you’re that hungry.”
“You’re not very well prepared.”
“What you just picked up is four silver.”
“You’re charging me?”
“Did you just ask a merchant that?”
Well, nothing I can do.
I let it slide this time.
Grumbling, I handed Cattleya one gold coin.
As if it were only natural, she didn’t give me any change.
What a crooked merchant.
“Oh right, Cattleya. Do you know how Emily’s been lately?”
“You saw her just a week ago. Why are you asking?”
“There’s a reason.”
Thinking back to how Emily acted the last time I saw her, I couldn’t help but be cautious.
I had already realized her feelings a long time ago. But I pretended not to notice and drew a line.
I thought I had made things clear enough, but I didn’t expect it to turn out like this.
No…more than that, I never imagined she would come to that kind of conclusion.
No, I was afraid of getting hurt. I wasn’t afraid that she might become the one to hurt me.
That she’d reach that conclusion…
“If you don’t know, then it’s fine. No news is good news, after all.”
“I like that answer. Want me to make you some tea?”
“You could’ve offered that sooner. I thought I was going to choke to death.”
Seeing me keep my distance from Emily seemed to put Cattleya in a better mood.
Well, she always treated me like some kind of pest getting too close to her little sister. Of course she’d prefer it this way.
If she knew what kind of conversation Emily and I had, though, there’d probably be poison in this teacup instead of tea.
“Oh right. Count Python is dead. His skull was crushed. I ordered him to die.”
“I heard. Serves him right.”
Cattleya muttered calmly.
Her voice carried a faint chill.
To be fair, I had been worried about her relationship with Count Python.
After all, he wasn’t exactly a clean man.
And besides…
“Still, it’s a bit of a shame.”
Count Python was, after all, the mastermind who had incited Loki to attack the Tales Marquisate.
Maybe while I was associating with Count Python, Cattleya had been feeling betrayed by me.
The frightening thing about her is that she never lets it show…
“I was planning to kill him with my own hands. You’re pretty lucky too.”
“What’s so lucky about me? It was just a hassle.”
“Is that so?”
That last remark made it clear.
She had intended to get rid of both me and Count Python.
Even while smiling and chatting, she could be this ruthless when it came to someone tied to her enemies?
Maybe I underestimated someone who lives driven by revenge.
It sent a chill down my spine.
“How many are left now?”
“Thirty-two.”
“Still a long way to go.”
Her targets for revenge.
Thirty-two might sound like a lot, but considering they were all connected to the destruction of the Tales Marquisate, it was actually terrifying.
It meant she had already killed that many, and only thirty-two remained.
“Thanks for the tea.”
“Alright, get going. It’s not safe to be wandering around this late.”
“Been a while since I’ve been treated like a kid.”
“I suppose it has.”
With that, Cattleya lazily leaned over the counter.
***
When I returned to the dorm and opened my door, I felt a wave of dizziness.
“Johan, why are you so late?”
Because Yuna was there.
At this point, I was used to her barging into my room whenever she pleased.
But I knew what lay behind that familiarity.
That’s why it made me uneasy.
“I went to see the others.”
“You smell like a woman.”
“More like an older lady.”
Sorry, Cattleya. But you wouldn’t want to be associated with me either, right?
“Hmm, yeah, it does kind of smell like an old-fashioned perfume.”
“……”
I’m really sorry, Cattleya. This kid has no ill intent.
Still, maybe I should subtly suggest she switch perfumes sometime.
“Man, I’m exhausted.”
“Go wash up.”
“I suppose so. But why are you lying on my bed like it’s the most natural thing in the world?”
“It’s time to sleep.”
“Ugh, fine.”
I’m too tired to even tell her to go back to her room.
I already know. Yuna wouldn’t listen to me anyway. And since we’re going to get married, sleeping together shouldn’t be a big deal.
As long as we don’t cross the line, it should be fine.
“Puhihihi.”
Yuna wrapped herself up tightly in the blanket and smiled to herself. Judging by that look, she was wide awake now.
She’s going to bother me all night.
***
“Johan, so what did you do today? While I was coughing up blood training at the Magic Tower, what were you off doing for fun?”
“Yuna, when you put it like that, it’s hard for me to answer.”
Lying side by side with her on the bed, I told her about what had happened today.
“That’s exactly why I say it like that. If you feel a little guilty, you’ll treat me better, right?”
“How could I possibly treat you any better than I already do?”
I think I already treat her quite well.
Of course, maybe not as well as she treats me.
But what can I do? I’ve got two people I need to take care of.
It might sound a bit trashy, but the ones who created this situation are the two of them.
“I stopped by the Misfits’ place today. This time, the kids were especially involved, you know.”
“Then who smelled like an old lady?”
“Cattleya Tales.”
“You’re seriously awful.”
“You’re not much better.”
I was just making an excuse, but you genuinely meant it when you said she smelled old-fashioned.
“Anyway, something good happened. It looks like Melana might be able to regain her health.”
“How?”
“Apparently Ollie’s ability works in that kind of way. It won’t be perfect, but it seems like she’ll be able to recover some of her lifespan.”
“Oh, I knew it seemed like a unique ability. So that’s what it was?”
Honestly, I was happy about Melana getting better too. We’ve seen each other often enough, and she’s helped me a lot. At this point, it wouldn’t be strange to call her a friend.
I never expected we’d end up like this, though.
“Sounds like she’ll be having a wedding with Jeff soon. I should go see it.”
“When’s ours?”
“Good question. When will it be?”
We should probably think about it after we graduate first.
There’s Ariel’s status to consider and a lot of things to prepare.
Since it’s a marriage between nobles, there are a lot of unavoidable complications.
“But Johan. If Ollie’s ability works like that…”
“……”
“Is Ollie really okay?”
Ollie’s ability.
The regeneration of a worn-down soul.
That ability may be limited, but it’s just as extraordinary because of it.
Doesn’t it mean she can eliminate the side effects of dark magic, something even Faust couldn’t deal with?
Of course, now that Faust is dead, there’s no way to learn dark magic anymore. Even if there were, it would only make you a criminal.
In that sense, Ollie’s ability will gradually lose its significance.
Damage to the soul isn’t something that happens easily, after all.
But for her right now, her ability holds a different meaning.
“She didn’t look too good.”
The Ollie I saw today looked completely worn down.
She had been living on the run, then got involved with the Under Chain.
Even if she was rescued in the end, it’s only been a week.
That’s nowhere near enough time for her to recover her strength, so it’s only natural she looked exhausted.
But the hesitation she showed, even if subtle, couldn’t be hidden.
Her exhaustion came from a different place than before.
Back then, she didn’t have a choice. So she ran.
But now, things are different.
“Whatever it is, it’s her choice.”
With that, I pulled Yuna into my arms and tried to sleep.
***
Ollie had no choice.
She couldn’t abandon Raven, the Death Knight. But there was no way the world would accept Raven as a Death Knight either. So she ran, and that’s how she ended up joining the Under Chain.
But now, the Under Chain has been disbanded.
Fortunately, Johan had arranged a place for her to stay and hide, but the situation had changed yet again.
“Raven.”
Ollie leaned against Raven’s shoulder, who followed her like a shadow.
It wasn’t just cool. It was cold.
Raven, having become a Death Knight, could never go back.
Even so, she wanted to stay with him. At the very least, she wanted to remain by his side.
“Don’t you want to pass on?”
But now, she had a choice. She could restore Raven’s soul, which had been corrupted by becoming a Death Knight, and return it to the cycle of reincarnation.
Until now, she hadn’t been able to abandon Raven. She couldn’t bear the thought of his dead soul wandering aimlessly and eventually crumbling away.
She thought it couldn’t be helped. There was no way, so she had tried to give up.
But now, things were different.
Now she had a way to save Raven’s soul.
And that meant…
“Would that be the right thing to do?”
It also meant she had to accept Raven’s death and let him go.
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