Chapter 58
Erika slowly opens her eyes.
It was a long nap.
Since childhood, she hadn’t had such a deep sleep in a day.
She sees the figure of a man bathed in the gentle light of the night sky.
He speaks.
“Are you awake?”
“…Here.”
“As you can see, it’s an unfair return to Academia. Even though curfew time has long passed.”
“……”
The professors were continuing their investigation at the scene of the incident, while Bargan and Erika were returning separately. There was one person next to them, but they seemed to be asleep, exhausted.
Erika, roughly grasping the situation, widens her eyes. She urgently calls Bargan and asks about the whole story.
“What about Altiph… What happened to him…?! And you…”
Bargan raises one corner of his mouth.
“He’s dead. Also, you don’t need to worry about me.”
“……”
Erika’s eyelids droop like a butterfly landing. After a moment of silence, she adds that she didn’t worry about anything like that.
“…Are the people there safe? The audience was full.”
Bargan shrugs his shoulders.
“From the beginning, there were no spectators, no actors. There was only one monster on stage.”
“Was it a trap from the entrance?”
“That’s right.”
“I see… But why us…”
Bargan lowers his head. Not knowing the exact reason, he dismisses it as perhaps just bad luck.
“There was no one suspected to be from Portretga. Well, if there was, you wouldn’t have been in danger.”
“…It seems like the misfortunes are overlapping.”
Erika did not judge the truth of his words. Just receiving the information he conveyed was enough to make her very uneasy.
The ticket sent by her mother.
The archbishop Altif who had been lurking in the theater.
A member of the family who was not supposed to be present today.
All of this was connected by a single ‘misfortune’.
“Sigh….”
Erika let out a sigh. In that sigh, there was a mix of relief and self-reproach.
Bargan realized Altif’s trap and took care of him.
On the other hand, what about himself?
The so-called heroine of Portretga, unfortunately, got caught in a trap set by a monster and struggled. Not only that, she ended up owing a large debt to the resentful man Shugenharz.
“……”
“If you want to apologize for being a burden, you can do it later. We’ll see each other often in the future.”
“……”
Erika looked up at the man with an indifferent expression. It was bewildering. Even after experiencing the ordeal of facing Altif’s archbishop, he could remain so calm.
In a way, she even felt respect, making herself appear even more pitiful.
Was that why?
Erika uttered words that were not in her heart, or perhaps there was a hint of truth in them.
“…You should have left me.”
“What are you talking about?”
Erika bowed her head. She couldn’t look at him.
“So… did you think about leaving me when you realized it was a trap?”
She spoke in a voice that was getting smaller, biting her lip. Her confidence was already at its lowest.
If he had left her, this wretched engagement that neither of them desired could have been easily resolved.
Coincidentally, the ticket was prepared by Portretga.
If Bargan had realized it was a trap and left her, not only could they cleanly break off the engagement, but they could also secure justification.
If she had announced it this way, even if there was some grumbling, most of the arrows could have been dodged.
“……”
“Erika.”
Bargan called her name.
Erika did not raise her head. Various complex emotions prevented her from doing so.
Then, a long sigh was heard in her ear.
Naturally, it was Bargan’s.
“Are you pointing out that if you leave me, I can make up stories as I please?”
“….Yes.”
Erica nodded her head slightly.
His long sigh echoed once again.
The sound of it could be interpreted as him being somewhat upset.
“I would have… No, you’re right. If that’s the case, this engagement could have easily ended.”
“….”
“No, perhaps I even took advantage of this incident. When you tragically died and became a stepping stone. I could have blamed the portrait that killed my beloved fiancée, plunging me into danger.”
“….”
“I could have ruthlessly ruined the honor of the portrait and received a hefty reward. I would have squandered that money extravagantly, like water leaking out.”
“…!”
Unable to bear the following verbal abuse, Erica lifted her head confidently.
Her eyes were filled with a few tears.
Bargain saw those tears.
And he smiled.
“Now you raise your head.”
“…You… You…!”
Erica hastily wiped away the tears forming in her eyes. Before she could continue speaking, Bargain cut in.
“Yes, as you say, that could have been the case. Everything could have been cut off in an instant.”
“Really?!”
“One thing, wasn’t it not like that?”
Bargain presents her with the reality she faces.
“Stories of such assumptions are meaningless. Right now, you are breathing in front of me like this. Not only that, hiding tears in your right eye, tightly clutching your trembling hand.”
Erica, you are living like this now.
I did not abandon you.
Don’t try to hide your emotions with harsh words.
Erica felt that Bargain was saying that.
…I don’t know.
Shugenhardt, I don’t know you.
Why did you save me? Why didn’t you cut me off?
Why… Why….
Why are you coming back again….
“What do you want to say?”
Bargain confronted her. Erica did not quietly accept being covered by a curtain.
“Or did you really want to say those words?”
“….”
She tried to steady her trembling pupils along with her breath and stared at Bargain.
No. I didn’t want to say such things.
It wasn’t that I wanted to bind myself with negative assumptions. Even in such moments, being dishonest is my flaw.
While such thoughts crossed her mind, on the other hand, her pride, unwilling to bow down to this guy who killed her precious person like a bug in the room, ignited a counter-fire.
….
Erica takes a deep breath.
Myself now is not rational.
Excessively emotional.
At this rate, nothing will change. There will be no progress at all.
This won’t do.
She makes up her mind.
Erica’s pupils were filled with a sharp glint.
“I still resent you. I will continue to do so in the future.”
Perhaps for a lifetime, I will live hating you.
“I don’t feel any positive emotions towards you. I don’t even want to say thank you.”
“Well, that’s how it is. I expected this level of reaction.”
“But!”
With that one short word, the air shifted.
“But… as the daughter of the Portrega… as the representative of the family… I express my gratitude to you.”
Erica rises, bowing her head. One leg is drawn back, and with both hands, she holds the hem of her dress.
Neat movements. The faint light shining on her.
The picturesque sight seemed to captivate the onlooker.
“Thank you for saving me… for not leaving me alone.”
Erica did not lift her head. She held the pose for a long time.
Even without seeing her face, Bargan could somewhat anticipate what expression she was making.
At least, it wouldn’t be locked in sadness or anger.
Drip, drip, drip.
The unfairness trembled lightly.
In the stillness created by the two, it resonated loudly.
Drip, drip, drip.
They felt that small vibration.
***
On the way back to the dormitory.
Tomorrow, when the day breaks, I will have to go through the tedious process of talking about what happened today. It’s quite uncomfortable being a student at times like this.
Walking with Erica, she went straight in, saying she didn’t need to be escorted. Her usual vibrant voice was now subdued.
“Hmm?”
As we arrived at my door, I could see a familiar face. Her head turned, and our eyes met.
“You’ve come. My lord.”
Alicia gives a faint smile.
She welcomes me with elegance wrapped around her.
“…Yes. Were you waiting like that all this time?”
“Not knowing when my lord would come, I was waiting.”
She nodded as if it was nothing.
For over four hours, she stood in front of the door, waiting without a single movement.
“…Stubborn fellow.”
I did tell her to wait until I arrived, but if it’s too late, it’s normal to go back… Well, expecting common sense from this fellow isn’t right. It’s my mistake.
“I did not waste meaningless time waiting, expanding the total mana or removing impurities inside.”
From Noble mtl dot com
“You did well.”
As if scratching an itchy spot, Alicia accurately pinpointed the essence to me.
Honestly, I wasn’t so much concerned about Alicia’s progress as I was in awe of the incredible situation. She seems to have misunderstood my reaction.
“Excuse me for a moment,” Alicia said, cautiously scanning my whole body.
Her meticulous gaze touches everywhere.
“It’s fortunate that there doesn’t seem to be any injuries.”
“Of course.”
I can’t let my blood be spilled by such low-level monsters. With the right conditions, I can easily eradicate bishop-class beings like this.
“….”
She lowers her head and looks at my feet. It seems like she has something serious and dark to ask, perhaps due to a change in mood, a bit uneasy and dark.
She lets out a sigh.
“It’s getting late today, and you seem tired, so I’ll take my leave.”
Fiddling with her clasped hands, she bows deeply again.
It’s true that it was the time to check her growth, but me, looking tired? There shouldn’t be any signs of that…
Wait, what’s this guy doing?
“My lord?!”
I firmly grabbed Alicia’s hand and pulled her into the room. I threw her onto the chair in front of me, not even noticing the English.
I scrutinize her face, sitting on the chair, looking bewildered. Her face that I grabbed is red and hot. Her eyes widen as if about to pop out, darting around.
After confirming it’s not due to an illness or injury, I slam my hand down.
“Oops?!”
My finger hurts after a long time.
“Who said you could just stand there idly without taking on any duties. It’s outrageous!”
“Yes, yes…? B-but… it’s already too late… and you seem to be accumulating fatigue…”
“Then why were you waiting?”
“That… to confirm your safe return? Ah!”
After hitting the same spot twice, tears welled up in Alicia’s eyes. Watching this melodrama makes me feel more repulsed.
“If you’ve become good at observing me, I’ll acknowledge that, but you seem completely unaware of your own recent state, so today, I’ll educate you on that.”
“W-what do you mean… really?”
“After spending a long time boosting your self-esteem with great effort, aren’t you starting to decline recently! You pitiful thing!”
*Thwack!*
The same spot for the third time.
My forehead is turning red. So are my fingers.
“M-my lord… it hurts so much…”
“That’s your current state. You’re hurting mentally somewhere. But don’t worry. I’ll surely fix it and forcefully raise your self-esteem.”
“What do you mean by that…!”
Alicia’s face, once as red as a ripe peach, turns pale. Her eyes fill with astonishment.
“It seems like you’ll have to cover your forehead meticulously with bangs tomorrow. If you don’t want to be embarrassed, that is.”
“M-my lord…!”
Like that.
The clear sound echoing in the men’s dormitory continued until morning.