162 – Persuasion (2)
“I don’t know what you’re thinking.”
Under the shadow created by the man, Lilian decided to criticize the man.
He had no means of escaping, and if he had to keep clinging to him, he felt comfortable swearing.
And she looked with hatred. If I do that, the man will be scared and as if he will listen to my request.
Of course, that didn’t happen.
Rather, the man was fixating his gaze on Lilian with a face whose shade was becoming darker.
“What are you thinking? “I think I’ll just keep doing this.”
He caressed Lilian’s hand casually.
The man’s fingers went down without hesitation, scratching Lilian’s white hand, where even the veins seemed to be transparent. As if engraving his presence into every joint of his fingers.
“… “
The spot where Leonhard’s fingertips passed was hot, as if it had been swept by a whip of fire.
Does this man know that that feeling is shockingly unpleasant?
‘My Leonhard is not like this.’
Leonhardt in this episode was strangely twisted and broken.
No, it is strange to say that he is broken.
He was not Leonhard. It’s a separate entity covered in Leonhard’s fear.
That fact really bothered Lilian.
Leonhard is Leonhard, he is unchanging and he had to exist in this world.
‘Then I…’ .’
Lilian seemed to be reminded of a bad past, so she closed her eyes for a moment and caught her breath.
Remembering that it is not like you to dwell too much on the past.
‘The first thing to do now is to escape.’
Leonhardt’s guess is true to some extent.
She was unable to access her system while in contact with Leonhard.
That was because of the method of creating a system that Leonhard did not know yet.
The core of the system is the records accumulated in the library.
And the records accumulated in the library were connected to Leonhard.
This was because the vast amount of data accumulated in this library were traces recorded through Leonhard’s regression.
What Lilian did was create a system that collects, organizes, and outputs such information and turns it into power.
Lilian acquired ownership of the system by intercepting the records in the library before they were delivered to Leonhard.
However, while she was in contact like this, that method did not work for her.
This was because it reached Leonhard before the system was intercepted due to physical contact.
Tiring!
[There are 23 hours and 48 minutes left until control is transferred.]
Fortunately, the system’s most basic notification system was still functioning.
The system was still withholding judgment between Lilian and Leonhard.
Does Leonhard know these facts?
Did he act like this knowingly?
‘There is no way I would know.’
But Lilian was certain. All of that is just acting and bravado.
This man knows nothing. There’s no way he could know.
This situation was probably created accidentally as a result of impulsive action.
There….
‘You just have to hold on for a little while.’
This seemingly peaceful library was actually very dangerous.
This library rejects anything that has substance other than information. They only allowed a brief stay.
So, if a non-physical being stayed in this library for a long time, a sentinel of the library, or a being that should be called a monster, would definitely appear.
If that monster appeared, Leonhard would not have been able to be more stubborn.
Fortunately, although nominal, the ownership of the system still belonged to Lilian himself.
The monster always attacks Leonhard first, who does not have ownership of the system.
If he put pressure on Leonhard at that time, he would definitely come out with the picture he originally drew.
Of course, that was not a safe method even for Lilian.
That monster might even kill Lilian.
‘I’m just taking my time. It would be better if I could escape from this man’s hands before then.’
Lilian calmed down her darkening mind and feigned composure.
The best tool for that was laughter.
Lilian stopped her tantrums and pretended to relax and smiled mischievously.
I was embarrassed a few times before, but I was able to overcome it with this smile.
“Ha. That’s Okay. My arm hurts. Can we at least lower our arms? Get some rest.”
Leonhard responded to Lilian’s words with a crooked expression.
“Are you trying to rebel?”
“Don’t worry. “I’m already doing it.”
“With what?”
“… “With your gaze.”
Leonhardt burst out laughing.
“It doesn’t look that scary. Ah, it would be nice if it was a joke.”
Lilian felt like her acting had been revealed and her face felt hot for a moment.
What if it creaks from the beginning? Wake. Lillian.
“I guess it’s because you don’t know what I can do. Do you really think you can nullify the system just by being in contact with me like this?”
“… “I think so?”
“Think about it that way. That’s probably the one who regrets it. Please don’t treat me violently or try to kill me. “Because I have a secret trick.”
Lilian said with a smile.
Of course, there is no such thing as a secret trick right now.
It was a dangerous bluff that would be revealed as soon as she was caught.
Lillian had to work hard not to tremble under Leonhard’s gaze.
Like a tautly pulled bowstring, a tense time passed without knowing when it would burst.
“Okay. “Stay calm.”
Fortunately, although these words were small, they had an effect.
Leonhard lowered Lilian’s arm that he was holding along with his hand.
The pain in my arm, which had been hurting because I was raising it too high, went away a little.
‘First of all, it’s one win.’
I took a step back to see the man who seemed like he wouldn’t go in even if I pierced his skin with an awl. The start was pretty good.
In response to her rejection, Lilian decided to push Leonhard less.
“Okay. The joke ends here. Well, I’ll admit it anyway. I was a little embarrassed. “I didn’t know you would make such a foolish choice.”
“Hmm?”
“I know. I am. Actually, you care about those kids, right? What happened? I wonder if he got hurt. Aren’t you scared? What do you think you will do if the emperor, enraged by your humiliation, seizes the things that are dear to you? You wouldn’t think it would be as simple as killing someone, would you? “He may not be very interested in women, but he enjoys torturing them.”
While listening to Lilian’s words, the emotions disappeared from the man’s face.
No, even cold air was flowing. The gaze, which had become sharp with suppressed anger that could not cool down, pierced through Lilian.
“You can’t keep doing this anyway. Eventually, you will move. I know this because I’ve seen you all this time. Very well.”
Leonhardt, who was quietly listening to Lilian’s words, let out a long breath.
The man did not shout or become enraged. Instead, he calmly mocked Lilian.
“Then it looks like you didn’t see it properly. If that were the case, it wouldn’t have ended up like this. Huh? Is not it? “Lilian.”
When I say I’m full of spirit, I guess I’m referring to this situation.
How shameless can this man be?
“You don’t have to worry about my girls. You care about yourself. “Do you know what I’m going to do and provoke me?”
The expression of the man who said that was much colder and colder than before.
He didn’t waver in focus, as if he really wasn’t interested in the safety of the two.
“My goal from the beginning was you. You know? I was chasing you like crazy. You said so. “Don’t you remember?”
His hand went into the space between her hands, as if clasping them together.
Her backside became hot little by little. Cold sweat seemed to be coming from her neck and back.
“I told you. “If you touch me like everyone else, you’ll be in big trouble.”
Lilian smiled calmly, but even as she spoke, Lilian felt uneasy.
I feel like this smoke will be revealed at any moment.
The man’s gaze was persistent, as if he did not want to miss Lilian’s every move.
It looked like a predator, biting hard and shaking its prey as if it was trying not to let go of its prey.
“Shh, Lilian. Stay calm. “It’s better for you.”
As Leonhard whispered, Lilian had to make an effort not to swallow her dry saliva.
This man was definitely not normal.
Lilian was afraid that her agitation would be transmitted through the body that was in contact with the man.
From Noble mtl dot com
Leonhardt’s aim was obvious.
He plans to find a way to escape from himself when he falls for his natural acting and loses hope.
To her, who had been watching Leonhard’s tricks all along, her tricks seemed all too obvious.
However, it is okay if you do not approach them in the first place and do not show your weaknesses.
If these feelings are revealed, this man will cut through them in an instant and tear them apart.
That’s why Lilian smiled.
She looked as if she was enjoying this situation. She hid her true feelings from her.
“When did you bite and suck like that? Now that you have what you want, are you going to throw it away? “Do you even have humanity?”
It was then that Leonhard raised his hand. At that moment, Lilian, who had anticipated her pain, closed her eyes tightly without realizing it.
But he had no pain. Instead, only traces of a gentle hand gently brushing away Lilian’s disheveled hair remained.
When Lilian, who had been shrinking, suddenly opened his eyes, he was smiling a complicated smile.
His attitude was noticeably different from the pent-up anger he had been expressing earlier.
He even felt a strange sense of leisure.
“Lilian. “I know a lot more than you think.”
Standing on top of Lilian, he stroked Lilian’s cheek as if he felt sorry for her.
The touch was strangely warm.
“What?”
“I was relieved that you felt like old times.”
The man’s face was dark due to the backlight, so his expression was blurred.
Only the amber eyes, which seemed to be hiding some terrible truth, shined clearly even in the darkness.
Lilian’s hair stood up as he had an ominous thought.
‘Probably not.’
Reason made that judgment, but his mind was complicated.
Some strange feelings were slowly sprouting doubt within Lilian.
‘It wasn’t supposed to happen like this….’
Lilian thought Leonhard would kneel in front of her and beg.
But the one who was actually being pushed was himself.
Was my observation wrong?
But Lilian didn’t want to believe that much.
Wasn’t she the one who was good at observing people and imagining their backs?
Of course, the man in front of me was quite different from the real Leonhard.
He didn’t smile, cry, or be kind like the Leonhard he knew, and was rather callous about most things.
But there was one thing in common. To never abandon those you cherish.
Although in some ways she seemed to do it because of her desire to keep the whole situation under control.
No, if it was because of her own desires, she couldn’t have been so calm when she knew that her precious people were in danger out there.
‘As expected, it’s strange.’
Think of it the other way around, if that’s his real face, then it would mean that all of the Leonhardt we’ve seen so far was just an act.
You lied your whole life? But how can people? Is there anyone who can do that?
‘If….’
Lilian thought of the possibility that he recalled a memory from her past.
However, such a thing cannot happen. Never.
Because Leonhard died leaving a record here.
This man holding him cannot be Leonhard.
“Then shall we go upstairs? “Lilian.”
“… Why?”
“There is a place to rest.”
How did I know that there was a place to rest up there? Could it be that my memories really came back?
As the friendly voice became entangled with memories of the past, Lilian’s emotions became more complex.
*
“Think about it that way. That’s probably the one who regrets it. Please don’t treat me violently or try to kill me. “Because I have a secret trick.”
After hearing Lilian’s words, I took a step back.
‘If I really touch it, something big might happen.’
First of all, she seemed to have a personality that liked her quirky pranks.
Unlike the incidents that happened the other day, I didn’t have any information right now.
I couldn’t move because I was afraid that if I touched it incorrectly, something truly uncontrollable could happen.
In the meantime, I was distracted by anxiety and worry.
It’s not just Elina and Elin. I was so worried about the other people running away that I felt like I was going crazy.
I kept trying to find weaknesses and delve into them, but Lilian was a woman whose emotions were difficult to read.
Lilian’s expression continued to become lively and beautiful. She had so many facial expressions.
At the same time, all those emotions were soulless, like well-made imitations.
‘It’s not that easy.’
That’s what she thought until she was put on the defensive and uttered a word.
“Lilian. “I know a lot more than you think.”
That moment.
Tiring!
[Some ownership of the system is transferred to you.]
[Memories of the previous episode begin to come to mind.]
Reminds me of this?
A memory from the past came to mind like a video along with an incomprehensible message.
“… “Leave me alone?”
A girl crying pathetically was clearly visible in the background of an unknown location.
The girl was standing precariously as if she would crumble to dust at any moment.
The woman who was crying miserably as if she had lost the world was clearly Lilian.
“Again.”
She repeatedly wiped away the transparent tears at the corners of her eyes with her pretty hands.
When I lifted her hand and tried to wipe it, Lilian shook her head as if she was rejecting me.
She gradually widened the distance as if she was trying to get away from me.
“You’ll forget everything again.”
That was the only memory that came to her mind.
Only the words she threw out sadly lingered in my ears.
It’s a memory that comes to mind for no apparent reason, but you can say it’s a real memory.
It seemed like it could be used sufficiently.
So, I said this.
“I was relieved that you felt like old times.”
Lilian responded by slightly frowning her beautiful eyebrows.
That facial expression was clearly not an act, but a real emotion that emerged naturally.