Chapter 48 – 17. Torture, Rape, Murder (1)
Min Hye-rin opened her eyes.
Under the ceiling in her unlit darkness, her rat-quiet room greets her.
She blinked her eyes for a moment, then put her blanket aside and got out of bed. It is an instantaneous movement that doesn’t feel drowsy at all for having just woken up.
Shuk… Shuk…
The soft slippers wrapped around her feet allowed her to reach the wall with minimal noise. In her ambitious room, she can’t see an inch in front of her, but there is no hesitation in her hand.
Serung…
A thin blade like a rapier comes out of the scabbard. It’s light and has excellent cutting power, so it’s her favorite sword.
Min Hye-rin quietly opens her door and crosses her living room and kitchen, holding her sword in her right hand. Unlike the private room, the outside is shining blue with the moonlight coming in from the balcony.
Covertly, careful not to make any noise, I approached the front door.
And.
Knock-!
She opened her door wide, circulating the mana of her whole body.
“·······.”
It’s past midnight, and the hallway is empty.
As the chilly night air lowered the temperature around her, only the sword that consumed her mana vibrated and disturbed her silence.
‘Is it because of my mood…’
Min Hye-rin looked to her left and right and closed the door. After confirming the firm lockdown, she relaxed her body and calmed her mana.
Apparently, she was mistaken.
An unpleasant sensation of someone walking nearby. The unpleasant stares at her disturbed her sleep. She raised her alertness because there was no way the maid was sleeping while she was sleeping.
. . . Could it be menstruation?
I remember that there was quite a bit left until the next turn. Well, the menstrual cycle is originally a way to change when you are stressed.
‘Because it’s the exam period, it could be.’
Well, I’m glad there are no problems.
As the curtains covered the glass window that separated her balcony from the living room, her eyes went dark again. She turned on her magic light in the kitchen and started brewing tea.
Whatever the reason, I just woke up, so I’m going to have some warm tea to soothe my stomach and study for the exam.
Chiiyi
When I sit and stare blankly at the hot smoke, I suddenly think of Jung Ji-hoo.
What is Jihoo doing right now…
Are you sure you are sleeping?
Did Jihoo ever stay up all night studying?
It would be fun to do it together… I’ll have to suggest it next time.
A calm smile bloomed on Min Hye-rin’s face as she looked at her teapot.
* * *
Clink! Clap clap clap.
“Congratulations. First test passed.”
Just like her first meeting, Iris, the Celestial Dragon, broke the glass and stood next to Jeong Ji-hoo. The difference from that time was the difference between breaking a window that was fine and killing a glass that had already been punched.
Floor strewn with glass shards. The crimson puddle in the corner widens little by little. In the center, the man who is the owner of the blood is lying down, exhaling thinly as if he is going to stop at any moment.
Jeong Ji-hoo did not kill the criminal or go to the top floor, but this was enough.
Iris looked at him again. I didn’t think Jung Ji-hoo would fight so well.
The purpose of this test was to evaluate his natural fighting skills.
Combat Sense is a separate talent area. It is important how to make good use of given conditions such as mana, attributes, environment, and opponent in a timely manner.
In this fight, his Cheonan (天眼) stood out by far. Jeong Ji-hu consistently overwhelms his opponents from beginning to end without showing any gaps in his opponents by grasping his enemy’s tricks and intentions in advance and counterattacking.
“What are you going to do now?”
“For now, send Ireina and No. 1 back to their rooms…”
His and her trials are over, and the culprit is caught.
But Iris was deeply offended by his hard expression.
I saw cold contempt.
And, I read the vengeful spirit.
“······.”
The fight is over, but the night is not yet over.
* * *
“Sigh······.”
Sophie Magna sat down on the bed and sighed.
An hour has passed since I suddenly woke up from sleep. There is no news from her fiancé, who has finally responded to the curse and runs out of the room.
Sophie hugged the pillow tightly in her arms. A pillow that smells like him.
There is a saying that no news is good news. Originally, it meant to think positively instead of worrying about no news…
No news from the current situation means he is busy carrying out the next stage of the curse.
In other words, it implies that his curse succeeded safely.
“······.”
The object of the curse is Jeon Ji-hye, her friend.
The content of the curse is that Ji-hye falls in love with her fiancé, Jamie.
Sophie, close to both sides, couldn’t help but be confused.
Hye Jeon.
A friend I first met at a magic club. No, the target who played a friend.
Wisdom is a good person. She is sweet, funny, and has a lot to learn.
Sophie found herself waiting and enjoying the time she spent with Wisdom.
If we hadn’t met in this way, we could have become dear friends.
‘Wishy, I’m sorry…’
She secretly put the paper shikigami in her bag and stole her pencil case. To fulfill the wishes of loved ones.
Jamie Kurreal.
Sophie’s childhood friend, fiancé, and unrequited love.
Her family, Baron Magna, had been active in the Earldom of Cursreal for generations. Thanks to this, Sophie met Jamie often since she was a child.
They played, studied, and spent time together over the years, building their own memories, bonds, and feelings.
Until a change occurred in the Cursreal family.
ㅡMom… Mom…
Death of Sarah Cursreal.
The sudden loss of the mistress plunged the Cursreal family into deep sorrow and depression.
The same was true of Jamie’s brother, who had lost her mother.
[Resurrection] Magic that brings the dead back to life.
Her brother was immersed in the study of witchcraft against the laws of heaven. Since this was taboo, he acted normal in front of others, but he couldn’t fool the eyes of his old childhood friend, Sophie.
Jamie’s witchcraft talent shone throughout the experiment, but the research failed repeatedly. He was devastated day by day, and Sophie’s heart always burst when she saw him.
In the end, the older brother, who came to the conclusion that a sacrifice of the [Death] Attribute was needed, despaired of the longing that had disappeared into an unreachable place forever.
He was delighted as soon as he heard that among the summoned patients there was an Awakener with the [Death] Attribute that deals with the undead.
– Promise me that you will marry me. Then I’ll help you.
Upon awakening as an adult, Sophie became engaged to him. It was a one-sided relationship with the scales of love tilted to one side, but she was satisfied with this.
The engagement ceremony took place quietly, with only her close friends gathered. It wasn’t really a secret, but I didn’t bother letting everyone know.
They moved out of the dormitory and moved into housing within the academy where married couples could move in.
“·······.”
Sophie remembers her brother Jamie’s despair.
We remember a terrible moment when a loved one tried to give up everything.
I remember the terrible days when my fiancé fell into self-torture and self-destruction.
These are the faces you never want to see again.
So she helps him. She betrays her friend for her future husband.
“Please forgive······.”
When you justify yourself in the past and wait endlessly for Jamie’s return,
Ding dong
The bell rang announcing a visitor at the front door.
“·······?!”
What?!
Who is it?
Is there anyone coming home just after midnight?
No way.
Normal people don’t knock on doors at night.
If it were my brother, I would have just opened the door and entered.
Sophie held her breath.
Suddenly, when my brother was outside, a suspicious person came.
Could it be that the curse has been discovered?
Are they the soldiers who came to catch me?
So what happened to your brother?
She activated the magic tool that looked at the entrance,
She checked the situation outside and immediately ran for the door.
Fear, tension, and doubt evaporated. It’s not the time to think about that.
“Brother!!!”
Her fiancé lies in front of the house, covered in blood.
“What can I do! Who the hell, who did this…”
Sophie ran straight to Jamie and fell on her stomach. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she made up her mind and studied him closely.
‘It’s covered in blood, but it looks like it’s already stopped. He’s breathing well…’
I’m really, really glad…
Then Jamie’s eyelids opened slightly and a small voice was heard.
“······Do, ······.”
“Uh, huh?! Tell me one more time!”
“···Do, ruin······. Danger···.”
“···Yes?”
Run away? Dangerous?
However, before Sophie had time to do anything, a thick shadow covered the couple.
“Hi?”
A person stands with his back against the blue moonlight.
A man who appears right in front of them without any warning looks down at Sophie, who is stunned.
Black hair that slightly covers the eyebrows, dark eyes, broad shoulders, and tall stature.
I’ve never seen him before, but I think I know who he is right away because I’ve heard about it countless times from Ji-hye.
“May I come into your house?”
He spoke in a whisper, and his face was terribly expressionless, so Sophie couldn’t say anything.
