Chapter 25 – Wolf Time (1)
Roselia’s eyes clung to her face and did not know that they would fall. After staring at me for a long time, she opened her mouth in a very calm voice.
“Father. I’ll call you back soon.”
“…Yes, Rogeria. Do your best.”
The drunken Duke disappeared as soon as the blue light went out. Now, in her empty room, it was just her and me. I put my head against the wall to hide any change in my expression.
Rogeria continued to observe my behavior. Then she suddenly raised her hand and rubbed her feet and her eyes.
“Sorry. I looked ugly.”
No matter how much I rubbed my eyes, the tear stains did not disappear easily. Clearly, the aftermath of the crying still lingered in her heart, but she quickly regained her composure.
“You heard that, Lope. Things just got a little complicated.”
“It seems so.”
“I don’t know how to explain it to Lena. She’s having a hard time these days too.”
“You’ll find out slowly.”
“I just hope I’m not too surprised.”
Suddenly, a smile returned to her lips. Of course, rather than being natural, her made-up appearance was evident. There was even a bit of aegyo in the voice that flowed between them.
“Still, I think the ship is coming, Lope. It’s good, right?”
“I don’t think I’ve received a confirmation that I can ride.”
“You said it in a way that it’s good anyway. If I tell you well, it’ll work out somehow.”
Are you saying that everything depends on you? The message conveyed implicitly was undoubtedly true. Since it’s the Rozeria family’s ship, Roxeria will have the right to board until the day it arrives.
It hurts. Meanwhile, she was slowly moving toward me.
“Hey Lope. You know what I asked you about earlier. What will you do if you stand by my side. I think I can answer you now.”
“What.”
“You don’t have to do anything. Just stay by my side.”
“Why?”
“Because you deserve it.”
Roselia was right in front of her. My figure was put in the eyes shining pitifully like a cat.
“Actually, when you’re in a situation like this, you need someone who will protect your mind rather than your body. Someone who can connect with you emotionally. Not idiots like Baron or Ruth who only have sex and food in their mouths all day.”
“It means you need a soother.”
“Don’t use scary words. I’m tired of hearing those words. I don’t want to be put in this situation again and again.”
“…”
“Stay by my side, Lope. Support my heart.”
She reached out to me. Tears welled up in the corners of her eyes, which were moist again. It was a sight unimaginable before the destruction.
But I stepped aside from her hand. And he answered without any emotion.
“Rogeria.”
“Yes?”
“I am not an elf.”
“…”
Roselia stopped her hand as if it had pierced her head. But her characteristic smile remained.
“What’s wrong, Lope. I didn’t mean to talk about that.”
“Don’t waste your time, Rogeria. Don’t lose your strength with nonsense. I’m not an elf.
“But he’s really handsome, like a half-elf. Could it be that he had an elf among his relatives?”
“No. Not at all.”
“You don’t know that. There might have been elves among your ancestors.”
Despite the strong denial, Rogeria just smiled. Even so, she continued to scan my body with her eyes. From her head to toe. Lopera had an attitude that seemed to disintegrate humans into pieces.
At that time, the wandering gaze was focused on one place. Roselia slowly opened her mouth while still holding on to that smile.
“By the way, Lope. Can I ask you one question?”
“What.”
“You know. When did you start wearing gloves?”
“…”
This time it was my turn to shut up. But then, without hesitation, he raised her hand and answered calmly.
“Originally, gloves are essential for swordsmanship in plain clothes. I don’t know if you haven’t taken swordsmanship classes.”
“Is that so? But there could be other reasons.”
“There is no such thing.”
Haha…”
She suddenly burst into a small laugh. This time she wasn’t making up, it was a self-deprecating laugh at this situation. After laughing for a while, she suddenly spoke in a low voice.
“Lope. Would you like to stop now?”
“What?”
“You mean lies. You know we both lie to each other.”
“I didn’t lie.”
“Let’s not deceive each other while knowing each other. Both you and I can see through these lame lies at once.”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“And you don’t know much about magic classes, so I don’t know…”
Suddenly, a blue aura rose up around Roselia. She smiled faintly, enveloping her hazy mana like a mist around her.
“Seeing through such a thin fabric is the foundation of the basics in magic.”
“…!”
At that moment, I drew my sword. In an instant, the cold sword was aimed at her eyeballs.
“I’m sorry…”
Only then did Rogeria step back a little. This must be the first time in her life that she has been pointed at a sword. However, the mana gathered around her showed no signs of disappearing.
“…Don’t do anything useless. You really can’t even cut it.”
“You think you can’t?”
“Of course. I need me to get out of this island.”
“Don’t worry. Just cut off your tongue. The duke has already promised to give me a ride, so I’ll just stop you from talking nonsense.”
“…”
Realistic cruelty penetrated his pride. But she wasn’t the one whose heart would be broken by this.
“Even though I have limbs, I can communicate well enough. If you lay a hand on me, I’ll somehow make it impossible for you to board the ship.”
“Then cut off your limbs. Goug out your eyes if necessary. It’s enough if you pretend you somehow saved yourself from being tortured.”
“I’m sorry, but you can communicate with magic. You learned that in her first class, so you haven’t forgotten?”
“Then, should I take the body with me? If the duke really loves you, he’ll be grateful for that alone.”
The slightly lowered sword pointed at her throat this time. Still, her spirit did not subside.
“It will rot before the ship arrives. You won’t be able to find salt and ice on this island.”
“We can preserve it with magic.”
“Not knowing how to do it. Pretentious.”
“You just have to find someone who can.”
“It sounds like you know someone like that. Lena would never do that. Are you, by any chance, someone else with you?”
“That…”
“No. Don’t answer. Actually, I was guessing to some extent. If not, there would be no reason to hesitate when I first proposed. You needed time to think about it because you weren’t alone, right?”
Shit…
She is so clever no, she’s ugly It is a frequent mistake of the world to indulge intellect in wickedness.
While I was silent, Roselia took her hand to the tip of her sword with a swipe of her. And she whispered as she slowly lowered herself.
“Don’t do this, Lope.”
“…”
“I’ll give you a ride, even the party. So just hand over the emblem. It may sound selfish, but our family must survive. Not just for us, but for the sake of all of humanity.”
“Are you saying I should just give up my life?
“Father will surely reward you for the pattern. All the treasures left in the dukedom. And beautiful women you won’t find on an island like this. Maybe he’ll build you an air-raid shelter. If you’re lucky, you might even survive there.”
“You know that’s nonsense.”
“I know. But Lope…”
Rogeria grabbed her sword body with her hand. The sharp metal slashed through her delicate skin and her bright red blood gushed out. The aristocratic daughter of her academy offered blood to a lowly commoner and begged with her tears.
“But, isn’t it better than ending your life on a crappy island like this?”
“…”
I gripped the sword tightly. The tip was still toward Roselia’s neck. But the blade she couldn’t even wield didn’t feel that sharp.
How far does Rogeria know? Presence of text. Location. Are you sure you know all the numbers?
No. She didn’t seem to have figured out the number yet. She’d never seen a pattern before, so she might have thought all three of them were one.
If I promise to hand over one thing, can this shitty situation end?
She might have made a decent alternative if the opponent had been someone else. However, her Roselia greed knew no bounds. If there are three, three. It was clear that if she had four, she would want all four. Unlike me, she has so many people to live for.
Above all, she did not seem able to hide the fact that she had three patterns forever. It was clear that even if she got on the ship, she would try to take it away if she found out that Saya also had a pattern.
Never. She should not act according to her intentions.
“Let’s go out. Let’s continue talking later.”
“Let’s go out.”
“I’ll leave as quietly as I did when I came in. Don’t even think about opening your mouth unnecessarily.”
“.Haha.”
At my suggestion, Roselia smiled softly. She was very quiet, but there was always a hint of anxiety in her laugh.
“I’ve thought about it before, but I’m really good at situational judgment. Anyway, if you lead me outside, you’ll be able to take the initiative, right?”
“I don’t think that’s such a bad suggestion for you either. Why do you need to stay here when you’ve been told that an escape ship will come?”
“Of course. It may not look like that, but it still has its own place. Duke seems to be distracted by Lena and doesn’t pay much attention to this side.”
“Don’t be stubborn and follow me. Be calm.”
“I love situations like this. It’s not the one pointing the weapon, but the one being pointed can be intimidating. I’m sorry, but you’ll have to stay with me from now on, Lope.”
“That won’t work.”
“No. It will. You know Lope.”
Roselia blew her kiss lightly towards me. Then she abruptly reached her hand toward her window.
“I’m crazy.”
“This…!”
At that moment, mana rushed around her hand. Then, before I had time to react, I sent her blinding flash. The light passed through the window and in an instant shot up into the middle of the night sky.
Then, it exploded with a crazy roar.
Bang!!!
“Rogeria!”
The light of Gaebyeok forcibly woke up the dawn that had yet to come. In an instant, the outside of the window was dyed white, and incomprehensible shouts erupted sporadically. The sleeping academy was waking up in an instant.
Rogeria smiled at the sight. It was the same expression he used to make while stepping on my hand before the world turned upside down.
“People will be flocking to you soon. Even you can’t deal with the entire academy. If you don’t want to make trouble, follow me. I’m your only escape now.”
“You…”
“I know. Lope.”
Roselia tilted her head slightly. She then whispered as she kissed her lips on the tip of her raised sword.
“I love you too.”
