Ch.100Love is an Open Door (2)

Once they say time cannot be held back once it flows.

Time that had felt so slow passed in the blink of an eye, and the lush greenery had turned bright yellow,

announcing to the world that autumn had finally arrived. With the dry, cold wind,

around the time one realized winter would soon come, Evan was reading a letter in his room.

[From Arthur Fried, who loves you.]

“Love, yeah right.”

What formed on his lips was a sneer; having already checked the contents of the letter once,

the only impression Evan could get from it was mockery toward this twisted family.

At first, he thought this old letter simply meant a break in communication.

That Arthur Fried couldn’t contact him because he was dead.

But the essence was that there was simply no need to contact him, wasn’t it?

Rustle-

As he unwrapped the yellowed envelope and pulled out the inner paper, a pristine white sheet that hadn’t discolored at all was revealed.

And the densely written letters inside. He had thought it was clumsy handwriting,

but Evan laughed bitterly when he realized it had been deliberately written clumsily.

Arthur Fried, Evan Fried’s father—though Evan didn’t think of him as a father.

Wasn’t it just a relationship connected by blood?

Besides, the original Evan probably didn’t have a good relationship with him either.

No, Evan thought they might have even hated each other.

Swish, though no ink stained his fingers, something particularly stood out among the clumsy handwriting.

Characters that maintained their angularity alone among letters that curved as if dancing.

‘Dragon words.’

Seeing those letters made his head ring momentarily,

but Evan immediately shook off the formless energy trying to interfere with his mind by drawing up mana.

Perhaps the reason this energy affected him was because he was born with dragon blood.

Recalling the contents of the brainwashing, Evan sighed as he closed the letter.

‘Cooperate with the Extinction.’

He could somewhat understand why Evan Fried had been walking around looking half-dead.

If he hadn’t been completely brainwashed but maintained his sanity even slightly, he couldn’t have possibly followed this brainwashing.

Perhaps the reason I never saw Evan Fried’s name in the original work was because of this.

The knight Evan Fried had already joined the Extinction,

and the Yuris Duchy would have been nearly destroyed by a disease that appeared three years ago.

But that didn’t happen. Coincidentally, he had possessed Evan Fried before such things occurred.

Perhaps it was quite an appropriate time, as miraculous as it might sound,

when he became Evan Fried. Because he possessed him then, he could prevent Aileen from becoming further twisted,

could prevent the disease, and furthermore, could stop Biltaine.

A structure clearly different from the original work, now all that remained was Scarlet.

The current situation itself could be considered quite favorable for him and the Empire, enemies of the Extinction.

He had killed a considerable number of black magicians and also cut down a significant portion of the Extinction’s forces.

Maloric, Biltaine, and even the Roman Duchy.

Though one could say there was still a long way to go, could such a positive situation as now ever come again?

“…Scarlet Terazein.”

After momentarily murmuring the name of the original female protagonist, Evan closed his eyes as he put the letter back in the drawer.

Perhaps the Emperor knew the answer closest to the original female protagonist. It seemed he should go meet the Emperor soon.

#

“Where is the young lady?”

Rofena let out a small laugh as Evan now opened the door without even knocking.

Hadn’t they become inseparable now?

Shaking her head at how they had managed to endure this before, Rofena spoke.

“She stepped out for a moment. She’ll probably be back soon.”

“Is that so?”

“But how did you endure before? Every time you see each other, you embrace and… anyway, I think it’s gotten too extreme lately.”

“…Is it a bit much?”

“It’s not just a bit. Do you know how embarrassing it is for those watching?”

Evan showed an awkward expression at Rofena’s grumbling.

What could he do? Even if he tried to restrain himself a bit, Aileen didn’t know how to restrain herself at all.

Despite her expressionless doll-like face, what burned inside was a passion hotter than anything else.

Evan couldn’t easily suppress such things and simply accepted them.

‘It’s not like I dislike it either.’

It might be painful for Rofena to watch, but what could they do? They were now in a relationship where this was acceptable.

Those who didn’t want to see should avoid them; the parties involved had no intention of restraining themselves.

Noticing this, Rofena stared at Evan for a while, then quietly murmured.

“Is there still no date for the engagement ceremony?”

“…Well, to do something like that, we’d have to resolve family matters first.”

Family matters, words with multiple meanings. On the surface, it could refer to meeting each other’s families,

but in reality, his family was entangled with the Extinction, so they couldn’t do such things.

How would it look if he cut down his own family members with his own hands?

Even considering that, it was awkward to hold any ceremony until all those things were resolved.

At least one of either Fried or Hatan needed to be dealt with.

Or the matter concerning Scarlet Terazein needed to be resolved. One of these two had to happen before they could have some peace.

But Evan decided to think positively about this.

Partly because he knew there weren’t many who could face him now that he had reached Master level,

but also because it was much more manageable than before.

Perhaps it would be fair to say that unless Maloric appeared in his complete state,

there would be no black magician who could face him.

“Anyway, congratulations. I wondered when you two would start dating, and now you’re really a couple.”

“Thanks. But it seems everyone already knew.”

“Only a fool wouldn’t know. Lize said she’s quitting her job soon.”

“…I see.”

Though he felt somewhat guilty, Evan just laughed helplessly.

He would soon forget about it anyway. What was important to him was Aileen, and as for Lize, well, she would live her own life.

He felt a bit sorry, but Evan hadn’t placed any meaning on Lize.

She was just one of many women who had feelings for him, and Evan soon forgot about Lize in his mind as he sat down on the sofa.

Rofena looked at Evan as if disgusted, but soon clicked her tongue and turned her gaze away.

It was almost time for the young lady to return, and she was thinking of an excuse to leave before the scene that would soon unfold.

Should she say she was going to get tea leaves? Or that she was going to see Sir Chris for a moment?

While thinking of various excuses, the door opened and Aileen appeared.

Looking somewhat tired, with slightly hollow eyes, Aileen rubbed under her eyes. Seeing this, Evan rose from his seat and spoke.

“Young lady, have you not been sleeping well?”

“Ah, Evan.”

Seeing Evan rise from the sofa, Aileen broke into a bright smile.

She had been tired lately with things to investigate, but seeing his face seemed to relieve her fatigue.

Naturally pulling Evan into an embrace and resting her face against his chest,

Aileen rubbed her face against his broad chest and chuckled.

“You came quite late today.”

“I had something to check, so I was a bit late. Are you disappointed?”

“…A little.”

She wanted to stay like this a bit longer, but 24 hours in a day was too short for that.

After staying like this, it would soon be evening, and they would have to part when it was time to sleep.

That was a bit regretful, but unlike before, Aileen was satisfied just being able to express her affection openly.

If there was one complaint, though. Aileen quietly looked up at Evan’s face.

Why was he so tall? Even on tiptoes, she could barely reach his lips, and Aileen pouted.

“When are you going to start speaking informally to me?”

“Do you wish me to speak informally?”

“No… we’re not just a knight and a noble lady anymore, we’re something else too. Don’t you think others might think we’re not getting along well?”

Informal speech, informal speech. Hearing Aileen’s words, Evan began to think about the issue somewhat seriously.

The truth was, having spent so long as her knight guard and speaking formally to Aileen,

he worried that switching to informal speech now would only feel awkward.

After all, the only person he spoke informally to was Rofena.

As Aileen, who had her arms around Evan’s waist, quietly looked at him,

Evan finally embraced her again and spoke.

“I’ll think about it. But no matter what, I am your knight, and wouldn’t it look like discipline has been loosened to others?”

“Tell me if there are such people. I’ll have them all locked up.”

“…You seem to have changed quite a bit.”

He worried that perhaps the villainess from the novel was resurfacing lately.

With such concern, he examined Aileen again, but seeing her unchanged face, Evan inwardly sighed with relief.

She had simply become more assertive than before; the previous statement was probably just a joke.

Rofena frowned while covering her mouth at this sight,

but the two paid no attention and continued to gaze at each other.

They locked eyes and laughed at trivial things.

Unable to bear watching them stay attached until Aileen finally sat in her seat, Rofena hastily left the room, saying she would get tea leaves.

“But you seem quite busy lately.”

“More precisely, I’m busy investigating directly. Father is handling most of the routine work.”

“…You mean the Duke?”

“Come to think of it, I heard Father called for you. Did he say anything?”

“He didn’t say much. Just…”

-If Aileen is crying, I’ll consider it your fault.

-If her eyes are even slightly red, I’ll lead the knights right over.

“He just gave me some words of encouragement.”

Hearing the word “encouragement,” Aileen inwardly scoffed. Such a word didn’t suit that person at all.

Judging by Evan’s expression, he must have said something again.

Momentarily recalling her hatred for her father, Aileen forced herself to calm down and smiled.

“That’s good then.”

“But if you’re investigating directly, is it about the Extinction?”

When Aileen nodded slightly at Evan’s question,

Evan, who had been interlocking fingers with Aileen, straightened his posture and showed a serious expression.

Directly investigating the Extinction probably meant it was related to Hatan.

“The Emperor has summoned you, so I should understand his intentions a bit.”

After saying that, Aileen laughed bitterly and continued.

“But I haven’t found out much. I was told that the few things I did discover weren’t very meaningful. I even got help from the Crown Prince… it seems the Emperor intends to speak to you directly. If he’s controlling information to this extent.”

“I was planning to visit soon anyway. I have something to tell him too.”

“Something to tell him?”

At Aileen’s words, Evan shrugged his shoulders and then carefully spoke.

“…My family might be related to black magicians. No, I’m certain they are.”

Aileen’s eyes widened at those words, and she soon frowned as she looked at Evan.

The Fried family, which had shown no movement until now, being connected to black magicians.

It wasn’t entirely implausible, but it felt somewhat abrupt.

But if Evan was saying this, he must have some evidence.

Reading such a question in Aileen’s gaze, Evan began to continue speaking.

The contents of the letter he received, and even the dragon words he had deciphered with Lord Theorad’s help.

At the part about trying to brainwash him with dragon words, Aileen rose from her seat and placed her hand on Evan’s cheek.

“Are you alright now? Tell me you’re alright. Are you in pain anywhere? Do you feel dizzy or-“

“I’m fine. You don’t need to worry.”

Evan, who was embraced against Aileen’s chest, carefully spoke.

Feeling the soft touch all over his face,

Evan’s face had turned bright red, feeling more embarrassed than ever.

The sound of heartbeats in his ears was quite loud. Slowly regulating his breath,

Evan, hiding his reddened face, created some distance, and Aileen also realized the situation and blushed.

“…I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright. I should be the one apologizing.”

“I’m fine…! Because it’s you…”

As if she had made a firm resolution, Aileen, with her eyes tightly closed, spoke in a crawling voice.

“If it’s you… it’s okay to touch me.”

“…Hmm.”

Evan deliberately didn’t answer that statement, and an awkward atmosphere began to envelop the two.

It’s okay to touch. Evan tried to erase the thought that kept popping up in his mind,

but unfortunately, it only made the soft sensation that had touched his face earlier more prominent.

After watching each other for a while, it was Evan who finally spoke first.

“…Aileen.”

“Yes… Evan.”

“How far do you think I can endure when I hear such words?”

“I’m not sure… unless you show me directly.”

Directly, she said. Evan laughed hollowly at Aileen’s bold statement.

What on earth was she planning for later by saying such things now?

They had officially been dating for just a month. If this continued for a year, or several years…

Quietly sighing, Evan could barely speak while suppressing his rising passion.

“So, was there nothing special among what you investigated about the Emperor earlier?”

“…Ah, there was one slightly unusual thing. There was a noble family I had never heard of before. There was one place that strangely intertwined during this investigation.”

“A family you’ve never heard of?”

“That’s right. Terazein… I think that was it, a rural noble family in the south. It occasionally caught my eye in investigations related to the Extinction.”

Terazein, hearing that name, Evan’s expression hardened, and Aileen tilted her head curiously.

But Evan had one thing he was more curious about than Aileen’s reaction,

and he carefully voiced his curiosity.

“By any chance, is there a woman named Scarlet in this Terazein family?”

“Scarlet… I think there was. Do you know her?”

“…Ha.”

Evan quietly sighed. The original female protagonist for whom he hadn’t found a single clue until now.

Now that he seemed to be getting a grasp on her, he quietly sighed, rubbing his face with both hands at something welling up inside him.

It didn’t take long for Evan to realize that Aileen was looking at him with a very cold gaze.