Ch.12Sword Saint Kiel (3)

“And yet, you’re asking me to trust you again?”

A deep silence fell. It was a profound silence. Even the fiercely swirling snowstorm was quiet for this moment.

[Title ‘One Who Is Bold Before Dragons’ has been activated.]

– Status ailment ‘Tension’ has disappeared.

Olivia, barely regaining her senses, widened her eyes.

It would be dangerous to get any more involved.

If Kiel revealed this fact to other Returners, things would truly become irreversible.

In that case, in the worst scenario, she might have to keep Kiel subdued and carry him around.

Since she couldn’t kill him.

‘Damn, should I have taken the mental path instead of the ice path?’

Top-tier magic like memory manipulation was impossible without taking that tech route.

So she needed to find another way to break through this situation.

‘Should I put him into hibernation for about 10 years?’

If that were possible, she would have done it. But hibernation requires minimal life support. No matter how superhuman Kiel might be, he couldn’t survive for years in ice with nothing.

Olivia stared directly at Kiel. She couldn’t dare measure the anger contained in those eyes.

To her, it had just been entertainment beyond a screen.

But to Kiel, she was the enemy who had assassinated the Emperor, a madwoman who had massacred tens of thousands.

‘…But this feels unfair.’

No. Not just a little unfair—very unfair.

Who would play a game thinking it would become reality?

If that were the case, who would dare play games out of fear?

Besides.

Are you the only ones entitled to be angry?

When I think about how I nearly died from stress because of you all, I’m not exactly feeling great either.

Olivia looked directly at Kiel and spoke in a cold tone.

“Then don’t believe me. Who asked you to?”

As she raised her head, Kiel was looking at her with trembling eyes.

Thirteen years.

That was how many years Olivia had poured into Lactea.

Thousands, no, tens of thousands of hours living virtually in the game.

Do you know how many times she died at Kiel’s hands?

Twenty-three times.

Kiel killed Olivia twenty-three times. And the reverse?

Once.

Just once.

“If you know me so well, then you surely know how old I am?”

No answer came.

“Do you know about my family? What I like? Actually, do you know anything at all?”

Let’s be extremely generous and say I was the one who destroyed the world.

Then I saved the world seven hundred and ninety-five times.

What did you all do during that time?

Fighting among yourselves, starting wars on your own terms, coldly driving me away when I came to the north asking for help, killing me because you didn’t like me.

I’ve been disgusted more than once by you all who wouldn’t even speak to me if you didn’t like me.

You’re making this big fuss over just once?

I’m already in a shitty situation being possessed.

Fine. I admit I killed everyone in the end out of anger.

You can hate me. You can despise me enough to want to kill me.

Yes, I understand you can feel that way.

“But without even knowing me properly, you talk about deception? Betrayal of trust?”

Anger welled up inside her.

If you all hadn’t acted like jerks, I wouldn’t have even attempted the annihilation ending.

‘If I collected all the crazy things I did trying to gain your favor, it would make a mountain. A mountain!’

How much did she struggle when she first started Lactea because of these guys?

[Suddenly I thought: I’ve saved the world hundreds of times, so wouldn’t it be okay to destroy it just once?]

Now she understood why such a thought had first occurred to her.

“Haaah…”

Suppressing the emotions surging within her, Olivia opened her mouth.

“What’s certain is that I’m seeing you for the first time today.”

Her hand holding the staff trembled.

Damn, she got excited without realizing it.

Why was she getting so angry over this?

“…You don’t know anything about me.”

Kiel remained still, like someone caught off guard. He stared for a long time without even breathing.

Though she had met Kiel thousands of times, she had never seen such an expression.

Regret, anger, distrust, confusion, shock, love-hate… Love-hate?

Anyway, it was surprising to see such complex emotions on one face.

Olivia slowly reached out her hand. Unlike before, Kiel didn’t avoid it. Had he resigned himself already?

“Remember this. If you pretend to know me next time, you’re dead.”

Blue electricity sparked from Olivia’s hand.

Thud.

Kiel’s body collapsed lifelessly.

Olivia clicked her tongue and froze Kiel’s body. With this moderate freezing, he would thaw out in three days.

“I’ve knocked him out for now, but…”

Hahaha…

What am I supposed to do now?

******

[Hmm…]

Glacia looked outside the lair with an anxious face.

[Why isn’t she coming…]

Glacia recalled what had just happened. When the black human swung his sword, the sky split, and she nearly had her neck cut off by a hair’s breadth.

Glacia touched her nape once more. Fortunately, it was still attached.

What if the black human had killed Olivia?

‘That would make me very happy, but…’

As much as Olivia was a psychotic bitch, a witch that even witches would avoid, at least she didn’t intend to kill her.

‘That human has some redeeming qualities.’

Glacia’s principle was that no matter what, this world was better than the next.

“…Ugh.”

Glacia turned her head toward the direction of the groaning.

The three humans—slaves, no, disciples—were squirming on the stone floor. They seemed to be regaining consciousness.

Their bodies were in a state that could hardly be described as merely “terrible.” Two of them were in relatively better condition, but one was literally on the verge of death. If left like that, something serious would happen.

Whether that one was truly Olivia’s disciple or not, who would take responsibility if he died?

[Sigh…]

Glacia sighed and transformed into human form. Seeing Glacia approaching with large strides, Jayna shouted.

“H-Hiiiek!”

“Shut up, female. I’m trying to heal…”

Just as Glacia reached out to Aramis, she sensed someone behind her.

“What are you doing?”

Glacia’s head whipped around.

“Uh… Lady Olivia?”

Olivia was walking toward them, holding something in both hands.

“Were you trying to eat my disciples?”

“N-No! You misunderstand! Misunderstand!”

“What misunderstanding? I heard you saying ‘female’ and whatnot.”

Olivia whispered in Glacia’s ear.

‘Everything else is fine, but if you say “female” or “male” in front of me again, I’ll split you in half.’

Glacia nodded frantically.

“Good, good. Now that you understand, step aside for a moment.”

Glacia moved to the side. Olivia plopped down on the floor and grabbed Jayna by the back of her neck.

“S-Spare me…!”

“I’m not going to kill you. This is a potion, a potion.”

Jayna’s eyes widened as she smelled the familiar strawberry scent. Seeing her reaction, Olivia smirked.

‘This Jayna has the best adaptability.’

She had both courage and sociability. A bit exaggerated, but if you dropped her in the middle of the jungle and came back a month later, she’d be such a social butterfly that she’d be friends with cannibals.

“Wow!”

Look at her being surprised at how delicious it is. That’s just how she is.

Olivia also fed potions to Ro and Aramis. There was a small incident where Aramis, with his characteristic human distrust, kept his mouth shut, but she easily overpowered him with the level difference.

In other words, she forced the potion into him.

“Gack, gack!”

“You’re spilling this precious thing. Disciple, do you really want to die?”

“I am… not your disciple!”

“Really?”

Electricity crackled from Olivia’s grip.

“I don’t remember bringing anyone who isn’t my disciple.”

Startled, Jayna raised her hands.

“I-I am your disciple!”

“…Jayna?”

Aramis glared at her as if she had gone mad, but Jayna paid no attention.

“C-Can I ask one question, Master?”

Olivia didn’t dislike that kind of shrewdness.

She nodded as if to say go ahead.

“What exactly will we be learning?”

“Magic.”

“W-Well, what kind of magic specifically… hehe.”

Olivia could see right through what Jayna was thinking.

If she were truly a witch, then the magic she taught would be related to dark arts, and Jayna would rather die than bring shame to her family by becoming involved with demons.

‘Really now.’

[Jayna Eculane]

– Level: 37

– Affection: 0 (Wow, this is delicious.)

It felt bitter to hear such words from Jayna, who had the highest affection.

If these three had crashed affection levels like the others?

She wouldn’t have even dreamed of having this kind of conversation.

“First of all, I’m not a witch. I’m a mage.”

“You have no proof.”

Olivia snorted at Aramis’s words.

“The proof is that I haven’t killed anyone.”

“…”

Faced with this logic, Aramis closed his mouth.

Deep down, he knew too. If Olivia were truly a witch, everyone in the White Tower would have been dead already, and then some.

“Anyway, this is the magic I’ll teach you.”

Olivia poured out ancient books from her inventory. These were items she had been collecting bit by bit since her low-level days.

“T-This?!”

“Whoa! This is the original Cruullis of the Kariel School!”

“T-The Two Hundred Summoning Techniques of Solmian is here too!”

Olivia quickly separated the ancient books into three categories. One was ice magic, another was lightning, and the last was white magic.

“Think carefully. Do you understand what it means for a mage of my caliber to teach you with resources of this quality? This is an opportunity. An opportunity that won’t come twice in your lifetime.”

Olivia whispered.

‘If you don’t want it, leave now. I’ll let you go.’

The White Tower disciples’ Adam’s apples bobbed up and down.