Ch.266266. A Doomed One-Sided Love

“Hmm.”

Ranhart’s expression hardens after hearing my words. Even his contemplative expression was impressive in how it radiated threats to everyone around him.

At that moment, Unyeop, who had been slammed into the floor, staggered to his feet and began defending me.

“H-he is an exceptional Black Mage. He joined us seeking revenge because souls have been disappearing due to Deus Verdi.”

“……”

“Our escape from Ohwa would have been virtually impossible without his help.”

At Unyeop’s words, the warriors of the Maengcheon Faction standing in line behind him all cautiously nodded in agreement. They were repaying their debt to me for saving them.

“Hmm.”

But I deliberately remained silent. Ranhart was sizing me up, but I also wanted to confirm what kind of being he was.

‘He’s too rough to be classified as a vampire. But he can’t be dismissed as a mere monster either.’

If I had to compare, he was similar to Soho standing beside me. Of course, neither of them would think that way when looking at each other.

“A Black Mage who has lost his soul… you must be a Dark Spiritmaster?”

I still didn’t answer his question, but Unyeop beside me nodded as if his tail was on fire.

“Y-yes. He is a Dark Spiritmaster.”

“Did someone put a muzzle on you? You were talking so eagerly just a moment ago.”

Despite his sarcasm, my expression remained unchanged. If I were in Deus’s body, my eyebrows might have twitched, but being in a prosthetic body made me even less expressive.

“I’m thinking.”

“Thinking?”

“I’m wondering if there’s any point in joining a group led by an idiot who’s blinded by power he might not even be able to handle.”

“…!”

Unyeop’s eyes widened in shock as he opened his mouth in dismay. Ranhart’s subordinates behind him immediately directed their killing intent toward me.

It felt like my entire body was being hit by hot raindrops, but I found it amusing and a faint smirk settled on my lips.

It felt like playing a role-playing game.

‘To them, I’m an arrogant Black Mage confident in my abilities.’

I was trying to act according to the character I had chosen, but I had a feeling that even if I were in Deus Verdi’s actual body, I wouldn’t have behaved much differently.

“You lack perspective.”

Unlike the others who openly showed hostility, Ranhart growled in a low voice. It was both a warning and an attempt to gauge my abilities.

“Or perhaps you’re not being objective enough.”

There was a feeling of tension between us, like a taut string connecting us. His yellow eyes stared at me unwavering as he expressed one doubt.

“I see you think I cannot handle the power of the ancient dragon?”

“Honestly speaking, who in this land could possibly accept the power of a guardian deity?”

“……”

“I know it’s not the complete power of the ancient dragon. It was easier to consume because it was weakened remnants.”

However.

“A guardian deity is a spiritual being. It’s not something you can digest so easily. The fact that you consumed it means its remnants still exist in this world.”

It’s easy to understand if you think about how I handled Horua’s sphere. Unfortunately, I lost it when I was defeated by Magan, but Horua, who had transformed into a sphere, was gradually growing in power.

“If things go badly, you might end up nurturing the ancient dragon inside your body.”

Suddenly, everyone’s gaze turned to Ranhart. They seemed to finally understand how dangerous what their leader had consumed was.

“Oh?”

But Ranhart wasn’t particularly surprised. Instead, he looked at me with interest while stroking his chin.

“You seem to know quite a lot?”

“More than most.”

“High self-esteem, confidence in your abilities, and you’ve even proven it…”

Now I could clearly see that his interest in me had surpassed hostility, and he made no attempt to hide it.

Unyeop also breathed a sigh of relief, sensing the atmosphere gradually relaxing, and added another comment.

“He also knew about the mountain lord of Norsweden.”

“Hmm? Even the mountain lord?”

“Well, somewhat.”

I answered vaguely and moved on. It was obvious that they had already decided to accept me.

“Very well, I’ll recognize you as a member of our hunters until we take Deus Verdi’s life.”

“I don’t want anything more than that either.”

“I like your confidence. But you should watch your mouth.”

“……”

“Because I might feel like tearing you apart if things go wrong.”

With that final warning, Ranhart turned away.

As I watched Ranhart’s back as he returned to the collapsed wall, Unyeop cautiously approached me.

“You certainly have strong nerves.”

“If I appear weak here, I’ll just end up being pushed around.”

Besides that, I also wanted to test the depth of that man. The fact that he could devour a guardian deity like the ancient dragon meant he was no ordinary being.

‘It’s difficult to call him a vampire.’

They’re called vampires because they feed on human blood, but he has transcended that.

He’s not like a vampire lord or a named vampire. Those ultimately couldn’t escape the vampire race. But that man has gone beyond that, and I wondered how it was possible.

As I continued pondering about Ranhart…

Swoosh!

An arrow flew over my head and struck the ground.

Before I could even turn my head in the direction the arrow came from, the hunters were already briefing about the situation.

“It’s an ambush!”

“It’s the Blue Shield mercenary group! Led by the duke’s second son!”

“We said we’re done here, but they must have come for revenge for what happened at Oaris Plains!”

So the Valestar Duchy is in civil war. Am I already getting to experience it firsthand?

It was absurd, but also a perfect opportunity to see just how powerful this group calling themselves hunters really was.

* * *

Recently, two people had been frequenting Erika’s laboratory.

Even after all the assistants had left, they would sit quietly as if working overtime, chatting among themselves or studying.

From Erika’s perspective, it was bothersome that they were using her research lab like their personal reading room, but she couldn’t just chase them away.

Because one of them was none other than Elenoa Luden Griffin.

The princess of this country.

Today was no different.

The assistants had already gone home, and dusk was falling outside, with lights gradually turning on throughout the academy.

Despite this, the two were still sitting on the guest sofa, eating snacks.

“I heard Leyton confessed to you?”

Crunch.

As Aria asked while tossing a chocolate chip cookie into her mouth, Elenoa’s eyes narrowed.

“Where did you hear that?”

When Elenoa pressed for an answer, Aria just shrugged it off. One of her close friends, Happy, had accidentally witnessed the confession scene and immediately informed Aria.

“He probably started liking you because you gave him that Millennium Library ticket before?”

Aria was speaking bluntly as if it wasn’t her business, but since it was true, Elenoa couldn’t refute it.

In Deus’s previous lecture, Leyton had failed to identify the Dark Spiritmaster. Deus had decided to give the prize to whoever scored highest on his exam, and Elenoa had taken first place.

However, since Elenoa, being a princess, had permanent access to the Millennium Library, she had given the entrance ticket to Leyton who seemed to need it.

That became the starting point for Leyton’s feelings for Elenoa.

An unfortunate one-sided love.

Elenoa sighed and said:

“He told me not to feel burdened. He said he knows we can’t be together because I’m a princess. He said it was just a confession for his own satisfaction.”

Then came Elenoa’s complaints. She seemed to have quite a lot bottled up.

“But how can I not feel burdened? I received a confession saying he likes me. I rejected him, but I still find myself being conscious of him, and seeing him struggle makes me feel guilty about being near him…”

“Uh, wow. I didn’t expect this to be so serious?”

Aria, who had been grinning with the intention of teasing, slowly put down the snack she was holding and pondered.

“Hmm.”

Elenoa smiled gently at Aria.

“It’s okay. I didn’t expect any comfort or advice from you at all.”

“……”

“What would you know?”

Aria was irritated by Elenoa acting like a mature woman just because she received one confession. But she had nothing to say in response.

In her previous life, she had received a confession from her colleague and classmate Leorus, but that was only because Leorus, who was dying, finally found the courage at the end.

In this life, she had no experience of receiving confessions.

“J-just because you experienced that once, you’re acting like you know everything! R-right, Professor Erika?”

“…Are you involving me?”

Erika made a face that suggested she didn’t understand why she had to be involved in this conversation topic. Although she had finished her work, she had been sitting quietly listening to the two’s conversation when the spark suddenly flew her way.

“Perfect timing. Professor Erika! What should I do in this situation?! I rejected Leyton, but now I’m the one feeling uncomfortable seeing him.”

“Please advise us, Professor, since you’re an adult woman!”

Forced into the flow of conversation, Erika felt the two’s gazes piercing her like needles.

“In such a case… well.”

Erika tried to rack her brain. Quickly and swiftly, like calculating a magic formula.

Amusingly, she realized she had a similar experience to Elenoa’s case.

Although.

‘I was the one who got rejected.’

She recalled receiving a letter of broken engagement from Deus, who told her to come find him when she was ready to part ways.

Erika, who suddenly understood Leyton’s position.

Even if you want to distance yourself, even if you think you should move away, your eyes keep following him and your heart keeps wanting him.

Reflecting on that time, it felt like an immeasurable distance, but she had narrowed it considerably by now.

“Professor?”

“Do you have any dating experience?”

Aria’s sharp question pierced through Erika, who had been keeping her mouth shut.

For a moment, Erika was at a loss for words, but she cleared her throat and answered.

“Don’t forget that I have a fiancé.”

A somewhat boastful statement.

The moment they heard it, the two girls stood up as if a trigger had been pressed.

“In old historical records, there are often narratives about husbands or wives being stolen by royalty, Erika Bright.”

Elenoa suddenly transformed into a princess and delivered a warning message.

“You still haven’t stamped the letter of broken engagement? Wow, that’s persistent.”

Aria’s provocative comment somehow knew about the broken engagement letter.

Erika’s brow furrowed slightly as she shook her head at their words.

“An engagement is not something that breaks so easily.”

In the end, Erika Bright would win as time passed.

Just as the reason she remained in the lab was to protect the life-sized Deus doll.

Erika had no intention of letting the two girls take Deus from her.

But perhaps that became the catalyst.

Unlike the grumbling Aria, Elenoa’s expression became somewhat serious.

She crossed her arms and subtly shifted her gaze.

There stood the physical model of Deus Verdi, standing tall.

The reason the two visited this place.

Even if it was fake, they sought peace of mind by seeing his appearance, even a little.

“Hey. Can I talk about something serious?”

Elenoa’s pupils were tinged with an aura named brilliance. She was once again wearing an expression befitting her villainous role.

‘It reminds me of the old days.’

While Erika might not know, Aria felt emotions rising within her again upon seeing Elenoa’s expression. It reminded her of when she tried to rebel and seize the throne after seeing her brother Orpheus possessed by the demon of Griffin and committing tyranny.

One of the many formidable opponents who stood in Aria’s way as she pursued her goal without regard for means.

The fallen princess.

As a similar pressure emanated from Elenoa’s entire body, Aria tensed up as she looked at her, and Erika also cautiously approached the princess.

“It’s been about four months since Deus… no, since Shinwoo Kim disappeared.”

“……”

“……”

A devastating truth that everyone knew but deliberately avoided mentioning.

But Elenoa continued to speak, as if cutting through thick undergrowth.

“We don’t know if he’s alive or dead. Honestly… there are people in the royal court saying we should hold a funeral for the Guardian Mage.”

She poured out her miserable feelings and bitter emotions. The lump in Elenoa’s chest was shared equally by the other two.

“I don’t know. If he’s really alive… if it’s okay to just keep waiting like this.”

Like a student should be a student.

The words he used to say habitually had shackled Aria and Elenoa’s ankles, preventing them from leaving the academy.

Because they knew that when he eventually returned, he would be happy to see the two girls living steadfastly without being swayed by his existence.

But.

“It’s cruel.”

Indeed, it was a cruel treatment.

To wait for a man who might not even return for certain, and to remain as he wished them to be—it was truly cruel.

Checkmate.

The feeling of having no choice but to stand in that same spot felt like being defeated in a chess match against Deus Verdi.

“Does he know that we’re waiting for him so painfully?”

Elenoa’s question weighed heavily on the other two as well.

But they couldn’t provide any answer. After all, they all knew that the man named Shinwoo Kim was the one most earnestly seeking answers about his own feelings.

Knowing that waiting is painful, he wouldn’t even try to stop them if they grew tired and left.

That.

Was.

Too.

Cruel.

And they hated it.

“I still meet him in my dreams, but I’ve experienced too many partings. The name of unrequited love now approaches me like a nightmare.”

“……”

“Yes, it’s a nightmare. Not reality.”

Shinwoo Kim who protected her in her dreams.

Seeing him every day and losing him every day—her confession was gradually becoming somewhat distorted.

“I won’t let reality become a nightmare. I’m sick of it.”

Elenoa closed her eyes gently, exhaled with a “hoo,” and steeled her resolve.

When she opened her eyes again, she had become a princess with a different conviction than in the first iteration.

“I warn you in the name of Elenoa Luden Griffin, Princess of the Griffin Kingdom.”

A subtle hostility.

It approached the two cautiously. Like a duel invitation, elegant yet violent.

“When Shinwoo Kim returns, I will have him.”

“……”

“With all my might. With everything I can do. I will obtain and win over the man I thought was my destiny. That is my way.”

This was the answer that Elenoa, who had been left alone for months in agony, had come up with—stubborn but determined.

“So if you want to fight, be prepared. I’m serious.”

The girl who could be called the owner of this land wanted just one man with all her heart and soul.

“Ah…”

Only after finishing her words did Elenoa realize with a bitter smile on her lips.

“Is this how Leyton felt?”

To challenge a one-sided love that was bound to fail head-on.

It truly requires a lot of courage.