Ch.30Wake Up (1)

# Enhanced Translation

I had a dream.

The novel I had read unfolded before my eyes.

The world as it would have progressed if I hadn’t been possessed.

“Please forgive me just this once!”

The head of the Vensrak Family was on his knees, begging. Even with all his dignity, he ultimately had no choice but to grovel when it came to his son’s life.

His son, Kyle Vensrak. He had been caught by Kirsy after digging up rumors and secrets at the Academy.

He was the one who had told me the gossip about Kirsy.

In the novel, he had followed the twins around and passed useful information to the protagonist, Eric Endra, but… his trail was too long.

Kyle Vensrak had already been subjected to brutal torture and was out of his mind.

The Count Vensrak glanced at him nervously while bowing to Kirsy.

“I promise this will never happen again. No! The Vensrak Family will swear loyalty to the Praester Family! Please… Please spare my son’s life at least!”

A few days after Kyle’s surveillance was discovered.

Soldiers from the Praester Family came and took him away.

Of course, it violated the Academy’s rules, but the Praester Family made the impossible possible.

Normally, they would have received mediation from the Academy and reached an appropriate settlement.

But by capturing Kyle and sending him to the Praester territory for imprisonment, Kirsy had made the Academy’s rules irrelevant.

From the Vensrak Family’s perspective, they could either beg the Praester Family desperately or wage war to rescue their son, but neither option had very high odds of success.

“…Do you know what your son did to me?”

Kirsy asked coldly.

Though it was a dream, I could see this alien version of Kirsy clearly.

There was a huge difference between her and the Kirsy who always smiled at me.

“I know! I heard he spied on you! I’m truly… truly sorry! This will never happen again…!”

The head of the Vensrak Family pressed his head to the floor, begging for forgiveness.

But Kirsy examined her nails with an indifferent expression.

“…If he had only done what you mentioned, I might have forgiven him.”

“…Pardon?”

Then Kirsy spat out words with a disgusted tone, as if cursing.

“…He touched my hand.”

“…Pardon?”

Count Vensrak doubted his ears.

But Kirsy repeated herself.

“He dared to touch my hand.”

“…No…I mean…”

Count Vensrak couldn’t hide his confused expression. He couldn’t understand why Kirsy would take a life just because someone touched her.

“…I don’t like your expression.”

“…..”

Kirsy let out a hollow laugh.

“Forget it.”

“…No…! That’s not it! I’ll warn him…!”

“No one touches me. Even now, thinking about that filthy touch makes me nauseous.”

“…..”

Count Vensrak bit his lip.

Not many people could endure hearing their son called filthy. But he was enduring all humiliation for the sake of his son’s life.

“…Then let’s do this.”

Kirsy said.

“…If you personally bring me your son’s wrist that touched me, I’ll forgive him.”

“…What?”

Count Vensrak asked again.

Kirsy snapped her fingers, and the soldier holding Kyle down threw an axe.

With a terrifying sound, the axe fell in front of Count Vensrak.

“…Which hand it was, that’s for you to guess. If you bring the correct one, I’ll spare his life.”

Kirsy threatened him.

At that moment, another figure burst into the room.

“Kirsy Praester!!”

The protagonist of the novel.

Eric Endra.

Kirsy adjusted her posture and asked.

“…Ah. Eric. How did you get in?”

“Kirsy. What are you doing?”

“I was just punishing a rat who was spying on me.”

“…This is too much. Forgive him now and release Kyle.”

Kirsy smiled.

“…It may seem excessive from your perspective. But for me, it’s not enough.”

“Kirsy…! You’ll surely regret—”

Kirsy cut off Eric Endra’s words.

“So they won’t mess with us.”

She uttered a warning. Then she spoke coldly.

“Count Vensrak. I clearly gave you a chance.”

In that moment, the soldier behind Kyle Vensrak raised his axe high.

.

.

“……Mmm.”

As I groaned, the dream changed.

This time it was Asena.

She was slowly walking into the reception hall of the Hexter Family.

It was a wide and beautiful space, but all members of the Hexter Family were on their knees, offering their necks to the soldiers of the Praester Family.

This was Asena’s order. She had commanded them to prepare an environment where she could take lives with a single word.

Only the Count Hexter remained untouched.

But he had knelt down on his own, waiting for Asena.

“…..Everything is ready.”

Without even glancing at the kneeling Count Hexter, Asena walked past him. She sat in the Count’s empty seat and said.

“Kill them all.”

There were no other words. No last rites, no promises of mercy in exchange for loyalty, no procedures of any kind.

Dozens of Praester soldiers all raised their swords high.

“Lady Praester!”

At that moment, Daisy Hexter raised her voice and interrupted.

All the soldiers hesitated at her voice.

“No… Asena. Don’t do this.”

“…Daisy.”

Colder than ever, Asena only moved her eyes to look at Daisy Hexter.

“….You’re doing this because of what I did. Just kill me. Leave our family alone.”

“….”

No one could tell what thoughts were passing beneath Asena’s hardened face.

“I’ve lost. Stop now. There are countless territory residents who depend on our family. If you kill everyone… they won’t survive either. Just punish me. Torture me or whatever you want. With this order, it’s not just us who will die…! Even young children… many will die. Please.”

Daisy asked Asena with a firm expression. The famously unyielding Daisy had finally surrendered.

“I’ve lost… since I’ve lost…”

Asena looked at her longtime Academy classmate, then turned away.

She was unmoved.

In the same mechanical voice, she said.

“Execute them all. Leave no survivors.”

.

.

.

“Hah…! Hah…!”

I wake up from sleep with a burning thirst.

My throat hurts, and my mouth feels dry.

Having had a nightmare, my sleep was restless.

Due to the maddening thirst, I immediately got out of bed and poured water from the pitcher into my mouth.

Only after the cold water repeatedly moistened my throat could I come to my senses.

“Phew…”

Wiping my mouth, I sat at the desk.

I tried to recall the dream but… soon shook my head.

There’s no point in thinking about a future that won’t come to pass.

But the dream did make me wonder.

It’s a future I prevented.

But have those two really reformed?

****

“Judy, hello.”

I greeted Judy, who was standing in the training ground in the same posture as always.

“……”

But she didn’t respond.

Her expression was quite rigid, as if something unpleasant had happened.

“….Did something happen?”

Judy sighed deeply, then spoke in a resigned voice.

“….I just feel like you’re all talk.”

“Huh?”

“You said we should be friends despite being from enemy families, but…”

I lowered my head to examine Judy’s expression more carefully.

“Since you’re new, I wasn’t sure… but if being friends means not even greeting each other at such events, what’s the point?”

“….Ah. At the ball?”

“….”

As she said, I hadn’t even greeted Judy at the ball.

Thinking about it, she had reason to feel hurt.

But I had my circumstances.

“I had my reasons, Judy. If you were watching, you’d know I was going to find you right after Daisy Hexter.”

“….And then?”

“But the twins dragged me away.”

Judy turned to face me.

“…Yes, both twins looked angry then, but what was that about?”

“I was planning to stay quiet and then make an appearance, but my plan fell apart when I asked Daisy to dance.”

“…..Why were you planning to stay quiet and then appear?”

It wasn’t particularly pleasant to explain, but I needed to tell Judy.

After all, I kept approaching her saying we were friends, but I couldn’t even wave at her while having fun. Plus, she had helped me more than once, so I felt indebted to her.

She was also the first person I could open up to about how the twins treated me, something I couldn’t tell others.

“…Tell me. Why were you planning to stay quiet and then appear? Is that why you just sat behind the twins drinking alcohol throughout the ball?”

A worried look began to rise in her eyes. She seemed to instinctively realize that this was about our common issue—our status within our families.

“….Yeah. The twins wanted to hide me. At first, they said it was a strategy for the family, whatever… but later I heard them. They said they should have just left me behind in the Praester territory.”

Judy snorted briefly, as if getting angry on my behalf.

“…..That’s why I told you. The Praesters are filthy.”

“…I said I’d be the one to insult them.”

“…You’re still defending them? Are you stupid?”

“It’s complicated. But, Judy.”

I looked at Judy.

And for the first time, I revealed my true feelings.

“……..I’m planning to leave the family.”

“….What?”

Judy looked at me with disbelief. She made a complex expression showing sympathy, concern, blessing, and more.

“You told me to abandon them, and now you’re surprised?”

“…..Ah..”

She opened her mouth but couldn’t speak.

I understand. Until now, she had only said those things.

If I had really wanted to do it, she herself would have done the same.

But both she and I know that choosing to leave one’s family is not an easy decision.

I’ve made up my mind now.

“….I don’t see any reason to stick with the twins anymore. I still like them, but it’s hard to stay close. The twins are ashamed of me anyway.”

“……”

“I’ll just support them from a distance. So, Judy.”

“…Huh?”

Judy seemed unable to follow my statement. Perhaps she was feeling complex emotions, putting herself in my position.

I asked.

“By any chance, does the Ice Family accept retainers?”