Ch.98Strange Fate (4)

When Cecilly asked with a sweet smile, a chill ran up my right arm and spread throughout my entire body. It felt like the blood flowing through my veins was cooling, freezing my body solid.

I nearly stiffened to the point where I couldn’t even open my mouth, but I forcibly shook off the feeling and turned my head toward the suspected source of the chill. It was in Arwen’s direction.

However, Arwen appeared greatly flustered upon meeting Cecilly.

Judging by her expression and reaction, Arwen couldn’t possibly be the culprit behind this chill. And the smiling Cecilly even less so.

‘What is this? Who could be…’

Could this feeling of my blood running cold be just my imagination? I wrapped my arms around my body to soothe the goosebumps when something odd suddenly occurred to me.

Cecilly had referred to Arwen not as “this person” but as “these people.” Yet there was only Arwen beside me.

Could there be a guard knight like Gartz Balack who protects Cecilly, or a bodyguard following her while concealing themselves? As the next Demon Lord candidate, Cecilly might be able to see things I couldn’t.

I looked back and forth between Arwen and Cecilly, then fixed my gaze on the smiling Cecilly and slowly opened my mouth. I decided to pretend I didn’t notice anything.

“…What do you mean, Noona? Arwen is alone.”

“Hmm. Is that so?”

When I pretended not to know, Cecilly let out a strange hum and smiled slyly. Then she shifted her gaze to Arwen, folded her arms, and showed interest.

Her dress already accentuated her chest, but folding her arms made it even more prominent. I struggled to raise my gaze that kept drifting downward.

Meanwhile, Cecilly stared at Arwen for a moment, then smiled once more. It was a fatally beautiful smile.

“Sorry. I must have seen wrong for a moment. Don’t worry about what I said.”

“…Alright.”

“So who is this person? Judging by the clear aura, they seem to be an elf.”

After going around in circles, Cecilly finally asked me who Arwen was. I glanced at Arwen.

She had pulled her robe down deeply, so I couldn’t examine her expression in detail, but her slightly visible lips were tightly closed.

I had just met Arwen today, and Cecilly had already noticed she was an elf. I didn’t have much to say.

“Just someone I met by chance at the bookstore. She helped me pick out books.”

“Is that all?”

“We also looked around the exhibition and she bought me something delicious. See this strawberry candy?”

When I mentioned the strawberry candy, Cecilly looked toward Arwen’s hand. In Arwen’s hand was the strawberry candy she had taken just one bite of.

Then Cecilly expressed her disappointment to me in a slightly hurt voice.

“You didn’t buy any for me, but you bought some for someone you just met today?”

“…I’m sorry. Should I buy you some now?”

“No, it’s fine.”

Cecilly answered and slowly approached us. As she got closer, the cold sensation from my right side grew stronger.

When I turned my head to check on Arwen, her face remained impassive. I couldn’t tell if I was being too sensitive or if it was just my imagination.

Step-

Finally, Cecilly proudly reached us—or more precisely, she stood in front of Arwen.

Arwen was shorter than me, while Cecilly was tall with long legs like Nicole. This height difference created a dynamic where Cecilly looked down and Arwen looked up.

As they gazed at each other in this strange standoff, Cecilly introduced herself to Arwen with a gentle smile.

“Pleased to meet you. I’m Cecilly.”

Cecilly simply stated her name, apparently not feeling the need to reveal that she was the Princess of Helium.

Still, one could intuitively sense that her status was extraordinary from the dignity and charisma that flowed from her.

Arwen quickly scanned Cecilly’s beautiful appearance up and down, then opened her mouth in a small voice.

“…Call me Arwen.”

Though her voice was small, she wasn’t intimidated at all. If anything, there was a sense of wariness in it.

Unlike Cecilly who used formal speech, Arwen spoke informally, which might seem strange, but considering the relationship between elves and demons, it wasn’t that unusual.

In the past, elves viewed humans as inferior species, while they saw demons as harmful beings.

Elves, descendants of angels, and demons, descendants of devils—just this alone shows how their relationship might be.

Their energies are so fundamentally opposed that there’s even a saying that just being close to each other causes discomfort.

Fortunately, after the appearance of the Biography of Xenon, elves softened their views toward demons like other races did, but the innate discomfort would be difficult to hide.

“Arwen… A common but good name. It’s the name of an elven hero who was active during the demon war, right?”

“You know it. And your name is good too. It means holy.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

Their first impressions of each other seemed fine. Cecilly didn’t seem to mind Arwen’s informal speech.

But I shouldn’t let my guard down. Although humans persecuted demons the most, elves are naturally opposed to demons, so who knows what might be said.

“Instead of standing here, shall we go look at some artwork?”

While I was maintaining my vigilance, Cecilly suggested to Arwen in a gentle voice. Indeed, it would be strange to keep standing here.

Arwen seemed to agree as she nodded in approval. She still held the strawberry candy in her hand.

It seems like she might have trouble eating that…

“Yum.”

“… …”

…or not, as she took a bite of the strawberry candy. Even while doing so, her gaze remained fixed on Cecilly, suggesting she couldn’t resist any longer.

When Arwen suddenly bit into the strawberry candy, Cecilly’s eyes widened for a moment, but soon she laughed gracefully like a lady.

It was a somewhat rude action, but Arwen’s cute appearance covered for it, amplifying her unique cuteness.

“I apologize. The sweet smell stimulated me, and I couldn’t help myself.”

Arwen answered after munching on the strawberry candy and swallowing it with a gulp.

Then she glanced at me once before continuing to speak while looking at Cecilly.

“Unfortunately, I think I shouldn’t intrude. I’ll stay here.”

“I really don’t mind. Issac, you don’t mind either, right?”

I nodded at Cecilly’s question. From what I’d seen so far, Arwen’s personality wasn’t bad at all; on the contrary, she seemed open-minded.

So there was a high probability that there would be no problem even though Cecilly was a demon.

“No. You two might be fine, but I think I’d be uncomfortable. You two seem to know each other, and an uninvited guest shouldn’t intrude.”

“… …”

“But I won’t forget the kindness you’ve shown me. Thank you very much.”

Arwen placed her right hand on the center of her chest and slowly bowed. It was an elegant and benevolent greeting.

After receiving her greeting and feeling momentary regret, I also greeted her formally according to etiquette. I had already guessed she was nobility, so this level of courtesy seemed appropriate.

“Then I’ll be going now. Oh, by the way, the strawberry candy is really delicious, so you should try it too. Yum.”

Arwen joked with me as she took another bite of the strawberry candy. I laughed as if I couldn’t help it.

She had told me not to treat her like a child, but her actions remained consistent to the end.

“If we meet again someday, shall I buy you another strawberry candy?”

“You’re treating me like a child until the end. But there’s no need for that. Next time, I should show you kindness. I don’t know when, but I have a feeling we’ll meet again soon. People with a passion for history like you are rare, so perhaps we’ll see each other at the holy site.”

“Holy site…”

Come to think of it, Professor Elena had mentioned it. If I entered the history department as a recommended student, she would take me to the holy site of Alfheim.

Perhaps I could meet Arwen again then.

“I might visit Alfheim within 2-3 years. If fate allows, we might meet then.”

“That’s good news. Issac Ducar Mayshall… If I hear that you’ve visited the holy site, I’ll come find you. Well then.”

Arwen left those words and stepped back one step, two steps, then turned around and walked forward.

I watched her retreating figure intently. Soon, Arwen blended into the crowd and completely disappeared.

She was a fellow book lover with open-minded thinking, so our conversation had flowed well. It was quite disappointing to part like this.

“Are you disappointed?”

While I was still looking in the direction where Arwen had disappeared, Cecilly asked me from beside me. I turned my head toward her at the question.

Cecilly was wearing her usual gentle smile. I blinked, staring blankly at that beautiful smile, and quietly answered.

“…A little?”

“You seem to have liked her.”

“We had similar interests, and for an elf, she was open-minded. And she showed me magic…”

Wait a minute. I suddenly remembered something and looked at Cecilly again.

Cecilly tilted her head as if wondering if I had something to say.

“Noona. Can you show magic too?”

“Magic?”

“Yes. Earlier, Arwen created water droplets and moved them around. Can you do that too?”

Cecilly is a demon, and not just any demon, but the next Demon Lord candidate. So she must possess tremendous magical abilities.

As I looked at her with sparkling eyes full of expectation, Cecilly stared at me intently. Then she smiled, her eyes crinkling, and spoke in a coaxing voice.

“What kind of magic would our Issac like to see?”

“Something that won’t harm the surroundings, just a small trick?”

“A small trick…”

Swish-

Cecilly let her words trail off and gently took my hand. Instead of the softness of well-maintained hands, I felt calluses hardened from rigorous training.

As I looked at Cecilly with curiosity, she maintained her beaming smile and opened her mouth.

“Something like this?”

“What are you… Ack!”

Whoosh!

I couldn’t help but let out a sharp scream as my body’s balance suddenly shifted upward.

Because…

“W-w-what is this…! Put me down quickly!!”

“Why? This is just a small trick for me?”

“Because I feel like my heart is going to stop, hurry!!”

Cecilly had sent me flying into the sky with her magic. She too was gliding through the sky using magic.

My flailing arms and legs in the blue sky must have looked funny, as Cecilly burst into laughter.

“Ahahahaha! Issac, do you know what you look like right now?”

“I don’t care, I’m begging you!”

“I don’t want to. Let’s stay like this for a while since you look cute.”

“Noona!!”

In the end, we flew through the sky for 30 minutes.

*****

After parting with Issac, Arwen went around viewing various artworks. In her hand was the strawberry candy that Issac had bought for her.

She had already eaten two, so only three remained, but that was enough for Arwen. She put the candy, which had both sweetness and tanginess, into her mouth and chewed.

The syrupy sweetness and the tanginess of strawberry spread in her mouth, giving Arwen a feeling of happiness.

“Your Majesty, are you really going to leave it like this?”

While Arwen was chewing on the strawberry candy, someone beside her asked in a discontented voice.

Currently invisible due to being in a state of concealment, it was Rain, the dark elf who had accompanied Arwen this time.

She was also the one who had emitted a terrifying aura as soon as Cecilly detected her presence, making Issac feel cold.

“Is there anything we can do? We came to view the exhibition, not to fight.”

“But… Your Majesty, you know too. The aura emanating from that demon right now is extremely dangerous.”

“… …”

Arwen didn’t respond to Rain’s explanation. She was just thinking about Cecilly.

As Rain said, the aura currently emanating from Cecilly was extremely dangerous. Normally, demons are not much different from humans, but in certain situations, things change.

The biggest example is when they’re about to transform into devils. If they can’t suppress emotions like anger or sadness after experiencing a terrible event, the concentration of dark mana in demons increases.

But this can be felt regardless of race, and elves, being naturally opposed to demons, can detect it more sensitively.

And the concentration of dark mana currently emanating from Cecilly is at a slightly dangerous level, though not as much as a devil. It’s something to be wary of.

“…I know that too. It’s probably her bad cycle coming. But she seems to have strong patience, so it’s not something we need to worry about.”

“If you say so, Your Majesty… Then what about that red-haired boy?”

“Issac is…”

Arwen recalled Issac’s face. A human child who, like her, loved books and showed her kindness.

His extremely rare red hair and golden eyes made his face linger in her mind. He had provided a fresh experience for her, who rarely found someone she could converse with.

‘But for such a human to have a connection with a demon princess…’

Arwen had also noticed that Cecilly was the Princess of Helium. And it seemed Cecilly had roughly guessed who she was too.

Because of Issac, there was no need to complicate the situation by revealing her surname.

Arwen pondered about the relationship between the two, then glanced at Rain. Rain was still waiting for her answer.

“…Issac seems to be just an ordinary human. You felt it too, right? He can handle mana, but that’s it; he’s nothing more than an ordinary human.”

“But seeing him with that demon, he doesn’t seem ordinary at all?”

“We don’t need to know the details. The exhibition is important now. And he’s the human who bought you strawberry candy too.”

“…I understand.”

As soon as Rain heard Arwen’s rebuke, she pouted, indirectly showing her dissatisfaction.

Seeing this, Arwen inwardly sighed and couldn’t help but worry.

‘I hope nothing happens… It’s fortunate that I took out insurance.’

The strange encounter ended here.