Chapter 76

I was exhausted.

After sending Vivian off, I tasted the cookies left on the table.

The flavor was as excellent as always.

This time, instead of waiting for Evan to come to my room, I went directly to him.

After all, it’s customary for the person with something to say—or the one with regrets—to make the visit.

“Evan, it’s me. Open the door.”

At my words, the door opened as if it were automatic, with no one coming to greet me.

As I stepped inside, I was met with the faint scent of medicinal herbs mixed with the distinctive smell of books.

Seats in the room were already taken by piles of books and bottles of medicine, so I sat on the bed and recounted to Evan the conversation I had just had with Vivian.

“For the time being, we can spend peaceful moments—like the kind Vivian enjoys.”

“That’s likely,” Evan replied, flipping through his books while muttering some incantation.

I noticed something in a small flask—a figure resembling a human was screaming for its life. Since it wasn’t particularly interesting, I chose to ignore it.

If it had been something cute, like a puppy, perhaps I would have paid it more attention.

After all, most humans find a dog’s tragic death sadder than a person’s demise.

“So, as long as we don’t get caught, things should stay calm.

A little chatting, pretending to study like before—that should suffice.

Oh, I was planning to head into town to ‘harvest’ anyway. Want to come along?”

Evan kept scribbling something and mumbling to himself before asking me to join him.

Feigning a teasing tone, I asked, “Is that a date invitation?”

“Maybe.”

“I don’t think harvesting is exactly date material.

It’s smelly, damp, and you run into unpleasant people who might die soon.”

By “harvesting,” he meant capturing alley thugs who fancied themselves skilled with knives, or mages working for crime syndicates, and turning them into something akin to boiled broth.

The only difference was that the ingredients weren’t fresh, but those who got stewed were fresh and alive.

“There’s no helping it—we can only target people like that if we want to avoid complications.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t light up in your room.”

I waved the half-burned cigarette I held as I spoke.

Since Evan seemed to dislike it, I’d put it out before entering.

If I’d had any perfume, I might’ve used it, but I didn’t care for such things and didn’t own any.

“I’m just feeling uneasy today, so I thought I’d stay here.

Being with Vivian doesn’t bring back the best memories.”

“…Alright,” Evan said after staring at me for a long while, then he left the room.

From the next day onward, as if nothing had happened, I went to class, attended lessons, and spent time with Evan and Vivian in the academy.

There wasn’t anyone as brazen as Lydia in the class yet, so when I returned to the classroom after a long absence, a few students whispered among themselves, but no one dared speak to me.

Thanks to that, I could recall my old days—when life was somewhat normal.

Drinking tea peacefully, eating sweets, talking with friends, and imagining a future where I’d return to my family, marry Evan, and live a prosperous life together until old age.

Time passed quickly.

One month, two months, then three.

Since I was no longer confined to Vivian’s room, treated like a pet, it wasn’t hard to get along with Vivian and Evan.

When stress overwhelmed me and my breathing grew erratic, a cigarette was enough to calm me down.

Even when my words occasionally darkened the atmosphere, Vivian brushed it off as if she hadn’t heard a thing. Her ignorance—or perhaps her kindness—allowed this fragile routine to persist.

I thought things would continue like this without incident.

Or, to put it another way, I thought I could get away with killing people in the academy and disposing of the evidence without Vivian finding out.

If not for her catching me sitting atop a corpse, counting bullets.

I’d ensured there was no blood, locked all the doors, so how did she get in?

“Erica? Evan? What are you two doing?”

Evan, poised to unleash dark magic, aimed it at Vivian, but I hurriedly spoke up.

There’s no need to fight.

I wasn’t sure if things could be resolved through dialogue, but it was worth trying.

“I was almost assaulted. Evan saved me.”

“…Are you joking?”

“I told you, fallen nobles like me are treated worse than capable commoners like you.

It’s just an extension of that.”

Vivian stared at the corpse for a long time.

It might seem strange—someone who tried to assault me, lying dead, corrupted by dark magic.

I’d hoped Vivian would believe the lie, but I doubted she would.

It was just an attempt to buy time.

“Erica, I’m not an idiot.

I just wanted to believe in my friends’ words.”

Vivian’s voice was calm as she began gathering mana in the air.

Sharp, translucent wind blades and fiery orbs appeared in the room.

“Many people have disappeared recently.

Lydia, Ella, Joanna, and an unnamed maid vanished after entering your room, Erica.

I didn’t ask questions because they disappeared without a trace, as if they simply ceased to exist.”

Only four?

“Are you going to decapitate me with wind and burn my body?

Being burned isn’t pleasant—it’s not an experience I’d like to repeat.”

I spoke with a dry tone.

I preferred peace and avoided violence and cruelty whenever possible.

“Why not ask Evan to dispel his magic first?”

Why was she directing her words at me?

I’d listen if she asked, but still.

“Miss, dark magic is heresy.

To wield it, countless lives must be sacrificed, and it corrupts the user, turning them into beings obsessed with conviction and cost rather than human emotions.”

If anything, the people here, brimming with human emotion, would claw at my flesh and bones if my head were severed.

Isn’t that closer to the essence of dark magic?

“It’s better than gods who demand nothing in return,” Evan replied.

Vivian, her expression trembling, asked us with tears welling in her right eye,

“Until yesterday, we laughed together, shared stories, and even ate meals. Was it all an act?

Were you doing such vile things behind my back while smiling with me?”

Her words wouldn’t change anything.

If dialogue could resolve this, the magic aimed at each other would’ve dissipated long ago.

Neither of us answered, and Vivian didn’t press further.

With a sigh of disappointment—or resignation—she raised her hand, amplifying the spells floating in the air.

If those hit me, there might not even be a trace left.

“Maybe I should’ve known.

You two always seemed so close, like you were falling in love again.

Who would’ve guessed you’d become monsters, draining magic from corpses like mosquitoes.”

I aimed my gun at Vivian and pulled the trigger.

Unsurprisingly, the bullet crumpled against an invisible barrier and fell to the floor with a pathetic clink.

Vivian’s mocking expression hardened instantly.

It was a grim look that seemed to shout, “This is divine retribution,” as if she were a saint eradicating demons.

Before I could dwell on it, Evan unleashed his spell at Vivian and dove toward me.

My body blurred as countless spells flew toward me.

But there was no way Evan could counter all that.

My left leg vanished instantly, and I felt myself being transported somewhere.

In that fleeting moment, I made eye contact with Vivian.

What was she feeling?

Her face was stoic, exuding authority, but her eyes were brimming with unshed tears.

The next moment, my vision went black, and I woke up on an unfamiliar bed.

The pristine sheets began to stain red.

“Evan, my left leg is gone.”

I reported the fact plainly, without blame.

No complaints about his promise to protect me.

After all, promises tend to lose their power when spoken aloud.

Lighting another cigarette, I remarked,

“Everything important just disappears.

Morals, dignity, principles.”

I was exhausted.

To hell with the crown prince, Vivian, and everything else.