episode_0054

Ting-

I felt like I heard that sound from somewhere inside me.

“Ugh… ”

Tyricia Brewery could feel it intuitively.

That something had just fallen away inside him.

Something very small and hidden, something that we had not noticed until now.

The reason I could feel the moment it fell off so clearly was because I was looking at Kelg’s face.

His face, which had been filled with deep love until now.

Even though the temperature had dropped compared to a few months ago, that feeling could still be recognized as love.

Because everything changed completely from that moment on.

Now, the man she saw in her eyes was nothing but disgusting, without any trace of love.

The man in front of him. Kelg Durakal is nothing but the worst thug, far from his taste.

I couldn’t believe that just a few seconds ago I had been feeling love for that fierce face.

That can’t be true.

I could never love a man like this.

Why has my heart been pounding so hard up until now?

And why did that fluttering feeling suddenly disappear like smoke?

‘What has changed?’

I couldn’t tell exactly what the trigger was.

Is it something that just happened naturally over time?

Perhaps it was because Kelg’s repeated disappointing actions had sparked anger in his heart.

Maybe it was because I came back after seeing Erto’s face and recalled the happy moments I had with him.

Let’s think about rational questions about when and why you started to love the man in front of you.

I felt as if something that had been written in my chest—around my heart—had been washed away.

“Senior… ”

A possibility flashed through Tirissia Brewery’s mind.

Clear-eyed thoughts spin furiously, coolly analyzing what has happened.

Suddenly, I fell in love with the man in front of me more than Erto.

A heart that fell in love with him so quickly that it was unusual for the amount of time I had known him.

A love that felt so great that it could lead to a cruel betrayal of one’s lover.

And then, gradually, the feeling of emptiness, disappointment, and discomfort started to creep up my spine.

At this moment, my feelings grew cold as I realized that there was no reason to love him.

No, maybe it’s like it went back to the way it was…?

The moment happened in an instant, and there was a clear starting point.

‘If so, then so.’

Her jade eyes filled with astonishment, and an answer that would penetrate the entire situation came to her mind.

He himself is to Kelg Durakal.

Something.

I got hit.

That was the only possibility that could explain the current situation.

“What did you do to me?”

Her trembling lips vomited out a question to confirm the answer she had thought of.

“Huh?”

Kelg furrowed his eyebrows, noticing that something was wrong with Tirisia.

The affection and goodwill that had been present in Tirisia’s expression as she looked at him had disappeared.

“… What is it?”

Kelg tilted his head at the noticeable change and checked the back of his hand.

A red, glowing pattern appeared on the back of his dark hand,

Dismissed!

It shattered into pieces with a loud crash and scattered into the air.

Kelg frowned as he looked at the disappearing fragments, as if realizing something.

“Ahhh… Damn. I don’t feel like I’m in a good mood these days.”

“Senior!”

At Kelg’s monologue that seemed to ignore her, Tirisia raised her voice and called out to him.

“Answer me. What did you do to me?”

“Haa… ”

Kelg scratched the back of his head, frowned, and answered in an irritated tone.

“If I had known it had such high resistance, I would have used it on a royal human… Since it was disposable, I had to choose my opponent carefully. This.”

“Disposable… relative… what does that mean?”

“Ahhh―Where was that… Oh, I left it here.”

Kelg suddenly started rummaging through his room drawers and picked up an old stake that looked like it was made of wood.

“This is one of the emperor’s secret treasures that our family’s ancestors stole from the East long ago.”

“Don’t beat around the bush and answer!”

At Tirisia’s rebuke, Kelg shrugged his shoulders with a bitter smile.

“Hey, hey, I’m explaining this right now. Shut up and listen.”

“… ”

As Tyrisia glared at him silently, Kelg continued his explanation in a more rambunctious tone.

“They say that if you stab this, an ancient curse called ‘Charm’ will be activated, making you love the user more than anyone else. When I actually used it, the effect was really good. Hehe.”

“That… dangerous thing… !”

“Now it’s just an empty shell, trash.”

Tyrisia was shocked, but Kelg tossed the stake into the trash can as if it were nothing.

Hollow!

“… !”

As she looked at him with puzzled eyes, Kelg raised both hands to his shoulders with the corners of his mouth furrowed.

“Well, our family prospered enough to use it several times and establish an academy—that’s the story. But now the power stored in the stake is about to run out, so when I inherited it, it was an item that could only charm one last person.”

“No way, that’s… !”

“The older generation of the family seemed to have been attracted to the country’s high-ranking officials. I would have done something similar if I were them, but… I changed my mind after meeting a certain woman at the academy.”

With a wet, hanging smile, Kelg’s finger pointed to Tyrisia’s face.

“A young wizard from the noble Brood family, born with the greatest talent of all time. This was something I really wanted. And since his face was just right for me, it was my style. Heh heh.”

“You used that stake on me!”

Kelg nodded obediently and lightly admitted his crime.

“Ah, since we already had connections with the nobles, what our family needed more was our own force to protect that power. In many ways, you were the perfect target.”

“When on earth did you put that curse on me?!”

Tirisia asked with sharp eyes, but Kelg shook his head and stuck out his tongue.

“Well, does that really matter now? Anyway, you fell in love with me, and you did everything I told you to do. You were a pretty useful woman. Thanks, okay?”

“… !”

Tirisia’s heart sank as she recalled everything that had happened so far.

Betray Erto,

I showed him things I shouldn’t have shown him,

He tore apart the heart of the man who loved him,

Not only that, they tried to erase him from the academy even though he was innocent.

Even assaulting his friends,

All those things that I rationalized and ran away from without even a word of apology, saying that it was just for true love.

All, all, all,

Is it because I was fascinated by Kelg Durakal?

Were you fooled into this man’s malicious plan?

‘This can’t be happening…’

Although it was such a shocking story, Tirissia barely managed to hold herself together and glared at Kelg, revealing her hostility.

“Up until now… You’ve been manipulating me as you wished…! You!”

“Ahh? Phew… Hahahaha!”

Although he shouted in anger, Kelg burst into laughter as if he found the remark genuinely funny.

“Hah… Hah! Hey hey, are you that clueless? Control? Hahahaha! ”

Kelg, who had been laughing like that for a long time, wiped away the tears that had welled up and started to mock Tirisia.

“Don’t you know what fascination means?”

“… !”

At those words, Tirissia’s eyes opened wide.

Kelg nodded and chuckled at the reaction that seemed to have realized some kind of loophole.

“You just love me more than anyone else. Even more than your ex, right? Charm is different from brainwashing. It doesn’t take away your free will and make you obey. You just feel the utmost happiness by being held in my arms and following my words.”

“That’s…!”

“Honestly, don’t you realize that what I’m saying is true?”

Tyrisia tried to argue back, but Kelg shook his head as if he knew what she was going to say.

“I couldn’t force you. You know that, right? Before I was disciplined by the Academy, when I decided to place all the responsibility on you. If I could control you as I pleased, it would have been over with one order. But why did I have to talk this way and that and persuade you?”

“… ”

Tirisia wanted to deny it, but she felt that his words were true.

When he asked someone to do something that was disadvantageous to him, he always suggested it rather than ordered him to do it.

His whispers were so sweet that I simply followed them without any resistance.

Kelg slowly approached Tirisia, his serpentine tongue constantly flicking.

“I just took your hand and led you in the direction I wanted. I always had the will to reject you. But you foolishly didn’t do it because you had hearts in your eyes.”

“No… No way… ”

Kelg came close in front of her, bent down and met her gaze.

A thick, dark finger poked Tyrissia’s forehead.

“Do you understand now? Even if you were under my spell, what you have done so far was not done solely on my orders. Your will was also involved. You were not under hypnosis. You acted for me with your own thoughts and judgment.”

“Ah… ”

“The malice is mine, but you are the one who followed. At least you are half responsible. Do you understand?”

“Ahh… Ugh… ”

His dark eyes studied her pale face with a mocking smile.

“Why, do you think that if you blame everything on me, your guilt will go away? Do you think that if you pretend to be brainwashed and innocent, your ex-boyfriend will look back on you? Wake up.”

“Lies… ”

Kelg snorted and turned away from Tirisia, who denied his words with a blank stare.

“Well, that kind of entertainment is over now. It was a pretty good toy, but it’s a shame. I’ve heard a little about the older generation, but you’re the first one to be freed from the spell so quickly. I’ll praise your mental strength.”

“Kel… That… ”

Tirisia repeated his name, her whole body trembling.

But Kelg waved his hand roughly and gestured for her to get lost.

“Go now. I told you everything I had to tell you, so you don’t have to come back. Don’t bother me.”

“Kelg… !”

“Oh, right, I should tell you that before we break up.”

Kelg, looking back at Tirisia, said to her with a most vile smile.

“How could I truly love a whore like you? I was just playing around with you. Heh heh.”

The jade-colored eyes light up at the words that mocked him to the end,

“Kelg Durakal… !”

Gooo―!

A thick silvery magical energy began to ripple from Tirisia’s body.

Ki-ki-ki-ki!

The ice extending from her hand takes the shape of a sword.

“Forgive me… I can’t…!”

With a fiery rage in her eyes, Tyrisia aimed her sword at his face.

“Oh, you want to have a go?”

Kelg pretended to be afraid, exaggeratedly spreading his hands.

“I won’t leave you alone… !”

“But, is that okay?”

At Kelg’s words, Tirisia’s feet, which were about to take a step forward, stopped.

Even though he was facing the Academy Award rankings that were so infuriating to him, he still maintained his composure.

“You didn’t forget, did you? Our family’s vision.”

“… !”

At those words, the tip of Tyrisia’s sword shook.

“You probably know how strong I am right now, right?”

Looking at Kelg, who was talking and pointing at himself with his thumb, Tyrisia thought about the true nature of the power of the Durakal family.

Predation.

A foreign power that steals the magical power of another person with whom one has made a contract and makes it one’s own.

It was an extremely dangerous, beast-like ability that allowed it to grow in size endlessly by preying on weaker opponents.

“Thanks to you signing the contract, I was able to defeat my ex-boyfriend in one go. Hahaha!”

That’s what it was.

The current Kelg had absorbed all of the magic power he possessed, as well as the magic power of Tirisia, who had allowed him to make a contract due to her charm, and the magic power of the noble students who flattered and followed his power, and had become monstrously strong.

Now he has a clear advantage over himself.

If we fight here, we will definitely lose.

Tyrisia, who had sensed that fact, just glared at him with trembling eyes.

Kelg, who saw the anxiety in her complexion, shrugged his shoulders and indicated that she should stop her useless struggle.

“What, if you dare attack me, I’ll deal with you. But you probably know the outcome, right? If you lose to me here, I’ll rape you without any charm. If you don’t want that to happen, you’d better leave quietly, right?”

“… ”

Tirissia exhaled with a trembling breath, in agony,

Passus-

Eventually, he suppressed his magical power by shaking his sword.

Kelg looked at the sight and smiled with the confident smile of a victor.

“Okay, let’s go. Princess. You never know. Would your ex-boyfriend accept you as a rag?”

“… Trash.”

Tyrisia uttered the only accusation she could muster, then turned her back on Kelg.

“I’ll cheer you on~”

And then he heard a mocking voice coming from behind and ran away from his hideout at full speed.

As she emerged from the cave, her figure disappeared into the mist.

“… … !”

Kook-

Tirisia ran through the air, clutching her chest as if it was going to explode.

Kelg’s words repeated over and over in her mind.

‘At least you’re half responsible.’

There was no way to refute that statement.

No matter how much I thought about it, it was true.

Even though I was fascinated by Kelg, nothing changed.

She was still a piece of trash who had betrayed Erto of her own free will.

“Ugh… ”

He was a vile man who sacrificed small love for greater love.

“AAAHH …

She continued to walk aimlessly, screaming at the top of her lungs in a way that no one could hear.

Anywhere, anywhere,

I needed an outlet for all these crazy emotions.

Otherwise, I really felt like my head was going to go to pieces.

*

Swaaa …

The time when the sun sets and darkness falls.

Suddenly, dark clouds gathered in the clear sky and heavy rain began to fall.

Pedestrians walking along the street in the unpredictable and changeable weather began to curse, cover their heads with their bags, and run to find shade.

In an instant, all people disappeared from the dark streets, and silence descended amid the sound of pouring rain.

and,

Tirissia Brouard was standing in a certain place, her whole body soaked with rain.

After running unconsciously,

After wandering around all sorts of places without a destination,

When she came to, she had reached there.

The only person she can face right now.

But, the only person who doesn’t deserve it is.

Still, she wanted to meet him.

Because I thought that if there was one person I could finally pin my hopes on, it was him.

The person who showed me the kindest favor more than anyone else.

Then, he thought, maybe his voice would still be heard.

He held onto the hope that he might be given one last chance.

“Erto… ”

With her damp silver hair sticking to her face, she called his name.

Now that everything is at its limit,

In an action almost instinctive, the girl ended up seeking the arms of the boy she longed for.

No one else came to mind.

Now, now that I realize the whole story.

I really had to face him.

Erto, a long-time childhood friend and former lover who betrayed her of her own free will.

In front of his house,

dripping-

Tyrisia knocked on the door, clutching at straws.