episode_0061

The heavy rain that had been falling all night finally stopped.

The gloomy dark clouds in the sky are disappearing, and the sun is revealing its presence beyond the distant horizon.

Although it wasn’t yet directly illuminating the world, the rising sun was gradually dyeing the edges of the dark blue sky a yellow hue.

Dawn breaks, day dawns.

That meant that Tirissia Brood didn’t have much time left.

The time she was given permission by her parents to stay out this time was from the morning she left home until the same time the next morning. 24 hours.

Now, Tirissia had to choose her final destination in her only monthly communication with the outside world.

The choice was easy. No, I didn’t even have to think about it.

That was the purpose of this outing in the first place, and of course there was already someone he wanted to see for the last time before going home.

And, above all,

The regret and longing was too great to just let him go without doing anything.

Absolutely, I could not just accept the relationship that had been cut off with him today.

Whether you hold onto his trouser legs or lie flat on the ground in front of him,

I had to put everything down and ask him for forgiveness.

All I’ve done so far is to simply let Erto know that I’ve acknowledged my sins.

He felt the weight of the extent of his wrongdoings, and realized the depth of the vileness of the human being known as Tirissia Bruard.

The brief apology I gave to Erto was inadequate in expressing my regret and guilt towards him.

A little more,

With more and deeper sincerity,

Finally, I wanted to give Erto a sincere apology.

The reason he can’t forgive himself might be because he hasn’t fully expressed his feelings yet.

Wouldn’t it be too early to give up and turn back, resigned to the fact that I’ve been abandoned by him?

If you really bet everything, maybe there’s still a glimmer of hope left.

Hoping for a glimmer of such a possibility, Tirisia ran through the air toward Erto’s house.

*

―

Tirisia landed in front of Erto’s house without a sound and used her magic detection to check for any reactions inside the house.

-there is.

It was still early morning, so Erto was still sleeping in his room.

‘…Shall we go in?’

For a moment, Tirisia looked at the front door handle, conflicted.

It was as easy as making a key that would fit into a lock with ice.

If there is an open window, you can easily get in through there.

She was the one who had invaded Celdianne and Lucica’s homes without permission.

The desire to see Erto’s face right now was crying out to pass through the thin iron obstacle in one breath.

“… ”

After a moment of hesitation,

‘no.’

Tyrisia withdrew her hand from the doorknob.

It couldn’t be like that now.

My ex-girlfriend, who I decided to break up with, is coming and going from my house without permission.

And it came right up to me while I was sleeping.

From Erto’s perspective, wouldn’t that be a creepy thing?

All it took was one foolish mistake to try to cover him up with your body at night to offend him.

I can’t afford to upset Erto any longer.

Moving as cautiously as possible, taking into account his situation and mood, was the only way to get a little closer to hope.

‘…let’s wait.’

Still, there was still some time before it was time to go home.

Within that time limit, we can find time to talk without disturbing Erto’s sleep as much as possible.

It’s a shame to wake you up when the sun hasn’t even risen yet.

For now, let’s just sit back and wait for his reaction.

Having come to that conclusion, Tirisia squatted down in front of the doorway, leaning her back against the wall.

‘iced coffee…’

Her expression softened as she closed her eyes, and I felt her heart, which had been in shambles, begin to recover a little.

Erto’s house was a place I had visited many times over the years, so it now felt like home.

Even though I couldn’t go inside, just sitting in front of the door like this gave me a sense of relief that I was connected to him.

Erto is just beyond that wall.

You can feel his life.

It hasn’t gotten so far out of reach yet.

Feeling such comfort and warmth, Tirisia quietly leaned against the wall and waited for the boy.

After about an hour had passed―

‘…!’

Tirisia’s closed eyes opened wide.

Movement was detected inside the house.

It was still too early to prepare for the academy, but

Erto was already awake and preparing something.

‘Erto…’

Tirisia wanted to get up and knock on the door right away, but she didn’t rush.

I thought it was more likely that he was up at this time to do something outside rather than do something inside the house.

For example, going to the academy earlier than anyone else and doing individual training in an empty podium.

If that’s the case, he’ll walk out the door soon without you having to rush him.

Rather, if you let them know that you are in front of them, they might lock the door for you.

Fearful of such a possibility, Tirissia remained motionless in front of the door even after Erto woke up.

The time to return home was slowly approaching.

Although she was anxious, the question of whether she could dare to interrupt Erto’s daily life kept repeating in her mind.

Hurry up, hurry up,

Come out when you’re ready, Erto.

With her knees hugged and her forehead buried in her chest, Tyrisia waited desperately for the boy, shivering from the cold.

And after about ten more minutes―

Click.

After waiting for over an hour, the front door finally opened,

“… Huh?”

Erto, who came out of the house in his academy uniform, saw Tirisia crouching in a corner of the hallway.

“, Erto… ”

Tyrisia quickly got up from her seat, dusted herself off, and gave him an awkward smile.

“… ”

Erto stood blankly in front of the door, staring at Tirisia without saying anything.

Tyrisia bowed toward him, thinking it was a natural reaction.

“Sorry for coming back without permission, Erto.”

“… ”

“But, before I get locked up in the house again, there was one last thing I had to tell you… ”

“… ”

Erto looked at Tirisia with emotionless eyes, then took a deep breath and opened his mouth.

“… What is it?”

A look in his eyes telling him to say whatever he wanted to say and then disappear.

Even just seeing his indifferent gaze made Tirisia feel like her heart was being torn apart, but she faced him head on with a firm resolve.

“I’m sorry for making such a selfish request. It’s not that I didn’t understand what you said yesterday, I can feel deep in my bones why you asked me to break up with you. But…!”

Bam,

Thud,

“Ah… ”

Even before she could speak to him, Tirissia couldn’t hide her embarrassment as tears poured down her face.

Clearly, he would have poured out his heart to Erto without hesitation.

I had no intention of eliciting his sympathy or of making him feel guilty by deliberately making him look pitiful.

I know that using tears as a weapon in front of an ex-lover is cowardly.

However, as soon as she saw Erto’s face again, her eyes began to overflow with regret and remorse for herself.

“Ah… I’m sorry, I’m sorry… !”

Tirisia wiped the tears streaming down her cheeks with her hands, which were soaked with rainwater, and tried to smile in front of the boy.

Even though I smiled with my face in shambles, no one would see it as a happy expression.

Still, he had to let her know that he hadn’t come here just to appeal to her emotions.

“Mi… Mia… Er, I, I… ”

In the torrent of sin and sorrow that suddenly came rushing in, unfinished words flowed out of Tyrisia’s mouth,

“Ah… Aaaah… !”

dump!

Tirisia eventually fell to her knees in front of Erto.

and,

“I’m… really sorry, Erto… !”

Now giving up on the tears that could not be stopped, Tirissia placed both hands on the ground and looked up at Erto.

“Tirisia… ”

She screamed out what might be her last cry, filled with desperation and longing, towards the boy who was blankly looking down at her.

“I was out of my mind! I won’t make excuses saying it was because of the curse…! It’s all my fault! I’m such a crazy bitch! I took your love for granted and didn’t cherish it! I hurt you so much, who cared for me more than anyone else!”

“… ”

The boy’s expression remains unchanged.

Still, Tirisia did not stop and continued to shout.

“I’m so sorry, I really did something so wrong! Why on earth did I do something so crazy…! I wish I could turn back time, I regret everything I did and said to you so much! I wish I could kill my past self, I would do anything to heal the wounds I’ve inflicted on you!”

“… ”

thud!

Her silver hair, which always sparkled in the sunlight, fell to the ground, and Tirisia knelt down before Erto, offering a desperate apology.

“Please, forgive me just this once! I won’t do it again! I’ll never betray you! Please…! Please…! For the sake of the years we’ve spent together, for the sake of the love we’ve shared…! I beg you, give me one last chance, Erto…!”

Looking at Tirisia, who put aside her pride as a noble, her pride as a former lover, and even her dignity as a woman, and bowed her head―

“… It’s a nuisance.”

Erto quietly passed her and tried to leave through the hallway.

“Ah… !”

Tirisia instinctively grabbed Erto’s pants as he passed by her.

“Erto! Wait…! Please give me an answer…! I’m begging you! Yes…?”

His yellow eyes looked down at her, and cold words flowed from his mouth.

“Answer…? I told you everything yesterday.”

At Erto’s unchanging reaction, Tirisia’s expression became even more desperate and she grabbed the hem of his overalls with both hands as if she was clinging to him.

“Ertoo… ! Think about it again just this once… ! Ugh, ugh, we loved each other… ! We truly cared for each other… ! We were really, truly happy… ! We, we were a match made in heaven… ? Heh, ugh… ! Please… look back at me… ! We can rebuild what’s fallen apart… ! Right… ! Please… ! ”

Thud thud—

Water streams poured down her cheeks without stopping.

A haggard and dirty appearance after being rained on all night.

A girl whose once beautiful face was ruined by sadness and despair.

“Haa… ”

Seeing her clutching her trouser legs and crying and admitting her mistakes, Erto let out a deep sigh and looked up at the sky.

“Tirisia.”

“Ugh… Yeah! Erto… !”

At the boy’s expression as if he was about to say something, Tirisia called his name with eyes that hoped for a miracle.

And the one word that came down was,

“Every time I see your face, I think of that image. Reflexively.”

“Uh… ”

A deep despair appears on the girl’s face.

“But how can I keep looking at you…?”

“, le… ”

A boundless tremble occurs throughout the girl’s body.

“It’s not a matter of whether I hate you or not.”

“Wait… Erto… ”

The boy’s hand overlapped the girl’s hand, which was holding the hem of her dress.

Kook-

He forcefully pulled away the hands that had bound him.

“It just won’t work, this is.”

Finally, the boy’s eyes looking at the girl were filled with only sadness and emptiness, as he truly wanted to love her but was unable to do so.

“Please, don’t make me suffer any longer. Please, Tirisia.”

widely!

“Ah… !”

Erto, who had pushed away Tirisia’s hand, walked away from her.

Watching his back as he left, Tirisia fell to the ground and held out her trembling hand.

“Erto… Don’t go…! Please…! Don’t leave me…!”

I wanted to get up and run after him, but I had no strength left in my body.

I can only watch him as he heads towards a place my body and mind cannot reach.

“Ahhh… No… Aaaahhhh!”

Tirisia collapsed to the ground, screaming endlessly.

“Erto―! No… No―! Aaaah …

No matter how much he cried, he never looked back at himself.

He keeps moving away without stopping.

“Ah, ah, uh, uhk… ! Huuuk… ! Aaaah… !”

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Tyrissia could do nothing but hit the ground with her fists and cry.

That was the end.

The end of the relationship I shared with Erto.

A true breakup.

Even though I apologized for everything, his heart could not be changed one bit.

Hope never existed in the first place.

Now that she realized it, Tirisia could finally feel it.

That he had completely failed.

These were the true words of love that Tirissia Brouard had held.

To be shattered into pieces and burn to nothing.

All that remains now is endless despair.

“AAAHH …

The world was welcoming a new morning, leaving behind the heavy rain and darkness, but for Tirisia, that was the end point.

Now it’s time to go back to prison again.

There was no one outside the prison to welcome him warmly.

*

Darkness has descended upon the world once again.

After finishing the academy’s daily routine and the training that was repeated every day after school, it was already deep into the night.

Yesterday, and until this morning, I had a lot of confusion in my mind after meeting Tirisia who had gone out of the house, but it was no reason to skip the training routine I always maintained.

Tirissia’s work is Tirissia’s work.

And me having to become stronger was a separate thing.

“Hoo… ”

I wiped the sweat from my forehead, left the stage alone, and prepared to go home.

No matter how hard I tried to stay calm, seeing Tirisia like that made it impossible for me to fully concentrate on my training.

It was when I was walking alone through the plaza leading out of the academy buildings, trying to calm my complicated mind.

“―”

Feeling the silent murderous intent from ahead, I stopped walking and stared into the darkness.

Ttukbuk-

Ttukbuk-

What came out of the shadows that were cast like a curtain was,

“Open―”

It was the reason I had to become strong, and the cause of everything that had happened so far.

“Kelg… Durakal.”

I quietly placed my bag on the floor and muttered his name.

Duracal, who had been walking around with his hands in his pockets, came out from the center of the square and stood at a distance as if confronting us.

A bloody smile spread across his grim face as he greeted me.

“It’s been a while.”

“That’s right.”

“It’s been about four months… I wonder if I’ve been living a good life like a burrower during that time.”

“Do you have any business with me?”

“Well, that’s obvious.”

A large man with blond hair stared at me with dark eyes and reached over his shoulder.

Sling-

From there, a huge greatsword as tall as a man was pulled out, making a heavy clanging sound.

“You and I, aren’t there still things left to calculate?”

I closed my eyes for a moment and braced myself for what was about to happen.

And then I opened my eyes again―

“Yeah, that’s true.”

Sling-

He pulled out his longsword from his waist and declared to him without hesitation.

“Let’s do that now.”