episode_0102

‘Ethan Gloucester.’

This peculiar power, which manipulates space itself, is his unique ability. It seems he sensed the fire mage trying to reveal his identity and silenced him. “Hmph….” I sighed and turned my head away. The sight of a human corpse pressed flat on the floor like a pancake was not a pleasant one.

“Hyun! Are you hurt anywhere?” Perhaps as a replacement for that sight, Alisa, whose eyes met mine, rushed over in an instant like a dog waiting for its owner and checked my body. It was strange to wonder where her usual fierce demeanor had gone. Maybe it was because of the deep kiss we just shared, but she looked cute. ‘I must be crazy.’ To think that a woman who constantly beats me under the guise of sparring, doesn’t shy away from any kind of verbal abuse, and plans to kill me at every opportunity, could look cute. How powerful the allure of appearance truly is. I fully realized the power of appearance and gently pushed Alisa away.

“Don’t interfere unnecessarily next time.” “Yes?” “As you saw, fire magic cannot harm me. There was no need for you to block it. Do you understand?” “Ah… Yes…. I’m sorry.”

At such cold advice, Alisa’s face drooped. Regret for her past actions, disappointment in herself, and a hint of resentment and injustice could be felt in her expression. Her eyes trembled incessantly, as if she would burst into tears if I pushed her just a little more. In the end, I added a few more words.

“…Still, thank you for protecting me.” “…Ah?” “I know why you did that. But it’s dangerous, so don’t do it next time.” “……”

Alisa stared at me blankly for a moment. Her reaction suggested she hadn’t expected me to say such a thing. Well, it was understandable. Because I had just been speaking so coldly, and then suddenly changed my attitude completely. But from my perspective, I couldn’t help it either. Although I didn’t have particularly good feelings for her, I couldn’t repay kindness with hostility when she had taken an attack for me, claiming it was dangerous. As if she somewhat guessed my true feelings, Alisa soon wore a playful smile.

“Are you worried about me?” “It’s not like that. I was just trying to reduce meaningless harm.” “Liar. You’re actually worried I might get hurt again, aren’t you?”

Alisa looked up with eyes full of goodwill. It was so different from the usual way she showed herself to me that it gave me goosebumps. I really dislike this kind of thing. “Didn’t I say no? Anyway, I’m leaving now. Take care of the cleanup yourself.” “Ah! Wait a moment! Hyun!”

I boldly ignored the voice calling from behind me, spread my wings, and left the clock tower. And when I had put enough distance between us to be out of Ethan’s sight, I deactivated my avatar form and moved to the Order branch. The path there was truly arduous.

‘I feel like I’m going to die.’ Perhaps as a side effect of using all my powers, the fatigue was terrifying. Just as I was barely fighting off the overwhelming drowsiness.

“Ruan!” Deborah, who had been waiting for me, approached, having arrived right in front of the Order building. She hurriedly supported me. “Are you okay? Are you badly hurt?” “…You know. Everything regenerates. I’m just tired.” “Really… please be careful from now on. If you push yourself like this, something bad will happen!” “I know.” “Is this how someone who ‘knows’ acts?”

Why was she so angry? While I was puzzled, a deep emotion contained within leaked out, bringing a smile to my face. I whispered in her ear. “You’re here now. So it’s okay.” “……Fool.” As if my flattery was working, Deborah’s face flushed, then she quickly shook her head. Her furrowed brow was cute. “Then I’m going to sleep a bit.” “…Yes. See you later.” With that last promise, I leaned into Deborah’s arms and completely lost consciousness.

*

In the quiet recovery room, as Deborah looked down at the sleeping Ruan, a knock was heard. Knock knock. – May I come in?

The one knocking was Alisa. At the visit of someone who not only disliked Ruan but even hated him, Deborah was surprised but quickly replied. “Come in.” As permission was granted, the door opened and Alisa appeared. She was strangely excited. Her face held a mixture of excitement and a pounding heart.

‘What is it?’ Deborah tilted her head in a situation she couldn’t possibly understand and rose from her chair. “What’s going on?”

“Oh, I just had something to say.” “Something to say?” “Yes. It’s not important, but I wanted to tell you.”

With a significant remark, Alisa brought a chair from the corner and sat next to her. Then she frowned while looking at Ruan, before turning her attention to Deborah. It was a truly consistent reaction. Deborah cautiously sat back in her chair, facing Alisa.

“So, what did you want to say?” “That… you know, what you asked me last time.” “Last time?” “Yes. When we were scouting during lunch.”

At that time, they had definitely talked about Foresight. But limiting it to what Deborah herself had asked, the only topic that came to mind… ‘No way?’ With one guess surfacing, Deborah cautiously asked.

“D-did you mean when I asked if you loved Eunrang?” “That’s right. When you asked if I loved Hyun.” “…Why?” “I think it’s true. I… I love Hyun.”

Alisa, shyly confessing. Her youthful and refreshing smile was charming enough to make any man’s heart pound instantly. Even as another woman, Deborah couldn’t take her eyes off that face, yet ironically, she felt a sense of crisis.

“……Are you serious?” “Yes. I love Hyun. You wouldn’t have known because you rushed to the recovery room, but I actually fell outside the clock tower during the fight. That’s when Hyun immediately flew over and caught me.” “So you fell for him?” “No. If that were all, I probably wouldn’t have known.”

Alisa was still unsure. After being raped by Ruan, her aversion to men had become so extreme that she recoiled even at a touch, yet she had fallen in love with someone. It was an unbelievable reality, but the pounding of her heart continued to force reality upon her.

“I was completely battered at the time. If he had left me as I was, I would have died. So Hyun tried to feed me a potion, but my body wouldn’t move. In the end, I was giving up, and then he kissed me, you know? That’s when I realized. This wasn’t merely gratitude towards a savior.” “…Love?” “Yes. If it had been anyone other than Hyun, even if they saved my life, I would have been uncomfortable. But with Hyun, it wasn’t like that. It wasn’t unpleasant at all. And even now, just thinking of Hyun makes my heart pound. If this isn’t love, then what is it? I want to confess these feelings right away. But that would be a burden, wouldn’t it?”

Alisa haphazardly blurted out words that weren’t even questions. This showed her complex inner feelings. Deborah bit her lip tightly and shot a sharp glare at the sleeping Ruan.

‘What on earth are you doing?’ Leaving Teacher-nim aside and kissing another woman? I should have known from the moment he won the three-legged race and asked for a kiss. What a playboy. Although it was a dangerous situation, it’s questionable whether he really needed to kiss her.

Then, worries surfaced. ‘What if Alisa finds out the truth?’ The true identity of Hyun, whom she loves, is Ruan. She couldn’t tell what Alisa’s reaction would be when she found that out. The only thing she knew was that it would definitely not be a positive outcome.

As Deborah was silently agonizing to herself, Alisa stood up with a relieved expression. “Anyway, that’s all I wanted to say. It just ended up being a complaint session, didn’t it? I’ll get going. Nurse him well.” Alisa waved her hand as she stood up.

Deborah hurriedly stopped her. “W-wait a moment!” “Hmm? Why?” “Um… W-what if Eunrang already has a partner?”

“A partner?” “Yes! If he has a partner, you’ll be rejected, won’t you?! Is that still okay?” Deborah hoped Alisa would give up. So she tried to present a possible scenario, but Alisa didn’t flinch at all.

“Why do you think I’d be rejected?” “Yes?” “I can just take him, can’t I? I’m confident. If Eunrang has a partner, I’ll just take him. I’ll make him mine. This is my will. Is that enough of an answer?” “…Yes. Thank you.” “Okay. Then I’m really going.”

Alisa, waving her hand, left the room. Left alone, Deborah continued to ponder before raising her head and gazing at Ruan’s face.

“This playboy. Ugh, really!” Then she raised her hand to give him a gentle whack on the head, but decided she couldn’t possibly hit a patient, so she sighed and gently poked his cheek.

“…Your heart pounds when you see him, you say?” That feeling, is it love? Deborah wore a gloomy expression and gently placed one hand on her chest. Thump! Thump! So, this, too, is because of love—my heart wildly beating every time I see Ruan, without any will of its own? “That can’t be.”

When did it start? At their first meeting? Or when she was raped during the practical training? Or when he protected her from the chimera? She couldn’t say for sure, but somehow, laughing and talking with Ruan had become enjoyable, and she began to look forward to the time they spent together.

– You’re here now. So it’s okay.

The memory from a few hours ago was still vivid. The gentle voice that pierced her ears, his wide embrace, the warmth that spread gently—all of it lingered in her mind. Only now did Deborah realize her own affection.

“I… I love Ruan.” Because the beginning was so deformed, she hadn’t realized it, but their relationship steadily progressed. They were each other’s sole understanding party, and at the same time, collaborators. In such a situation, it would be almost unreasonable to tell them to remain just friends.

However, this was a forbidden emotion. For the sake of Teacher-nim and Ruan, she had to resolutely cut off such useless feelings. That was the wisest course of action, but Deborah was not the owner of such a cold and rational personality to be able to do it immediately.

She resented her Foresight. “Why didn’t you show me something like this?” If she had known beforehand with her Foresight, she would have tried not to love Ruan. At least she could have given up in advance! To realize love only to have to give it up immediately, it was too cruel…

Deborah lowered her gaze to the floor. “I envy Alisa.” – I can just take him, can’t I? I’m confident. She who answered nonchalantly to the question of what she would do if he had a partner. It was a sight that even invigorated those who saw it, but Deborah, unfortunately, couldn’t summon the same courage.

Partly because of her gentle nature, but more so, she was too afraid to dare compete with Teacher-nim over feminine charm. Because it was the worst choice, one that could lead to being abandoned by both Ruan and Teacher-nim. So, it was easier not to start at all.

Deborah, her chest aching from the bitter reality, rose from her chair with a compromise and brought her face close to Ruan’s. ‘Teacher-nim. I’m sorry.’ For the last time, truly, for the last time. Please allow me this one thing. “I love you. Ruan.” Mwah!

She gently kissed him with her confession. ‘I’ll give up completely with this.’ Deborah’s first love met its end as soon as it began.