Niel looked at her, who was hard at practice, and picked up a dagger and stabbed him in the arm. Blood dripped from the wound. “Then I’ll be able to practice like this.”
“Hey! Are you insane?”
The scream startled Elsia, who was concentrating with her eyes closed. Niel was taken aback because he hadn’t expected her to react so violently.
“Why? Didn’t you want me to try divine magic?”
“But why cut the flesh? It hurts.” She irritatedly put her hand on Niel’s wound. The pain gradually subsided.
“At this level, you’ll need to use divine magic for two days— why did you stab so deeply?”
“Well, efficient and good.”
“Don’t do it again.”
“Why? It’ll heal anyway.”
“What’s the point of living if you’re going to die anyway?” Elsia was taken aback by Niel’s words. “People don’t like being sick, and they don’t like seeing others get sick. Please refrain from doing so in the future.”
“And how about the monster?”
“It’s gotten even worse.”
Elsia responded calmly, examining his arm.
“But what’s the matter with you?”
“It’s insignificant. I just want to do my best, so I’m thinking about it. It doesn’t change the fact that I’m terrible.”
Elsia replied grimly.
“Well, I’ll give it my all.” Normally, Niel would be unconcerned about what she was thinking. But when he saw Sera and Dalton’s reaction, he became strangely bitter because he could guess what kind of emotional storm she was suppressing.
‘Usually, humans are afraid of dying, and they are afraid of monsters—’
Niel is the type of person who keeps a journal by himself if she turns into a monster, so he had never considered Elsia’s feelings before.
‘I’m sure it’s not easy to remain calm.’
Elsia shifted her focus and resumed her divine magic practice alone. It was remarkable that she remained calm about her work, in contrast to the man who screamed even when others cut his arm. Niel wondered what Elsia thought of him for a moment.
All the women he’d ever met were either hated or madly in love with Niel. He hadn’t realized there was a woman who treated him like this before. “But Elsia, I know I’m your older brother—but isn’t this a little much?”
“What are you on about now?” Elsia spoke to him without looking at him.
“You and I met unexpectedly after living our lives to the fullest.
“So?”
Niel smiled as he stroked his arm, which was recovering from divine magic. “What if it isn’t between a brother and a sister?” Elsia didn’t respond, instead looking out the window and resting her chin. She muttered after she had been thinking for a long time.
“—We’ll become good friends.”
‘Friend? Me?’
Niel blinked as he received an unexpected response. “Not all of them, but there are secrets only the two of us know— Whether you’re a playboy or a gangster, it appears you’ve grown more at ease—” She had a lot of secrets, no matter how hard he thought about it.
How did she escape the palace, how did she become the Marquis’ adopted daughter, and why did she use black magic? She didn’t respond no matter how many questions Niel asked. She also kept quiet about what she discussed with the Lord of Wizard Tower.
“And— There are so many things you don’t tell me.”
“But at the very least, you know the most.” With a smile, she added.
“I’m genuinely a friend.”
Elsia looked at him with her eyes lifted. Niel couldn’t make a strange smile at each other.
He had a hunch that the “becoming the monster” that the tower’s owner had mentioned would happen faster than he expected as he watched her mana flow diligently.
“You—”
If he records her transformation into a monster, it will be a very rare record in the tower. In fact, he was originally delighted to be able to observe and study the process.
If it weren’t for Elsia in the future, I might never have had the opportunity to make this observation. “—Really, what are you going to do? Starting now.” Nobody has ever told him that he is a friend.
The wizards are mostly individualists, and he has never seen the need for such a thing. Still, he had the sudden realization that he didn’t want this woman who tells him he’s her friend to be short-lived or ruined.
“So, I’ll give it my all. In a specific situation.” Elsia responded coolly.
She always seemed determined, come to think of it.
“You’ll be the first to know— if I think I’m going to turn into a monster.”
“Maybe?”
“I have a request for you. Despite the fact that I doubt you’ll listen.”
“Just tell me.”
“Please don’t drag the monster transformation too far and kill me. True, I want to live a long life, but I don’t want to be like that.”
“……”
“I understand. It would be better if you kept a journal and tracked my monster transformation day by day. I’ve been thinking that it might be a good idea to go to Prince Ixion right now. He’ll kill me right away.”
“—Does the Prince have any idea? He isn’t even a wizard —”
“In any case, I don’t want to die at the hands of Prince Ixion. So please.”
Niel remained silent, staring into her red eyes. It hasn’t been long since he met Elsia, but they did become close quickly, possibly because she was the first woman involved in ‘magic.’ In a different way than other women.
Elsia smiled as she looked at Niel, who was silent. “I’m sorry, but you’re the only friend who is aware of my situation.”
Niel, unlike him, turned his gaze blankly.
*****
“It’s been a while since they left the Wizard Tower, so I expect them to be back at the Marquis by tomorrow.”
As he listened to Aiden’s report, Ixion wiped the blood from his sword. Because the Devil’s Children have a base in this world, it was impossible to completely eliminate them.
Fortunately, the monsters’ habitats were set.
A fairly large monster colony was right next to the Marquis of Evgeny. If the population grows too quickly, it will harm the residents, so it must be eliminated periodically.
The monsters would reappear no matter how many times they were eliminated.
“Perhaps we should go to the Marquis the next day.”
Ixion responded right away. “I need to see Elsia.”
“Uhm— What are you going to do when you meet her?”
“I need to persuade her that it’s not that guy.”
“Didn’t you think she’d have heard something like that by now, Prince?” Aiden began his analysis of the situation with a calm tone. Even on this battlefield, Aiden knew he was far superior to Ixion.
From the position of a true deputy, he had to provide sound advice.
“If it doesn’t work after that—” Ixion smiled as he wiped his sword. “I have to seduce her somehow.”
“Seduce? The Prince? Oh, my God. Subjects and predicates that do not fit.”
“Why? She told me the other day that she likes me, so why not just do it?”
“So, what exactly is it?”
“Uhm—” Ixion didn’t do anything special, no matter how hard he tried.
“Existence?”
“No, that’s not it.” Aiden slowly shook his head.
“Then it will be difficult to meet at all. Even if you make up all kinds of excuses, you spend a lot of time, and there are many small gifts—”
Their conversation did not last long. This is due to a Knight rushing in and making an unexpected report.
“Prince, Young Lady Elsia, and the wizard Niel have paid us a visit.”
“— What do you mean? Why are they not going to the Marquis?”
“Yes. They said they came here right away.”
“Why the hell?”
“They’d like to join you in your battle against the monsters.” Ixion looked at Aiden in disbelief. He was only here, but he was able to meet her. Furthermore, neither Elsia nor Niel appeared to be interested in the monster.
When Ixion ran into Elsia at the Count Recesil’s mansion, he remembered her terrified expression when she saw the monster’s blood. Aiden shrugged his shoulders, as if ashamed.
“Wow, our Princess has never moved as much as I expected.”
******
Despite the cold wind, I was dripping with sweat.
‘I’m sure it came out of nowhere, because the two of them who didn’t seem interested in fighting the monsters suddenly showed up.’
Besides, I was half convinced that Ixion was aware of my ‘monster transformation.’
‘I have a feeling I’m in a situation where I have a suspicion but no physical evidence.’
He proposed to me because he couldn’t destroy a family that was friendly to him, and it was as if he warned me not to go to the tower for fear of doing something in vain.
‘If I turned into a monster, he’d kill me deftly.’
I tried not to show it to Niel, but the more I remembered, the worse it seemed if I didn’t keep using divine magic to purify it.
No matter how many questions I asked, I had a feeling Niel would use me as a test subject, and I didn’t think he’d kill me quickly. I remembered Niel’s face smiling among all the tower specimens when I saw him.
The worst-case scenario was that I, as a monster, would not kill Niel for his academic greed, and I would become the world’s scourge.
I hated dying at the hands of Ixion, but logically, I needed someone who would kill me without hesitation.
That’s why Niel didn’t object when I asked him to accompany me to Ixion.
“You said you were confused, but what decision did you make at the Wizard Tower?” Ixion said as he handed the tea to me and Niel.
Surprisingly, Niel’s tea tasted almost exactly like fresh water.
“Yes.”
I nodded. “That’s why I’m here.”
“Welcome, that’s a wise decision.” As he looked at me, he smiled.
‘Look! ‘I believe he knows something.’
Furthermore, the eyes that were staring at me were strangely staring at the prey. While looking at me, I believe he is extinguishing his fighting spirit. Nonetheless, as my last hope, I didn’t want to talk about the monster transformation directly with my mouth.
Certainty is not the same as doubt.
I’m not sure why I don’t want to tell him I’m turning into a monster.
Niel looked at her, who was hard at practice, and picked up a dagger and stabbed him in the arm. Blood dripped from the wound. “Then I’ll be able to practice like this.”
“Hey! Are you insane?”
The scream startled Elsia, who was concentrating with her eyes closed. Niel was taken aback because he hadn’t expected her to react so violently.
“Why? Didn’t you want me to try divine magic?”
“But why cut the flesh? It hurts.” She irritatedly put her hand on Niel’s wound. The pain gradually subsided.
“At this level, you’ll need to use divine magic for two days— why did you stab so deeply?”
“Well, efficient and good.”
“Don’t do it again.”
“Why? It’ll heal anyway.”
“What’s the point of living if you’re going to die anyway?” Elsia was taken aback by Niel’s words. “People don’t like being sick, and they don’t like seeing others get sick. Please refrain from doing so in the future.”
“And how about the monster?”
“It’s gotten even worse.”
Elsia responded calmly, examining his arm.
“But what’s the matter with you?”
“It’s insignificant. I just want to do my best, so I’m thinking about it. It doesn’t change the fact that I’m terrible.”
Elsia replied grimly.
“Well, I’ll give it my all.” Normally, Niel would be unconcerned about what she was thinking. But when he saw Sera and Dalton’s reaction, he became strangely bitter because he could guess what kind of emotional storm she was suppressing.
‘Usually, humans are afraid of dying, and they are afraid of monsters—’
Niel is the type of person who keeps a journal by himself if she turns into a monster, so he had never considered Elsia’s feelings before.
‘I’m sure it’s not easy to remain calm.’
Elsia shifted her focus and resumed her divine magic practice alone. It was remarkable that she remained calm about her work, in contrast to the man who screamed even when others cut his arm. Niel wondered what Elsia thought of him for a moment.
All the women he’d ever met were either hated or madly in love with Niel. He hadn’t realized there was a woman who treated him like this before. “But Elsia, I know I’m your older brother—but isn’t this a little much?”
“What are you on about now?” Elsia spoke to him without looking at him.
“You and I met unexpectedly after living our lives to the fullest.
“So?”
Niel smiled as he stroked his arm, which was recovering from divine magic. “What if it isn’t between a brother and a sister?” Elsia didn’t respond, instead looking out the window and resting her chin. She muttered after she had been thinking for a long time.
“—We’ll become good friends.”
‘Friend? Me?’
Niel blinked as he received an unexpected response. “Not all of them, but there are secrets only the two of us know— Whether you’re a playboy or a gangster, it appears you’ve grown more at ease—” She had a lot of secrets, no matter how hard he thought about it.
How did she escape the palace, how did she become the Marquis’ adopted daughter, and why did she use black magic? She didn’t respond no matter how many questions Niel asked. She also kept quiet about what she discussed with the Lord of Wizard Tower.
“And— There are so many things you don’t tell me.”
“But at the very least, you know the most.” With a smile, she added.
“I’m genuinely a friend.”
Elsia looked at him with her eyes lifted. Niel couldn’t make a strange smile at each other.
He had a hunch that the “becoming the monster” that the tower’s owner had mentioned would happen faster than he expected as he watched her mana flow diligently.
“You—”
If he records her transformation into a monster, it will be a very rare record in the tower. In fact, he was originally delighted to be able to observe and study the process.
If it weren’t for Elsia in the future, I might never have had the opportunity to make this observation. “—Really, what are you going to do? Starting now.” Nobody has ever told him that he is a friend.
The wizards are mostly individualists, and he has never seen the need for such a thing. Still, he had the sudden realization that he didn’t want this woman who tells him he’s her friend to be short-lived or ruined.
“So, I’ll give it my all. In a specific situation.” Elsia responded coolly.
She always seemed determined, come to think of it.
“You’ll be the first to know— if I think I’m going to turn into a monster.”
“Maybe?”
“I have a request for you. Despite the fact that I doubt you’ll listen.”
“Just tell me.”
“Please don’t drag the monster transformation too far and kill me. True, I want to live a long life, but I don’t want to be like that.”
“……”
“I understand. It would be better if you kept a journal and tracked my monster transformation day by day. I’ve been thinking that it might be a good idea to go to Prince Ixion right now. He’ll kill me right away.”
“—Does the Prince have any idea? He isn’t even a wizard —”
“In any case, I don’t want to die at the hands of Prince Ixion. So please.”
Niel remained silent, staring into her red eyes. It hasn’t been long since he met Elsia, but they did become close quickly, possibly because she was the first woman involved in ‘magic.’ In a different way than other women.
Elsia smiled as she looked at Niel, who was silent. “I’m sorry, but you’re the only friend who is aware of my situation.”
Niel, unlike him, turned his gaze blankly.
*****
“It’s been a while since they left the Wizard Tower, so I expect them to be back at the Marquis by tomorrow.”
As he listened to Aiden’s report, Ixion wiped the blood from his sword. Because the Devil’s Children have a base in this world, it was impossible to completely eliminate them.
Fortunately, the monsters’ habitats were set.
A fairly large monster colony was right next to the Marquis of Evgeny. If the population grows too quickly, it will harm the residents, so it must be eliminated periodically.
The monsters would reappear no matter how many times they were eliminated.
“Perhaps we should go to the Marquis the next day.”
Ixion responded right away. “I need to see Elsia.”
“Uhm— What are you going to do when you meet her?”
“I need to persuade her that it’s not that guy.”
“Didn’t you think she’d have heard something like that by now, Prince?” Aiden began his analysis of the situation with a calm tone. Even on this battlefield, Aiden knew he was far superior to Ixion.
From the position of a true deputy, he had to provide sound advice.
“If it doesn’t work after that—” Ixion smiled as he wiped his sword. “I have to seduce her somehow.”
“Seduce? The Prince? Oh, my God. Subjects and predicates that do not fit.”
“Why? She told me the other day that she likes me, so why not just do it?”
“So, what exactly is it?”
“Uhm—” Ixion didn’t do anything special, no matter how hard he tried.
“Existence?”
“No, that’s not it.” Aiden slowly shook his head.
“Then it will be difficult to meet at all. Even if you make up all kinds of excuses, you spend a lot of time, and there are many small gifts—”
Their conversation did not last long. This is due to a Knight rushing in and making an unexpected report.
“Prince, Young Lady Elsia, and the wizard Niel have paid us a visit.”
“— What do you mean? Why are they not going to the Marquis?”
“Yes. They said they came here right away.”
“Why the hell?”
“They’d like to join you in your battle against the monsters.” Ixion looked at Aiden in disbelief. He was only here, but he was able to meet her. Furthermore, neither Elsia nor Niel appeared to be interested in the monster.
When Ixion ran into Elsia at the Count Recesil’s mansion, he remembered her terrified expression when she saw the monster’s blood. Aiden shrugged his shoulders, as if ashamed.
“Wow, our Princess has never moved as much as I expected.”
******
Despite the cold wind, I was dripping with sweat.
‘I’m sure it came out of nowhere, because the two of them who didn’t seem interested in fighting the monsters suddenly showed up.’
Besides, I was half convinced that Ixion was aware of my ‘monster transformation.’
‘I have a feeling I’m in a situation where I have a suspicion but no physical evidence.’
He proposed to me because he couldn’t destroy a family that was friendly to him, and it was as if he warned me not to go to the tower for fear of doing something in vain.
‘If I turned into a monster, he’d kill me deftly.’
I tried not to show it to Niel, but the more I remembered, the worse it seemed if I didn’t keep using divine magic to purify it.
No matter how many questions I asked, I had a feeling Niel would use me as a test subject, and I didn’t think he’d kill me quickly. I remembered Niel’s face smiling among all the tower specimens when I saw him.
The worst-case scenario was that I, as a monster, would not kill Niel for his academic greed, and I would become the world’s scourge.
I hated dying at the hands of Ixion, but logically, I needed someone who would kill me without hesitation.
That’s why Niel didn’t object when I asked him to accompany me to Ixion.
“You said you were confused, but what decision did you make at the Wizard Tower?” Ixion said as he handed the tea to me and Niel.
Surprisingly, Niel’s tea tasted almost exactly like fresh water.
“Yes.”
I nodded. “That’s why I’m here.”
“Welcome, that’s a wise decision.” As he looked at me, he smiled.
‘Look! ‘I believe he knows something.’
Furthermore, the eyes that were staring at me were strangely staring at the prey. While looking at me, I believe he is extinguishing his fighting spirit. Nonetheless, as my last hope, I didn’t want to talk about the monster transformation directly with my mouth.
Certainty is not the same as doubt.
I’m not sure why I don’t want to tell him I’m turning into a monster.
