No Other Way (4)
It was the only way. (4)
The moment Claire and Reyan stepped into the guild, Runyang approached them with a playful bounce in her step. There was no malice in it, of course. The air between Claire and Reyan now felt subtly different from the first time she had seen them. Reyan was her precious little brother figure—a genuinely good person, rare in this cruel era—and his girlfriend didn’t look happy at all. Even knowing she was Claire Artifare of that disgraced family, Runyang trusted Reyan’s judgment and wanted to lift the girl’s spirits.
“...Did you two fight?”
If she said that, Reyan would probably shout that they hadn’t. And if she didn’t believe him, she planned to push them to at least hold hands.
‘...They really did fight?’
Reyan didn’t exactly deny it. He simply cared about Claire so much that, even though he himself didn’t look particularly happy, he kept changing the subject.
“...The subjugation training expedition was commissioned by the Meliard family, right? No jokes—tell me what you actually know.”
Separate from her disappointment in Claire, she figured that suddenly acting friendly toward someone who had been hated their entire life wasn’t something the girl would want. After all, it had taken Runyang a full month of persistent visits before their own relationship had become normal.
Of course, Runyang had no way of knowing that.
‘It’s true love…!’
Even after fighting, the way he put Claire before himself made Runyang certain that Reyan had been struck by the fever of love.
‘...But I really don’t have anything to tell you.’
She had only accepted the request because Heste’s scouting commission listed Reyan’s name. The guild wasn’t taking on subjugation jobs right now while preparing for the academy expedition, so things were relatively quiet. The chance to see her precious junior again—and get paid for it—had been enough for her to agree without a second thought, in true cat-beastkin fashion.
So the only thing Runyang actually knew was one ominous rumor circulating inside the guild union that oversaw the academy-linked training expedition.
After a brief hesitation, unable to stand the lengthening silence any longer, she spoke.
“...Well, I heard that for this expedition, Duke Ephedrine has personally recognized someone. They apparently assigned that person an Elite Oak as their individual subjugation target. That’s what I heard, anyway.”
Reyan easily brushed off the mention of someone “recognized by Duke Ephedrine,” assuming it couldn’t be him or Claire. But Claire couldn’t do the same.
‘...Individual subjugation? Th-that can’t be…’
She had already heard the full story from Heste on the rooftop. Even though she had known, hearing it confirmed again—by a guild master, no less—made her lips tremble violently.
“...What? No, stop lying. How could anyone subjugate an Elite Oak alone? They’d die for sure.”
“Wouldn’t anyone help if their friend was in danger of dying? The academy says you’re all friends, doesn’t it?”
Claire turned, searching for Heste. She should have entered the guild with Runyang, but she was nowhere to be seen. The parchment Heste had given her on the rooftop had only said Reyan needed to subjugate one of the monsters. It had never mentioned he had to do it alone. She needed to ask exactly how Heste planned to protect him. If he truly had to face it solo, it meant Reyan would inevitably be pushed to the brink of death against that Elite Oak. It meant he would have to distance himself from both her and Heste.
But no matter how hard she looked, Heste was nowhere in sight.
In the end, Claire asked Runyang directly. Her voice shook, though her eyes remained fixed on Reyan.
“...Are you saying the person Duke Ephedrine recognized has to subjugate the Elite Oak alone?”
“Probably? I heard the guild union already captured one…. Once they confirm the person is alone, they’ll likely have to enter the Black Forest, complete the subjugation, and bring back proof.”
“...If there aren’t other people in the Black Forest subjugating different monsters, no one would be able to help, right?”
“...I suppose not?”
Noticing how serious Claire’s expression had become, Runyang shot Reyan a meaningful look—take care of her—and said, “Why are you so anxious? This has nothing to do with Miss Artifare, Miss Meliard, or our Reyan, right? There’s no need to worry. It’s someone else’s problem! Isn’t that right, Reyan?”
Reyan could more or less guess what Claire was thinking.
‘...Duke Ephedrine’s name came up. Of course she’s scared.’
He gently pulled the trembling Claire into his arms and whispered against her ear.
“...I know what you’re thinking. Don’t worry too much. Duke Ephedrine might be disgusting, but we’re just a commoner and a fallen noble. Would he really stake his family’s honor on certifying our talents just to kill us? If we died, it would be the same as dragging the ducal house’s reputation through the mud.”
It was meant to reassure her. Assigning a monster to someone whose talent he had publicly acknowledged—if that person died, it would cast serious doubt on the duke’s judgment. So such a thing probably wouldn’t happen.
“What are you two whispering about?”
That was when it happened.
“You all look like you’re having fun.”
Heste finally appeared. The beautiful dress she had worn earlier had been changed for something easy to move in. Claire, who had been nestled against Reyan, gently pushed him away.
“...Hey, Heste.”
She walked over and carefully took the other girl’s hand.
“...Come to the bathroom with me. I’m scared.”
It was an excuse to speak about things she couldn’t say in front of Reyan—under the pretense of being ‘friends.’
“...Oh, sure.”
Caught completely off guard, the perpetual smile on Heste’s lips melted into open surprise.
“Reyan, I’ll be right back.”
Claire, who had tried her hardest to hide her sorrow and rage while looking at him, led Heste toward the bathroom.
In front of the sink, Heste’s face flushed as she asked, “...Do I need to wait inside?”
She hadn’t imagined it would be this easy to return to the way things used to be. Watching her look so shy and embarrassed, Claire clenched her fist in disgust. Soon her eyes flooded with black.
“...Did you know?”
“...Know what?”
“...That Reyan has to go into the Black Forest alone—did you know?!”
Clear disappointment settled over Heste’s face. The realization that Claire had only asked her to the bathroom to talk about Reyan, not because they were friends, made it sting even more.
“...You call me over here just to talk about Reyan?”
“Answer me! I asked if you knew!”
Heste gave a small, bitter laugh.
“Yeah. I knew.”
“...You said you’d protect him!”
“I will protect him.”
“...You said you liked Reyan. That you cherished him as much as I do. Then why—why the hell are you letting him walk into the Black Forest?!”
Heste stared at the genuinely furious Claire for a moment, then grabbed her wrist and yanked her forward. She shoved Claire against the bathroom wall, bracing one hand beside her head and leaning in until their faces nearly touched.
“...We had an agreement, Claire. We said we’d be friends. We never used to scream at each other like this. Is this what friendship looks like to you? Tell me—do you want me to leave? Do you want me to disappear from your side and Reyan’s?”
A cold smile curved her lips.
The chill of the tiles seeped through Claire’s back. In the mirror, she saw their distorted reflections staring back.
“Reyan won’t die. I told you I like him as much as you do. I was ready to borrow my family’s power to save him in a moment of crisis—got it?”
“I hate that such a situation would even happen in the first place! I hate even the possibility of him getting hurt…!”
“...It has to be this way.”
“...What?”
“...That way, I get to save him and grow even closer to Reyan, don’t I?”
To get closer to Reyan—so that you’ll have no choice but to keep looking at me, just like now.
Hiding her true feelings as best she could, Heste pushed off the wall and walked to the sink. She saw her own reflection and how far it was from the image a young lady of the Meliard family should present, but she only shrugged while washing her hands.
“So stop worrying. I won’t let the situation you’re afraid of happen, Claire. I’ll wait outside. Finish up and come out.”
Even after Heste left, Claire couldn’t move. She had believed Heste would save and protect Reyan. She had been completely wrong. The prerequisite for saving him had always been stealing him away.
Claire slid down the wall, crouched, and buried her face in her knees. After a long moment she stood, walked to the sink, and splashed water on her face.
“...Oh, you’re back. Follow me!”
When the two girls returned, Runyang immediately led them to the training ground. Heste made a point of smiling and chatting with Reyan on the way, but Claire couldn’t. Her mind had gone ice-cold. Heste’s words and that frigid smile kept echoing in her head.
‘That way, I get to save him and grow even closer to Reyan, don’t I?’
It terrified her. It was only natural to develop feelings for the person who saved you.
Thud—.
Walking with her eyes on the floor, she didn’t even realize they had reached the training ground until she walked straight into the door.
Reyan approached with worry in his eyes, but Claire instinctively avoided his gaze and stepped inside.
Soon Runyang spoke.
“...Alright, we’ll do three-on-one sparring. This is to gauge your skills, so give it everything but don’t push yourselves too hard. If you get injured, you won’t be able to participate in the expedition.”
To Runyang, it was simply the responsible thing to do—gauging their abilities before offering proper guidance, just as Heste and Reyan had sparred earlier to measure each other. But to Claire, the words carried an entirely different meaning.
Heste and Reyan simply nodded calmly. Only Claire heard something else.
‘If Reyan gets injured and can’t participate in the expedition…’
Then Heste would never have the chance to save him and grow closer. He wouldn’t even leave to face the Elite Oak, so the situation would never arise. If she stayed by his side to nurse him, women like Runyang or Heste wouldn’t be able to approach. If he was treated at the academy, there would be no fear of assassination. It wouldn’t count as refusing the expedition—it would be absence due to injury, so he wouldn’t be expelled either.
This was to protect him.
This was the only way she could protect him.
This was for Reyan.
“...Claire?”
Reyan, noticing her standing there dazed, came over and pressed a hand to her forehead. “Is something wrong?”
“...Mm. Nothing’s wrong.”
Claire shook her head. She watched his back as he walked toward Runyang for the spar and bit down hard on her lip. She bit so hard that blood welled up.
‘...There’s no other way but this.’
Peeep—!
The moment Runyang blew the whistle, the spar began.
And before even three minutes had passed, black mana flickered in Reyan’s hand as he tried to deflect Runyang’s wooden sword.
Runyang’s eyes widened. So did Heste’s. Only Reyan, who trusted her too deeply, simply thought his body felt strangely heavy.
“...Reyan, dodge, you idiot!”
Runyang’s urgent shout came too late. Reyan felt his sword suddenly become as heavy as a lump of lead. His will had nothing to do with it—his slowed blade couldn’t keep up with Runyang’s strike, and a sharp impact slammed into his torso.
Thud—!
A wooden sword was not harmless. Flesh tore beneath clothing. Bones snapped. As a Silver-rank adventurer, Runyang operated on an entirely different level from ordinary people even without mana. It was only natural.
The wooden sword that had struck his defenseless torso shattered on impact, driving several large splinters deep into his body.
“...Kuhuk—!”
Reyan collapsed, coughing up blood. Curled on his side like a shrimp, his body shook uncontrollably. Groans thick with pain spilled from his lips as he clutched his torso.
“Rey-Reyan!”
Even Heste, caught completely off guard, moved to treat him in a panic, but—
“...C-Claire? Wh-what the hell…?”
With tears in her eyes, Claire had seized Heste’s wrist.
If Heste healed Reyan, he would still have to go on the expedition.
“It was for Reyan…”
Hoping she would understand, Claire yanked Heste’s arm harder. Today, of all days, her eyes were dyed an especially deep, dark black.