Episode 130
Translator: RaidenTL
Episode 130
Edgar’s eyes wavered. No. He wanted to run from this madness right now, to get his old life back. But there was a strange, captivating power in the man’s words and demeanor.
Is that it? Do I want to make up for my failures? Do I want to prove myself? Do I want to show them all, the ones who look down on me, and get my revenge?
The man who had just stomped on Edgar’s leg spoke in a soft voice that was completely at odds with his actions.
“To be honest, I'm deeply disappointed. I never thought that you, who can see what others cannot, would fail at something so simple. I imagine everyone else thinks the same. They'll think you're a loser who can't do anything right. Won't they?”
“That’s not—”
“And you know it, don't you? That everyone despises you. And you want to prove them wrong. Am I right?”
Every word, every syllable, tore his heart to shreds. Visions of people surrounding him, sneering in contempt, whispering and snickering amongst themselves… He gritted his teeth.
“…I want to prove them wrong.”
As if possessed, Edgar blankly repeated Cain’s words, tears welling in his eyes. Cain let go of the collar he'd been gripping and exhaled lightly. A puff of white breath scattered into the cold air and vanished.
Cain glanced down at the broken man on the ground with contempt before turning to leave. Edgar wretchedly grabbed his ankle, sobbing.
“Please… let me prove myself.”
Cain looked back at him, his face expressionless, then deliberately stepped on his hand as he climbed into the carriage.
He’s not a piece I need right now. But it might be good to have him.
He, too, needed time to sort through his thoughts on this situation where the dead had returned to life.
*
Elysia woke with a jolt, as if from a seizure. A heavy arm draped over her body was the only thing that stopped her from shooting upright in alarm. Through a slight gap in the curtains, she could see the deep blue of early dawn.
Elysia tried to lift her arm to rub her bleary eyes, but frowned when she felt the arm wrapped tightly around her. As her sleep-blurred vision sharpened, she saw a man's face.
“What’s wrong?”
Evan pulled the stirring Elysia closer, his voice thick with sleep as he nuzzled his nose against her bare shoulder. Ah, right. Last night…
Her face flushed crimson as she recalled the events of a few hours prior. She tapped his arm weakly and mumbled in a hoarse voice.
“Water…”
“I’ll get it. You’re tired, get some more sleep.”
It was a tear-jerkingly kind gesture, but considering he was also the one who'd left her so exhausted her whole body ached, she didn't feel particularly grateful. Barely able to open her eyes, Elysia drank the water Evan brought her.
The moment she lay back down, the man pulled her back into his arms as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Gently smoothing down every strand of her hair, he murmured playfully.
“Waking up again at dawn… I guess you weren’t that tired after all.”
Her silver-gray eyes stared at him as if to ask, Are you crazy? before she slowly shook her head.
“How can you even say that…”
“I deliberately… pushed you so you could sleep without thinking about anything.”
“Ah.”
Remembering last night, Elysia let out a small laugh. It was the first time she'd realized that the ever-gentle man had a rough side to him. She reached out, pulling the warmth she never wanted to lose closer. Tighter, leaving no space between them. Then she confessed.
“My nerves… are on edge.”
“…”
“I just can’t sleep deeply.”
The sight of him, stabbed so many times that a pool of blood had formed, was impossible to forget.
Even though she had felt the pulsing heat and life pouring over her, even though she had traced the twitching muscles with her own fingertips, she couldn't believe it and clung to him, terrified he would disappear if she opened her eyes.
As if reading her anxiety, Evan placed a light kiss on her forehead and whispered.
“I’m right here.”
“…”
“I’m not going anywhere. I promise.”
Unable to reply, Elysia burrowed deeper into his chest. He looked down at the back of her head and silently patted her. He pulled the blanket up, shielding her from the cold dawn air.
A hot lump surged from her chest into her throat. He wiped away the tears streaming down her face and whispered in a low voice.
“You saved me again.”
“…I was too late. If I had been just a little… just a little bit later.”
“Even if I had died, the fact that you saved me wouldn’t change.”
He gently kissed her closed eyelids, his lips twisting into a bitter smile. He sighed regretfully and murmured.
“Someone else is wielding the knife, so why should you, the one trying to block it, be the one to feel guilty?”
Their eyes met, and their lips touched. The two of them sank into a kiss that neither had initiated, only pulling apart a long while later. She reached out, placing her hand over Evan’s heart, and murmured with her eyes closed.
“Never again… I won’t lose you.”
“Yeah, don’t lose me. My leash is yours, so hold on tight.”
What was it about those words? Her accumulated anxiety vanished without a trace. Elysia closed her eyes, a wave of exhaustion finally washing over her. Her heart, which had been pounding madly with anxiety and rage, gradually slowed to match the rhythm of Evan's hand patting her back.
As she finally relaxed completely, her body going limp, he pulled her closer. Enveloped in his warm scent, Elysia suddenly recalled Cain's words.
“I'm the only one who can understand you. And you're the only one who can understand me.”
No, that’s just your delusion.
You're nothing but a madman chasing the illusion of reality. An unexpected error caused the system to collapse, giving this place the potential, however incomplete, to evolve into another reality.
But you ignore the signs, choosing to reign like a tyrant instead of granting this world its freedom.
Immature. You're nothing more and nothing less than a childish lunatic. Your thoughts are just your own wishful thinking. And everything you spout about me is just a description of yourself.
“Elysia Hemming, you act as if you're sick of all this… but the truth is, you love it. The violence, the chaos, and playing the hero in the middle of it all.”
Words that seem to be about me, but are actually about you. You're the one who enjoys creating violence and chaos to test your own control, not me.
“If not, haven't you been chasing me a bit too obsessively?”
Let me interpret that for you.
“You and I are the same.”
You're obsessed with possessing me. That's because you think we're the same. You're trying to grasp me with a sense of kinship you've fabricated out of thin air.
In that case, I'll have to use those feelings to my advantage.
Elysia thought, clenching her jaw.
You're just a difficult problem I happened to run into. And I'm not generous enough to let a mere problem like you lay a hand on the people I care about.
She closed her eyes, feeling the warmth wrapped around her. Never again. I'll protect them, no matter what I have to do…
*
Pale white sunlight poured into the glass greenhouse. Unlike outside, where red-tinged leaves tumbled across the ground, the inside of the greenhouse was filled with a green that defied the season.
Someone walked up and stood before the man sitting on a chair in the center, reading a book. Cain looked up at his visitor and snapped the book shut. He smiled faintly.
“Sit.”
Elysia slumped into the opposite chair, crossing her legs and folding her arms with a blank expression. Resting his chin on one hand, the man stared at her intently and asked with a smile.
“What brings you here to see me?”
Elysia let out a disbelieving scoff and glared at him fiercely. Her clenched fist slammed down onto the table with a loud bang. Regaining her composure with an effort, she spoke.
“You look like you’re in a good mood.”
“You came to see me. Of course I am.”
“Really? What a coincidence. I'm also happy because someone who was dead came back to life. It's rare for both of us to be having such a good day.”
Catching the momentary twitch that distorted Cain's expression, she shrugged and added.
“Looks like only one of us is happy now.”
“How did you do it?”
“You think I'm crazy enough to tell you?”
Elysia snorted and leaned toward the table. Tapping her fingertips on the glass, she opened her mouth, her expression serious.
“…I'm sorry for what happened to you.”
Of course. Cain let out a small laugh. He wasn't surprised by her softened demeanor; he'd expected her to understand.
You could never bring yourself to harm me. Because killing me would be the same as killing yourself. He remained still, his red eyes fixed on her.
He was thirsty. He wanted to reach out. He recalled Elysia’s forearm, which he had treated a few days ago. The woman's skin, which he'd expected to be cold, had been soft and warm. It felt real, like the one and only reality. So much so that he'd wanted to press his lips against it.
Whether she knew his thoughts or not, Elysia looked him straight in the eye and continued.
“Your unfortunate childhood, the hundreds of repetitions you endured, the sense of betrayal you must have felt… it was all cruel. I express my sympathies.”
His heart plummeted. He listened blankly to her murmured words of comfort, and finally, unable to resist the impulse, he reached out and took her hand from the table.
Elysia glanced down at their joined hands without a change in expression, but when she looked up and met his eyes, she flinched.
The corners of the man's eyes, wet with a murky ecstasy, were trembling. Meeting his hazy red eyes, which looked as if they were lost in a dream, she barely suppressed the urge to look away.
The sleeve of the white shirt he was gripping tightly became horribly wrinkled. Her cool, silver-gray eyes watched Cain's agitated face.
Soon, Elysia used her free hand to pry his off, continuing in a hard tone.
“But that’s as far as it goes.”
Cain, who had been slowly leaning closer, froze. It was as if something inside his eyes had shattered. She paid him no mind and said everything she had to say.
“Does your past justify the crime of intentionally spreading a highly addictive drug to create chaos, and committing murder in the process?”
“…”
“Your past is context, not an excuse.”