Episode 133
Translator: RaidenTL
Episode 133
The tailing began over something trivial. After her conversation with Cain, Elysia’s nerves were stretched taut.
Evan, who had been suddenly summoned to an empty field near the academy, looked down at the heavy, strangely shaped black gun that had been placed in his hand.
“It’s a bit tricky to handle, but I trust you’ll be good with it, Senior.”
Evan thought of the guns he had used before. The basic shape was similar, but this one looked sleek, as if all the cumbersome parts he was familiar with had been stripped away.
As Evan examined the gun with a look of vague recognition, Elysia stood beside him and spoke.
“You know the basic grip, right? Go on, hold it.”
“It’s so… small. And light.”
“I gave you the largest pistol there is, and you think so?”
She’d given him the one with the most destructive power, the biggest one she had, thinking he could handle it. And he was calling it small. Elysia watched in fascination as Evan turned the pistol over and over in his hands.
Soon, with a serious expression, he gripped the gun, raised his arm, and stared into the distance. Standing behind him, Elysia nudged his ankle with her foot.
“Hmm, I guess you have some experience. You’ve got the form down right away. Just spread your legs a little wider.”
He tilted his head slightly, then pulled the trigger. A sharp bang echoed as the bullet flew through the air and hit a tree far in the distance.
He looked down at the pistol in his hand, surprised, and frowned. He’d thought the short barrel would limit its range, but to have this much firepower…
“How do you reload?”
“It’s automatic.”
“Automatic?”
Shocked, he aimed at the tree again. He pulled the trigger once more and his eyes widened as he confirmed that a bullet, automatically loaded, indeed flew out.
“How did you do that?”
“I’m not an expert, so I don’t really know the principle… It’s just… how it is.”
“This is revolutionary. No need to reload.”
“You still have to change the magazine, though.”
Elysia took out a pistol identical to his and ejected the magazine with a practiced hand. After performing the crisp, precise action with a deadpan face, she looked up.
“All you have to do is—”
Suddenly, with a soft peck, his lips met hers. Evan grinned, enjoying the sight of Elysia’s face, now bright red with embarrassment.
There was nothing more amusing than watching his lover’s usually stoic expression shift through a spectrum of colors. Elysia glanced around nervously. Thankfully, no one was in sight.
“What was that for, all of a sudden?”
“Felt like kissing you all of a sudden.”
His displays of affection had become remarkably natural lately. Elysia’s lips parted and closed before she whipped her head away, muttering.
“Don’t do that when I’m holding a gun. Ah, I almost shot you…”
Clutching her pounding heart, she put the gun she was holding back into her inventory. Following her lead, Evan slid his gun into its case and pulled her into his arms before she could escape.
She punched his shoulder with her fist and snapped.
“Hey, we’re outside!!!”
“I’ll just hold you, okay?”
As he smoothly kissed her neck, the hand pushing against his shoulder weakened. Evan seized the opportunity, stubbornly burrowing in and holding her tight. Her fidgeting hands eventually found their way around his neck.
He felt a sense of fulfillment welling up in his chest as he pressed his forehead against hers. Smiling until his eyes curved, Evan kissed the bridge of her sharp nose and whispered.
“Should we head back?”
“There’s not much left to teach, but…”
“You’re cold. Let’s go.”
Elysia was clenching her jaw, as if trying not to let on that she was shivering from the cold. The effort was admirable, but he could see right through it.
He casually took off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders, urging her on without a change in expression.
“You’ll catch a cold. Let’s go inside.”
“Aren’t you cold, Senior?”
“Well, the climate here is on the warmer side…”
“You call this warm?!”
Evan looked down at the horrified Elysia with a pitying expression and murmured.
“You’re going to have a tough time when you visit my hometown, El.”
Right, she remembered hearing that Löwe was located at the northernmost tip of the continent. Elysia recalled her geography lessons, impressed. Unlike her, who was huddled against the cold, Evan showed no sign of being chilly. Wow, environment really does make the man.
Sniffling, she pulled the jacket tighter around her shoulders and grumbled in a sulky voice.
“I’m not living there.”
“I’ll buy you everything.”
“How can you buy the weather?”
“Coats, and this and that…”
“I hate layering up. It feels stuffy.”
The sound of strangely hurried footsteps followed her. Elysia barely suppressed the smile trying to break through, turning to face Evan with a neutral expression.
Before she could fully turn, he pulled her into a sudden back hug. Grinning, Evan said.
“You won’t be cold like this.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
Laughing at their own silly jokes, the two walked on, hand in hand. As the white buildings of Minerva came into view, Evan spoke hesitantly.
“I really want to show you a winter in Löwe.”
“Does it snow a lot?”
“In the dead of winter, it snows so much that it’s hard to get around. The Sylvester mansion is at the edge of a cliff, and the view from there, of the snow piling up on the frozen waterfall… it’s beautiful.”
Listening to him, Elysia couldn’t help but burst out laughing at his natural attempt to invite her to his home. As Evan sheepishly fiddled with her cheek, Elysia said.
“Alright, what the hell, let’s go.”
What kind of scenery did you grow up in? In truth, she was more interested in that than the snowy landscape. She tapped his cheek and said.
“Once this is all over, let’s go with a clean slate.”
“That’s a promise.”
“Okay, let’s do it.”
To think she was here, smiling and face-to-face with the person who had made the absolute worst first impression on her. Elysia felt the passage of time in the chilly early winter air. The warmth of their clasped hands was comforting.
“By the way, about Ian… Hmm? What’s that?”
Just then, Elysia spotted a familiar carriage leaving through the main gate. Her eyes narrowed as she confirmed the Violante family crest emblazoned on it.
Ah, right. She remembered freaking out and stopping Siene a while back when she said she was hiring people to move some things. After agonizing over it, it seemed she had asked Lucian for help.
About to return to their conversation without another thought, Elysia felt an unpleasant prickling at the back of her head.
“Something feels… off.”
A gut feeling isn’t a prophecy. That abstract sensation, which elicits little more than a thought of ‘What is this?’, is what we call a hunch.
And while it may not predict specifically what will happen, it’s brilliant at pulling at your nerves and pointing you in the right direction.
“Senior, I have to go somewhere for a second.”
And Elysia was the type of person to charge headfirst in that direction, even without a clear plan.
*
She was drenched in sweat from getting lost in the alleyways at the last minute. Elysia wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand, panting for breath.
The assailant, who had been struck by a steel pipe she’d grabbed from her inventory in her haste, was spread-eagled in the middle of the alley. Siene, her eyes brimming with tears, shrieked.
“What took you so long!!!”
“The streets are a maze! Why would you come to a shop in a place like this?! Fuck, they should just bulldoze this whole area…!”
“Waaah…! I-I almost died. You should have come faster. You idiot, moron, s-slowpoke…!”
“Hey, you… See, what did I tell you? I told you not to wander around carelessly.”
Watching Elysia handcuff the man, a pale-faced Siene asked.
“He’s… not, d-dead, is he?”
“People don’t die that easily.”
Siene glared at her friend’s indifferent tone and shot back.
“Right! And I’m asking if you killed him despite those conditions!”
Elysia looked down at the unconscious man with a puzzled expression and muttered ambiguously.
“I think I controlled my strength well…”
“Are you sure?”
Siene frowned, recalling the distinct sound of the impact she had just heard. Was that really a controlled attack? Elysia subtly avoided her gaze and added one crucial word.
“Relatively…?”
“He’s… alive, right?”
Elysia placed a finger under his nose and nodded. Siene let out a sigh of relief, then glared daggers at her. Noticing the shift in her attitude, Elysia instinctively took a step back.
Oh boy, here comes another scene. Elysia quickly began to drag the man to his feet, trying to make a swift exit.
“…Huh.”
But the man’s face, now that he was upright, looked quite familiar. Elysia quickly searched through her memories. A flat nose, a wart next to his mouth…
The faces of countless people flashed through her mind before stopping on one. Elysia froze as she remembered where she had seen him.
It was a face she’d seen when she was being chased from Alma’s first hideout she had discovered.
“…I’ve hit the jackpot.”
Sweat poured down her face as she practically hoisted the large man over her shoulder. Giving up on moving him with her own strength, Elysia dropped the unconscious assailant back onto the ground.
She didn’t even glance at the body as it fell with a thud, kicking up a cloud of dust. She gestured to Lucian, who was standing there dumbfounded.
“Get me a carriage.”
It was an utterly outrageous attitude, but he had just owed her his life. There was no reason not to comply. Besides, this man had tried to murder them both. Further investigation would be necessary.
Lucian, who had ordered a carriage from the servants who had rushed over breathlessly upon hearing of the commotion, said.
“The destination will be the Violante estate for now—”
“No!!! Not there.”
It was then that someone popped into Elysia’s mind. A man who had planned to deliver thorough retribution to those who dared threaten a member of his family.
She had been planning to visit him anyway. If she shared information with him, they might be able to resolve this quickly. Elysia stopped Lucian and spoke to the coachman.
“We’re going to the Sylvester mansion. Oh, and it would be great if you could also tell Evan Sylvester at Minerva to meet us there.”
“What are you doing? No, what are you planning? Why take him there? We can just punish him immediately and be done with it—”
“No, no. This case isn’t the end, it’s the beginning. I’ll share any information I find with your side, so you can put that worry to rest.”
The assailant, who had been unconscious for a while after the blow, opened his eyes. Elysia glanced at Siene and muttered, “See? I told you I controlled my strength,” before meeting the eyes of the man sprawled on the ground.
“You bastard, you got caught at the perfect time.”
“You’re insane, what kind of brutish attack was that—”
A wad of cloth was immediately shoved into his mouth. Gag, retch. Elysia stared down at the man dry-heaving with a cold gaze and informed him.
“Don’t even think about biting your tongue off. I’ll keep you alive no matter what and squeeze every last drop of information out of you.”
A grin spread across her face as she continued.
“I’ll find out everything, right down to the type of fiber in your underwear.”