Episode 51
Translator: RaidenTL
Episode 51
Evan felt his heart hammering in his chest. It was the fear of a man caught red-handed. This shouldn't be happening. I’m not supposed to have a shred of greed or desire for you.
He’d been taught that honesty was the highest virtue, but what good was that in the face of her pain?
So he would lie. That he’d never once wanted to touch her, never imagined kissing her, that he cherished her with only the purest of hearts…
But he quickly remembered: Elysia was someone who made a living seeing through lies.
The ache in his chest made him nauseous. His face deathly pale, Evan clamped a hand over his mouth and scrambled to his feet, pushing himself off the wall he’d collapsed against.
“I…”
He was about to make an excuse when he saw Elysia, curled into a ball with her hands over her ears. He immediately fell silent.
In truth, it was a matter he hadn't even sorted out in his own heart. He was too considerate a person to define this feeling as love. And there was no emotion Elysia feared more than love.
He fumbled through the thoughts in his mind.
It’s just that, when you’re out of my sight, my heart sinks. Ever since I heard you were so frail you could pass out from the slightest bump, I’ve found myself chasing only your traces…
That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s love, does it?
It was a good thing he hadn't said it aloud. Even as a mere thought, it was a desperate, illogical excuse.
She’d said she was from another world. The reason he could believe such a preposterous claim was partly due to the unbelievable phenomena he’d witnessed on the battlefield, but also because Elysia herself was such a foreign existence to him.
She didn't seem to realize it herself, but her very presence felt… alien.
Her light brown hair wasn’t an uncommon color, so no one ever misunderstood. But if it had been otherwise, she might have been treated like an exchange student from a distant land because of that unique aura she possessed.
It’s only natural to become interested in a novel being. After clearing up the misunderstanding from their unpleasant first meeting, Evan would sometimes find himself quietly observing the energy she gave off.
He had unknowingly committed to memory the moments when her sharp-looking face would soften during conversation, or when she would startle at some sound and whip her head around to scan her surroundings.
Perhaps it started back then.
At the time, he hadn't thought it was a big deal. Of course, he couldn't have. It was merely a prelude.
“How should I explain this…? This world was created for the amusement of people who exist in an external dimension…”
The fondness that had settled in a corner of his heart, emitting only a faint fragrance, suddenly intensified from that point on. It was like spilling a bottle of perfume in a sealed room; he couldn't easily escape the sea of its scent.
She had told him not to love her. Doing so would mean walking a predetermined path, so she begged him not to. She had demanded he prove that she wasn't the only one in this world with free will.
So, at first, he tried to interpret this obsession as a sense of duty, one that came naturally to a person whose profession was saving lives. That she herself wasn't what was precious, but the fact that she was a life he had saved.
He realized that what stirred in his heart was something far removed from such an honest emotion—something thicker, stickier—from the moment Elysia had leaned on him as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“Ugh… I think I burned the inside of my mouth. Seriously, is this something that should cost me HP? This fucking world…”
“Open your mouth.”
The heat that met his fingertips, the cat-like shape of her eyes as she looked at someone she trusted. It was dizzying. He was just standing still, yet he felt as if he were falling.
How had he reacted to that unguarded state, devoid of any doubt or bewilderment? He thought he might have even felt a thrill that was almost terrifying shoot up his spine.
Seeing her, a person so sensitive to the presence of others, calmly permit his touch, he read the complete trust she had placed in him.
He was deliriously happy, yet tormented by the knowledge that this trust was all it would ever be.
“You’ll heal me anyway, right, Senior?”
“You trust me that much?”
“…Excuse me?”
“Am I… a given to you?”
It was less a question and more a wish. I wish I were a given to you. I wish you trusted me so much that you would naturally make a place for me by your side… He froze, flustered.
Didn’t that sound just like someone begging for love?
I promised I wouldn’t do this.
He thought it would be better to despise her. It was for Elysia’s sake, no one else’s. It wasn't love. This feeling was too vast to be narrowly defined as love.
But he was frustrated because he couldn't define this feeling at all. And a part of him was afraid. Was I, a being created to love you, simply falling in love with you as destined?
And so he had run, but Elysia was not someone who could be easily pushed away.
After a certain incident that had completely upended his view on life, he'd developed a condition where he couldn't breathe properly whenever he heard an explosion or saw a massive fire.
At first, he’d felt a terror so profound his vision would go black. But gradually, he grew numb. That wasn't to say he got used to the sensation of gasping for air.
He simply came to endure it, accepting it with humility. This was the price for being the sole survivor.
Today was just another one of those countless days. As he coughed, his vision turned black, then flickered white again and again. The blood of his allies splattered, and once again, he was helpless, unable to do anything…
In that moment, a woman strode onto the battlefield. The ruins, splattered with black soil and flying bullets, began to fade away, centering on her clear, silver-gray eyes.
“Are you going to snap out of it or not?”
Her tone, as if she were grinding her teeth in anger, her urgent shout. Evan let out a faint smile, an unbidden thought crossing his mind.
I don’t want to lose her. I want to do everything with this person. It seems I’m far too selfish to give up this desire.
“…I’m sorry.”
He smiled bitterly. Forcing the smile to stay on his lips, Evan called her name.
“Elysia.”
Elysia didn’t raise her head. Her body, shrunken as if in fear, pierced through his chest and tore him apart. Evan thought about what he could do right now to help her. And he did what he thought Elysia would want.
He turned and disappeared.
You wouldn’t want to see a traitor, would you? Yes, it’s right for me to run from you.
That was his reasoning.
*
Feeling the presence moving away from her, Elysia quickly lifted her head. The man's black hair became a distant dot before disappearing around a corner.
Only then did Elysia realize she was sitting slumped on the bare floor. She pushed herself up, her face expressionless. She tried to convince herself.
I’m fine.
A gentle piano melody was now flowing from the theater. She was curious about what happened next, but she wasn't in the mood to go back. For now, Elysia just started walking forward, aimlessly.
♥ SYSTEM: ‘Art Festival’ event-exclusive costumes now on sale! Check them out in the Shop! ♥
The pop-up window from before blinked into view again. Elysia moved to close it with an annoyed flick, but then went into the shop menu, and without even properly looking at the costume, she hit the purchase button.
She couldn't just randomly lash out at someone for no reason, so she figured she might as well blow some money instead.
♥ SYSTEM: Purchase complete! Would you like to equip it? Yes | No ♥
♥ SYSTEM: Equipped! Charm has increased by 1.6%. [Effect only visible to age-verified players] R-rated Event probability has increased by 5%! (☞ ՞ਊ ՞)☞ ♥
What the fuck! I need to bleach my eyes!
Her face scrunching in disgust, she hurriedly changed her outfit back to her school uniform.
Though she hadn't been walking with any direction in mind, she seemed to have stumbled into the heart of the festival. Countless students in fancy clothes were laughing and chatting. The ceaseless music and the flower petals scattered dizzyingly across the grass… It was beautiful, but overwhelming.
With a blank expression, Elysia turned her steps toward a building that maintained some semblance of quiet amidst the chaos. The annex, attached to the edge of the Main Building, was usually neglected, but today, large men stood guard in front of it.
“Do you have a reservation?”
Elysia, who had stopped before them without much thought, glanced around at his words, trying to figure out what this place was for.
The entrance, originally made of glass, was now covered by a black curtain, making it impossible to see inside. Giving up on deducing, Elysia asked bluntly.
“What’s going on here?”
“…You came without knowing?”
“So what? Is there a problem with that?”
The man sighed lightly at her prickly tone, as if finding her absurd, before answering.
“It’s an art exhibition for students of the Art Department.”
“Ah.”
“If you don’t have a reservation, you cannot ent—”
“Will this do?”
Elysia casually handed over the ticket Siene had given her and was puzzled to see the man's expression freeze.
The man took the ticket, tucked it into his coat, and hurriedly gave an order to some servants. A swarm of people began to move with perfect coordination.
What’s with them? Just as she was about to ask if something was wrong, the man extended a hand with a polite demeanor and said.
“My apologies.”
“…For what?”
“Would you mind taking a seat and waiting for a moment?”
She’d been wondering why they were all rushing around so frantically, but it turned out they had prepared a lounge area for her in the blink of an eye. “Uh, um…” she let the man lead her to a plush sofa, where she plopped down and blinked.
What is this, am I being led away to have my organs harvested? A last supper, or something?
A tea table was set up in an instant. Elysia's jaw went slack, dumbfounded by their ridiculous speed and the sudden VIP treatment.