Chapter 86: 'Holy' Ellis's Day (7)[R-18]
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 86: 'Holy' Ellis's Day (7)[R-18]
“...Es...telle?”
“A-Ah, ahh!... I-Ian!!... H-Help!!... Es... Estelle... she’s gone crazy!!”
“....”
Grip!
Estelle’s nails dug into her clenched fists.
Ian was the one person she never wanted to show this side of herself to.
Even now, the memory of Ian’s sorrowful face back in their first year occasionally flickered through her mind.
...But she had to make Delphicia pay.
“Fire—Water—Shi....”
She tried to chant, ignoring Ian, but...
Snap!
“Estelle!!”
In an instant, Ian rushed over and grabbed her wrist, shouting.
“Let go!!... Ian!! I said let go!!”
“I get it, so just calm down and cancel the magic first!! You can still cancel the incantation!!”
“No!!! Ian!! No!! Let go!! I have to do this!! I have to make Delphicia pay for what she did!!”
“Estelle!! Please!!”
“Aaaaaah!!! Ian! Let go! Please, just let go!!!... Ah?... Aah!!”
Vroooom—!!
Perhaps because her emotions were too unstable, the magic collapsed, and the mana contained within the water droplets showed signs of exploding.
‘...N-No!’
If the water droplets burst like this, Ian would be caught in the blast.
Even if it meant her own death, she could never let that happen.
Swish!
She tried to pull the droplets toward her chest right before they detonated, but...
Boom—!!
“...Huh?”
“....”
Instead, the moment the water droplets exploded, Ian shielded her and was blown back.
“I-Ian!!!!”
Evelyn’s scream rang out.
“Ah... ah...! Ahh... ah...!!”
Blood trickled from the forehead of Ian, who had collapsed on the floor.
She was the one who had caused it.
“N-No!!... No!!.... I-Ian..!...!! Ugh...!!!”
Nausea surged within her.
She couldn't breathe.
It felt like her heart was being torn apart.
She didn't know. She didn't know.
What she was supposed to do.
How she was supposed to act...
She couldn't think of anything.
Her vision simply dyed black.
“Sob...! Gasp..! Uuuugh....!!... Ha... Aaaaaah!!!”
“M-My Lady!!!”
By the time she regained her senses...
She was crying in Frederica’s arms.
“I-Ian!!!!”
Delphicia’s fingertips trembled at the sight of the wailing Evelyn.
‘...Is... is he dead?’
Did Ian die because of me?
“Ah.. ah..!!.. No!!.. I.. Ian!!... P-Please.. wake up!!.. Sob.. ah.. aaaaaah!!!”
She hadn't intended for things to escalate this far.
She just wanted to mess with Estelle, who had been getting on her nerves.
That was all it was supposed to be...
“..Sob... P-Please.... S-Someone... go... and... fetch Lady Yuris... anyone...!... Ian... please... wake... up... sob!!”
“Ugh!! It’s okay! I’m awake. It’s fine, so don’t call her... Lady Yuris will be shocked. Ow!... That hurts!”
“Ah..!!.. Ah... ahh... ah...!!!... Sob... ah.. hic! Sob... Hey!... You... you f-fucking idiot!! Sob...! If you i-interfere like that in the middle of a chant... what am I supposed to do!!... Sob...”
“No... Evelyn, it was still possible to cancel the incantation then... I thought she would cancel it.”
“S-Shut... up... you f-fucking bastard!!... Sob... If... if you... d-died!!... or... were s-seriously... hurt!!... What... what about me!!.. Sob....!!”
“I’m not dead, so stop crying. Okay? And it’s not like I rushed in without thinking. It wasn't a ‘Blade’ type spell anyway; it was just ‘Droplets.’ At most, a bone would have broken. And Estelle must have controlled her power well, because I’m perfectly fine.”
“Sob... You i-idiot... a b-broken... bone... is ‘at most’?... Sob.. And... w-what do you mean you’re fine!!... Your... your forehead.... is... b-bleeding...”
“Oh... you’re right. Well, it’s probably just a scratch. Look. It’s already almost stopped.”
Only after seeing Ian smile as if it were nothing did Delphicia finally breathe a sigh of relief.
“Haa... T-Thank you... Ian... for helping me... You even got hurt because of me... I’m sorry...”
“No, Delphicia, there’s no need to be sorry. Friends are supposed to help each other. Are you hurt anywhere besides your cheek?”
“Uh... yeah, Ian. T-Thanks to you... I’m not hurt.”
Delphicia gave a small smile.
Thinking that she was the one Ian worried about right after Evelyn—not Estelle—she honestly felt a sense of superiority.
“Is that so? Then, Delphicia...”
“...Yes?”
At that moment, Ian picked up Estelle’s gift box, which had been tossed on the floor, and asked.
“......Did you do this?”
It was terrifying.
Terrifying. Terrifying. Terrifying. Terrifying. Terrifying. Terrifying. Terrifying. Terrifying. Terrifying. Terrifying. Terrifying.
Was Ian a man who could make such an expression?
Because he was always smiling and cheerful, she had never even imagined him getting angry.
“Hic... A-Ah... No!... It wasn't... it wasn't me... Ian!”
“....”
Looking at Ian’s face now was far more frightening than when Estelle had fired her magic.
“B-Believe me!!.. Sob.... I... I didn't do that...”
“....”
Ian’s black eyes pierced through Delphicia.
Tremble—!!
Had he realized she was lying?
Delphicia’s entire body shook at the sight of Ian staring at her in silence.
“Right... then that’s a relief.”
A moment later, only after seeing Ian’s faint smile could Delphicia finally breathe again.
“Evelyn.”
“Sob... Yeah... hic...”
“I’m fine... so calm down now... I’m going to go look for Estelle for a bit.”
“Dammit... Go to the infirmary first... no... sigh... fine. Try the stairs at the right end of the 4th floor first. She seems to be there often.”
“Yeah, thanks for telling me.”
Step—
Ian tucked the ruined gift box into his coat and walked out of the classroom.
“...Ha.. haa.. haa!!”
“Are you okay, Delphicia?”
“Uh.. yeah... Suina... I’m fine. Luckily, it blew over well...”
Bang—!!
At that moment, another loud noise echoed through the classroom.
It was the sound of Evelyn kicking the wall.
“...Uh... Evelyn..?”
“....”
Thump— Thump—
Evelyn, who had walked over without a word, glared at Delphicia and spoke.
“You fucking bitch.”
“...W-What?.. F-Fucking bitch?”
Everyone knew Evelyn had a fierce personality, but no one had ever seen her curse at anyone other than Ian until now.
“Yeah, you fucking bitch. It was you, wasn't it?”
“...W-What? Why... all of a sudden... are you... c-cursing...”
“What are you playing dumb for? I’m talking about you ruining the gift Estelle brought.”
“N-No... Evelyn... I... didn't...”
Slap—!
“Don’t you dare lie to my face before I literally rip your mouth open. I’m barely holding back as it is.”
Evelyn had slapped her.
And hard enough to cut the inside of her mouth.
“Sob!!.. N-No...!... I said it wasn't me!!... Y-You... you saw it too...!! Even Ian believed me when I said it wasn't me.. A-And... you don’t have any proof that I..!”
“Sigh... You bitches really take Ian for a total pushover.”
Slap—! Slap—!
“Hey, I told you not to lie. I said I’d rip your mouth open.”
“...Sob!.... Ugh!.. Hic...”
“Fuck!! Do you really think Ian fell for your pathetic little lie?”
“Ha.. hic... Eve...”
Slap—!!
“Don’t interrupt me, just listen. You fucking bitch. Ian didn't get fooled; he chose to be fooled. Why? Because you’re a good actor? Because he likes you?”
“...Hic!... Ugh!... Mmph!...”
“No!! Just because he wants to believe!! Fuck!! Because he wants to believe that a classmate wouldn't do such a piece of shit thing!! But what, ‘it blew over well’? You really want to die by my hand?”
“Sob!.... Hic!... I-I’m sorry... I’m sorry... I’m sorry...!”
“Haa.... Yeah, you fucking bitch, you should be sorry. For treating my childhood friend like such a fool. But you know...”
Evelyn took a long breath and brushed her hair back.
“Aren't you sorry to Estelle?”
“...Sob....!.. E-Evelyn...”
“If you like Ian too, then you should know! How hard it must be to convey your feelings to Ian when a childhood friend like me is right by his side!!”
She knew it well.
Delphicia had also thought about giving Ian chocolates, but she hadn't been able to because she was scared of Evelyn.
The top student of the 2nd year was the Red Rose Heiress.
The second-place student was Estelle...
But if one had to pick the most terrifying person in the 2nd year, it was always Evelyn.
“...But Estelle was going to try. Whether it succeeded or not, she was going to tell him, fuck!! I can’t even imagine how much Estelle agonized while preparing that gift, and you turned it into that?”
Whoosh—
Evelyn’s mana flared out, and her golden hair fluttered in the air.
“...When Estelle comes back, you better apologize properly.”
“Hic...! Sob....! Gasp....!”
“You fucking bitch... aren't you going to answer?”
“..Sob.... I-I understand...!... I-I’ll do it!... I’ll apologize.. sob!!”
“Haa... If you get it, then stop fucking crying, you bitch. What did you even do right to be crying, fuck... Whew... Fuck, how many times are you going to make me say fuck. Fuck.”
“......”
“What are you glaring at? Why? Is it shitty seeing your friend get slapped? You want a taste too?”
“...N-No... Evelyn...”
“Then take that bitch and get the hell out to the infirmary!! Agh!!! This really feels like shit, fuck!!”
Slam—!!!
Evelyn left the classroom, slamming the door violently...
But no one left in the room could open their mouths.
‘...Estelle!’
Dash! Dash! Dash!
I was running around trying to find Estelle, but she was nowhere to be seen.
“Oh my~! Senior Ian! What a coincidence!☆”
...Instead, I saw Elfriede.
“Sorry, Elfriede, but I don’t have time.”
“Che~! You always seem busy whenever you see me, Senior. Last time you said you’d contact me...”
“...Elfriede. I really don’t have any leeway right now.”
“Eh? A-Ah, no... wait a second!... It’ll really only take a moment... since it’s the Day of Lady Ellis...”
“...Sorry. Later.”
Dash! Dash!
I apologized to Elfriede and started running again.
But...
‘...She’s not here.’
I searched the entire 2nd-year building, including the place Evelyn mentioned, but Estelle was nowhere to be found.
Since Estelle in her wheelchair wouldn't be faster than me, it meant she had already gone home.
“....”
Sitting down on the stairs, I pulled Estelle’s gift box from my coat.
It had become incredibly crumpled from whatever had been done to it, but I could still tell it was filled with sincerity.
“...I was feeling really good, too.”
Just a few dozen minutes ago, I had been so happy it was one of the best moments of my life...
In an instant, my mood had turned into the absolute worst.
“Haa... what do I do...”
I hadn't told Estelle, and I had no intention of ever telling her, but...
I had been overlapping ‘the past me’ with ‘Estelle.’
That was why I approached Estelle first.
Just as I had been helped by Evelyn, I wanted to be of help to Estelle.
...But.
Only after running around like this, with my heart feeling like it would burst as I searched for her, did I realize it too late.
“It wasn't just because of that...”
The fact that through the time we spent together, Estelle had become an undeniably important existence to me.
