Chapter 42
Chapter 42
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: Radiant and Beautiful
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“…….”
My eyelids were heavy, so I could only open them halfway, but even so, I could tell this was a hospital.
As my vision cleared, the faint scent of disinfectant and medicine unique to hospitals wafted into my nose.
Sensations gradually returned to my fingers, and I felt the ambiguous texture of the bed—neither soft nor firm.
“Fuu.”
Feeling my senses return one by one, as if inserting fuses, I propped myself up.
The IV in the back of my hand was already empty, so I roughly pulled it out and sat up. Just then, the hospital room door opened.
“No, I’m telling you, it’s true. Apparently, that girl Iluania had a lover.”
“Come on, stop lying! From what I heard from my family, Deus isn’t a bad person.”
“Well, your family must’ve been covering for him…….”
Pindenai and Erika entered the room. I pressed a hand to my forehead and warned them.
“This is a hospital room. Keep it down.”
“I-I’ll go get the doctor.”
Erika met my eyes and hurriedly spun around, fleeing the room like her life depended on it. Pindenai grinned and approached.
“Care to tell me what happened this time?”
“……I just saw someone off.”
“Saw someone off? Who? Necromancers always say the weirdest things.”
She chuckled, noting that I was the only necromancer she’d ever met.
Listening to her laughter, I began preparing for discharge.
* * *
It hadn’t been a long stay in the hospital room—not much more than a fleeting moment for me—but stepping outside, the fresh air felt welcoming.
The night breeze instantly cleared the stuffiness in my chest, invigorating my body and lightening my steps.
“You’re heading back right away, right? I’ve been using the master’s room. Where should I crash now?”
Pindenai stretched as she walked past me. I didn’t hide my displeasure and asked.
“You used my room?”
“Yeah, I couldn’t sleep outside.”
“I’ll tell the dean to arrange a separate room for you.”
“Somewhere high up would be nice.”
Erika, walking behind the grumbling Pindenai, wore an odd expression.
She probably never imagined Pindenai would be so casual even with me, her master.
“Then get to cleaning my room, Pindenai. If I find even one strand of your hair, I’ll call you back.”
“……You’re serious?”
Pindenai scowled in disbelief, but I didn’t take it back.
“Come back in about an hour. Go.”
“Argh! I knew it—I shouldn’t have unpacked!”
She stomped off but bolted toward the academy at superhuman speed.
The gust from her sprint nearly knocked Erika and me off balance.
Watching Pindenai leap across rooftops and disappear, Erika muttered blankly.
“She still listens, at least.”
Left alone with her, I turned and suggested.
“How about a coffee?”
“Huh? M-Me?”
The flustered Erika pointed at herself. I nodded lightly, and after hesitating, she agreed.
I had no intention of lingering in a coffee shop. Wanting more of the outdoor air, we took our coffees and sat on a park bench nearby.
It was night, so plenty of people were out strolling.
In the park’s center stood a star-shaped sculpture made of blue light, powered by magic. It emitted a soft blue glow, illuminating the entire park.
A small child tugged at my pant leg as I sipped my coffee on the bench.
I gently stroked the child’s head, then took another sip.
“……What’s over there?”
“Nothing.”
Erika stared intently at the spot where the child was, but seeing nothing, she cleared her throat and leaned back.
Silence fell for a moment.
The city’s natural hum filled the space between us, but it wasn’t intrusive.
If anything, it bridged the gap comfortably.
I took another sip of coffee and spoke.
“Not all the evil spirit incidents at the academy are resolved. But there shouldn’t be any left with the power to cause real trouble or that are dangerous.”
“……Right.”
Erika seemed disappointed, not expecting this topic.
Our gazes remained fixed on the blue star sculpture, but the conversation continued.
“So the evil spirit that tried to kill me is gone too?”
“Yes, it’s departed as well.”
“……Right.”
Silence again.
Erika exhaled in frustration, scratching her forehead.
“What I did was all for nothing.”
I didn’t respond.
I had no intention of comforting her about that. It had been her choice.
“To be honest, I’m sorry. I really thought…… I was trying to save you.”
“I know.”
I replied flatly and took another sip. Strangely, this one tasted even more bitter despite the ones before.
“But I won’t ask you to get engaged again or anything. I did hurt you, after all.”
Erika’s grip tightened, crumpling her paper cup slightly. Her expression didn’t change.
“It’s better for you anyway, right? I heard you have someone you love deeply, aside from me. A family-arranged engagement must’ve been a nuisance.”
“…….”
“Breaking it off is a blemish for women, not men. And besides…….”
“Enough.”
My gaze had shifted to her face without me realizing.
My voice and expression were steady, but a single tear already trailed down Erika’s cheek.
“Why have you fallen so far, Erika Bright?”
“……What?”
She met my eyes, demanding what I meant, but quickly looked away.
“I’ll be honest. I feel emotions more faintly than others. It’s something I acquired later in life.”
“…….”
“That’s why I don’t really understand things like love. I thought I’d never grasp such a vague, hard-to-define emotion.”
But.
“However, by chance, I got to feel it. Not my own, but I shared the emotions of a man who truly loved one woman.”
Thinking of Deus, who had loved Iluania with all his heart, I continued.
“So now I can tell you.”
“…….”
Erika’s eyes trembled. She wore an expression wishing I wouldn’t say it.
But I spoke without hesitation.
“I never loved you, Erika Bright.”
“Ah…….”
Crumple.
Her cup crumpled further. If it had been full, the coffee would’ve overflowed, soaking her hand and the ground.
“Not for a single moment. I’ve never felt love for you.”
“O-Of course…… that makes sense.”
Before my dismissal from the academy, we’d had three months together.
About two of those with Erika Bright.
The last month, she’d been hostile toward me, so we hadn’t spent it together.
But those two months, we’d stuck close. She’d put in the effort, and I hadn’t avoided her.
Memories from then flickered by, but sadly, there were no emotional highs or lows.
“I…… know.”
Slump.
Erika bowed her head. Teardrops now fell onto the back of her hand.
But I pressed on, unconcerned.
“However, you were a woman worth loving. Worthy of being loved.”
Drip.
Erika froze.
Slowly, very slowly, she turned her head to look at me.
But I sipped my coffee and turned my gaze back to the star sculpture.
“That’s why I spent time with you. I wanted you to smile. And I wanted to love you.”
“Ah…….”
“But look at yourself now, Erika.”
Personally, I pitied her.
“You’re not the Erika Bright I first met.”
She stared at me blankly, so I continued my harsh comfort.
“Blinded by the emotion of love, you couldn’t judge properly. You thought your choices were right, but they led to nothing.”
“…….”
“And now, you’ve given up and let everything go.”
I slowly met her eyes again. This time, she didn’t look away, facing me through her tears.
I pulled a rolled-up paper from my coat pocket. It was from a Bright family servant I’d met on the way to Robern.
“It’s the dissolution of our engagement. I haven’t signed it yet.”
“……!”
“Our engagement isn’t officially broken yet, so no one can demand marriage from you while you have a lover.”
I’d already heard about Gideon from Pindenai.
The only consideration I could offer Erika.
“Stand up again, Erika Bright. Don’t bury yourself in failure—remember who you are. Don’t let love make you throw everything away.”
I rose slowly and smiled faintly at her as she took the paper.
It was a blessing for her future.
“Take hold of yourself. The you from our first meeting was a fiercely beautiful woman.”
“Ah.”
“Sign that dissolution when you’ve regained confidence in yourself. When you’re no longer swayed by anyone.”
Pat.
I placed a hand on her head.
“When you become, once more, the radiantly beautiful Erika Bright.”
Erika closed her eyes gently, feeling my touch.
“Bring it to me then. We’ll tie up our farewell.”