Chapter 196
Chapter 196
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 196
Chapter Title: I'm Not Crying
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─That's mine, put her down.
Thud— thud—
Isia replayed the sound echoing quietly in her mind before opening her eyes.
She was undergoing what was less an investigation and more a formality because she'd fought the attackers to the end, but her mind wasn't really there.
She gave vague answers to the teacher's questions, her face beet red, head bowed low, replaying only that moment from before.
She'd lost.
Overwhelmingly so. Part of it was the attackers being too strong, and part of it was that damn silver hair... no, Sophia.
Even so, she hadn't even tried to fight Sophia properly and had just stubbornly gone her own way.
She wasn't blameless. She had no excuses.
'This is driving me crazy.'
Her pounding heart was so annoying. It was racing like it might burst.
It had been a crisis. When Park Shin-woo had been kidnapped, she'd been asleep and unaware, and in crises, Lee Seong-hoon was always by her side. Always. Every time.
But not this time. She'd fought purely on her own power—and lost. Right before being captured.
That final moment. When her consciousness was hanging by a thread, she'd barely torn off the sticky note.
And with it, the footsteps, the voice, the masked figure, the brilliantly shining white scythe, and the fluttering black hair.
It wouldn't fade. It kept coming back, driving her insane.
And on top of that. On top of all that.
─Hey.
─That's mine, put her down.
The last words she hadn't quite caught kept replaying, driving her mad. What had he said? What exactly?
Two syllables. Just two. What could it be?
'Maid? Friend? Or, or maybe—'
Girlfriend?! Isia, her imagination running wild unbidden, grabbed her cheeks and shook her head in uncontrollable excitement.
Of course.
"Um..."
There was the investigator right in front of her.
"Ah."
Their eyes met, and she froze. Her brain short-circuited for a second, but she quickly straightened her posture, sitting as if nothing had happened.
"Ahem!! Ahem!!!!"
She cleared her throat. Then she pieced together the situation. From what this man was saying, he thought she'd fought until the end.
Which meant Lee Seong-hoon was covering for her again. He'd always done that, so Isia naturally...
Very naturally smiled and opened her mouth.
"Yes. I was in a fierce battle with the attackers. And then—"
Recalling what the black-haired guy had once said.
─If something blows up, just say it wasn't me first off. Please? Got it?
'The one who gets fooled is the bad guy.'
With the same mindset, she smoothly spun her lie.
Thankfully, my ultimate move: "I was passed out too!" worked perfectly.
No one suspected a thing. No one pinned it on me. So I pretended to wake up, heard the rundown of events, and now...
I'm on my way home. As for credit for stopping the attack, well...
Shouldn't it go to the blue-haired girl who patrolled the training grounds at my request?
Sharp Isia will handle smoothing out the story. This is beyond my territory now.
I saved her. That's it. End of story. Asking for more would make me a conscienceless jerk.
Of course, on the way out after waking up, I locked eyes with Shin Chae-yeon. She glared like she wanted to kill me, but she was talking to someone, so...
[I just bolted.]
"I couldn't exactly go, 'I did it~' right there. Shin Chae-yeon's from a famous swordsmanship family. Standing out with feats like that would just make her owe me. Right?"
[Yeah. You haven't changed a bit, even in your sleep.]
That's a compliment. Good. Consistency is key in a person. I hate those who act nice to your face and talk shit behind your back.
Yeah. Being consistent is great.
"Thanks for the praise. Appreciate it, but..."
I looked up as I said it. Beside me walked a stunning purple-haired beauty in a maid outfit that drew filthy stares—but no one paid her any mind.
She claimed it was "perception-lowering magic" or some crap. Whatever.
Not my problem. As long as suppressing her power keeps her location hidden, she can tag along.
"If you're ignoring everything I say and coming out to walk, how about helping a little?"
[Hm? Nah. The outside air after so long feels nice. Just carry her on your back. Isn't she your girl?]
What the hell? My girl? If you're not helping, at least walk without complaining.
I turned back, pissed at the maid who never listened, and there was the blonde with her cheek against my back, fast asleep.
Every now and then, a soft breath reminded me she was alive, along with that gentle sensation.
Something like this happened at the start of the semester too, but my feelings now were worlds apart from back then. Kinda weird.
Back then, I wanted to ditch her. Now? If I don't take her, she'll probably cry and call. So I do.
Put simply, I've developed affection mixed with annoyance. That mix turns into fondness eventually, and here we are, looking after her.
"Lee Seong-hoon..."
[Even in her sleep, she's calling your name.]
"Looks like she's tormenting me in her dreams."
[Hm. You think so? Dunno. Dreams are the unconscious mind at work. No idea what she's dreaming, but she looks happy, no?]
"If you're gonna say abstract crap like that, how about taking this cat off my shoulder? I'm dying here."
[Gotta ask me specifically? Sorry, but today's success is thanks to me.]
"......"
Couldn't argue with that, so I didn't bother replying. Things went smoothly because she showed up.
Recently, killing had felt iffy, but we wrapped it up without deaths. Gaining a spy is a huge win.
Knowing in advance what the demonkin might do in this twisted story? Massive merit.
She must've read my thoughts, because Benia chuckled 'Heh,' and I shot her a glare.
[Quit yapping and walk. Once we're at the dorm, I'll cast perception-lowering on you too. No more robe—pretty sweet deal, right?]
"Sounds good. Really good, but why keep using magic? Huh? Why ignore everything I say?"
[Don't worry. I've sealed my presence from spreading around me.]
"Other dragons could sense you!!"
[As long as the demonkin don't notice?]
"The point is I don't want trouble showing up! If you attract it, fixing it takes all day. No time to play with Levatein!!"
[Fair point. Losing playtime with Levatein is serious.]
Finally, she's listening. So go back in? Whether she got my feelings or not, Benia just kept walking.
[Fine, no more magic. Pull out the robe, then.]
"Benia."
[What.]
"That's not it."
Two-faced much? Huh? No? Exactly.
[Sigh.]
"A sigh? You're sighing? In front of your landlord?!"
[You—]
Just as our bickering was about to kick off again, a voice came from behind.
Voice? More like a sleepy mumble, muffled like echoing in a cave.
"Lee... Seong-hoon..."
"Jeez. What kinda dream is this?"
[Leave her be. Probably a good dream.]
I nodded at that. She looked content dreaming of me—what could I say?
Get her home, tuck her in, and when she wakes up starving and complaining, tell Lily to prep snacks—
That's where my thoughts stopped. The harmonious vibe froze in an instant.
Reason? Only one.
"You suck... so bad..."
"......"
Yeah. Good.
I'm ditching her here. Absolutely.
".........."
I don't like this. Not one bit. I don't like it at all. No need to hear it—I hate it so much.
What the hell is this?
I'd been in a great mood earlier. Turned a half-demon into a spy, Benia woke up.
Almost ditched Raphael on the floor but held back, got home, saw the kids smiling—that was all good.
Until...
[Benia!! Benia!!]
[Yeah, yeah. I'm not going anywhere.]
"B-Benia... ma'am? Hello!!"
[Hm. Quite a few new little ones since last time. Child of my kin. Intriguing.]
Benia patted her head, and Sion grinned shyly.
Levatein was straight-up rubbing her face in Benia's chest.
What is this? What the hell? Isn't that my spot? I'm so hurt.
Even Lily, who should be fetching me water, was kneeling before Benia.
She's stolen my place completely? I, who should be in the center of the sofa, was shoved to the living room corner, crouching and listening to their chat.
[Hm. You've become a mid-tier demon. Quite the series of events, it seems.]
「Yes. Thanks to Master.」
[Lily a mid-tier demon, and a child of kin. I want to hear what happened. Little one—no, Lee Seong-hoon. Come here and recount it.]
They chatted among themselves, calling me only when needed. I didn't wanna go, but I did. And right away, I saw Levatein beaming in her arms, Sion looking up with sparkling eyes.
At the center, that damn purple-head smirking like 'Who does Levatein like more?' as if she'd won.
I couldn't take it. I knew it'd make me look pathetic, but still. I just couldn't hold back.
"Benia."
[What. Hurry up and—]
"Get back in the [Inventory]!!"
[...What? No, more importantly, why are you about to cry...?]
I'm not crying.
Damn it.