Chapter 513: Jealousy is My Power (13)
Chapter 513: Jealousy is My Power (13)
A chilling silence instantly dominated the clearing.
Adela stammered, her voice coming out in broken fragments as if trying to squeeze out an excuse.
"W-what are you talking about… Right, white hair! I must have found a stray white hair. I’ve been under so much stress lately!"
"Stress?"
"Well, you know. Final exams are coming up soon, right? But no matter what I do, I can’t catch up. No matter how hard I try, I’m on the verge of failing, so why does that girl…?"
Gasping for breath, Adela’s pupils shook like an earthquake.
I didn't miss this opening and whispered into her ear once more.
"‘That girl’?"
"Yes, yes… her. I have nothing, and I thought she was in the same boat as me, so why does she… have everything I ever wanted?"
Her breath hitched again.
"……Everything."
The trembling that had wracked the woman’s body stopped all at once.
Having lost all momentum in an instant, the girl didn't even twitch. Her red eyes merely glowed with an eerie light, as if she were possessed by some dark thought.
What was the true nature of the emotion flickering within them?
"Taking, occupying, having, plundering, monopolizing it all… Ah, why is she so greedy? She could have given me just one, just one thing!"
Adela twisted her body and wailed as if in genuine agony.
At this point, I slowly increased the distance between us. My hand was surreptitiously moving toward my waist.
I smelled it.
A foul stench. A disgusting scent that only beings belonging to the darkness could emit.
It was closing in from all sides. The sound of ragged, frantic breathing grew louder.
Crack, crack.
Adela’s neck snapped at a grotesque angle as she let out a sinister cry.
"That’s why I… that girl…!"
Blue ink seemed to drop into the woman’s red eyes.
In an instant, her reddish pupils were dyed blue. Blue flames erupted in the air, burning fiercely with her dense emotions as fuel.
Finally, she squeezed out a single scream while contorting her entire body.
"I’m so JEALOUS!"
With a piercing shriek, the woman’s blue eyes turned toward me. Seeing the blatant murderous intent in her gaze, I drew my hand axe without hesitation.
Splat! A spray of blood drew a crimson arc.
Adela’s arm, which had been lunging for my heart, flew through the air. Sharp claws had already sprouted from her fingertips.
But that wasn't all.
Grrr, grawr!
Demonic beasts, dripping with drool, emerged from everywhere. I had sensed their presence long ago, but the sight of the red-eyed, panting beasts was still a visual shock.
Nothing about this was normal.
Not Adela, not the demonic beasts.
Not even Adela’s arm, which was currently flopping on the ground.
Kieeeeeeeek!
Adela’s severed arm squirmed and let out a scream. Then, a slit tore across her palm, revealing another mouth.
It was a sight more hideous than I could have imagined.
So, I killed them all.
* * *
"……You killed her?"
That was the first reaction I received after finishing my story.
The words came from Princess Iris. Looking at the Princess, who still wore a dazed expression, I shrugged as if it were no big deal.
"Yes, I killed her. As you can see."
"Did you not think to attempt an interrogation?"
"Would you like to try?"
I gestured with my eyes toward the single arm lying face down on the ground.
It was the arm that had tried to attack Princess Iris just moments ago. Its momentum had been broken by the hand axe embedded in it, but judging by the way it was shivering, it seemed to still be alive.
It truly possessed a marvelous tenacity for life.
However, Princess Iris’s impression seemed a bit different from mine. Her gaze, filled with loathing, pierced down at the monster’s arm.
The monster’s arm let out one last mournful groan.
Kieeee…….
"……Enough. Get that out of my sight immediately."
Thwack.
Like a loyal subject of the Empire, I immediately carried out the Princess’s command. The hand axe, having soared into the air, plummeted down once more, finally putting an end to the monster arm’s stubborn life.
Poor thing.
I clicked my tongue and lightly raised my hand. The hand axe, having completed its mission, flew straight back into my palm.
Cien’s eyes were already sparkling.
"H-how wonderful… Sir Ian! To have achieved such results already, you’re so much more competent than a certain someone!"
"I was lucky. Besides, she revealed her identity so easily it was almost boring……."
Cien praised me to an embarrassing degree, and I scratched my head, feigning modesty.
Princess Iris, who had been watching this scene for a while, let out a faint sigh. Holding her hand to her forehead as if she had a headache, she finally spoke after a long pause.
"…..Fine, Ian Percus. I shall acknowledge your merit."
It was an unexpected compliment.
My eyes widened at the praise I hadn't even anticipated. Regardless, Princess Iris continued her proposal in a tone that suggested she was granting a great mercy.
"I will give you a special opportunity to accompany me. Depending on your future performance, it wouldn't be impossible for you to become one of my close aides."
My gaze met Cien’s in mid-air.
I wasn't the only one looking confused. Cien also looked like she didn't quite understand what Princess Iris was talking about.
In that case, I had only one answer.
"So, continue to do your best……."
"I don't want to."
Princess Iris’s soft, steady voice came to an abrupt halt.
Then, silence.
Frozen like a statue, Princess Iris didn't even twitch. It was as if she had never even imagined I would give such an answer.
So, I had to state it clearly once more.
"I said I don't want to, Your Highness."
That was it.
Princess Iris’s body began to tremble violently.
* * *
I was walking down a forest path, letting out a yawn.
Although I had rejected Princess Iris’s offer, I had already gathered plenty of information from Senior Luna. For now, there shouldn't be any major issues even if I acted alone to collect clues.
I should probably start by looking for the ‘missing persons.’
It was now clear that moles from the Dark Cult had infiltrated the Academy. Since even His Majesty the Emperor was staying here, appropriate measures would be taken as soon as a report was filed.
In the meantime, I intended to resolve a few questions.
First, Adela had revealed her identity to me far too easily.
That point kept bothering me. If she was prone to revealing her monstrous nature so simply, it wouldn't have been strange for an incident to have occurred long ago. The assumption that some conspiracy was lurking was more rational.
Why did she react so sensitively to me, of all people?
No matter how much I pondered, I couldn't come up with a proper hypothesis. In the end, I would just have to focus more on searching for the ‘missing persons’ and figure it out as I went.
And then, there was the content the man had scribbled on the back of the letter.
It was a text that appeared to be a mixing formula for some kind of chemical. To decode it, I would need to find an expert in that field.
A certain face happened to come to mind.
I was organizing my future plans as I walked.
Suddenly, a strange presence reached my ears. It had been a long time since I’d encountered someone whose location I couldn't pinpoint until they were this close.
Startled, I shifted my gaze. And then, something entered my field of vision.
It was a small pair of buttocks.
"Hmm," a faint groan escaped my lips involuntarily.
Behind a rock, a girl wearing a pointed hat was crouched awkwardly. She seemed to be trying to hide, but in her attempt to conceal even the pointed hat on her head, she had no choice but to keep her upper body very low.
The rock was too low for her to just squat, and too narrow for her to lie flat.
Thanks to those awkward dimensions, the girl was forced into a posture with her small rear sticking up in the air.
Actually, as soon as I saw those small buttocks, I realized the person’s identity instantly. After confirming the pointed hat, I couldn't help but be even more certain.
It was Senior Elsie.
She was groaning and peeking over the rock. She seemed to be tailing someone, but my attention had long been fixed on the rear swaying right in front of me.
A certain instinct surreptitiously reared its head.
Whether you called it a prankish urge or something else.
Plump buttocks were swaying right before my eyes. And they were completely defenseless.
Wouldn't you want to give them a smack?
Especially since she was the one destined to be my fiancée.
Strictly speaking, only the ‘body’ was. Since the ‘Senior Elsie’ from the future was currently borrowing that physical form.
But as always, logic couldn't keep up with instinct.
Unable to resist the urge, the sound of my palm striking the buttocks in front of me rang out.
Slap!
"Hi- Hieeeeeeeek?! No, what kind of crazy bastard… Hey! Are you insane?!"
"Shh."
I brazenly raised my index finger to my lips.
The girl’s face, flushed bright red, testified to the magnitude of her rage. Nevertheless, Senior Elsie had no choice but to suppress her scream.
If she didn't, her tailing would be discovered.
I spoke to Senior Elsie in a low voice.
"You’re going to get caught at this rate. Be careful."
"That’s because you… Hey! How dare you touch a stranger’s buttocks?! Do you really want to die?!"
"You’re the one who’s going to be my fiancée, so what’s the big deal?"
At my nonchalant tone, Senior Elsie looked like she was about to explode.
But what could she do?
She had no choice but to remain silent for the sake of her ‘tailing’ mission.
However, at this point, I became curious about one thing. Just who on earth was Senior Elsie following?
It was just as my eyes surreptitiously turned toward the narrow path ahead.
"Are you seriously crazy?! I told you, I have someone else I love! I have a boyfriend who’s much, much cooler, kinder, and purer than you! So what right do you have to lay a hand on my body……!"
"Quiet."
My voice was cold.
At my suddenly serious tone, Senior Elsie frowned. Nevertheless, she only grumbled and didn't dare raise her voice again.
My face had already hardened into a grim expression.
Up ahead, two silhouettes were flickering.
One was a female student whose name was on the ‘missing persons’ list.
And the other was someone precious to me.
It was Emma.