Chapter 568: Jealousy is My Power (68)
Chapter 568: Jealousy is My Power (68)
That day, Celine was confined to the secret room, just as she always was.
Her days were no different from the life of a larva. It was a routine of curling her body, staying perfectly still, and simply wishing for time to pass.
Even the fact that she was buried beneath the earth was the same. She looked like someone who had truly lost even the last shred of human dignity.
And yet, Celine never once uttered a word of complaint.
No, she was actually relieved by this tedious routine. A worm-like human leading a worm-like life—how could she possibly find fault with such a fitting premise?
Celine’s heart had become that tattered.
Inside the prison where even sunlight was scarce, her senses were gradually dulling, and lately, even Ian had stopped visiting. For a girl in such a wretched state, there was only one being who would speak to her.
“You look lonely.”
It was a seductive voice.
The flat, level tone carried no particular emotion. As if merely stating a frank observation, the dry ending of the sentence left no lingering trace.
Is it the usual whisper?
Celine, who had been about to cover her ears with that thought, froze.
Her startled amber eyes snapped forward. Even the way she reacted excessively to an unfamiliar sound made her think she resembled a creature living underground.
By now, a visit from another person was utterly foreign to her.
Ian hasn’t come in a long time, so who on earth could...
It didn’t take long for her thoughts to come to a halt.
“Hello, Celine Haster.”
In the darkness, a pair of blood-red eyes glowed vividly.
Even the finest rubies could not have held such a translucent light. Her skin, clear and without a single blemish, and her sharp features were enough to draw admiration from anyone, regardless of age or gender.
Above all, there was that precarious atmosphere.
Clear, yet chilling. The woman’s voice left behind such contradictory impressions.
The crimson eyes were so transparent that, conversely, their depths could not be seen. What was the implication behind the gaze fixed on Celine following that brief greeting?
Goodwill? Hostility?
Or perhaps simple curiosity.
Celine felt as if she might be possessed at any moment. The woman was so captivating that it made her even more terrifying.
It would be the end.
If she fell for this woman, it would be over. An intuition pierced through Celine’s spine that she would never be able to escape.
Intense, like a red-hot iron skewer.
And so, Celine managed to squeeze out a question.
“Wh-who are you?”
Her stuttering voice trembled feebly. A gaze mixed with bewilderment and fear reflected in those blood-red pupils.
Faced with the question, the woman proved to be patient. Instead of answering, she waited for Celine to compose herself and ask a proper question.
“How did you get in? Are you an illusion too? Like that damn woman who’s always tormenting me...?”
“An illusion, you say.”
As if faced with a grave problem, the woman placed her index finger against her lips.
Even that small gesture was devastatingly charming. The woman tapped her lips a few times before finally wearing a faint smile.
Her eyes crinkled at the corners.
“If you think I’m an illusion, then I am; if you don’t, then I’m not. Just like the Heavenly God you all believe in.”
To speak of a ‘God.’
The expression was beyond arrogant—it was hubris. Celine wanted to burst out laughing. Yet, strangely, not even a snicker escaped her.
Was it because she was so dumbfounded that even ridicule wouldn't come out?
No.
Deep down, Celine might have thought those words made sense. After all, her faith had never been particularly deep to begin with.
The woman continued to speak with an air of perfect composure.
“If you think of me as an illusion, I don’t exist; if you believe I’m real, I do... That is why I am everywhere, and yet nowhere.”
It was all vague, airy talk.
The woman pretended to answer Celine’s question while never actually revealing her identity. Celine didn’t have the luxury to engage in such Zen riddles.
She simply threw out a question filled with hostility.
“So, who are you in the end?”
“You don’t have to be so impatient. You’ll find out soon enough...”
With that, the woman moved her slender hand. She reached toward the chains connected to Celine’s limbs.
At Ian’s request, the chains were long enough to be generous. At the very least, they weren't at a level where Celine would feel discomfort in her daily life.
Though, that was partly because Celine spent most of her day curled up anyway.
However, the strength of the chains was the real deal.
Celine was someone who had already been controlled by the Dark Cult. Since a dangerous element couldn't be left unattended in the middle of the Academy, the durability of the restraints binding Celine inside the prison was beyond imagination.
She had heard that even mana couldn't properly pass through them.
So, Celine swallowed a hollow laugh and tried to say something.
“Stop it. It’s not the kind of thing you can break with physical strength anyway—”
It happened then.
With a clink, Celine’s wrist regained its freedom.
The dazed girl’s gaze fell to her wrist. She hadn't even seen the technique used, but the hunk of metal that had been wrapping around her wrist was already snapped in half, rolling on the ground.
This shouldn't be possible.
She had heard it was a top-tier item among the restraints used by the Imperial Intelligence Agency. She was told that even a Master would have to struggle for several seconds to strip them off.
As the girl blankly retraced her memories, the seductive voice reached her ears.
“...Do you believe in miracles?”
That single sentence was the signal.
Celine felt a thrill that made the hair on her body stand on end. She had thought the woman was merely an illusion, but she wasn't.
She has a physical form.
That fact began to tighten around Celine’s heart. She felt an anxiety she couldn't explain.
The girl’s eyes wandered aimlessly through the air. Just before her stiffened body could recoil, Celine’s lips parted, squeezing out a faint groan.
“You... what on earth are you...?”
“I’ve been hearing your story for a long time, Celine Haster.”
Slowly standing up, the woman spoke. Standing with her hands behind her back, the corners of her eyes curved into a slight arc.
At a glance, it was a kind-looking face. If not for those eyes that looked down upon everything.
“Abandoned by the world, abandoned by fate... and now, you are about to be abandoned by the man you loved.”
“...Shut up.”
The words surged out, thick with hostility.
However, she couldn't erase the single ounce of hesitation hidden within them. Looking down at Celine, who couldn't properly meet her gaze, the woman soon shifted her eyes toward the window.
A prison where even light couldn't properly leak in, and a girl left alone inside it.
It was impossible to tell what thoughts the woman held regarding this tragic sight. Celine could only squeeze out words of denial with all her might.
“What do you know? Ian Oppa... he’s not that kind of person. There’s no way he’d abandon me...!”
“You asked who I am, didn't you?”
As if greeting an old friend in the morning.
The woman asked back in that same flat tone. It was only natural that Celine was struck dumb.
The lips, wearing a soft smile, parted.
“The only person who loves you.”
It was before any rebuttal could be uttered.
Kneeling again, the woman carefully met Celine’s eyes and gently stroked her cheek as if handling a delicate piece of craftsmanship.
“Because I love everyone whom God does not.”
That was the end.
Celine’s vision shook violently for a moment, and soon, a cacophony of voices began to drift in.
They were memories she had buried long ago.
Dalton of the Alphenhauser family, her fallen father, and the gold mine.
Just before her consciousness cut out, there was one last whisper.
“Have a good dream.”
It didn’t take long for the fact that it was a lie to be revealed.
Because from that day on, Celine suffered from endless nightmares.
Dreams of being abandoned by the entire world.
Even so, Celine endured and endured. Gritting her teeth, her eyes becoming bloodshot.
The only reason she could do so was one.
Because she didn't want to be a burden to Ian anymore.
No, more than that, because she believed in Ian.
From a certain day, the nightmares tormenting Celine began to grow faint. When she woke up gasping for breath, there were more times when the woman’s gaze was fixed on somewhere far away.
Celine realized the reason instinctively.
Because the scent of blood was carried on the wind.
Every story was flowing toward its end. Just as all rivers gather at the sea.
The final battle was approaching.
That morning was somehow restless.
The blowing wind was like that, and the sound of the chirping birds was like that. When I shared these sentiments, the girl next to me let out a long yawn.
Soon, a disinterested gaze turned toward me. Rubbing her eyes, she did look quite tired.
“Are you an idiot? Why would the perfectly fine world suddenly become restless? If anything is restless, it’s just your heart.”
It was a surprisingly philosophical answer.
After parting my lips for a moment, I had no choice but to admit defeat. Was the power of age truly something that couldn't be ignored?
The name of the girl standing next to me was ‘Elsie Lainella.’
However, she wasn't the ‘Senior Elsie’ I knew, but a being from a future—who knows how many years ahead.
In fact, it wasn't even the ‘future’ anymore. The timeline had already been twisted so much that the ‘future’ the girl had lived in could no longer come to pass.
Even so, she was a woman who had lived several years longer than I had.
She would occasionally offer advice I hadn't even expected. Just like now.
I let out a small exclamation.
“Now that I hear it, you seem to be right. So that’s why you couldn't sleep.”
“...What?”
Senior Elsie shot me a sharp look, asking what I meant. Because she hadn't slept, the girl’s eyes were bloodshot, creating an even more fierce atmosphere.
But I wasn't one to back down at this level.
“Didn't you finally achieve the reunion you wanted so badly? But then you got dumped by your first love... I can only imagine how troubled your heart must be...”
In the end, Senior Elsie had no choice but to spit out a curse.