Chapter 164
Chapter 164
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 164
Chapter Title: Day and Night #5
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A complete mess.
First things first, I needed to stop the bleeding from Mirna's hand. Her hand was cut open—probably from smashing the glass—and blood was streaming from the back of her hand.
Red droplets splattered onto her pale white skin, soaking the floor. The dizzying metallic scent made my head spin.
The iron smell of blood is far stronger than most people imagine.
Even Elga, of all people, wrinkled her nose at the sight.
"What the hell is this? Why are you acting up all of a sudden? Have you lost your mind?"
Mirna just bared her teeth at Elga.
"You barge into my room without permission. How rude. Get out... now!"
Of course, Elga wasn't the type to obediently leave just because Mirna told her to. And I wasn't heartless enough to leave Mirna in this agitated, injured state by herself.
"Miss Mirna, calm down first. Let's treat that wound."
"......"
Mirna stared at me wordlessly. Her red eyes were even more swollen—probably from crying—like a rabbit's.
She finally parted her lips just a little.
"I don't need your help."
Her voice sounded utterly defeated. Yes, defeated. Self-destructive. The signs of someone whose mind was crumbling fast.
Words that didn't suit Mirna at all, who always tried to stay composed and elegant.
Something must have happened to her this morning, or maybe late last night. I glanced at her ears.
There were just the pierced holes left. The earrings Narmi had bravely put on yesterday were gone.
Was this whole mess about those missing earrings? It seemed likely.
That's when Mirna shrieked.
"I said I don't need your help, so get out!"
"......"
My sensitive fairy ears went numb for a moment.
I needed to calm her down before her agitation led to something even more unpredictable.
"Elga, could you keep an eye on Miss Mirna for a bit?"
"What? Why me?"
"She might hurt herself worse if we leave her like this."
"What a hassle. Fine."
While Elga kept tabs on Mirna, I reached for my waist.
In my hand was Angmar's secret spellbook.
I'd asked Aira to store a small-scale space-time spell in this book, which could hold one magic at a time.
"What are you doing?"
Mirna seemed intrigued by the magic circle spreading out from the spellbook on the floor. Instead of answering, I chanted the incantation to activate it.
—Squirrel Storage—!
Clap.
After clapping, the circle hummed and glowed. I slowly extended my hand toward it.
Shloop.
My hand sank right into the circle. It looked like it vanished, but it had just entered the connected space.
I'd done this a few times, but it still felt weird.
Even the furious Mirna seemed intrigued.
"...A portal spell? I heard those are high-circle grand magic, fifth circle or above."
"That's right. Aira stored it in the spellbook for me. Lets me store and retrieve stuff from a linked space like this."
Basically, like an inventory in a game where characters can put in and pull out items. The 'Squirrel Storage' spell could hold about as much as a one-ton truck's cargo bay.
By the way, it's called Squirrel Storage because that's what Aira named it when she stored the spell. Something about squirrels being cute.
Anyway.
Thanks to it, I didn't have to lug stuff around—I could just store and retrieve as needed. Finally, my hand grasped bandages and ointment.
* * *
The good news was that the cut on the back of Mirna's left hand wasn't too deep or severe.
It might leave a small scar, but we'd deal with that later.
"It's just temporary for now. If you move too much, it'll reopen and bleed again."
Swish, swish, swish.
I wrapped the bandage neatly and secured it firmly around her hand.
Mirna, who had bristled at first, had calmed down enough to just let me treat her.
But her face still looked pouty and dissatisfied. Her cheeks puffed out because she was pressing her lips together so tightly—they were begging to be pinched.
"You're not a kid anymore. What the hell was that? Has the black magic finally driven you insane?"
Clink, clink.
Elga swept the scattered glass shards aside with her slippers and asked Mirna pityingly.
Mirna scowled at Elga's scolding and snapped back even more curtly.
"None of your business."
"Yeah, figured as much."
"Elga, you might cut yourself. Leave the glass shards. I'll clean them up."
I used a broom and mop to tidy up the broken glass and bloodstains on the floor.
Once I pried off the shattered window frame and dragged the broken mirror out into the hall, the room finally felt a bit more livable.
But Mirna was still in a foul mood.
"......"
She stared at the teacup I'd handed her for a long while. Then she suddenly raised her hand high, as if about to smash it on the floor.
"What do you think you're doing?"
She couldn't because Elga grabbed her wrist and snatched the cup away. Good thing I'd left it to Elga—I couldn't have stopped her alone.
"This girl's not right in the head. What's her deal?"
By now, even Elga seemed curious about Mirna's state. But Mirna wasn't opening up. Probably because there was something she didn't want to tell Elga.
A sisterly fight, most likely.
That's what it looked like to me.
So naturally, she wouldn't want to spill family drama to an outsider like Elga, the eldest daughter of a rival house.
"Elga, could you step out for a bit?"
"What?"
"She might have things she doesn't want to say in front of you."
"Hmph. Those Draco girls really know how to wear you down. Fine. I'm tired anyway—I'll be in my room."
Elga acknowledged she had no choice, despite her curiosity, and headed to her room next door.
Now alone with Mirna, I asked her, still seeming unresolved.
"What happened? I never thought you'd act this emotional, Miss Mirna."
"......"
Once again, Mirna answered with silence. To knock on the door of her closed heart, I gently probed.
"Some trouble between you sisters?"
Twitch.
Mirna's shoulder trembled faintly. A tiny shake, but to a half-fairy like me, it was as good as a confession.
Family issues, then.
If it was just family matters, it might not be right for me to pry further. But I suspected my involvement played a part in the fight between Mirna and Narmi.
Like egging Narmi on to wear those earrings yesterday. Maybe Mirna had found out about my relationship with Narmi.
I should probably stick by Mirna's side all day today.
She seemed like she might cause an accident any moment. Like suddenly jumping into a river or running into traffic?
Not that there were rivers or roads around here, of course.
So what about Narmi?
Looking at the room full of shattered mirrors and glass, I grew worried about Narmi's unknown status.
But that worry didn't last—Mirna finally spoke up after a long silence.
"Sir Theo, the world has rules."
"Rules?"
"Yes. Rules that must be followed. And many rules, norms, laws, and disciplines exist for reasons, even if they're harsh or stifling—they must be obeyed."
"...Rules."
"And when rules are broken, there should be criticism and punishment. So now, I have no sisters. Remember that, Theo Gospel."
"......"
No sisters? Disowned? But Mirna and Narmi weren't the type to cut ties just because they wanted to?
I was dying to know what happened to Narmi, and it made me anxious. But asking now might really set Mirna off, so I held back.
At least she wasn't dead or anything. Once she calmed down after some time, she'd probably talk.
* * *
Mirna, me, Elga, and Aira. The four of us sat around a large table at a fancy restaurant.
Elga and I had to watch Mirna's mood, though. She was far from her usual self.
"It's better than I expected. Who knew roasted tomatoes could make such a delicious dish."
Clink, clink.
Unlike her usual quiet endurance at meals, Mirna seemed unusually cheerful today. It felt forced, like she was acting bright, which made me worry more.
Maybe she was deliberately showing us that she was fine now.
"Eating together at a restaurant like this is nice. Don't you all think so?"
"......"
"......"
That's why Elga and I felt so awkward watching her. After the meal, Mirna elegantly dabbed her lips with a napkin and said,
"If we have nothing after lunch, how about a group walk? To build some camaraderie."
"A walk? Did you say walk? And camaraderie?"
Elga's jaw dropped, unable to hold back. Mirna's bizarre behavior today had pushed her patience to the limit.
"Hey, what's your game? Why are you acting like this?"
Mirna replied to Elga's baffled question.
"Game? I just feel like taking a walk."
"......"
Elga started to say something, lips parting.
"Hoo."
Then she let out a small sigh and looked at me. I had no real answer, so I just shrugged lightly.
"A walk."
Surprisingly, it was Aira—who'd been sitting quietly—who picked up on it.
"A walk sounds good. The weather's perfect for it. We could enjoy some leisure like ordinary countess or baron's daughters."
Enjoying leisure.
It felt a bit off hearing that from Aira, who spent her days napping or reading with nothing else to do.
But Aira seemed thrilled by Mirna's sudden walk proposal. So we finished eating and headed out for a stroll.