Chapter 64
Chapter 64
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 64
Chapter Title: While I Was Away (5)
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I had no intention of actually attacking her. No matter how much I hated the sight of Adella clinging to Louis's side.
However, unlike Liv, who had merely raised her staff, the other side had already begun casting a spell. And it was a menacing one I'd never seen before.
The cold air stretched toward me. It was sudden, but Liv didn't panic.
She swiftly leaped back and began casting a defensive spell. But at that moment, something unexpected happened.
Crack-crack-crack!
"Ugh...!?"
The magic circle froze solid midway through formation. It was Roshiar's unique magic art, which took the form of ice but wasn't classified as an elemental spell.
Though it was an imperfect first cast fueled by intense emotion, Adella's magic spread without giving Liv any room to defend.
"Kuh...!"
In the end, Liv switched to offense. In an instant, several massive wind orbs formed inside the canteen.
Like the ice shards flying everywhere, the frozen portion of the orbs shattered items in the canteen.
This is bad. All she could think was that Louis would be furious.
While altering the trajectory of the approaching orbs toward her heart, Liv shouted irritably.
"You, stop this right now!?"
"I-I can't stop it-meow!"
"What!?"
"I-I just wanna stab so bad, it won't stop-meow!!"
Crazy bitch.
I hadn't expected her to wield such powerful magic, but the fact that she couldn't control it properly was even more ridiculous.
In that case, there was only one option.
'I need to deflect the trajectory.'
Liv focused her mind and analyzed the spell. It had no layered magic for 'tracking' or 'refraction.'
So if she deflected it sideways just once and sent it flying behind her, that would be it.
She combined them into ten Wind Orbs. While slowing the approach of the terrifying drill that shredded magic with its sharp whine as much as possible, Liv prepared to radiate the orbs in one direction.
But then, Adella's aggrieved cry reached her ears.
"It's all Baroness's fault...!"
"What...?"
"T-Teacher and I love each other! You butted in on your own!!"
Love each other?
The shocking statement made her doubt her own ears, freezing Liv's thoughts in place.
And then—
Boooom—!!!
Fortunately, Adella's spell, which Liv had tried to deflect sideways, didn't pierce her heart, but it flew off elsewhere and exploded.
"Ah."
A small sound escaped one of the two as they sat facing each other, having tumbled backward.
She looked up at the gaping hole in the ceiling, and soon the other followed suit.
Drip, drip...Thud!
"No..."
"Oh my god..."
This time, Adella and Liv groaned in unison.
The canteen's second floor, which Louis cherished so much, had been destroyed.
I decided to spend the night in a village near the Sandalphonia Canyon with Lehel. Our business had wrapped up faster than expected, and after trudging through the desert all day, I was exhausted.
The small village, located in terrain spared from severe sandstorms, even had a few rare wooden buildings.
I rented a room in one of them, bought a bucket of water, and washed off the grime first.
'Definitely a desert—water's pricey.'
No money to spare, so I had to use it wisely. It'd only been three days since leaving the academy, so the canteen's earnings probably weren't much yet?
Lost in such trivial thoughts, I finished a quick shower, wrapped a towel around myself, and headed to the room where Lehel was waiting.
I'd spent almost all my money on food I couldn't even eat, so we were sharing a room.
"Chairman. You washing now? After midnight, it's two more gold per bucket..."
But when I opened the door, Lehel was nowhere to be seen. Just an old pointed hat on the bed.
Where the hell was she wandering in a town with no acquaintances? Worried, I roughly dried my hair and went downstairs, spotting her right away.
— Raise!
— Haha, innkeeper! More drinks here!!
— Heh, hey, young mage. You snap-calling after that flop?
— Scared? If you're scared, fold!
— Alright, all-in!!
A boisterous atmosphere clashing with the desert night. Amid the drunken nomads, I spotted a white-haired mage in the thick of a drinking game.
Couldn't hold back and started gambling, huh. As I pushed through the crowd toward Lehel, she suddenly screamed.
"Kyaaah!! No way!! Full house! It was a full house!!"
"Tough luck. Now, poker. Hand over your robe and that iron trinket on your chest with your bet."
"Nooo!! Give it back! Give it baaack!!"
Her opponent fiddled indifferently with her cracked Four-Leaf Medal as she pleaded.
"What, it's just a rag good for wiping feet. Want it back? Bet that this time."
He pointed to the rosary on her left wrist. Unlike the smelly, dirty robe, it looked expensive at a glance.
I silently watched her from right behind, clutching her head in agony.
For a mage, a catalyst was more than a magic conduit—it was as precious as life. Especially in prestigious magic families, they were often heirlooms.
Probably the most valuable thing she owned. Even when she lost everything in Alzas before, she hadn't pawned that.
"Ugh, uuuugh...!"
After agonizing for a while, she tremblingly removed the rosary from her wrist. Just as she was about to place it on the table, I shoved her aside and sat down.
"Innkeeper!?"
"How do you play this game?"
The straw-scented room had transformed into the village's finest—the top-floor suite of the luxury inn.
Lehel burst into the room with a joyful scream and flung herself onto the fluffy bed.
"Kyaaah!! This is amazing! Innkeeper, I love you!!"
The room held a basket brimming with whiskey, Sandalphonia's famous mud cookies, and goat cheese from the canyon. Lehel poured drinks into questionable glasses(?) and handed one to Louis as he entered with her robe.
"Come on, sit on the sofa! Have some of this too! How are you so good at gambling? Have you played before?"
"No, beginner's luck, I guess."
"You're incredible. Hold'em isn't just luck—math calculations matter too. You're smarter than you look."
"What?"
"Oh, nothing. Hehe, um... Innkeeper. Wanna go expedition gambling with me sometimes? We'll rake in all the gold on this continent!"
Unlike Lehel, who flailed her arms while redraping her precious robe, Louis showed no emotion. Instead, he swirled the glass under the light before setting it on the side table.
"Chairman."
"Yes? What's up?"
"Let me see that."
"Oh~ the booze? Of course! Gimme your glass. I'll take the small one since I don't like it much anyway."
"Not that."
Lehel flinched as she noticed his eyes gleaming coldly.
"Hand it over."
Cold sweat trickled down her neck. Louis had often warned her before: bother him with gambling one more time, and he'd chop off her wrist.
Apologize quick. But as she hastily removed her robe again to bow, his powerful grip seized her wrist.
Squeeze!
"Eek! S-Sorry! I won't do it again!"
Louis never backed down from a decision. He was merciless and ruthless to those who crossed the line.
Lehel begged desperately for mercy. She squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for the horrific pain to come.
"C-Cut the left hand, pleeease, waaah...!"
"...Chairman."
But the sensation from his hand, now holding the whiskey bottle, was rough yet warm caresses.
"Is gambling that hard to quit?"
"Huh?"
Louis gripped her hand tightly, his face bitter.
"You've never seen good come from it. Lose all your money, annoy everyone around, gamble away what few precious things you have—do you really need to keep doing that?"
"..."
Time seemed to stop. After a moment, Lehel quietly pulled her hand away.
The faint red mark on her wrist slipped under her robe sleeve without resistance.
She looked up with an exaggerated smile. The same light, fleeting grin as always, like she'd flit away anywhere.
"Aw, why so serious~. It's just 'cause I'm with you, Innkeeper. I'm the Reincarnation Duke, one of Penheim's five great dukes and founder of unique magic arts! Think I'd let some punk take me down?"
"..."
"What's wrong with gambling? It's such a rush. Way more stimulating than booze or smokes, and I can't get hooked on drugs, right?"
"..."
"After living so long, everything gets dull. This life's been fun, though. Never been through a war that brutal before."
"..."
"Oh, are you worried about me?"
Lehel backed away slowly, scratching her neck.
"No way you'd..."
"I am."
"...!"
His words hit her like a hammer to the head.
"After watching you this whole time, how could I not worry?"
Those with unique magic arts aren't right in the head. Words Lehel herself had coined, having seen countless great dukes, including herself.
Rusted heart gears seeking intense stimuli to reach the threshold. The other dukes were no different.
The Snow Duke's heart had frozen, leaving her emotionless; the Illusion Duke, unable to distinguish fantasy from reality, was trapped eternally in her created world.
Yet Lehel was shocked for one reason only.
This man had casually stepped into the Sandalphonia Observatory—where even she, steeped in gambling and numb to booze, hadn't reached—and here he was, worrying about her.
"Ah, uh... well, you see..."
She fiddled with the precious rosary back on her left hand.
A gift from the dragon who taught her magic as a child, now long gone from this world.
Since then, centuries passed, countless people met.
Requests to pass on her eternal life unique magic art, threats demanding Sacreer's location—she'd heard them all endlessly.
But no one had worried this much over her mere gambling. No one had scolded the Reincarnation Duke like this.
"Give me a moment to think..."
Lehel's voice trailed off, shrinking.
"...please."
She realized her heart pounded like it did when going all-in on the final gamble.