Chapter 7
Curiosity may be the beginning of growth, but it can also trip you up. You need to know when to retreat.
I had no idea why Theodore’s irritating voice came to mind at that exact moment.
Despite having flung the door open so boldly, I stood there blankly, frozen in place.
At first, fear locked my body stiff, leaving me unable to do anything.
But soon, a strange sensation crept up along my body, and only then did I snap back to my senses.
No—this was… a dangerous aura. It felt like it was slapping my cheeks, shouting at me to wake up.
Once I forced myself to focus, the eerie energy filling the room began to feel distinctly unsettling.
In my now-blank mind, only one thought surfaced.
Run. Get out of here. Now.
To protect my precious life, I had to flee immediately.
My reason screamed at me to escape this place at once.
But that damned thing called instinct grabbed hold of me instead.
…What is that?!
The next moment, my vision was flooded with an ominous dark violet hue.
Sinister magic filled the spacious room to the brim.
And then—
“…You. Claude.”
Amid that dark crimson magic stood Claude, looking as though he might be swallowed whole at any moment.
No—this wasn’t Claude.
“That appearance…”
Without even realizing what I was saying, I took one step, then another toward him, as if entranced.
Even as I approached so recklessly, the man simply stood there, watching me in silence.
Receiving his gaze head-on, I lifted my head toward him.
And then I saw it clearly—filling my entire field of vision.
“You look… really nice.”
“……”
“…Huh?”
His upper body—completely laid bare.
Forgetting all my complicated thoughts, I stared blankly at the man’s well-defined muscles.
Perhaps he sensed my lingering gaze, because the man frowned slightly.
Only then did I snap back to my senses.
“Oh—!” I muttered, lightly bonking my own head.
Yes, I’d been momentarily distracted by his impressive physique—but that wasn’t what mattered right now.
The man standing before me was alone in a room where dark violet magic rippled ominously.
He had Claude’s face and was glaring at me with red eyes.
He was Claude—but he also wasn’t.
The sense of dissonance I’d once felt about his eyes now vanished, as if they had finally found their rightful place.
Those eyes, brimming with cruel crimson light, no longer belonged to Claude.
And damn it all—I thought I knew who he was.
“Y-You… could it be…?”
It was the kind of opening that invited danger where none existed.
Yet my mouth, fearless and reckless, moved on its own and spoke the words I never should have said.
“…Ethan Clovis?”
The moment I uttered that dangerous name—
Whoosh—
“Ahhh!”
Before I could even gauge his reaction, something sharp brushed past my cheek.
“How curious,” he said calmly. “It’s rare for someone to recognize me.”
“…W-What?”
“Most die before they can…”
“…or I kill them myself.”
As his voice grew colder, Ethan slipped his right hand into his clothing and pulled out something horrifying.
“I killed them all.”
Whish—
“Ugh—ah!”
Something flashed as it flew toward me at terrifying speed. I instinctively crouched and barely dodged it.
Thanks to that, only the hem of the robe Theodore had personally given me was sliced.
Ethan, seemingly unconcerned by my terrified state, continued in an even tone.
“Hardly anyone dares to say my name out loud, right in front of me.”
“……”
“Answer me. What are you plotting?”
“Th-That is…”
“You’d better answer properly. If you try anything funny…”
He paused and deliberately pointed somewhere.
Without time to think, my eyes followed the direction of his hand.
When I turned my head slightly, I saw a vicious dagger embedded cleanly into the door.
It had been thrown with such force that the slightly open door had slammed shut, leaving no gap.
…A dagger. A real dagger.
Before I could fully process the situation, Ethan’s cynical voice sent a chill through my body.
“You’ll be the next target.”
At his words, a sharp sting bloomed across my cheek, as if on cue.
Something warm trickled down—it seemed I’d been lucky enough to escape with just a graze.
“…Ah?”
My trembling hand rose to touch my cheek, where the stinging pain lingered.
Even that light touch made me wince.
My body, stiff with shock, refused to move as I wished.
Frozen in place, I stared at Claude—no, at Ethan.
My legs shook so badly that standing upright felt like a miracle.
I wished I had misseen him.
I wished I hadn’t known who he was.
The black-haired man with red eyes standing before me looked exactly like the image etched in my mind.
…It’s really Ethan. I wish he were fake, but he’s real.
Nickname: Mad Dog.
Full name: Ethan Clovis.
The sub–male lead of the original story—a lunatic who slaughtered minor characters like me without hesitation just to claim the heroine.
I understood that much intellectually.
But reality was impossible to accept.
“S-So… my intentions… I mean, I’m just…”
“Stop stalling and talk. I still have daggers left.”
Terrified he might pull out another blade, I hurriedly raised both hands in surrender.
“Y-Your red eyes!”
“What?”
“I knew because of your red eyes! I heard the Grand Duke of Clovis has eyes the color of blood!”
“So you boldly spoke my name? A name that shouldn’t exist in the mage tower?”
“…W-Was that wrong?”
It had been instinctive.
Unable to predict his reaction, I darted my eyes around, gauging his mood.
Thankfully, he didn’t seem inclined to draw another dagger.
“Then why did you come here? Did you sense my magic?”
Ethan made it clear—my answer would determine whether I lived or died.
That damned familiar crimson magic was flowing from his body.
I quickly replied, my voice tight with tension.
“T-Theodore told me to call Claude, so I came to find him!”
“…What?”
“The tower master told me to fetch Claude, so I came… I didn’t know y-you were here like that…!”
I answered as sincerely as I could—but it clearly wasn’t satisfactory.
Perhaps realizing a sensible answer was unlikely, Ethan shook his head and looked away.
Only then, freed from his gaze, did I cautiously ask,
“Are you… really… Ethan Clovis?”
“Shut up.”
“Y-Yes, sir.”
So it was true.
Even as Claude, he’d had trouble maintaining a poker face in the strangest moments.
And now—he was still terrible at hiding his expressions.
But seriously… why is this man here?!
I’d locked myself in the mage tower for two whole years just to avoid this mad dog!
I’d been thinking the original story should be long over by now, that I’d be safe…
And yet—
More than fear, I felt wronged. And miserable.
Why won’t this mad dog just leave me alone?!
I hid in the mage tower—so why did he come all the way here?!
Glaring up at him with unjust resentment, my eyes brimmed with complaint.
“…Hik!”
But the instant his savage gaze struck back, I squeaked and shrank away.
“Why… are you here…?”
I’d worked so hard to avoid you…
As I muttered bitterly, Ethan frowned in irritation.
Even that small movement made me flinch.
“N-No, I mean… such an esteemed place for someone so… I mean—such a humble place—!”
“Enough. You’re noisy.”
Seeing his mood sour, I hastily stepped back and tried to calm my racing heart.
Hah… breathe. Calm down.
I didn’t know why that damned mad dog was here—but surviving came first!
Running away from his gaze right now was clearly impossible.
So I stood straight and shut my mouth, showing I had no intention of resisting.
Well—trying to.
“Then our cute Claude—”
“…I said shut up.”
“Y-Yes, sir.”
I knew keeping quiet was the smartest move.
“But seriously, where is our Claude—”
Yet my startled mouth kept looking for Claude on its own.
Why was Claude gone, and Ethan Clovis standing here instead…?
Wait. Hold on.
Clovis.
Claude.
…I’ve been tricked!
No way!
The Claude I’d enjoyed teasing so much… was actually Ethan Clovis—the mad dog who kills me?!
I’d been delighted to have someone fun to mess with in the mage tower, only to find out he held my life in his hands!
Dizzy, I lifted a hand to my forehead—
And suddenly, a moment from the past flashed through my mind.
Don’t come any closer. If you don’t want to get hurt.
What if I do?
You’ll regret it.
…Yes. I’m definitely regretting it now.
Am I insane?! Was I out of my mind?!
Of all people, I’d pulled that kind of stunt on the guy destined to kill me?!
Even more terrifying than the dagger that nearly killed me was my own past stupidity.
If only I’d been a little less perceptive!
If only my face-recognition skills were as bad as other heroines’, and I hadn’t recognized him at all!
I pressed a hand to my forehead, cursing my sharp instincts.
Unaware of my turmoil, the sub–male lead before me observed the situation with cold eyes.
Those cruel red pupils flickered intensely, making his thoughts painfully obvious.
Kill her or let her live?
No—there wasn’t even a “let her live” option.
Kill her cleanly… or painfully.
Right.
With that thought, I realized the dagger in the door could just as easily have been lodged in my heart.
A shiver ran through me.
As if waiting for that reaction, Ethan’s red eyes flashed dangerously.
…Damn it. You’re not supposed to provoke a mad dog.
Regret came too late.
That gaze said it all—eliminate her before she tries anything funny.
I saw his hand move.
I saw the dark crimson magic rising from it.
And in that instant, I was certain—
The moment that magic touched me, original story or not, I would die on the spot.
“W-Wait! Please—just a moment!”
I waved my hands frantically to stop him, but Ethan ignored my voice and advanced slowly.
His lips, tinged with cruelty, parted.
“I told you.”
“Huh? N-No—sir—no, Claude!”
I called out desperately, but he didn’t even blink.
“If you came any closer, you’d regret it.”
As his voice dropped to a chilling whisper, I stepped back instinctively.
But when I took one step back, Ethan closed the distance with two long strides.
As the space between us shrank, his red lips moved again.
I knew what he was about to say.
You know my secret—so you’ll have to die here.
No! Please, not that!
I looked up at him with trembling eyes, desperate to live.
Ethan looked like he had many things he wanted to say.
But right now, I had to speak first.
“P-Please… just spare—”
“Claude! Eunice!”
Before I could finish, a familiar voice cut sharply between us.
My eyes widened in shock.
No! This place is a battlefield soaked in blood!
Unaware of my desperate thoughts, the voice drew closer.
The door seemed on the verge of opening.
“Aah!”
A rough hand grabbed me and yanked me backward.
