The formal attire he had worn in the evening was nowhere to be seen. Now, he was dressed in a black uniform.
It looks like the perfect outfit for splattering blood.
Why would that thought even occur to me? We had parted after he said he would repay his debt—this was strange.
More importantly, it was late at night.
“Why have you come at such an hour?”
I dismissed him firmly.
“Please leave.”
“It seemed like this was my only chance to meet Idith alone.”
“……”
You need to meet me alone just to repay a debt?
Something felt off. No matter how oblivious I could be, I wasn’t blind to everything.
“…Ha.”
I brushed my disheveled hair back and looked at him with tired eyes.
By the still-burning candlelight, Sharit’s muscles—taut and sleek like a beast’s—stood out clearly.
In the end, I gave up on sending him away. I rose from my seat and pulled out the chair in front of my desk, sitting down.
“…I never thought you’d come looking for me at the Academy, even if it killed you.”
“I couldn’t stand it anymore. I wanted to see Idith right away.”
“All of a sudden?”
Had something happened that could have caused such a shift in him? I searched my memories, but nothing came to mind easily.
All that resurfaced was the cool touch of the necklace against my nape, and the lukewarm heat of his body brushing past it. Before I realized it, I shuddered.
“Yes. Suddenly. Like a bolt of lightning piercing my head… I’ve never been struck by lightning, but I imagine this is what it feels like.”
Sharit strode toward me. His steps were so large that he crossed the small room in just a few strides, stopping right in front of me.
“…Could it be because you’re still unwell?”
I offered the advice sincerely, looking up at him now that he was so close.
All he needed to do now was focus on recovery.
“But you healed me, Idith.”
“You’re still a patient.”
Sharit slowly reached out, brushing my hair back as he murmured,
“…Is that why? My mind keeps filling up with you.”
“…What do you mean?”
He tucked my messy hair neatly behind my ear, then wound the tip of it around his finger and pressed it gently to his lips.
Bending at the waist, he spoke in a low voice that struck my ears directly.
“As I thought about how to repay you, I started wondering—what did you want when you helped me in the first place?”
His voice was like a beast scraping its throat—instinctively chilling, resonant with an overwhelming force.
He lowered his voice enticingly.
“What do you want?”
“……”
What kind of question was that?
After blinking once, I answered firmly, facing him at barely a hand’s breadth away.
“I don’t want anything.”
“Ah, of course you don’t.”
Sharit nodded easily and let go of my hair. It fell softly, tickling my cheek.
In this dark, damp atmosphere, Sharit gazed down at me. His dark black eyes blended seamlessly into the shadows, leaving only a faint gleam.
“But you seem to know me quite well. So you must know that I wouldn’t be satisfied with such a lukewarm answer.”
“I’m sorry I can’t give you one.”
When I replied calmly, Sharit shrugged.
“Well, fine. Honestly, no matter what you said, I wouldn’t have listened anyway.”
“…What?”
“Because I’m going to kill you now.”
Sharit pulled a dagger from his clothes and adjusted his grip.
I widened my eyes and blinked.
“…Me? You’re going to kill me?”
“Yes. You didn’t notice?”
“……”
I stayed silent. There was no benefit in answering that question.
Of course, I had sensed danger all along—but still…
Just last time, he had clung to me sweetly, like honey melting on the tongue.
His whispers then were nothing like Therion’s submission.
And yet now, he said he would kill me…
His thick arm braced against the back of my chair, trapping me within his space. Shadows fell beneath his broad, solid shoulders.
“I understand. Even animals don’t bite the person who saved their life. It must have been hard for you to imagine.”
Sharit gave a troubled smile.
“But now that you know the one you saved is worse than a beast… do you regret it?”
“……”
I swallowed hard.
Saving someone’s life might work wonders in advancing a shallow relationship, but perhaps it wasn’t enough to truly open one’s heart.
I turned my head slightly to look at his solid arm.
Because I had rushed Sharit’s treatment, my body was in no condition to use magic.
Could I face him without magic?
“……”
No chance.
I sank deeper into the chair, my head throbbing faintly.
“…Sharit. What do you want?”
“Aha.”
Sharit laughed openly at my question. His sharp, masculine features twisted into a mischievous grin.
Someone who could wear that expression and kill without hesitation—of course he was an assassin.
My calculations were done. If I used magic right now, even at the cost of ruining my body, I could kill him.
But I didn’t want to.
Even if I really were to die by his hand here.
If he lived, he would save countless others during the rest of his life.
In the capital alone, there were too many poor people to count who relied on his dirty money to survive. Compared to me, an assassin like him was the better choice.
As I weighed my life against his, Sharit began speaking on his own.
“My illness was incurable. No matter how skilled the mage or physician, no one could heal it. So all I could do was wait for my remaining time to run out…”
“…And?”
“And since you made contact with me, forces have already started watching you closely. Quite a few assassins have been sneaking into the Academy. Didn’t you know?”
“……”
I had no idea.
Had Therion dealt with them? No—if he had, the Therion who loved to boast would never have stayed quiet.
If not him, then the only person capable of identifying and handling them so effortlessly…
There was only one.
I looked at Sharit in front of me.
He whispered softly,
“I was afraid someone else might take you from me.”
“…I see.”
“So.”
The next instant—
My collar was yanked forward at blinding speed.
“Ugh.”
As my vision shook violently, I heard the sound of a dagger being drawn.
Crash!
I was thrown to the floor. Sharit’s large hand tightly gripped the collar of my nightclothes. The fabric was so thin it looked ready to tear.
“Hng.”
Sharit climbed over me as I lay there. His heavy weight made it hard to breathe. The cold air trapped in his clothes rubbed against my exposed skin as my nightwear rode up.
“……”
My head spun from hitting the floor, goosebumps racing across my skin.
Lowering his head, he pressed his lips close to my cheek and whispered in a growling voice.
“There’s a successor selection tomorrow. Thanks to your help, I’ve recovered—so I’ll win, without a doubt.”
“…Congratulations. But then what’s the problem…?”
Why kill me now?
Sharit continued without blinking.
“If the news spreads further—that you cured my incurable disease—your very existence will become my weakness.”
“Ah…”
My spinning head finally found the answer in his attitude.
“…So you’d rather kill me first and eliminate future trouble?”
He nodded slowly.
“Yes.”
“Haah…”
A sigh escaped me.
I’d never heard of repaying a debt like this. Oh gods.
But in truth, something else mattered more.
“Sharit.”
Though pinned to the floor, I lifted my chin proudly and stared straight into Sharit’s black eyes, faintly gleaming in the darkness.
“You don’t actually intend to kill me.”
Even as he pressed down on my neck, I was paradoxically certain of it.
