Chapter 35
Haha. My sense of emptiness lasted only a moment as I entered my room. My small room, with a soft bed and a little wardrobe, was also covered in dust.
I guess I need to clean this place?
I unpacked my bag and set it on the bed, then stepped out of the room. Lloyd and Davien were inspecting the room in every direction. After staring around for a while, Davien frowned and said,
“This is… strange.”
Was this shocking to nobles? Embarrassed, I spoke up.
“Haha, it’s pretty small and old, right?”
“No, that’s not what I mean.”
Lloyd’s expression grew even more serious.
This time, Davien touched the walls and muttered something unclear.
“I’ve never felt energy like this before. What is it? Mana? No, it’s too clear for that. Divine power? No… it feels thick and solid for that.”
As Davien muttered and examined things, Lloyd asked me,
“Can’t you feel this energy?”
Energy? All I could feel in this house was the musty smell of dust.
“You’re not talking about dust, right?”
“This amount of dust? Compared to the Asenta Dungeon, it’s nothing. That place had 500 years of dust piled up.”
Davien frowned, grabbed me, and shouted,
“Let’s get out of here first, Kae! We’re going to eat dinner at the restaurant.”
At Davien’s words, Lloyd muttered to himself,
“We’ll need to get proper lodging.”
I turned off the lights, locked the door, and went out to eat dinner with the twin siblings.
We went to the restaurant Davien had noticed earlier and ordered food, but I couldn’t swallow anything. I quickly set down my spoon and watched the people outside.
Where are my friends?
Then, through the passing crowd, I saw a familiar silhouette.
“Bri?”
I jumped up.
“Hey! Where are you going!”
“Wai… wait! I think I left some money behind! Wait!”
“Kae, I have plenty of money! You don’t need it!”
I ignored Davien and Lloyd yelling and hurried outside.
Where did she go? She definitely passed this way!
Far down the street leading to the houses, I saw a woman with gray hair tied tightly and wearing the imperial healer uniform. I ran toward her.
Bri? Is that Bri?
I ran all the way to the building where my room was, but Bri was nowhere to be seen.
“Ha… haha.”
I must be crazy. I imagined things. Just as I felt empty and looked up at my room,
“Huh?”
The tall apartment was brightly lit. I had definitely turned off the lights before leaving.
“Bri? Is that Bri?”
I quickly opened the door to the building.
At that moment—
“Ugh!”
Someone came out the door and collided with me as I tried to go in, hitting with a thud.
Holding my aching head, I looked up and saw Zard clutching his stomach and groaning. The same Zard Lloyd had grabbed before.
“Uh… uh? Zard?”
“Oh, Kae-senpai. Are you okay?”
Zard, holding his stomach, ran toward me as I touched my head.
“I’m fine.”
As I smoothed my hair, a strange feeling struck me.
Wait, this is my house. Why are you coming out from here?
I gave him a suspicious look.
“By the way, this is my house. What are you doing here?”
Zard scratched his head and answered.
“Oh, Bri-senpai came back and was reporting before leaving.”
“Bri? Bri is here?”
Bri? Hearing Zard, I jumped up in surprise.
“Yes, she’s upstairs…”
I felt relieved at Zard’s words. Bri being here was a huge relief. She wouldn’t disappear. Her divine power is incredibly strong.
If Bri is back, maybe others are back too.
Zard, noticing me, looked around nervously and asked,
“By the way, the… terrifying person who was with you earlier isn’t here, right?”
I felt sorry for him.
He had grabbed me by the collar and threatened me just for talking to me.
“Oh, yeah. I had something to do, so I came ahead. And, I’m really sorry for earlier.”
I apologized, and Zard, with a friendly smile, waved it off as nothing.
“It’s fine. Well, it can happen.”
“Then I’ll go upstairs first.”
“Yes! Bri-senpai will be waiting.”
Zard bowed with a smile. I waved my hand and quickly ran up the stairs.
Bri… Bri is back.
When I reached the stairs, the house was brightly lit with the front door wide open.
Is it Bri? She didn’t even lock the door.
“Bri!”
I called out as I rushed up.
But…
“Huh…?”
No matter where I looked in the brightly lit house, Bri was nowhere. A chill ran down my spine.
What did Zard just say?
Then I remembered when I met him.
‘Yeah, the clinic is running well, right? Bri is okay?’
‘Yes, senpai! Bri-senpai is waiting for you. Everyone wants to see you!’
Zard had said Bri was fine, smiling, even though she was on the missing list.
Why the contradiction?
Why did he lie?
At that moment,
“I’m sorry. Actually, Bri-senpai isn’t here.”
Zard’s voice came from behind. Goosebumps ran over me. My body told me this was urgent.
I turned around. Zard was at the front door, walking toward me.
After meeting Davien and Lloyd, I had never thought anyone in this world would want to kill me. Besides the reincarnated protagonists, who would hold a grudge?
But watching Zard smile and approach me, I could feel it clearly.
He wants to kill me.
What I hated most in novels was when a helpless character with no abilities falls into traps set by villains. And now, that protagonist was me.
“I’m glad you didn’t bring the Helderios twins. They are really troublesome.”
He looked at me trembling and continued.
“It’s been a while since I saw your face. Talking to you has been very enjoyable.”
Zard’s dull brown eyes began turning red.
His beige hair gradually turned white. His hair and eyes now mirrored mine—white hair, red eyes. Zard slowly drew a hidden knife from his waist.
“Now, it’s time to take your life. No malice… just…”
His eyes were on my neck.
The hand holding the knife slowly rose, aiming for my throat.
At that moment, a flash of blue light moved swiftly past Zard’s side toward his back.
Before I could blink, a sword erupted from Zard’s left chest, blood dark red and thick.
“Guhk!”
Blood gushed from Zard’s mouth. The knife aimed at my neck fell to the floor with a clang.
Zard staggered, staring at the sword in his chest, then fell forward with a thud. Behind him stood Davien, who had appeared silently.
“Kae, are you okay?”
Davien quickly pulled the sword from Zard’s chest, secured it at her waist, and approached me.
“Davien…?”
She spoke, furious.
“That was dangerous! What were you thinking going alone like that?”
“Don’t fall behind anymore. This place is dangerous.”
A firm hand grabbed my shoulder. Lloyd had appeared behind me.
The protagonists of this novel had come to save the villainess. The people who had tried to kill me yesterday now saved me.
Haha, I really twisted this novel.
“From this morning, I felt something strange from him. And his eyes were full of killing intent when looking at you.”
Lloyd spoke, looking at the fallen Zard.
“I should have explained first, but you acted recklessly. I’m sorry things got this big.”
Ah, so that’s why Lloyd grabbed Zard by the collar earlier. Now I understood his overreaction.
Damn, I thought it was just jealousy! My face burned in embarrassment.
“No, Lloyd. You don’t need to apologize.”
It was all my misunderstanding.
As I fanned my face,
—Ah, you died again, huh?
Zard’s voice echoed through the room.
“Eh?”
Startled, I stepped back and looked at the body. Zard, who had been stabbed in the chest, was moving again.
“Ughhh!”
I screamed without realizing it.
Had he turned into a zombie?
Zard staggered up, his left chest untouched. As his joints cracked, he stood fully upright and was about to speak.
“Then die again.”
Davien raised her hand and cast a spell. A red magic circle appeared on her palm, spinning rapidly.
—Wait…!
Before Zard could speak, a huge flame burst from Davien’s hand.
—Aaaah!
With a terrifying scream, Zard instantly turned to ashes.
“……?”
It happened so fast, I couldn’t believe it.
I asked Davien, astonished,
“Isn’t it amazing he came back to life?”
Normally, someone resurrected would be asked, “How did you get up?” That’s a cliché. Zard never expected to be instantly incinerated after resurrecting.
Davien answered as if questioning me.
“Quick death, quick return. Okay?”
“Listening to every little thing would never end.”
Truly, they were battle-specialized twins. I laughed at their twin-like answer.
Someone tried to kill me. I almost died. The one trying to kill me was burned instantly by magic, and I laughed. Being next to these monster twins must have strengthened my mental state.
“By the way, why did he want to kill you?”
