chapter 26
— Hmph, obviously it means that Lord Leonhardt had feelings for Lady Adelle, right?
— Kyaa! I thought that too! Oh my, can you believe it?
— Honestly, didn’t the entire expedition know, except for Lady Adelle herself?
— Yeah, yeah. Our Adelle was always a bit clueless when it came to stuff like that.
— What kind of bullshit is that? When did that guy ever say he liked Adelle? He just said not to misunderstand. Right, Gnome?
— …….
Thanks a lot, spirits, for dragging up a memory I was working hard to forget.
‘The truth is… I knew too.’
His face would turn red every time he saw me—how could I not notice? I’m not an idiot.
‘I was probably the first one on the expedition to figure it out.’
But I couldn’t accept Leonhardt’s feelings or whisper back any words of love.
Because I knew this world was from a novel—and that I was going to die.
So I pretended not to know.
I acted oblivious, like a fool who could never imagine anything beyond friendship.
So that in the end, Leonhardt could let go of his feelings.
That was all I could do for him.
“Ugh, I should just go back to sleep.”
[Stage 3: Adrian heads to the study to finalize the plan.]
‘Luspell isn’t even due yet. I’m still hungover.’
[Stage 3: Adrian heads to the study to finalize the plan.]
‘Still hungover, damn it.’
[Stage 3: Adrian heads to the study to finalize the plan.]
…I want to kill someone.
Reluctantly, I got up and ate a light lunch.
Then, following the directive, I went to the study and reviewed the plan.
After focusing for about two hours, the butler came to inform me that Luspell had arrived.
I immediately tensed up.
After that encounter in front of Charles Beerhouse last night…
If it were Luspell, he’d probably sensed something was off.
‘He’ll definitely test me. I can’t let my guard down this time. No more mistakes.’
With that mindset, I prepared myself to greet him.
“Professor Luspell, you’re here earlier than expected.”
“So I can leave sooner.”
“….”
“Ugh… I really don’t wanna do this…”
Luspell was as lethargic as ever, radiating clear annoyance.
‘Uh… this is different from what I expected.’
I thought he’d glare at me like a hyena, ready to pounce the moment he saw me.
But he just slouched there like a lazy sloth.
“Duke.”
“What?”
“Can I borrow a bedroom?”
“…Why?”
“I’m sleepy.”
“Professor… You do realize this is the Duke’s estate?”
“There’s no bedroom in a duke’s mansion?”
“….”
This was just how Luspell was. He said whatever he wanted, no matter who he was talking to.
That’s what I both admired and worried about.
‘It’s typical of him… but something feels off.’
After that scene outside Charles Beerhouse, surely Leonhardt, Owen, and Luspell had made some kind of plan.
And yet he was sitting here, spouting nonsense. It was suspicious.
Suddenly, I remembered Luspell lying on the floor of the tavern, curled up like a caterpillar.
His pale face, devoid of any will to live…
My heart dropped.
‘Could it be he still wants to die? So it doesn’t matter what I do, or what happens to Leonhardt…? Is he really that far gone?’
I scrutinized Luspell carefully but found no overt red flags.
‘If only he’d cut that hair, he’d look so much better. It’s suffocating just to look at.’
I used to think Luspell was hard to handle, but easy to read.
He wore his emotions openly.
But now, maybe because his eyes were hidden by his hair, I couldn’t read him at all.
“I’m just so sleepy. Just let me nap for a bit.”
“You’re the one who said you wanted to leave early. Tough it out.”
Wait a minute—something didn’t add up.
If he were really sleepy, the Luspell I knew would’ve just gone home without asking.
Why was he asking me to borrow a room?
Suddenly, a chilling memory flashed through my mind.
A hand full of sleeping pills. A murmured “This time, I’ll succeed.”
Luspell swallowing them all at once…
His face, swaying at the end of a rope…
I shot to my feet like I’d been struck.
“You took something, didn’t you?!”
The study fell into an eerie silence.
After a pause, Luspell opened his mouth.
“What do you mean?”
“Any pills with sleeping agents—anything! Tell me! Did you take something?!”
“….”
“Did you?! Why won’t you answer?! I asked you if you took anything!”
Luspell watched me for a moment, then let out a small laugh, lifting one corner of his mouth.
“What if I did? What are you going to do about it, Duke?”
“You—You insane bastard!”
I grabbed him by the collar and shook him violently.
With adrenaline pumping, I felt a strength I didn’t know I had.
“Are you crazy?! Once wasn’t enough?! You want to pull that again?! What about the people left behind?! You selfish, irresponsible jerk…!”
And then I realized—
What I had done wasn’t any different from Luspell’s actions.
Leaving them behind and choosing death—wasn’t that basically suicide too?
‘What the hell did I do…?’
I felt as though the blood in my veins had frozen solid.
“I don’t get why you’re so worked up. Afraid I’ll die before I finish the plan? Don’t worry—I adjusted the dosage so I’ll live until then.”
“……”
“If you understand, let go of my collar! Ugh! I’ll die from you shaking me before the meds do!”
He irritably shoved my hands off.
I stumbled backward and collapsed onto the floor.
Apparently not expecting me to fall so weakly, Luspell’s eyes went wide.
“D-Duke! Are you okay—Huh?!”
He rushed over to help me up, but then froze in place, stunned.
“A-Are you… crying?!”
“……”
“Are you hurt? Did you hit your head when you fell?”
“……”
“Wha… you seem fine. Then why are you crying?”
I forced my trembling lips to move.
“Did you… really take something?”
“You’re seriously crying because you think I might have?”
“Answer me!”
Luspell stared at my falling tears in disbelief and murmured absently.
“What the…? So there is someone who’d cry if I died…”
“Quit talking nonsense and just answer!”
Snapping back to reality, he hastily pulled out a handkerchief and began gently wiping my cheek.
His clumsy hands betrayed his panic.
“It was a lie. I just wanted to see how you’d react. I didn’t take anything.”
“Really?”
“Why would I hoard sleeping pills? I can just cast a sleep spell. I’m not planning to die. Not for now, at least.”
“……”
“No—I mean it! I’m not dying! I swear I’m not going to die, so please stop crying!”
I looked up at Luspell as he flailed helplessly.
He might not be Leonhardt, but he used to rank among the top three most handsome mages.
Now, with his sunken cheeks and chapped lips, the man before me was a shadow of that image.
Fresh tears welled up.
“Your face… What happened to it…”
“What? What’s wrong with my face? Wha—Why are you crying again?! I’m losing my mind!”
Panicked, he rubbed his face, then softened his tone.
“You were shocked because I look awful, right? I’m sorry. It’s my fault. Please stop crying.”
“…Get a haircut.”
“Okay. I’ll get it neatly trimmed. What else?”
“Gain some weight…”
“I’ll eat a lot and gain so much weight I’ll be waddling.”
“Go for walks.”
“That one’s a bit…”
“……”
“Ah! Okay, okay! I’ll take walks. Every day. Happy?”
I nodded and cried harder.
Adrian crying—what a bizarre sight. Like the devil reading a Bible.
But I couldn’t stop the tears, no matter what.
“Hic…”
“Ahh, Duke… Please, have mercy on me…”
Eventually, Luspell, exhausted from trying to console me, just sat quietly and let me cry.
Who knows how long it lasted.
When the endless stream of tears finally dried up, my rationality returned.
‘What the hell is wrong with me… Crying like that… So embarrassing.’
Too late for regrets. All I could do was brazen it out now.
Even Luspell seemed embarrassed, clearing his throat a few times.
“Ahem, Duke…?”
I adjusted my voice, though it was hoarse despite not crying loudly.
“…What?”
“Turns out even your eyes get puffy when you cry.”
“I’m human too.”
“Yeah… I thought you were some kind of witch, but turns out, you’re human.”
The word witch made me flinch, so I glared at him coldly on purpose.
“What happened today… Don’t tell anyone.”
“Got it.”
“If you do, I’ll kill you.”
“I said I got it.”
He replied flatly, then let out a quiet chuckle.
“Not scary at all when you say it with those puffy eyes.”
