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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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I led her to my room, gently pulling her soft wrist.
“Lev…?”
Yeriel’s cheeks were already flushed, as if she was wearing blush.
“This isn’t like you… Lev…?”
-Click.
The reason I invited her to this private space was simple.
First, to check on her Fallen Angel Transformation.
-Ding.
As I checked with my magic eye, sure enough, it had progressed to stage 2.
‘…I was careless.’
At stage 4, it would be a complete Fallen Angel Transformation. So… I had to admit it. The fact I had been desperately trying to ignore.
That Yeriel’s feelings might be directed towards me, not Edwin.
‘Perhaps it’s alright.’
Either way, reaching stage 4 of the Fallen Angel Transformation wasn’t easy.
Even in the original story, it required a trifecta: a series of tremendous misunderstandings regarding Edwin, frustrating developments, and Yeriel being extremely neglected.
And finally, it was Kaelan who triggered her mental breakdown, initiating the Fallen Angel Transformation.
In short, even if Yeriel realized her true feelings, the transformation wouldn’t progress further unless she experienced despair and frustration.
Sadly, considering what Kaelan did, it wouldn’t be easy to create such a traumatic event.
As I was gradually accepting the current situation, I noticed something.
‘Ah.’
Yeriel was breathing heavily for some reason. And she couldn’t meet my eyes. Her tone was uncharacteristically soft.
“…This isn’t right… Lev.”
Although she wasn’t actively resisting, she was showing signs of refusal.
“Let go of me… okay?”
But it felt more like she was asking me not to let go.
“Am I… going to get angry?”
Perhaps conscious of Aria’s confession, she spoke somewhat coldly, as if intending to step back.
“Sorry.”
As I said that and loosened my grip, Yeriel scurried to the door.
“If… if you don’t have anything to say… I’ll be going…!”
“I do.”
“!”
Yeriel flinched at my words, then glanced at me and asked,
“What… is it?”
“It’s a bit delicate to say, but I have a question about the communication crystal ball conversation from earlier.”
“…”
Communication crystal ball. At that word, Yeriel’s reason returned in three stages.
“…Communication?”
1 – The realization that he had a different reason after all.
“Haaa…”
2 – The embarrassment of having been the only one thinking differently.
“…………”
3 – Tears welling up, perhaps from frustration at being misled again.
I might be mistaken, but there also seemed to be a hint of disappointment mixed in. I asked casually, trying to be considerate of Yeriel,
“No offense to your family, but could you tell me if the call just now was related to the Heisman family?”
The Heisman family.
They had produced a war hero and were influential in the southern region, but… they were also slated to be the supporters behind the villainous guild, Crowfey, when they relocated their headquarters and sided with the demons.
According to the story, the southern ducal families would fall from power, and Yeriel, who was engaged to the Heisman family, would have her activities restricted under the guise of an investigation, losing her presence in the latter half of the story.
Thanks to Edwin, she would eventually break off the engagement.
‘But it was too late by then.’
Although it was a fragmented piece of information and setting, it was something I needed to confirm carefully, as the story was progressing rapidly.
Yeriel calmly explained,
“That’s right… The Heisman family has been frequently holding meetings for the southern region… My mother, the acting head, is participating this time, which is why inviting you to the mansion became difficult. But how did you know, Lev…?”
‘As expected.’
Yeriel’s mother was also an acting head. Since there was no one else to delegate to, Artina wouldn’t be able to receive guests while she was away.
‘It’s good that I asked.’
If the Heisman family requested Artina’s cooperation, things would proceed tragically, as in the original story.
‘The conclusion is a swift cut-off.’
It was up to me. For Yeriel’s sake, I had to disrupt the engagement with the Heisman family.
Having made up my mind, I looked into Yeriel’s eyes and asked,
“Your turn.”
“My turn?”
“Yes. You have something you want to ask me, Yeriel.”
“…”
As if struck by my words, Yeriel lowered her gaze slightly.
“…I don’t… think so?”
“…That hurts.”
“……You don’t need to be hurt because of me, Lev…”
-…
Even after a moment of silence, Yeriel didn’t ask anything. It was probably out of consideration for me and Aria.
They were both foolishly kind heroines. No wonder they were used by Kaelan…
‘Haa.’
I felt a surge of anger again.
I took a step closer to Yeriel.
“Yeriel, do you trust me?”
Instead of answering, Yeriel slowly nodded.
I couldn’t postpone it any longer. My next task was to give her the Elixir of Immortality without anyone knowing.
One of the reasons Yeriel met a sad end in the fan fiction was because she wasn’t as strong as Melissa.
I took a small object from my pocket and offered it to Yeriel.
A small vial that looked like it contained overlapping red feathers.
“Is it strange to call this… a gift?”
“Lev…?”
Yeriel just stared at me, as if asking what it was.
“This is…”
I told her the truth.
That it was a reward for defeating Crimson Ash, and what would happen if she drank it.
With Edwin, it had been urgent, and since it was the Black Dragon’s Orb, I could secretly imprint it using the game system.
But the Elixir of Immortality had to be consumed, so I couldn’t force her. With great power comes great responsibility.
I didn’t know what consequences it would have for Yeriel if she drank it, if she became able to prevent the Artina tragedy, if she helped me when I was in danger.
To be honest, it sounded ridiculous now, but…
‘It’s too much like Kaelan.’
I wanted to escape, even a little, from the feeling of using the heroines. So I just placed it in her hand.
“You don’t have to drink it.”
And looking into her golden eyes, filled with so many emotions, I whispered,
“I just want you to have it, Yeriel.”
That was when it happened.
-Gulp!
“Yeriel…?”
Without a moment’s hesitation, she drank the Elixir of Immortality.
-Grab.
-!
And she took my hands and held them tightly.
“Because… I decided to trust you, Lev…”
“…”
“And I have absolutely no intention of leaving you alone anymore! Stop making… that sad face…!”
What kind of expression was I making?
“Sorry…”
“If you keep apologizing, I’ll really get angry.”
Yeriel puffed out her cheeks, then whispered in my ear in her usual gentle, encouraging tone,
“And…! Do you know…?”
“What?”
“My room is a bit far from yours and Aria’s…”
“So?”
“So, today… just for today…! I’ll understand even if you’re somewhere else…”
“……”
“It’s late. Hurry up and go!”
“…”
Her eyes curved into clear crescents. It was a bright, captivatingly beautiful smile.
Suppressing the sudden surge of emotions, I had to admit it now.
I—toward the pure white girl, Yeriel Artina—
I…
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-…
While the festive fervor still lingered, while colorful lights painted special memories for everyone on the streets, in a secluded room within a lodging in Neldaran, Aria, the silver-haired girl, fresh from a shower, lay face down on her bed with her arms wrapped around her head, a single small lamp illuminating the room.
“Will… it be okay?”
She was worried about what she had said.
“I think it will be okay…”
The reason she revealed her feelings in front of everyone… and the reason she refused Lev’s response, was simple.
Aria thought Yeriel and Selena also had feelings for Lev, and she didn’t feel she had the right to make a move first.
“…I shouldn’t like him.”
Unlike Yeriel and Selena, whose affection for him seemed to be steadily growing, there was still one thing Aria needed to confirm.
‘Andras.’
Her intuition told her so. That she and Lev Denec couldn’t be together. That her feelings for Lev had to remain light.
‘It’s foolish, isn’t it?’
‘-Are you… the Great Demon, Andras?’
The more she thought about it, the more ridiculous it seemed. He might be someone she should hate with all her being.
‘To like him on my own accord… how absurd…’
Aria wanted to avoid the ‘ending’ she had envisioned. He constantly occupied her thoughts, and while she felt flustered when facing him, she also felt at ease, amused, and kept smiling.
If she fell for him because of those feelings, and then his true identity was revealed in the worst possible way later?
Then her foolish self from before… would instantly turn into a sin that would torment her.
‘So, this is the end… today.’
With her confession just now, everything was over. She didn’t need to like him anymore.
As Aria gave a bittersweet smile and got up to get dressed,
“Huh…?”
Transparent tears began to fall from her eyes.
“……W-Why…?”
She couldn’t control her emotions. More than anything, her chest ached. Sobbing sounds threatened to escape her lips.
‘……’
It was too late to erase the memories of Lev Denec.
It was something she had been denying since the dungeon exploration practice when they went to defeat the Flame Ghoul, even before the festival.
She had been foolish. She had rationalized saving him, saying she couldn’t leave someone in pain right in front of her, just this once.
“……”
But what pained Aria the most… was that she didn’t regret any of it.
‘I’ll be okay…’
Aria believed that just like a wound heals, this pain would also fade after tonight.
.
.
.
Just then, there was a knock.
-Knock, knock.
“…!”
Two polite knocks. She knew instinctively.
…If she opened the door, there would be no turning back.
But her body, following her instincts, slowly moved towards the source of the sound.
-Click…
And when she opened the door, the person standing there was…
As expected, the ash-gray haired man.
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Thanks for the chapter!
Just seduce them harder