Chapter 134
Chapter 134
Jealousy
It was not something that anyone could easily experience, having one’s mind overlap with someone else’s.
Just as I had tried somehow not to peer into another person’s mind, it meant that Morrigan, who was also a sensible and well-bred normal person, had done something similar.
……No matter that she had no such intention, if it was something she was doing for the first time, anyone was bound to make mistakes.
And if she was in the middle of performing an unprecedented feat of controlling another person’s supernatural ability in their stead, it was all the more likely that such mistakes would occur.
In short.
Even if she did not particularly try to look, there could be plenty of cases where a part of Aiden Kellermain’s ‘memories’ seemed to flow down Morrigan’s spine with a chilling sensation.
And the part of this man’s memories she ended up glimpsing in that way.
“……Morrigan?”
“…….”
“Morrigan, this is a little uncomfortable-”
“…….”
“……Morrigan, this is really uncomfortable……?”
At the very least, it left such a strong impression that she even hesitated to remove her hand from me, who could not even properly support my own body.
She had seen countless people who simply had unfortunate pasts.
But the sheer brutality of the past this man had gone through was, well.
“…….”
Without realizing it, she brought her hand to my face.
Then, before she was even aware of it herself, as she slowly tried to brush over my face, she suddenly came to her senses when a third party’s hand firmly grabbed her wrist.
“Morrigan.”
“…….”
“Aiden is uncomfortable, isn’t he.”
Noel, who was gripping Morrigan’s wrist, carried the air of a model knight filled with courtesy and etiquette, as usual.
However, what lay beneath that foundation was.
……A chilling presence like the growl of a lion warning her not to cross the line.
If anything more were to happen beyond this, she might truly be killed by Noel—such an impression was conveyed with painful clarity.
“…….”
Perhaps Morrigan realized that as well, because she hastily pulled her hand back and retreated her body along with it.
Her face flushed red, she fumbled for a long while without being able to bring herself to say anything, then finally lowered her head deeply with a flustered demeanor one could never have imagined from her usual self.
“……I apologize.”
After saying that, Morrigan, at a complete loss for what to do, quickly withdrew and disappeared.
It seemed that even meeting my eyes as they were now was too much for her to bear.
……It might have been because, as she became aware of just how embarrassing what she had done was, a wave of shame rushed over her.
“…….”
Hmm.
It was certainly displayed in the status window that she had looked into my past and come to feel sympathy.
But from my own perspective, when it came to my past…….
‘……Was it really that bad?’
Well, I mean.
It had been hard.
If I were to describe my own impression, I tended to think that there were plenty of people out there who had lived far harder lives than I had.
I wondered if it was really something worth reacting that much over, just because she had shared a bit of those memories—
“Aiden.”
“…….”
And regardless of how I felt about it, it was clear that there was someone who was extremely dissatisfied with that very fact.
Faced with the ominous glare pouring from Noel’s eyes, I blankly asked back.
“……Yes?”
“What did you do this time?”
“……I really didn’t do anything.”
No.
This time I was truly wronged. I really hadn’t done anything…….
“You’re saying you did nothing, yet she kept wanting to touch you as if you’d smeared honey all over yourself?”
“…….”
“Say something that makes sense. Are you now claiming, without even blinking, that women get drawn to you even if you just stand still?”
“…….”
What was truly astonishing was probably.
……The fact that it was actually true.
▣
So, for now, we had managed to calm the rapidly rising sea level that had been choking us most urgently.
But problems were still scattered everywhere.
‘If there’s one biggest issue…….’
It was, as expected, the fact that we practically had no means of contacting the Grand Sanctuary.
To overcome this insane situation, it was ultimately essential to receive help from the Holy Empire’s mainland and escort the people out.
‘……At this point, the succession ceremony should have been halted long ago.’
A dragon had burst out, rain had poured down as if it meant to drown everyone, and even in the process leading up to this, there had been no safety measures whatsoever.
Honestly, from my perspective, that would have been a welcome outcome.
In any case, the reason I was on this island was ultimately to minimize the number of deaths.
It felt awkward to praise myself, but I had been doing an outstanding job toward that goal. Still, it was equally clear that the best possible outcome was to prevent such an environment from arising in the first place.
……The problem was that reaching that point currently seemed far off.
‘If they were going to help, they should have done so long ago.’
There were only two possibilities.
Either they were treating all of this as part of the succession ceremony and intended to push through to the very end, or they truly wanted to make contact from their side but were struggling desperately to do so.
……In the end, there was no point in agonizing over it, since we would only know once contact was established either way.
The real problem was this sticky darkness itself that was blanketing the entire area in pitch black.
Previously, the heavy rain clouds had made it impossible to properly gauge the time, but as it drew closer to night, that darkness thickened so heavily that we could not properly discern even an inch ahead of us.
It was not merely controlling visibility; it was clearly a darkness with such monstrous communication interference capabilities that it blocked all kinds of electronic devices and even communication conducted through supernatural abilities.
Even in this modern era, where long-distance communication methods could somehow be devised, if an anomaly of this scale had settled over the area, there was not a single way to reach the other side.
Just moments ago, I had exercised destructive Divine Authority over natural phenomena to the extent of sending the pouring rain back up into the sky, but this darkness was not that kind of phenomenon, making it difficult to break through.
“…….”
Then, the only option left was ultimately.
For me to personally lead the people here and return to the Grand Sanctuary first.
Fortunately, a means that seemed likely to help with that had just fallen before my eyes.
-System Message
▶ Target ‘???’ is satisfied with you.
▶ The target’s affection level is already at maximum.
▶ You cannot copy the target’s skill.
▶ ‘Skill Enhancement Ticket’ is granted as an alternative reward.
▶ You can enhance a skill you already possess.
-System Message
▶ Target ‘???’ is satisfied with you.
▶ The target’s affection level is already at maximum.
▶ You cannot copy the target’s skill.
▶ ‘Skill Enhancement Ticket’ is granted as an alternative reward.
▶ You can enhance a skill you already possess.
Seeing two identical windows rise before my eyes, I let out a sigh and stroked my chin.
I had previously confirmed the degree of usefulness of something called a Skill Enhancement Ticket when I directly brought about Sia Maxwell’s Divine Descent.
No matter what terrifying trials awaited us ahead, these two enhancement tickets would undoubtedly be of tremendous help.
“…….”
I scratched my cheek with an awkward expression.
A trial we had to pass through.
How had it been handled in the original work?
I did not remember clearly, but considering that in the latter half of Black Night there had been an official record stating that the First Seeker had described the journey to meet the God of Purification as truly ‘so difficult one could die,’ it would not be easy.
“…….”
However, I did not clearly remember what exactly that entailed.
Still, fortunately, there was someone nearby who seemed like they would know such things well.
“Excuse me, Sir Noel—”
The moment I turned my head to address Sir Noel, who had been quietly tending the crackling campfire beside me, my mouth shut abruptly.
There was no particular reason other than the fact that Noel’s lips were jutting out several inches.
“…….”
“…….”
……He was sulking.
Not just sulking, but catastrophically sulking…….
There was no way Noel had not heard me call her, yet the mere fact that she deliberately continued pretending not to hear was proof enough.
“……Sir Noel.”
“…….”
“…………Sir Noel, I was wrong.”
When I cut everything short and apologized first, Noel finally turned her head toward me slowly.
Her lips, which had been sticking out several inches, showed no sign of going back in, but at least it seemed she was willing to listen—
“……What did you do wrong?”
“…….”
—Apparently not.
I had not expected to receive such a classic question right to my face. Cold sweat ran down my back as I barely managed to continue.
“……Well, you know, I mean, I’ve done countless things that could make me look suspicious—”
“……You’ve done?”
“…….”
I’ve done, so what was I supposed to say next?
There really was nothing I could say. I was at least intelligent enough to know the extent of my own sins.
After hesitating for a long time, the words I barely managed to bring out were ultimately these.
“I’d like you to give me a chance to make up for it. I want to prove my sincerity.”
“…….”
“……Shall we go out together, just the two of us, next time?”
“…….”
“……I’ve prepared something that’ll really surprise you.”
After finishing that sentence, I unconsciously rubbed my face with a look of despair.
A phrase from a nonexistent dictionary passed through my mind.
Foolish — synonym for ‘just like Aiden Kellermain.’
It was a truly dreadful sentence. Even I thought it was the worst…….
There was no way that saying just that much to someone this angry would magically solve everything and have us laughing together as if nothing had happened…….
“…….”
Sure enough, Noel, who had been staring at me blankly, stirred the campfire a few times with a poker.
“……I’m sorry, that was such a pathetic apolo—”
“You’re going to surprise me, right?”
“…….”
“……Can I look forward to it?”
“…………?”
Huh.
It worked?
It worked?
Just like that……?
No.
It felt like she was letting it slide far more easily than even I, the one who brought it up, had expected.
‘……No, no, wait.’
But an even colder chill ran down my spine than before.
It made me uneasy.
This did not feel like she had simply listened to me and let her mood soften. It felt more like Noel, too, was ‘plotting’ something.
As if she had obtained a justification to do something drastic when we went out alone together, so she was letting it pass for now.
As if, after enduring and enduring all the things I had done up until now, she was going to do something of her own—
“So you were here.”
While that thought was forming, a voice suddenly came from the side.
I turned my head to see who it was. It was Julius.
“……Do you need something from me?”
When I asked that, a low, somber voice came back.
“I have something to discuss.”
“Really? Then let’s just talk here—”
“Alone.”
“…….”
“……It’s important. And it’s something very personal to me.”
Even without knowing the details, it was clear this was not an attempt at friendly bonding.