Page 119

Eve stared blankly at the charred remains of Barkov.

It was only natural—she had burned an innocent person to ashes.

But rather than reprimanding her, I wanted to praise her.

"You just saved someone. That man was actually about to die."

I didn’t want to turn Vinesha into a murderer.

She still needed to remain active at Zerion Academy.

"Haa..."

Despite my praise, Eve let out a long sigh.

She returned her sword to her waist and turned to look at me.

"…Hanon Irey, I have no idea what you're thinking."

To Eve, I was a mystery—

An enigmatic figure whose intentions were impossible to grasp.

That was precisely why I must have appeared dangerous in her eyes.

A person who wields an ancient dragon’s magic,

Standing beside Iris with seemingly impure motives.

"And I still believe that the dragon’s magic you possess should be erased."

"Eve, you’ve seen with your own eyes how I use it."

"Yes, and that’s exactly why I know it’s far from perfect. More importantly—"

Eve narrowed her eyes and stared at my hand.

"You’re not just wielding the dragon’s magic, are you? From divine artifacts to mystical forces and similar powers… Nothing you touch is ordinary."

Now I finally understood why Eve had rushed her transfer.

"Hanon Irey, I don’t know what you’re trying to do, but you’re in a far more dangerous situation than you realize. Every power you wield carries immense risk."

She was right.

Everything I handled came at a cost.

‘So she’s done some research on me.’

After our previous encounter, Eve must have gathered information in her own way.

And based on what she found, she reached a conclusion:

Every power I wield requires a price to be paid.

Whether today or sometime in the future,

It would all come back to haunt me.

"I don’t know what you’re trying to achieve."

Eve clenched her fists and stared at me.

"But at the very least, you should try to stay alive."

From start to finish, she had been looking out for my life.

A kind-hearted person through and through.

"Eve."

I let out a bitter smile.

"I have no intention of dying."

The main reason I was trying to prevent the bad ending was simple—

I wanted to survive.

My life was important to me too.

‘Though, I suppose I’m walking a fine line.’

The Veil Bandages had dulled emotions of love—

And I wasn’t exempt from that effect.

Still, I could tell that I valued my life.

"Everything I’m doing is for survival."

"…What exactly are you trying to do?"

"Save the world?"

Eve glared at me, warning me to stop joking around.

I was being serious, but she didn’t believe me.

That hurt a little.

"Then explain it properly. Depending on the situation, I might help you."

She really was the side-story protagonist.

Even after all I had put her through, she was still willing to help.

"That’s tempting."

I desperately needed Eve’s help.

But I wasn’t sure how much she would believe me.

‘The easiest thing to explain would be—’

The existence of the Great Calamity looming over the world.

However, there were too many eyes watching.

Right behind me, Rojamin was present.

"I’ll explain soon. I need your strength, too."

I needed to make sure she understood, step by step.

"Dear husband!"

At that moment, Vinesha’s voice rang out from behind me.

When I turned my head, I saw Vinesha running toward me.

She must have been observing the situation through her spirit and recognized me, prompting her to come.

"…Dear husband?"

Eve’s eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Hanon Irey, I heard you were engaged to Sharin Sazaris."

Her gaze was eerily calm,

But in those eyes, I could see her perception of me shifting—

A womanizing scoundrel playing with hearts.

"No, this is—"

"Oh, come on, dear husband! You even took down that pig for me! You love me so much!"

Eve’s expression grew increasingly murderous.

"And what is your name, miss?"

Eve directed her question toward Vinesha.

Vinesha blinked twice, then tightly clung to my arm.

"I’m your dear husband’s beloved wife, Vinesha!"

Who’s your wife?

But if I denied it now, there was no telling how Vinesha might react.

I needed her to remain mentally stable until Act 4.

So when I remained silent, Eve let out an exasperated breath.

She had only asked for a name, yet an entirely different woman had claimed to be my wife.

And I wasn’t even denying it.

I could already guess how she saw me.

"You're an absolute beast."

In an instant, I was labeled an animal.

Eve cast me a look full of contempt before turning on her heels and walking away.

"Dear husband, are you really a beastly man?"

I wished Vinesha would just stay quiet.

* * *

Afterward, Vinesha, Eve, and I dragged Professor Barkov back to the academy.

Dorara had vanished the moment he sensed the dangerous situation.

That guy sure knew how to take care of his own life.

Professor Barkov was going to face a disciplinary hearing.

He had committed an unforgivable act.

More importantly, I was currently being presented as a hero-in-training by the Whitewood.

Trying to frame me was equivalent to tarnishing the Whitewood’s reputation.

Even if Barkov had the backing of the Deblije Count’s family,

He wouldn’t be able to stand against the Whitewood.

They would discard him like a used rag.

Before seeing the end of Barkov’s downfall, I first escorted Eve to the girls’ dormitory.

Originally, this should have been Barkov’s duty,

But given his current state, he obviously couldn’t do it.

So, I took it upon myself to show her the way.

Of course, Eve remained completely silent the entire time.

Occasionally, she would glance at me with a look of disgust.

It was all because Vinesha clung to me all day, whispering sweet words of love.

To her, it must have seemed absurd.

An engaged man flirting with a professor.

But I couldn’t shake off Vinesha.

She was a crucial figure in the upcoming fourth act.

If my relationship with her soured, there was no telling what unpredictable events might unfold.

I felt wronged, but there was nothing I could do.

"Eve, this is the girls' dormitory."

Under Eve’s piercing gaze, we finally arrived.

After I finished guiding her, she glanced at me briefly before walking away in silence.

"See you in martial arts class."

I tried to greet her warmly as she walked away,

But she didn’t even respond.

She truly saw me as a beast.

"Dear husband, why do you keep paying attention to her?"

Vinesha pouted, jealousy apparent in her tone.

"Because I want to be her friend."

"If it’s a friend you want, then having me—your beloved wife and friend—is more than enough!"

At that moment, I wondered—

Why did Vinesha like me so much?

After all, we had only known each other for a week.

‘Even if she’s starved for affection…’

Her devotion felt excessive.

"Vinesha."

I was about to ask her directly—

"You might as well just announce to the entire town that you’re parading around with women."

A familiar voice interrupted me.

When I turned, I saw a girl with sun-kissed hair standing there.

Isabel Luna.

She had appeared at the perfect moment,

Dressed in attire suitable for afternoon training.

At least she didn’t seem to be pushing herself too hard.

She was training steadily at her own pace.

Her gaze landed on Vinesha.

At that moment, Vinesha locked eyes with Isabel—

And tightened her grip on my arm even further.

At this rate, my arm might break.

Isabel had stirred up some troubling incidents in the past.

Perhaps because of that, I found myself instinctively tensing up.

She stared at Vinesha for a moment, then turned her gaze to me.

Then, she smiled softly.

"Hmm, I guess it'll be fine."

What… does that mean?

I looked puzzled.

"You better not feel empty after giving away your affection."

Isabel made that cryptic remark before whispering something to Vinesha as well.

"Professor Vinesha, trying to fill something that can't be filled will only leave you with emptiness."

Vinesha's shoulders flinched.

Usually, she would bare her fangs at any woman who approached me.

Yet, for some reason, Vinesha avoided Isabel’s gaze and subtly hid behind me.

I could sense that Isabel made her incredibly uneasy.

"Well then, I’m busy with training."

With that, Isabel walked away without hesitation.

I stared blankly at her departing figure before shaking my head.

I tried to decipher the meaning of what she had just said, but no clear answer came to mind.

"Darling, that girl… she gives me such a bad feeling."

Vinesha shivered, looking extremely uncomfortable.

But all Isabel had done was speak with a kind smile.

I really didn’t understand.

"Vinesha, what do you even like about me?"

Instead of dwelling on it, I decided to ask the question I had intended to ask earlier.

Hearing my question, Vinesha clasped her hands together, her eyes gleaming.

"Everything."

Her eyes looked terrifying.

"But if I had to pick one thing, there is something special. You're the only one who has ever filled the emptiness inside me."

She placed her hand over her chest.

Her long, manicured nails stood out.

"I’ve always had a hollow space inside me. But after meeting you, for the first time, I felt like that emptiness was being filled."

"All we’ve done is talk and share meals, though."

I already knew Vinesha preferred younger men.

More than anything, I knew that having Vikamon’s face made it easy to play into her attachment issues.

There wasn’t anything particularly special about how we met either.

Vinesha had been pickpocketed by a passing man.

I saw an opportunity and rushed in, retrieving her stolen bag.

There was a brief struggle, but I had experience with physical training.

I managed to dodge all his attacks and wear him out first.

Sensing that I wasn’t an easy target, the thief eventually fled.

I returned the bag to Vinesha.

"You… You got my bag back… Would you like to have a meal together?"

Before I could even say anything, she had invited me to eat with her.

At the time, I thought, so this is the power of a good face.

But Vinesha fell for me much faster than I expected.

So much so that, within a week, I realized it was dangerous to stick around any longer and attempted to escape.

"There have always been plenty of men approaching me."

Vinesha had a naturally captivating beauty.

Men would inevitably be drawn to her.

"So many of them tried to pursue me… But you, darling, didn’t seem to want anything from me at all."

Back then, my mind had been completely preoccupied.

I was too focused on preventing the bad ending.

Even before putting on the Veil Bandages, I hadn’t had the luxury to develop personal feelings.

I had seen Vinesha’s face countless times in the game.

And more than anything, I had always thought of her as the "Mad Mage."

Ironically, though, that very perception became an advantage to her.

"Plus, you actually listened to all my boring stories."

Vinesha was a mid-game boss character.

I knew her background, but not much about her personal stories.

So, listening to her had been more interesting than I expected—

it felt like uncovering hidden lore from a game I loved.

"This was the first time for me. All the men before you were just animals, drooling over my looks or my body."

I’m sorry, but I’m not so different from those men.

Before wearing the Veil Bandages, my head had been too cluttered to think about such things—

and now, well…

Damn.

A sudden wave of melancholy washed over me.

Sadness still lingered within me.

"That’s why I decided! I must marry this man!"

Vinesha beamed as she hugged my arm tightly.

The soft sensation was comforting.

"And that’s how I became your wife, darling."

She flashed a sweet smile, wagging her tail metaphorically.

Even after hearing her story, I still doubted the sincerity of her love.

Then, I suddenly recalled Isabel’s words.

「Trying to fill something that can’t be filled will only leave you with emptiness.」

My gaze shifted back to Vinesha.

She was still looking at me with eyes full of affection.

‘Something that can’t be filled.’

And at that moment, I slowly began to understand something.

Vinesha didn’t want to be loved.

What she truly wanted wasn’t to receive love—

but to give it.

She knew that no matter how much love she received, it would never be enough.

The love she once sought had long since shattered and disappeared.

That’s why she distanced herself from those who tried to love her.

But on the other hand, she was drawn to those she could pour her love into.

The human mind is unstable.

Sometimes, even those who love themselves deeply end up hurting themselves.

Self-harming narcissists are a prime example.

People often behave in ways that completely contradict their desires.

Knowing that she could never be fulfilled, she instead gave everything away—

scraping out the void inside her as a form of self-destruction.

I was the perfect target for that.

Because I never sought love from her.

I was the ideal person for her to tear herself apart over.

Ah.

It wasn’t a short-lived passion that mattered to her.

She simply needed someone to self-destruct over, to feed her unquenchable hunger for attachment.

My eyes met Vinesha’s again.

She was still smiling happily.

But now, I understood that the emotion in her eyes was not just love.

And yet, I couldn’t push her away just yet.

She was too crucial to this scenario.

Now I see.

Now I understood why Isabel had warned me not to get too attached.

I quietly rubbed my arm.

‘Isabel… How the hell did you see through all of this at a glance?’

She was becoming more terrifying by the day.