Chapter 24 – Dawn’s Guest (4)
Rogeria’s self-confidence did not last long. From the moment she entered the main building through the unlocked window, she heard swallowing beside her.
The noise of the filthy night descended upon the strained breathing. The side of a lonely hallway. In the damp, musty brothel, they were having their own festival.
We stuck to the shadowy edge just in case. Meanwhile, Roselia was wearing bright clothes, so she had to lend me my coat. Perhaps because of her aristocratic nostalgia, she checked the smell of her clothes even when she was nervous.
“…Smells nice.”
“Lower your voice.”
The intention was to unwind with small talk, but it wasn’t a very good idea. I looked around again and asked in a low voice.
“The student president’s office. Is it empty?”
“Yes. Maybe.”
“What about Duke’s party?”
“…I’ll be in the sleeping quarters.”
There was an unknown bitterness in the answer. Even that simple question seems to hide a complex story.
I was curious, but it didn’t matter now. After catching my breath, I whispered again.
“Stay as close as you can and follow me.”
“Yes.”
The feel of the gripped sword lightly trembled the tendons. I brought it, but I hoped I wouldn’t have to use it anymore today. As I took my first step cautiously, a small shadow followed me.
…
Awesome…
Step by step. Every time I carefully stretched out my feet, the old floor creaked. It’s the noise of life that I normally didn’t pay much attention to, but now I felt like a whistleblower shining a light in the dark. There’s an intruder here. Come and catch me right away. It sounds like it is crying out to burn itself.
I felt like a child sneaking out in the middle of the night. The surroundings are quieter than usual, and the sound I make sounds like it’s twice as expansive. The noise of the night deceives the heart in that way.
It must have been an unbearable pressure for Rogeria. Unlike me, she was always a daughter of an aristocratic family. To her, her imposing step was an overly awkward act.
“Ha…Ah…”
Even breathing was difficult due to the tension, and the sound of trembling breathing clung to his back. Little by little, she exhaled, but at times she choked on hyperventilation and vomited. The darkness that discovered a new toy was insulting the noble lady’s innocence.
Meanwhile, a mixture of moaning and tearing laughter erupted from the classroom. Only then did I understand the heart of the rat running away from the light. For those crawling in the dark, daily life must have felt like poison.
“…”
“…”
Silence. And static. In the midst of it, we continued our precarious steps.
Fortunately, nothing happened until I climbed the stairs to the student president’s office. It wasn’t until she reached the middle of the stairs that Rogeria seemed to have relieved her tension, so she lowered her hand that was covering her mouth. She then let out a sigh and said,
“It’s okay. Now go a little further…”
“Catch that!”
“Aagh!”
But then the door to the classroom slammed open from the back, and a flood of light poured in. Instinctively, I reached out my hand to close Roselia’s mouth.
“Ah…!”
“Shh!”
“Ugh…!”
Thanks to my quick reaction, I held Roselia in her arms in time. I struggled terribly at the sudden situation, but I was able to hide in a corner before they noticed. Soon, a girl and men approaching her are revealed at the bottom of her steps.
“Mom…Mom…”
“Why are you looking for a mother? Sooner or later you will become a mother.”
“Mom… Black… Mom…”
“There is no mother, and Dad is here. No, is it Mr. Seo? Come here. Mr. Seo will hug you.”
They giggled and laughed and made fun of the girl. She was weeping her own tears, and she was also shedding another tear down there. She was pitiful, but there was no way she could help on this side.
“Come on, let’s go in quickly. Should we continue?”
“Ugh…Please…”
“You promised to put me to sleep when you finish your work. Do you just do what is on the blackboard? I’m sleepy too. Let’s do it quickly.”
“Ahhhhh…”
“Go in quickly. Before you get angry.”
Fortunately, they quickly made their way back inside. Exhaling her breath, Rogeria slowly pulled her leg, which had been stretching towards the stairs, towards her.
But that was a mistake. Her shoes, which she was wearing, caught on the edge of her steps and rolled down her.
“…!”
“Ah…!”
“Yes?”
A man who was entering looked this way as if he had heard the sound. Then he raised his voice, perhaps recognizing our shapes in the dark.
“What is it? Who’s there?”
“…”
“What are you doing there? Who are you?”
No matter how much I thought about it, I seemed to have noticed this. Rogeria gasped for breath again and shivered all over her body. Her sweat dripped down her cheeks and moistened her palms.
“Aren’t you going to answer me?”
Eventually, he took the first step. The way she tilted her head was as if she was about to come up this way. Things could have been complicated if we didn’t act quickly.
The moment I thought that, I stood up with a loud curse.
“Fuck!”
“…!”
Perhaps startled by the sound, he flinched and went down the stairs a bit. I slammed Roselia to the floor and ran my hand toward her waist.
But instead of pulling out her sword, she pulled down her pants and attacked Roselia.
“Haagh…!”
“This fuck… Bitch… Fuck!”
“Uh…”
The guy shook his head in this direction, as if embarrassed. However, our faces were not visible because of the darkness. In the meantime, I spread the legs of Rogeria, who was struggling, and hit her waist roughly.
“You bitch…Fuck the dog…Uhhhhh…”
“Uhhhhh”
“Uh hee hee… Fuck bitch… Uh hee hee…”
I ran over her like a pig in her horns, making the most disgusting noise. Even though their genitals did not touch each other, the shock was transmitted. Even though she knew it was her performance, little tears welled up in Roselia’s eyes.
He watched us like that for a long time. Then he shrugged his shoulders and spat out a word.
“Ugh. Beast.”
“…”
“It’s fucking dirty.”
The classroom door slammed shut with a groaning sound. Then I stopped and looked around. Fortunately, no other noise was heard.
“Ha…Ha…Ha…”
“I’m gone.”
Haha… Ha… Bitch… Son of a bitch…”
It was an abusive language that I couldn’t tell if it was directed at me or at him. Roselia held her breath for a long time after I stood up again. But like her, she quickly regained her composure.
“Let’s go quickly…We’re almost there.”
“Stay close.”
I replied nonchalantly and headed forward. Even without looking back, I could feel Roseria’s stinging eyes.
After a not-so-quiet infiltration, we finally arrived in front of the student president’s office. There were more graffiti on the nameplate than before. I quietly drew my sword and pushed the door open.
“…”
There was no one in the room. It was completely empty except for the litter on the floor and the dirty desk. After locking the door tightly, I didn’t feel the presence until I entered the inner room.
After entering the room with the communication equipment and closing the door, I let out the breath I had been holding back.
“After…”
“Whoa… Ha… Ha… Ha…”
Roselia also took a deep breath for a while, holding her trembling breath. I waited until she regained her breath and pointed towards her communications equipment.
“Can it work?”
“Of course. Just… Wait a bit. I need some time to catch my breath.”
“Hurry up. I don’t have time.”
“I know.”
She replied furiously and jerked the coat she was wearing into her. Then she tidied up her clothes for a long time before she spoke in a slightly calmer voice.
“I can’t help it if I don’t get it from the other side. Know that.”
“I’ll take it unconditionally. If you call me at night, you’ll know it’s an emergency.”
“…Yes. I hope so.”
As soon as my answer fell, Rogeria raised her arm. Then, blue energy gathered around the equipment and a hum began to ring out. I leaned back in the corner and waited for the screen to appear.
Soon, the screen turned on and a crackling sound leaked out. The sound slowly took shape and soon turned into a man’s voice.
“What are you doing at this hour, lady? Is there any problem?”
The butler’s voice came through the blurry screen. Hearing his voice for the first time in a long time felt a little welcome. I straightened my posture once again and calmly opened my mouth.
“No. There’s no problem. I just want to talk to my father about the escape method I talked about before.”
“With the Duke… Are you talking about it? But requesting communication at such a late hour…”
“I know. It’s against etiquette. But in a moment of crisis like this, practicality should take precedence over the law.”
“You’re right. But…”
“It’s urgent. Are you sleeping?”
“No. That’s not it.”
“Then tell me. Please.”
“…All right.”
After hesitating for a while, he slowly disappeared off the screen. I sighed thinly and looked at Lope. He was staring at me with the same nonchalant expression as before.
However, as the waiting time got longer, that nonchalant expression began to frown little by little. A strange feeling of pressure from the simple change of expression pounded on his chest. Even the memory of being assaulted by him a while ago welled up.
Lope still smelled like that strange perfume. Each minute and every second dripped with drops of sweat, dampening his hair.
“Under…”
At that time, the sound of someone’s sigh and the creaking of a chair came down heavily. After a while, a crackling voice came from the communications equipment.
“Yes… It’s Roselia.”
“Father!”
I was so happy that I screamed involuntarily. I thought it was a bit rude, but my father laughed without showing any sign of concern.
“Rogeria has a bright voice. It seems that this father wanted to see you.”
“I’m sorry, father. I contacted you at such a late hour. But there’s something I really want to ask you.”
“I’m sorry… Rather, I’m more sorry for not being able to do anything for you. I was just wanting to get in touch with you. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. As much as you like.”
“Yes…”
Seeing a different appearance than usual, I blurted out the end of my words without even realizing it. Even considering the situation, he wasn’t the kind of person who showed his emotions that much. In the meantime, my father laughed and suddenly hiccupped.
It was only then that I realized that my father was drunk. Although she couldn’t display a clear screen due to lack of mana, she must be looking at me with a drunken face. Drinking in this situation. It was never something a father would do.
But I soon shook my head. He must have wanted to take a break because he had a lot to think about. With that thought in mind, I carefully brought up the main topic.
“Father. It’s none other than the issue of the escape line that I talked about the other day. I know I shouldn’t be impatient, but I still want to know the details of the plan.”
“It’s a detailed plan…”
“Yes. The date the ship arrives. The size. The number of bodyguards. Things like that.”
“Yes. These are the things I should have told you about earlier. How anxious must you have been alone in that garbage dump?”
The father sighed deeply and closed his mouth. He was silent for a while, and he even suspected that he might have fallen asleep. My father, who had been unable to speak for such a long time, unexpectedly delivered good news.
“In fact, the ship is already ready for departure. It will depart tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow? That’s great. So, when will we get here?”
“Well. In a week…No. Two weeks…Maybe three weeks…I don’t know. Depending on the weather and waves, the voyage will vary. I’m sure it won’t take long…”
“Your father.”
“It won’t take…Long…It probably will. It shouldn’t take long, Rogeria…”
“…Father?”
“Then why do you keep harassing your younger siblings…They’re from the same family. Did it bother you that I treated you so harshly…”
“…”
No matter how I looked at it, I wasn’t in a state where I could continue talking. I wanted to finish this, but there was still one more core problem left. When she raised her head, Lope’s sharp eyes came from the other side of her.
Eventually I opened my mouth again. My father was still muttering meaningless stories.
“Hey father. There’s one more thing I want to ask you.”
“Ah…Yes. Tell me.”
“There are two friends I want to go with when I escape from the island. One is Lena, the senior I mentioned before, and the other is Lope-kun… She is also an excellent student. I think these two are talented people who must be preserved. I want to take you with me.”
“Lena…Ropera…”
“Yes. Miss Lena, it’s Lope-kun.”
“Well…Of course you should take them. They’re your friends. That’s enough.”
“Thank you father. I wanted to ask that.”
Only then could I laugh a little. Lope also looked this way and nodded slowly. It felt like everything was finally settled.
But then my father called my name. Then, suddenly, a strange story came out.
“…But Roselia. Do you really have to do that?”
“Yes?”
“Does it bother you to take those friends?”
“What is that…”
“What would change if the pigs at the slaughterhouse were allowed a short walk?”
“Ah…Father. Why are you doing that all of a sudden?”
I looked at Lope with an awkward smile at the sudden change in attitude. Things that I thought were resolved were about to be twisted in an instant.
“Everybody’s going to die anyway… What’s the use of that?”
“What do you mean? Are there not enough seats? Can you send me a bigger boat?”
“It’s not like that. Our family is going to pick you up because something is lacking, so why don’t we send a small boat? What’s lacking… Is something else.”
“So what is that…”
“Rogeria. Our cute baby.”
Very young It was also the title he used to call when he was drunk. I involuntarily swallowed dry saliva at the anxiety that slowly seeped out.
“Why didn’t I tell you this story earlier? Was the Duke of Anbert of the world so afraid of that?”
“Father…?”
“But now I have to tell you this. I can’t put it off any longer.”
“What kind of story…”
“Rogeria.”
My father called my name and gulped down something. It must be alcohol The fact that the lord Duke of Anbert had to make that much of a resolution in front of his daughter made me madly uneasy. Because I’m scared. I didn’t want to hear it at all, so I deliberately brought up another story.
“Father, if you drink like that, you’ll hurt yourself. Stop now…”
“Rogeria.”
“Yes.”
“The only ones who can go to the land of the elves are me and your older brother Roswell, who received the symbol.”
…
…
“…Yes?”
I thought I heard it wrong. I thought I made a mistake because I was drunk. However, the voice of the father who followed was so clear and clear.
“It was a lie that ten people were able to go to each pattern. No, actually, it was a fact that I only found out about a month ago. .”
“No way…”
“I know. I told you too late. I thought I should keep talking, but I didn’t have the courage. I was afraid that you would lose hope of living on that hellish island. I was afraid that it would collapse. But this is the truth. You go to the land of the elves. I can’t go.”
“That… That… That…”
“I’m sorry.”
“…”
Time stopped for a moment. As if submerged in deep water, the vision is blurred, the ears are deafened, and all senses are gone. Even the pounding heart stopped beating and slowly faded. And, only one truth came to mind.
I can’t go to the land of the elves.
Even if I go to land, I cannot be saved.
100 days later. I’ll be burned to death by the dragons’ fire.
A series of facts passed before my eyes one after another. But I couldn’t accept it and asked in a trembling voice.
“Really Father…?”
“Rogeria…”
“It can’t be. I can’t go to the land of the elves. Then all you have to do is tell me to die? That’s nonsense.”
“Rogeria. Listen.”
“Just die with those worms? Nope. I’m different from those normal pigs. Even if the whole world dies, I have to live. Father, please say no. Please…”
“Stop it. And talk about me…”
“Please say no!”
Eventually, unable to hold back the anger that burst out, he cried out. Her head was heating up and it felt like her whole brain was about to burn. In the meantime, the tears that flowed pooled on the dirty floor and turned into black dirty water.
Okay. Tear. Only then did I realize that I was crying. The tears I started to realize flowed endlessly without knowing how to stop.
“Ahhh…”
“Rogeria.”
“I… I…”
My heart is so hot I couldn’t stand it without holding it in my hand. But the ugly hand that could do nothing but cry couldn’t dig into the heart and only hovered above it.
I held my chest and cried for so long. My father looked at me like that and slowly opened his mouth.
“Rogeria. Listen a little longer. Actually, I have another reason for bringing up this story now.”
“I don’t want to hear it… I’ve already been abandoned…”
“Rogeria!”
This time my father screamed. I flinched and raised my head in amazement. Above him, a voice that grew more serious.
“Relax. This is not your problem alone. Your mother, brothers and sisters. It’s all about it. You need to get your senses.”
“But they said there was no way. I already…”
“No. There is a way. A way not only for you, but maybe for all of us.”
“Is there… Something like that?”
“Yes. So from now on, listen carefully to what I have to say, Rogeria.”
I tried to swallow my tears and listened. My father also took a very deep breath. Then he spoke in a very clear voice.
“There are elves in that academy.”
“…Yes?”
“Have you not heard? There are elves in that academy.”
Unbelievable, I involuntarily looked towards Lope. Even he flinched as if a little shaken and swallowed. Meanwhile, the father’s story continued.
“It’s a fact I didn’t know at first. But recently, a report came in to me. There’s an elf’s son living in that academy.”
“If such… Such nonsense had happened, I would have known. No, not just me, but the entire academy would have known.”
“To be precise, it’s not an elf, it’s a half-elf race. That’s why you might not have known it. Half-elves may have an infinitely similar appearance to humans, depending on the individual.”
“Even so…”
“Rogeria. There are definitely elves there.
I heard someone taking a tense breath. Must be the father I also instinctively held my breath at the unbelievable story.
But no matter how much I thought about it, there were no elves in this academy. I bit my lip and shook my head.
“Father. I’ve never seen anything like an elf here. No matter how much I think about it.”
“Think about it carefully. No matter how much they resemble humans in appearance, they won’t be able to hide the characteristics of elves. Like their outstanding physical abilities. The smell of forget-me-nots from their bodies. I mean.”
“There’s no one like that. Everyone in the academy knows me. But no matter how much I think about it…”
“Please try a little harder, Rogeria. This is your last chance! You must have been hiding your elven traits well for a while. You won’t be able to wash away that unique smell from your body anymore. It’s highly likely that you’ve been a loner because it’s hard to get along with humans.”
“Such… Such a person…”
“Rogeria please! Think about it!”
“I’m thinking about it!”
I screamed involuntarily. But no matter how much I look back, there is no such person. Phenomenal physical abilities. Forget-me-not smell. Loner. Pattern. Anyone who can relate to anything…
…
No.
There is only one person.
A person who couldn’t get along with people and was always a loner.
A person who began to display phenomenal physical abilities after destruction came.
A person whose parents died a long time ago and was able to hide his birth.
And, the person who suddenly started to smell forget-me-not.
There was only one such person.
In hindsight, I slowly raised my head.
“…”
He was still looking at me with a nonchalant expression. Then, when our eyes met, he looked away for a moment, then looked this way again. His brown eyes, resembling old oak trees, were uncharacteristically cold and ruthless.
In his cool eyes, the strange smell of perfume was still wafting faintly.
