“Ah! It’s Erwin the assistant and Schlus Hainkel!”
“Are they dating?”
“There’s no way! They’re both guys!”
“Hehehe. But they really do suit each other.”
“Is there some connection between commoners?”
As I walked with Erwin, I kept hearing strange comments around us.
Is it instinct for women to pair up men as couples wherever they go?
But this time, it was a little different.
“Why don’t you grow your hair out a bit?”
“Shut up. What do you care?”
“I think you’d look pretty if you did.”
“I’m telling you to shut up…”
The fact that Erwin was actually a woman, after all.
Sure, she’s tall and has short hair, but if you looked closely, her face was quite feminine…
Or maybe I’m just thinking that because I know she’s a woman.
Someone who didn’t know might mistake her for a well-dressed man.
“Why are you cross-dressing anyway? The faculty knows already.”
“It’s a habit.”
“A habit?”
“Yeah. They generally don’t want to use women for rough tasks, you know? So I just got used to cross-dressing at school… Ugh, why am I even telling you this?”
“…”
Did I mention she supports her younger siblings all alone?
It looks like she’s going through tough times even outside of school.
“So why are you in graduate school? They pay you peanuts.”
“I can’t just do manual labor for the rest of my life… When my siblings grow up, I need to send them to college and marry them off.”
“Hmm… Need money?”
“What? Why are you asking all of a sudden? You planning to give me some?”
“Yeah.”
“…”
Erwin narrowed her eyes at me.
To be honest, I did feel a bit guilty about it.
I’m using a spell on her heart and treating her like a slave, and if I give her nothing in return, wouldn’t she just wait for a chance to stab me and run away?
I really thought I should give her at least a carrot instead of just swinging the whip.
“Hmph. How much? Are you planning to give me 100 trillion for my siblings?”
“50,000 trillion a month.”
“What?! Don’t joke around. You just want to see my shocked face and mock me, right? I may be broke, but I have my pride. Even if you meant it, I wouldn’t take it.”
“Hey. Kneel.”
“What?”
“Kneel.”
“H-here?”
“…”
Do I really have to repeat myself?
With a glare, Erwin glanced around before quickly kneeling.
She probably realized it was pointless to resist, and it was better to just get it over with.
“Do you still have any pride left? Speak.”
“I, I have… none…”
“Good. That’s how it should be. No more nonsense, take the money. I’ll give you 50,000 trillion in cash a month.”
“Got it…”
“Now stand up.”
“…”
Erwin stood up, trembling.
Her eyes that were boldly looking forward just a moment ago were now fixed on the ground.
Maybe it was because I turned the heart spell slightly, causing a *tick-tock* sound.
She looked genuinely scared.
“Don’t do dangerous things. You’ll hurt yourself.”
“Okay…”
“And grow your hair out. I think it would look pretty.”
“Okay…”
I lightly tapped her shoulder before continuing on my way.
I hope 5 million a month will be enough?
I could only wish that Erwin could feed her siblings something delicious without getting hurt herself.
Now that I showed her that I have a warm heart, she wouldn’t be plotting against me anymore.
*Tap-tap-tap-tap.*
Erwin’s feet shook and made a sound as she sat on the bench.
She took a drag from a cigarette and coughed out the smoke.
“Crazy bastard.”
I didn’t mean to say she worked tough manual labor.
I didn’t think saying that would lead to such a result.
I never expected she’d actually consider her safety…
And now she was being forced to accept money, too.
“What the hell are they planning…”
It seemed reasonable to view this as additional pay for whatever they were going to make her do.
Doing spy work within that insane secret cult was exhausting.
It was hard to believe they’d want to push her even more, especially since healthy bodies and long hair seemed necessary for the job.
“Wait, don’t tell me…!”
As the worst-case scenario dawned on her, Erwin’s face turned red.
What a lunatic.
Just utterly ridiculous.
“Who coughs! Cough!”
While cursing Schlus Hainkel repeatedly, Erwin took another drag from her cigarette.
*
– We are currently at war. The evil group attacking Imperial University is a cult that worships a false god…
The Emperor made an official statement.
He announced to the public that they should be aware of the zealot’s existence and that they would stand against them.
Moreover, the name of this cult has been decided.
– They shall be called Asylum.
Asylum.
It became the same name as in the original story.
Even though the story diverged in many aspects, it was fascinating that some parts still flowed like the original.
Of course, it would be greedy to hope everything would go just like the original.
“Isn’t finals coming up soon?”
Tea was poured into the cup in front of me.
As I watched Schlus’s face reflected in it, the milk was added, turning the tea cloudy.
Finally, a spoonful of sugar was poured in, and the spoon stirred the tea.
“Time really seems to fly.”
“Yeah, it does.”
Just like Emilia said.
These days felt quiet and peaceful, making time seem to fly.
Of course, the peace was just the surface; beneath it lay fierce and dirty battles.
I heard Erwin passed the entrance test and became a formal member of Asylum.
She was facing a crisis of being kicked out at one point for not taking the test after initially receiving the majin’s power.
That the test involved killing people meant I had a tough time comforting her mental state afterward.
The intelligence agency was also busy running away these days.
With the Empire’s counter-intelligence agency hunting for members of Asylum, the intelligence agency was tense.
I was worried that they might foolishly collaborate with Asylum, but it seems they haven’t, based on Hertlocker’s regular report.
I heard similar groups were also crawling out in the kingdom.
The kingdom was wary of Asylum but didn’t want to openly oppose them, as they were attacking the Empire.
“Are you going today?”
“Yeah. Thanks for the coat.”
“Who is it that you like? Is it Erica? Or that younger sister? Or is it the count substitute?”
“I’m just doing psychological counseling for Erica’s sister, how many times do I have to say it?”
“Hmm. Is that really it? Well, for now, I’ll pretend to believe you. Do well.”
“…”
Emilia’s gaze was annoyingly sticky.
I ignored it and left the house.
I had become quite accustomed to visiting her daily lately.
It was not an exaggeration to say this was the joy of my life recently.
While riding in the carriage and thinking for a bit, I soon arrived at Lichtenburg Mansion.
“You’ve arrived. Julia… Oh, I mean Han Ah-reum is in the garden.”
“Thanks.”
As soon as I arrived, Erica came out and opened the door for me.
It now felt like my home.
I could burst through the door without being scolded by the maids.
I walked quickly toward the garden.
“Have a good time.”
“…”
*Creek* the door closed.
As usual, she was sitting in her wheelchair in front of a table in the middle of the garden.
I slowly walked over and pulled up a chair to sit.
She opened her closed eyes and gave me a faint smile.
“You came?”
“Yeah. How have you been? How’s your body?”
“Same as always.”
The same boring exchange.
Thinking back, it reminded me of when we used to date.
Not that it was much of a date; we just walked around the narrow hospital grounds.
But today felt different somehow.
I can’t quite put my finger on it, but the atmosphere was off.
“Brings back memories, doesn’t it?”
“Yeah. We were in a garden like this back then, right?”
“You’re not Han Ah-reum, right?”
“Huh? What are you talking about, big brother?”
“What’s my name? Tell me.”
“Ah…”
“What are you doing here, Julia.”
“…”
How ridiculous.
It was indeed Julia, not Han Ah-reum.
I almost fell for it.
If she’d acted just a bit better, I wouldn’t have recognized her at all.
“I’m just… I wanted to get close to Schlus.”
“Why with me?”
“When I’m asleep, it’s natural to want to know about the person in love with my body.”
“…”
I had no way to retort to that.
She made a good point.
I hadn’t really talked to Julia while using her body; I could see her curiosity.
I mean, how did the little brat I used to know grow up?
“This book is…”
“Oh, that? It appeared on my shelf one day.”
“…”
“Hard to believe, right? I found it intriguing, like it was a book from another world.”
The book on the table was *Romeo and Juliet*.
A tragic tale of two lovers who die thinking the other is dead and ultimately commit suicide.
“Interesting book.”
“Oh? Have you read it?”
“Yeah. I’ve seen the same one before.”
“Looks like it didn’t just come alone. That’s interesting. Speaking of this book…”
I blurted out my knowledge without thinking, but it was easy to brush over.
Maybe she was just thrilled to see someone recognize it.
I ended up chatting with Julia about the book for a while.
Yet, it was far from a boring time.
Reading *Romeo and Juliet* from the perspective of someone in this world was quite fresh and enlightening.
“Ah… I’ve taken up too much of your time. It’s probably time for me to switch back, right?”
“Then I appreciate it.”
Julia shyly smiled, then slowly leaned over the table.
Her black hair splayed out widely.
“I’ll see you next time.”
“…”
Julia’s eyes slowly closed.
Right after, her eyes opened, looking up at me.
Her gaze had completely changed.
I was sure this wasn’t Julia anymore.
“How was it? Did you get fooled?”
“You taught her, didn’t you?”
“So when did you catch on? Hm?”
“I realized it immediately. The mood is totally different from yours.”
“Hehe…”
The way she smiled was utterly lovable.
That’s why it hurt my heart even more.
Now I could talk about reality.
So I activated the Recognition Interference Barrier, ensuring Erica or any noble lady wouldn’t overhear us.
“What should we do today? I ordered some custom trump cards! Just like old times, we could play…”
“Big brother, let’s stop now.”
“…”
My throat felt suddenly constricted.
I desperately swallowed my tears.
“This girl, even though she doesn’t show it, is suffering a lot. Every time I wake up, it means her body can’t rest at all. So, I just lay there with my eyes closed every time I wake up at night. I must be so tired. Just look at the dark circles under my eyes.”
“…”
While she lightly expressed it as a nightmare, in reality, Han Ah-reum’s embodiment was no trivial matter.
It was torturous for Julia’s already frail body.
I knew that.
I was aware, but I couldn’t bring myself to suggest stopping because of my selfish desires.
“You know there’s no way to bring me back to life. Even if you saved me here, what happens when it’s time to see the ending? I would still be dead outside. It would be pointless.”
“Wait a minute. How do you know you can leave by seeing the ending?”
“Ah…”
I messed up.
She caught on.
She looked troubled and averted her gaze.
A look she often wore when caught in a lie.
I picked up the book and asked,
“This book, you placed it here, didn’t you? Did you create this world too?”
“…”
No answer.
Silence.
Is that really the case?
I placed my hand on the book’s handle and said,
“What’s this world? Is it a dream? Then can you wake up if you die?”
“Ah, no! It’s not a dream!”
“So what is it?”
“Ahhh…”
“Answer me, Han Ah-reum.”
“It’s not a dream… But calling it reality is hard…”
“Are you some kind of god or something?”
“No. I only created it. I’m not omnipotent. After I died, you were unable to write this novel, so… You wanted to see the ending so badly, right? So when I wished for you to see the ending, it turned out like this…”
“That comment. It was you!”
“Yeah…”
I couldn’t help but laugh.
The comment that had made me so furious and led to a keyboard battle was written by her.
Now that I knew that, I was left dumbfounded.
“What if I refuse to see the ending? What if I want to stay with you forever?”
“While torturing this girl’s body? I know you’re not that kind of person. And the ending will come whether you like it or not. No matter how many crises you overcome, eventually the day this world meets its end will come. When that happens, you’ll go back to reality, where I won’t be there.”
“Don’t say that.”
“I’m already dead. Stop acting like a fool and accept it.”
“I know…”
“If you know, let’s stop now. It’s hard for both of us to continue. You know it too.”
“….”
My teeth clenched tightly.
Looking at her, she smiled bitterly, looking all worn out.
“Let’s end it. This can’t go on. You know?”
“Just one last time… This is the last.”
“One more time is okay, isn’t it? You can allow that, right?”
I pushed the chair back and stood up, approaching her.
*Oh?!*
Suddenly, Schlus walked over and kissed Julia.
Peeking through the door, an excited Erica hurriedly flung it open.
She raced through the barrier.
By then, Schlus had gently laid the now-asleep Julia onto the desk.
Suddenly, raising his left hand toward the ring, he mumbled something before strolling over to me nonchalantly.
“What are you doing?! Who said you could kiss her?!”
“Your sister’s nightmares have been fixed.”
“What?”
Erica felt a sickening drop in her stomach.
She understood the significance of fixing her nightmares.
Letting go of Schlus’s wrist, she demanded,
“No, you’re joking, right?”
“From now on, the specter won’t torment your sister.”
“…”
*Plop. Plop.*
Tears fell from Schlus’s shoes.
Dumbfounded, Erica just stood there, hands falling away.
After a quick wipe of his eyes, Schlus walked away.
