I’m Hunting My Enemy - Chapter 23
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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23. That Was Really Information I Wanted to Know (3)
“I don’t know about the things Ohen Priest keeps secret either. So what I know isn’t a secret, and it’s okay for me to tell you.”
Benito summarized it simply and clearly.
“I just wanted to help. I was worried you might wander around too much. I wanted to let you know that the Crown Prince you’re looking for was also cursed.”
It was a fact she had already half-suspected.
Ryuie thought of the patients whose body parts had all been twisted and asked.
“What kind of monster did he turn into?”
“Who?”
“The Crown Prince.”
“I don’t know.”
“What exactly do you know? Don’t you know anyone who witnessed it?”
“I know that Ohen Priest is hiding a sacred relic and I know that the Crown Prince was cursed.”
Benito protested as if he felt wronged.
“Ohen Priest said that bringing people who turned into monsters to the temple was also to find the Crown Prince who might be among them.”
“Wait a minute.”
Ryuie was shocked.
“You mean you guys still haven’t found him? After all these years?”
“Yes.”
Ryuie’s speculation was momentarily disrupted.
“Why is that?”
“Ohen Priest said that since the Crown Prince has Rkultu’s blood flowing through him, he wouldn’t have become an ordinary monster.”
“…Don’t tell me that monster guarding the carriage in the swamp was Joshua.”
Benito just shrugged his shoulders. Ryuie’s stomach turned cold.
“Don’t be sad, Yeongae.”
“I’m not sad.”
Ryuie’s eyes suddenly changed.
“I’m angry.”
“Uh oh.”
When Ryuie suddenly approached, Benito stepped back. Since the room was small and there wasn’t much space to retreat, his calves quickly touched the bed. Just before falling backward, Benito said.
“There’s good news too.”
“What is it?”
Benito answered with his back half-bent.
“The moment that sacred relic leaves the swamp, all the people who turned into monsters will die.”
Thud.
Rather than just being pushed by Ryuie, Benito’s legs caught on the bed and he fell.
Almost simultaneously, Ryuie also fell on top of Benito. But instead of falling into an embrace, she covered him with her knees and arms as if mounting him. She had no intention of touching him because of the curse.
While Benito blinked stupidly, Ryuie bared her teeth in a threatening posture.
“How exactly is any part of that statement good news?”
“It means that cursed people will also die if they get too far from the swamp.”
Ryuie’s hair that had fallen down hovered precariously above Benito’s body.
If Ryuie moved even slightly, the engagement vow would activate and they would be burned.
Knowing this, Benito remained obediently in his fallen position and said.
“The Crown Prince is definitely here.”
“…It doesn’t matter.”
Ryuie breathed out softly like a whisper.
“I can pull the sacred relic from the swamp, kill all the monsters, and then return as if Joshua was never there from the beginning.”
“Don’t you want to keep your friend who turned into a fish alive?”
“Unfortunately, the time I spent with Mos was too short for him to be blackmail material.”
“I see.”
The two people who had so easily dismissed Mos’s life continued their conversation nonchalantly.
“I thought you wanted to meet the Crown Prince again.”
“…”
Ryuie just looked down at Benito without answering.
They say a beauty is most beautiful when angry.
Benito thought to himself as he looked up at Ryuie.
“Even if you kill all the monsters, the engagement vow won’t be broken. You’ll be cursed.”
Ryuie just snorted.
“The Crown Prince is still alive. Before killing everything and leaving, think about your vow, Yeongae. You can search with us.”
“But didn’t you say Ohen wouldn’t agree? He’d think there’s some ulterior motive if we search for the Crown Prince separately.”
“So let’s make it a secret between the two of us. I don’t want to see you die.”
“…”
Ryuie quickly straightened up again.
“My life isn’t particularly precious.”
“Please value it.”
“Similarly, your life isn’t particularly precious to me either, you know? If there was any lie in what you just said, I’ll give you a nice tight hug, so look forward to it.”
“Understood.”
Hearing the terrifying death threat, Benito was impressed that the engagement vow could be used in such a way.
‘Yeongae is amazing.’
He admired her cheerfully.
* * *
Mos took special care of his upper body.
There wasn’t much left of him as a human now, and Ryuie seemed to quite like his hair. In fact, other girls who had crushes on him used to whisper.
Mos, you’re really handsome. If you just dressed differently, you’d look like a prince from another country. Anyone would like you.
‘That’s right.’
They say people originally fall in love at first sight. The reasons they attach afterward are all just to rationalize that first impression.
The moment their eyes met, her eyelashes and lips that curved as she smiled brightly were still vivid in his eyes.
Mos turned his head this way and that, checking his smooth and voluminous red hair.
He had definitely become more attractive, even in his own eyes.
Mos’s hair was originally closer to reddish-brown. After applying and caring for it with the fragrant oil Ryuie gave him as a gift, the color became much deeper and redder.
He had learned the secret of how Ryuie’s hair was so jet black and lustrous.
‘So this was how.’
Originally, Mos’s appearance was just handsome enough to be noticed in the village, not enough to make passersby turn around.
But with this much improvement, he felt he would get at least one more glance wherever he went.
His eyes looked much bluer too, and he even liked his hair color, which he used to hate.
‘It resembles Yeongae’s eyes.’
Mos, who had been thinking alone, soon became embarrassed and covered the mirror.
It felt foolish to just be looking at his own face when he couldn’t even work anymore.
‘Let’s stop thinking about it.’
When he thought about his bleak future, it became unbearable.
Let’s think about love. If he fell in love with Ryuie and the curse was broken, they could have a fairy tale ending. Romantic feelings could turn all trials into tenderness and excitement.
Ryuie, who appeared suddenly, fulfilled Mos’s wish to think about something else.
Slam.
“Miss Ryuie?”
Ryuie, who had barged in without even greeting, glared at Mos once.
‘Did I do something wrong?’
Mos quickly reflected on himself.
Regardless, Ryuie crossed the room and plunged both hands into the water tank with a splash.
“Wh-what are you doing!”
“Just let me borrow your tail.”
“What?!”
Ryuie hugged Mos’s wildly thrashing tail and stubbornly pulled it up onto the bed.
Then she lay down beside it herself.
It was a kind of lap pillow.
Of course, it wasn’t human legs but fish legs… well, a tail.
“It’s quite thick, so it’s good to use as a pillow.”
“Ahhh.”
Ryuie rested her head on it. Mos’s tail was damp and wet from just being pulled out of the water, but surprisingly the tightly clustered scales had a smooth texture that only felt refreshingly cool.
“You’ll get all wet!”
“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”
Every time Mos squirmed in surprise, she could vividly feel the movement of his muscles, which was nice.
Mos suddenly didn’t know what to do as he looked at Ryuie lying with her head on his tail.
“Ah… um. Miss.”
“Shh. Stay still.”
When Ryuie gently patted the scales with her fingertips, Mos finally calmed down. At least outwardly he did.
‘Ugh. Whoa. What do I do?’
Mos froze his posture, not knowing what to do. The sensation of Ryuie’s hair flowing down like seaweed felt so strange.
It felt like some creature swept in by the waves was suddenly sleeping on his lap.
An incredibly ticklish feeling.
Someone had acted so boldly familiar, yet he didn’t feel much rejection.
Mos carefully moved his arms away so as not to touch Ryuie.
Ryuie had her eyes closed as if she really intended to take a nap.
Thanks to this, Mos was able to admire Ryuie’s face up close for the first time with peace of mind.
‘Wow. First time seeing a sleeping face this close up.’
Her elegantly straight nose bridge and long eyelashes were the same as usual, but not the confident eyes or the slightly upturned corners of her mouth.
The fine hair on her nape was soft and fluffy, and her ears were small too. Mos, who had been looking at her lightly closed lips, turned his gaze away for no reason.
Lying with her head on the damp fish scales, she even looked somewhat fragile.
Combined with the fact that a great duke’s daughter was resting on his lap area, it was almost moving enough to be touching.
“Mos.”
“Yes, Miss.”
‘She wasn’t sleeping after all.’
Mos quickly pushed down his embarrassment.
“Did something happen?”
Ryuie turned her head to the side and opened her eyes with a sparkle.
“You’re cute even when I look up at you from here.”
“Th-that’s…”
Mos’s face turned bright red.
Ryuie giggled as if she knew Mos had been admiring her.
When Ryuie began blatantly looking him over in return, Mos, unable to bear it, buried his face in both palms.
Satisfied, Ryuie leisurely interlaced her fingers and asked.
“Mos, do you know what kind of contract the Crown Prince made?”
“Huh?”
Ryuie’s questions jumped here and there, making them hard to follow.
Mos, who had been flustered just moments before, hurriedly searched through his mind.
“Um… well.”
Mos made a slightly uncomfortable expression.
“It was a vow to free him from Lord Rkultu.”
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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