My Illusion Is Survival - Chapter 60
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
Chapter 60
Though they were certainly familiar red eyes, his gaze looking at me felt particularly dark.
“It’s nothing major. It’s just that it’ll be difficult to leave the manor for a while.”
Blink.
However, the chilling sensation that brushed the back of my neck disappeared in the blink of an eye.
When I looked at Azel’s eyes again, his expression was the same as usual. That overly affectionate and gentle look that made him seem unlike the person I knew.
“Elpis?”
“Ah! Oh, I’m sorry. You can’t leave the manor for a while, right? I understand. I’ll wait.”
“Yes, sorry but please wait for me.”
The peaceful atmosphere continued once again.
“Of course. Naturally. I’ll wait.”
However, I instinctively avoided Azel’s gaze. Even while continuing to speak, my eyes unconsciously turned downward – it was a reaction that flowed naturally from feeling an instinctive threat.
“Right. When the time comes, let’s go together.”
On the other hand, Azel didn’t rush me in this state.
“By the way, are you really that busy?”
When I obviously changed the subject, Azel’s laughter brushed over my head.
“As you know, we recently started building a greenhouse in the annex. There are many things I need to check personally, so it seems I won’t be able to leave the manor for a while.”
“Ah, right. Come to think of it, you said you were building a greenhouse. Sorry. I forgot.”
The conversation naturally shifted to the topic of the greenhouse.
I had once mentioned in passing to Azel that it would be nice to plant flowers, but I never dreamed it would lead to a greenhouse.
‘A real greenhouse in this terrifying Black Mansion. It’s surprising to hear again.’
This was something that had never happened once in my entire gaming history.
“If possible, I’d like to see the completed greenhouse before leaving. But that would probably be difficult time-wise, right?”
“You’ll be able to see it, probably.”
“It’ll be finished that quickly?”
“I’m rushing it.”
At that moment, the crooked smile that formed on Azel’s lips was strange, but fortunately it wasn’t particularly odd.
‘Compared to those eyes from earlier, that level is like an angel.’
Rather, Simoer’s attitude of keeping his mouth shut since the greenhouse topic came up was more suspicious.
“But why is Simoer acting like that?”
“Are you referring to me?”
“No, your expression suddenly seems a bit strange.”
However, my questioning couldn’t continue to the end. Because in an instant my vision flipped and my body was pulled somewhere.
“Elpis.”
“…Ah!”
Before I knew it, Azel’s handsome face was right in front of my nose.
In other words, it was a face attack.
“Why, why? Why are you suddenly doing this?”
Immediately all my nerves focused on this.
“Thinking about it, I suddenly felt hurt.”
“…What? What did you say?”
“Like how you were happy when I said I’d go first earlier. Even now while you’re talking with me, you’re giving your attention to another man.”
“…What?”
“At first I didn’t really know what this feeling was, but now I understand. I’m hurt. I wish you would focus only on me.”
“…What?”
I had repeated that dumb response three times. But honestly speaking, this was my best effort.
The hurt expression cast over that breathtakingly handsome face had stolen my wits, so I could no longer be in my right mind.
“Why, wh- why, why were you hurt? That’s not right, I’m not- I’m not interested in other people.”
Thanks to that, I didn’t even know what I was saying.
At this moment, Azel’s face approached right in front of my nose once again.
“Really?”
“Cough!”
“Are you being sincere?”
“…!”
For a moment I thought our noses would touch. As that unrealistic beauty smiled playfully right in front of me, everything around flowed slowly like slow motion.
Whether intentional or not. It was an extremely wicked act.
‘Is he really insane?’
Honestly, shouldn’t that action just now be prohibited by law?
“Elpis?”
Immediately my expression hardened rapidly.
“Listen carefully, Azel. Doing this kind of thing with that handsome face? I seriously think it’s not right.”
“…What? Why?”
“Someone just imagined all the way to grandchildren because of that!”
“What did you imagine? Grandchildren?”
“Of course! Who else would it be! Calling even distant relatives to hold a wedding, after a happy married life having toad-like children and raising them, then those children having grandchildren, and even imagining the grandchildren bringing home their future spouses as potential granddaughters-in-law!”
The words I poured out in an instant echoed loudly throughout the entire corridor.
Even so, I glared only at Azel while fuming, and for the first time he seemed at a loss for words, unable to give any response.
Meanwhile, only Simoer’s gaze looking at me became even more naked.
What is this crazy woman saying right now?
I knew because I’d seen it a lot – that was exactly that kind of look.
However, regardless of how Simoer looked at me, I couldn’t care less about such things.
“Anyway, remember that!”
He must be crazy really! Trying to kill someone! In the end I kept fuming until the end and turned around first to leave.
Azel’s gaze reached my back until the end, but I never looked back.
‘My heart is still beating! Trying to kill someone!’
Thanks to that, the sense of unease I had felt just moments ago had long been erased from my mind.
*
“What just passed by?”
After Elpis left, the two people remaining in the corridor looked at each other for a moment.
With even Simoer flustered, Azel as the person involved was naturally even more flustered.
He muttered unconsciously.
“More than I thought…”
The effect was better.
Azel already knew that Elpis liked his face. Still, he hadn’t realized the effect would be this good.
“Anyway, she’s unpredictable so watch her carefully. She might suddenly try to go out saying she’ll bring Arachne’s Thread without telling me.”
“I’ve already stationed personnel at all passages. I’ve also told Linoa and Dekan, so they won’t help the young lady against your wishes.”
“We should be careful with Linoa. She seems quite taken with Elpis after this incident, so she might waver. More than that, what happened with what I mentioned earlier?”
Meanwhile, the two men’s conversation continued as they headed to the office.
It was a story they couldn’t have in front of Elpis earlier. Azel had instructed Simoer to find out what happened to those who remained there after they left.
“After you left, the Crown Prince and Holy Maiden returned to the capital as they were.”
“What about Egmund?”
“Although the Duke’s estate collapsed, since the Duke is still alive, reconstruction won’t take long.”
At this point, Azel brought up the main point.
“By any chance, was anyone looking for Elpis?”
“I was just about to mention that part. The Duke seems to have kept quiet, but it appears rumors have spread anyway.”
Azel’s expression immediately crumpled.
“Rumors?”
“Stories about holy light driving away dark magic are spreading throughout the entire North. Given the considerable scale of what you mentioned, it seems even the Duke couldn’t prevent the rumors from spreading.”
At this moment, Simoer, who had been hesitating unusually, carefully opened his mouth.
“However, the real problem is with the Crown Prince.”
Azel’s expression was sharp as he looked back at Simoer.
“While the Temple has become excessively quiet, now the Imperial Court is searching for the young lady. Particularly the Crown Prince is obsessively focused only on finding the young lady, and it seems the atmosphere within the Imperial Court isn’t good either.”
“That crazy bastard is finally bringing disaster upon himself.”
However, Azel’s contemplation after hearing the story wasn’t long.
He only paused briefly as if weighing something, then continued speaking nonchalantly.
“If he presumptuously tries to covet this place, deal with him immediately.”
And that was all.
Despite the lack of detailed explanation, Simoer, who understood exactly what “deal with” meant, loyally bowed his head.
At this moment, Simoer asked one last question to the departing back.
“What should we do with the stored Boras’ Spring water and white flowers?”
“Throw them away.”
Despite having gone through great trouble to bring them, Azel’s expression remained endlessly calm as he instructed to discard them.
He added nonchalantly, as if stating something obvious.
“Elpis will never be able to leave this manor anyway.”
All of this was a story that Elpis must never know about.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————