My Illusion Is Survival - Chapter 7

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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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Chapter 7

The quiet manor.

Peaceful midday sunlight streamed through the glass window, illuminating the hazy dust particles.

Azel sat secluded in the darkness, contemplating that tranquil scene.

His mind was complicated, and his insides were even noisier, so he needed time to think.

“I will definitely return your life to you.”

The woman who had said those words was currently in prison.

Though he had removed her from sight and should no longer think of her, the woman’s face became clearer in his mind as time passed.

“Azel.”

The woman had acted as if she knew Azel well.

‘She even said she knew about this place.’

On the day of Simoer’s report.

At his subordinate’s words that she had wandered the manor with longing eyes, Azel fell into even deeper contemplation.

“This was it, this was it.”

His mind, robbed of oblivion, remembered every single word the woman had quietly muttered.

However, he couldn’t remember the meaning of those words or the woman’s existence.

‘It was like that from the beginning.’

He had merely asked who she was, yet the woman was startled alone, realized something alone, and was finally hurt.

With the most painful eyes, with the most sorrowful voice, she called his name but revealed not a single truth.

Yet he couldn’t simply turn away because of those eyes.

The eyes that had contained faint resentment soon silently poured out an even greater sadness. But surprisingly, what remained at the end was neither resentment nor sadness.

Affection.

That brilliant affection, so worn it was threadbare, yet so unmistakable that even he had to acknowledge it—he couldn’t even pretend not to know it.

‘Why can’t I remember?’

Of course, he couldn’t believe everything the woman said.

But.

But, even so…

“Master.”

At that moment, a voice that cut through Azel’s long contemplation pierced his ears.

“Are you alright?”

It was Simoer, who had been carefully observing his master’s condition.

“How is the woman?”

“Same as yesterday. She’s still knocking on the walls, I hear. She looked quite anxious.”

Hearing about the woman’s situation, Azel fell into thought once again.

‘She really does know about this place.’

The prison had one secret.

It was an arrangement made by the manor’s architect and a contingency plan for escape if ever imprisoned by enemies.

Of course, only Azel knew about this.

Yet the woman had naturally begun searching for that device as soon as she was imprisoned.

‘If I hadn’t damaged the device beforehand, she would have escaped immediately.’

Should he kill her after all?

In this unprecedented situation, the savage monster within him whispered. Just get rid of what’s bothersome.

‘But I can’t do that.’

If the woman truly was the only being who could remove this terrible shackle, then this current impulse needed to be controlled.

‘If it turns out to be a lie, then I can make her pay dearly for deceiving me.’

As countless thoughts boiled beneath his expressionless face.

The door opened and another of Azel’s subordinates entered.

“Master, I think you need to come see this.”

“What’s the matter?”

“The woman has escaped.”

For the first time, cracks appeared in Azel’s expressionless face.

*

‘This damn house. It’s ridiculously huge for no good reason.’

If it seemed like my language was getting rougher, it was just my imagination.

‘Anyway, I’m dying of pain.’

After enthusiastically hitting the wall with my bare hands for a whole day, my hands couldn’t be in good shape.

But looking at my swollen hands made me angry for a different reason.

‘If I had known escaping would be that easy, I wouldn’t have suffered like that.’

The method I used to escape the prison wasn’t anything special.

In a desperate mood, I used the silver pin from the brooch on my clothes to poke at the lock a few times, and the door opened.

That’s right. The lock came undone with just that.

What I felt at that moment wasn’t joy at success, but anger.

‘My new acquired talent, damn it.’

I didn’t want to discover a talent in such a way.

Fortunately, this anger didn’t last very long either.

“…Really pink hair.”

Because while walking through the empty corridor, I finally discovered my face reflected in the glass window.

I already knew my hair color from the hair that swayed around my waist, but this was the first time I properly saw my appearance.

“…Hmm.”

My impression of my face reflected in the glass window was simple.

I was really damn pretty.

‘Azel, that bastard, was more of a face-chaser than I thought.’

A straight nose and lake-like eyes.

And what about the fair, clear skin that made the lush pink hair stand out?

The haggard face from various hardships only added to the innocent beauty.

‘Like a beauty with some kind of story, I guess.’

No wonder that bastard quietly listened even when I suddenly appeared and spouted crazy things. It was all thanks to this face.

‘Possession isn’t as bad as I thought.’

Just as my heart was becoming generous with this suddenly magnanimous spirit, the person I’d been waiting for appeared right on cue.

“You seem quite relaxed.”

It was Azel, as expected.

“I thought you’d be running away like a horse on fire.”

However, the Azel in my mind had long since become just an ordinary face-chaser. I was no longer afraid.

“I have no intention of running away.”

“For someone with no such intention, you were quite noisy.”

“I just wanted to get out of that place.”

“Why? If you had stayed quietly inside, I might have spared your life.”

For a moment I almost told him not to talk nonsense, but fortunately I didn’t have that courage yet.

“It must have been difficult to see you.”

“What?”

“I missed you.”

“…!”

“I wanted to see you even a little more, to talk face to face, but you kept avoiding me. That’s why I tried to come out even if it meant pushing myself. Because I missed you so much.”

Silence quickly settled in.

Unable to find words to respond to my calm statement, Azel’s eyes wavered momentarily.

‘Hm?’

Though it was only a brief moment, I definitely saw it.

He was shaken by my words.

The words I had spoken without much thought had brought about an unexpected effect. Based on this, I needed to modify my plan on the spot.

‘I was originally thinking of negotiating more, but should I push forward with the emotional approach for now?’

I immediately began to rack my brain.

I had to avoid being locked up in prison again at all costs.

*

‘She missed me?’

When the tired-looking woman uttered those words, Azel was momentarily flustered.

‘Why?’

Even he couldn’t understand the reason. He was simply at a loss for words.

“Azel!”

At that moment, the woman urgently called out to Azel.

Wondering what trick she was up to this time, he watched as she ran over and grabbed his hand.

“…!”

Startled by the sudden contact, he almost unconsciously swatted away the woman’s touch.

But the woman paid no mind and carefully examined only Azel’s palm.

“What is this? You’re hurt.”

So that’s what she meant – she was talking about the wound on his palm. It was a wound from two days ago when he had unconsciously clenched his fist upon hearing that his eternal life would never end.

‘Why is she making such a face over something so trivial?’

A wound from fingernails digging into his palm couldn’t be that serious.

Yet the woman was beside herself with worry over what could barely be called a wound – just a small blemish.

‘What about her own hands that are swollen and bruised?’

Perhaps that’s why. Azel found himself asking without realizing it.

“What’s your name?”

“Ah….”

It was definitely a mistake. It wasn’t even a question that fit the situation, nor had he asked out of genuine curiosity.

It was just a mistake, nothing more.

But at that small mistake, the woman again wore an expression as if her world was crumbling.

Her crying and laughing at just a word from him should have looked foolish, but somehow he didn’t even feel like mocking her.

“I see. Right… a name. You don’t know my name.”

Countless conflicts circled around the woman’s tightly pressed lips before disappearing.

It was because of that expression. Now Azel truly wanted to know the woman’s name.

“Tell me. What’s your name?”

*

‘…A name?’

Cold sweat ran down my back at the completely unexpected question.

I had only just learned what I looked like, and now a name! Of course I wouldn’t know.

‘Is Park Chun-bae from House Evan?’

I was someone who had always created usernames like Park Chun-bae1, Park Chun-bae1054, Park Chun-bae Delivery O119 whenever I played games.

Someone like me couldn’t possibly have talent for creating fantasy-style names.

‘I can even pick prison locks but I can’t come up with a single name!’

I felt self-loathing, but my heart grew increasingly urgent due to Azel waiting for an answer with a serious expression.

“….”

Moreover, as the silence lengthened, doubt and wariness naturally arose in the red eyes looking at me.

Now I really had to answer something.

In the end, my choice was,

“Would you give me one?”

Perfect deflection of responsibility.

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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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