Book 1 Chapter 1017
1017.
Leo and Luna were in Luna's room, interpreting the magic circle together.
[The interpretation is roughly done, but reconstruction is difficult.]
Lena had said that the magic to go to the past and the magic to return to the original timeline were a pair of spells.
Therefore, they thought that if they interpreted the magic to return to the original timeline that Lena possessed, they could create a magic to go to the past.
The problem was the reconstruction after the interpretation was finished.
Even if they were a pair of spells, they were completely different in nature, as the flow of time was different.
“Since it's magic created by Chloe, wouldn't we find a clue if we looked at it?”
[Maybe.]
“Say, 'Maybe.'”
Young Luna, who had conveyed her adult self's words, looked out the window.
“But even if we complete the magic to go to the past, we don't know which timeline we've gone to.”
At young Luna's words, Leo and Luna laughed simultaneously.
[I have a rough idea of which timeline he went to.]
“I have a rough idea of which timeline he went to.”
“Wow… they're saying the same thing.”
[Hmph. Kyle and I are the best partners, after all. We have something in common.]
“So? Which timeline did he go to?”
[Hey.]
Luna narrowed her eyes, watching her younger self completely ignore her words and ask Leo.
“Even though the Erebus fragment went to the past, the present hasn't changed or anything.”
“Maybe it did change, and we just didn't realize it?”
“That could be. But he'll probably guess. That we're going to stop him somehow.”
In a sense, there is a bond between Leo and Erebus.
Of course, it's not a bond in a good sense.
A hateful relationship where they think of each other to kill each other.
Leo will pursue Erebus in some way, and Erebus knows that too.
“The one who went to the past doesn't know where his other fragments are sealed.”
Then the outcome is obvious.
He will be subjugated by Leo, who pursued him before he could find his own fragments.
Even if he were awakened, the fragment that went to the past would be weak, having only recently awakened.
In a state that is merely an ember, he would simply be defeated piece by piece by Leo.
“He must have gone to the era where another version of himself began to burn.”
3000 years ago, the Age of Genesis.
There, he intends to merge with himself to create an even stronger flame.
[Hmm. I want to see that child, Lena's, back again.]
Hearing that, young Luna asked Leo.
“Where is Lena? Is she in the room?”
“I've left her with Sia and Chelsea for a bit. She'll be coming to my room soon.”
At his words, Luna nodded.
***
“Ugh? So. This one is Leo's granddaughter from the future. And the bad guy who came with her ran away to the past?”
Karl made a fed-up expression.
“Wow. Leo really has a different scale of fights. Crossing time and space, I mean.”
Karl, amazed, shook his head.
“So? This one is Leo's granddaughter?”
Karl looked at Lena with a curious expression.
“By the way, Karl. Who hit you?”
Chelsea asked, pointing at Karl's bruised right eye.
Karl shrugged and said nonchalantly.
“I fell.”
But with his finger, he was pointing to the side.
The gazes of those in the room turned towards Eliza, who was filing her nails.
“Remove your finger.”
“Yes, ma'am.”
Watching Eliza speak without even looking, Karl quickly removed his finger.
Watching that, Chen Sia said in a chiding tone.
“Miss Eliza. You shouldn't treat your husband so carelessly.”
“Right, right! Wife, treat your husband more preciously!”
“He's not my husband yet.”
Eliza, completely ignoring Karl's words, said coldly.
Watching that, Chelsea scoffed.
“Isn't it a foregone conclusion anyway?”
“Of course. Of course.”
At her words, Karl replied with a sly grin.
Eventually, Eliza's cold gaze turned to Karl.
Karl quickly hid behind Chelsea.
Watching that, Eliza scoffed.
“Hmph.”
“So? How did you end up getting hit, after all?”
Chen Sia asked with a puzzled expression.
“Because of Leo. He dressed up as a woman, which led to a needless misunderstanding.”
Watching Karl grumble, Chen Sia let out a wry laugh.
“Indeed, Young Master Leo was quite pretty.”
Eliza, having finished filing her nails, blew on them.
“I've heard the story, so I'm leaving.”
Eliza, having scoffed, rose from her seat.
Eliza, also knowing Leo's true identity, had come to ask for the full story of the incident.
Karl followed Eliza, waving his hand.
“I'm leaving too.”
Only Chelsea, Chen Sia, and Lena remained in the room.
Lena picked up her teacup and said.
“Well, Sir Karl and Lady Eliza are different from what I imagined.”
“Huh? What's different?”
“They're famous for having a good marital relationship.”
“Really? I still find it amazing that those two ended up together.”
Chelsea shook her head in amazement.
Hearing that answer, Chen Sia chuckled, then got up and opened the door.
“Huh? Sia? Where are you going?”
“Shh.”
Chen Sia covered her lips with her index finger, then winked playfully and said in a small voice.
“Let's follow them secretly.”
At her words, Chelsea and Lena made puzzled expressions and followed Chen Sia.
The ornate hallways, characteristic of the Seyrun Academy campus, were quite complex.
Nevertheless, Chen Sia moved unhesitatingly.
Of course, her movements themselves were very quiet.
Chelsea and Lena stealthily followed behind her.
A moment later.
When they reached a secluded spot where few people would likely go.
They heard Karl and Eliza's conversation.
“…Does it hurt much?”
“It hurts.”
Karl's sly voice was heard, accompanied by Eliza's somewhat apologetic voice.
It was a completely different atmosphere from the sharp Eliza Chelsea knew.
Even if Eliza had become Karl's lover and had softened somewhat towards him, her characteristic demeanor had not changed.
But to be so timid as she was now was an unimaginable sight.
“No. Then you can just treat it with medicine! You specialize in alchemy, but you can't even heal a bruise?!”
But that was only for a moment.
Watching Eliza speak sharply right after, Chelsea felt the sentiment, 'Of course.'
“Hmph. If I do this, my fiancée will treat me more warmly.”
Karl still replied with a sly grin.
“Haa… Give it to me, I'll put some medicine on it.”
They heard Eliza let out a deep sigh.
Soon after, they reached the end of the hallway alley.
Chen Sia cautiously peeked her face towards where the voices were coming from.
Right below her, Chelsea and Lena also carefully peeked their faces.
At the end of the dead-end hallway.
The moonlight coming through the large window created quite an atmosphere.
And bathed in that light, Karl and Eliza stood facing each other.
Eliza, holding a medicine bottle, applied medicine to Karl's bruised eye with her hand.
Eliza's touch seemed quite tender.
“They have a good marital relationship, don't they?”
“Indeed.”
“Wow… Eliza doing that? It's truly shocking.”
Lena nodded at Chen Sia's whisper, and Chelsea wore a dumbfounded expression.
Eliza, having finished applying all the medicine, closed the bottle and turned around.
“Alright, now go back to your rooms… Hey! What are you doing!”
Eliza frowned at Karl's action of hugging her from behind.
“Eliza. I'm hurting, and my legs are weak, so just support me a little.”
“You got hit in the eye, so why are your legs weak?!”
“I don't know. Maybe I'm in shock. My fiancée, just support me a little.”
At Karl's whiny words, spoken while hugging her from behind, Eliza's face distorted fiercely.
‘He's acting up again. He's going to get hit.’
Chelsea clicked her tongue.
However, contrary to expectations, Eliza sighed deeply and meekly remained in Karl's embrace.
“This isn't leaning, it's just hugging.”
“Is that so? Sniff, sniff—by the way, Eliza. Did you use the shampoo I bought you before?”
Karl, unconcerned by Eliza's annoyed voice, sniffed Eliza's hair.
Then, growing even bolder, he pressed his nose to Eliza's nape.
Chelsea, secretly watching the scene, gaped.
Eliza said, slightly annoyed.
“You're like an animal.”
“Men are all animals, you see, miss. You shouldn't show such an opening.”
“Hey! Wait! Where are you touching…! This isn't even a room!”
“Hmm? So you mean it's okay to do it in a room?”
“That's not what I mean…! Ah! You, stop it!”
Eliza, with a beet-red face, struggled to pull Karl off.
Lena watched the scene with intense focus.
At that moment, Chen Sia covered Lena's ears with both hands, and Chelsea covered her eyes.
“Ah!”
As her sight and hearing were blocked, Lena involuntarily let out a cry of surprise.
At that instant, Karl and Eliza froze with a crunch.
With a beet-red face, Eliza shook off Karl and came stomping over.
“Oops! Run!”
Chen Sia said in a hurry, but Eliza was faster than her.
“What are you peeking at right now!”
A moment later.
Chen Sia and Chelsea were kneeling in the middle of the hallway.
In front of them, Eliza had her eyes blazing.
Karl had fled to Leo's room to take Lena there.
“This is outrageous. Someone who will become an emperor of a nation and a direct descendant of a top noble family peeking at such a thing? You know how vulgar that is, right?!”
“I'm sorry. But we were just about to leave. Really.”
Chelsea apologized, shrugging her shoulders.
“I apologize too, Miss Eliza. And Miss Chelsea and Miss Lena only came because I asked them to.”
Chen Sia also put her hands together with a truly apologetic expression.
Eliza, who had been glaring at the two, held her head and let out a deep sigh.
“Don't ever do this again. Next time, I really won't let it slide.”
“Okay. Sorry.”
“I'm sorry, Miss Eliza.”
“Get up.”
At her words, Chen Sia and Chelsea stood up.
“By the way, Miss Eliza.”
“Why?”
“You didn't seem to dislike Karl's actions earlier, did you?”
“I did dislike them?”
At Eliza's words, Chelsea thought to herself.
‘For someone who disliked it, didn't she just accept everything?’
Of course, she didn't say it out loud.
“Well, I just hoped that even though Miss Eliza and Karl are adults, they wouldn't forget that they are students. There are school rules, you know.”
“That's a needless worry. That will absolutely never happen.”
“It looked a little dangerous, though.”
When Chelsea spoke cautiously, Eliza scoffed.
“Hmph. If he had crossed the line any further there, I was going to punish him.”
“At that point, wasn't the line already crossed by quite a bit? Karl aside, from what I saw, Miss Eliza seemed caught up in the mood too?”
“I was never caught up in the mood. And anyway, we're engaged, so what's the big deal? Everyone has that much physical contact.”
Watching Eliza speak as if it were no big deal, Chen Sia tilted her head.
“Who told you that?”
“Well, Karl…”
“…”
“…”
Eliza became dumbfounded.
“Eliza. You're incredibly innocent for how you look, aren't you?”
“Indeed. I thought Karl would be under Miss Eliza's thumb, but it seems Miss Eliza will be under Karl's thumb instead.”
“No!”
Eliza shouted with a beet-red face.
Watching such an Eliza, Chelsea spoke to Chen Sia as if to be heard.
“At this rate, they'll really go all the way to seven, won't they?”
“Given the atmosphere, wouldn't they go even further?”
Watching the two openly tease her, Eliza pulled out a whip.
Whack-!
Soon after, the three, who were madly chasing each other in the hallway, were discovered by Professor Halind and punished.
Meanwhile.
Karl, who had brought Lena to Leo's room, spoke.
“Leo's granddaughter? Forget what you just saw. Got it? Especially if it's about Lady Mellina, okay?”
If what had just happened reached Mellina's ears, he would clearly be scolded as a professor.
At Karl's words, Lena subtly held out her hand.
“…What does this mean?”
“Just like that?”
“Oh, come on! Trying to exploit an adult's weakness and extort something! Who taught you such naughtiness?!”
“From my grandmother.”
“…How much will it take?”
“I don't need money, so please give me potions.”
“*Gasp*.”
Karl, shedding tears of blood, was extorted of high-grade potions.
“I'll use them for good.”
‘Whoever's granddaughter she is, she's certainly well-taught.’