Episode 130

“I consider you a competitor as well.”

“Why all of a sudden…”

A difficult sentiment.

Seira slowly turned her head away to avoid the gaze. The feeling of being treated as a rival by a girl who was 500 and several hundred years younger… Honestly, it wasn’t bad! But Seira saw Shiron not as a romantic interest, but as a reliable comrade.

Therefore, this competitive feeling was a bit uncomfortable.

“I never saw a kid as a romantic interest. So… can you exclude me from this?”

“Why?”

“In my eyes, Shiron is… yeah, a little kid.”

Seira declared this with her chest puffed out.

“Maybe because I’ve watched him grow up since he was young, I don’t feel any romantic emotions. If I ever feel affection, it’s not that of a lover but of a mother’s love. He’s someone I need to protect, nothing more.”

“But there’s a saying, ‘raise them to catch them’.”

“…What?”

‘What is she talking about?’

Seira widened her eyes, and Siriel narrowed hers, clearly feeling suspicious.

“My mother told me that a person of the opposite sex whom you can rely on from a young age tends to become a romantic interest. She said when she first met my father despite the age difference, she felt her heart burst as soon as she realized she was being protected…”

“What are you saying all of a sudden? I’m telling you I don’t feel that way.”

“Still, maybe my brother might develop romantic feelings for you.”

“Ah, I doubt it.”

Seira looked away with an uneasy expression, recalling memories from the past five years.

‘Didn’t it all start with a slap…’

Group assaults, slaps, spankings.

Pushing into traps.

Tasting food for poison, being a useful means of transportation.

When climbing the Ten Thousand Cliffs, she had to be carried, and if there were obstacles, they had to be blasted away.

No matter how she thought about it, she was treated not as a romantic interest but as a useful companion, or rather, a multipurpose tool.

“Don’t misunderstand.”

Thinking about it made her angry. So, Seira glared back into Siriel’s wide-open eyes.

“The kid doesn’t see me as a romantic interest.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“How many years is the age difference?”

Seira pressed her throbbing temples.

She didn’t want to bring up age, but she had no choice when being aggressively pursued like this.

“I might be beautiful, but I’m an elf who’s lived at least several hundred years. I’m still young among elves… Anyway, in elf society, marrying a human is seen as perverted. They say things like pedophilia. Elves are considered adults at around a hundred years old, and humans die in less than that.”

“So what?”

“That’s not the point! If an elf dates a human within their reproductive years, they’re treated as insane.”

It might be different now, but 500 years ago, when Seira was still living secluded in the forest…

There was an elf man who fell in love with a human woman and was beaten and driven out of the forest.

“So, leave me out of it. What are you trying to do by seeing me as a competitor? We should be supporting each other.”

“…You’re right.”

Siriel pondered while stroking her chin. Seeing the human girl’s attitude, Seira thought she needed to drive the point home so there would be no further misunderstandings.

“And! You might not know because you’re young, but obsessive girls aren’t popular!”

“…What does that mean?”

Was it because the point hit home? Siriel asked blankly.

“Think about it. A boy like the little one has many options, right? So, a girl who sends heavy love and creates hostility with others around her. What do you think happens? He will feel burdened and try to distance himself.”

“Really?”

“Yes!”

Seira stood up abruptly and exclaimed.

“Think about it. Is the little one normal? You know his personality is no joke.”

“I know.”

“Right? If he decided to kill the Demon God, and if he thinks someone is a hindrance to that…!!”

Swoosh-

Seira made a throat-slitting gesture.

Thud!

Siriel wore the expression of a warrior who had lost her nation.

‘Is it enough now?’

Confident that she had put distance between herself and the love rivalry, Seira decided to leave the heavy atmosphere behind.

But Seira couldn’t escape the practice room.

Grab-

Seira’s ankle was caught.

She slowly turned around and saw Siriel with tear-filled blue eyes.

“Why are you doing this?”

“Teacher.”

Siriel called Seira with a voice filled with moisture, using a title that conveyed the utmost respect in her desperate situation, instead of the usual one.

“So, what should I do?”

“How would I know?”

Seira tried to shake off Siriel’s hand by kicking her feet, but Siriel was Hugo’s daughter. Seira’s ankle didn’t budge as if it were stuck in a rock.

“Hey. Are you not letting go?”

“If you don’t teach me, I won’t let go.”

“Sigh…”

Seira exhaled a deep sigh.

It seemed she had seriously gotten herself into trouble.

‘Both the kid and her, why are they all so strange?’

The two who could ignore the curse of the Demon God, that’s why Seira felt a special emotion towards them. But sometimes, it seemed as if that feeling was about to fade.

The hot-tempered Shiron. Siriel, who blindly loved such a Shiron. They were entangled in a terribly wrong way.

“First, let go of this.”

“Will you tell me?”

“…Yes.”

Seira reluctantly nodded, and Siriel relaxed her grip. She then sat down modestly, brushing off the sand that covered her body.

“First off, I’m not sure since I lack experience.”

“Tell me.”

“Like the kid… a man who’s fiercely determined to achieve his goal needs a woman who can support him from behind. So, it’s about having some common goals.”

“So I become a woman who can be of help to my brother?”

“Yes! But you have to reduce your obsession. At least don’t create a mess that turns everything into mud.”

“I think I get it.”

Siriel touched her lips.

Now that she thought about it, Hugo and Eldrina… her father and mother’s relationship felt similar.

“Right? It’s simple and easy. Just work hard, right? You have talent, clear goals, and… you’re pretty. You’re lucky. There are so many people who don’t meet these three conditions and fail.”

“Got it.”

Siriel nodded sharply, her eyes keen.

After the commotion ended, the two headed for the stairs to leave the ‘basement’.

Step- Step-

At the end of the spiral staircase, they left the basement and entered the living room of the annex.

…The reason Siriel’s mana practice room was in the basement of the annex was easy to explain. Seira was too lazy to leave the annex, and Siriel needed a reason to visit the annex.

Their mutual understanding made Siriel’s daily visits to the annex a very ‘natural’ routine.

“Did your training go well?”

“…Of course.”

Lucia greeted them as they emerged, and Siriel responded with a slight smile.

Just when she was fluttering with a new mindset,

-Thud.

“…”

A rough sound came from the direction of the entrance.

Thud- Thud-

Everyone’s attention turned to the door, anticipating the heavy footsteps that were gradually approaching.

Creak-

“Just in time.”

The one who opened the door was Shiron Prient. He was covered in blood, carrying a person on his shoulder.

“Brother.”

Siriel was the first to rush to Shiron. His sudden appearance in a bloodied state filled her with worry and concern.

“What’s that look? And who’s that on your shoulder…”

“Victor.”

Shiron, looking exhausted, set down the limp Victor and ran his hand through his hair and forehead. He felt deep fatigue and irritation from having to be careful not to encounter anyone on his way, in addition to being covered in blood.

“Encia. I’m going to wash up. Take care of this guy.”

“Yes, young master.”

“Wait a moment.”

Siriel stopped Encia, who was about to take Victor away.

“Can I take care of him?”

“?”

Encia tilted her head at Siriel’s sudden offer.

“What should we do, young master?”

“Do as you please.”

Leaving those words behind, Shiron went upstairs. He wanted to ask Siriel why she was stepping forward, but there was no time for that.

‘I need to hurry to the imperial palace.’

Austin had obtained the Martial King’s relic.

In the face of that fact, who took care of the man didn’t matter.

Siriel, having taken Victor from Encia, dragged him to the dressing room on the first floor.

Siriel had decided to start with small things to help Shiron.

But helping Shiron didn’t mean she was ready to embrace a competitor.

Click-

Siriel locked the dressing room door and laid Victor on the bathroom floor.

“What are you doing?”

Siriel glared at Victor and spat out. Feeling the cold tone in her voice, Victor stopped pretending and slowly opened his eyes.

As Victor scratched his head and chuckled, Siriel emitted a chilling coldness.

After what had just happened, even though they knew each other for a long time, she couldn’t tolerate his deceitful act towards her brother.