Then Cesare hesitated for a moment and retorted as if making excuses with a slightly softened expression.
“…It’s not dangerous.”
Instantly, the dark red mana flowing around Cesare also rippled with an unstable light. He bit down on his slightly trembling lips and deliberately turned his head away to avoid looking at Cain and me. Even his firm Adam’s apple was visibly trembling little by little.
‘What is this?’
Is he grinding his teeth at my patheticness for driving the situation this far? Or… could it be, is he hesitating to brainwash us? If he’s also human. Could he be feeling even a shred of guilt about casting brainwashing on us, who have spent long years together?
‘I’ve watched you for a long time, but now I don’t know anything anymore.’
Whatever the reason, I couldn’t miss the small crack shown in his appearance that seemed to have no gaps, as if perfect. I barely steadied my trembling voice and asked him.
“The act of you gathering mana right now… are you really certain it’s not something dangerous to us?”
“…….”
“You’ll regret it, Cesare. Definitely.”
At his flinching, wavering appearance, more clearly and strongly. I glared at him with sincerity.
That there are things that can’t be solved with Brainwashing Magic. That even though you cast a spell to make me love you, you couldn’t make me submit. So don’t act so arrogant and superior, as if you’re stirring people up and acting conceited as if everything is in your grasp.
“If you come any closer, it might be irreversible.”
“…….”
He was silent for a moment. In the meantime, I untied the rope binding Cain while comforting him that it was okay, that there was nothing to worry about.
Then Cesare strode over, stopped my hand, and asked.
“What if it’s already too late to turn back? What if I’m already regretting it?”
There was too much omitted in what he was asking. However, if asked whether I could guess the omitted words, there was nothing I could specifically point to and answer. Between him and me, there was much, but at the same time, it was also empty.
Regret? The rebellion? The brainwashing? Or the addiction? What exactly? What do you want me to answer?
I began to grow tired of his attitude that seemed to want something more without telling me anything about the truth. This isn’t fair!
From the moment the magic called addiction intervened, everything between him and me was only memories colored by lies. Every one of his gazes, every touch, every kiss—everything had false intentions and no sincerity. Yet I couldn’t grasp how to respond to those selfish eyes that demanded only sincerity from me.
Would it have been easier to answer if I had still been under the addiction? Back then, I just had to answer as the magic commanded. When will he know these complex emotions I’m feeling? Will that day ever come? No, it seemed like it would never come.
“…Then at least don’t make me regret that I loved you.”
I brushed off his hand with a thud and looked at Cain’s condition again. Cain grabbed my collar tightly as if I were the only lifeline left in the world and rambled incoherently.
“Rye, I… I don’t want to lose Astol. I’ve bet everything. As long as Sylvia is there, I…!”
I rubbed his cold hands and quickly answered.
“Cain. You won’t lose Astol. Don’t worry!”
“B-but…!”
“You’re the best swordsman I’ve ever seen. No matter how much Sylvia manipulates the Count, the skilled and brave knights of Astol will only support you.”
My voice kept trembling as it came out, but I calmed him as he grabbed onto me as firmly and clearly as possible. But despite my efforts, he shook me roughly and shouted.
“What the hell do you know! You’re just a commoner! Astol’s knights can’t even rise to management positions in the imperial army! Our father keeps failing the general nomination! Even with ability, when opportunities aren’t even given, and with such a vulgar woman even coming in as a second wife, Astol gets cursed at for being trash…!”
Something like a black snake was slowly devouring his pupils.
‘It’s a restraint. Cesare must have placed it.’
I couldn’t watch Cain being toyed with by such a filthy thing any longer. I put strength in my hands, grabbed Cain’s cheeks, and faced him—no, the restraint—piercingly.
“Cain, I know everything. You know I have a good eye, right? You’ll become the empire’s greatest sword. When you inherit the Count title, Astol will become the strongest army. Then no one will be able to mock you as vulgar. I guarantee it.”
“Ahh, if I’m abandoned here, it’s over. No one will… ugh. I keep hearing voices in my head… you have to help me! I’m powerless…!”
The moment I saw Cain’s face with his forehead wrinkled tightly as if his head hurt, along with a tingling sensation, a strange sense of déjà vu wrapped around my body.
‘This is….’
My heart raced quickly and my eyelids grew hot. What I saw was inside a dark cave. Outside was somehow chaotic, and the sound of horses crying could be heard endlessly. And us, stained with blood as if we had suffered major injuries.
‘The soldiers abandoned us and ran away. Damn it! It’s all over! Over!’
‘It’s not over yet. Even if Astol abandons you and you abandon us, I’ll never abandon you guys.’
‘Rye, what are you doing!’
‘You have more stamina left, so go to the capital and help Cesare! If Cesare’s side succeeds, the traitors will be them, not us. I can buy time in front of those bastards, okay? You trust my silver tongue, right? It’ll be hard, but please help me, Cain!’
‘What is this vision?’
‘We found the traitor Lionel Mellans!’
‘Traitor? Me?’
With the metallic sound of weapons clashing, my consciousness returned to reality as if led by someone.
‘This… isn’t a prophetic dream!’
The strange visions appearing in fragments. It couldn’t be the future. If it were before, I wouldn’t know, but now that I’ve broken the addiction and don’t love Cesare, there’s no way I’d be crazy enough to support a rebellion, risking my life like that.
‘Could this be… my appearance in the original work that Ju Shinyoung showed me?’
The army that ran away, Cain being chased, me caught as a traitor. With descriptions matching the book, my doubt gradually turned into conviction.
Our end, which in the original work was dismissed with a single sentence: ‘Cesare’s loyal followers had all disappeared.’
Looking at Cain again, he resembled the face I saw in the vision. Eyes filled with fear, lips turned white, disheveled hair, and cries like screams.
It looked exactly like he would crumble just like in the original. Feeling stubborn that I absolutely didn’t want to make him like the futile one-line narrative of the original, I firmly grabbed the staggering Cain with cold, sweaty hands. I forcibly lifted him as he suffered and firmly pressed my forehead against his.
“Ugh!”
While he briefly groaned and wavered, I quickly drove the point home.
“Cain. Listen carefully!”
“The sound, Rye! I keep hearing some voice…!”
“Even if Astol abandons you and you abandon Astol, I won’t abandon you! Absolutely not!”
The blue pupils facing me very closely expanded larger and larger. The restraint that had been leisurely moving inside the pupils was also fluctuating rapidly as if surprised. I hugged Cain even harder as if I couldn’t let go.
“So instead of that voice, trust me and help me, Cain. Please. I’m begging you. Let’s clear Professor Mahoff’s false charges!”
“Ugh…!”
“Even if we can’t drive out Sylvia now, I’ll do my best to help you become Count Astol. Please. I’m begging you. I’m your friend, Lionel Mellans.”
“Ahhh!”
– Swoosh!
With the sound of something inside breaking, Cain collapsed. I also fell to the floor, pushed by his large frame. At the same time, an aura of dark red mana began to creep out from above Cain’s head.
“Ce, Cesare. What is this, quickly!”
“Damn it!”
When I called Cesare in surprise without even having time to compose myself, he finally rushed over and scattered them so they couldn’t seep back into Cain.
– Swoosh.
The things scattered like black powder rushed at Cesare, creating an ominous vortex as if angry. Cesare quickly recited an incantation and opened his palm.
– Swish!
The mana flowing from him and the black thing collided, producing a sharp resonance like tearing wind, then soon subsided quietly. Cain had lost consciousness for a moment and was lying face down using my leg as a pillow, but his expression at least looked much more comfortable. The restraint had disappeared.
‘Thank goodness! If the restraint is lifted, his hatred toward Sylvia will gradually fade too.’
It felt like a dazed feeling of jumping over an invisible wall. In the suddenly quiet room, Cesare collapsed next to me as if his legs had given out.
“Cesare, just now that was…!”
And thud, his head touched my shoulder.
“I’ll explain everything later. Later. Really. Then I’ll really explain everything….”
Thump.
‘Huh?’
I opened my eyes wide at the feeling of a faint heat suddenly rising throughout my body. Is it because I’ve calmed down? Why is my heartbeat suddenly so loud? In the midst of confusion, I heard Cesare’s low, thick voice.
“Thank you, Lionel.”
“…Wh-what for?”
“For stopping me.”
What did I stop?
Anyway, he leaned on me like a weary traveler who had come a long way. I thought it was absurd and shameless, but for some reason, I couldn’t immediately shake off this wicked bastard in the world. Even though I had broken the addiction.
“Lionel.”
Thump.
When he called my name, my heart beat once more.
‘Since the addiction is broken, it can’t be love.’
Could it be anxiety that he might find out I know about the Brainwashing Magic from what just happened?
“U-uh?”
As I scratched my cheek feeling awkward, the contrasting temperature difference between my fingertips and face felt unfamiliar. Was it that my hands were cold so my cheeks felt hot, or were my cheeks hot so my hands felt cold?
“I think I’ve really fallen for you.”
“……!”
“Is it because you do so many pretty things, or because you’re inherently pretty?”
What’s with this bastard? Has he gone crazy? Calling me pretty? It was just recently that I begged and barely forced him to say I was pretty, but now he’s muttering to himself calling me pretty, and I couldn’t understand the intention behind those words.
“Don’t answer anything. Just. Know it.”
Thump. Thump. Thump. My heart began to beat uncontrollably fast. All my nerves concentrated on the shoulder where his head rested, and as I didn’t know how to react and just rolled my eyes.
“Ahhh! My head is ringing. It feels like my head will split… What just happened…? Rye? Cesare?”
“Cain! Are you okay?”
Thinking this was the moment, I pushed him away and hugged Cain who had just woken up.
* * *
“I don’t know how you persuaded him. There were loud noises inside—you didn’t have a physical fight, did you?”
At Sylvia’s sultry voice, Cain’s face crumpled.
“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m just hiding my claws for the greater good.”
“Oh my. I feel like the mood has changed a bit… Is it just my imagination?”
As Sylvia rested her chin and stared at Cain intently, I quickly urged her.
“Hurry up. Countess Astol. Who commissioned that job?”
“Mm, right. The commissioner was definitely… Heiss Eurofield from the Grand Shrine.”
