I Will Not Fall For the Villain’s Flirtations - Chapter 42

Finding my face full of confusion, he seemed to think he had said something unnecessary and smiled awkwardly. Pete patted my shoulder to lighten the mood.

“I’m saying all sorts of things to you. Anyway, it’s true that she’s good, but you also have talent, so keep practicing consistently. If you get interested, seriously consider pursuing this path.”

“…Thank you.”

“Alright, now off you go. Time’s up.”

As he collected the stabilizer and waved his hand with a chuckle, I noticed the bracelet on his wrist and widened my eyes. It had been hidden by his sleeve until now, and the large ruby was quite striking.

“Your bracelet… it’s pretty.”

I wanted to say it was unique and really unexpected, but I held back and complimented it instead. He glanced at his wrist, then burst into laughter and proudly said,

“It’s a life stone my fiancée gave me when she proposed. She always has to show off.”

“……”

Despite saying she was showing off, his eyes looking at the bracelet seemed ready to burst with hearts. Feeling like the sandwich I had for lunch was coming back up, I made a bitter face but then suddenly realized he had mentioned the ‘life stone’ and widened my eyes again.

“Do you know a lot about life stones?”

“Of course.”

He snorted as if to say, ‘Is that even a question?’

“Of course, someone at my level would know. Regular mages don’t have much reason to make them.”

“Huh? Why not?”

“In simple terms, it’s like splitting a magic core. Sure, there’s the benefit of being able to draw external magic through the life stone when your internal magic is exhausted, but if you’re born with a small vessel, it’s useless. It’s like splitting an already small core.”

He added some unnecessary details.

“Only a handful of mages who have combat experience can make life stones. Consider it an honor to see one.”

The point was that he and his fiancée were quite remarkable mages. I let his bragging go in one ear and out the other, and asked what I was most curious about.

“Then, what happens if you break a life stone?”

“Break it?”

He raised his eyebrows and casually replied.

“Of course, they die.”

“R-Really?”

But Keene said he wouldn’t die? Was he lying?

“Well, okay, they won’t die, but they’ll be injured badly enough to wish they were dead. One side of the connected core will be shattered, so the internal injuries will be severe. If not treated immediately, there could be permanent damage.”

“……”

“But usually, people do die. Most who make life stones are specialized in combat, and in a battlefield surrounded by enemies, getting injured like that… you’d die.”

What on earth was Keene thinking when he gave this to me?

With my mouth agape in shock, I stammered, piecing my thoughts together.

“Why would your fiancée give you something so important…?”

“Well, it was a proposal. It probably just meant, ‘I can give you my everything.’”

…That’s horrifying.

“But even if that’s not the case, it’s beneficial for her too, because she can draw on my magic in an emergency. I specialize in healing, so even if I go to the battlefield, I’d be in the rear support.”

“Then, what if someone gives it to a person who isn’t a mage? What could that mean?”

Pete nonchalantly uttered some brutal words.

“They’d be either a romantic fool or a fool with no attachment to life.”

“……”

I couldn’t relate to the former at all, but the latter seemed somewhat plausible. After hearing Pete’s explanation, I decided I should return this terrifying item to Keene and kick him out immediately.

* * *

However, when I saw him a few days later, things didn’t go as planned.

“Good afternoon, Du.”

“……”

I had just gone to answer a knock at the door.

I hurriedly pulled the man standing at the door inside.

“Are you crazy? This is a women’s dormitory!”

Of course, I thought it was Leila. Who would have guessed? What if another novitiate had seen him in the hallway?

“You didn’t like it when I appeared suddenly in your room.”

“W-Well, that’s true, but…”

Since when did he care about that?

Keene closed the door behind him with a smirk. I glared at him sharply and took off the pendant around my neck to hand it back to him.

“Take this and don’t come back.”

“If you really didn’t want me to come back, you could have just broken it.”

“…It’s fake anyway.”

Keene, who had been looking at the pendant in his hand, suddenly lifted his head. His previously round eyes now sparkled with interest.

“Why do you think that?”

His face was full of curiosity. I folded my arms and raised my chin.

“Do you think I’m crazy enough to believe you’d give me a real life stone? If I break this, you wouldn’t survive.”

After hearing Pete’s words and thinking it over for a long time, that was the conclusion I reached. Even if he had some interest in me, it was probably just the same level of curiosity as finding an amusing mouse. There was no way he gave it to me with the same meaning as Pete’s fiancée.

Moreover, if I lost it or another novitiate took it, there would be no guarantee of its condition. This was a fatal risk for a spy who was prone to getting entangled in troublesome situations.

But Keene shamelessly denied it.

“It’s real. Want to break it now?”

“What?”

“Though I wouldn’t recommend it. This carpet looks new, and it might get stained with blood.”

“……”

Is he serious?

Whether or not the life stone he gave me was real, the thought of seeing blood if I broke it was horrifying. Shivering, I shook my head.

“Whatever it is, take this and don’t come back. Honestly, dealing with a spy like you makes me really uncomfortable as a citizen of the Holy Kingdom.”

I deliberately avoided his eyes and poured out my words. I had already figured out that it was easier to say what I wanted when I didn’t look at his face.

“Are you uncomfortable because I’m a spy?”

“Wouldn’t you be uncomfortable if you were in my shoes?”

“Do you think I have anything to gain from you?”

“……”

I suddenly found myself at a loss for words. It made sense since, as a novitiate, I didn’t have any high-level information. There were countless places I was restricted from entering.

“Sorry to say, but I probably know more than you.”

“What?”

“Should I give you an example? Soon, the Holy Kingdom will send a relic expedition team.”

“Relic expedition team?”

“Because they’ve lost so many holy relics, the existing barrier’s strength isn’t what it used to be. The aim is to excavate new holy relics.”

“……”

[With the weakening of the barrier due to the loss of holy relics, more and more damage is occurring. Therefore, they plan to reinforce the barrier by excavating ancient holy relics.]

Suddenly, I remembered what Peidos had said before going on the subjugation. According to his words, Keene’s claim was plausible.

How does this man know such things?

But I didn’t want to be swayed just like that. A memory that flashed through my mind made me shout.

“Y-You even told me to steal a key last time!”

“Oh, the vault? That was…”

After choosing his words for a moment, he finally said something that truly infuriated me.

“I was curious about how you would react.”

“……”

Curious? He did it just because he was curious? I had written a will and shed tears because of that?

In a fit of anger, I almost grabbed him by the collar. As I breathed heavily, unable to quell my frustration, a phrase I had heard before crossed my mind.

[I was curious.]

[I became curious about you, Du.]

Which side is it?

Is he being sincere, or is this just another cruel joke?

“So, did you enjoy watching me tremble in fear?”

Is there anyone in this world harder to understand than this man?

Even as I coldly asked, he answered without batting an eye.

“I’m sorry. But thanks to that, I got to see a different side of you, Du, which I liked.”

Keene whispered softly, his eyes forming crescent moons as he met my gaze. His relaxed look, disguised as affectionate, irritated me. I let out a bitter laugh, slapped away the hand trying to brush my hair aside, and stepped back.

“And you expect me to trust you after that?”

“I even gave you a life stone, but my score is still low.”

“That’s just because you…”

Just as my pent-up anger was about to explode, a warm, large hand suddenly wrapped around mine. His face turned serious, and he spoke in a sincere tone.

“I promise it won’t happen again. I mean it.”

“……”

“I apologize again for my mischievous behavior the other day.”

After finishing his words, he let go of my hand and distanced himself without any ulterior motives. I stood there, unsure how to react, when he opened a spatial pocket and pulled out a paper bag, thrusting it towards me.

“This is…”

The sudden appearance of the item distracted me, and my boiling anger subsided. When I opened the bag, I saw a familiar patterned tin of tea.

“…Mattnum Possun again.”

“I bought a different kind of tea today.”

His much softer voice penetrated my ears.

“There are still twenty-three flavors left. Can’t you meet me until we’ve tried them all?”

“…Are you seriously buying them one by one on purpose?”

He answered with a sly smile instead of words. Confirming his answer from that annoying smile, I let out an exasperated sigh.

“What I want to have from Mattnum Possun isn’t tea, you know?”

“Then what is it?”

I snorted and turned my head sharply. As if I would tell him.

With a smiling face, Keene stubbornly placed the tin of tea in my hand as if it didn’t matter. Then, as if he had noticed something, he suddenly started moving.

Before I could stop him from heading inside, he changed the subject upon seeing the magic orb on the living room table.