~Chapter 6~
“Luna?”
Alex’s eyes widened as he suddenly stood up from his seat.
Cream and the other members inside also looked quite shocked to see me appear so suddenly.
‘They probably thought I died.’
There’s no other reason they’d be this surprised. Admitting that made my heart ache. Yes, I understand why they’d think that. They saw Fran die right in front of them, and I was chased by an evil spirit and never made it out of the mansion.
I would’ve thought the same if the roles were reversed—if I had escaped and someone else had been trapped in there…
—It’s because the ones who went with us were weak! Of course the weak ones die!
No, even then, I wouldn’t have felt like that. Who in the world deserves to die?
And yet, none of them even tried to check if Fran or I were okay.
They were just focused on completing the request successfully.
But what hurt me the most…
“Luna, you really came here?”
“…”
“No, I’m really happy to see your face again. But how did you get out of there? And how did you shake off the evil spirit?”
There was urgency on Alex’s face.
But not even a hint of worry for me or grief for Fran’s death.
Information. That was all he wanted from me.
“Alex.”
“Yeah, Luna?”
He smiled warmly like always, but I only felt colder inside.
I barely managed to open my mouth, lips trembling slightly.
“What you said just now… did you mean it?”
“Huh?”
He tilted his head like he didn’t understand what I was asking. That made me feel sick.
“You said it with your own mouth. That the teammates who went with us died because they were weak. And that it was natural.”
“Luna, that was…”
“I heard it all. I also know how you’ve really felt about me, and why you let me join this guild.”
Alex said nothing.
And then silence stretched for a long moment.
“…Ha.”
Alex, who had stayed quiet, let out a dry laugh and twisted his lips up into a smirk.
The usual kind smile was gone. This was a side of Alex I had never seen before.
“So what?”
“What?”
“Everything I said is true, right? And since I brought someone like you with no skills into the guild, shouldn’t you be thankful instead? Why are you acting like I’m the bad guy?”
Alex’s tone rose slightly.
His eyes, now red and bloodshot, glared at me in anger.
And then I realized. The Alex I thought I knew… never existed to begin with.
“You’ve lost your mind, haven’t you?”
“What?”
Maybe that’s why I said what I normally would’ve never dared to say to him.
“They died because they were weak? Don’t say such nonsense. The ones who died were stronger than anyone. That’s why they stayed and fought till the end. The reason our guild could even keep going, the reason we’re still alive—it’s all thanks to them.”
“Get your facts straight, Luna.”
Alex slowly walked up to me and bent down so his eyes were level with mine.
“I survived because I was strong. That’s just a pathetic excuse weaklings make when they can’t face the truth…”
SLAP!
A loud sound echoed through the heavy silence.
Alex stared at me with eyes wide in disbelief.
“I regret every second I worked with garbage like you. I truly do.”
All the hope I had left crumbled to dust in that moment.
I no longer had any reason to stay here.
Maybe I never belonged here in the first place.
“Luna Sterie!”
Alex called my name in a voice rougher than I had ever heard before.
But I couldn’t turn back. I didn’t want anyone to see my tears.
Was it because I’d lost the only place I felt safe in as an orphan?
Or maybe… because I still couldn’t believe how this ended so miserably?
Tears continued to flow, and a choked sob slipped through my tightly shut lips.
“You think any other guild would take you in besides ours?”
No… probably not. No one would want a weak support-type exorcist.
And with Alex being well-known and part of a famous guild, bad rumors about me would spread fast.
Maybe I wouldn’t be able to work as an exorcist ever again. But still…
“Even if every guild in the world rejects me and only yours is left, I’d still say no to yours.”
“I agree with that.”
Suddenly, I heard a voice in front of me and looked up in shock.
Familiar red eyes met mine, then turned to face forward.
“You said you requested a job from a famous guild, but… they don’t seem very special.”
“Y-You’re…”
The murmuring around us grew louder. They must have realized who the visitor was.
But why was he here?
I was so stunned that even my tears stopped flowing.
I looked around, still confused.
“Luna Sterie.”
“Yes?”
Lucian, who was standing in front of me, called my name and continued.
“Rather than wasting your talent in a pathetic guild like this… how about working with me instead?”
Was he serious? Did he really want to work with me?
A thousand thoughts ran through my mind.
There was no reason for someone as powerful and famous as Lucian to work with someone like me. But still…
—You did your best. As one of the great exorcists.
The way he had looked straight into my eyes and said those words… kept echoing in my head.
Maybe that’s why…
“All right.”
I answered like I was under a spell.
***
Tap, tap. Lucian lightly tapped the seat with his index finger.
Checking his watch, he saw that about 15 minutes had passed.
Plenty of time for them to welcome back a comrade who returned safely.
“They’re late.”
Maybe they were talking inside, explaining what had happened without him.
If so, there was no reason for him to wait outside.
Besides, he was the one who actually knew what had happened in that mansion.
“Sir, where are you going?”
As he opened the carriage door, the nearby coachman approached cautiously.
Lucian waved him off and headed slowly toward the Eagle Guild’s back entrance.
The coachman, realizing he shouldn’t follow, stayed put.
Even after the footsteps behind him stopped, Lucian didn’t relax his scowl.
—It seems the exorcists we hired all ran away. I checked the area on the way here and didn’t see anyone else.
That report from Oliver, the manager who rushed over after realizing something went wrong at the mansion, still rang in his ears.
If that was true, it meant they abandoned a fallen comrade and fled without even trying to help.
Not even bothering to check inside or send someone for support.
—I’ll head back to the guild first. I need to check if my teammates are safe.
Lucian clicked his tongue as Luna’s concerned face flashed through his mind.
His judgment was rarely wrong.
But just this once, he hoped he had been mistaken, and walked toward the open door.
Had they forgotten to close it? The door Luna had gone through was wide open.
‘Careless.’
Well, however they managed things in there wasn’t his concern.
Lucian glanced at some boxes piled in the corner and stepped inside.
“I regret every second I worked with garbage like you. I truly do.”
SLAP!
A sharp sound rang out, followed by a cold, emotionless voice.
There was no mistaking it. That was Luna Sterie’s voice.
“Luna Sterie!”
As if to confirm Lucian’s thoughts, someone shouted her name.
A voice full of rage.
“You think any other guild would take you in besides ours?”
Just hearing that one line told him everything.
Why she acted like everything was her own fault.
Lucian clenched his fists tightly. Normally, he would’ve ignored something that had nothing to do with him.
But for some reason, he couldn’t look away from this woman.
Maybe because she reminded him of her, the girl who once said—
—I’m proud of you, oppa. Being an exorcist means helping people in need, right?
That sparkle in her eyes… looked just like this woman’s blue eyes.
Whatever it was, it was unpleasant.
Lucian frowned and took a step forward just as he heard—
“Even if every guild in the world rejects me and only yours is left, I’d still say no to yours.”
She was different from before.
Her voice still trembled slightly, but she had clearly summoned great courage to say that.
Without realizing it, Lucian smiled faintly as he walked inside.
“I agree with that.”
He added his own words of support to hers.
