Chapter 130
I pulled on Serzan’s arm. At first, he didn’t let himself be dragged, but when I used a little more force, he sat down beside me.
“Just sit here next to me.”
“If you keep repeating regressions, your mind gets dull. And one day, you’ll definitely fall into a mental swamp. It’ll take even longer to get out of it than it did to fall in.”
Serzan suddenly grabbed my shoulder, turning me so I faced him.
“If you know all that… why can’t you see this?”
“If you were in my place, Serzan, would you just leave me behind?”
“That’s…”
Ah, damn it.
I actually liked that look on Serzan’s face just now.
But before I could memorize it in my mind… I died.
***
When I came back again, I collapsed weakly.
It hurts. Seriously, it hurts so damn much.
“Hehehe…”
Agrisen stared at me and Serzan in turn, then spat out another mouthful of blood.
When I finally got my head together and stood up, all I saw was the same white room.
If there were even a single pattern on the walls, I could focus on it to distract myself…
But there was nothing.
So, right after regressing, my mind kept going back to the image of my body shattering at the moment of death.
This is bad. We’re just starting, but I already feel like I’m going to lose my mind.
“Tia.”
…Or maybe not.
Serzan’s pale face was right in front of me.
“I have a favor to ask.”
“You don’t even listen to me, but now you want a favor?”
I smirked at his icy expression, then reached out and pushed his hat back, pulling it off.
I just blurted it out without thinking.
“While we’re stuck in this prison… Can you go back to your real face? Honestly, if I see that face, it might help keep me awake.”
I didn’t bother holding back my words.
“…Where did that come from?”
“I mean, if I see Winter Orsheus’s face, it’s so good-looking it might even make me forget the pain.”
I gave a half-crazy laugh as I said it.
Serzan’s lips twisted strangely, like they didn’t know whether to smile or not.
Ah.
And right then… the white flash came again.
***
I’m dying over and over at a ridiculous speed.
But somehow, the conversation keeps picking up right where it left off.
It’s bizarre — fascinating, but sickening at the same time.
When I opened my eyes again, I saw Winter Orsheus in front of me and sprang to my feet like a coiled spring.
“Knew it — one look at you and I’m wide awake.”
Winter brushed his silver hair back with one hand, the strands falling perfectly.
“Glad my face is good enough for you to look at.”
His tone was half teasing, half mocking.
Head tilted slightly in a way that didn’t suit his usual personality.
Ah, perfect.
I framed his face between my hands like a picture.
“Are you saying that you’ve never thought I was handsome before?”
Winter raised a brow.
“I never have.”
Then he stepped closer, lowering his head. His silky hair brushed against my cheek — we were that close.
“Uh… what are you doing?”
“If you like this face so much, shouldn’t you look at it up close?”
Despite his actions, his eyes were still cold.
He was still mad.
I averted my gaze, avoiding those wave-like blue eyes, but still stole a glance at his boyishly handsome features. Then, giving up, I admitted:
“You’re seriously handsome. Best in the world — no, in the whole universe.”
Something flickered in his blue eyes, a hard-to-read emotion.
He slowly closed them and let out a long breath, like the fight had gone out of him.
“…This is incredibly stupid.”
He stepped back quickly.
And then — like a shower of shattered starlight — the white flash came again.
We died.
***
“Ugh…”
When I came to, a wave of nausea bent me double.
Alright. Fine. Let’s do this, huh?
I looked up to see Winter looking at me like he was about to sling me over his shoulder and throw me out of the prison.
“…Alright. Let’s go.”
I straightened with effort, then grabbed Serzan’s arm, walking toward the swirling black portal.
“But we’re going out together.”
Before touching the swirl, I glanced back like I’d forgotten something.
My gaze went past the pool of blood to Agrisen’s shabby face.
“Hey, do you like strawberry jam?”
Even as his face paled from blood loss, Agrisen’s eyebrow twitched.
“Hope you like it a lot. Mine’s a little… sweet.”
He tilted his head slightly.
“[Masrio Strawberry Jam].”
After casting the spell, I touched the swirl and left quickly.
Inside and out, this cursed prison was just pure white.
Turning my eyes toward the handsome face next to me, I said:
“We can’t let Agrisen watch us.
If he’s been alone for ten thousand years, he’ll take any outside stimulation as entertainment.
So we have to vanish from his sight immediately after a regression — make it so the regression is torture for him too… urgh.”
I crumpled to the floor again.
Cold sweat poured off me, pooling at my feet. My vision spun, yellow and blue spots dancing on the white walls.
I leaned against Winter, who was holding my arm.
His cold body temperature was oddly comforting.
Thanks to the chill, I managed to hold onto my sanity again.
“…At this rate, your mind will break soon.”
“Shh. If you say that out loud, it’ll come true.”
“Please, stop being stubborn.”
“I’m going to endure this with you. So you just keep showing me that great face.”
Winter covered his face with one hand, muttering something.
It was in the dragon language — sounds I couldn’t even hope to mimic.
[You two don’t even remember I’m here, huh?]
I took off the bracelet spirit and tossed it into the swirl.
“How about summoning a wind spirit right here? Wind spirits… can move someone really fast, right?”
BOOM!
The wall exploded.
Darkness swallowed me again.
“Ugh… ughhh!”
This time, the gagging wasn’t from me — it was Agrisen, before he could bite his tongue again.
He was dry-heaving so hard, it looked like he was trying to tear his empty stomach apart.
“What… what the hell is that girl thinking—”
Thinking about what?
I didn’t let him finish before staggering out of the prison with Winter.
Ah, wait. I forgot something.
I hurried back in, saw Agrisen’s face now tinged with green, and muttered:
“[Masrio Strawberry Jam]…”
“St—stop…”
Phew. That’s tiring.
Leaving the prison again, I turned to Winter’s stunned face and explained what I’d just thought.
“So my idea is: you summon a wind spirit, and we have it take Agrisen out to the middle of the ocean.”
“Izana, I can’t summon spirits. Spirits hate dragons.”
Oh. Right.
Spirits do hate dragons…
Why? Because dragons are the most treasured creations of Huerion, the god of life.
They were given overwhelming power, enough to even overpower near-godlike spirits.
The spirits, pushed aside, had their pride wounded.
[Hmph! Damn spirits! Thinking they’re gods when they’re not!]
I almost jumped when Raglia suddenly spoke up.
I’d thrown the bracelet away in the last loop, so having it back on my wrist again was… unnerving.
I gave Raglia a pitying look and patted him.
“Sorry…”
[Wh–what’s with that look?! What did you do to me?! Something’s wrong here— you’re in a regression, aren’t you? Gah!]
And… we died again.
