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Chapter 242:
Chapter 242:
To the Original Form (6)
-Tuduk.
Red blood dripped onto the floor.
The pain in his abdomen, which should have been excruciating, scattered through his tightly shut eyes, and the overwhelming sense of injustice dissipated into the night breeze.
Michail slowly lifted his heavy eyelids.
Red hair.
A black butler’s suit.
Broad shoulders that filled his vision.
The unique scent of Ricardo’s cologne tickled Michail’s nose, greeting him.
“I was worried.”Ricardo’s low voice, resonating briefly, inquired about his well-being. Without asking any questions, Ricardo, who had grabbed the blade that had been thrust at Michail, stood firm like a rock.
Michail spoke in a trembling voice. Without even having time to react to the notification that the quest had been completed, he looked at Ricardo, who had caught the blade with his bare hands, and asked.
“How…?”
“How, you ask? The secret girl sent me a telepathic message asking for help.”
Ricardo, ignoring the flustered Michail, turned his gaze to the man in front of him and spoke in a dark voice.
“Don’t we still have things to talk about?”
“…”
“We could talk all night, and it still wouldn’t be enough.”
Ricardo’s cold voice sent chills down Jung’s spine, even though his tone was flat and devoid of emotion.
With each syllable that left Ricardo’s mouth, it felt as if his voice was piercing through Jung’s skin like a sharp needle. Jung shook his head and burst into laughter.
“Puhaha… Puhahaha! Ha… I really picked the wrong day. I didn’t expect there to be a bodyguard.”
“I think today is the perfect day.”
“Sigh…”
Jung cut off his laughter and lifted his head. His sharp gaze met Ricardo’s in the air, and they locked eyes.
“I just dropped by to say hello. I was wondering if you’d forgotten about me. After all, that friend of yours is quite famous. I just wanted to remind you that someone like me exists.” ?
“Do you greet people with knives?”
“Hehehe… Well, that’s true.”
Michail’s hands turned icy cold at the sound of Ricardo’s voice, a tone colder than anything he’d ever heard from him before.
“…”
Jung awkwardly laughed and slowly began to back away.
“I was going to turn that kid into a fool… Just have him running around calling for ‘Daddy, Daddy,’ without knowing a thing, and then…!”
“You have quite the twisted hobby. Makes me want to kill you.”
“…Should I just finish it now?”
Jung’s gaze turned cold as he looked at Michail, who was hiding behind Ricardo. He smiled regretfully, as if he truly wanted to carry out his threat. Ricardo smiled faintly in response.
“Can you?”
“…”
The red aura that extended from Ricardo began to tighten around Jung’s throat. Despite the ominous, suffocating aura that spread like the gates of the underworld opening, Jung showed no sign of retreating, still gripping the dagger in his hand.
“Everyone lets their guard down at some point. Me, and you.”
“…”
“This old man here has quite the skills.”
Ricardo awkwardly smiled and released the hand that had been gripping the dagger.
“Just kidding.”
He could easily kill him.
He could neutralize his dark magic…
[There are restrictions in place.]
?Michail’s psychological state is highly unstable.
?The longer you stay with ‘Jung,’ the more the restrictions will waver.
?If you kill ‘Jung,’ Michail’s awakening will be delayed.
The gods don’t want that.
After all, they were the ones who arranged for him to meet Michail, so why were they being so inconsistent? Ricardo muttered a few irreverent words toward the gods who were surely watching from somewhere, then withdrew the aura that had been extending toward Jung, who was now licking his dry lips.
“Today doesn’t seem to be the day.”
“…I almost died.”
“Leave before I change my mind.”
“Yeah, I should…”
Jung disappeared into the darkness, glaring at Michail as if he wanted to kill him.
“See you next time, kid.”
Ricardo also bid farewell to Jung.
“The next time we meet, I won’t let you go so easily.”
“I don’t want to see you again either.”
With those final words, Jung vanished.
The alley was now filled with silence.
Michail lowered his head and stared at Ricardo’s bloodied hand. He didn’t know what to say. It was only natural to thank him, but the words wouldn’t come out easily.
Ricardo silently wiped the blood from his hand. He took a handkerchief from the inner pocket of his jacket, pressed it against his palm, and then nodded slightly as he slowly walked toward Michail.
“Are you alright?”
“…”
“You’re not hurt, are you?”
“…”
Michail swallowed the questions that were rising within him, along with the night air. There were so many things he wanted to say.
Starting with why Ricardo had helped him, and then asking if he was okay. Michail tried to suppress the flood of questions that were welling up inside, but he found himself speechless, once again swallowing a dry breath.
‘Why.’
Why was he doing this?
Ricardo had no connection to him. They were practically strangers, so why was he doing this?
Michail clenched his fists, trying to suppress the rising questions.
‘This isn’t like you.’
The person Ricardo saw now was the same woman who had caused trouble when they first met.
They weren’t close, they weren’t friends, and they were nothing more than strangers. That should be how Ricardo saw him.
Why was he stepping in?
He could have just turned his back and walked away, and no one would have known. There would be no one to blame.
But…
‘Why are you helping me?’
The Ricardo Michail remembered…
If it was the Ricardo who never took a loss and always sought to gain, the Ricardo who acted like a scoundrel at the academy, it would have been natural for him to treat Michail coldly and ignore him.
So why…
‘Are you trying to be a hero?’
Michail voiced the question that had been lingering inside him. He couldn’t move on without hearing the answer.
“Why…”
The countless doubts he’d harbored began to surface with a small throb.
“Why did you save me?”
“…Ah.”
“You’re someone who doesn’t take a loss. So why did you save me?”
Because that’s who Ricardo was. The other students hated and despised him because of that. Michail, who had judged Ricardo based on the image he had seen, clenched his fists and questioned his misunderstanding.
“You’re not that kind of person.”
“…”
“You’re not the type to help strangers and ask if they’re okay.”
“…”
“So why are you acting like a good person?”
“Why
Ricardo let out a small laugh and spoke to Michail.
“Because you’re beautiful.”
“…”
“I’m quite biased when it comes to men and women.”
Michail clenched his fists and retorted.
“What’s beautiful about me?”
“…”
“I’m dull, and I can’t even dress up. What’s so beautiful about that?”
“…”
“I’m not beautiful at all. I know that when I look in the mirror. I have no charm, and I’m ugly. You think so too, don’t you? That I’m dull, rough, and manly.”
Michail clenched his fists and shouted at Ricardo.
“Don’t lie.”
Ricardo chuckled softly and shook his head.
“What can I do? My eyes tell me you’re beautiful.”
Michail looked at Ricardo with an incredulous expression and spoke. He really was a strange person.
“Are you really the scoundrel?”
“…”
“Are you the same scoundrel who caused havoc at the academy? This feels like a completely different person.”
Ricardo smiled faintly again and spoke to Michail.
“I was immature back then.”
“…”
“At the time, I thought that was the best way. I thought if I acted like the bad guy, others would like me more.”
Ricardo crouched down in front of Michail and tied the laces of Michail’s sneakers, which had come undone, speaking in a small voice.
“And I was right, to some extent.”
Michail closed his eyes tightly and spoke to Ricardo.
“I still don’t like you.”
“That’s a rather disrespectful thing to say to your teacher.”
“Even so, I still don’t like you.”
“…”
Michail clenched his fists and spoke to Ricardo, who was now standing up.
Sigh…
“Misa.”
“Huh…?”
“My name.”
“…”
It’s Misa.
Ricardo smiled faintly and nodded.
“That’s a beautiful name.”
Back at the dormitory.
Michail lay on the bed and covered his tired eyes. His thoughts were complicated, and his body was exhausted. He avoided greeting the dazzlingly bright moon.
Many thoughts swirled in his mind.
Why had he told him his name?
Had he told anyone else the name ‘Misa’?
Michail, overwhelmed by his emotional decision, let out a deep sigh.
“Sigh…”
-I was worried.
He said he didn’t like him, so why did he say something like that? And why did it feel so sincere?
Michail, covering his eyes with his hand, muttered softly, reflecting on the emotions he had felt today.
“I don’t understand.”
He didn’t understand what kind of person Ricardo was.
A good person.
A kind person.
A bad person.
Michail wiped his face with his hand and let out a deep sigh, thinking about how different Ricardo had been from the image he had shown at the academy.
He couldn’t tell which side was the real Ricardo. The only thing he was sure of was that his opinion of Ricardo had changed, even if only a little.
From the worst to just slightly less than the worst.
Michail, frustrated with himself for thinking about Ricardo, slammed his fist down on the bed.
“Annoying.”
As the complicated thoughts and questions kept him awake, a notification rang.
-Ding.
The cold greeting echoed in Michail’s tired ears.
[Would you like to receive your quest reward?]
Michail nodded in response.
And then…
He heard the truth he had been waiting for.
[Side Story. To the Original Form.]
If you…
If the events that unfolded because of you…
End with the responsibility falling on one person…
You couldn’t bear it.
A cold wind blew.
End of Chapter