Chapter 159
by Jessie@AFNCCEthan had sincerely confessed to me while looking into my eyes in a place where I could no longer escape.
Carefully avoiding his gaze, I cautiously uttered some words to buy time.
âCould you give me a moment to think?â
âOf course. Iâm sure you canât decide easily, Lilith.â
âŠWell, Iâve managed to buy some time to think, at least.
If I was going to reject him anyway, it would be advantageous to delay my answer as much as possible.
From Ethanâs perspective, it would be less shocking if it seemed like I had deeply considered before reluctantly rejecting him.
I also needed to give a more proper, longer response rather than simply saying I would reject him.
Just making excuses about not wanting to date men would lack sincerity and would certainly be disrespectful to Ethan.
Iâm sorry, but due to the difference in status between us, I cannot accept your proposal right now.
As the future heir to the Blackwood Ducal family, you will someday have to take a partner other than me, so I donât intend to give my heart to a man I wonât be able to love until the end.
Iâm sorry to give you a disappointing answer, Ethan. My response doesnât mean that you arenât attractive right now.
âI wonder if this will be enoughâŠâ
While not perfect, it was the most polite expression of rejection I could come up with in my mind.
Itâs a response that mentions being unable to accept the confession for other reasons while emphasizing that the current Ethan is a sufficiently attractive man.
With such a courteous response, Ethan would probably understand well enough.
At least, the Ethan I had known until now was that kind of person. [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]
A man who knows how to put in effort for the one he loves, fixes his own problems, can throw himself in front of others to protect them, and isnât too slow in expressing his own feelings.
âŠProbably, even if it wasnât me, Ethan could meet a good woman. That must certainly be the case.
Of course, a reckless and hot-tempered woman like me was far from being a âgood womanâ, so it was rational for Ethan and me not to become lovers, for both our sakes.
ââŠE-Ethan.â
ââŠâŠâ
âM-my answer isâŠâ
Just as I was about to carefully utter words of rejection, thinking this would be right for the futureâŠ
ââŠâŠâ
For some reason, my mouth was unable to speak the next words.
It felt as if expressing this rejection in words would create an unbridgeable gap between him and me forever.
I didnât love Ethan, but I felt the closest intimacy with him compared to anyone else.
I couldnât feel romantic emotions for Ethan, but I felt most at ease when I was by his side.
I couldnât have sexual desires for Ethan, but I had felt something by his hands. âŠQuite a lot, in fact.
âI should reject him, butâŠâ
If I rejected his confession here, we probably wouldnât be able to maintain most of our current relationship as before.
As soon as I thought this might happen, complicated emotions endlessly clashed in my mind like lightning striking.
Perhaps accepting the confession might lead to a better future for me.
If we added a romantic relationship on top of our young master and exclusive maid relationship, at least Ethan and I wouldnât grow apart in terms of our connection.
At the same time, though, no matter how I thought about it, that answer felt like it would be betraying Ethanâs feelings.
I canât feel romantic emotions towards men. [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]
The memories of my previous life as a man and the knowledge from that previous life that this world was modeled after a game world were still hindering me.
With such half-hearted feelings, I couldnât answer Ethanâs heart with lies.
His brave confession felt so sincere that I couldnât give a false answer to it.
I didnât want to reject him.
I couldnât accept his confession either.
In a situation where I couldnât choose either option, only my pounding heart was frantically beating.
âHa, haa, haaâŠâ
âLi-LilithâŠ?â
âHaa, haa, haa, haaâŠâ
âLilith?! Are you okay?! If youâre feeling unwell, we should go to the church right nowâŠ!â
âD-donât come closer!â
ââŠâŠâ
Sensing something was wrong with my condition, Ethan suddenly approached me, but feeling it was dangerous, I unconsciously pushed his hand away.
To Ethan, who looked at me with a surprised expression for a moment, I hurriedly explained my reaction as if making an excuse.
âLilithâŠâ
âN-no! Itâs not that I dislike you, Ethan!â
ââŠâŠâ
âItâs just⊠I donât know⊠I really donât know how to answer you right now, EthanâŠâ
If this world were truly a game, there would probably be only two or three choices in this kind of situation.
If I were my previous self, I would have looked at all those choices one by one and then proceeded with the route of the best choice.
But this world wasnât a game. At least for me, it was a space that was practically reality.
There were no predetermined answers or ways to go back if I failed.
I want to accept. I must reject.
I want to accept and maintain this current relationship. I can keep my chastity by making other excuses anyway.
I must reject and answer Ethanâs question seriously. I canât answer with lies to emotions I canât take responsibility for.
âIâŠâ
ââŠIf itâs difficult, you donât have to answer right now. I told you this after much consideration, too, so, of course, youâll need a lot of thought as well, Lilith.â
âNo, l-let me⊠let me answer nowâŠâ
âIf thatâs what you want, I donât mind, butâŠâ
âIâŠ.. To you, E-EthanâŠâ
My head was spinning.
It felt like the ground was dancing and rippling.
I was disgusted with myself that this irresponsible nonsense was the answer I came up with after long deliberation.
âŠBut this was all I had.
An answer that would maintain my current relationship with Ethan while honestly conveying my feelings to him.
âTo you, Ethan⊠m-my feelings as a romantic partnerâŠâ
âW-wait, Lilith!â
âI said I would answer now!â
âThatâs not it, Lilith! Somethingâs wrong with the lake right now!â
ââŠPardon?â
At Ethanâs urgent voice, all the complex emotions that had been cluttering my mind seemed to wash away at once.
At the same time, I finally realized that the sensation of feeling the ground shake wasnât just my imagination.
Splash!
âAah!â
âEek?!â
The previously calm surface of the lake suddenly began to churn with tremendous water currents.
I could clearly tell that something was emerging from the bottom of the lake.
My thoughts naturally extended to the lake surrounding the Island of Knowledge and whatever was coming out from under that lake.
âE-Ethan, row back to the academy quickly!â
âHuh, what?!â
âItâs the Kraken! The Kraken is rising from the bottom of the lake!â
âK-KrakenâŠ?!â
Although Ethan expressed half doubt at my words, he started rowing hard towards the academy.
âŠBut it seemed we were already too late to escape, as a giant tentacle blocked our path.
SPLASH!!
âAAAAAH!!â
âKYAAAAAHâŠ!!â
The splash of the giant tentacle created enormous waves, easily pushing aside small boats with the current produced.
However, even its huge suction cups seemed small compared to the creatureâs body.
Soon, the massive body of the giant kraken that had emerged from the lake bottom began to burst through the lakeâs surface.
SPLASH!!! SWOOSH!!!
âROOOOOOOOARâŠ!!â
The Krakenâs roar, which had burst out parting the huge streams of water, spread in all directions from the center of the lake.
The small boat carrying Ethan and me was already trapped, blocked by the arms of the giant monster.
âŠThis time, I think weâre really screwed.
Luminor Academy, VIP Room.
One afternoon. In one room of the VIP building, three men and women were having a slightly late tea time together.
Hero Gyeongmwajogyegigwat Volt.
Saint Seriste Aurelia Mireya.
Third Princess Seraphine Rosalind Valtoria.
In an isolated space beyond the reach of othersâ eyes, the three quietly held a secret conversation.
Unlike Seriste, who was a bit tense between the two, Gyeongmwajogyegigwat and Seraphine were calmly discussing the events that had occurred previously.
âThank you for your hard work earlier, Hero Gyeongmwajogyegigwat Volt.â
âNo, Princess Seraphine. I only did what I had to do as a Hero.â SearáŽh the NĂŽvel(F)ire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
âKnowing what to do as a Hero and actually doing it are completely different things. No matter how much of a Hero you are, Gyeongmwajogyegigwat, I believe your achievements deserve praise and proper reward.â [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]
âWhen you say it like that, I can only express my gratitude.â
âMiss Seriste, you worked hard too. I heard your power of prophecy played a big role in the final battle, is that right?â
âAh, no, I⊠I just rode on the Heroâs powerâŠâ
ââŠSay itâs true, Seriste.â
âY-yes! My power of prophecy helped us find the secret underground room! I-if I hadnât been a Saint, the Hero wouldnât have been able to find that demon assassin!â
âFufufu. Iâll be counting on you to support the Hero well in the future, too, Miss Seriste.â
âY-yesâŠâ
Seraphine showed a meaningful smile towards Seriste, while Seriste avoided her gaze with a slightly guilty expression.
In that subtle atmosphere, the secret meeting of the Hero and the princess, disguised as tea time, continued a bit longer.
âFor now, we plan to reward you for your efforts, Hero and Saint. However, given that we had to move secretly, it will be limited to what I can personally give you.â
âJust receiving your praise is more than enough for me, Princess Seraphine.â
âRefusing isnât always a virtue, Hero Gyeongmwajogyegigwat.â
ââŠIf you insist so much, I will gratefully accept your kindness, Princess.â
âFor now, what I can give to both of you might beâŠâ
The three were discussing the matter of dealing with the demon assassin who had infiltrated the academy.
However, their conversation was inevitably interrupted by Luke, who suddenly burst into the room.
âP-Princess Seraphine! Itâs an emergency!â
ââŠWhatâs the matter, Luke?â
âA giant magical beast has appeared in the Lake of Knowledge!â
ââŠA giant magical beast?â
âA giant magical beast? Surely notâŠâ
Seraphine tilted her head slightly in question at Lukeâs urgent report while Gyeongmwajogyegigwat pondered with his chin in his hand, feeling a bit perplexed.
It didnât take long for both of their expressions to change to shocked ones. [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]
âAccording to reports from witnesses and students, it seems a K-Kraken has appearedâŠâ
Stand up! Clatter!
âEek?!â
Gyeongmwajogyegigwat and Seraphine reacted simultaneously to the word âKraken,â hurriedly rising from their seats.
âŠAnd Seriste, surprised by their immediate reaction, reflexively stood up as well.
âHero, Iâm sorry to say this after calling you here to give you a reward, but given the urgency of the situationâŠâ
ââŠNo. Itâs what I must do. Iâll go to subjugate it right away.â
ââŠIâll help too. Itâs still far from the full moon, but with my full power, I should be able toâŠâ
âNo. Princess, please find Agnes Elizabeth Blaze from the Magic Department.â
ââŠYou mean Miss Agnes?â
âYes. She is absolutely necessary for the subjugation of the Kraken.â
ââŠI understand. Since youâre saying this, Hero, Iâm sure thereâs meaning to it.â
âThank you for trusting me, Princess. Seriste, letâs go!â
âY-yes!â
Gyeongmwajogyegigwat Volt hurriedly moved towards the lake, guided by Luke, to subjugate the Kraken.
Although it was an unexpected sudden event, he quickly headed towards the lakeside without hesitation.
After all, he was a transmigrated Hero who knew the âstrategyâ to defeat that monster, the Kraken of the Abyss.
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