Chapter 106: Chapter 106

Chapter 106 - Railroad Mysterium (3)

Serene knew the voice that came from behind her.

A gentle voice that gave a bright and warm impression.

But one from which an undeniable grace leaked out... such a voice.

Serene slowly turned her head in the direction of the voice.

And the person there was Robelia il Enlight.

Rain Enlight's elder sister.

"Huhu, we're outside the Academy, so please call me Duchy of Enlight's daughter?"

As Robelia jested and waved her hand in the air.

"Enlight means his sister... Hup."

Yuna, unable to contain her curiosity, looked at Robelia and spoke those words aloud.

However, Robelia did not react to Yuna's actions or words.

Without even a flicker of her eyes, as if no one else was there... she merely kept her gaze fixed on Serene.

"I heard the rumors. That you came with our Rain?"

"Ah... yes, that's right."

"Huhu, I'm glad you get along so well with my younger brother."

Such a formal conversation did not last long. Given the setting, it ended with just an exchange of greetings.

What reason would Robelia have to remain after the conversation ended? She slowly moved her steps in another direction.

"Hmm, surprisingly... she doesn't treat him badly at all, does she? Even adding 'our' when calling him."

Contrary to Yuna's words, Serene felt a subtle sense of incongruity from Robelia's actions and words.

There was no specific basis for this incongruity. Generally speaking, Yuna's interpretation would be reasonable.

To refer to the illegitimate child of her own family familiarly in a private conversation with another noble.

It might seem like nothing, but in noble society, that was a statement that carried considerable weight.

However, Serene couldn't shake off an uneasy feeling, which stemmed from Rain's withdrawn appearance during his middle school days and Robelia's appearance she had seen before.

-How... can he be so lovely?

That one remark she had whispered upon seeing the collapsed Rain during his hospital visit.

Serene felt an indescribably strange incongruity in that remark.

It was difficult to explain what exactly it felt like... but it was certain that there was a subtle sense of incongruity.

The strange and unfathomable circumstances surrounding Rain Enlight.

As long as such obstacles existed, it was almost impossible for Serene to understand Rain's life on her own.

For this reason, Serene thought.

'...Perhaps, I should ask him soon?'

About what kind of life Rain Enlight had lived, directly to him.

But Serene knew. That Rain had no reason to tell her, nor did she have the right to hear it herself.

Because when Rain was going through his most difficult period, she wasn't there. For whatever reason.

Therefore, Serene thought... an apology must come first.

That's what she thought.

The meeting with Regina concluded without any specific sharp conclusions.

As there was still some time until the auction, the discussion settled on it being an issue to think about slowly.

After that, well. I couldn't just stay there for a thousand years.

Regina invited me to dinner, so I was heading to the dining car. That was because I had been told to go ahead.

'I can't see a solution.'

My mind was still utterly complicated. Thinking about it, there were fewer times when I wasn't burdened with such worries.

Anyway. As I said earlier, I was moving towards the dining car.

But there was one problem.

The problem was that I encountered someone in the middle. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novel-fire.ɴet

Since the Imperial Princess' cabin was located at the front of the train, I had to pass through a considerable length of corridor to reach the dining car, which was located relatively towards the rear.

But, as I was walking through the corridor... I ended up meeting him.

A man with blond hair and intense red eyes, letting out a hollow laugh as if he was dumbfounded.

I knew the man's face. That didn't just mean knowledge I had gained from the game.

I had seen the man's face countless times.

That was the story from when I was first trapped in the cycle of death.

Yes, the man standing before me now was Kirios il Enlight.

The legitimate successor and eldest son of the Duchy of Enlight.

And one of the villains of .

'...Trouble has come.'

If I were to sum up Kirios in one word, "solipsistic" would suit him perfectly.

He wouldn't tolerate anything that displeased him, and he was a person with the ability and background to back that up.

In terms of being steeped in a sense of privilege, he was like Milo Gloss, but there was a fundamental difference from Milo.

First, his very existence was a privilege.

Second, he possessed abilities that couldn't even be compared to Milo's.

"There's no goddamn coincidence ."

On Kirios' face, as he slowly opened his mouth, was an expression of contempt filled with familiar revulsion.

Yes, I remembered that expression. Very clearly.

Because it was a face I had encountered daily, dying over and over again for two hundred times.

"Did that dirty half-breed not properly understand 'stay like a dead mouse at the Academy'?"

Kirios continued to speak in an overbearing tone.

Ah. Damn it. How could I run into him head-on ?

Pretending not to see him and walking past wouldn't make sense.

As I was lost in thought, Kirios' expression became even more displeased.

"That disgusting silence is still there. You haven't changed at all... but."

Kirios cut himself off and slowly approached me. He was about half a span taller than me.

"Recently, there have been some strange rumors circulating about you."

I inwardly prayed that the words I was thinking wouldn't come out of Kirios' mouth.

"That a half-breed like you caught an A-grade bounty, that you repelled an intruder at the Academy, that you subjugated a Gargoyle..."

The most worrying situation had unfolded.

'I hoped this story wouldn't come up.'

The disparity in martial power between me when I left the mansion and me when I entered the Academy. That topic being brought up was utterly problematic.

And in that fleeting moment, the conclusion I reached in my mind was... only one.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

No, perhaps it was a conclusion drawn from my heart.

The first emotion I felt when encountering Kirios was, shamefully, fear.

It was probably a fear etched into my body, acquired from the original Rain Enlight.

However, that fear didn't last long.

-Did that dirty half-breed not properly understand 'stay like a dead mouse at the Academy'?

-That disgusting silence is still there. You haven't changed at all... but.

Kirios' words, full of disdain.

And the deep-seated contempt from within him.

I felt one emotion from it.

'It's a bit hard to bear... I'm pissed off.'

It would be an emotion close to anger, if I had to describe it.

I still remember. Kirios, who snapped my neck when I was crying and begging for my life during my second regression.

That was not an act based on any calculation. It was an act done for extremely impulsive and personal reasons.

How could I know that?

It was simple. Because I remembered his expression.

'It was the face of someone with a bug clinging to their body.'

He simply couldn't tolerate a disgusting presence approaching him.

It was truly a simple logic, so much so that it was hard to suppress a burst of laughter.

To him, the existence of Rain Enlight was like that.

A bug that he wouldn't feel the slightest bit of conscience about crushing if it clung to him.

-A dirty mixed-blood, yet you bask in the glory of Enlight. You enjoy a luxury beyond your station.

-I'll give you a piece of advice. Live like a dead rat at the Academy. You'd best not even think of disgracing the Enlight name.

In the Duchy of Enlight, I heard such words directly to my face exactly two hundred times. There was no other way.

At that time, I couldn't retort.

I couldn't say it wasn't due to the helplessness remaining in my body, but the main reason was that I wasn't allowed to 'talk back' in that situation.

But now, it was different.

"...I told you I don't quite understand what you're saying."

A slight tremor still remained in my voice.

I raised my voice and continued speaking.

"I have no reason to be interrogated. I went to the Academy through proper procedures and am living a life free from reproach."

As I continued to speak, Kirios' face twisted further.

"...And, there's no obligation between us to discuss my affairs, is there?"

The more I spoke, the more I realized. My voice was slowly stabilizing.

In a calm tone, as usual.

It could be inferred that, unlike when I encountered Robelia before, the trauma associated with Kirios was less severe.

At first, he seemed surprised by my unexpected defiance, but then his bewilderment seemed to turn into anger, and Kirios raised his voice.

"A half-breed like you, crawling into a place you shouldn't be, without any shame, and now even daring to climb up..."

Kirios was slowly approaching me.

'...Wait, this is unexpected.'

This was not good. Seeing his clenched fist, it looked like he intended to harm me.

And if it came to a physical fight, I was at a disadvantage in many ways.

If I retaliated, I would become an impudent person who struck a noble, and in any case, I couldn't win. Kirios, being a late-game boss, possessed Master Knight-level abilities.

Kirios was already right next to me.

I was deliberating whether I had no choice but to retaliate, even using Scroll - 『Moment of Decisive Battle[A]』, when.

And what appeared there was Imperial Princess Regina Eliade Abellon.