Chapter 115

I was inside the fire.

But what touched my skin was not pain—it felt like a warm bath breeze.

Bee spread its wings fiercely, surrounding me with flames.

At the same time, Linus rolled on the floor, wrapped in fire.

I thought the fire would at least burn him, but Linus’s skin was annoyingly unharmed.

Earlier, when he was drunk and exhausted, even Hyunji’s weak blade had been able to wound him.

When caught off guard, he was just a human.

Now, rolling on the ground to put out the fire stuck to his pants and hair, Linus looked at me with irritation—then suddenly froze in shock.

“Florence?”

“I gave you plenty of time to say goodbye, didn’t I?”

This was my farewell—with Bee.

Bee cried softly, as if regretful, and perched on my arm.

Brown hair fell beside my cheek.
Laila was nearby.

I looked down at my body—back in my own form—and then at Linus.

“You came back!”

“You seem glad to see me.”

Hyunji had vanished.

Linus knew she was gone, yet he still said I had returned.

Linus smiled brightly.

“Of course I’m glad—because finally you came back!”

“The woman you loved is dead.”

“No, Hyunji is still inside you.”

Even though he had held Hyunji with that unwilling face, pretending to endure, Linus now spoke as if it meant nothing.

He believed everything just the way he wanted.

He didn’t have a sword, but in close combat I couldn’t win.

Laila.

“That woman is nowhere anymore, Linus.”

“That can’t be. If you’re here, then Hyunji is also there. You’ve become complete at last.”

“Linus.”

While waiting for Laila’s response, I smiled through the disgust.

His black eyes shone with madness, desire to bring me down right here—on the same bed where moments ago he had rolled with a maid.

Laila, quickly.

“You know what they call people like you in that other world?”

“That world? Ah, Hyunji’s world. I heard it was filthy and complicated, no magic, just primitive.”

“According to their diagnosis, people like you are psychopaths, with no empathy.”

“…Doesn’t sound nice to hear.”

Linus was irritatingly calm.

He truly believed I couldn’t hurt him.

Bee circled me with flames, but to him it wasn’t a threat.

“You’re not even capable of loving anyone.”

“Your words have become vulgar.”

“You’re less than a monkey, ruled by lust and possessiveness. I feel ashamed that I once admired you, even for a short time.”

Even then, I hadn’t loved him.

I hadn’t known what kind of man he was, nor cared.

I had just desperately needed someone to love me.

Someone to pull me out of that house.

Someone else to give me love.

“No matter what you say, it doesn’t matter. My love, you’ve finally returned to me.”

“…Not knowing reality—isn’t that another kind of disability?”

“You also came back because you missed me, Florence.”

“…You really can’t even see your own place anymore.”

“Florence.”

Linus’s foot touched the flames.

I calmly warned him.

“If you cross that line, you’ll regret it, Linus.”

“I’ve already had enough regret, my love.”

Regret only comes to those who can understand reality.

All those years I had feared this man felt humiliating now.

Through Hyunji’s eyes, Linus was nothing more than a beast.

Yes, a genius in swordsmanship—but his brain lived only between his legs.

With a handsome face by luck of birth, all he had to do was stay quiet and people praised him as extraordinary.

He had cut ties with his family for a woman—and still betrayed her easily.

And he didn’t even realize it was betrayal, didn’t even realize he had lost her forever.

For a man like this, the very idea of loving someone else was impossible.

He didn’t have the intelligence.

“You should have been tied down.”

Linus stepped closer.

“And when Hyunji took your body, I should have done anything to get you back.”

“What?”

“The one I loved was always you, inside Hyunji. I loved you, Florence.”

“…What kind of nonsense is this.”

“Hyunji without your traces looked like nothing but a disgusting thief. Now I know. I loved you—your brown hair, your blue eyes, that gaze that loved me….”

He’s gone mad.

Linus, back when he believed he loved Hyunji, was better than this.

“So the reason Hyunji disgusted you was because she looked uglier than me? Wasn’t it the burned face and body that looked dirty?”

“No, you’re different. Your burns… they’re just pitiful to me, Florence.”

Linus looked at my shoulder, grimacing as if truly sorrowful.

His eyes seemed filled with pity.

“I warned you not to come closer.”

“Florence.”

“….”

“Don’t look at me like that. When you do… it feels like my heart is tearing apart.”

Linus reached for me with teary eyes.

Just moments ago, that chest had held the woman he claimed to love.

That woman had chosen to disappear rather than kill him.

But now he confessed to me—the one he had once tried to strangle.

He claimed he was only deceived by Hyunji, that what he had loved was my traces inside her.

And he truly believed it was real love.

He truly felt pity.

Where should I even start to shatter that delusion?

Even as he stepped closer, I just stared at that awful face.

He thought I would accept his touch, and smiled brightly.

“You crazy bastard, don’t you dare touch me!”

“Florence!”

Keith appeared, and Laila called my name.
And Enoch—

I looked around for Enoch, but sound reached me first.

The sound of bone against bone.

Enoch rushed in like the wind, blocking between me and Linus, and threw a punch.

Thud!
Linus flew into the wall with a crash.

“Florence!”

“Enoch, you….”

He was a spirit master, not a fighter.

I wanted to say that, but words wouldn’t come.

Because Linus rebounded instantly, attacking Enoch from behind.

Enoch clicked his tongue, twisting his upper body.

Linus’s kick clashed against Enoch’s arm.

“Enoch Haines, you’ve come to your death!”

“Crazy bastard.”

“I spared you once. Thank you for saving me the trouble of finding you.”

“Who spared who, you son of a bitch….”

Enoch cursed through clenched teeth, fist tightening.

Wind spirits wrapped around his fist, glowing faintly green.

Linus sneered.

“You’re a spirit master, and you want to fight with fists?”

Enoch grinned savagely.

“I’ve always wanted to beat the hell out of you. That arrogant face, acting like you know everything when you know nothing—it made me sick.”

He really didn’t know anything.

His brain was too dull.

Laila pulled me back and asked:

“Are you okay inside? That woman?”

“She’s gone. I drove her out.”

She would never come back.

Soon she would open my gift.

I spoke quickly.

“Hyunji couldn’t kill that man, so she interfered earlier than expected….”

“That’s fine. Now you can let me beat him myself.”

Bang!

The wall exploded.

I opened my mouth wide in shock.

Linus and Enoch were fighting, fists crashing together.

Enoch was a spirit master—he shouldn’t win in close combat against Linus.

But against all my worries, Enoch was not losing.

He swung his fists like hammers, savagely driving Linus back.

Keith clicked his tongue.

“That bastard’s pissed off now….”