DPAA 55

chapter 55

Just before Larisa began laying the groundwork while contacting Kanis—

Aiden couldn’t help but feel a surge of awe as he watched Kanis transfer the money so effortlessly.

‘That’s an unbelievable ability.’

That distinctive space-transfer magic of hers—compared to that, the overwhelming power she had shown in the tournament could almost be dismissed as “nothing special.”

‘Up until now, there’s only ever been one mage who could use teleportation magic.’

The genius of the Aleph Principality—Viscount Icart.

As a dark-attribute mage, he left behind a record no one had ever matched and made the name of his small, insignificant nation known throughout the entire continent.

And his greatest contribution was none other than the teleportation magic he himself had developed.

‘He could only move objects weighing around 70 kilograms a short distance.’

Viscount Icart could freely exchange the position of himself or an inanimate object within a 100-meter range.

That may sound trivial, but in truth, it was an extraordinary feat.

What would happen if even a tiny metal spike appeared inside a human body?

And what if that spike appeared inside the heart?

With that single spell alone, Icart dominated every battlefield he stepped onto.

The Principality of Aleph, which had constantly been invaded by surrounding kingdoms, was no longer threatened after the young genius returned from the Imperial Academy.

And yet—

The woman standing before Aiden now was beyond that. No, she was on a level so far above him that comparison itself felt meaningless.

Aiden sighed inwardly.

‘At first, I just thought she was interesting.’

He had approached her because of the skill she showed in the tournament, and because he thought her future might be worth watching.

But at this point, she might not even be human. He could believe she was a polymorphed dragon, and it would still make sense.

Throwing a dragon into an academy full of humans was nonsense. Grades or tournaments—none of that could measure her.

‘If I ever had to fight her seriously, I’d die before I could even make a single move.’

Even as a Sword Master, there was no way he could defeat a dragon.

Aiden accepted it cleanly.

‘Lady Escliff is a monster beyond all reason.’

Even for someone like him—one of the top ten geniuses in the Empire—Kanis Escliff’s talent was unreachable.

‘And that monster seems to like me quite a bit.’

He hadn’t known her long, but her behavior was surprisingly simple.

And Aiden could read clear, positive signals from her.

She had offered him a ride in her carriage.

When they ran into each other in the restaurant, she didn’t ignore him—she spent time with him.

They did group assignments together, and after hearing about his situation, she went out of her way to help him.

‘I don’t know why… but that much is certain.’

Her attitude toward him was completely different from how she treated other students, whom she ignored even when they tried to talk to her.

And then there were those occasional glances—eyes full of something like pity.

Aiden was genuinely grateful for that.

And then he made a decision.

‘In that case, I’ll use her.’

He would use this monster who showed him such inexplicable kindness.

Of course, it was a dangerous decision.

If she ever found out, it would be the end of him—no question.

But he had a strange conviction.

‘She probably wouldn’t care.’

Kanis Escliff—he had the strong feeling that no matter how he used her, she wouldn’t mind much.

“Use your head and make good use of me,” she had told him once.

“As long as you don’t cross the line, I don’t care.”

As if she had read every thought in his head.

So Aiden had asked her directly:

“What exactly is that ‘line’ supposed to be?”

Naturally, he needed to know how far was too far—he had no desire to turn her into an enemy.

Kanis had answered with an easy smile.

“I’m not really sure myself.”

“What?”

“Why don’t you think about it on your own?”

A hollow laugh escaped her lips.

After that, Aiden became her wallet—showing her around the capital and paying for everything, yet his head was still spinning.

“Wow, this is delicious.”

“They sell lamb here too?”

“Damn, this is amazing. I’m ordering more.”

‘Why does it feel like all she does is eat?’

He wiped sweat from his forehead as his purse got thinner by the minute.

“I think we should head back now.”

Thankfully, around 9 p.m., Kanis finally stood up.

Aiden sighed in relief—his gold coins were nearly gone.

“I’ll go fetch a carriage first. It’s crowded, but we should be back at the dorms before midnight.”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

Kanis tilted her head.

“We’ll just teleport.”

“Ah.”

Aiden groaned at his own stupidity.

* * *

Late Sunday night, I—no, “I” as in Kanis—returned home, or rather, to the Academy.

And the moment I entered my room, I was tackled by Mei.

“Why—why are you so late?”

Her voice trembled as she clung to me.

“I was so worried about you…!”

“Ah, um.”

I nodded awkwardly.

There was nothing I could do.

“But, uh…”

“Yes?”

“Are you planning to stay on top of me like this?”

Our current position was… quite compromising.

If it had been anyone else, I would’ve kicked them off without hesitation—but for some reason, I didn’t want to be rough with her.

Not that I was immune to situations like this either.

‘Damn. She’s really pretty.’

Sure, this body’s face was gorgeous enough already—but everyone has their own type, right?

And Mei Escliff… she was exactly mine.

If I were customizing a character in a high-freedom RPG, I’d probably make her look just like this.

Still, obviously, we couldn’t stay like this forever.

I spoke gently to the trembling girl.

“Let’s get up and talk first.”

“I don’t want to.”

“…Huh?”

Her quick refusal caught me off guard.

“Just… a little longer.”

Instead of letting go, Mei buried herself deeper into my arms, clinging like a child seeking comfort.

‘Wh-what do I do?’

I really had no defense against things like this.

But—honestly—it felt… kind of nice.

Having someone need me this much.

And for some reason—

‘I feel like I should take care of her.’

How ridiculous.

I, who could kill people and toss them into my inventory without a shred of emotion—

‘Why is it that moments like this make me want to believe?’

That this small girl, who loved me so wholeheartedly despite knowing me for such a short time—

—that she might actually be real.

The way to find out was simple.

All I had to do was try putting her in my inventory.

That one second, that single act, would confirm it—

—that the people of this world were different from me.

But instead, I wrapped my arms around her fragile, light body and held her close.

“It’s only been a day. Why were you so anxious?”

“Because…”

She mumbled into my chest.

“Because, you’ll never understand, sis.”

“Why?”

“Sis.”

Instead of answering, Mei pushed herself up slightly, bracing on her arms.

Her blue eyes looked down at me.

Her red lips trembled.

“Can I sleep with you tonight?”

“What?”

The words were so unexpected that I had to ask again.

It wasn’t like it was unusual—

“We already sleep together every night, don’t we?”

We were roommates.

Even if our beds were a little apart, they were close enough that we could reach out and touch each other.

It wasn’t that different.

“No, not like that.”

Mei shook her head.

“I want to sleep in the same bed.”

Ah. So that’s what she meant.

“Sure, why not?”

“R-really?”

“Of course.”

It wasn’t weird. Sisters often shared a bed.

[Current: A]

Crackle!

A spark jumped from my hand and turned off the light overhead.

I moved aside, letting Mei lie next to me. We shared the same pillow—our heads so close there was no gap.

I smiled faintly at her face, dimly illuminated by moonlight.

“Good night, Mei.”

“…You too, sis.”

Then, in a shy whisper, she added:

“Dream of me!”

Such an adorably sweet thing to say.

Unfortunately, that night, I didn’t have a sweet dream—

—but a nightmare.

“Jiwoo, I really like you.”

“I hope we can stay in touch even after we leave the dungeon.”

The first girl I ever killed—

Shin Yuri.

She appeared in my nightmare.

“Hi, Jiwoo.”

The moment I saw her familiar face, I realized it was a dream.

Of course it was.

“I’m fine,” she said.

The woman speaking words of forgiveness was already dead.

‘What kind of sick dream is this.’

I let out a short, bitter laugh.

It was only a dream—so I didn’t feel guilty.

I just fired sharp words at her.

“Ha. Don’t tell me you’re here to say something cliché, like ‘I’m glad at least one of us survived.’ You really are a pushover.”

“Hm? Not exactly.”

But she didn’t even flinch.

Her calmness was unnerving.

“Well, I am glad you lived… but that’s not why I’m fine.”

“Then why?”

“Because you remember me.”

Her next words made me freeze.

Her dark eyes gleamed with madness.

“You’ll never forget me, Jiwoo.”

“Why would I—”

“Because I’m the first person you ever killed.”

My breath caught.

“I love you, Jiwoo.”

I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you.
I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you.
I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you—

Like a broken automaton, she repeated it endlessly.

That was the end. The dream shattered.

When I woke up, gasping for air, I bit my lip.

And in front of me wasn’t Shin Yuri, the girl I’d killed—

—but Mei, who had just woken up too, blinking sleepily.

Her cute eyes curved gently as she smiled.

Then she said—

“—Jiwoo.”

For a moment, my breath stopped.