Everyone Except Me I Chapter 180

Chapter 180: Gap (5)

"Hmm, no matter how hard I try, I don't recognize that na."

Despite Behad's answer, Lian didn’t seem particularly surprised or flustered.

‘…Well, it did seem like the na noruka was made up on the spot anyway.’

That’s why he thought it unlikely that she would have used the na noruka when she was younger.

Even if she had used it back then, if it were rely a passing encounter from long ago, it wasn’t unreasonable for Behad not to rember.

"I see."

Lian nodded calmly.

"Actually, not too long ago, I happened to et soone who was asking for help, and she described soone she was looking for. But the more I listened, the more it sounded like—"

"Behad."

"…like you, Lord Behad. So I thought I’d ask, just in case."

Lian briefly recounted how he had t noruka by chance, how she had co alone all the way to the capital because of a childhood promise.

He also briefly explained her purpose for coming to the capital and the characteristics she had ntioned about the ‘person she had promised to.’

Of course, he never once ntioned that she was a dragon—specifically, a Wyrmling.

There was no need to cause unnecessary confusion.

"Hmm… soone who looks like ?"

Behad still tilted his head, rubbing his chin.

His eyes sparkled with curiosity.

"More importantly, how old did she seem? And what did she look like?"

"She looked about our age, or perhaps a bit younger. As for her appearance…"

Lian cleared his throat softly.

"…I don’t know how to put it exactly. She was incredibly beautiful. I’ve rarely seen soone so beautiful in my life."

Behad's expression subtly shifted at Lian's words.

"……"

"……"

Yuran and Cecilia also showed slight changes in expression.

Yuran crunched the ice in her cup with a loud crack.

Cecilia quietly stirred her teacup with a straw for no reason.

"Hmm. A stunning beauty, huh…"

Behad seed to think deeply for a mont, then nodded as if concluding sothing.

"Wait, now that I think about it, I’m probably the one she made that promise with."

"…You're dead."

rcedes muttered in a low, chilling voice.

She flinched montarily and glanced toward Allen.

"Hahaha."

Allen just laughed, as if he found it all amusing.

Seeing his reaction, rcedes quietly let out a breath of relief.

"Ahem."

Behad let out a small cough.

"Well… jokes aside, I really don’t rember anything. Lian Gwendil, if you say she was that beautiful even as a child, then there’s no way I would’ve forgotten."

He spoke with a cheerful smile, but Lian didn’t miss the subtle flicker of sothing passing across his expression.

At that mont, rcedes, who had been quietly sipping her tea beside them, suddenly spoke up.

Her voice, as always, was cold and indifferent—but there was a sharp thorn hidden within.

"…You should just drop it."

Everyone turned to look at her at her abrupt remark.

rcedes looked straight at Lian and asked,

"You said that woman was beautiful, right? Exceptionally so?"

"Yes, that’s right."

When Lian nodded, rcedes let out a dry snort.

That scoff was directed squarely at her younger brother, Behad.

She was soone who firmly believed that among all the nicknas her brother had accumulated, lech was the most fitting.

"In that case, there’s absolutely no way that guy wouldn’t rember. If he doesn’t rember, then it’s certain they never t to begin with."

She shook her head and muttered.

"Behad’s always had a particular tendency since he was a kid. If soone stood out even a little—especially if she was a girl—he was ridiculously kind to her. And if she was a beauty, it went without saying."

She shrugged.

She thought it was amusing, but to others, she looked nothing short of scornful.

"Actually, now that I think about it, it’s more likely he wouldn’t rember. There were so many girls he treated that way, his mory’s probably all jumbled. There must’ve been quite a number of them."

At her scathing comnt, Behad’s expression stiffened into an awkward smile.

"Haha, sister, co on… If you say it like that, what does that make your poor, innocent brother? I was just a kind person to everyone as a kid, not just to girls."

"Oh really? So you're denying it?"

rcedes asked back with a mocking tone.

"Do you even rember the nas of the girls you’ve t? From what I can tell, you probably didn’t even know most of their nas to begin with… Just a little kindness, and you’d charm them into following you around, only to forget all about them the mont you turned away. Wasn’t that your specialty? It happened more than just once or twice."

"That’s not—!"

"You made so many young ladies cry, I don’t even dare count them anymore."

Behad tried to explain himself, but rcedes cut him off without hesitation, as if she had no need to hear him out.

Then she turned to Yuran and Cecilia in turn and gave a warning.

"That’s why the two of you should be careful, too. I’m not just saying this—he might try to subtly flirt with you when you least expect it."

Her gaze lingered on them for a mont.

"Because you’re both beautiful."

"…Sister, do you really see

as so kind of woman-obsessed freak? One who’d hit on a friend’s acquaintance without a second thought?"

Behad looked genuinely shocked, but rcedes just gave a small scoff.

"You have any idea how many years I had to suffer along with you?"

Then she turned back to Yuran and Cecilia.

"Anyway, if he ever bothers you, just let

know. I’ll make sure to knock so sense into him."

There was not a trace of jest in rcedes' voice—only sincerity.

Allen seed unsure how to respond and just gave a faint, awkward smile.

Lian also looked away, pretending not to notice Behad’s silent plea for help, feeling sowhat responsible for where the conversation had gone.

"Sure. I will."

Cecilia replied in a flat tone.

But Yuran’s response was a little different.

She gave a calm, confident smile and shook her head.

"Mm, I appreciate your concern. But that’s a worry you need not worry about."

Her voice was so composed and resolute that her confidence ca off as oddly striking.

"Hmm?"

At her unexpected reply, rcedes raised an eyebrow slightly.

"…Did sothing already happen, by any chance? Did this guy already try to hit on you and get rejected?"

"No, that is not the case. We only exchanged words for the first ti today."

Yuran still replied with a calm and composed deanor.

"Then what’s the reason?"

rcedes' eyes filled with curiosity.

She examined Yuran for a mont, then nodded as if she had reached her own conclusion.

"Ah… co to think of it, I heard that Garusol is more open when it cos to romance and marriage compared to us. In that case, perhaps you’re already married or have a lover, or maybe a fiancé. If that’s true, then I suppose this guy’s la flirting wouldn’t even register to you."

It was, in a way, a perfectly reasonable deduction.

Yuran was beautiful even from a woman’s perspective, and her presence carried a calm, dignified aura.

It was more than enough to make soone assu she was already married or engaged.

But Yuran shook her head once again.

"You are mistaken. I am not yet married. Nor do I have soone I am promised to in the future. As for romance… it is embarrassing, but I have never experienced it, not even once."

Yuran gently set down her teacup.

And then, as if comnting on how pleasant the weather was today, she continued in a completely ordinary and matter-of-fact tone.

"But I have made one decision."

"A decision?"

"Indeed. A decision about my future partner."

Eventually, Yuran’s gaze naturally turned to Lian.

There was no hesitation or pretense in her eyes.

Only pure, unwavering resolve.

"If Lian Gwendil is willing, I would like to marry him."

For a mont, a frozen silence fell over the table.

"Pffft!"

Then, tea sprayed out of Lian’s mouth like a fountain.

Plop.

"Ah, the tea…"

Startled more by the cold droplets than the damp and chilly air, Windy May muttered in surprise.

The musty, moldy stench unique to underground waterways, mixed with the soft echo of dripping water, filled the space.

In such a place, Windy May moved cautiously, carefully scanning her surroundings.

She was heading once again to the spot where the mysterious cocoon Lian had ntioned had been discovered.

"Hmm… sothing really does feel off."

She murmured to herself and crouched down, starting to examine the floor.

As Lian had testified, and as written in the report, traces of a fierce battle remained, along with unidentifiable debris scattered throughout.

But upon closer inspection, sothing felt unnatural.

There were clear signs that soone had deliberately removed key clues.

The Holy Sun Church, perhaps.

Windy May carefully brushed the debris on the ground with her fingers.

Along with a fine powder, a sticky mucus-like substance that hadn’t yet dried clung to her skin.

But that alone told her nothing.

All the important evidence was gone.

No, those bastards wouldn’t be able to do it this perfectly. If soone did…

The masked woman.

It could only be her.

"…Tsk."

Clicking her tongue softly, Windy May rose to her feet.

Then, from within her coat, she pulled out an artifact of strange design.

It was sothing she had used long ago when dealing with Winter Essence and Sumr Essence.

A special magic tool crafted solely to detect the traces—the residual aura—of dragons.

Wooooong…

With a low hum, the various crystals embedded on the surface of the artifact began to glow faintly and floated into the air.

Concentrating her mana into the hand holding the artifact, Windy May slowly swept the area.

"Hmm… just as expected. The surroundings are saturated with dragon aura."

The artifact responded strongly, just as she had predicted.

But most of it was a familiar presence.

Yuran, was it.

Perhaps it was due to the rampage of the half-dragon woman in this area.

Her aura was so overwhelming that detecting any other traces had beco incredibly difficult.

To put it another way…

Just like how a strong perfu can mask all other scents, her presence had covered up many of the remaining traces.

"…That wild dragon girl made this a lot more annoying."

Windy May grumbled quietly to herself.

However, her expression showed not the slightest hint of impatience.

She hadn’t expected this to be easy to begin with.

"……"

Adjusting the artifact’s settings ever so slightly, Windy May continued her search, slowly shifting positions.

How much ti passed like that?

At a certain point, her movents ca to an abrupt stop.

At her fingertips, the artifact now emitted a clearer, stronger glow and began to vibrate subtly.

"Aha…"

A soft chuckle escaped Windy May’s lips.

She looked toward the spot the artifact was pointing to and muttered quietly.

"Another jackpot, huh."

Then, she muttered again, this ti in disbelief.

"…Was taking care of a student always this hard?"

The artifact’s reading was crystal clear.

Aside from Yuran’s half-dragon aura, there was another distinct trace—a residue left behind by a different dragon.

Lian’s prediction had hit the mark exactly.

"……"

She soon realized that the very spot she was standing on was precisely where Lian had first injured that unidentified cocoon.

"In that case…"

Let’s dig it up, shall we?

Windy May looked toward the point indicated by the artifact and quietly murmured.