[Translator – Peptobismol]
Chapter 34 – Comfort
“Are you serious right now?”
“Yes, whether you believe or not.”
Isabel’s eyes sparkled with transparency.
To spout such nonsense without a care.
I burst out laughing in disbelief.
“I’m not asking for forgiveness right away. It’s obviously going to be difficult. So, whenever your anger builds up, take it out on like now. You can do whatever you want to . I will be by your side whenever you want.”
“You’re completely insane.”
“But I want my sincerity to reach you, even if it has to be this way.”
The repetitive conversation sent my blood pressure skyrocketing.
“I’m not interested in your sincerity, and I don’t want to know.”
“But Kyle, you’re the only one who can punish .”
“Shut up.”
“Please. Just once. Give the chance to atone for you.”
Apologize, apologize, damn apologies.
After despising Kyle as she pleased, she was now forcing to forgive her with pitiful eyes, as if she were the victim herself.
Ah, now I understand.
The reason she’s clinging to , begging for punishnt.
Even if she’s hated, she wants to be deeply entwined with Kyle.
To heal from her own trauma, having been condemned by the man she killed with her own hands.
And to escape the swamp of irreparable regret.
Utterly selfish.
Even when she despised Kyle all her life, even when she belatedly regretted her mistakes, the only important thing to her is her own emotions.
Even now.
Because she resents her own situation.
Because she can’t control her own emotions.
Because she’s tornted by the mistakes of her past.
Surprisingly, Isabel hasn’t changed.
“You’re still the sa.”
“Kyle…”
“Keep your mouth shut. What? You want to slap you, spit on you? Do you hope that my anger would be relieved by doing that?”
I laughed out of sheer incredulity.
My boiling rage made my teeth chatter.
“Why ?”
“…”
“Did you think I’d thank you for that?”
I bent down to et Isabel, who was kneeling, at eye level.
My face, reflected in her eyes, was distorted.
“If you want to discard your mories and emotions, look for a trash can. Don’t bother with your nonsense.”
At the sa ti, the corners of Isabel’s lips twisted.
It was a sowhat twisted smile.
“But, I still want to be forgiven like this.”
“What? Forgiveness?”
Isabel nodded her head with unfocused eyes.
I wondered if she really believed it, but it seed she did.
I stared at Isabel in front of , who believed without a doubt that the man in front of her was Kyle Winfred.
My teeth chattered.
But I’m not Kyle.
From the way I walk, to the way I speak, to even the little habits, not a single thing matched.
If she had even the slightest interest in Kyle.
If she had observed Kyle’s behavior even a little.
She would have known that Kyle’s soul had been swapped…
She would’ve known without a doubt.
Suddenly, that thought crossed my mind.
Ah, it’s all pointless.
The owner of this body, whom Isabel desperately seeks, is already dead.
Unable to withstand the world’s malice, unable to endure the beating nad hatred.
“…”
My boiling rationality was abruptly—interrupted.
Though it’s not an issue I should be angry about, the boiling anger from the quagmire still made my ears burn hot.
I couldn’t bear it anymore.
Why did I have fall into this unfamiliar world and suffer such a calamity?
Why do I have to be the target of soone’s vile desires?
“Forgiveness… forgiveness…”
The small remnants of conscience in my heart shattered into pieces.
My eyes widened.
“So you want my forgiveness that badly?”
“Yes, you are the only one I have, Kyle.”
“Is that so?”
Whether I have the right to talk about forgiving or not, it doesn’t matter.
Even if they curse for being selfish.
I must find a way to escape this damned world no matter what.
“Scared Solvent.”
“Scared… Solvent…?”
“Yeah, bring that. You know? See if it changes my heart.”
Scared Solvent.
Scared… Solvent…
Isabel muttered continuously in a gloomy voice.
She looked at with a bizarre face, neither smiling nor crying.
“I’ll bring it.”
Isabel smiled brightly.
A solid sense of satisfaction erged on her face.
“I can do it.”
Brushing off the dust on her knees, Isabel stood up.
Her eyes flickered.
“Because… I love you.”
It was a bold lie.
Such vile emotions can never be love.
At that mont, sothing familiar appeared in the air.
[ Scenario Progress: 45% ]
Ah, right.
That exists.
It’s fine.
No, it’s even better.
If, by any chance, a situation arises where the completion reaches 100%.
So, if the system eventually intervenes in my fate under the pretext of balancing…
— Just choose random actions until the mont the system intervenes in your fate, then cleanly die.
— If you die during the causality adjustnt, the possibility of system intervention completely disappears.
Because if I die, everything will be over.
****
[Translator – Peptobismol]
I imdiately returned to the mansion.
That evening, I lay down with a high fever.
Was it because of the dreadful encounter with Isabel?
Or was it because the aftermath of the Mana outburst hadn’t completely subsided?
It was terribly painful.
To the point where I thought it would be better to pass out.
Everything was just annoying.
I felt unfairly treated to the point of despair.
All the situations I’m in now.
— Oh, it’s boiling! Boiling!
— Seung-jun, get up and eat so porridge.
— Inseok. You won’t get better if you don’t eat.
My parents’ affectionate voices brushed against my ears.
I missed the warm affection directed towards .
I turned my head.
Looking at the empty space next to made my heart ache strangely.
Lee Seung-jun.
Yes, that was the na.
My real na, not Kyle Winfred.
Sweat trickled incessantly, stinging my eyes.
I couldn’t tell if it was tears or sweat.
My head was spinning, and breathing was difficult.
My whole body felt as if it were burning with a fever.
I needed soone I could trust and rely on.
I was yearning for quiet attention, not for the twisted emotions pouring out towards .
Ah, I’m tired.
The midnight silence felt eternal.
At that mont, Creak— the door opened.
Who could it be at this hour?
Unable to muster the strength to toss and turn, I turned my head slightly to see Diana entering.
Diana placed the tray she carried on the bedside table.
A mont later, a savory aroma tickled my nostrils.
“I apologize for disturbing you at this late hour. I brought so soup.”
“…Soup?”
“Yes, you haven’t eaten all day.”
Is that so?
Co to think of it, that seed to be the case.
Diana supported firmly as I struggled to sit up.
“I’ll help you get up.”
Diana firmly supported my limp body.
I managed to sit up and rest my head on the headboard.
Even just getting up made my breathing rough.
I blinked dazedly, and a spoon was pushed into my view.
“Please open your mouth.”
What? She wants to open my mouth?
Could it be she’s trying to feed or sothing?
Feeling bewildered, I cautiously opened my mouth as Diana gently urged to, and the warm soup flowed down my throat, warming my insides.
The taste of the soup was…
“…It tastes awful.”
Bitter, yet salty at the sa ti.
It seed like Diana had cooked the soup herself.
“Your taste buds are likely numb due to the fever.”
Diana stated firmly, as if denying any possibility.
Her deanor amused , and I chuckled.
After that, Diana continued to feed the soup slowly.
It didn’t taste good, but it was still warm.
Although it was only soup, it helped alleviate the excruciating pain a little.
Before I knew it, the bowlful of soup was finished, and I felt a familiar sense of fullness.
After a while, Diana took out a towel and dipped it into the water pitcher she brought.
“Please stay still.”
The cold sensation spread across my face as her gentle touch moved across it.
Each stroke of her hand sent a tingling sensation through a corner of my chest.
I suddenly beca curious.
What thoughts were running through Diana’s mind as she looked at ?
Contempt? Hatred? Indifference?
If not, perhaps pity?
I turned my head slightly to look at Diana.
Her eyes were incredibly serene.
All I could see in her eyes was the determination to wipe my face clean.
After a while, she brought sothing to my lips again.
“Please take this dicine.”
“…Where did you get that from?”
“I brought it.”
Only then did I realize it.
Ah, she’s worried about .
That’s why she ca to my room at this late hour.
To take care of while I’m sick.
A breeze swept through a corner of my heart.
This strange feeling, which I’ve never experienced since arriving in this world, furrowed my brows.
Diana’s silver hair shimred under the moonlight.
The stifling feeling in my chest dissipated as if a hole had been punctured in it.
“…Why does the dicine taste like this?”
“Your taste buds are likely numb due to the fever.”
“But if they’re numb, wouldn’t I not be able to taste it?”
“Not necessarily.”
That unwavering attitude oddly provided so comfort.
A laugh escaped my lips, breaking through the tension.
I slowly pulled myself back under the covers.
The pain persisted, but sohow, I could endure it now.
“…”
“…”
I didn’t hear the sound of the door opening.
Diana was still sitting beside the bed, watching over .
I maintained silence.
Though selfish, I wished Diana would stay by my side tonight.
A cozy silence enveloped .
That night, for the first ti, I didn’t have a nightmare.
[TL/N: Diana best girl so far… but why does it feel like she’ll be the craziest of them all;;]
[Translator – Peptobismol]
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