—
As he fell into a deep sleep, Will found that, compared to the hazy, half-asleep state he had been in earlier, he could think much more clearly in his dreams.
The “why” he had voiced earlier wasn’t just one “why”—it was three.
—
The First Why:
Why had she darkened?
Will, more than anyone, already knew the answer. He didn’t even need to ask.
After all, Will hadn’t been avoiding the truth.
When Leah had looked at him with those eyes, he had responded with his own gaze.
Just seeing her eyes…
It was all too clear.
Co on, the super yandere he had personally cultivated—there was only one fundantal reason for her darkening—
Because she liked him!
Without the catalyst of “love,” how could anyone commit such insane acts from the depths of their heart?
To ensure they would successfully beco darkened individuals, Will had studied extensively. How to accurately grasp their psychology, how to twist their emotions, how to reduce their guilt after “darkening.” Step by step, from positive reinforcent to negative reinforcent, he had guided them into the abyss.
“Yes…”
“No one understands better than I do… why they beca like this.”
If there was only one person in the world who could have predicted Leah’s current state, it would undoubtedly be Will.
As for how “ordinary affection” had turned into “obsessive affection”…
There were countless reasons.
For example…
A newspaper with a photo of him and another woman?
When this thought crossed his mind, a flashbulb seed to go off in his mory—during the interview after he and Shuna cleared the “Ironfire Bastion”…
The reporters had ntioned…
That photo would definitely make the front page.
—
The Second Why:
Will jolted awake.
“?!”
In the chaos of his dream, just as he began pondering this question, he suddenly “woke up.”
And it wasn’t the groggy kind of waking up—it was a sharp, crystal-clear awakening. Will swore, in all the years since he had been reborn into this world, he had never woken up with such clarity.
It was as if a light switch had been flipped, instantly flooding his brain with illumination, with no delay whatsoever.
But his vision was still blurry.
No…
He wasn’t wearing his glasses, but his vision was gradually sharpening, becoming clearer and more defined, as if it had been enhanced.
What was happening?
How much ti had passed?
What ti was it now?
The first thing Will did upon waking was to search the Witch’s Box for anything that could indicate the “ti”—a clock or a watch, for instance.
But he realized it was pointless.
He hadn’t known the ti before falling asleep, so even if he found a clock now, how could he know if an entire day had passed?
At the sa ti, he could see Leah’s silhouette in the distance.
She was wearing her signature witch’s hat but not the long robes witches typically wore. This allowed Will to clearly see her cute, short skirt and sailor-style teacher’s uniform top.
And the absolute territory between her white socks and skirt.
No, no, no, no.
What kind of state was he in right now? Why did his senses feel so heightened… and why was he noticing things like this?
But.
He saw it.
Leah seed to be fiddling with sothing at the table, completely focused, occasionally shifting her hips—though, given her youthful appearance, there wasn’t much to sway.
“Hah… Leah… Leah-sensei~ what… what are you doing?”
—What was that?
Will imdiately shut his mouth. He wanted to cover it with his hand, but his hands were bound to the chair and couldn’t move.
The mont he spoke, he realized sothing was wrong.
He was… panting uncontrollably.
And when he said “Leah-sensei,” it ca out in a tone he usually reserved for teasing her, a playful, almost coquettish tone.
He felt like sothing was very wrong with him.
What was happening?
He tried clenching his fist, and the mont he did, he could feel the hot blood coursing through his veins, surging to the point of exertion.
Then…
He felt a faint pain just below his collarbone. Normally, he might only notice such a sensation, but now he could acutely feel sothing flowing into his body through the vein beneath his collarbone.
It was a warm, almost scalding stream.
It felt like soone was pouring boiling water directly into his bloodstream.
“This… this is…”
He looked down.
He saw that the thick outerwear he had donned for Moonlit Ice Extre had been removed, leaving him stripped down to nothing but his bare skin.
And then…
He noticed the most striking thing.
Sothing that didn’t seem to belong in this era…
A transfusion needle.
A small needle had been inserted into the vein beneath his collarbone, with a bright red liquid flowing through a crude transparent tube into his body.
Looking up.
Above him, on a rack about the height of a person, was a mug bearing the witch’s logo. The bottom of the mug had been modified with an opening, connected to the tube.
The mug appeared to be filled to the brim with… blood.
What lay before him resembled a modern blood transfusion setup, but in reality, it was one of those inexplicable magical tools created by witches—a “blood infusion device.”
It didn’t account for blood type, cleanliness, or compatibility, yet it was sohow able to integrate seamlessly into his body, likely thanks to so unreasonable witchcraft.
There was no doubt that the one who had pieced this device together was Leah, who was busy at the table.
Then…
What was being continuously infused into his body…
Whose blood was it?
At that mont, Will caught a strange scent in the air.
The sll was so strong that it made him want to sneeze the mont he inhaled it, shooting straight to his brain. Yet it carried a captivating, almost intoxicating fragrance.
This was…
He looked at his shoulder.
Although his upper body had been completely stripped, draped over him was Leah’s recently worn mage’s robe. From the robe, he could sll the faint scent of magical potions that Leah often carried.
Magical potions. No, this wasn’t just any magical potion. Leah’s most frequently used potion was…
Blood-Red mint essential oil!
No wonder he had noticed a familiar scent in the room from the very beginning.
He had personally crafted Leah’s supply of Blood-Red mint essential oil, modifying it with his own additions to ensure the concentration was just right. Most of the ti, he had done this with Eir’s help at a dedicated workstation.
But…
Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump.
The mont he recognized the scent, he felt his chest pounding, his heart hamring against his spine like a drum.
A bead of sweat trickled down his forehead.
Such a violent heartbeat…
“Hah…”
What was happening?
He felt like his body was overreacting, but it shouldn’t have been this intense.
Wait…
This kind of reaction…
It was just like…
The way Leah reacted to Blood-Red mint essential oil?
As this thought crossed his mind, Will saw Leah spin lightly on her heels, her skirt fluttering as she turned to face him.
Reviews
All reviews (0)