Chapter 29

Fakes don’t want to be real

~ 29 ~

After the purple flame which rose like a wall dissipated.

What came into Psychke’s vision were the figures of two men running towards her, with their faces turning pale.

They were Verndia and Aiden.

She instinctively reaped her abilities, but things that were already frozen by her became a problem to her.

She slowed down and stepped back. The unmelting ice which did not touch the flame touched her feet instead.

‘Ah ….’

The power that started on her toes quickly engulfed her mind.

It was vast, and terrifying.

‘Psychke, keep in mind that if others find out about your ice—’

Whether to kill with her own hands or,

Die under someone’s hand.

She grabbed her dagger. She gave so much strength that her veins appeared to be shining white.

The moment when fear-ridden walls and peace intertwined in the air.

“..!”

Verndia stopped his feet with his face distorted, realizing something about her.

Kwang!

There was a loud bang from behind. Her silver hair fluttered wildly in the sudden sound.

Startled, Psychke turned around. She doubted what she saw afterwards.

A huge tornado-shaped purple fire flower engulfed everything around her.

The walls of the alleyway collapsed without shape. The ice had long since melted, and only the beasts trapped in the ice were rubbed against the wall, burning, and crying in pain.

“Are you okay?”

That was the time when she was already staring blankly at the beasts which were turning into ashes.

Aiden, who had just approached her, asked. The look of shock was clearly visible on his face, which had been dyed the same color as the flames.

“Where did you get hurt… oh my.”

He reached out for the melted sleeves and poison-stained scars of hers.

‘Did I caught them?’

Shocked, Psychke took a step back. At the same time, a rustling sound was heard,

“Don’t touch her.”

A sword-like word fell between the two of them.

It was Verndia.

He pushed Aiden, who had stopped walking. And whispered so that only Psychke could hear it.

“You probably didn’t see anything over there.”

“… !”

“When I first made the wall, I purposely set the scope wide.”

Her mind was blown.

‘They’re over there. So, the Duke…?’

Her feet trembled and her exhausted body sank like a cotton soaked in the water.

When she bit her lips, a blood came out which tasted fishy. She swallowed the blood forcefully and coerced herself not to collapse.

“You.. saw?”

“Why do you think I broke the wall?”

In an instant, her legs lost strength and nearly collapsed. But Verndia didn’t see it and passed by.

It was to deal with the others who flocked to the purple flames that were clearly seen from afar.

As he went his way, he warned Aiden not to approach Psychke recklessly.

However, Aiden approached Psyche as soon Verndia vanished, and gave a guilty voice.

“I’m sorry. Something happened to the Princess while you are waiting for me and while I was away. I also didn’t know that something like this would happen.”

“… No, it’s fine.”

She doesn’t know if she could believe if Aiden said that he never saw anything.

She calmed her pounding heart and acted as calmly as possible.

However, her shaking legs betrayed her will and staggered.

Aiden supported her.

“When I came back, there was a strange barrier, so I couldn’t arrive on time. I should have come right in that time.”

“A strange barrier?”

“Yes, the Duke said it was like a kind of barrier.”

A barrier. Is that why she didn’t feel any movements around her?

“And I don’t know if I heard this right.”

Aiden, who narrowed his eyebrows, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke slightly.

“He said it was made with forbidden magic…”

“Ah.”

Her head went cold.

Forbidden magic has been erased from history because of the contempt and cruelty of life it brought, and the side effects that come after the magic is accomplished.

Occasionally, there were worshipers who wanted to continue that magic.

As long as the pulse of magic was cut off, the only thing they could do was craft magic beasts.

Even if that was not a real beast, but a fake one maximized the ferocity of the beasts.

‘But, that was before.’

The wolves she just encountered were obviously born from darkness.

They didn’t look clumsy like the ones she saw at the auction house.

That is—

No, before that thought,

‘Can I trust Sir Aiden?’

It’s weird that someone who isn’t a wizard have knowledge of the broken magic.

Even if he knew it, it was strange that he said it to her.

‘Maybe, it could be a trap…’

“I clearly told you not to approach her.”

The thought of going deep into it was interrupted. Verndia approached them with a wrinkled face.

The purple flame that ate all of its prey had faded away. The whole place was filled with ashes of unrecognizable form.

“I guess you don’t care about what I said, right?”

He took Psychke from Aiden’s grasp and hugged her.

Psychke was somewhat perplexed.

She knew that the crown prince disdained Hillace family specifically.

“… As I said before, I am not in contract with Silkisia family.”

“How can I believe you?”

However she only heard it but not have seen it in person.

She was very embarrassed by Verndia’s actions and speech as if Aiden was his enemy.

‘If they don’t get along like this, was it a set-up of forbidden magic then?’

“Don’t tell me. Is this the Aiden the Princess has a lot of interest to?”

Verndia, who was shooting Aiden with his sharp voice, suddenly asked.

The moment her and Verndia’s eyes met, felt her heart sinking.

Psychke trembled. She couldn’t understand why he have to hide his abilities.

“Tut.”

In a panic, she had forgotten what the power of the ring in her finger has. Seeing the emotions being conveyed here and there, she realized she did something without thinking.

Verndia clicked his tongue.

“Duke!”

Behind them, a man ran hurriedly and was frightened.

When he showed up, it was Isolet, who had been suffering from the beasts instead of Verndia.

“You should have written an investigation report-“

“Do it yourself. All you need to do is ask for a repair fee.”

“You need a reason why you broke the wall.”

“I did it because I was bored. Do I have to tell you all of that?”

Even for an absurd reason, Isolet kept his head low without changing her expression.

Why did his name have to be ‘Crazy Dog?’

(TN: Because he’s crazy for Psychke. Oof-)

Psychke was used to this kind of bicker.

Psychke realized that he was trying to keep not only her abilities but also the fact that the Demon Beast appeared.

But she couldn’t move his mouth to ask why, so she clenched her fists tightly, then raised her eyes wide open at the words that followed him.

“I don’t know what that guy was up to, pretending to be a soldier, but you’d better pay attention.”

Obvious hostility.

Even the back of his hand was aimed at the opponent’s neck.

Aiden was surprised that Verndia had come out like this, but after a while, he regained his senses and calmly responded to Verndia.

“It’s not what the Duke thinks.”

“You’re talking as if I’ve gone insane.”

“… ”

“I don’t touch a good man, who chases after his master like a dog. I am only going easy on you this time.”

Verndia, who spoke as if forced, put the sword in back to its sheathe.

“Let’s go, princess.”

“Yes? Wait–!”

He grabbed her and took her feet before Psychke could say anything.

Surprised, Psychke hurriedly looked behind her, but Aiden could not be seen because of Verndia’s wide chest.

“I mean, he is an Hillace, what the hell is the princess thinking?”

“Yes?”

Psychke, who was trying to get away from him, stopped moving.

It was a weird question.

Silkisia and Hillace were from the same faction and had no reason not to be close as they had a strict master-slave relationship.

Perhaps not expecting an answer, Verndia continued speaking sternly.

“Actually, as you said he is a private soldier, so maybe you didn’t know his last name. You don’t even do public service or social activities, so you might not even know his face. I understand.”

Contrary to his said understanding, he looked very upset.

She thought that the subjects of the crown prince really hated Hillace very much.

Psychke turned away, thinking that it was not possible to talk about Aiden anymore.

“Let me go, I’ll walk.”

Strangely, however, her tongue rolled. She felt that she had been choked and her words came out with a crushed pronunciation.

As she was about to roll her tongue in her mouth, wondering why she was there, Verndia let out a sigh of relief.

“Basically, the poison of magical beasts has the skills of causing paralysis. Fortunately, you don’t seem to be seriously affected.”

It was as he said. Her injured arm was still numb.

“It wouldn’t have spread that bad because I was using my ability when I was fighting, but now I can’t–”

Suddenly, a feeling of fear that was incomparable to anything before was transmitted through the ring.

Oh, my.

Verndia looked down at the woman in his arms.

She was very agitated. To the point where the dagger injured her hand.

His power entered her hand as he held the princess. He hastily made excuses.

“I’m sorry. I meant to tell you in advance. When fighting mercenaries at the auction house, I felt and knew the princess’s power was leaking.”

Psychke’s complexion turned paler when he said that he knew it right away.

‘I’ve had it.’

Verndia gritted his teeth.

As expected from her reaction, she seems to have acted like she didn’t know anything about her powers in order to survive.

Her power exploded without any notice that time.

However, after being silent for a long time, what was heard was an unexpected sentence.

“Are you going…. to kill me?”