Chapter 16

Chapter 16

TL-Mechatronic

Jean’s eyes were swollen with tears and Louis greeted Nina as gently as ever.

“You really, oh man!”

Jean gave Nina a tight hug that made her lose her breath, but Nina smiled and just hugged him back.

“Jean, I’m glad you are alive.”

“Don’t even get me started!”

Jean was furious and wouldn’t let her go.

“Why are your hair color and eyes like this? No, it’s okay if you don’t say. I’m just glad you came back.”

“No, I will talk about it. It might be a little bit too long though.”

Nina smiled bitterly, and said, “You don’t have to act like a person who was tortured.” And then she politely greeted Louis.

“It’s been a while, Vice-commander.”

“I can’t believe it’s really you Nina. Oh, my God.”

Louis bit his lips. It was the first time in his life that someone he believed to have died came back alive,

It was the first time ever, so he couldn’t cope with all the emotions.

“Is your body okay? Are there any wounds?”

“You just saw me fight.”

“Yes, I saw that reckless fighting habit of yours.”

Louis looked at her with an anxious face.

“Are you really okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

Nina made a fake biceps pose with her arm and laughed.

Adrian quietly grabbed her arm, and Nina turned to him and said.

“I won’t disappear in thin air.”

“I know.”

He knows she won’t disappear, but Nina also knows his desire to be certain of it, so she grinned.

How can Nina be so calm and laugh like this?

Adrian couldn’t help but feel that way.

Every time he sees her, he feels unbearable nausea. He thinks he’ll still be anxious even if he keeps holding her tightly.

Two years had passed, and Nina seemed more like an illusion to Adrian than reality.

The color of her eyes and hair changed, but Nina’s definition of him didn’t change.

Nina coughed and said.

“More than that, three people in the middle of the night hunting Bellacs? What happened?”

At Nina’s questioning, the three looked at each other. Louis smiled softly and said,

“Let’s go inside and talk. I don’t think this is a good place to stay.” As usual, he neatly tied the long light brown hair that was out of place with his eyes still closed.

“Somehow Jean and Sir Louis haven’t changed at all.”

As Nina muttered, Jean looked at Nina and said.

“The same is true of you.”

“Really? I’m not sure about that.”

She rubbed her white bangs once with her fingertips and brushed them off.

After moving inside the fortress, Nina started.

“What about Kyrill? Is she fine?”

“Yes, Kyrill is in the Black Shield Castle.”

Growl.

Then a loud noise came from Nina’s belly making her face turn a little red.

“Do you have anything to eat?”

“Of course.”

“Wait a bit.”

Jean jumped out of his seat and brought bread and water from the cupboard and handed them over. Nina ate it in a hurry.

Adrian was relieved as he watched Nina eat.

“You’re really alive.’

It’s not a ghost nor an illusion.

He has never heard of ghosts eating and drinking

Nina, who had eaten up all the big round bread by herself, took turns looking at the three pairs of eyes watching her.

“Why do you guys keep staring?”

Jean sighed at Nina’s words and held his chin.

“When I see you eat, I realize that you are really alive.”

“Of course. Did you think I would come all the way here and say, ‘I’m your illusions.’ or. I’m a ghost!’ Isn’t that too much.”

“Well, you never know, you could be one.”

Louis said that and handed her a bottle of water, Nina drank everything.

“Never mind, I don’t think there’s a ghost that eats this much.”

Jean was amazed when he saw Nina eat all the big ration pieces of bread worth three days of meal all by herself.

After eating, Nina began to feel drowsy. Come to think of it, I haven’t slept for about two years.

As Nina yawned a little, Adrian said.

“Go and sleep.”

“Huh? No, it’s okay.”

Adrian smiled bitterly at Nina, who forcibly opened her eyes with both hands.

“Sleep, we can talk tomorrow.”

His expression says they still have a lot of time.

Nina nodded as she looked at him in silence.

“Yes, got it.”

She smiled while standing up from her seat and pulled Adrian’s arm.

“Then let’s sleep together!”

She got ready and laid down between the three persons.

Eventually, four people put blankets on the floor and laid side by side while looking at the ceiling

“Oh, this is exactly like summer training.”

Jean said with a tone of disgust, and Nina said, “I remember,” then closed her eyes.

When she slowly reached out her hand, Adrian held it close to his face.

“I’m really back.

The countless training sessions with Sun came to mind. When she was in that place where time and space couldn’t be perceived, she felt like she would become crazy.

Still, she was able to endure the thought that she could come back.

Because she was not alone.

Because Adrien is by her side.

This was enough for Nina, and soon she fell asleep.

Compared to Nina, who fell fast asleep in a deep slumber, the three men did not sleep. Adrian grabbed her hand and would keep checking her sleep several times.

Jean sighed.

“Why doesn’t it feel real?” “Because it’s unrealistic.”

Adrian replied and raised his upper body. Nina’s hair, white like pure snow, was very long.

It reminds him of the first time he met Nina.

Eventually, the three stayed up all night. When they saw Nina wake up with her eyes wide open after dawn, they realized that Nina had truly come back to life.

.

.

As the sun rises, everything is as clear as reality can get.

The four were prepared to return to the castle. There were only three horses, so Adrian and Nina decided to ride the same horse.

‘I’m hungry.’

Nina sat in front of Adrian, thinking blankly.

‘I think it’s true that I’m stronger.’

She realized it when she fought with Bellacs yesterday.

My strength is completely different from what it used to be.

“Am I this hungry because I became strong?’

As Nina was lost in thoughts, Adrian asked.

“What is it?”

“Oh, nothing. But why were only the three of you holding off Bellacs there?”

Adrian was silent for a moment at Nina’s question.

Louis, who was moving side by side, came up and said, “We could tell last night’s Bellac was an A-class creature at a glance, so we decided that fighting here would be less damaging to the land. But I didn’t think that His Grace would come in person…….”

In short, a small number of elites came and tried to deal with it, but Adrian suddenly came out of the blue and got caught in the fight.

Perhaps it was a real problem as a subordinate,

But in that sentence, the word “His Grace.” caught Nina’s attention.

Nina’s ears were sharp.

“His Grace? Huh? Young Master, don’t tell me?”

As Nina tried to look back at him, Adrian turned her head forward and spoke low.

“That’s right.”

“Huh? You’re really the duke? So, uh, how did you……”

I hope it didn’t go like the book. Tell me you didn’t kill them all to become the Duke.

“It was amazing. I have never seen His Excellency so angry before. Who knows he would suddenly pull out his sword at the conference hall? The old Duke jumped out of his seat looking like a white sheet of paper.”

Nina looked from side to side, embarrassed by Jean’s sarcastic remarks.

Jean laughed at her funny behavior. Louis said, frowning at him.

“Jean, don’t make fun of Nina. Well, at that time, I was scolded by His Grace for trying to stop him.”

“So what really happened?”

When Nina raised her voice, Adrian replied.

“I got kicked out.”

“What?”

Seeing Nina perplexed, Jean kindly added, “We were kicked out of the Duchy.”

“I had only two options at that time, killing them all, or dying.”

Louis smiled and said,

“I decided to come back to the Black Shield Castle and lower myself. And we still had to take care of the remaining Knights of the Order.”

“It was like hell.”

Jean gnashed his teeth and glanced at Nina.

“But thanks to you, we lived.”