A World Where You All Are The Villains [Novel] Chapter 77

"What in the world…"

I parted my lips, absolutely dumbfounded.

Dylan was so unapologetically bold about it that for a second, I almost got confused and thought I was the one in the wrong.

"…Are you saying I have to tailor my expression of gratitude to match your exact tastes, Count?"

"Since you are giving it anyway, wouldn't it be better for both of us if the recipient actually likes it?"

This guy… the more I looked at him, the more I realized he wasn't in his right mind.

I furrowed my brow and replied in annoyance.

"If you don't like it, send it back. I will send you something else."

"You mean, continuously until I receive what I want?"

Seriously, this man had an exceptional talent for rendering people utterly speechless.

With a look of sheer exhaustion, I asked a question with an obvious answer.

"…I assume the gratitude you want, Sir, is a conversation with me?"

"Yes. You understand perfectly."

"I clearly just told you to wait until I wasn't busy."

"Have you been busy for the entirety of the last two weeks?"

"Yes."

I answered instantly, without even taking a breath.

With Vincent likely to come chasing after me at any moment, and Ethan liable to appear out of nowhere, I certainly didn't have the luxury of casually standing here chatting with this guy.

I immediately bid him farewell.

"Now then…"

"Then please, just answer one question for me."

He looked as if he wouldn't budge an inch until I did.

Swallowing a sigh, I nodded.

"…Exactly one thing. Speak."

"When I suddenly fainted in Volner last time, did you by any chance…"

"H-hold on!"

I frantically cut him off.

I assumed he'd have the sense to ask indirectly since there were people around, but I never expected him to bring up that incident so bluntly.

Hurriedly glancing around, I gritted my teeth and hissed.

"Isn't this too private a matter to discuss out in the open?"

"Which is precisely why I requested a private meeting with you multiple times."

"…"

I had nothing to say to that.

In the end, I had no choice but to reluctantly bite the bullet and follow him.

"…Lead the way."

As if he had been waiting for those exact words, he turned around without a word of reply.

He headed toward the very edge of the courtyard, far away from the center of the banquet hall, toward the observatory.

As we neared the sea, the sound of crashing waves mingled with the faint scent of salt in the air.

Perhaps because it was dinner time, the observatory was completely deserted.

Given its considerable distance from the banquet hall, it was the perfect spot for two people to have a secretive conversation.

Dylan didn't stop walking until he reached the railing.

Above his crimson hair, a massive full moon hung brightly in the sky, awaiting the lunar eclipse.

He was undeniably a male lead, the scenery was so picturesque it made me want to marvel at it.

If it weren't for his exhaustingly clingy personality that doggedly dragged people down like a water ghost, I might have given him a more flattering evaluation.

"You said you only had one question to ask."

As if shaking off useless thoughts, I cut straight to the chase.

He stared at me silently for a moment before slowly opening his mouth.

"The day I fainted. Did you, by any chance, see a Purifier in the slums?"

"…A Purifier?"

Did he figure out that I went to Volner to look for Llewellyn?

For now, I shook my head.

"No. I didn't see one."

"…When I woke up, the majority of the demonic energy in my body had been purified."

Dylan spoke with heavy seriousness, as if confessing something he had agonized over for a long time.

I flinched, my body stiffening.

I knew S-Rank Awakeners could sense the demonic energy accumulating in their bodies to some extent, but I hadn't realized they could tell when it had been purified.

I couldn't understand why someone so sensitive hadn't noticed his own condition before going berserk back then.

I studied Dylan with a suspicious glare, but he put on a genuinely confused expression.

"I distinctly remember that I wasn't even close to losing control… but strangely enough, it feels exactly as if I was purified right on the brink of going berserk."

At those words, I secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

It seemed he didn't remember the purification itself, nor had he found out that I went to Volner to find Llewellyn.

With a much lighter heart, I replied somewhat insincerely.

"I see."

"Did I, by any chance, say or do anything strange to you, Lady Blake?"

"Didn't you say you were only going to ask one question?"

He paused, then frowned and retorted.

"…Am I not even allowed to check on your well-being?"

I let out a sigh at his instantly sharp glare.

Before he could unexpectedly snap and ask, "Why are you always like this?" again, I figured it was best to wrap this up smoothly.

"Nothing happened. That's why I'm perfectly fine."

Doubt clouded Dylan's face.

He seemed reluctant to believe my claim that nothing had happened.

I simply stated the facts from my perspective.

"I'm not quite sure what you mean, Sir. All I experienced was you suddenly collapsing while we were talking."

"And you just left a person in that state and walked away."

"That's…"

"Someone who helped you when you were in danger, no less?"

As if fresh anger was boiling up inside him, he lashed out sharply.

I felt incredibly wronged.

I pouted and grumbled.

"It's not like I could carry you on my back, could I?"

"Was it you who informed your subordinates of my location through a child?"

"Well. I wonder if I did…"

I shrugged and gave an intentionally vague answer.

I could have admitted to doing at least that much, but I didn't want to needlessly entangle myself with him again.

"…"

Fortunately, Dylan didn't ask any more difficult questions.

He seemed to finally realize that he wasn't going to get a proper answer out of me.

Receiving letters from this guy every single day for the past two weeks had been a subtle source of stress, but now my heart felt remarkably light!

I had managed to gloss over the explanation well enough.

"I believe I've given you enough of an answer. Have a good evening, then."

I flashed him a bright smile and bid him farewell.

And just as I turned my body to walk away…

"…Seriously,."

"…"

"Have you forgotten everything about me?"

A suddenly sunken, low voice halted my steps.

Walking away and ignoring him completely felt wrong, especially since I hadn't properly driven the final nail in the coffin back in Volner due to his berserk episode.

While I was deliberating on what to do, the man's voice pierced my ears once again.

"Even looking at my face… do you really remember nothing? Not even a little bit?"

Only then did I half-turn my body to face Dylan once more.

And without hesitation, I answered.

"Yes."

"…"

"Not a single thing."

For a brief moment, ripples formed in his grey pupils.

"I… I mean…"

For some reason, Dylan, who had been staring at me blankly, stuttered like a man who didn't know what to say.

Then, he abruptly stopped talking and swept a hand over his exhaustion-laden face.

"…I don't understand why you've suddenly developed amnesia now. After all the times you tormented me, alternating between sending messages and errand boys…"

Exhaling deeply, he poured out a handful of the resentment he had built up toward Edith over time.

It was a bit ridiculous to be blamed for losing my memory by someone who had barely managed to survive thanks to me.

I twisted the corners of my mouth into a smirk.

"Shouldn't you know the reason better than anyone, Sir?"

"What are you…"

"It's probably because you left me to die."

"…!"

At my casually tossed words, Dylan abruptly stopped breathing.

His widened eyes, his expression gradually draining of color.

I felt no particular emotion seeing it, as everyone always reacted this exact same way when I brought it up.

"…E-Edith."

He called my name as if squeezing it through a blocked windpipe.

"Back then…!"

"Ah, you can spare me the excuses."

I immediately raised my hand to stop him.

"That it was a misunderstanding, that the circumstances were unfavorable. I'm already sick to death of hearing those lines. What I want to say is, simply…"

"…"

"We aren't in a relationship where we can stand face-to-face and chat leisurely like this."

"…"

"I don't know if you remember, but that day you got angry at me. You said you found it unpleasant that our paths even crossed."

His lips parted slightly.

Yet, in the end, he couldn't say a single word.

It seemed he remembered that much, at least.

"Of course, it was an unexpected coincidence back then too. But since today is an event neither of us can miss, you were forced to cross paths with me. Isn't that right?"

"…Lady Blake."

"So, rather than needlessly wasting our emotions every time, let's just remain exactly that kind of acquaintance from now on."

I looked straight into Dylan's eyes and spoke sweetly.

"The kind where we avoid each other as much as possible, but are inevitably forced to cross paths every once in a while."

"…"

"An acquaintance you can barely remember."

The grey eyes, which had previously held shallow ripples, now wavered violently.

I didn't understand why he was making that face when I was giving him exactly what he wanted.

He looked exactly like someone who had received a massive shock.

Tilting my head, I eventually turned my back on him without a goodbye.

And just like that, I walked away.

Exactly like someone you had only crossed paths with out of sheer unavoidable necessity.