Ch. 219
Listening to him made me cringe. Bright could praise me as naturally as breathing, and somehow his embellishments had grown even more extravagant than before.
What should I call this? It felt like the celebrity he was hyping had gone from minor to major overnight.
Bright looked around proudly, expecting a reaction, but Chad sat there with a fork in his mouth, stunned, and Akia dropped something on the floor and froze like a broken toy.
This mage just had to pitch a fastball out of nowhere.
“Senior? I was keeping that a secret for now.”
“…What?”
“That I’m Geenie Crowell.”
I watched the color drain from Bright’s face as he realized his mistake.
“I should’ve told you not to say anything… It’s the first time I’ve met someone I know, so I forgot? And I was distracted by other things.”
If this were the old days, I would’ve hit him immediately. You have to hit people right away to fix their habits. Otherwise, they become rude dogs.
“Whaaaaa!”
Bright stretched his philtrum, making that face he always made when preparing to get hit—and then a delayed shout burst from the table. Chad yelled as loudly as his size suggested.
I scanned around to see if anyone overheard us, but fortunately, everyone else was focused on their meals.
“Raaaaa!”
Chad was still shouting.
“Hey, quiet.”
“You’re! That famous Saintess—!”
“Shhh.”
“…Gasp!”
Ash hurriedly silenced him.
Akia was quietly shocked, the opposite of Chad’s noisy reaction. Enk and Gale didn’t seem surprised; they’d already figured it out.
So only two were clueless. Why were they staring at me like that?
I spread my hands elegantly and received their fervent gazes.
“Follow.”
[Pababam!]
Rai’s timing matched mine perfectly. Naturally—he and I were essentially one body.
“…You guys! Why are you so calm! Ash, even you… Don’t tell me you all knew? Am I the only one who didn’t know?!”
“No… Isn’t it obvious?”
“Right. Her name is Geenie… She’s from Dmitri, and she uses Spirit Magic like that.”
“Yeah. The kind of power that could fight a dragon. I thought I was dead, but I came back.”
Enk and Gale traded remarks smoothly, then looked pityingly at Chad.
“You could’ve figured it out if you thought a little…”
“…I didn’t think at all!”
“Figures.”
“Well, it’s Chad.”
While watching them, I grabbed a bread roll from the table.
I’d been keeping it a secret, but I didn’t intend to hide it forever. So this wasn’t a problem.
If anything, it was good that clueless Chad found out.
“Geenie… Did I do something wrong? Am I going to die now?”
Bright trembled next to me, not knowing when punishment would fall.
I bit into my bread and spared him—once.
“It’s fine. I’ll let it slide. It’s you guys, not strangers. You’re insignificant, so it’s safe. Nothing happens even if you know.”
“Did she just call us insignificant?”
“Yeah, she’s right.”
“…Geenie! What’s wrong! You would’ve hit me with that bread!”
“Well, the bread’s too small to hit someone. And I’m hungry.”
Food must be respected. And Ash was here, too. Ash always tried to stop me from hitting people, which made things annoying.
I picked up another bread roll, small enough to disappear in three bites.
Maybe the food was improving my mood.
“Oh my God, you’ve changed. Geenie…”
“I’m human. Of course I feel things. Life is insignificant. One hit can kill, so you need to think before swinging.”
Anyone who survives being caught by a dragon learns how fragile life is. Humans are too easy to kill. To some beings, they’re like lamps in the wind or ants underfoot.
Before, no matter how angry I was, I’d hit people but never kill them. But after killing someone recently, I realized how easy it was. So I chose to endure more.
It was my own way of respecting life.
“…Then… Can I confess something? Promise you won’t kill me?”
“Huh? I’m sick of love confessions.”
Bright had confessed to me so many times that if he did it ten more times, we’d reach a thousand.
“No, something else. Something more important.”
A sense of dread crept over me at his sudden seriousness.
What did this man do again?
Last time he acted like this, he threw a surprise party in my training room with random friends, set off fireworks, and burned a letter I had written all night—one I’d debated sending to my parents.
Maybe it would’ve been the first letter I ever sent them in this world.
“I’ll decide after I hear it.”
“…Then promise you won’t use Spirit Magic even if you get angry. Solve it with your hands.”
“What is it?”
“You can kill me instantly with Spirit Magic, but you can’t kill me with your hands!”
“What do you take me for…? You think I can’t kill you with my bare hands?”
“Then promise!”
Damn it. He knew me too well. He tricked me into making a promise. I hated being tricked by Bright.
“I’m curious now. Tell me.”
“You swear in front of everyone? That you’ll let me live no matter what?”
“You’re dragging this out. Fine. I’ll let you live.”
Ash was here anyway—I couldn’t kill Bright.
“Here… I mean, here in Helikke.”
“Yeah.”
The bread was a little burnt. I needed something else. Even as I chose my next bread, I was still a happy Geenie Crowell.
“I didn’t come alone.”
“Really? With who? Iruze? Mia? It’s dangerous to leave them alone in big crowds. They’re beautiful like me.”
“The unusual things too… But they don’t know I came. I didn’t tell them because they’d try to follow.”
“Then who? Jaimam?”
Jaimam always followed Bright like a shadow. Neutral beauty, perfect butler lineage.
“…Jaimam is with them.”
“So who is it? Judging from the way you’re talking, is it the headmaster?”
“Don’t be surprised.”
“I’m not! My heart is strong!”
I was the one who survived being in a dragon’s jaws.
Ahem.
“Your parents are here.”
“……”
[Huh.]
The savory taste of my bread vanished instantly.
I must’ve misheard. There was no reason for those people to be here. So he must mean his parents?
“I stopped by Crowell Estate to find you… I met your parents, congratulated them on hearing you survived. We talked about you…”
“Why did you go to my house!”
“Ah, Geenie’s angry. When she stops using honorifics, it’s usually time to run…”
“Are you insane?!”
“They were so worried, so I said they might meet you here? It felt like a good idea. I wanted to reassure them. But… they wanted to come… so I brought them.”
He said both of them.
Not one—both.
My ears worked fine. The problem was Bright’s brain.
“Oh my? There’s a sword here.”
I reached for the long sword at Ash’s side.
But a swordsman wouldn’t let his weapon be stolen so easily. He stopped me effortlessly before it even left the sheath.
Fine. Too heavy to swing anyway.
I switched targets.
I snatched a steak knife—only for Ash to whisk it away before I could even lift it. I reached for another, but the entire group scrambled to clear the table of anything remotely weapon-like.
Amazing teamwork!
They could’ve left me at least a fork!
In an instant, the table was bare. I trembled at the sight of these men clutching dishes and hiding by the window.
“…These guys… They don’t know gratitude…”
In the end, I grabbed the only weapon left.
The bread basket.
Still full of bread—but I didn’t care. I slammed it into Bright’s chest.
“How dare you! Are you begging to die?!”
It sounded like a lover’s quarrel, so I redirected and smacked it into his face.
I shouted with all the rage Bright’s crimes deserved.
“I knew it! You must have been insane running around looking for me! Die! Just die here!”
“Agh—Geenie! Your hands have gotten stronger—wait, the face—!”
“Is handsome everything?!”
Normally I adored beautiful people—but Bright’s sins outweighed his face today.
“I didn’t mean to! I know how much you care about your parents!”
“And you still did this?! If you wanted to die, just say so! Don’t make things complicated! Should I just drown you?!”
“B-But you promised not to use Spirit Magic!”
“I don’t remember!”
“There are witnesses!”
Ash, hiding his sword behind him, and the others holding plates in terror—those witnesses.
In the old days, I’d silence them all. But I couldn’t hit Ash.
Ash’s face was a national treasure.
“Damn it! I’ll spare you, so keep it a secret that you saw me! Understand?! Pretend you didn’t meet me!”
“…How can I do that! They’re wasting away with worry!”
“You said you’d do everything I told you!”
“Of course! But they’re your parents! They came all this way to see you alive! They were so worried—”
Only the basket’s handle remained.
I threw it aside and grabbed Bright by the collar.
His pale face and bloody nose might have melted my heart… but I was too busy planning his death.
-Haa, Geenie’s rough breathing… thrilling…
As soon as my right hand—wearing the Tears of Truth—touched his chin, his inner thoughts spilled out.
-How ecstatic I’d be if she strangled me with all her strength…
“Gyaaaaak! You pervert!”
Disgusting! Too disgusting!
I jumped away like I’d touched poison.
What kind of degenerate was this?!
[Master! Are you okay? You look like a demon that’s been exorcised!]
“Aaaagh!”
“Geenie… Calm down…”
“Ash! Kill him! I can’t touch him—kill him for me!”
I was desperate enough to cling to Ash—Ash—and say that. Moments later, because I screamed and caused a scene, we were all kicked out of the restaurant.
Just for yelling a little?
I was only trying to kill someone! It’s not like I’d actually murder him in public!
…Probably.