Feeling like all unnecessary things had been cleared away. Adrian, who calmed down, stood upright with a relaxed mind.
Nina also stretched out.
Picking up his brandy glass, Adrian leaned against the railing alongside her.
The landscape looked clearer than before. Nina asked.
“So what about you?”
“Hmm?”
When Adrian looked at Nina with a puzzled look on his face, she added.
“Wasn’t you waiting to meet me here?”
Since they went somewhere else from the beginning of their talk, she asked what she wanted to know.
At her words, Adrian said “Ah” and nodded his head.
“I was just going to take a look because I was worried.”
“I’m not weak enough to die suddenly.”
Nina, who was muttering so, turned to Adrian as if she had remembered something.
“Come to think of it, did I mention that I met The Darkness?”
“Darkness?”
“Seems like I didn’t, guess I was really out of my mind.”
Nina succinctly told the story of her encounter with The Darkness. Adrian’s expression twisted as if he heard something bizarre.
“He said you turned back time?”
“Yes.”
“How much?”
“Hmm? Thinking about that, I really don’t know.”
Nina thought she had turned it around the time she was born, but thinking about it again, she might have turned it back a lot more.
However, considering efficiency…
“Wouldn’t it be to the time I was born?”
Adrian asked this and that, and Nina earnestly answered.
Various puzzle pieces seemed to come together with each answer. Adrian put down his empty glass and ran his hands through his hair.
“So the dream was all true.”
“Yes.”
“I…”
Adrian sighed again. Nina smirked.
“You don’t have to apologize. It’s something I can’t even remember anyway.”
She was busy living this life, she did not intend to receive compensation or clear up a past she didn’t even remember.
“I must question Alka. It would be nice if I could meet Theron too.”
“I know. Is he the only Spirit Contractor we haven’t met?”
He could see neither Alka nor Theron in his dream. What happened to them in that past?
Adrian tapped the railing with his fingertips, his gaze moved to the lake far beyond the garden.
While he was lost in thoughts, Nina reached for the bottle of brandy. Having no courage to pour such hard liquor into a glass of her own, she poured brandy into Adrian’s glass.
“Then, the fact that Nodolu has descended means that there is a high probability that the High Priest is Nodolu.”
“Hmm?”
Nina sniffed the glass she was holding in both hands, then looked up. Adrian was still looking at the lake.
“Edgar said so. He was fine even after he stabbed the High Priest in the neck.”
“Oh, come to think of it.”
“I thought it was because he was a Human Bellac, but The Darkness didn’t say that Nodolu was resurrected. It said Nodolu had descended.”
“That’s right.”
Taking a sip, Nina shuddered at the intense taste. It felt like flames flew down from above, burning everything. Besides, why does something to drink taste like wooden planks?
‘Is this delicious?’
Nina winced, sniffing again, and slowly poured the brandy into her mouth.
“If we take that into account, it might have been a situation where Nodolu descended in the last battle of the past as well…”
Adrian, who was muttering, only then noticed what Nina was drinking.
“What are you doing, you are a patient!”
He snatched the glass from Nina’s hand, making her squint her eyes.
“I am not a patient. How fine am I-.”
She grabbed the button of her shirt to show the healed wound but soon slipped her hand down as Fiona’s advice came to mind.
“Never mind.”
Adrian suddenly made an amused face.
“Aren’t you showing me?”
“I won’t.”
Nina came down from the railing, opened the door, and went inside, then turned her head slightly.
“Are you not coming in?”
Laughing with a mischievous look.
“Let’s sleep together. If you’re worried about my condition, enough to come to check in the middle of the night, we should sleep together. Don’t you think so?”
Adrian made a short sound that couldn’t be distinguished between a moan or something else, but he couldn’t back down.
Holding her hand, he said.
“I’m not just going to sleep while holding hands.”
At his warning-like words, Nina nodded her head.
“Yes, yes, let’s hug tight and sleep.”
“……”
Adrian probably will never beat Nina for the rest of his life.
‘Well, that’s not a bad thing, right?’
Because he had no desire to win.
Nina threw herself on the bed and soon fell asleep, defeated by the strength of half a glass of brandy.
‘It’s my job to clean up.’
Adrian somehow laughed as he took off Nina’s shoes.
Whether it’s turning back time or the world’s demise that’s just around the corner, those feel like extra things.
Just the two of them, together like this was enough.
‘But in order to stay together like this it’s ironic that we have to prevent destruction.’
Adrian pitifully looked at Nina. Since she was wearing outing clothes, she would have to change, but there was no guarantee that his reason would be fine while changing her clothes with his own hands.
At the very least, he seemed to likely kiss or touch her.
Nina believes in him and sleeps so peacefully that he doesn’t want to break that trust.
But it’s not like he can call a maid…
Adrian let out a sigh and began to unfasten Nina’s belt. It meant to remove at least things that were tightening on her body. Even so, his hands trembled as he unbuckled it. He was restless, fearing that Nina would wake up.
The sound of her leather belt rubbing against the fabric was strangely loud to his ears.
Unfastening her belt, he let out a deep sigh.
He could not do it anymore.
He untied Nina’s hair tie and gently pulled her onto his arm pillow, nestling her near his shoulder.
Her face, sound asleep with a completely relaxed expression, was adorable.
“Good night, Nina.”
Adrian lightly kissed her forehead and closed his eyes.
* * *
‘Stuffy……’
Nina thought so.
‘Did I sleep in pants…?’
That’s why she was so stuffy. Half-conscious Nina began to unbutton her pants. She might have heard something something like ‘Nina, please..’.
In the end, she kicked the pants hanging on her calves and pushed them out of bed.
Now she was finally comfortable.
Satisfied, Nina fell back into a deep sleep.
* * *
Louis brought the papers and noticed Adrian’s tired-looking face.
“Shall we have strong black tea?”
In response to the General Manager’s question, Adrian answered “Yes.” while pressing his eyes.
It was completely different from just staying up all night. It’s okay to stay up all night for a day or two, but last night was a different kind of challenge.
A sigh came spontaneously.
He was really close to losing it yesterday.
Louis, who instructed servants to bring tea, brewed black tea himself. Black tea brewed with stronger tea leaves than usual was perfect for Adrian’s current situation.
Slowly emptying his glass, Adrian spoke to Louis.
“I have to call everyone. Because I have sorted out the situation.”
“All right.”
“The problem is that winter is coming.”
Humans do not raise armies in winter due to various problems in supplies and logistics, but Bellac is different.
Neither cold nor supply is a problem for them.
In a way, it was an invincible army. The problem was that such monsters couldn’t be led because there was no proper intelligence to understand commands, but that was also solved by the creation of Human Bellacs.
It’s definitely a problem if you think there are many such new Bellacs.
‘The other side must have tried to eliminate a number of loopholes in their forces.’
It’s a rare second chance.
They are replaying a battle they have already won, so the priority must have been to devise a more efficient plan.
There’s only one major unknown factor.
Adrian wondered why Nodolu’s power wasn’t wielded on the battlefront, but he hypothesized about it, and that hypothesis was very favorable for this side.
‘I have no choice but to ask Alka.’
He thought about how to contact her.
Feeling like all unnecessary things had been cleared away. Adrian, who calmed down, stood upright with a relaxed mind.
Nina also stretched out.
Picking up his brandy glass, Adrian leaned against the railing alongside her.
The landscape looked clearer than before. Nina asked.
“So what about you?”
“Hmm?”
When Adrian looked at Nina with a puzzled look on his face, she added.
“Wasn’t you waiting to meet me here?”
Since they went somewhere else from the beginning of their talk, she asked what she wanted to know.
At her words, Adrian said “Ah” and nodded his head.
“I was just going to take a look because I was worried.”
“I’m not weak enough to die suddenly.”
Nina, who was muttering so, turned to Adrian as if she had remembered something.
“Come to think of it, did I mention that I met The Darkness?”
“Darkness?”
“Seems like I didn’t, guess I was really out of my mind.”
Nina succinctly told the story of her encounter with The Darkness. Adrian’s expression twisted as if he heard something bizarre.
“He said you turned back time?”
“Yes.”
“How much?”
“Hmm? Thinking about that, I really don’t know.”
Nina thought she had turned it around the time she was born, but thinking about it again, she might have turned it back a lot more.
However, considering efficiency…
“Wouldn’t it be to the time I was born?”
Adrian asked this and that, and Nina earnestly answered.
Various puzzle pieces seemed to come together with each answer. Adrian put down his empty glass and ran his hands through his hair.
“So the dream was all true.”
“Yes.”
“I…”
Adrian sighed again. Nina smirked.
“You don’t have to apologize. It’s something I can’t even remember anyway.”
She was busy living this life, she did not intend to receive compensation or clear up a past she didn’t even remember.
“I must question Alka. It would be nice if I could meet Theron too.”
“I know. Is he the only Spirit Contractor we haven’t met?”
He could see neither Alka nor Theron in his dream. What happened to them in that past?
Adrian tapped the railing with his fingertips, his gaze moved to the lake far beyond the garden.
While he was lost in thoughts, Nina reached for the bottle of brandy. Having no courage to pour such hard liquor into a glass of her own, she poured brandy into Adrian’s glass.
“Then, the fact that Nodolu has descended means that there is a high probability that the High Priest is Nodolu.”
“Hmm?”
Nina sniffed the glass she was holding in both hands, then looked up. Adrian was still looking at the lake.
“Edgar said so. He was fine even after he stabbed the High Priest in the neck.”
“Oh, come to think of it.”
“I thought it was because he was a Human Bellac, but The Darkness didn’t say that Nodolu was resurrected. It said Nodolu had descended.”
“That’s right.”
Taking a sip, Nina shuddered at the intense taste. It felt like flames flew down from above, burning everything. Besides, why does something to drink taste like wooden planks?
‘Is this delicious?’
Nina winced, sniffing again, and slowly poured the brandy into her mouth.
“If we take that into account, it might have been a situation where Nodolu descended in the last battle of the past as well…”
Adrian, who was muttering, only then noticed what Nina was drinking.
“What are you doing, you are a patient!”
He snatched the glass from Nina’s hand, making her squint her eyes.
“I am not a patient. How fine am I-.”
She grabbed the button of her shirt to show the healed wound but soon slipped her hand down as Fiona’s advice came to mind.
“Never mind.”
Adrian suddenly made an amused face.
“Aren’t you showing me?”
“I won’t.”
Nina came down from the railing, opened the door, and went inside, then turned her head slightly.
“Are you not coming in?”
Laughing with a mischievous look.
“Let’s sleep together. If you’re worried about my condition, enough to come to check in the middle of the night, we should sleep together. Don’t you think so?”
Adrian made a short sound that couldn’t be distinguished between a moan or something else, but he couldn’t back down.
Holding her hand, he said.
“I’m not just going to sleep while holding hands.”
At his warning-like words, Nina nodded her head.
“Yes, yes, let’s hug tight and sleep.”
“……”
Adrian probably will never beat Nina for the rest of his life.
‘Well, that’s not a bad thing, right?’
Because he had no desire to win.
Nina threw herself on the bed and soon fell asleep, defeated by the strength of half a glass of brandy.
‘It’s my job to clean up.’
Adrian somehow laughed as he took off Nina’s shoes.
Whether it’s turning back time or the world’s demise that’s just around the corner, those feel like extra things.
Just the two of them, together like this was enough.
‘But in order to stay together like this it’s ironic that we have to prevent destruction.’
Adrian pitifully looked at Nina. Since she was wearing outing clothes, she would have to change, but there was no guarantee that his reason would be fine while changing her clothes with his own hands.
At the very least, he seemed to likely kiss or touch her.
Nina believes in him and sleeps so peacefully that he doesn’t want to break that trust.
But it’s not like he can call a maid…
Adrian let out a sigh and began to unfasten Nina’s belt. It meant to remove at least things that were tightening on her body. Even so, his hands trembled as he unbuckled it. He was restless, fearing that Nina would wake up.
The sound of her leather belt rubbing against the fabric was strangely loud to his ears.
Unfastening her belt, he let out a deep sigh.
He could not do it anymore.
He untied Nina’s hair tie and gently pulled her onto his arm pillow, nestling her near his shoulder.
Her face, sound asleep with a completely relaxed expression, was adorable.
“Good night, Nina.”
Adrian lightly kissed her forehead and closed his eyes.
* * *
‘Stuffy……’
Nina thought so.
‘Did I sleep in pants…?’
That’s why she was so stuffy. Half-conscious Nina began to unbutton her pants. She might have heard something something like ‘Nina, please..’.
In the end, she kicked the pants hanging on her calves and pushed them out of bed.
Now she was finally comfortable.
Satisfied, Nina fell back into a deep sleep.
* * *
Louis brought the papers and noticed Adrian’s tired-looking face.
“Shall we have strong black tea?”
In response to the General Manager’s question, Adrian answered “Yes.” while pressing his eyes.
It was completely different from just staying up all night. It’s okay to stay up all night for a day or two, but last night was a different kind of challenge.
A sigh came spontaneously.
He was really close to losing it yesterday.
Louis, who instructed servants to bring tea, brewed black tea himself. Black tea brewed with stronger tea leaves than usual was perfect for Adrian’s current situation.
Slowly emptying his glass, Adrian spoke to Louis.
“I have to call everyone. Because I have sorted out the situation.”
“All right.”
“The problem is that winter is coming.”
Humans do not raise armies in winter due to various problems in supplies and logistics, but Bellac is different.
Neither cold nor supply is a problem for them.
In a way, it was an invincible army. The problem was that such monsters couldn’t be led because there was no proper intelligence to understand commands, but that was also solved by the creation of Human Bellacs.
It’s definitely a problem if you think there are many such new Bellacs.
‘The other side must have tried to eliminate a number of loopholes in their forces.’
It’s a rare second chance.
They are replaying a battle they have already won, so the priority must have been to devise a more efficient plan.
There’s only one major unknown factor.
Adrian wondered why Nodolu’s power wasn’t wielded on the battlefront, but he hypothesized about it, and that hypothesis was very favorable for this side.
‘I have no choice but to ask Alka.’
He thought about how to contact her.
