Chapter 106
I needed to practice magic more, not just to remove suspicion, but for my residence permit. One could argue that witnessing the healing magic inspired this resolve—but that was true too.
“I’ve never taught anyone, but this sounds fun. I’ll help however I can!”
Fortunately, Ailrose was eager. Bali, in contrast, fell into an unusual, pensive silence.
“Something bothering you?”
I asked, uneasy at the delay. She exhaled and sipped her tea, eyes closed briefly, then opened them and fixed me with a serious gaze. Her red lips parted, and she spoke.
“There is something I want to entrust to you.”
“Entrust to me?”
Bali nodded, explaining.
“That terrible woman is back.”
“Oh? That woman?”
Ailrose chimed in excitedly. Wait—Bali referred to ‘that terrible woman’ as…
“Soon, you’ll see for yourself. She’s coming. It’s about that time.”
“Coming?”
“Around this time. Same as last year.”
Could it be…
“The other reader. Foolishly believed she could become the lead and made a fuss.”
“……”
A mix of curiosity and foreboding washed over me. A woman with delusions, putting her peers in danger. At first, I couldn’t believe anyone could be so naive.
“I hope you get home early, Camilli.”
“Are you badly hurt?”
Recalling her voice, I felt uncomfortable keeping eye contact with Bali. I glanced down at the table, clenching my fists.
I had no intention of justifying a traitor’s actions. I simply realized that the misconception might not have been entirely ridiculous.
If a man skilled in using his appearance carefully flirts with a woman, she might fall for it. Bali’s charm had led to it. Though she had betrayed others, it wasn’t entirely fair to blame Ren for the outcome.
“Let me be clear—she knows the original story far better than we do. She’s staged numerous encounters pretending to be coincidental, based on information from the book.”
“……”
“Now that the novel has begun, she won’t leave Ilui Hope alone.”
From what I learned interacting with Bali, she was even less informed about the original plot than I was. Counting her reincarnated years, she had over twenty years of memory, but to me, gathering chapter-specific information was vital.
Here’s the summary:
The debut ball recently triggered the novel’s events. Surprisingly, Kim Hee-mang had incredibly delayed possession, so whether the story had truly begun was uncertain. At least this other reader mistakenly assumed the female lead had already been possessed.
It was astonishing she hadn’t given up. If she was still aiming for the female lead’s position, Ilui Hope became an obstacle.
In other words, Bali wanted me to protect Ilui.
“You want me to protect Ilui from that woman?”
Since I couldn’t recall precisely where the next chapter would take place, I needed to keep tracking Ilui. Even if Kim Hee-mang hadn’t possessed her yet, as the female lead’s body, she appeared wherever the chapters unfolded.
Following her would provide clues. Protecting Ilui, the hope of all possessors, was as critical as renewing my stay permit.
“If possible, it’s also good to watch closely what schemes she might be plotting.”
“Hm, is there a natural way to get closer?”
I scratched my head at the seemingly impossible plan. With no obvious point of contact, making this work smoothly seemed extremely difficult.
Yet, ironically, the next day, the problem resolved itself.
[Make some time. — Jian Forre]
I was summoned out of the blue by the Empress.
Discussion
0 CommentsNo comments yet.