Volume 2 Chapter 46: The Fishing Pond

A month ago, it was Sophie who had driven Fiona out of the manor.

On the day it was decided that Noil Arlens would stay in Mina’s room, Fiona, restless and consumed with worry for him, was pacing in the room assigned to her in the enemy’s manor. That was when Sophie came to visit.

“My condolences. How about a massage to lift your spirits?”

Fiona had scoffed at the idea. How could something so trivial lighten her mood? But doing nothing felt worse, so she reluctantly accepted Sophie’s offer.

Letting her guard down in the party house of Spirit Wind, her sworn enemies, was unthinkable. Yet, there was something about Sophie—a small child, seemingly harmless—that Fiona couldn’t fully regard as a threat.

Despite her usual disinterest in anything that wasn’t Noil Arlens, Fiona couldn’t help but feel a faint spark of curiosity about Sophie. After all, Sophie was like her in one very specific way—she was also a half-demon.

And that, Fiona realized too late, was her greatest mistake.

By the time she noticed, she was lying outside the manor.

An inexcusable blunder. An unforgivable lapse. Fiona seethed with shame at her own carelessness.

She had immediately tried to storm back in, only to discover an invisible barrier surrounding the manor. A barrier she could not break. Desperate, Fiona had begged Milis Albama for assistance, but even her power couldn’t dispel the enchantment encasing the building.

◇

The wait was excruciating. No—agonizing. The torment she endured because of her own stupidity far outweighed the emptiness she’d felt during the year she spent at the magical academy after Noil had graduated.

But it was over now.

Fiona stormed into the manor with Milis, who destroyed the barrier, allowing Fiona to forcibly manifest her ability, “Eye Lover”—a skill brimming with her overwhelming love for Noil.

The moment the connection re-established itself, Fiona could feel him through the bond.

He was in the basement.

I want to see him.

I need to see him.

I want to hold him.

I want to feel his scent, his warmth, his heartbeat, his breath—all of him.

“…I want to see him…”

She whispered, barely audible.

She wanted to run to him, embrace him, and lose herself in his presence. She longed for his touch, his voice calling her name in that way that made her body melt. She wanted him to scold her for her foolishness, berate her, then gently pat her head, like he used to.

But before she could reach him, there was something she needed to do.

“An uninvited guest, I see.”

Standing in front of the manor’s entrance was a woman with long, pale yellow hair and emerald eyes. Fiona glared at her, her gaze filled with loathing.

Elshan Farshid!

This woman had dared to sidle up to Noil in Fiona’s absence. She had clung to him, acted sweetly, and shamelessly fawned over him. While Sophie Sharmil was also unforgivable, Elshan had spent the last month monopolizing Noil, and for that, Fiona despised her above all.

She had seen it all—everything—through the Desire Mirror.

The sight had driven her mad. It had been unbearable. Her body had withered; her hair and skin had suffered. She had vomited countless times. It had been that excruciating.

And what of this woman? While Fiona wasted away, Elshan had thrived under Noil’s attention, her complexion radiant and glowing.

Unforgivable. Absolutely unforgivable.

“What business do you have in our love nest, I wonder?”

Ah…

Kill her.

“I’ve come to take back what’s mine. My Noil.”

Milis’s voice was drowned out in Fiona’s mind.

Elshan frowned, visibly irritated.

“Yours…? Noil is my fiancé. What nonsense are you spouting? Who even are you?”

“Ah, so you too…” Milis muttered, almost amused. “I see, it must’ve been easy to manipulate you, given what you truly desire.”

“But it’s all lies,” Fiona interrupted, her voice laced with mockery.

“Every. Last. Thing.”

Fiona’s smile was unnerving—sharp, mocking, utterly unlike her usual demeanor.

“Lies, lies, all lies. Noil doesn’t love you. He never did. He doesn’t even like you. It’s just your pathetic delusion.”

Her voice, which had started with a gleeful lilt, grew darker and quieter. The smile vanished from her face.

“Stop talking.”

Elshan unfolded her arms, placing a hand on her forehead as though suppressing a headache.

“…Enough with the nonsense. You’re testing my patience. If you don’t stop, I might lose my temper.”

Her gaze sharpened with unmistakable hostility as she looked back at Fiona and Milis.

Before Elshan could say more, Fiona wordlessly raised her hand and fired a magical blast at the fishing pond in the manor’s garden.

A whirlwind erupted as the explosion devastated the pond, leaving it in ruins.

Elshan’s eyes widened in shock.

“What… what have you done?!”

Though she could rebuild it easily with her spirit powers, Elshan appeared deeply shaken. Her composure shattered as she shouted, her shoulders trembling with rage.

Gone was her usual calm demeanor. Now, her gaze burned with fury as she locked eyes with Fiona.

“You dare sully the love between Noil and me—”

“With such a cheap mockery! Don’t defile the precious memories I have with Senpai!!”

Fiona’s thunderous voice tore through the air, silencing Elshan’s words. Her usual composed demeanor was gone, replaced by raw, unfiltered emotion.

Fiona remembered it all. The sweat-soaked days, the gallant figure of Noil saving her, the moment they laughed together, holding hands when they accomplished something great. Every sparkling, joy-filled moment they had shared—memories as radiant and irreplaceable as gemstones—was etched into her heart.

And now this.

For those irreplaceable memories to be tarnished by such a crude imitation—by that counterfeit—was an insult of the highest order. A desecration.

Every time she saw Noil and that woman by the fishing pond, Fiona’s heart felt like it was being clawed apart, her rage boiling over. With every laugh of his that wasn’t shared with her, the precious memories in her mind seemed to darken, twisting into a nightmarish contrast she could no longer endure.

“…Milis-san, Noel-san, please stand back.”

The area fell silent as Fiona’s quiet voice broke through.

Milis folded her arms and closed one eye thoughtfully.

“Hmm… Very well. However, that woman is stronger than you, Fiona. Far stronger.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

No matter how powerful she was, Fiona didn’t care. None of it mattered anymore.

Milis laughed, clearly entertained.

“Then I shall enjoy the show.”

“I’ll be going ahead. Noil is waiting for me,” Noel said with a smile, bolting toward the manor.

Thanks to her training under Milis, Noel moved with remarkable grace, far beyond her past self, as she dashed toward the door.

“You think I’ll let you?”

Elshan moved to block Noel’s path, raising her arm as a wall of earth erupted from the ground.

But before it could stop Noel, Milis shattered it with a single kick.

Elshan’s eyes widened in shock.

Before she could react further, a spinning kick from Milis struck from behind, slicing through several strands of her pale yellow hair, which danced in the air like threads of light.

“Impressive footwork,” Milis said with a chuckle, lowering her leg as she stood over the crouching Elshan, who had narrowly avoided the blow.

Elshan leapt back, putting distance between herself and Milis—only to be met with a magic bullet from Fiona.

“Tch…”

Elshan jumped, narrowly dodging the bullet. Where she had stood, jagged ice spikes erupted from the ground. However, they fell short of reaching her as she landed gracefully atop one of the spikes.

From her elevated position, Elshan glared down at the two of them. Noel had already slipped inside the manor.

“…I do get angry, you know. And now… I won’t be holding back. Especially not with you.”

Milis, leaning casually against the door, laughed and waved her hand dismissively.

“Relax. I won’t interfere anymore. Your opponent is—”

“Me.”

Fiona leapt into the air, twin pistols in hand, unleashing a barrage of bullets toward Elshan.

The bullets streaked toward their target with an unrelenting force—but stopped mid-air unnaturally. Fiona’s lips curled in frustration.

Without even glancing at Fiona, Elshan raised her hand. The bullets dissipated, vanishing into the night sky where they transformed into flames, wind, lightning, and ice before erupting in the heavens.

Elshan turned to Fiona at last, her emerald eyes glinting coldly.

“Honestly… I don’t understand. What are you all even supposed to be?”

“I’m Noil-senpai’s lover,” Fiona declared, aiming her pistols again.

Elshan placed a hand on her face, exhaling sharply before shaking her head.

“…If there’s one thing I understand, it’s this: you’re all… disgusting.”

The hand fell, revealing a cold, merciless expression. Fiona didn’t flinch, firing another round—but before her shot could land, a violent gale engulfed her.

“Ugh!”

Caught off guard, Fiona was spun through the air like a ragdoll before being slammed into the ground.

She managed to twist her body to avoid landing headfirst, but the impact left her breathless, pain shooting through her body. Gritting her teeth, she scrambled to get back on her feet—only to be launched into the air by a second strike as the ground rose beneath her.

“Ack—!”

“The maiden of the wind brings rest to the foolish bird,” Elshan murmured, her voice icy and detached.

A final, savage gust tore through Fiona, shredding her clothing and skin. Blood sprayed across the night sky as the wind carried her scream into the crimson-dyed heavens.

◇

“Ugh…”

A hard, cold sensation pressed against my entire body. As I slowly opened my eyes, the first thing that entered my blurry vision was the metallic floor. It seemed I’d been lying face down while unconscious.

I tried to piece together the situation with my groggy mind.

“Is this… the training ground?”

Why am I here? The last thing I remember was being with Mina and Sophie—

“That’s right!”

The realization jolted me upright. On the way to alert Elle about the strange happenings, someone had attacked me. My consciousness had abruptly faded, and I collapsed.

“Whoa!”

I quickly scanned my surroundings, only to draw back in shock.

“Wait… Let?!”

Lying nearby were Mina and Let—who was supposed to be enjoying a fishing trip by the sea.

Why was he here? No, more importantly, I needed to confirm they were safe. I checked their breathing and inspected them for injuries. Thankfully, it seemed they were simply unconscious.

“Mmm…”

As I let out a relieved sigh, Let stirred, his body shifting as his eyes blinked open.

“Good morning,” I greeted him casually, trying to ease him into waking up.

“Uh… morning, Noil… wait, what the hell?!”

Suddenly, Let jumped up, grabbed my shoulders, and began shaking me violently.

“This is bad, Noil! You’re in deep trouble!”

“Wa-wait, calm down! A-and why are you in the capital?! W-weren’t you fishing by the sea?”

“That never happened! After that, we rushed back to the capital too!”

“Eh?!”

“What’s all the noise… huh? Is this… the training ground?”

Our commotion woke Mina, who rubbed her eyes and sat up. She looked around, then spotted Let, her eyes widening in surprise.

“Let? When did you get back?”

Let finally stopped shaking me and turned toward Mina with a frantic look.

“A while ago! Sophie locked me up!”

“What?! Why?”

“To keep Noil here! She wanted to set him up with her boss!”

“Set him up? They’re already together.”

“No, they’re not!”

“Actually… they are,” I interjected quietly.

Let froze, turning to me with a look of disbelief. He stared into my face before firmly grabbing my cheeks.

What? What now?

Sure, I get that it’s hard to believe, but I really am with Elle—

“Noil’s lover is Mar-chan!”

The moment that name left his lips, it felt like an electric shock coursed through my body.

Mar-chan… That’s right.

My lover is Mar-chan. It’s always been Mar-chan. No one else. I had sworn never to betray her.

Like fog clearing from my mind, my memories rushed back. That’s right—I’m not Elle’s lover. Back in school, the one I was close to wasn’t her, it was—

“Fiona…”

“It’s Mar-chan!” Let yelled, his voice snapping me out of my thoughts.

No, it’s okay now, Let. I’m fine.

How could I have forgotten her?

Not just Fiona—Noel, the Manager, and the White Road as well.

“Fiona? Who’s that?”

“She’s, uh… well… Mina, you know… the… cat girl,” I explained awkwardly, Let’s grip still holding my face.

The change in Mina’s expression was dramatic. Her face contorted with rage, her ears and tail shot up, fur bristling.

“That conniving, waste-of-space witch!!”

Wow. That was harsh. I mean, sure, Fiona’s got her issues, but wasn’t that a bit much?

Especially the “waste-of-space” part. The sheer venom in that phrase felt personal.

Anyway, it seemed Mina had regained her memories too.

“Looks like everyone’s wide awake!”

A voice, smooth and far too cheerful for the situation, echoed across the training ground. A man with dazzling blond hair and a brilliant smile sauntered into view.

“You are…?”

“Why hello, my friend! The name’s Kreis Thiarle!”

With that, Kreis-san struck a dramatic pose, sparkling teeth and all.