MLAN 04

Chapter 04

In an instant, the surroundings fell silent.

Lydia, who had closed her eyes in anticipation of the Creature’s attack, slowly opened them when no attack came.

The Creature’s enormous body collapsed right in front of her.

Thud.

Its severed head rolled across the ground before coming to a stop against Lydia’s feet.

‘……Ah.’

It had only taken a split second, but Lydia immediately understood what had happened.

The cut was unnaturally clean.

In this world, those who could wield supernatural abilities were called Awakened.

Among them, those who possessed abilities on an entirely different level were known as Transcendents.

And among all the various Awakened, only a Transcendent could use supernatural power with that degree of purity.

And if there was only one Transcendent who could possibly be here……

‘It has to be that man.’

Lydia slowly turned her head and stared at the person who had saved her.

Ludwig.

Creature blood dripped from the sword in the man’s hand.

Yet, strangely enough, his appearance was completely spotless.

From head to toe, he looked utterly flawless, without even the slightest dishevelment—as though he had not just fought a battle moments ago.

‘……What a monster.’

Whenever something like this happened, Lydia was reminded all over again that he was one of the male leads.

‘He seems even stronger than before.’

Lydia had witnessed Ludwig Cloudwitz’s overwhelming martial prowess countless times since their days at the military academy.

Because Lydia was not an Awakened, she had little reason to cross paths with him, yet she knew in detail just how terrifying his supernatural ability was.

‘As expected, I really don’t want to get involved with him if I can help it…….’

At that exact moment, Ludwig turned his head and looked at Lydia.

His chilly blue eyes stared directly at her.

Lydia flinched hard.

Then Ludwig began walking toward her.

“Lydia Prestin.”

The moment she heard his low, pleasant voice, goosebumps spread all over her body.

“……Thank you. I owe my life to you.”

Lydia calmly bowed her head in gratitude.

‘Let’s just lie flat and keep my head down for now.’

“If you hadn’t helped me, I might really have died. I will never forget this favor for the rest of my life.”

Regardless of her personal feelings toward Ludwig, he was someone Lydia absolutely could not afford to make an enemy of.

‘He already dislikes me. I can’t make those feelings any worse.’

If she gave Ludwig, who already disliked her for no apparent reason, an actual reason to hate her, she had no idea what he might do.

However, her polite thanks elicited no response whatsoever.

‘What? Did he not hear me?’

Maybe he was simply ignoring her. It was not as though he had ever liked Lydia in the first place.

It didn’t matter.

Having decided that she had shown enough courtesy, Lydia bowed politely once more.

“Then I’ll be going now. Goodbye.”

But before Lydia could even take a step, Ludwig spoke first.

“……You’re injured.”

What?

For a moment, Lydia wondered if she had heard him correctly.

As Lydia stood frozen in confusion, that pleasant low voice continued.

“You should receive treatment before you leave.”

His voice was gentle and even kind.

‘What is this? Has he finally gone crazy?’

She was so dumbfounded by words she had never imagined coming from his mouth that she could barely process them.

Ludwig was generally a polite person, but he did not show kindness to just anyone.

No—more precisely, he maintained an equal distance from everyone by treating them with impeccable manners. The fact that Lydia had managed to draw even the faintest hint of contempt from him was unusual in itself.

‘He’d sooner mock me than worry about me.’

As she thought that, a palm stained bright red suddenly entered her field of vision.

‘……Ah.’

Come to think of it, Lydia had just coughed up blood.

Lydia was practically an ordinary civilian, and she had even vomited blood while trying to stop a Creature. Naturally, anyone would tell her to get treatment.

Of course, she had not actually been injured by the Creature. It was merely the backlash from forcibly using her life force.

“This…… is fine. I’m not seriously injured, so I’ll see an ordinary doctor. Thank you for worrying about me.”

Lydia quickly drew a line between them.

‘He probably just said it out of courtesy.’

Even someone like Ludwig could not simply send a woman in this condition on her way without saying something. He had probably just said it as a matter of politeness.

In situations like this, she needed to know how to read the room and decline on her own!

‘My appearance must really be terrible right now. If even that man is acting like this.’

At that moment, Ludwig’s brows narrowed ever so slightly, but Lydia was too pleased with her own clever response to notice.

“Unnieeeee!”

Then, from far away, a desperate voice rang out.

“Sylvia?”

“Unnie!”

Sylvia, her face a complete mess from crying, ran over and threw her arms around her sister.

“Thank goodness……. I really thought you were going to die, Unnie…….”

Lydia hurriedly patted her sister’s back to calm her down.

That only made Sylvia cry even harder.

‘……I guess she didn’t leave after all.’

Lydia had been relieved after confirming that the maid was taking Sylvia home, which was why she had used the ring without hesitation.

But judging from Sylvia’s tears, it seemed she had witnessed the entire thing.

“I’m fine. I just…… coughed up a little blood.”

“How is that supposed to be fine?!”

Well, that didn’t work.

Sylvia was always annoyingly perceptive at times like this.

Lydia was busy comforting Sylvia, who was sobbing like a child, when she suddenly realized something.

‘Wait…… Ludwig is still here, isn’t he?’

Click, click.

She desperately forced her sluggish brain to start working.

And then Lydia finally noticed.

Ludwig was watching the two sisters with an interested look in his eyes.

‘……Ack!’

Everything had happened so quickly that she had completely forgotten.

She had worked so hard to make sure the male leads never crossed paths with Sylvia, and now all that effort had gone to waste so pointlessly!

Lydia hurriedly hid Sylvia behind her and bowed deeply at the waist.

“Thank you so much. Then, we’ll be going.”

She then took Sylvia’s shawl off and pulled it over her head.

“Huh? Unnie, what are you doing? Are we playing a game?”

“Yeah. So let’s hurry home. What are you waiting for? Come on.”

Lydia bowed once more toward Ludwig before quickly taking Sylvia and leaving the area.

Or, at least, she tried to leave.

“Urgh!”

If it hadn’t been for the sudden nausea rising from her stomach, she definitely would have made a swift escape.

Lydia reflexively covered her mouth and staggered.

‘Ah…….’

Damn it.

Maybe it was because the tension had finally left her body, or perhaps because she had forced herself to use too much power.

Once again, blood seeped out, soaking her palm in bright red.

‘……This is bad.’

Her stomach churned, and her head was spinning.

She couldn’t collapse here……

“Unnie!”

Sylvia hurriedly supported Lydia, her face filled with alarm.

“Excuse me, please help my sister. Please? I’m begging you. Please.”

Hey! Who are you asking for help right now?!

But Lydia’s desperate cry remained trapped inside her head.

After what seemed to be a brief exchange of words, a large pair of arms lifted Lydia off the ground.

Looking up at Ludwig through her blurred vision, Lydia thought:

‘I should’ve just run away earlier instead of worrying about social etiquette or whatever…….’

A gentle hand stroked her hair.

‘Is that Mom?’

That couldn’t be.

Her mother from before her possession was someone she could no longer see, and ‘Lydia’s’ mother after the possession had already passed away long ago.

‘……Still, this isn’t bad.’

Lydia didn’t know who the owner of the hand was, but the comfort was something she had not experienced in quite some time.

Normally, she had to live as the head of the household and as her younger sister’s guardian.

She had always been too busy to have any time to act spoiled.

It wasn’t as though she had ever particularly resented it…… but it would be a lie to say she had never been tired.

‘Let’s rest just a little longer.’

This time, Lydia felt a warmth gently stroking her cheek as well, and she indulged in the drowsy sleep.

It was a rare moment of rest.

She hadn’t fully regained consciousness yet, but Lydia instinctively knew.

The moment she opened her eyes, she would have to return to her busy daily life without even a moment to catch her breath.

‘Take care of Sylvia, develop the purifier, make money, take care of the household…….’

Of course, by “take care of the household,” she meant something closer to rebuilding the family fortune than ordinary housework.

The thought of her suffocating reality made her sigh.

Lydia’s consciousness naturally began dwelling on her “daily life.”

‘I just want to sleep deeply. When was the last time I actually slept in? I don’t think I’ve had the chance since I was ten.’

Thinking about that made her even less willing to open her eyes.

A warm blanket, a soft bed, a comfortable temperature, and just the right humidity.

This space, perfectly optimized for sleep, was so flawless that she wanted to install it in her own home even if it cost billions.

‘Hmm?’

Wait.

‘She said she wanted to install it at home?’

Then that meant this wasn’t home.

Suddenly, Lydia’s mind snapped fully awake.

‘Come to think of it…… why was I sleeping?’

The moment she became conscious of herself, the events immediately before she collapsed flashed rapidly through her mind.

Going out, the Rift that suddenly appeared, Sylvia, the disgusting Creature.

And then……

‘Ludwig!’

Flash.

Lydia opened her eyes.