"Kneel."
—A voice that rang out coldly.
He could see the old man called Roberto quickly kneeling on the ground.
‘Fuck. What’s going on?’
Ohjin, who was observing the situation with slightly opened eyes, was shocked.
‘Wasn’t Marco a high-rank Awakener?’
He had definitely heard that he was a 9-Star Awakener on the news, but he had ended up dying futilely like some newbie 1-Star Awakener on their first trip to a gate.
‘This is the power of the 3rd ranking Executor of the Black Star Organization?’
Ohjin already had a rough idea of their preposterous strength ever since the Valhalla guild was annihilated by Cheon Doyoon alone, but this crossed the line.
‘Holy shit.’
Shivers ran down his spine.
Gulp—
‘I can’t let myself be found out.’
Isabella didn’t seem to want to kill him at that moment, but he didn’t know how her thought process would change if she found out that he wasn’t unconscious.
‘Breath faintly.’
Ohjin closed his eyes and relaxed his body as much as he physically could.
He acted like a seriously injured person who was hovering on the line between life and death and focused his mind on listening to the conversation shared between Isabella and Roberto.
"Please kill me, your Majesty!!"
"Oh? Really?"
"Kugh! Kaah!"
‘Holy crap, she’s fucking terrifying.’
The way she unhesitantly dug her finger into the back of her subordinate’s neck was befitting of the title ‘Witch’ the members of the Marco Family had cried out.
‘Then… Isabella is the main culprit of Italy’s destruction that will happen in two years?’
The insides of Ohjin’s head felt like they were all twisted up.
‘But Lee Shinhyuk said that the Pseudo Star Cult will take over Italy.’
Then did that mean the current ‘Black Star Organization’ would turn into the ‘Pseudo Star Cult’ in two years? If so, it was understandable why there would be no information about the group known as the Pseudo Star cult in the present, however—
‘Damn it.’
—He felt a sense of disharmony as if misaligned puzzle pieces were being forcefully fit together.
How it didn’t all fall into place made an unpleasant feeling keep poking a corner of his mind.
‘Let’s think about this later.’
For the moment, he needed to focus on their conversation.
"To be honest, it was quite dangerous this time."
‘Dangerous, huh… Isabella said that the stigma of Hirudo will grow several times stronger in the night…’
In other words, the way she desperately fled from the Marco Family during the day wasn’t an act but genuine.
‘Then if I didn’t intervene…’
In the world Lee Shinhyuk didn’t regress—
What kind of life would it have led her to in the 1st Round?
“…”
It wasn’t hard to imagine what kind of things the Marco Family would do after capturing her.
"Fufu. In regards to that, Ohjin could be said to be my benefactor."
A benefactor.
If she really thought of him that way…
‘I probably won’t end up dying here.’
A breath of relief escaped his mouth.
‘I need to avoid getting involved with Isabella from now on.’
Whether she was the main culprit of the mass murder two years in the future or not, now that he had seen Isabella’s outrageous strength with his very own eyes, he wanted to avoid getting associated with her as much as possible.
‘Well, we probably won’t see each other after this all ends.’
Ohjin was Korean and Isabella was Italian.
Unless one of them came to meet each other directly as Ohjin had, there would be no case of them meeting each other for the time being.
‘That’s right.’
Once it all finished, his relationship with Isabella would naturally come to its en—
"Ahhh! This sweet smell…! It really is the best!"
‘Huh?’
"Ang! Haa… uht!!!"
‘What the fuck? No, no, no… it can’t be… right?’
Ohjin didn’t actually draw the attention of a slightly… no, very crazy woman, did he?
‘Nah~ no way.’
No matter how crazy she was, Isabella wouldn’t go following him around just for the simple reason of liking the taste of his blood.
Yeah.
That was but a simple occurrence.
Nothing but an incident that could be brushed past.
‘Isabella is an Executor of the Black Star Organization, anyway.’
Ohjin didn’t know how their organization was run, but she shouldn’t have the spare time to leisurely follow around a random person while leading a huge organization of thousands of members.
‘Of course, of course!’
‘Don’t worry, everyone!’
‘I’m not~~ fucked at all!
"I won't ever let you go."
‘Hm.’
‘I’m fucked.’
* * *
“Ah, ugh.”
He opened his eyes while letting out low groans and then looked around with hazy eyes as if he was a person who had just regained consciousness.
“O-Ohjin!!!!”
Rush!—
Isabella hugged him as her eyes filled with tears.
“Did you know how worried I was because you wouldn’t wake up for days?!”
‘Yeah. Did you know how scared shitless I was because you wouldn’t leave my side for days?’
“Are you alright…?”
Isabella looked up at him with her eyes filled with worry.
Ohjin might have been quite moved if he didn’t know her true identity, however…
‘Fuck.’
Now that he had found out, he couldn’t help but feel that it was creepy.
‘Even now, I can’t even tell if it’s an act.’
The way she held back her tears even felt adorable at first glance. Her acting skills were certainly outstanding.
‘However.’
When it came down to acting, he wouldn’t fall behind, either.
“Where… am I?”
“We’re in a hospital run by the Colagrande House.”
“What happened to the assassins?” asked Ohjin as he frowned like he couldn’t remember a thing.
“The people from our house came to our aid after you passed out, and the assassins ran away as soon as they saw them.”
“…I see.”
He knew that it wasn’t the truth, but he looked at her with an expression of reassurance.
“It’s a relief you’re safe.”
“It’s all thanks to you.”
“No, I…”
Clench—
Ohjin’s shoulders shook as he bit his lips.
“In the end… I wasn’t able to protect you.”
“Not at all! If it wasn’t for you, I…”
“No. I passed out pathetically. The one who saved you isn’t me but the Colagrande House.”
“…”
“I don’t have the face to look at you any longer.”
He helplessly dropped his shoulders and looked away from her.
‘Alright.’
‘It’s not too late!’
‘I’m going to break ties as fast as possible and escape!!’
“What—do you mean?”
For a moment…
Isabella’s voice turned cold.
A frightening atmosphere filled the room.
‘Huh?’
“Didn’t you say so? To stay by your side from now on.”
“Um.”
“You definitely… said that, didn’t you? Right? Then you’ll keep living in Italy with me from now on, right?”
‘Hahaha… Fuck my life.’
‘Things really snowballed this way?’
“I did. However, I wasn’t able to protect you in the end. The qualifications to stand by your side… I don’t have them.”
‘Spare me.’
“Don’t say that! You… you are my hero!!”
‘Is that why you kept looking at me while drooling?’
“…When you put it that way, it eases my mind.”
Ohjin smiled faintly and gently held her hand.
“But even if you’re okay with it, it’s not for me.”
“Ohjin…”
“Could… could you give me a little time?”
—A voice that faintly trembled.
He stared at her with eyes contained with desperation.
“Once I feel that I have the qualifications to stand by your side after returning to Korea… I’ll make sure to come back to Italy. I promise.”
‘Nope. Never coming back.’
“…”
Isabella looked at Ohjin with her eyes narrowed.
Gulp—
A moment of tension passed by.
And then…
“It’s a promise… right?”
Isabella extended out her pinky finger.
‘Alright!’
He somehow managed to avoid the livestock captivity ending for the moment.
“Yes. Once that time comes, It’d be nice to go sightseeing the city of Rome together with you, Isabella.”
“Fufu. Leave it to me! Rome is filled with attractions!”
Ohjin smiled brightly like a blooming flower in the fields and locked his pinky finger with hers.
“You must contact me often in Korea!”
“Of course.”
‘Blocked.’
‘Wait, then will she come all the way to Korea to hunt me down?’
‘Fuck, what a dilemma.’’
"Now that I think of it, you must be hungry."
Isabella’s eyes shone as she continued.
"I'll make you some delicious food!"
‘I'm not one of the ingredients, am I…?'
"Please wait a moment!"
Rush—
Isabella ran out of the hospital room.
"…Sigh."
Ohjin, who finally managed to get alone time, exhaled out a deep breath.
Lying down flat on the bed, he organized his thoughts about her in his head.
‘She doesn't plan on killing me right now.'
Even if he was prey, Isabella had no reason to use an elixir to heal his wounds if she was planning to slaughter and eat him up.
‘It seems that my blood is insanely tasty, judging from her reaction.'
If her goal was purely ‘blood,' she could have locked him up in some kind of medieval torture device and farmed the blood out of him.
‘However…'
Isabella didn't do that.
She was discontent, but she was even allowing him to go back to Korea.
"…Just what is she thinking?"
It wasn't easy to understand what she truly wanted.
‘In any case, I need to avoid getting involved with Isabella from now on.'
She was the woman who called him top-quality prey.
Nothing good would come from getting involved.
‘Well, we'll probably meet each other eventually.'
Isabella was the main culprit of the mass murder that would happen in Italy two years later.
He couldn’t let her be.
But needless to say…
‘That's in the future.'
The current difference between Ohjin and Isabella was the same as a fly and a toad.
Unless he quickly flew far away, there was no way to survive.
‘At least she doesn't know that I know her identity.'
He knew…
—And she didn't.
That was the main factor that would enable him to take the high ground in his relationship with her.
"Sigh…"
Ohjin exhaled out a deep breath once again.
‘Ha-eun. Fuck, I want to see you.'
As he laid still for around 20 minutes while reminiscing on Ha-eun's face in his mind…
"It's time to eat, Ohjin~"
Isabella held a tray with steaming pasta on top of it and entered the hospital room.
"Thank you for the meal."
"Ah! I'll feed it to you."
After Isabella stole Ohjin's fork, she rolled up the tomato pasta and extended it to him.
"Here, open wide~ Ohjin!"
He started to doubt if she really was the same person as the bloodthirsty witch he had seen before as she smiled so brightly.
‘…This is an act, right?'
Despite knowing her true personality, the way she extended her fork with a flowery smile made it seem as if she was a young lady who had fallen in love.
‘Unless I'm completely unaware in the first place, I can usually discern if it's an act.'
No matter how outstanding her acting skills were, Ohjin should be able to tell if she was acting or not because he was aware of her true form.
"Hehe. Is it tasty? I'm not sure if it turned out well as it's been a while since I've cooked pasta."
But for some unknown reason…
His mind didn't think that how she smiled so timidly was an act.
‘Man, wake the fuck up.'
Hadn't he seen her kill hundreds of Awakeners in one strike and lick his blood? Her current appearance should be nothing but an exquisitely made disguise.
Her true form was a witch obsessed with blood.
The Black Star Organization's 3rd ranking Executor, the Queen of Leeches.
"It's delicious."
"Really? Haa… what a relief. I was worried it might not fit the tastes of a Korean."
Isabella exhaled a breath out of deep relief and pushed down on her chest.
Jiggle—
A certain something with destructive heaviness flaunted its existence.
"…"
‘One Ha-eun.'
‘Two Ha-eun.'
‘Three Ha-eun.'
‘Alright, I've calmed down.'
"Thank you for the meal."
"There's still more left! You should eat more!"
He had already finished his third plate, but new plates filled with pasta kept making their appearance.
"Here, open wide~!"
‘Huh. Is she fattening her livestock?'
"Nom, nom."
Ohjin got up from the bed after he finally finished his fifth plate.
"Then I shall now take my leave."
"But your body is still…"
"As you can see, it's completely fine."
There was no way it wouldn't be when he had consumed an elixir.
‘Now that I think of it, what a huge waste of an elixir.'
His injuries back then could have been completely restored if he just took a dip in the river.
If it was not Ohjin, but Ha-eun who consumed the elixir…
‘Her leg would have fully regenerated.'
It was too bad, but…
‘I can heal them myself one day, anyway.'
That was the reason he had gotten his hands on the stigma of Aquarius in the first place.
"I'll see you off at the entrance of the sanctum."
"There's no need for you to—"
"I'll see you off."
"Yes, ma'am."
‘It is my honor, your Majesty.'
* * *
"…When will you return?" asked Isabella carefully while looking at Ohjin, who stood in front of the sanctum.
"I'll return once I believe I'm strong enough to stand by your side."
He gave the vaguest answer he could so that she couldn't find fault in his reasoning.
"…You must return soon, okay?" said Isabella with tears in her eyes.
If it was before he knew her identity, he would have felt like he was seeing a puppy that was parting ways with its owner, however…
‘That's not a puppy but a bloodthirsty beast.'
Ohjin gulped and turned in the other direction.
At that moment—
"Ohjin."
Grip—
Isabella held onto his shoulder.
"…!"
‘Fuck. Did I make a mistake?'
His shoulders shook as he nervously turned his head around.
Smooch—
Isabella got on her toes and kissed Ohjin's cheek.
"Hehe. Th-Then I'll call you later!"
She waved her hands wide as she ran far away.
"…"
The soft sensation remained on his cheek like a fragrance.
"She… she's really acting, right?"
Ohjin narrowed his eyes with confusion and then walked into the sanctum.
