In this environment, she felt a strange mixture of familiarity and unfamiliarity.
It was somewhat similar to being at home, but aside from returning during holidays, she rarely spent time there.
Ever since her older brother went missing, she had a big argument with her father and hadn’t spoken to him since.
‘Witches… just what kind of beings are they?’ Yilu rolled over, staring at the ceiling.
Her brother’s disappearance seemed to have a significant connection to them.
Most crucially, the power displayed by that person made Yilu feel a sense of suffocation.
That level was something she could never hope to reach.
‘If only I could have that kind of power.’
Besides the suffocation, she felt an indistinct sense of longing.
Regardless of whether it was good or bad, Yilu felt this thought of hers was insane.
But with that kind of power, all the malicious gossip about the Starting Bud Family would collapse on its own.
Those who slandered the Shiga Family probably wouldn’t even dare to look her in the eye, let alone scheme behind her back.
Or perhaps, it wasn’t just power she wanted, but to look down from a superior position upon those who looked down on her.
To trample them underfoot in the same way they had trampled her, to inflict suffering.
When Berspin was still around, he at least would nag, telling her to get along with others and not be like a porcupine.
Now that Berspin was gone, with all the malicious words and treatment coming her way, Yilu knew that his method was just naive thinking.
Violence to counter violence was the correct way.
When someone tramples you underfoot, you can only stop their wickedness by turning the tables and trampling them instead.
‘Witches… bloodline.’ Yilu narrowed her eyes, trying hard to recall what that person had said.
She seemed to have said that both my brother and I are something like… a witch’s bloodline.
As her thoughts drifted, Yilu grew drowsy and began to fade into sleep.
The moment she was about to close her eyes, the scene before her transformed into a blurry, bloody picture.
The ceiling turned into an indescribable, gory mass, with blood threatening to drip from it.
The curtains fluttering in the wind were now entangled with pairs of hands, writhing and dancing wildly.
Startled, Yilu’s eyes snapped open. She sat up abruptly, rubbed her eyes, and looked around, finding everything back to its original state.
‘What was that just now… an illusion?’
Yilu wondered if it was because she was too tired today or due to her injuries.
While puzzling over it, a knock on the door brought her back to her senses.
“Are you asleep?” Lyr’s voice came from outside.
Outside the door, Lyr, seeing that Yilu hadn’t opened it for a while, was about to leave.
As he turned, Yilu opened the door, revealing half her body.
“You’re not asleep either?” Lyr scratched his head awkwardly.
“What do you want?” Yilu’s face showed disdain. “Do you always like barging into girls’ rooms in the middle of the night at your own house too? How cringe.”
“You…”
Lyr was left speechless by Yilu’s retort.
No matter where she was, she was like a temperamental cat, not wanting anyone to get close, let alone invade her territory.
“I was worried you might not sleep well in an unfamiliar place. I had the maid make a cup of honey water. Do you want to drink it before going back to sleep?” Lyr offered the cup in his hand.
Yilu looked down and saw steam rising from the cup in Lyr’s hand.
She hesitated for a moment, then finally opened the door fully and stepped aside. “Come in.”
Lyr chuckled, amused that Yilu was like a child who had been told not to open the door for strangers.
Entering the room, Lyr placed the cup on the table, then turned to Yilu. “This room should be okay, right?”
“Mm.”
On this point, Yilu didn’t have much to say. It was certainly much better than her place at the Academy.
“Good, as long as nothing makes you uncomfortable.”
“Uncomfortable…” Yilu’s gaze lowered to the pajamas she was wearing.
The maid had lent them to her, but compared to her own clothes, the chest area was a bit too loose, making her feel quite uncomfortable.
“By the way, have you felt any problems with your body?” Lyr asked what was on his mind.
“What problems could there be?” Yilu raised her hand, which, like Lyr’s, was bandaged.
She moved it. Aside from some lingering pain, there wasn’t much else.
“I’m not talking about that.”
“Then what?”
“…” Lyr struggled to find the right words. “I mean, have you felt any strange voices in your head, or anything off with your mental state?”
He gestured with his hands, trying to make his meaning clear.
Lyr now knew that the strange voices he heard were some kind of curse, and he was worried Yilu might have the same issue.
If that were the case, the problem could be quite serious.
“Are you making fun of me?” Yilu frowned. “Don’t think I won’t hit you just because this is your house.”
Lyr’s words sounded less like concern and more like mockery.
Lyr sighed helplessly and let his hand drop from his face. He also felt his explanation was odd.
But he really didn’t know how to explain it specifically.
“The fact that you think that way at least proves there’s no problem.” Lyr could only look on the bright side.
Seeing Yilu so full of energy, Lyr felt relieved and prepared to leave.
Suddenly remembering something, he turned back. “About Berspin’s matter, don’t worry too much. I’ll try my best to find a way.”
At least now he could roughly judge that his disappearance wasn’t truly treason, but related to the witches.
“You’re the person my brother often mentioned before, right?”
“I think so,” Lyr replied.
Before he went to the frontier, he spent quite a lot of time with Berspin.
‘No wonder.’ Yilu muttered to herself.
When she first heard Lyr’s name, she had an indescribable sense of déjà vu but couldn’t remember where she’d heard it.
Just like Tif, neither had a particularly good impression of their respective brother’s friend.
“And also, stop thinking about using the Magic Core Method. If you need any help with anything, I’ll help you too.”
Lyr could guess that Yilu’s appearance on the street tonight was probably because she had gone out again.
With the outside world being unstable, it was better not to go, especially with these so-called witches around.
Most importantly, that method was truly dangerous.
“Help?” Yilu wasn’t grateful; her expression darkened slightly. “So you’re helping me because of your friendship with my brother?”
An involuntary wave of disgust rose within her. This way, in her view, felt more like pitying her because she looked pitiful.