NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 16 - Fortress City (5)
The mandrake’s scream contained powerful mysticism. The two who collapsed upon hearing the scream lost consciousness and were drawn into a terrible nightmare.
Eugene opened his eyes in an entirely black space. Just as it started to feel familiar, a well-known face appeared. It was Marlon.
‘This isn’t reality… Marlon is dead. This is a dream. I clearly… Right, I fainted after hearing the mandrake’s scream.’
Eugene realized what situation he was in. Unlike last time, his body moved according to his will.
He clashed swords with the approaching Marlon. Having killed him over a hundred times, he was now an easy opponent. The fellow dropped his sword and fell to the ground.
From here on, it was different from last time. Eugene broke both of Marlon’s arms. He screamed in pain.
“Ugh… Aaargh!”
Eugene mounted Marlon’s completely subdued body. As their eyes met, Marlon begged for mercy with a cringing face.
“Save me…! Please! I was wrong! No, I’m sorry!”
Eugene shook his head with a stern face.
“The outcome was already decided from the moment you drew your sword to kill me. Either I die, or you die.”
He continued, placing his sword against Marlon’s neck.
“I regret killing you so cruelly back then. I made excuses that it was unavoidable at the time, but I shouldn’t have done even that. My mistake can never be forgiven.”
“Sa… Save me… Gu…gugh…”
Eugene thrust the sword into Marlon’s neck. Soon, the life drained from his eyes and the light went out.
“I’m sorry. Rest in peace.”
Eugene closed Marlon’s eyes and stood up. Cracks started to appear in the black space, and with a sound like shattering glass, the entire world broke apart.
Everything was destroyed, ceiling and floor alike, and Eugene fell into the abyss below. He naturally closed his eyes.
When Eugene opened his eyes again at some point, he immediately pinched his cheek. He felt a vivid pain.
The wooden ceiling entered his lying vision. Only then did Eugene realize he had returned to reality.
“A familiar ceiling…”
After uttering this cliché line, Eugene sat up.
The mandrake, which had screamed heroically and gone cold, was sprawled on the floor. Beyond it, Lorena had collapsed and seemed to still be unconscious.
Eugene approached her and examined her complexion. She was sweating profusely and muttering something unintelligible. He could tell she was also in the midst of a nightmare.
“Lorena! Wake up! Come to your senses! Lorena!”
Eugene shook Lorena’s shoulders and called her name. After several attempts, she suddenly opened her eyes wide and shouted.
“I, I, I’m s-sorry, p-please, don’t hit me, d-don’t do this, s-save me, s-someone, h-help me, p-please…!”
Lorena’s eyes were clouded. Still caught between reality and dream, she trembled and shed tears.
Realizing she was still wandering in the nightmare, Eugene reflexively embraced her tightly.
“S-save me, I’m s-sorry, I w-won’t do it again, p-please…”
Until she stopped shaking. Until her tears stopped. Until she stopped begging the air for mercy.
Eugene just silently held Lorena like that.
How much time passed? Her trembling gradually subsided, and at some point, her mouth stopped speaking. Her clouded eyes slowly cleared.
Lorena, who had returned from the dream to reality, soon realized she was in someone’s arms. When she raised her head, her eyes met Eugene’s.
“…Are you feeling better now?”
“…”
Various emotions whirled in her heart.
Fear and dread that had not yet subsided.
Embarrassment and shame for showing such an unsightly state.
Anger and resentment at the thought that this was all because of Eugene.
Gratitude for holding her until she calmed down.
As these mixed together, she didn’t know what to say.
In the silence that fell, Lorena repeatedly parted and closed her lips.
“…Lorena?”
Eugene called her name with a worried face. Her complexion was becoming increasingly pale.
Lorena slowly opened her mouth at Eugene’s questioning call.
“Uu… Uweeek…”
Instead of saying anything, she vomited bright red blood.
“…!”
As Eugene was startled by this, Lorena waved her hand. It meant she was fine.
She vomited blood once more in his arms, then wiped her mouth and said:
“The m-mandrake caused a bit of a problem… B-But I’m okay… I’ll be f-fine after resting for a w-while…”
“What can I do to help?”
“M-Move me to the bed… I need to lie down…”
Eugene hurriedly carried Lorena and laid her on the bed. After covering her with a blanket, she closed her eyes and entered meditation.
Eugene, worried that she might have another nightmare, couldn’t leave her side for a while.
It was a full day later when Lorena opened her eyes again.
She slowly raised her body, looking at the familiar ceiling. She looked around while leaning her back. Then an unfamiliar scene entered her eyes.
“…?”
The floor, which should have been littered with all sorts of knick-knacks, was clean. The furniture placed around was well dusted without a speck of dust, and even the air entering her lungs felt somehow refreshing.
“Th-This… How on earth…”
“Ah, you’re awake?”
Eugene, who had just entered the bedroom, confirmed that she had woken up and quickly headed somewhere. When he returned, his hands held something steaming.
“Wh-What is this…?”
“It’s passionflower tea. I bought it because it’s good for calming the mind and body.”
“…”
Lorena first received the cup, then slowly drank the passionflower tea.
“You’ve been lying down for a whole day, so you must be hungry. I’ll bring something to eat, so please wait a moment.”
Before she could say anything, Eugene went out of the bedroom and soon returned with a wooden tray containing soup.
She carefully ate a spoonful of soup.
‘…It’s d-delicious…’
For her, who had been carelessly eating whenever hungry while living alone at home, such food was something she hadn’t tasted in a very long time.
It must have been simmered for a long time, as the solid ingredients were tender and the broth was flavorful. Yet there was no burnt taste at all.
‘He must have kept stirring to prevent it from sticking to the bottom…’
Lorena knew well what kind of care was put into this bowl of soup. She emptied the bowl without leaving a single drop.
“Shall I give you more? There’s still a lot left.”
“Umm… I’m f-fine…”
Eugene spoke worriedly about her only eating one bowl.
“Are you feeling a bit better? You vomited so much blood…”
“Uh… um…”
Lorena was about to reflexively say she was fine, but she hesitated for a moment.
She turned her eyes to look at the space beyond the bedroom. As expected, the floor was clean, and the furniture and objects were well organized.
‘The internal injury caused by the mandrake has almost healed, but…’
She wanted to enjoy this comfort that had come after so long a little more. So she decided to exaggerate a bit more.
“Ugh… ugh… I-I’m not fully recovered yet. I don’t feel well… I-I think I need to rest a bit more…”
Lorena spoke while subtly avoiding Eugene’s gaze. Although it was somewhat clumsy, Eugene readily believed her words.
“Stay in bed without moving for a while. I’ll stay here until you’re fully recovered, so don’t worry.”
“Th… Thank youuu…”
She answered in a crawling voice and pulled the blanket up to her head. Something was pricking her heart inside, but she decided to ignore it to enjoy this comfort a bit longer.
“Then rest.”
Eugene took the empty bowl and left the bedroom, closing the door.
‘I know best how miserable it is to suffer alone without anyone to take care of you…’
The experience of being sick on the way to Carlisle was still vivid in his mind.
Feeling pity, he intended to nurse Lorena with all his care until she was well.
And so, a long week passed.
Lorena, who had almost become one with the bed, had no intention of getting up even though the sunlight had been shining on her face for quite some time.
“Mmm…”
Fresh wind blew, brushing her hair, and the fluffy blanket provided her with warmth. She was thoroughly intoxicated with sleep and enjoying the comfort.
Rustle- Rustle-
The white noise of turning pages continued for a while in the quiet bedroom. It had the effect of further calming her already peaceful mind…
‘Mmm… The sound of turning pages…?’
She who had her eyes closed suddenly raised her upper body. As she turned her head, there was Eugene sitting in a chair beside her, reading a book.
She asked Eugene with a stiff face.
“Eu… Eugene? Wh-What book is that…?”
Eugene showed her the book he was reading with a faint smile. The title written on the black background cover read:
“It was truly surprising to see the twist of a young nun who pursues purity and compassion throwing herself into lewd pleasures away from others’ eyes when night falls. The scenes of her seducing unknown men and taking them to her bedroom are depicted quite explicitly…”
“Uh… Uwaah-!”
She, who had been lying limp all week, sprang out of bed and quickly snatched the book from Eugene. Yet Eugene didn’t look particularly regretful.
“I’ve already finished reading it. By the way, have you decided to stop pretending to be sick now?”
Lorena couldn’t hide her bewilderment at his words. Her head, which had stopped in the posture of trying to throw the book into a corner, slowly turned.
“Wh-When did you notice…?”
Eugene silently picked up a mirror hanging on the wall and held it out to Lorena.
Her face reflected in the mirror was not just healthy but overflowing with vitality, and her once hollow eyes were now filled with clear energy.
“Hmm, when you devoured three bowls of soup full of meat and vegetable chunks at once?”
“Uh… Th-Three days ago…? But why until now…”
“There were many interesting books in the room. So I read a bit while you were pretending to be sick.”
“H-How many…”
“Well…
Eugene just smiled brightly as if to say it was her own doing.