Chapter 21

“He has nothing to do with me.”

It was a dangerous gaze, like a snake on the verge of swallowing its prey. Under that watchful gaze, Erel barely managed to respond with her stiff lips.

She couldn’t explain it logically, but she had a feeling that she should pretend to not know Mirdal for now. It was the only way for both of them to survive.

“You don’t know him? Really?” Barkan asked again. His voice, combined with his friendly smile, was strangely terrifying.

“…Yes.”

She didn’t know what kind of relationship Barkan thought he had with her, but he behaved as if he was questioning his cheating wife.

However, Barkan was a member of the Masaka clan, which was infamous for having a large number of insane people, and among them, he was known for being particularly psychotic. With this in mind, Erel knew she needed to tread lightly when interacting with him.

“I really don’t know him,” she answered in a nervous but firm tone.

Barkan tilted his head and unexpectedly said, “But that trash is definitely his older sister.….”

“No! What do you mean? I’ve never seen him before.”

Feeling a close sense of crisis, Erel desperately shook her head. Of course, she had seen Mirdal while playing the game before, but it wasn’t a lie because today was her first time seeing him in person.

“Hmm.”

A rather unexpected look flashed across Barkan’s smiling face. It was because Erel, who seemed weak-hearted, was unexpectedly and adamantly denying any relationship with Mirdal.

‘It’s such a shame. It wouldn’t have been a bad idea to use him to set a good example for the other insects by brutally breaking his bones and then flaying him.’ (TL: Flay = skinning alive)

“I see. So, he’s someone you don’t know.”

Finally, Barkan showed signs of understanding. After a moment, she breathed a sigh of relief, but then he spoke in a sullen tone.

“Then it won’t matter if I kill him.”

“What?! You’re going to kill him?!”

What kind of nonsense is this? When his gaze met Erel’s surprised, round eyes, Barkan smiled bitterly.

“Of course. That bastard flirted with you.”

Barkan had an amazing talent for talking like a crazy dog but was also gifted with a smile as warm and dazzling as the August sun. Thanks to this, Erel Elorance, a perfectly normal person, became very confused.

‘What… Why are you… What the hell are you talking about…?! What kind of relationship do you think we have….?!’

The words she wanted to say were close to escaping from between her lips. However, the moment she saw flames crackling and growing in Barkan’s hand, the words were quickly suppressed.

“Wait a second! Hold on!” Erel said as she hastily grabbed his thick wrist. Barkan’s smile reached his eyes when she touched him for the first time without fear. This time, when he spoke again, his voice was gentle.

“Why? You said there is nothing going on between you two.”

‘He really is a bad-tempered man.’

With one glance at his perfect face, Erel could see that he was clearly enjoying her embarrassment and fear.

“Since you don’t know him, I can kill him.”

Erel desperately shook her head while trying to figure out what to do next, but she couldn’t think of anything that could help her get around this situation.

Meanwhile, the flames swirling above Barkan’s hand gradually increased in size. If he attacks with something like that, not even a group of Masakas, let alone Mirdal would be safe. No, he would definitely die.

‘Should I just let Mirdal die like this?’

In the first place, Mirdal was the villain who tried to kidnap her, so why should she try to save him? However, when she considered the employees of the hat shop who got caught up in his plan and eaten by Kitan, she thought it would be too cheap for him to die like this.

Erel had another reason for why she couldn’t stand by and let Mirdal die. The reason was quite simple. She knew very well that Mirdal would later reflect on his actions and serve her with a heart of atonement for the rest of his life.

‘This is the path for Mirdal’s secret ending.’

When Mirdal’s favorability was raised to a certain level, he would kneel before the player and confess his love, but admit he was a terrible monster who didn’t deserve to love anyone.

Mirdal’s parents were vain people who thought only of their family’s glory. They were immensely proud that a Masaka, a son of God, had been born into their family.

Naturally, Mirdal was given everything he wanted. In addition, his parents whispered poison into his ears by constantly telling him how special he was and how insignificant others were compared to him.

Since Mirdal grew up to be a terribly arrogant and selfish monster, he committed many crimes without fear or hesitation.

‘Perhaps that’s why the store staff were left to be eaten.’

In Mirdal’s eyes, anyone other than a Masaka was as worthless as a fly. When he wanted to add a little flair to his plans, he didn’t mind causing the deaths of a few commoners.

Mirdal was essentially responsible for the ever-increasing crime, but Masakas were the only beings who could kill the Kitans and the children of God. Therefore, he was granted an ‘immunity’ from which he was not punished by human law.

Instead, his entire family and all his friends were executed.

Mirdal was greatly shocked by this. His first punishment came a little too late and was as harsh as it was excessive.

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Mirdal, half out of his mind, wandered around the world for years. In the process, he took a look at himself and used the time as an opportunity for deep reflection. After living only for himself, he decided to spend the rest of his life saving humanity as a means of atonement.

It’s only after these events that the player of the game “Salvation” encounters Mirdal. Therefore, Raeyeon was very unfamiliar with the younger version of Mirdal.

‘Maybe I should give him a chance to atone.’

During the short period of time that she agonized over her troubles, the situation continued to deteriorate. Now, the flames swirling above Barkan’s hand were big enough to destroy an entire house.

“Let go of this hand,” Barkan warned with a bright smile. His razor-sharp eyes were focused on Erel’s slender fingers grasping his wrist. She knew the moment she let go of his wrist, Mirdal would surely burn until there wasn’t a single bone fragment left.

“Please don’t do this.”

“If you didn’t like him…”

Barkan reacted harshly to the words she had barely managed to voice. Instead of giving up, he raised the flames in his hands more menacingly while smiling brightly.

“You wouldn’t be begging for his life in front of me right now.”

She didn’t know if it was due to his mood, but it seemed like her next words would determine if Mirdal’s death would soon be caused by a fiery explosion.

“It’s not like that….”

“Then?”

As he waited for her response, his cruel eyes scrutinized her facial expression. Seeing this, Erel quickly spat out whatever words came to mind.

“Well… I… My ideal type is a man who knows how to cherish life, even a life he finds insignificant.”

It was a very desperate, but strangely specific claim. Upon hearing this, Barkan’s face briefly had a blank expression.

“Ha.”

At first, he exhaled sharply as if he was stunned, then the silence was quickly filled with his loud laughter. Barkan threw his head back and laughed as if it was his first time hearing something so amusing.

At the same time, an alert for a system message sounded.

[Barkan’s favorability Has Increased By 3]

Did her acting work? Erel anxiously watched Barkan’s expression. Barkan met her pleading eyes and stretched out an empty hand with a smile on his face.

“Oh, my”.

She flinched and almost moved to avoid it, but Erel closed her eyes tightly and endured the terrifying hand freely stroking her hair.

“The way you gazed at me with those eyes was very cute.”

Towards the end, his voice dropped down to a whisper in her ear. Erel found the sensation strange. Unable to pretend she didn’t hear, Erel opened her eyes again.

“It was a very impressive plea….”

His hair, which was more vibrant and colorful than the rising flames, and his dark golden eyes caught her attention. His lips curved into a luscious smile as he lowered his head and kissed her eyes slowly.

It was a very affectionate contact, unlike Barkan’s previous touches. It had the feeling of longing and a pity that seemed like he was sympathizing with something foolish and weak. When he kissed her again, he whispered, “It’s okay.”

“What do you mean?”

“You will get used to my ways soon enough.”

Before Erel had a chance to think about the meaning of his words, the sizzling flame moved to Barkan’s other hand and increased to a fearsome size.

Naturally, his hand moved to direct the fireball to where Mirdal was lying on the floor.

“No!!!”

Shocked, Erel reached out for his hand without a second thought. However, the differences in their physique were so great that she was unable to grab him and ended up grasping at the air instead.

Meanwhile, the flame rose from Barkan’s hand and looked like it would fly towards Mirdal’s head at any moment. It was then that Erel stopped watching and turned away. Barkan smiled languidly as if it was all just a joke.

‘He’s insane.’

She hated it. This man kills people like they’re nothing more than insects. And she hated this helpless situation where she had no choice but to be swayed by this man.

Seeing Mirdal die before her eyes would surely traumatize her to the point that just the sight of Barkan, the main culprit of all this, would make her shrink in fear.

‘And this man will most definitely enjoy it.’

With her completely terrified, it would be easy for him to drag her around and force her to bend to his will. He would use her however he desired and then throw her away when he’s done.

This was the future that awaited Erelle Elorance.

As these thoughts flooded her mind, an unknown force suddenly surged from deep inside her heart.