Chapter 8

Arlin's consciousness became hazy. From Viola's mouth, a voice filled with murderous intent escaped. Viola's eyes were tinged with a slight red hue. "You pointed a knife at me?" Viola slapped Tundra's cheek. Thud! Tundra's face, which fell helplessly, turned a deep red. Viola firmly pressed down on Tundra. It happened in the blink of an eye. "You bastard." Soon, Viola pressed down on Tundra's back with her knee. While pressing Tundra from behind, she pushed a dagger into her mouth. "Hmm. I wonder what would happen if I apply force to the side?" Arlin's consciousness screamed, "This isn't right!" as it struggled. Her body was out of control. It felt as if the real Viola had taken over her body. 'I have to find my way back.' She had to somehow regain control of her body. 'If I don't...' It seemed like something really bad would happen. And Arlin knew, 'Tundra can resist if she wants to.' She wasn't just unable to resist. Tundra's talent and Viola's talent were evenly matched. Assuming neither had received any training. Being so powerless didn't fit the role of the protagonist. 'She's not resisting.' Arlin read Tundra's mind. 'Driven by a burning desire for revenge, but... in the end, she just wants to give up.' It seems she feels it's all over. Arlin knew that feeling well. She felt the same way in middle school. Her mother had died long ago and was no longer by her side. Her father, who said he would come, abandoned her, and the people around her whispered about her not having parents. At that time, she had little reason to live. "I'll be by your side." If it weren't for Kang Hanjun, Arlin might have jumped off the rooftop that day. Tundra's psychological state was clear to her. She must have already sensed that her sister was dead. That's why she's afraid to move forward. She must have seen her father's body. She probably doesn't have the courage to face her sister's body. 'So, she thinks it's better to just die here.' It hurt. The thought of him thinking such things with his face and body made her heart ache. 'Huh? It's moving.' Her body moved. She regained consciousness. She glanced back. Xenon stood there with a very pleased expression. When did he come? Bichen looked slightly embarrassed. Her lips were pouting. Bichen said, "I, I can do that too, right?" Xenon smiled and said, "It was a neat job, Miss." Viola felt a lump in her chest. She hadn't expected it. 'Is this a side effect of possession?' Anyway, she needed to clean up the situation. "I like this one." She put the dagger away. It was fortunate she came to her senses before really stabbing him. Viola pointed at Tundra. "I'm going to make this one my toy." *** In the carriage returning to the mansion. Bichen boasted about her strength. "I took out seven bad guys." It wasn't a particularly beautiful story. She listened with one ear and let it out the other. "But, Viola." "What?" "Did anyone else apply ointment to you besides me?" "No." "So, I was the first?" "Yes." Bichen's eyes narrowed. She breathed heavily and looked out the window, feeling strange. "Hmm." "Why?" "You know, Viola." Bichen didn't hide her true feelings. "Don't apply ointment to anyone else besides me." "Why?" "W, well, it's..." Bichen didn't really understand her own feelings. She just didn't like it. "It's a dangerous poison, you know?" Is the ointment a dangerous poison? ...Since when? "My heart starts pounding, and my body feels like it's floating. I laugh, but tears come out. The side effects are really serious." Ah, I see. "If it were a normal person, it would be very dangerous, right?" "A normal person?" "Vellatu has a blessed body and mana. It's dangerous for me, so what about normal people?" Viola sighed. "Why are you sighing?" "Just." She felt complicated in many ways. She was worried about Tundra, who was being carried like luggage, and felt sorry for Bichen, who genuinely felt the ointment was a poison. "Bichen." "What, brother?" "Yes, Bichen brother." Bichen smiled brightly. "Yeah. Why?" "The ointment isn't a poison. So it's not dangerous." "It is." Bichen was being stubborn. "You know it's a lie, brother, right?" Bichen's face turned red. Talking to Viola, she seemed to understand. Why she didn't like it. "I don't like others feeling it." Bichen wanted to monopolize that feeling. "If you apply the ointment, others will feel the same way." Normally, applying ointment doesn't make you feel that way. Viola stopped talking. Then Bichen clapped her hands. "Ah! I have a good idea." She giggled. If Viola applied the ointment to someone else? "Just get rid of them." "What?" "Then Viola, the only person you've applied the ointment to in the world would be Bichen." Realizing this, Bichen felt relieved. A smile appeared on her lips. It felt like a toothache that had been bothering her was finally gone. *** Viola returned to her room. Xenon put Tundra, who was slung over his shoulder, on the ground. Tundra was still unconscious. Tundra's wrists and ankles were bound with magical restraints that controlled movement and mana, connected by chains. The sight of her hands and feet bound like a slave and her mouth gagged made Viola's heart ache. Viola silently watched Tundra. 'No. It's not my brother. But it's not, and yet... It looks so much like him. The only difference is the look in the eyes, but the eyes are the same.' Viola sat in a chair, far away. She deliberately wiggled her toes arrogantly. She saw her own reflection in the distant mirror. There was no worse villain. She still didn't know if this was good or sad. "What should we do with the toy, Miss?" Viola answered in a way that was typical of her. "Display it nicely." "Understood." When Xenon injected a little mana, the magical chains automatically unfolded. Tundra's limbs were stretched out to the sides, forming a shape like being crucified. Viola grinned. "Not bad. Then, go out." "What are you going to do?" "I don't know. Since you're my dog, you need to be trained, right?" "If you need anything, just call me, Miss." "Okay." She sent Xenon out first. After sending Xenon out, Viola pulled at her hair. 'Ugh, what should I do?' How do you train someone? She brought him here to save him. The sound of the chains moving was heard. Ugh. A faint moan was also heard. Tundra was starting to regain consciousness. "W, what, what is this!" Tundra, who had regained consciousness, was confused. The gag in his mouth made it hard to speak clearly. Viola, still sitting in the chair, just watched Tundra for a while. Tundra glared at Viola. "U, untie me!" Saliva dripped from his mouth. Despite the harsh treatment, Tundra's spirit was not broken. When they first met, Viola was surprised. Meeting such a young girl in the hideout. But now the situation was different. In Tundra's mind, Viola was the perfect enemy. The monster who pushed a knife into his mouth and exuded murderous intent. "I'll k, kill you!" Seeing this, Viola also regained her senses. 'Right. It's not my brother.' He always smiled in front of Arlin. He was like a sturdy tree, always by her side. He didn't have the eyes of a wild animal, thrashing around like that. 'It's just the same appearance.' She made up her mind. 'Right. Just the same shell.' She made up her mind. Click! Click! Tundra continued to struggle, making the restraints rattle. Tundra, who was shouting in excitement, seemed ready to tear Viola apart with his eyes. "Aaaaaah!!" Phew. Viola took a deep breath. 'It's okay. Everything will be fine.' She knew better than anyone what kind of character Tundra was. "What's your name?" "Aaaaaah! Untie this!" Viola waited silently for Tundra to calm down. 'Tundra is a rational and intelligent character.' Just now, he was too young. He hadn't received proper education. Having lost his family and been kidnapped, he seemed to have lost his mind. She needed to help him regain his composure. "You broke into the hideout alone. What was the result? You only managed to kill two, and you ended up with serious injuries." Viola deliberately dug into Tundra's heart. "Moreover, you ended up doing nothing, hiding in a corner and trembling. You didn't even confirm your sister's death with your own eyes. Isn't that right?" "Aaaaaah!" Tundra screamed and thrashed. "You probably wanted to give up. Cowardly. You might have thought it would be easier to just die. I felt the same way. I was an orphan." Suddenly. Tundra's body stopped. "My mother died, and my father abandoned me. I'm adopted now." When she entered the orphanage. Kang Hanjun had said to her. "My name is Kang Hanjun." "My name is Viola Vellatu." At some point. He had also said to her. "You were abandoned." He didn't always comfort her with warm words. He told her the reality with a gentle gaze. Looking back, it was better that way. The lies of adults, saying that her father would come back someday, that everything would be fine, gave young Arlin false hope, and that hope made her suffer even more. The higher the tower of hope, the more painful the fall. "Your father and sister are dead." There was another thing Kang Hanjun had said to Arlin, who thought the world had collapsed. "It won't be okay." "But I'll be by your side." What did those words mean? Those words were like magic, making Arlin stand up. "It won't be okay." Although the situation was different, the circumstances were similar. "But I'll be by your side." The words Kang Hanjun had said to Arlin. Viola said to Tundra.