Malicious Whimsy

Volume Two

Chapter 126: Malicious Whimsy

What was… weeping?

Anna’s hand trembled as she reached out, touching the dry corners of her eyes.

“Senior, what’s wrong?”

Ewan looked at Anna, a knot forming in his stomach. He sensed something was profoundly amiss with her.

“It’s nothing, I’m fine…”

Anna whispered, her gem-like eyes darting around in frantic search, as if seeking something terrifying.

Finally, her gaze settled on Ewan’s face, staring blankly for a long moment. Something began to emerge from the depths of her heart.

Then, her eyes slowly drifted downwards, coming to rest on Ewan’s chest.

At that very moment, the setting sun fully dipped below the horizon.

An overwhelming darkness enveloped the entire world, and with it, the light in Anna’s eyes completely faded.

In its place, a different emotion surfaced—or perhaps, a desire.

Hunger.

*Gulp. Gulp.*

Anna swallowed frantically, her eyes fixed on Ewan’s chest. Everything in her vision turned to a monochrome gray, save for the vibrant, beating heart within his ribcage.

So hungry. So hungry.

She wanted to eat.

She yearned to devour her junior’s heart.

Her stomach, which had felt no hunger moments before, suddenly began to rumble ravenously. Countless eerie whispers echoed in her ears, and a chilling will descended once more, vying for control over her body.

Anna gasped for breath, instinctively clutching the gem hanging at her chest. The warmth emanating from it finally brought a flicker of clarity to her consciousness.

This was…

Anna lowered her gaze in horror. Black scales were reappearing on her fair arm, spreading even more rapidly this time, like a virulent poison, swiftly covering her entire limb.

“Why…?”

Ewan witnessed the sight, his expression instantly freezing in shock, his body feeling as though it had plunged into an ice cellar.

‘It didn’t… succeed?’

They had gone on a date.

They had kissed.

He had even used tears imbued with love.

‘The words ‘Tears of True Love’ couldn’t be wrong. So, was the method flawed… or was it his own feelings?’

“Wait, Senior, we can still try other things…”

Ewan instinctively reached out, wanting to grasp her.

But she nimbly evaded him.

“Enough, junior.”

She skillfully tucked her arm into her sleeve, her head bowed, her expression unreadable.

“You’ve already done more than enough. There’s no need for these futile efforts anymore.”

“This isn’t futile! At least we’ve ruled out one wrong option, haven’t we?”

Ewan’s voice began to tremble. “For instance, we can still, still…”

The words caught in his throat, unable to form. Because after ‘still,’ there was simply… nothing.

This had been the most probable option. If even this failed, what else could he do?

‘The most probable option…’

‘No, this definitely isn’t the most probable option. Something… something has been overlooked!’

Yet, under the insidious influence of the evil god, he couldn’t find the correct path.

Ewan suddenly looked up, his face contorted in a grimace as he stared at the sky.

Beneath the recently darkened canopy, the sky was pristine, devoid of both stars and moon.

However, Ewan felt as though he could see a faint, cerulean moon gazing down from beyond the dark firmament, sneering with contempt at the presumptuous ants below.

‘To show a glimmer of hope, then, just as that hope ignites euphoria, to snatch it away completely, leaving only… endless despair.’

‘This was exactly what Teacher Mera had meant by the evil god’s… malicious whimsy!’

****

“Indeed, was this date something that should never have happened?”

As the cold gradually stole her body heat, Anna hugged herself, her delicate frame trembling as she murmured in agony, “Indeed, is ‘true love’ merely a figment of imagination?”

“No, that’s not right, Senior. My feelings are…”

“Enough! It’s truly enough! You don’t need to say anything more!”

Anna suddenly lifted her head. The hair tie that had loosely bound her hair was gone, and her unbound locks danced wildly in the night wind.

Her cold, serpentine eyes fixed on Ewan, as if she had transformed into a different person in an instant. All Ewan saw was indifference.

“Go.”

“I’m not leaving. I’m going to save you.”

“I don’t need you to save me, nor do I deserve your salvation!”

Anna declared.

“Go live your own life, Ewan Campbell. You shouldn’t be entangled with someone like me. You have a happy and bright future ahead.”

“A future without Senior—how can that be happy? I must…”

“Tyke Rhode, I killed him.”

“What?”

Ewan’s eyes widened in astonishment at Anna’s sudden, nonsensical confession.

“I said, the Earl’s son. I did kill him. On the first night of the Open Day, I killed him and ate his heart.”

“That’s impossible!”

“Why is it impossible? I’m a serpentkin!”

Anna’s gaze returned to Ewan’s chest, this time making no attempt to conceal the hunger in her eyes.

“Devouring the hearts of the opposite s*x is a serpentkin’s nature. Were it not for this gem, I would have already carved out your heart.”

In the face of such palpable coldness and murderous intent, Ewan was speechless.

“Do you understand now? I am a man-eating monster, a murderous executioner. Even if you truly cured my serpentification, what then? Could you possibly conceal the crimes of a woman who killed an Earl’s son?

Even a Duke’s son cannot accomplish everything!”

Anna retreated step by step. Behind her, the vast expanse of water resembled an abyss, ready to swallow all.

“Furthermore, I only approached you to use you, understand? Now you have no more value to me, so—get lost.”

With that, Anna cast a cold glance at Ewan, then, without hesitation, slowly leaned back towards the cliff behind her.

A gentle breeze swept by, her skirt fluttering in the air like falling petals.

“No—”

Ewan roared, his eyes bloodshot, and lunged forward instantly.

His Alchemic Core activated, slowing time by sixtyfold!

Tiny blooms of blood burst across his skin from the immense strain of his superhuman efforts, yet Ewan remained oblivious, focused only on pushing himself faster, ever faster.

But Anna seemed to have anticipated his move. Before Ewan could take a step, violent currents had already coalesced into a howling hurricane, blocking his path.

No matter how much time he accelerated, he couldn’t instantly breach the barrier of the wind wall.

And so, their fingertips, mere inches apart, brushed past each other.

Ewan could only watch as that familiar yet indifferent face grew increasingly distant.

****

In the deepening night, two successive splashes suddenly broke the silence, startling the boatmen spending the night on the river.

They occurred barely a second or two apart.

Yet, when Ewan opened his eyes underwater, frantically searching for that graceful figure, the inky darkness of the water revealed nothing.

****

Ewan didn’t know how long he searched in the water. By the time he was utterly exhausted and dragged onto a fishing boat, the sky was already turning a faint pearly gray with the dawn.

He knew his efforts were futile. In such complex waters, where three rivers converged, finding and catching up to a girl who was so skilled in swimming she could catch fish as a child was nothing but a fool’s errand.

‘Three rivers converging, skilled in swimming.’

“Senior, did you foresee this outcome all along?”

Sitting on the fishing boat, gazing at the vast expanse of water, Ewan couldn’t help but murmur softly.

Perhaps it was from being submerged too long, but his mind felt hazy and disoriented.

To express his gratitude, he casually pulled out a large wad of cash, startling the fisherman—who had never seen so much money in his life—into unconsciousness. Then, Ewan staggered back to the secluded street, step by step.

He wandered aimlessly, like a walking corpse.

Finally, he tripped over something, falling headfirst into a pile of fallen leaves.

“Finished so soon?”

At that moment, he heard a familiar, aged voice.

Shaking his head, he struggled to lift himself from the ground. Ewan realized he had somehow returned to the small shop. The old man lay in a rocking chair outside the door, his cloudy eyes half-open, watching him.

“I…”

Before Ewan could speak, the old man’s gaze suddenly turned cold.

“So that’s how it is…”

The old man’s gnarled, withered fingers tapped lightly on the armrest of the rocking chair.

Instantly!

It was like a clap of thunder exploding in Ewan’s ears!

An immense force slammed into his chest, sending him flying backward. He crashed through several walls across the alley before finally coming to a stop.

“Cough, cough—”

Ewan clawed his way out of the rubble, coughing up several mouthfuls of blood.

“Are you awake now?”

Through his dizziness, the old man’s calm voice reached him.

Ewan managed a bitter smile. “I am.”

“So, you failed?”

“I failed.”

“And you just came back alone, with your tail between your legs?”

“Senior ran away.”

“Yes, that’s her style.

So—”

The old man’s eyes grew cold again, staring into Ewan’s. “You just gave up.”

“Give up? Of course not.”

Ewan lowered his head, looking at his hands, which had turned pale from being soaked in river water. Recalling everything that had happened, his heart ached, and he let out a desolate laugh. “I won’t give up. I just… don’t know how to save someone who doesn’t want me to save her.”

“Idiot!”

The old man suddenly slapped the rocking chair, roaring in fury. “Are you really the playboy Ewan Campbell the reports spoke of?”

“What?”

Ewan was startled, but the old man continued, “You believe a woman’s contradictory words?”

“Contradictory words?”

Ewan’s eyes brightened. “Are you saying Senior was lying?”

“I don’t know.”

Ewan’s expression stiffened.

“However, I do know that a foolish girl like her, who closes off her heart and only rejects others, has long since made disguising her true feelings an instinct.”

“Like a serpent, skilled at camouflage,” Ewan murmured softly.

“Here, take this.”

The old man suddenly tossed a slip of paper to Ewan.

“‘Lotta Orphanage,’ this is…” Ewan took the paper and saw an address written on it.

“Go there and take a look.”

The old man shifted into a more comfortable position, closing his eyes to resume his nap. “Perhaps you’ll find the truth you’re searching for.”