The Crown Prince Who Raises Alt Characters

#Chapter 286 Mercenary Owen (14) - Ophelia's Promise Ophelia wanted to die. No, she was dead. If Owen hadn't stopped her from trying to die by plunging her nose into a puddle about ankle-deep, the girl named Ophelia Hydrain would have been found as a drowning victim. "Well, did I misunderstand how it works? I didn't know different people dream different things. I don't know how serious of a nightmare it was, but this is definitely reality, so calm down now." Owen said this as if he was misunderstanding something after seeing her depressed state, but Ophelia didn't correct his misunderstanding. Even now when she was the only one who knew the dream's content, she felt like she could die from shame, so if this ever became known to others, she would really have to hang herself. '...No, there is one more creature that knows about it.' Ophelia turned her gaze to the seat beside her. There was a beautiful butterfly with blue wings there, and its appearance was so ethereal and mystical that anyone with sensitive emotions would shed tears just by looking at it. Of course, Ophelia was an exception. Considering that butterfly was the very culprit that made her have that terrible(?) dream, regardless of how pretty its appearance was, she just wanted to turn it into a specimen. The Dream Spirit also seemed to feel Ophelia's venomous gaze, as it began flying at a much lower altitude, dropping from around shoulder height to near knee level. Unlike a mage's familiar, the relationship between a spirit contractor and spirit was normally closer to cooperation or friendship rather than master and servant, but in the case of the Dream Spirit, since it was forcibly beaten and contracted, the hierarchy was clear. "Hey, isn't it too harsh to treat a friend you'll have to get along with in the future like that?" "Why should I treat something well when it suddenly attempted a surprise attack? I might have been trapped in dreams forever and become this thing's host." "That's, hmm. You're not wrong. Whether it's a spirit or whatever, karma must be properly paid." Whether her persuasion worked, Owen nodded without complaint, and seeing this, Ophelia felt secretly pleased. As expected, since he's my man, we understand each other— '—No, no, no, no, no!!' Thud thud thud thud thud! Ophelia pounded her head wildly with both hands while screaming internally. This was all because of that damned spirit. Strange information had entered her head and kept popping up randomly!! 'That, that was my desire? Becoming a married couple with that man? That can't be!!' There's no way she would have such thoughts about such a vulgar, sly man who always tried to tease people. This must all be a mistake by that Dream Spirit—no, by that blue thing that wasn't even worth calling a Dream Spirit. How could a mere spirit understand the delicate heart of a blooming young lady? But originally, when told 'Don't think of an elephant!', it's human nature for the brain to picture an elephant trumpeting. "Hey miss, could you show me the map for a sec—" "Hyaah!?" "No, why are you screaming?" "You, why are you suddenly bringing your face close without saying anything!!" "It's not like our faces touched or anything, you're being really fussy over just getting a little closer." "Anyway, get away! Get away!!" Ophelia squawked loudly and threw the map at him, and Owen caught it while grumbling and manipulated the reins to increase the distance. Confirming that Owen wasn't looking her way as he studied the map, Ophelia repeated deep breaths, trying to calm her flushed face and racing heart. Throughout the entire journey back after successfully capturing the blue thing, Ophelia's condition had been like this. When the distance with Owen decreased, her heart would unknowingly pound, and when she looked at his face, her body would strangely twist and turn for no reason. It would be better if there was something urgent or a serious threat nearby to focus her mind on, but the return journey was peace itself, making her wonder what all that murderous schedule up until now had been for. Of course, she understood it logically. The absence of pursuit from Tachanka Kingdom was thanks to Owen skillfully adjusting their route and erasing traces, and not being attacked by spirits or monsters was the result of the blue thing cleverly using its power while being mindful of its new 'contractor'. It meant this wasn't just happening because of bad luck or because the world was picking on her. However, aside from such logical matters, Ophelia simply felt like she was going crazy day by day. If you imagine embarrassing memories so cringeworthy you'd want to violently kick your blankets at night being forcibly replayed in her mind about once every 30 minutes, you could roughly understand her current state of mind. "Anyway, once we return to the Empire, our journey will gradually come to an end." Then one day. At Owen's casually spoken words, Ophelia unconsciously stiffened. That's right, it was the end. Ophelia had achieved her initial goal of 'obtaining a powerful spirit', and Owen had also properly completed his role as her bodyguard. A perfect and clean ending, far from the common and bitter conclusions of losing companions during travel or failing to properly obtain what was desired. It should certainly be like that, but what was this feeling of strange emptiness in her chest? "...What will you do after the contract ends?" "Well. I'll have to look for new work. I'm a bit tired of moving around in the Empire, so this time I want to go somewhere far." "Somewhere far?" "Like the Liu Empire, or the Hasht Sacred State, or the Onium Beastkin Alliance? If there are newer places, that wouldn't be bad either." "Wouldn't it be better to settle in one place and have stable employment?" For example, continuing to serve as my bodyguard by my side. The words that followed only circled within Ophelia's heart without coming out as sound. She wasn't honest and straightforward enough to blurt that out directly. "No, mercenaries by nature shouldn't be tied down to one place for too long." "Why?" "If you keep getting employed by only one faction, you end up being treated as a subordinate rather than an equal contract partner. Then your value decreases and your treatment gets worse and worse. You have to always maintain an attitude that you might be available but might not, that they're the ones who need you rather than the other way around, to keep receiving good treatment." "You don't want to be a caught fish? How materialistic." Ophelia's voice naturally became sullen. She was aware it was childish, but her heart was so turbulent and confused that she couldn't sort out her emotions at all. Perhaps sensing that she was in a bad mood, Owen shrugged and closed his mouth, and the two continued their journey without conversation. And finally, their steps reached the city where the two had first met. "This is as far as we go. I don't know how it was for you, miss, but for me it was quite a decent journey." Well then, he said. Owen simply turned his back and started walking. Was it because her perspective was skewed that his retreating figure didn't seem to show any regret? Snorting with a "good riddance" attitude, Ophelia also headed in the opposite direction from Owen. One step. 'First I should stop by home. I brought a high-ranking spirit as promised, so those people won't have anything to say. If they change their words, I can just make them have plenty of nightmares.' Two steps. 'Next I'll go to Lady Kuella's territory. It would be nice to work as a civil official by her side, but if not, something like a bodyguard wouldn't be bad either.' Three steps. 'Everything is successful. I've succeeded in my gamble. From now on, only pleasant days await. Days that are even more wonderful and better than that dream.' And on the fourth step. Instead of moving forward, Ophelia turned her body around. Her beige hair swayed greatly, and her light green eyes moved busily. Confirming Owen's figure disappearing into the crowd in the distance, she gritted her teeth tightly and then ran toward his back. Thud! Her hand touched the mercenary's back. With her head slightly lowered and eyes tightly shut, Ophelia opened her mouth. "I know too!! How sullen, dishonest, difficult, and troublesome I am as a woman!" "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have succeeded in this journey, and perhaps I might not even be a person of this world!" "Thinking about parting with a naive child who you had to take care of every little thing, you might feel relieved!" "Yes! I'll admit it all! But even so!" "Parting like this is too much! Just going our separate ways because our goal is finished is such a sad thing!" "Am I the only one who feels regret? Are you really completely indifferent? Am I, Ophelia Hydrain, just a passing connection to the mercenary named Owen?" "Say something!!" Behind Owen's back, Ophelia's fingertips trembled as she grasped his clothes. One, two, three. As seconds passed without an answer coming back, just when she was beginning to feel anxious. With a swift motion, Owen slipped out of her grasp. And before she could despair at that fact, thick and firm hands grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his embrace in one swift motion. Ophelia's forehead revealed between her disheveled bangs. A soft yet rough sensation touched and left that spot. "—Forgive me with just this much, miss. Doing more than this would be unfaithful in many ways." A voice whispering by her ear, much more gentle than usual. Ophelia wanted to lift her head to see what expression Owen was making, but that was impossible. His firm chest was holding her tightly in his embrace. "By the way, miss, you really have no eye for men. Or perhaps you're the type who's attracted to bad men?" "...Usually, people who say such things about themselves aren't actually bad people." "But I really am that type. Especially when it comes to women." "...Is it complicated?" "From 'my current perspective', you could say that." Ophelia pouted for a moment. But the fact that Owen would have complicated relationships with women was something that could easily be predicted just from his attitude and behavior, so she soon pretended to be relaxed and said. "It doesn't matter. I'll make sure you can't look at anyone other than me." "Oh, would that be the same even if it were your admired Lady Kuella?" "No, that's a bit... more importantly, you didn't lay a hand on Lady Kuella, right!? Surely not!?" Owen burst into hearty laughter, and Ophelia shrieked. Though even as she made such a fuss, she didn't actually try to escape from his embrace. Perhaps because the blue thing saw this as an opportunity to score points and used its power, even though they were embracing in the middle of the street, people naturally passed by as if the two weren't visible. How long were they embracing like that? "Well then, I should be going." "Can't you not go?" "Unfortunately, that's not for me to decide." "Don't mercenaries have the right to decide their own future?" "Originally that would be correct, but I also have someone like a mercenary captain." "Then I'll have to steal you away. You should prepare a new contract in advance." "It won't be easy, will it?" "It's not impossible. What do you think?" With a chuckling sound, the sensation of being embraced by Owen faded away. Ophelia widened her eyes and looked around, but Owen had already vanished like a ghost. On the ground where he had disappeared, these words were carved. ─If the treatment is good, it's not impossible. "...This is really too much." When a girl has clung to someone this desperately, shouldn't he at least give a definite answer? At Owen's behavior that left room for negotiation until the end—thoroughly mercenary-like in a way—Ophelia pursed her lips, then soon chuckled softly. "Don't regret not setting the conditions in advance." Next time, she would employ him much more ruthlessly, persistently, and thoroughly. What kind of contract would be used then was something that didn't need to be said.