Jeril lifted her chin and gripped the barrel of the gun tightly.
Karon flinched and took a step back, but the gun still pointed at her.
Each time he retreated, Jeril stubbornly followed, step for step.
Soon, Karon’s back hit a dead-end wall.
“Can’t shoot, can you?”
Jeril braced a hand on the wall beside his shoulder and spoke firmly.
He won’t shoot me.
It was a reckless certainty—but one she believed in completely.
“So just stop now. Let it go.”
“……”
“You don’t like killing people, anyway.”
Her blue hair spilled into his line of sight as his red eyes wavered.
No one spoke for several long moments.
When Jeril gripped the gun barrel again, a faint sigh came from above her—rough and heavy, scraping his throat.
“Can’t tell if you’re fearless or just reckless…”
“Karl, you’re back to your senses!”
“Thanks to you.”
Jeril exhaled in relief and slumped down, trying to steady her spinning vision.
Click.
“…Then why are you still pointing the gun?”
Even though the frenzy had ended, the muzzle remained aimed at her.
“It’s not over until I see blood.”
Before she could stop him—
BANG!
Karon shifted his freed hand and fired—straight into the right side of his own chest.
“Karl!”
Jeril caught his collapsing body in a panic.
His pulse was slowing, weaker than before. Her face turned pale.
He was already losing too much blood…
Jeril gritted her teeth and drew in a surge of energy.
In the blood-smeared alleyway, a blue light began to spread.
Dizzy…
The more Karon’s wound healed, the deeper Jeril’s own injuries became.
The gash along her side tore open wider, and pain flooded in.
Her vision swam.
“...Ru…bian?”
Through the ringing in her ears, a familiar voice reached her.
Relieved, Jeril surrendered herself to the darkness.
The soft feel of a blanket stirred her drowsy mind.
So cozy.
It felt like lying under a comforter with the air conditioner on—utter bliss.
Jeril rubbed her cheek against the sheets. Just one more thing would make this perfect...
Lick.
Yeah, just one little—
“Wah?!”
Something warm licked the bridge of her nose.
Startled, she opened her eyes.
In her blurry vision was an animal flicking its tongue—
A black-bodied leopard with glowing red eyes.
It purred deeply and pressed its big head against her, as if begging for more affection.
“You look like someone I know,” Jeril muttered.
Only then did she look around.
Definitely not her house.
Probably Karon’s place, then.
Her whole body ached, and her clothes were stained with what looked like dried blood.
Well, I did overuse blue magic, so that tracks.
As she scratched the leopard’s belly, boredom set in.
Usually, by this point, a maid or butler would come in asking if she was awake.
Her stomach growled. She stood up—then immediately regretted it.
“Ow…”
Someone had stitched up her side while she was asleep.
Checking to make sure the wound hadn’t reopened, Jeril began to walk carefully.
Pain or no pain, curiosity came first—she needed to find out where she was.
Because of that, she missed the small note lying on the table beside her bed.
When she stepped outside, a wide garden came into view—overgrown with weeds, clearly neglected.
Not the main mansion… maybe a villa?
The leopard followed behind her, bumping its head into her back again.
Pet me, its gentle eyes seemed to say.
“Where’s your master?” she asked.
“Who just leaves a patient alone like this…” she muttered, resting her head against the black panther.
Then, a voice came from behind her—half annoyed, half stunned.
“Why are you out of bed?”
The leopard turned toward its owner, its swishing tail brushing against Jeril’s nose.
“Achoo! Ah—my side!”
“You really find ways to suffer,” Karon sighed.
He crossed the garden toward her.
“Do you have any idea how terrifying it looks from afar—white-haired woman in white clothes with a black beast?”
“Well, what was I supposed to do? I woke up and there was no one around.”
“The note on the table?”
Jeril blinked in confusion. Karon sighed, realizing she hadn’t seen it.
“Is your wound okay?” she asked.
“You slammed magic into me like a hammer.”
“That’s your roundabout way of saying you’re fine? You sound like a pretzel.”
“…Pret—what? Guess the anesthetic hasn’t worn off yet.”
Unfair—but true. Her oddly high energy really was the drug’s fault.
The leopard licked her hand again.
“You’re already friends with Meow, huh. They say blue mages are good with animals—it’s true.”
“…What did you just call it?”
She couldn’t believe what she’d heard.
“Meow. That’s the animal’s name.”
“Sorry, I must’ve misheard. What did you say it was?”
“Meow.”
“Again.”
“Meow.”
“Once more.”
“Enough.”
His deadpan face combined with the “meow” noises created a surreal mismatch.
Good grief. The gods must’ve stripped this man of any naming sense.
“Go lie down,” he ordered.
“Yessir… Oh right! Did you take the antidote?”
Karon gave her a puzzled look.
Jeril gasped.
“The guy coated his blade with poison!”
“Ah.”
“‘Ah’? That’s it? Take your clothes off—I’ll treat you!”
“No.”
Their argument continued into the mansion.
“Take it off!”
“No.”
“I said take it off!”
“I said no.”
Was he some kind of ascetic or just a prude? Jeril clenched her teeth in frustration.
It made no sense to refuse treatment when a purification spell would fix it instantly.
“Why won’t you let me heal you?”
“It’ll heal on its own.”
What, are you a walking antidote now?
She wanted to yell that—but unfortunately, he wasn’t wrong.
If blue mages had heightened senses, red mages had heightened regeneration.
Still, it would hurt—a lot—for a few days.
“Then at least drink an antidote.”
“I don’t have any.”
“What?”
“I said, I don’t have one.”
He didn’t have any? Or he never kept any?
Jeril, now fuming, called over a passing servant.
When she first woke, the place had seemed empty—but there were, in fact, a few caretakers moving about.
She even recognized one from the Imperial Palace.
“Excuse me—could you fetch me a common antidote?”
“Is it for… the master?”
“Yes.”
“In that case, you needn’t worry. His recovery ability is exceptional.”
Karon smirked, clearly enjoying this. Jeril’s temper boiled over.
People were pitiful when in pain—she knew that all too well.
“Karl. Bite down.”
“What?”
Light flared around her fist as she cast a purification spell—then drove it straight into his abdomen.
Normally, detoxification took time and steady focus,
but a sharp burst worked just as well.
“Urgh—what the hell…”
“All done. You’ll feel tired, so you should rest.”
“…You’re insane.”
He clutched his stomach, gritting out the words—but his complexion was already improving.
“When you’re hungry, you eat. When you’re tired, you sleep. When you’re hurt, you get treated.
Stop acting like that’s something special.”
That was how Jeril used to think—
If I get sick, maybe someone will finally look at me. Maybe they’ll pity me and touch my forehead.
But it was all meaningless.
All it left behind was sorrow, humiliation—and scars.
Perhaps the anesthesia made her more irritable than usual, but Jeril turned to leave.
A worried butler stopped her.
“Miss, you should take a painkiller. Your side—”
Sure enough, blood was seeping through her clothes again. The stitches had reopened.
“Preachy and yet blind to your own mess, huh?”
Clicking his tongue, Karon lifted her up in one motion.
She barely registered the steps before her back sank into something soft.
“Here. Painkiller. Take it now.”
In a daze, Jeril swallowed the pill the butler handed her.
The last few minutes already felt hazy.
The anesthetics in this world sure are strong…
Soon, she heard the sofa creak as Karon sat nearby.
Silence filled the room, except for the leopard’s purring at his feet and the faint chirping of insects outside.
“…That man earlier—who was he? Did you do something wrong?”
“That’s none of your concern.”
“You were stabbed in the side. How is that not my concern?”
Jeril’s soft voice broke the thick quiet.
Karon lifted his head from his papers.
“A grudge.”
“Sorry?”
“I’ve earned some grudges.”
His voice was low, almost detached.
“From who?”
“…Too many to tell.”
“I see…”
Their conversation drifted without purpose.
Neither really sought answers—just a way to fill the quiet.
Drowsy from the painkillers, Jeril’s eyes fluttered shut.
“They’ll come again, won’t they?”
“Most likely. But…”
Karon glanced at her.
“Next time, you won’t be here.”
“…We’ll see about that…”
You’ll see.
Her words trailed off as her breathing steadied into sleep.
Karon looked at her one last time, then turned his gaze away.
The sun had set, and darkness crept in.
The chorus of insects grew louder.
“Blue mage…” he murmured softly.
And just as sleep began to claim him—
【You killed her.】
A voice whispered.
