I’m Trying to End This Possession Chapter 92

* * *

“Do you still like me even after seeing this?” Ignis asked while smoking a cigarette. “Are you really going to follow me tomorrow?” She’d run away. For sure. Especially after showing such a thing to a girl with no immunity to it.

 

Yet, Dana muttered with a flushed face. “Why do you think I’m still sitting here?”

 

“…So you’re really determined to go with me?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Is she crazy? Ignis was beginning to seriously question Dana’s mental state. Apparently, she’d fallen hard under the spell of love. “You… Do you even know what that means?”

 

“Huh?”

 

“Following me means you’ll have to put up with all of this.”

 

“W-Why is that?”

 

“You naive saintess. Right now, I’m doing this alone while looking at your face, but do you think you’ll be able to sit there quietly and watch even after we leave together?”

 

“…Regardless, my feelings haven’t changed.”

 

At those words, Ignis let out a hollow laugh. The look in Dana’s eyes as she stared at him truly was the same as before. I’m really going to ruin her life.

 

“Saintess, your taste is truly unique.”

 

“Don’t mock someone’s taste.”

 

Glare. The nerve of her, glaring at him like that. Of course, it wasn’t the least bit threatening.

 

Ignis laughed involuntarily but then froze in shock a moment later. Laughed. He’d laughed without even realizing it. When was the last time I laughed like this? But had I ever laughed like this before?

 

Pondering for a moment, Ignis then readily admitted the truth to himself. With a holy expression, he took a drag from his cigarette. I’m the one who’s screwed. F*ck. How embarrassing. To act like this at my age. He could excuse the girl for being utterly naive, but shouldn’t he know better than to let himself get away with feelings like this?

 

Danae had fallen for me because she thought I’d saved her. If she ever found out the whole thing had been an act… Now that things have come to this, I’ll keep it hidden no matter what. Originally, Ignis thought it wouldn’t matter if he got caught, as long as he had seduced her and taken her vault. But the fact that he was even entertaining such an absurd thought was proof that he was already done for.

 

Ignis looked into the air and exhaled a cloud of cigarette smoke, smiling. I’m seriously screwed.

 

* * *

Afterward, Ignis had a long conversation with Dana.

 

“I want to know more about you, Lord Ignis.”

 

It was because Dana had said that.

 

They weren’t children. And yet here they were, getting on bed and chatting.

 

“So, you didn’t know? Never heard my nickname?”

 

“…I’ve heard people call you a horny b*stard.”

 

“It’s embarrassing compared to the beautiful nickname of Saintess Danae. Isn’t that right, holy Saintess Danae?”

 

“Please stop. I hate that nickname.”

 

“Why? It’s a great honor for a saintess like you to fancy a b*stard like me.”

 

“Stop joking around.”

 

Ignis had said it as if he were joking, but he meant it.

 

They were still on the bed together, so his desire kept growing naturally. Still, he restrained himself. This would be her first time. Ignis didn’t want Dana to experience it in such a manner at a place like this. Somewhere better than here… Right, somewhere beautiful, like a palace overlooking the sea or a villa with a view of mountains bathed in the setting sun. A place like that would suit Danae.

 

It was strange that he was even thinking about such things. He hadn’t thought of himself as the kind of person who would care about things like that…

 

“There’s a secret vault in this room? Really?”

 

Not only that, but they were even lying in bed, chatting like this.

 

“Yeah. This was my room when I was a kid. It’s been vacant ever since. Looks like no one’s found it yet.”

 

“How fascinating. Where is the secret vault?”

 

“That’s.” Obviously, it’s a secret. Do you think I’m crazy enough to tell you?

 

“To think you made a secret place like that. You must have been quite the mischievous boy even when you were young, Lord Ignis. How cute.”

 

“…”

 

But, well… would it really matter if I told her? At that moment, Ignis realized that his heart had softened to an unusual degree. Surely it would be fine. After all, this girl is going to leave with me tomorrow. She’s throwing away her entire life just to follow me, looking only at me. Then it should be fine to share this much with someone like her. Besides, with those sparkling eyes of hers, eager to learn more about me, she would undoubtedly look dejected if I refused to tell her. Ignis absolutely didn’t want to see that. So he told her. Something he’d never told anyone in his entire life.

 

Truly, it was a strange night.

 

“Feeling sleepy now?”

 

“A bit.”

 

“Then go to sleep. We agreed to leave tomorrow, remember?”

 

“Right. We did.”

 

“Good night.”

 

Ignis was so sleepy that he couldn’t endure it any longer. So he closed his eyes. When he opened them tomorrow, his life would be completely different. Absurdly enough, he found himself looking forward to it…

 

“…done?”

 

“Mmm, almost.”

 

But what was that sound? Ignis blinked dazedly.

 

“It’s been erased properly.”

 

“How fascinating.”

 

What’s that? White hair.

 

Dana was sitting on the leather sofa. And next to her was…

 

“I’ve erased everything on this side too.”

 

Dana’s handsome secretary.

 

“Good job, Lethe.”

 

Ignis couldn’t understand. What were Danae and her secretary doing over there? This was his bedroom. He was pretty sure he’d been talking with her on the bed just a moment ago before falling asleep.

 

“Then, I’ll be going first.”

 

“Yes.”

 

The secretary bowed and left the room. Click, the door closed.

 

“Hey.” Clutching his aching head, Ignis sat up. “What, are you, doing, right now?” But his head hurt so badly that his words wouldn’t come out properly. “What the hell is—” At that moment, his words abruptly stopped.

 

The scripture. Dana was holding the scripture in her hand.

 

Ignis barely managed to get up and strode over. Then he snatched the scripture from Dana’s hand. “What is this, Danae?” His voice came out hoarse as he spat out his words. “Where did you find this?”

 

“…From the place you told me about.”

 

The place I told her? Ah. Before falling asleep, on the bed. He had casually mentioned the secret vault’s location…

 

“But…” Dana looked at him as though he were a nuisance. “Can’t you just go back to sleep?”

 

“…” Ignis stared at her silently. He couldn’t comprehend what he’d just heard.

 

“Why did you wake up again when you barely managed to fall asleep?”

 

Am I dreaming? He wondered. Otherwise, there was no way Dana could be looking at him like that. Just a moment ago, she’d been gazing at him with eyes full of love… Why is she looking at me as if I’m a piece of trash now?

 

Still disoriented, Ignis rubbed his face dry. Then, he noticed something between his fingers. A wine glass on the table. Dana’s glass was still full. She hadn’t drunk a single drop.

 

“Ha.”

 

An enormous shudder swept through Ignis. A cruel, merciless truth seemed to be striking his head like an axe, splitting it open and open again.

 

“Ha, haha, ha.” It hurt so much that he could only laugh with a vacant expression.

 

At that, Dana smiled irritably. “Just go to sleep. Aren’t you sleepy?”

 

At that moment, crack. The sound of breaking glass rang out. Something he had experienced for the first time in his life began to split apart, crack by crack. Through those fractures, the woman smiled gently.

 

“I said go to sleep. Okay?”

 

It broke. Then shattered into pieces.

 

* * *

Ignis really was like a monster. He’s still like that even after taking such a powerful sleeping drug. She’d been told it was strong enough to knock out an elephant, and that it could even be life-threatening if an ordinary person took it. Nevertheless, Dana had added it to the wine without hesitation. And yet that man had drunk an entire bottle of the wine and still taken three hours to fall asleep. Only to wake up after a mere 30 minutes!

 

“Ah!”

 

Ignis grabbed her by the wrist. Thud! She was hurled into the bookcase opposite them.

 

“You.”

 

Ignis’s breath was hot. He was breathing so violently that he looked as though he might have a seizure at any moment.

 

Dana was impressed. To recover that much strength after taking that drug. This man’s stamina is definitely better than an elephant’s.

 

“You, did you.” The next moment, Ignis roughly seized her by the hair and pulled her close. His face, twisted like a beast’s, drew near hers. “Did you, deceive me?”

 

“…”

 

“Tell me. Did you deceive me?”

 

Ignis’s voice trembled uncontrollably. His eyes were bloodshot, and the rims were red as well. Was it a side effect of the sleeping drug? Or was it from the shock? It didn’t matter either way.

 

“Wasn’t it you who deceived me, Lord Ignis?”

 

“…What?”

 

“The carriage attack. Wasn’t it something Lord Ignis staged yourself?”