S-Class Dungeon’s Mistress - Chapter 98

Chapter 98

***

Lupinus contorted his face.

“Even if demons live for a long time, how can I forget my first friend?”

A friendly voice that once tickled his heart. But after that day, that voice, which became more like a curse than anything else, resounded in his heart. His heart, which he thought was dead, began to beat rapidly.

It was too late.

He glared at Adelaide, ready to kill her. To say that now, after such a long time. When he heard her call his name, he gasped. He felt a tingling sensation down his throat.

“I’m sorry.”

Adelaide apologized in a sad and painful voice. At those words, Lupinus’ eyes completely flipped.

“What?”

Lupin walked over to her. At his menacing approach, Lisianthus and Caladium tried to block her way again, but Adelaide stopped them. In Lupinus’ eyes, even that scene looked hypocritical.

“Answer me, what are you sorry for?”

He quickly reached Adelaide. His angry face filled her vision.

“That you tried to kill my father?”

Adelaide couldn’t answer and closed her lips. It became difficult to breathe out.

“Or pretending to be friends and playing with me?”

His large body trembled. Energy fluctuated around her. He spoke as if he was vomiting his deepest thoughts.

“Or until this happened, you never came to see me?”

Lupinus clenched his teeth and pulled down the collar that reached the top of his neck roughly. Hic. Adelaide gasped. Her pink eyes shook like a boat hit by a storm.

Beneath his clothes was a black scar. A long scar that ran across his neck, like a trace of death. Adelaide’s lips trembled at the terrible shape of his severed neck being forcibly glued together. She slowly raised her trembling hand. The moment her finger was about to touch the scar, Lupinus slapped her hand viciously.

“H-How. What happened…”

She felt a stinging pain together with the sound of being hit, but Adelaide didn’t care. Before she knew it, she spoke with a sorrowful voice.

“When— no, who did that? Who.. to you…!”

“You did.”

Lupinus answered with disdain.

“On the very day you slaughtered the humans. I was immediately decapitated for being close to you.”

“It’s because of you that I’m like this.” He added in a sharp voice.

“What do you think? Are you satisfied? Or is it disgusting? It’s funny that you’re pretending to be surprised. I guess you didn’t know that the kid you left behind would come back as a monster.”

Thump.

Her heart fell to the very bottom. Adelaide’s body trembled violently. Caladium caught her and supported her. He wanted to rip off that mouth that didn’t know the truth and was pouring slurs on Adelaide. But he knew that it wasn’t what Adelaide wanted, so he put up with it.

Lupinus bit his lip at Adelaide’s shocking appearance. Before arriving in Greenville, he wanted Adelaide to suffer as much as possible. She said she was sorry, and he wanted to cut off that tongue. But when he saw her face turn white, his mood became even worse. He gripped his sword even harder as if he was holding onto a lifeline. With a ruthless force he could swing it at any moment.

“S-Sorry…”

Adelaide said, choked up. Her tears streamed down her white cheeks. Lupinus, who saw this, contorted his face even more.

“Don’t cry, because I want to kill you right now.”

His voice came out like a rough scratch.

“What are you sorry about? I asked. Answer me.”

His hand, with veins protruding, grabbed Adelaide’s shoulder with strength.

Lisianthus and Caladium frowned at the same time. No matter how Adelaide told them not to intervene, they could not tolerate such boasting of power. Lisianthus raised his energy, conveying that he could use his powers at any moment. Caladium took a step closer to cut off the warrior’s wrist.

“I thought I ate you.”

But Adelaide’s regretful cry stopped them. Even the power in Lupin’s hand drained away in an instant.

“… What?”

“So, I couldn’t go to that house… I couldn’t go back to that horrible place. I was afraid to think of you, and remember that I killed you again…!”

She sobbed as tears dripped under her long eyelashes. The guilt and the misery she felt for Lupinus that time came to mind again, and hot tears flowed out.

Lupinus was taken aback and his blue eyes fluttered at the unexpected words. The hand holding the sword was so tight that it turned red. He said.

“Make me understand, explain.”

Adelaide eagerly wiped her tears away. Whatever the truth about that day, it was her own fault for not saving Lupin and not remembering him properly. She didn’t want to cry in front of him, but she had a hard time controlling her emotions. She gasped for air and spoke.

“On that day, your father attacked me with high level warriors. They made you drink a medicine that made you lose consciousness, and then took you as a hostage.”

Lupinus stared at her with confused eyes. He thought she was lying. However, the moment he heard Adelaide’s words, the memory flashed through his mind and he remembered that day regardless of his will.

“Lupinus, I think you’re not feeling well these days, so I bought you some medicine. Drink it all the way before your friend comes.”

That day, his father said that and made him drink a dark brown liquid. He didn’t want to drink it because it had a strange smell, but the young Lupinus, who wanted to look good to his father, covered his nose and forced himself to drink it. Then he blacked out, not knowing when he fell. After he woke up, what awaited him was hell itself.

“I was seriously wounded and fell into a state of an ‘empty stomach’… I tried to get away from you somehow, but I couldn’t and I lost control.”

Adelaide didn’t dare say that she was injured trying to protect him. Because it seemed like an excuse. She calmly told him what had happened. She devoured the warriors, and after only regaining consciousness and releasing him and his father, she completely forgot what happened during her empty stomach state. She thought that she ate him because of the energy that circulated through her body.

“I couldn’t go to that cabin at all because I felt guilty for eating you. If I went back then I’d really… I would feel like you were really dead… I’m sorry, Lupin. If I had gone even once, I would have known you were alive.”

She wiped off her tearful eyes again and continued.

“But really, I never forgot you for a moment. The other side of my heart always had you—”

“Lies.”

Lupinus cut her off. He seemed to have been surprised, seeing the way he took a step back. The words came out instinctively. He trembled in confusion and opened his mouth again.

“Don’t lie. You had a happy face.”

It was a reflex, to somehow refute her words. Still, he couldn’t face Adela and he turned away.

It must be a lie. It should be. You didn’t forsake me? If that was true, all the hate that had been built up for decades would all be in vain. A succubus pretended that I was precious and ravaged me. It wasn’t a lie. He clenched his teeth.

But the answer to this came from the other side.

“I can’t listen to this anymore.”

Caladium scratched his head and walked towards Lupinus in big strides. Without giving Adelaide a chance to stop him.

“F*ck, did Adela have to suffer for something that wasn’t her fault? Because of what your sc*m father did, she starved herself for 30 years because of guilt. If you have eyes then you know. Can’t you see she’s weak?”

“Caladi!”

“Why! Why do you keep apologizing? You usually say everything you want to say, so isn’t it right to say that all of this is unfair?!”

“It’s so suffocating it’s killing me!” Caladium hit himself in the chest. Then, he fired again at Lupinus, who stood as hard as a stone.

“Hey, didn’t Adela get hurt trying to save you? She got hurt protecting you in front of those warriors who were no match for her in the first place. That’s why she got an empty stomach.”

“What…?”

“You knew you were mistaken but her apology isn’t enough. Lie? What kind of lie is that? No wonder you’re so selfish, you’re half human!”

“This is why I hate human cubs!” He gasped.

Lisianthus liked his shouting so much that the corners of his mouth rolled up which Adelaide did not notice. He didn’t know that the p*nk’s rudeness would be so helpful.

He smiled happily and looked at Caladium kindly, which was rare.

Caladium didn’t even make eye contact with him but he rubbed his arm as he felt goosebumps rise.

“… You got hurt trying to save me?”

Lupinus asked helplessly. He stared at Adelaide as he waited for her answer. Adelaide hesitated, unable to say that he was right.

“You starved for 30 years?”

“I, that is…”

She opened her mouth with an awkward face. Lupinus recognized that face. Adelaide, who was not good at lying, would always make that face whenever she wanted to hide something from Lupinus.

This meant that Adelaide was injured while trying to save him, and that the accident was all true.

It wasn’t that she didn’t come to see him on purpose.

He endured his hatred in order to fulfill his lifelong goal of revenge. Lupinus suddenly staggered as everything he knew fell apart. His head was a mess. Everything was so chaotic that he couldn’t come to his senses.

“Lupin, are you okay?”

He was startled because Adelaide suddenly grabbed his arm. He suddenly remembered that he had grabbed Adelaide forcibly and kissed her plus the abusive language up until now.

She didn’t seem to hold any resentment for what he had done to her. No, far from hiding her resentment, she was worried about him. With the same face she had from 30 years ago, at the time he had a crush on her.

Tak. Lupinus struck Adelaide’s hand again. But with less intensity than before.

Adelaide realized that she had called him hastily, and looked at him with an apologetic expression on her face.

Lupinus’ beautiful face looked terribly confused. It was understandable. He faced so many truths at once. She was going to tell him slowly, expecting it to be like this, but since Caladium had told him all of it, it was already spilled milk.

“Uh… Lupin.”

‘If it’s okay with you, would you like a cup of tea? Let’s calm down and talk again.’ Adelaide wanted to suggest in a cautious tone. But before she could speak, he moved first.

Woosh. Lupinus quickly turned around. His impatience could be seen through the flapping black cloak.

“Lupin, wait…!”

Adelaide tried to catch him, but when she reached for his hand, Lupinus had already disappeared. Only the humming portal remained.