Chapter 143
The coldness pierces my chest like a dagger.
I’ve faced many crises until now, but today has proven to be exceptionally tough to handle.
“Hey, Nova… That call just now… it sounded like Serena…”
Wasn’t she just nearby? How could I hear her voice through the call?
I let my guard down, but I couldn’t sense her presence until she was right in front of me.
“Huh? Isn’t that right… Why aren’t you answering?”
Forget about admiration; this situation is not good. Should I ignore her in this predicament?
For her sake, it would be best to end this as quickly as possible, but…
“Nova? Why… why aren’t you saying anything…? Why?”
She’s practically whispering, looming right in front of me; how could I ignore that?
Just how far away was she that her condition has already deteriorated to this extent?
Isn’t it a bit too much for a high-level Archmage like her to be so affected by a potion?
Now that I think about it, she did show vulnerabilities during the previous fight against the Demon Race, especially to mental attacks.
“Why… why were you on the phone with someone else…?”
“…It’s not like that.”
Right now, it seems I can’t ignore her; Stella’s condition is clearly not normal.
“Liar… why did you avoid me…? Why are you talking to someone else and not me?”
She bites her nails, anxious as if she’s terrified of being abandoned.
This is quite serious… To calm her down, I decided to speak as gently as I could, forcing a soft expression.
“I was just worried about you and listening to what Serena, who made the potion, had to say.”
“…Really? You didn’t talk about anything else?”
“Of course, everything was done with you in mind; there are no other women I’m interested in besides you.”
“Kugh…” My desperate excuse was met with Leonard’s amused expression as he silently shaped his lips into a smirk.
[That’s a line used when a scoundrel gets caught in an affair.]
[Shut up, you’re the one to blame in this situation.]
After a tense silence, it seemed Stella’s doubts dissipated, and her face lit up again.
“Is that so…? You did that for me? Hehe… Thank you, but don’t worry! I’m completely fine!”
Even though her emotions are clearly fluctuating wildly, has she settled down for now?
To redirect the topic, I decided to introduce her to the unfortunate soul in front of us.
“Stella, let me introduce you. This is my companion, Leonard, who I met during my thrilling adventures.”
Leonard offered a polite greeting to Stella in his naturally gentlemanly way.
“Hello? I’m Leonard, the older brother of Nova…”
Whack!
Before he even finished, Stella abruptly turned her head away and dove into my arms.
She treated him as if he didn’t exist, wordlessly chatting to me instead.
“Hey… Nova… I’m hungry, can we eat together?”
“Uh… Of course…”
Leonard chuckled awkwardly as he seemed to understand. He quietly began to get up and prepare to leave.
“It seems my presence here won’t be beneficial anymore.”
“Oh! Goodbye! Friend!”
Having them alone together seemed far too dangerous in this situation… at least one set of eyes should watch over them…
However, Stella seemed to eagerly see him off as she respectfully said goodbye.
“Hey, wait a minute… Who do you think you’re running away from…?”
“I’ll cover the bill; just have a good time with her.”
Despite his apparent guilt, he slipped away like a coward.
With that, he left without looking back, perhaps not wanting to get involved in troublesome matters.
Regardless, Stella remained tight against me, her expression radiating healing.
*
“Wow… That was scary; I thought I might die.”
Leonard exhaled a sigh of relief as he recalled her previous behavior.
Hiding behind Nova, she had purposefully turned her eyes away when their gazes met.
With that simple glance, it was clear—don’t interfere, just disappear, through those icy eyes.
The killing intent, unmistakably threatening anyone who dared touch what was theirs—the feeling was palpable.
That same aura was carefully controlled so that Nova wouldn’t notice, sending shivers down his spine.
“I think I understand why she looks so terrified… Still, I’m jealous… Damn.”
*
“Hehe… I’m full. So where to next, Nova?”
“…”
Even during the meal, she had clung to me so intensely that I couldn’t tell if food was going in through my mouth or my nose.
Although people were looking, I didn’t care much, but the problem was with Stella.
She started to use my fork to feed herself as if I were a baby bird, and without hesitation, she brought an empty fork to her mouth.
[Slurp… even when there’s nothing, it’s tasty…]
Every word and action from her was so stimulating and captivating that frankly, it felt provocative.
What I found hardest to withstand was her slowly slipping her hand under the table… Let’s stop that.
“Ha…”
“Nova? What’s wrong? Is something up?”
In the moment I sighed, unable to figure out how to react, Stella noticed my expression and asked with a worried look.
Wait… Is it really necessary to ignore this? Can’t I just say directly that we should keep a little distance?
Given her recent actions, they felt overly excessive for a public place, and if I used this as an excuse…
“Maybe… are you upset…?”
“…Yeah, I am upset.”
Stella seemed shocked at my words, flinching and widening her eyes.
“I-I’m sorry… If that upset you…”
“I just think it’d be better if we kept some distance in a public space, you know, because there are other people around.”
That was a lie. Honestly, wherever it might be, if Stella genuinely wanted it, I’d gladly indulge her.
Ignoring her visibly flustered and stammering attempts to say something, I continued.
“For now, I think it’s best if we distance ourselves a bit; you should also clear your head…”
“Eh…? W-Wait a minute, Nova! I did something wrong… Let’s talk…”
“Today, I have things to do, so let’s discuss later at home.”
“Nova…? P-Please, just wait a moment!”
As I left her anxiously calling out, I could hear her voice break into a cry behind me.
“Nova, don’t go… I’m sorry… please…”
Don’t look back; I have to deplete my emotions like this until the effect wears off.
According to Serena, if I stay away like this until dinner today, she’ll revert to her original self.
“I’m sorry.”
“A…” Apologizing with a barely audible voice, I walked away.
*
Left alone, Stella stared blankly at where Nova had just been.
Unintentionally biting her nails, she began mumbling darkly.
“Nova… why are you saying things like that…?”
Was it only me who wanted to be with you?
I wanted to be petted on the head, to be smiled at, to be loved.
‘… I only wanted you to stay with me…’
“Why… why? No… I don’t want this, I don’t want this!”
Her blue eyes were sticky with a mix of love, obsession, and fear.
If Nova never returns… I don’t want that.
*
To clear my mind, I decided to train in the forest near our home until the sun set.
It was either fortunate or unfortunate that I didn’t see Stella during my training. Was she still very angry?
Still, I thought it wouldn’t be a problem if her potion effect wore off and she returned to her senses.
However, I would soon find out how misguided that thought was.
As I arrived home just when the sun began to set, I saw my mother with a strange expression.
“Mom, is Stella inside?”
“You… what on earth did you do?”
“Excuse me?”
She seemed to want to say something to me, then nodded towards the second floor.
“She’s in there; I don’t know what happened, but you two should reconcile quickly.”
“We didn’t really fight…”
If she’s saying that, she must be very upset… The potion effects must have started to wear off.
I headed upstairs right away. I even prepared a little gift from the village, just in case…
“She must indeed be very upset…”
As soon as I walked in, ready to apologize, I found my room empty.
Where could she have gone? Usually, she’d use my room like her own and lounge on my bed.
Could she have left because she was angry? My heart sank at that moment when I heard a noise from the next room.
“Nova… is that you…?”
“Stella?”
When I opened the door, the first thing I saw was Stella standing at the window, turning her back to me.
At first glance, it looked like an ordinary room, but it was messy with clothes strewn about.
‘Wait a moment… those clothes are mine!’
“You came! Nova… I’m so relieved… I thought you’d never return…”
Her soft and calm voice turned toward me, and I was taken aback.
She held a kitchen knife, staring at me with vacant eyes.
“Stella… what are you doing?”
Slowly approaching me, her mood was different—an unsettling and dark energy surrounded her.
Stella gently lowered her head and replied with a slight smile.
Though her voice was calm, the emotions concealed within were overwhelming and heavy.
“Since you told me not to follow… I thought hard about it!”
With a strangely excited voice, she cheerfully declared.
“Thought hard? What did you think about, Stella?”
Stella, listening to my question, absentmindedly played with her hair, tilting her head.
“I want to stay by your side… So…”
With every pause in her speech, the atmosphere grew chillier.
Stella took a step closer, her voice echoing with a sense of demand, as if asking for something dear.
“Give me your arm, Nova.”
In that instant, I felt chills run down my spine. Her intent was clear.
This was not a joke; something she said with absolute certainty.
‘Is she really serious…?’
Her eyes, burning with affection, were eerily prominent with feelings of possession and obsession.
Taking a deep breath, I smiled as calmly as I could and extended my hand slowly.
“Stella, first calm down and put that down…”
“Calm down? I’m perfectly fine! Why?! Why do you want to pull away from me?”
Stella’s voice rose, her suppressed emotions exploding in heightened tones.
“I can’t be without you… You have to look only at me… If you don’t, I will… I will…”
Dropping the kitchen knife, Stella crouched down, gripping her head with both hands as she messed up her hair.
“Ah… my head hurts…”
“…Stella?”
Seeing her in such a strange state, I took a step closer, and her movements came to a sudden halt.
The tension thickened in the air around us.
In that moment, Stella looked up at me again, her eyes filled with madness, staring intently.
“Nova… you are mine.”
