It's Not Night

Chapter 102

“What do you mean, how you look at me…”

This time Andra was flustered and lost her words. Does he really not know? Dustin fumbled his hand near his eyes as Andra stopped talking to him in impatience.

What’s wrong with my eyes? Isn’t this normal enough? Dustin tried to refrain from looking at Andra as much as possible in public. Yet he made it into an awkward situation because he didn’t want to earn Andra’s hatred.

“…First of all, it’s so different from the past. In the past, you completely ignored me and never looked at me as a person on the same level. But look at you now. I can’t believe you’re the same guy who…”

“That’s why I tried my best not to look at you.”

“And what good is that? Even if you try not to look, the way you look at me is so obvious!”

The only one who noticed for now was the princess, but if Dustin were to continue acting like this, more and more people would just find out later. Andra wanted to avoid such a situation. However, since the person himself didn’t know what his gaze looked like, she really was going crazy. Andra narrowed her brows, then she spoke to Dustin again.

“Act like you used to, even in front of people. It would be more natural and deceiving.”

However, the reply was nothing short of spectacular.

“How is it like before?”¹

“…Why are you asking me?”

You should know better. Andra looked at Dustin, now puzzled. Why was he asking the other person what he was so good at? An attitude that is ruthless and makes a person completely invisible. Just three months ago, Dustin was very good at it.

“You said it before. You should ignore me! Treat me as a completely non-existent person, laugh at me no matter what I say, and go your own way. Sometimes you even said things deliberately to provoke me. Above all, the ignorant attitude of trying to suppress me by force…”

Andra paused her words. For a moment she didn’t understand why she was explaining this to Dustin. Even in the midst of that, Dustin’s hardening figure, asking how he could be like that, made Andra even more crazy. This was what he himself used to do, and he’s surprised? What does this mean? At that point, Andra, just gave up on explaining and she just brainwashed herself.

“Okay. Just… Just close your eyes would you?!”

“…Alright. It will be difficult, but I will try.”

Dustin hesitated a little, then nodded his head earnestly as if he had made up his mind.

“What are you doing?”

Dustin, who took her angry words and put them seriously, made Andra feel guilty. Can’t he tell the difference between words? Andra hurriedly shouted in fright.

“Are you stupid? Are you really going to close your eyes?!”

“You…”

“I said that for nothing! Can’t you tell the difference? Do you think with common sense it makes sense that people walk around with their eyes closed?!”

“…Sorry.”

That thing again! Andra felt like her head was ringing whenever he said sorry. Dustin rushed to her aid as she nervously grabbed her head and groaned.² But Andra shook off Dustin’s hand. She usually thought of him as ignorant and stupid, but she never thought he would grate on people’s nerves like this.

‘Doesn’t that mean you know the truth? Are you pretending to be stupid?’

Thinking about it, it even makes her think this is nonsense. But, looking back, Dustin had long ago specialized in provoking Andra in unexpected ways and deliberately grating on her nerves. Her hypothesis may not have made any sense at all. Although the people of Avellin would curse the people of Airak for being a stupid and ignorant swordsman, they weren’t just stupid.

‘Well, if he was completely stupid, they wouldn’t have existed because they were pushed away by Avellin. The Princess’s consort, an Airak, also made use of his head better than I thought. Especially on the battlefield…’

Andra clenched her teeth. Once again, it’s strange that the man in front of her was saying that he liked her—an Airak to an Avellin.

“Andra, I…”

“Don’t say it. I don’t want to hear it.”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t say that!”

Seriously, just talking to Dustin made her feel like her patience was getting worn completely thin. She wasn’t usually like that, but it seemed like she became short-fused when I’m in front of Dustin.

Let’s stay calm. I’m going back to my original self. Andra patted herself to calm herself down when Dustin tugged on Andra’s collar in a depressed mood.

“I, I was wrong.”

“…….”

“It’s all my fault. I’ll try… Not to do that to you. No, I’ll fix it. Nothing to get you into trouble, Andra.”

Andra looked at Dustin with a weary face as he muttered gloomily while touching her collar without holding her hand. After seeing this a few times, she was starting to get used to it.

Just relax… Shouldn’t I just think of him like he’s a big dog that likes to crash and cause trouble? Then she wouldn’t have to scream in frustration like this.

“But… I can’t be sure.”

“What?”

“Seeing you the way you want. How could I look at someone you like like that? You may be fine with it, but I… I won’t be able to stand it.”

“Then let’s do this.”

Andra took Dustin’s hand as he touched her collar. Dustin flinched at the touch, which might have felt kind. Andra said, pretending to be as relaxed and generous as possible, spreading a subtle smile towards Dustin.

“Let’s not meet at all. I’ll just avoid you. We hate each other anyway, so no one will say anything even if we hurt each other openly. Then you won’t have time to look at me like that, so it’ll be fine.”

Hearing those words, Dustin hardened like a stone. The large, clumsy hand that was holding her trembled minutely, then it grew stronger and gripped Andra’s hand.

“Not meet at all…?”

“We have to get rid of the variable altogether. In front of people… I really don’t like our relationship getting known. If you can’t do it, I’d rather not meet you. This is the solution for us.”

“No, Andra. I’ll try—”

“You said you can’t say for sure.”

Cutting off Dustin’s words, Andra responded coldly. So Dustin couldn’t say anything. Andra did not stop there and shot back one more time.

“If you can’t be sure, don’t say anything at all. Isn’t this the normal thing? Everything is at stake for both of us. It is not enough to think carefully and act prudently.”

“…….”

“Therefore, rule number three in non-apropos situations is avoiding each other as much as possible in front of people and not meeting at all. Do you have any objections?”

Dustin’s face, who was holding her hand tightly, was getting darker. But Andra didn’t care. In a way, this is spoiling him. In the meantime, whenever Dustin clung to her like this, she secretly gave it to him, he did it thinking that it would work this time too. Not a chance. For everybody’s sake.

Andra thought she had given way too much to Dustin. Not only did she accept Dustin when she told him not to come, and although she didn’t completely forgive him, she still decided to close her eyes.

She was also letting it go whenever Dustin did something she coyly told him not to do. At this level, she thought that she had been very considerate of him.

“Next, rule number four. In a place where we can’t avoid each other, we must treat each other as people who don’t exist. If you break this, you and I are finished. Understand?”

In the fourth, Andra, who drew a hard line, urged Dustin to answer. Now Dustin was almost crying. He reluctantly nodded his head slowly. Instead, he held Andra’s hand like a lifeline. If he didn’t, he was ready to hug Andra right away.

“Then let’s set the rules for the apropos situation. First of all, if the other side is in a state of urgency because there is no light…”

Andra held her mouth shut for a moment, then she let it go as if she had made up her mind.

“Let’s just do it.”

Then Dustin looked down at Andra in surprise.

“It’s not even a situation worth arguing… I’ll give you permission. But only when you’re really in an urgent state. When you’re in heat because there’s really no light. I will try my best to respond as much as possible. For now, just focus on filling the light. And of course you too, Dustin Airak.”

“…Yes.”

“Straight to the second… When we’re doing it, let’s fill up the light to the fullest. Because it’s better to recharge it once for a long time than to keep the light on the edge, so it’s imperative to do it frequently.”

Actually, she was a little worried about this. The next day, her body may recover, but she would lose consciousness from exhaustion when she would accept him.

It would have nothing to do with Dustin, who became an Awakened and had more inhuman stamina than before, but it was not Andra’s case. In general, after a certain climax in the affair, Andra was about to die of hardship.

‘If it wasn’t for the spell, I might have already died during sex.’

It was embarrassing, but now it was nothing new. Because it’s really true and it can actually happen.

If the spell hadn’t held her back, Andra would have desperately rejected an affair with Dustin. There are so many deaths in the world, but isn’t coital death too much? Even in death she will not be able to raise her head.

“…Are you okay with that?”

Dustin asked cautiously, reminding Andra of exhaustion and losing her consciousness each time their affair lengthened. Andra nodded her head at the end of a deep breath. She needs to fill the light, so what can she do? She has to accept it.

“Anyway, that’s all the rules I’ve thought of, but I think it’s better to tell people before that.”

“What do you mean?”

“Like after we use the power of an Awakened, we have to rest alone. So even if you suddenly disappear, wouldn’t people be wondering? If you disappear every time you use your strength, people will be lost. So tell people from time to time that you need to be alone for good reasons.”

Andra had already told Jonathan her case. After using her power, she feels dizzy and her stomach hurts, so she should have time to rest alone. At the same time, she made an excuse for her previous actions by saying that she was reluctant to talk about it for this reason. Jonathan, who already knew that magicians should take time to recover if they consume a lot of mana, readily believed Andra’s words.

“I will. Anything else?”

“Let’s think about that further. We can apply it on the way to Morgennis, and if not, we can fix it then. Dustin Airak, do you want anything else? I’ll listen to it and apply it if it’s okay.”

Hearing Andra’s question, Dustin seemed to hesitate for a moment. Andra’s eyes narrowed as he hesitantly opened and closed his lips. What was he hesitating to say? To hasten his answer, Andra asked Dustin, pulling her hand away in one swoop.

“Don’t hesitate to tell me.”

“…Since we’re meeting whenever the light is about to run out. Can’t we meet… regularly?”

“That’s when we meet to fill the light.”

“Because I want to meet you… more and more.”

—

t/n:
¹ HIIIMMMBBB… As much as this dustin turning dumdum is entertaining but i really hate the author for killing his character.
² Yeah right, like why do you make him so stupiiddd. He can be love-struck but not thiiiiss stupid

—