22

Survival Instinct.

In a world where it wouldn't be strange to be devoured at any moment, the survival instinct helps the weak avoid death and stay alive against the strong.

When this instinct is triggered, one's concentration on their surroundings becomes incredibly heightened, and memory and comprehension also significantly improve, albeit temporarily.

This survival instinct exists not only in creatures living in the wild but also in humans.

Throughout history, this instinct has helped humanity survive countless life-or-death situations and continues to help us avoid various threats by making us feel emotions like anxiety and fear.

But anyway.

Why does it feel like that instinct is kicking in right now…?

"Unnie… where have you been…?"

Lily, looking at me with deeply sunken eyes.

My intuition tells me.

If I don't answer properly right now, some great threat will be approaching.

"Li… Lily… that's…"

I tried to explain to her, who was hugging me so tightly that I could hardly breathe.

'But… how should I explain this?'

The truth is that Athena kidnapped me, forced mana into me, and made it impossible for me to refuse her. But in return for becoming her slave, I secured a promise that she would protect you and Dania unnie, so it's fine!

…No, that won't do.

It's the absolute truth, but…

My mind was warning me, practically grabbing me by the collar, that I must not say it like that.

"So… the thing is…"

As I hesitated and struggled to answer,

"Hera."

"Dania unni…!"

Dania's voice calling my name.

It felt like a hand of salvation descending from the heavens.

Maybe Dania can calm Lily down. Looking at her with a pleading gaze—

"Where have you been?"

"Hic."

She was looking at me with a faint smile on her face.

Her expression was clearly smiling, but there was an inexplicable eeriness hidden in that smile.

'So…so scary…'

Cold sweat trickled down my back.

Two sets of eyes were urging me to answer immediately.

As I fumbled for words with eyes that trembled as if an earthquake had hit them,

Lily began to tighten her grip on me even more.

"Un…Unnie?"

"Ugh…"

'Was Lily always this strong…?'

No matter how much I struggled, Lily wouldn't budge.

It felt like I had become prey caught in the coils of a snake.

"Stop."

But something shapeless pulled Lily and me apart, pulling us in opposite directions.

Lily was drawn towards Dania.

And I—

Flop—

"I don't like it when people touch my things without permission."

I flew straight into Athena's arms and was held by her.

"A…Athena…"

"Are they the ones? The ones you said were like family to you?"

"Yeah…"

When I nodded in affirmation, Athena turned her gaze to Lily and Dania.

She sneered at Lily, then looked over at Dania.

She stared intently at Dania with one eyebrow raised, as if something didn't sit well with her.

To be precise, she was looking at her chest.

"I don't like it…"

Leaving Athena muttering something under her breath, I turned my head in the direction Lily had been flung, worried she might be hurt.

Her expression was unusual.

L-Lily?

Why are your eyes…

"…Did you just call Unnie a 'thing'?"

Lily growled at Athena, her voice low and menacing.

She was glaring at Athena with a look as if she were ready to kill someone.

I felt things could go terribly wrong at this rate, so I quickly tried to explain to Lily.

"Lily! It's not what you think. – Uh!!"

But Athena covered my mouth with her hand, preventing me from saying anything further.

And then, with a slightly twisted smile, she looked at Lily.

"Yes. Mine. So, don't cling to her recklessly from now on, alright?"

"You…"

Lily radiated a murderous aura as if she might pounce on Athena at any moment.

No, Lily.

You shouldn't provoke Athena.

In the novel, Athena was a character who wiped out any forces that opposed her, be it monsters, demons, or humans.

She might be friendly towards me, but not towards Lily.

If Lily decided to charge at her, she would undoubtedly be severely hurt.

I pulled away Athena's hand that was covering my mouth and shouted at Lily.

"Lily, it's a misunderstanding!!"

"..A misunderstanding?"

Hearing my words, Lily instantly stopped in her tracks.

She looked at me, as if demanding further explanation.

"Yes..! Athena and I are close… We were just joking around!"

"You're close…?"

I desperately glanced at Athena, silently pleading with her to play along.

She let out a slight laugh as if she couldn't believe it and then spoke.

"We're indeed inseparable for life."

But Athena's answer only served to further provoke Lily's anger.

"What gives you the right? My Unnie promised to stay with me."

"Huh… Hera, why don't you tell her? What kind of relationship we have?"

Athena then leaned in close, whispering softly in my ear.

"You promised, remember?"

A promise?

What promise?

'No way.'

"It's not just the two of us here right now, is it?"

"A-are you crazy? This is not the time for that!"

In exchange for guaranteeing the safety of Lily and Dania, Athena had laid down her condition.

Whenever there was even one person around, I had to address her with honorifics and call her 'Master.'

But in this situation, that just seemed ridiculous.

I was already struggling to clear up the misunderstanding, and bringing up the topic of a master-servant contract now would only make things worse.

But Athena was firm.

"You're the one who asked me first, Hera. If this is how it is, I have no intention of keeping my promise either."

"Ugh… But right now…"

"Unnie…"

Lily's voice sounded almost hollow, like she was sinking.

"What are you two talking about so secretly…?"

"Lily…"

When I hesitated to answer, Athena gave me a light push on the back, saying just one thing.

"If you want to protect them, keep your promise."

As I was pushed forward, Lily approached without hesitation and tightly grasped both of my hands. I stared blankly into her eyes, which were filled with a deep, muddled emotion.

Over the past few months, I had spent a great deal of time with Lily.

Except for the hours we slept, I spent half of each day hunting monsters with her.

Even during the remaining time, I shared warm moments with her and Dania.

Perhaps because of this, Lily always wanted to stay close to me. She relied on me a lot.

For someone who used to only follow Dania, for her to lean on me this much… it must mean that she has accepted me as family, deep in her heart.

Tears welled up in my eyes.

A family that warmly embraces me.

A connection I had desperately yearned for, for so long.

Before I ended up in this body, I was just an office worker.

An ordinary office worker trapped in the cycle of commuting to and from work.

The only thing that greeted me when I returned home after finishing my duties at the company was an empty, desolate space.

My life, devoid of anyone I could call family, had been incredibly lonely and lonesome.

But now, things were different.

Lily, who always greeted me with a bright smile, and Dania, who welcomed me with a warm expression.

Over the past half year, I have lived here, receiving far more love from them than I ever deserved.

They filled the emptiness in my lonely heart, and I was so grateful to them.

Yes.

For their happiness.

If they go to the Empire, they'll be able to live a much more prosperous life than they do now.

Lily could also make many friends in the Empire.

For her, who lost her parents at a young age and lacked human affection, friends were something she needed desperately.

Right now, Dania and I are the only ones by her side.

If she made new friends in the Empire, it would greatly help her.

Even if we're separated, it doesn't matter. As long as we're in the same Empire, I can visit them whenever I want.

I squeezed Lily's hand tightly and spoke to her.

"Lily, let's go to the Empire."

"The… Empire…?"

Lily seemed quite taken aback by my words.

"Yes… Lady Athena has agreed to help us."

"If we receive her help, we can move to the Empire…! Then—"

"Just like that?"

"Huh…?"

Lily looked at me with sharp eyes and said.

"She wouldn't just help us for nothing."

Lily was right.

Just as there's no such thing as a free lunch in this world,

There's no such thing as goodwill without a price.

Lily must have known that, which is why she brought it up.

I decided to tell her the truth.

"…I agreed to work at her mansion."

The moment I said that, Lily's expression instantly hardened.

And without even a moment's hesitation, she refused my proposal.

"There's no need!"

Lily shook her head vehemently, gripping my hand so tightly it hurt.

"Lily, when we go to the Empire, you can make new friends—"

"I said there's no need!!!"

I flinched at her scream and took a step back.

It was the first time.

The first time she had screamed at me so sharply.

As I stared blankly at Lily, she let out a ragged breath and gazed at me with a murky look in her eyes.

"We don't have to go to the Empire. Just stay here with me, Unnie."

"But… but…"

"You said so yourself. You wanted to see me graduate from the academy. You said you'd wait here with me."

This felt unfamiliar.

Lily, who always greeted me with a warm smile.

But the Lily standing before me now had an empty expression, like someone who had seen too much of the world.

"Have you been lying to me this whole time?"

Seeing her slowly approaching me, I flinched involuntarily.

With each step she took, my shoulders tensed up.

And when I met her eyes, an indescribable, deep emotion flowed into me.

"That can't be true, Lily!"

"Then why!!"

Before I knew it, she was right in front of me, gripping my arms tightly as if she wouldn't let me go.

"Why are you trying to leave me?"

When I looked closely into her eyes…

It seemed she had been holding back tears; her eyelids were red and swollen.

A surge of emotion welled up in me.

'…I don't want to leave either.'

I don't want to be separated from Dania and Lily.

Mornings that began with them gave me the energy to face the day with strength.

The time I'd spent with them had filled me with irreplaceable memories.

Why would I ever want to leave them?

In my heart, I wanted to run away with them to a place where no one could find us.

But I can't do that.

The mana she implanted in me…

It would never let me leave peacefully.

Was it Lily's tears that had spread to me?

Or was it the desire, hidden deep within me, not to be separated from them that was breaking free?

"Stay here with us."

Tears began to stream down my face too.

"Hic… Lily… I'm sorry…"

Once they started, my tears showed no signs of stopping.

"I… I want that too, but the truth is… I…"

I knelt down, hugging Lily tightly, and spoke through my sobs.

"I… I became… her…"

"Unnie?"

"…Her slave…"

"…What?"

The last light in Lily's eyes faded away.