I Became The Academy Necromancer-Chapter 281: Pointless Worry (?)

“Ugh!Bleeeeeghhh!”

“Please go outside if you are going to do that.”

Although it felt a bit wrong to ask, given that I was the one who made him drink something akin to a toxic substance, I couldn’t let him throw up inside the room either.

Darius quickly bolted out of the room, covering his mouth with his thick hand.

I thought he’d be back soon, but surprisingly, he took longer than expected.

I didn’t think it was bad enough to make him vomit multiple times.

However, there was a reason for the delay.

“Findenai was cleaning the bathroom and wouldn’t let me in.”

“…”

“And so it took me a bit as I had to go use the bathroom on another floor.”

She was not the former leader of Scrapyard Nomads for nothing.

Her relentless persistence was enough to call her a wolf.

In any case, I had cleared away Findenai’s tea, so we finally had the space to talk.

“So, what is the problem with Deia?”

Darius wore a look of dissatisfaction as if he had a lot he wanted to say to me, but when I got straight to the point, he was unable to say anything and was forced to go along with the flow.

“What do you think of Deia?”

“What are you trying to say?”

It wasn’t clear what intention he had when asking about my thoughts on a family member.

Even if Darius were a bit slow, he wouldn’t ask me such a question despite being the eldest son.

“Huff.”

In the end, Darius couldn’t help but let out a deep sigh and began explaining his reason for coming in a somewhat roundabout manner.

“Deia has had an extreme dislike for men since a young age.”

“This feels rather out of the blue.”

“And I think you know the reason for that.”

Darius continued, as if he hadn’t heard my remark in the first place.

“It’s because of Deus. That guy.”

I was aware.

The reason Deia naturally came to despise men was due to Deus’ constant hateful remarks and incessant sexual harassment.

However, if one were to ask whether she was attracted to women, that wasn’t the case either.

To be honest, it wasn’t a matter of men or women but rather an aversion to the concept of loving someone itself or being physically intimate with them.

“But it’s different now. You have managed to heal the wounds he inflicted on her.”

Darius subtly hinted with an intentional raise of his eyebrows. If I had helped heal her scars, that was truly fortunate.

“But, you know, uh… I think it might have gone a bit too far.”

“What do you mean?”

I was starting to get a feel of what Darius was trying to say, but it wasn’t something the concerned person should be saying out loud.

He must have known that, too, which was why he came to me directly.

Eventually, Darius scratched his head, looking clearly conflicted, before speaking frankly.

“I think Deia has feelings for you.”

“…”

“I’d like to believe I’m mistaken, but honestly, I’m almost certain.”

“In my opinion…”

I slowly crossed my legs and responded in a calm, level-headed manner.

“I believe you are mistaken.”

Darius often spouted nonsense at times, but he had somehow exceeded all appropriate levels this time.

Did he even realize what he was saying?

“It is just familial affection. Deia has never had a proper older brother, so she is likely leaning on me for that role.”

Deia never had a proper older brother, not only Deus but Darius as well.

Before I arrived, he was practically a living ghost, solely obsessed with the household’s prestige.

“Ahem.”

Unable to refute the fact that his past behavior hadn’t been great either, Darius coughed awkwardly and moved on.

“I was also hoping that it was just my imagination. However, just in case, I went to see Illuania. She had been spending a lot of time with Deia while you were away.”

“…”

“And Illuania said there’s a good chance my suspicion is correct.”

This changed things a bit.

I could have ignored it if it were just Darius.

However, it was hard to dismiss the words of Illuania, someone who could be considered an expert in this field.

I furrowed my brows, lost in thought.

“You didn’t even listen properly when I was the one who said it…”

Though it was a bit annoying to see Darius grumbling in front of me, I continued pondering.

From what I’d observed, Deia’s closeness to me did seem a bit much for siblings.

However, I also thought that was just a reaction due to not having experienced familial affection. And I could relate since I, too, craved familial attachment.

Besides, I have already addressed this kind of issue once before.

There were even times when I deliberately emphasized the word ‘siblings,’ just to make things clear.

And Deia had naturally accepted it back then.

“I still find it hard to believe.”

Even if Illuania said so, it was still difficult to accept. After all, Deia was one of the most level-headed people I knew.

I couldn’t even imagine her doing something as foolish as falling in love with her own blood relative.

“Deia is not that foolish.”

However, Darius shrugged at my words and replied.

“It’s not about actions but emotions. People are swayed more easily by emotions than they realize.”

That was surprisingly insightful coming from Darius.

In that rare moment, he displayed the dignity befitting the eldest son.

“Huft, Deus.”

He let out a deep sigh and pressed his fingers to massage his eyes, clearly worn out.

“Kim Shinwoo.”

I flinched, having a strong aversion to being called by that name when I was Deus, but I decided to listen for now.

“Honestly, I would have welcomed it if you were the one she chose. I’ve never seen a man like you, someone I could trust and rely on. Sure, my little brother in spirit becoming my brother-in-law would be strange, but we’d still be family.”

Unexpected praise.

But Darius wasn’t done speaking.

“However, not as Deus.”

It was a resolute declaration.

These weren’t the words of a man named Darius Verdi.

It was the verdict of the Head of the Verdi Household.

The Margrave of the Norseweden.

The giant of the northern mountain range.

The weight of a family head’s authority bore down upon me.

“I won’t just stand by and watch the order of this family collapse.”

“…”

“And I’m saying this just in case. I know you wouldn’t since you also cherish Deia, but… I’m just making sure.”

I understood his point.

But there was something crucial he had overlooked.

“Yes, Deia is indeed important to me.”

“Hmm?”

“But Darius, you are also important to me.”

Wasn’t it obvious?

“Because we are family.”

As I said this while I calmly met his gaze, Darius, who had been staring at me blankly, gradually brightened up.

Deia’s feelings were important, but so was not doing something that Darius would hate because both of them mattered to me.

It was just an honest expression of my thoughts.

“Ha! Hahaha! That’s right! Exactly! Of course! Indeed, you’re my brother!”

Perhaps feeling acknowledged, Darius burst into a boisterous laughter, exchanged a few hearty words, and then left the room.

It was his way of saying he trusted me.

“Phew.”

It was about time I departed from Nosweden. I needed to head back to Graypond and let everyone know I had returned.

However, it seemed like there was an issue I needed to resolve first.

“…”

Suddenly, the worn-out teddy bear keychain she always carried on person came to mind.

***

Knock knock.

“Come in.”

Deia responded as soon as I knocked. When I opened the door and stepped inside, I saw her intently reviewing documents on her desk.

“Deus?”

Was she surprised because I dropped in unannounced?

Startled, Deia put down her pen and greeted me.

“Are you busy?”

Although Darius wasn’t incapable of handling this sort of work, Deia’s skills were outstanding, which naturally led her to take on everything.

I would’ve naturally lent her a hand if I were here, but I was not in a position to stay in the territory all the time.

“A little. I’ve been writing reports for the palace regarding prisoner transfers and incident investigations.”

Was my timing bad?

I was about to apologize and take my leave, but Deia preempted me with a gesture.

“Go sit on the sofa over there. I’ll be done shortly.”

Her hand gripping the pen moved a little faster.

I hesitated but accepted her goodwill and slowly sat on the sofa for guests.

“There are some snacks on the table, so feel free to help yourself.”

Even while she was busily working, she didn’t forget to be considerate. Though honestly, the snacks were the same as those in my own office.

I left them untouched and simply watched her as she focused on her work.

She had a truly beautiful appearance.

She was someone I could proudly call my younger sister. If one day, she were to introduce the man she wished to marry, I might sulk, feeling like I was losing my family.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from fгeewebnovёl.co𝙢.

Just like a father would.

However, it would be only to that extent.

I’d certainly clap and congratulate them, bless their future, and perhaps even smile for once as I pushed her forward.

Watching her work, I wondered if she would ever feel such emotions for me.

Was it even possible for such a capable woman to be swayed by her feelings alone?

Perhaps my own lack of emotions made it easier for me to say this, but it was hard for me to accept.

Even if it was Illuania, it doesn’t mean she knows everything.

Although she was indeed somewhat of an expert in this topic, she couldn’t predict everything—especially when it came to someone like Deia, who was adept at hiding her thoughts and feelings.

At some point, I realized my thoughts were drifting in the direction I wanted them to, but I didn’t resist.

I thought it wasn’t necessarily the wrong direction.

Perhaps because of that…

Waiting here in silence felt like a bit of a waste of time.

I also wanted to reassure Darius as soon as possible.

“Do you like me?”

I casually threw out a blunt question.

While my choice of words might sound arrogant, no other phrase came to mind.

Deia, whose eyes had been glued to the documents, slowly turned her head toward me with a creaking motion.

Judging by her expression, it seemed like she didn’t quite understand what she just heard, so I repeated myself.

“I mean romantically.”

It was a question I could ask only because I trusted her.

And she indeed responded to my trust.

“Are you drunk?”

“…”

“You’ve really gone off the rails now that you’re back, huh? Practicing nonsense, are we? What? Me? What did I do?”

“Never mind.”

“You’re not on some drugs or something, are you? Do I need to call Findenai to escort you out?”

“I will see myself out.”

As expected, Deia’s face filled with irritation. She didn’t bother to stop me as I walked out, pretending she hadn’t seen anything.

“It was a pointless worry.”

Thinking that Darius and Illuania’s concerns were unfounded, I shut the door to Deia’s office.

Feeling relieved, Deia suggested that the two of us head out to town for a bit the next day.

***

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