Killing the Possessor - Chapter 18
What excuse could I make to sound natural?
If there was a reason I would come to Loitri this late…
“I came to drink.”
“Drink?”
The man’s eyebrows raised, as though he had just heard the most absurd answer. But for me, it was only fair. No matter how I thought about it, that was the most straightforward response.
Why else would I come to a bar but to drink?
“Alone?”
His question followed, calm but filled with suspicion. The intensity of his gaze and the subtle doubt in his voice made my stomach churn.
Sure, I could understand why it might be odd for a woman to come to a bar alone at this hour, but with so many people around, why was he singling me out?
“Is there a problem?”
“……”
Finally, my frustration got the better of me.
I hadn’t intended to challenge him, but my temper flared in this irritating situation.
Though I didn’t know his exact rank, I was aware that those in charge of public security in Harent held significant authority.
Wait a minute—public security?
The sudden thought made me look at his face again, this time with renewed focus. His hair was still impeccably neat despite just having fought off a demon, and the rare silver color stood out.
Silver hair. Public security.
Wait a second…
How can someone who is not one of the male leads look like that?
“Not long ago..”
The thought that I needed to come up with a plausible excuse quickly crossed my mind.
If this man was indeed one of the leads, could it be that he was subtly pressing me and questioning me because he suspected I wasn’t the original noblewoman I was supposed to be?
“I broke up with my lover.”
I had to dispel his suspicions, no matter what.
“Even though we’ve been through a lot, he didn’t even visit me after the breakup. What a cold-hearted guy.”
I pieced together enough of the truth to make my answer sound plausible, anticipating that this man might know my true identity. If he did know I was Camilli Mute, then this explanation would likely clear up any doubts.
“I wanted to get over it, but I didn’t want to tell my family about my condition.”
It wasn’t exactly a secret that Camilli Mute didn’t have a good relationship with her family, so this wouldn’t raise any suspicions. Even if it wasn’t widely known, it didn’t matter much. If their relationship had been fine, she still wouldn’t want to worry them, so she would have kept it a secret anyway.
“So, I came here to drink. Alone, at night, to this place.”
I steadied my trembling legs, trying to hide my unease, and asked with a touch of sarcasm, “Does that make sense?”
“…”
Maybe a bit of my fear slipped through, but I was holding it together. After all, I had nearly died at the hands of a demon, and here I was, standing on my own, which was already an achievement.
But despite my heartfelt explanation, the man continued to gaze down at me, unmoving.
Could it be that he wasn’t buying it? After all that, wasn’t it convincing enough?
The silence between us was broken by a small exhale from his lips. His lips curled slightly, and his sharp eyes softened.
“Yes, that works for me.”
I breathed a quiet sigh of relief, inwardly relaxing, but then—
“However, someone said…”
“…Wha, what?”
The man took a step closer. Just his proximity was enough to make me uncomfortable, but he didn’t stop there—he tilted his head slightly toward me.
His actions and the unusually close distance made my heart race again.
“The pain of a breakup isn’t something you can drown in alcohol.”
“…”
“You erase it with a new love.”
I blinked, struggling to process the unexpected words from someone who looked so cold. For a moment, I wondered if I was dreaming.
A new love? What does that even mean?
“Sir Ren!”
Just then, someone called his name, breaking the tense standoff. Without hesitation, he pulled away.
He moved toward his colleague, and I couldn’t make out the conversation that followed—they were too quiet.
“Ren?”
The familiar number 18 echoed in my mind as I muttered softly. Yes, it was Ren. That name.
I marveled at my own forgetfulness in recalling even such a simple name, but something else took precedence.
Silver hair, public security, Ren.
He was the one I had most wanted to avoid—the predator who hunted down possessors like me.
