Chapter 38: The Severed String

“Oh, Brother Noah, won’t Sister Yufi be angry if she overhears you speaking about her like that?”

“Don’t worry,” Noah replied dismissively. “That one’s out, and they won’t be back for at least three days. Besides, what does it matter if I speak of her? Her very life was saved by me back then; if not for my intervention, she would have long since perished in some forgotten corner.”

“Wow! Brother Noah, you’re truly incredible! Despite being so kind, you’re always misunderstood by everyone around you. Xilulu is genuinely heartbroken by that…”

“It’s alright,” he murmured, “as long as you understand me, that’s all that matters…”

Clang!

The heavy door burst open with a resounding kick, and Yufinika strode into the room.

Her expression was more somber than it had ever been.

If, moments ago, she had clung to a sliver of hope that she might have misheard, then now, only absolute despair remained within her heart.

“Yikes! Who’s there?!”

Startled, Xilulu’s ears shot up, their tail twitched restlessly, and they clutched onto Noah beside them, trembling uncontrollably.

Noah’s hand, still resting on Xilulu’s head, had not yet had time to withdraw.

He stood frozen in place as if time itself had ceased, a stiff, unnatural smile plastered across his face, as a few words scraped their way out of his parched throat.

“Yu… Yufi…”

Yufinika felt as though all the blood in her body was surging backward, and her head throbbed as if it were on the verge of exploding.

She stood silently, marveling at her own inexplicable ability to maintain a semblance of calm.

“Who is she?”

“Yufi, please, let me explain…”

Before Noah could finish his sentence, Xilulu promptly shook off his hand and sprang to their feet.

“I-I-I was hired by Mr. Noah, just for a chat, that’s all. I apologize for the intrusion, I’ll leave right away.”

It was only now that Xilulu realized the woman before her was none other than the legendary Yufinika.

‘What kind of joke was this?’ she thought frantically. ‘Hadn’t they said Yufinika would be gone for three days? Why was she back already?’

Xilulu had merely intended to earn a bit of easy money.

After all, simple and insecure men like Noah were a rare find; a few compliments, a little coaxing, and money would flow into her pockets like water.

Yet, she had never intended to pay for it with her life.

Meeting Yufinika’s chilling gaze for less than a second sent a shiver down Xilulu’s spine, terrifying her so profoundly that she nearly lost control of her bladder.

Forcing her trembling legs to move, she scurried past Yufinika in a desperate scramble to escape.

Yufinika did not even spare her a glance.

She had no inclination to concern herself with that ‘stray cat’ (TL Note: A derogatory term for a woman who is perceived to be promiscuous or a homewrecker.); her gaze was fixed solely on Noah, who remained seated on the ground.

“Why are you doing this?”

“Yufi, I…”

He had initially intended to offer a feigned explanation, but Yufinika was no fool; the words spoken earlier had undoubtedly been overheard by her, rendering any defense utterly weak and futile.

And so, Noah let out a laugh, as if in resignation.

“Why would I do such a thing? Your question is truly peculiar,” he scoffed. “I am a man. What’s wrong with inviting pretty girls to my home for a chat?”

“What did you say?”

Yufinika clenched her fists so tightly her knuckles whitened, her entire body trembling with incandescent fury.

“You already have me!” she cried, her voice cracking. “Why do you still seek out others? Using our money, in our home, to entertain strange women? And you dare ask me what’s wrong with that??”

“I say, Miss Yufinika,” Noah interjected coldly, “aren’t you being a bit too overbearing?”

Noah cut her off with a chilling tone.

With matters having escalated to this extent, he no longer bothered to maintain his pretense.

“We are neither lovers nor spouses. We simply belong to the same small team. Ultimately, aren’t we just colleagues?”

“And as colleagues, I hardly think you have the right to dictate whom I choose to associate with, do you?”

“Colleagues…?”

Yufinika stood stunned, her fury momentarily extinguished by his words.

“In your heart… is that truly all we are?”

“And is it not?”

“Don’t be ridiculous!”

Yufinika roared, tears streaming uncontrollably from her eyes.

“Two years!” she cried, her voice raw with anguish. “We spent two whole years together! In my heart, I have always considered you my most important family! Is this truly how you perceive me? What quality do I lack that that woman possesses?”

“She’s different! What could you possibly understand about her?!”

As if a ‘reverse scale’ (TL Note: A sensitive, often forbidden, spot. Touching it is said to provoke a dragon’s wrath, used metaphorically for a sensitive point that, if touched, will enrage someone.) had been touched, Noah, too, began to roar.

“Only she understands me, truly comprehends me! She respects me! She doesn’t look down on me like everyone else!”

“Are you mad? She’s only here to swindle you out of your money!”

Noah stared blankly at the ceiling, a flicker of deranged ecstasy gracing his features.

“Heh heh, and what if she does swindle me?” he retorted, a chilling laugh escaping him. “I’m perfectly willing. At least she isn’t like you, looking down on me while feigning righteousness.”

“When have I ever looked down on you?”

“Stop pretending! I’ve heard from others that you’ve grown close to the leader of the Silver Wolf (TL Note: A guild/team name.). Didn’t you two go to dinner just a few days ago? What a perfectly matched pair. Since you’re so fond of him, wouldn’t it be better to just kick me, this ‘burden’ (TL Note: A derogatory term for someone who is seen as a hindrance or dependent.), aside sooner rather than later?”

“What utter nonsense are you spouting?!” Yufinika shrieked. “They merely invited me to join their team, but I refused on the spot! I didn’t even touch the food!”

Yufinika’s eyes reddened, and in a surge of pure rage, she drew the sword from her waist.

To be so openly doubted and slandered by the person she held dearest—she had never, in her entire life, endured such profound humiliation.

“Are you truly willing to trust those babbling drunkards outside, yet refuse to believe me?”

Yufinika’s voice choked with emotion, but Noah remained utterly oblivious to the profound agony tearing at her heart.

“Oh, please,” Noah sneered, dismissing her tears. “I know, don’t I? Am I not just a good-for-nothing who only drags you down? Ah, yes, it’s wonderful to be a genius; it’s perfectly normal for you to look down on me!”

“The only reason you’ve kept me by your side is to inflate your own vanity, isn’t it? ‘Look at me, how kind, how noble! I even care for such an incompetent person!’ That feeling of superiority must be truly exhilarating, mustn’t it?”

Noah’s lips twitched uncontrollably as he stared fixedly at Yufinika, his emotions spiraling into an increasingly agitated frenzy.

“But let me tell you,” he spat, “don’t for a second think I haven’t seen through you! I’m no fool!”

“I am a distinguished graduate of Arcadia Academy! I am destined for a far more brilliant future! Why should I be subjected to your condescending pity, as if it were some charity?”

“Haha… if I had known it would come to this,” he cackled, a cruel edge to his voice, “I never should have saved you back then. It would have been better to let you die on the streets!”

Crack!

A vital string within Yufinika’s heart suddenly snapped.

Her vision blurred into a crimson haze, and the events that followed remained indistinct in her memory.

Only when she finally regained her senses, the surroundings had been utterly transformed beyond recognition.

Tables and chairs lay splintered, deep sword marks marred the walls, and the once cozy cottage was now nothing but a scene of utter devastation.

Noah knelt upon the ground, his face deathly pale, blood steadily seeping from a wound on his cheek.

Like a madman, he prostrated himself, kowtowing and pleading for mercy, imploring Yufinika to spare his life.

Yufinika stared blankly at the man before her, her gaze fixed, unmoving for a prolonged moment.

It was the first time she had observed Noah with such meticulous detail, and only then did she suddenly realize the profound extent of his transformation.

His hair was longer than she recalled, neglected and unkempt, his fringe falling haphazardly across his forehead, almost obscuring his eyes.

Those once clear black pupils were now clouded with a murky film, the corners of his eyes drooped slightly, imbued with an overwhelming weariness.

The scattered stubble along his jawline bore testament to his transition into maturity; he could no longer be called a mere boy.

Two years.

For elves, such a span of time was fleeting, almost inconsequential.

For humans, however, two years was more than enough time for countless things to change.

Appearances could alter, temperaments could sour, and even the purest of intentions would inevitably become blurred and indistinct amidst the relentless march of daily reality.

In that moment, Yufinika finally understood that the boy she had once vowed to protect for a lifetime had, without her realizing it, already died, leaving behind only a familiar yet profoundly alien husk.

All strength instantly drained from her body, Yufinika swayed, dropping the sword from her grasp, and stumbled out of the room, utterly bereft.

She left that town, and from that day forward, she never once looked back.