Chances to Another Life

10. I Really am Okay!

I closed my eyes and thought of curses for Solace, who heartlessly brought me to Swinggelir only to die.

If he really is a powerful magical being, I would ask him to reincarnate me as a brave knight who can tame fire-breathing dragons!

I even felt like I was in the afterlife because I could feel the hot breath. My back was hit by something very hard, but it only caused a tickling sensation. Then my head hit the hard object and I reflexively opened my eyes.

Oh, is this the real afterlife?

It feels exactly like the last place I died. The library building was still high above the clouds, and now I was rolling on asphalt. Splashes of water wet my face until I was fully awake.

This feels so real.

"Are you crazy? Don't lie down on public roads!"

A voice scolded me as it passed by. Startled, I quickly shifted my position to sit up. I raised both my hands and they were still fine, nothing broken.

I immediately touched every part of my body until some passersby looked at me suspiciously, as if they saw a madman.

I'm still alive. Healthy and intact. Not a single bone broken. My head is still attached to my body, though slightly swollen.

"Hahaha!" I laughed contentedly.

Is this the power that Solace gave me?

I may not be able to breathe fire, freeze objects, or turn into an animal, but here I am alive after being thrown from the 50th floor!

I could spend all day admiring my new body if people didn't start looking at me with suspicion. So I got up and walked back into the library as if nothing had happened.

Arriving on the 50th floor, I sneaked behind the bookshelves and watched Adellia, who was still with those two arrogant girls. They were chatting, but Adellia seemed uncomfortable and kept looking toward the elevator, perhaps thinking about the right time to leave.

Then I heard a faint laugh that I recognized. Max, the Naughty Kid and his followers were laughing as if they had never thrown anyone from a height before.

I was very surprised how someone could not feel guilty after trying to kill someone.

Also, I didn't feel like I had ever met him or heard of him. I thought this was the arc that often appeared in novels about crazy villains who hated the main character.

I couldn't hear their conversation from here, but I noticed Adellia's panic when she didn't see me with the two children. For some reason, however, Adellia calmed down immediately after Max said something.

I'm sure that boy is good at sweet-talking. I wonder what reasonable excuse he gave about the person falling from the 50th floor.

For some reason, my gut was telling me not to approach her or arouse suspicion on Max's part because I was still alive. My feet felt stuck where I was standing.

I saw Max and Rey lazily picking up their books and heading for the elevator to go down to the lower floors. They probably wanted to check on my body but would be disappointed. Maybe they thought a commoner's corpse like mine would disappear under the brooms of the garbage collectors.

Not long after, the two girls left, leaving Adellia alone. She continued to read her book with sparkling eyes.

I felt a little sad because it turned out that Adellia didn't care about me at all. She didn't even try to find me. Did she really think that an adult hunter like me would be a suitable friend for a child like Max?

Just as I decided to approach her, Adellia immediately got up and left her seat. I followed her slowly from behind, it seemed that my hunting skills were an advantage, as she didn't notice me.

This floor was indeed very spacious, so much so that I thought they should provide small toy cars so that visitors wouldn't get tired walking around. Adellia walked with quick, enthusiastic steps, her blonde hair swaying beautifully as she took off her hat.

There were not many visitors on this floor either. There were a few people reading, and they were too serious to pay attention to their surroundings. People came and went as soon as they finished looking at the bookshelves. I couldn't even understand what they were looking at, so I quickly decided that what they wanted didn't exist in a room this large.

Adellia opened the door to a balcony, quite far from where she was sitting. I tried to act casual so as not to arouse anyone's suspicions. As I approached the balcony, I could hear Adellia talking to someone.

"My days are cloudy because Father is getting harder and harder on me. I even thought of running away. But luckily Joe was there and he was able to convince Father. I can be somewhat relieved by his presence," Adellia said.

I pressed my ear to the door to hear more clearly when my name was mentioned. What was going on?

For a few moments I didn't hear an answer, but I could still hear Adellia's voice laughing softly.

I had a bad feeling.

"I'm sorry, it was all my fault. The King sent me to the north, and there are indeed many small conflicts there, it seems like it will take months. However, I will make time to see you in between duties."

As soon as I heard this voice, I thought, what method would the King Swindon use to execute me?

It was definitely Elliot's voice! I had only heard him speak a few times, but I was sure!

My shoulders weaken. I didn't die when I fell from the 50th floor, but would I die when I was stabbed with a sword or tickled to death?

Apparently, that was the real reason Adellia brought me to the library. More specifically, she was using me for the king's trust in me!

How could I not see that!

"I've missed you," Adellia said in a spoiled voice. I covered my mouth as I spontaneously vomited.

"Whenever it is, we agreed in that novel to exchange letters. I'll come here once a week to read it and send you an answer," Elliot said.

That made me more nervous than riding in a transparent elevator. Her subterfuge is so shortsighted!

I must have missed something for Adellia and Elliot to agree to this unusual method of communication.

I shook my head in wonder. I was a witness to infidelity in this world and what method should I use to get them to break up?

In my world, all I had to do was record their activities and share them on social media with provocative captions. Then, boom! They would get socially sanctioned afterward.

But in this world?

Maybe they missed each other so much, they didn't notice me pacing restlessly in front of the balcony door.

Trust me, you wouldn't want to listen to cheesy lines like the ones I'm listening to right now!

I considered whether to barge in and surprise them? However, I immediately thought of the risks. I wondered if Adellia really considered me an important person, because if not, I could die a second time from being silenced as a witness to an affair.

"What about Cedric? Do you happen to like him?" Elliot asked from inside.

I could almost imagine Adellia's expression whenever Cedric's name was mentioned.

"Father is persistent, but Cedric seems to like me too. He often gives me gifts when he come home from duty, or asks Father's permission to talk to me alone. Father'd be happy, but I'm not!" Adellia insisted.

"I only loved you," she continued.

At this point, I could only lean resignedly against the sturdy bookshelf.

"So, how are your wife and children? Have you met them recently?" Adellia asked back.

"They're doing well. Yloza is now in the academy, she's even good at arithmetic and is keeping a pegasus at her school," Elliot replied.

Raise what? I was dumbfounded. Pegasus?

I don't know if that fact surprised me more than Elliot's daughter who was already quite big.

"I'd like to meet her," Adellia pleaded.

"That's fine. Yloza will be happy to have a beautiful princess like you visit, and my wife will treat you well. Just tell her you're visiting for support since I'm on duty."

I really couldn't figure it out. What did Elliot consume to be so mean to his family? He even advised Adellia to lie. From what he said, I guessed that Elliot's wife hadn't found out about her husband's crazy play with the king's daughter.

No matter how handsome Elliot is or how much he's done for the kingdom, in my eyes he's just a man who betrayed his wife and children.

Same with Adellia, I don't think I'll be able to interact with her without remembering her behavior.

Because I was too annoyed to listen to their conversation, I, who was clinging to the balcony door, accidentally nudged the knob, resulting in a thud.

The two people inside stopped talking compactly. I deliberately ran as fast as I could to where Adellia was sitting earlier.

I rubbed my face roughly, trying to neutralize my expression, then pretended to admire the view out the window.

Not long after, Adellia stumbled over to me with a panicked face that she could not hide. She put her hat on awkwardly.

"Max said you went to the bathroom and promised to meet him downstairs. I didn't expect you to be back so soon," she said.

Apparently that's what the brat said. His reasoning didn't even make sense to me, but Adellia seemed to believe him.

Did she think it was a chance for her to meet Elliot as she had planned?

I put on a weak smile. "Ah, these guys get bored easily. They don't want to hang out with an old hunter like me," I replied with emphasis.

Adellia seemed to stammer, but she immediately smiled back.

"Come on, let's go home. Father will be angry if we take too long."

Even though there were no supernatural creatures threatening me, the threat of death was still not far away.