I'm the Friend of a Male Lead who went Crazy after the Female Lead Died

Thank you, Astarria, for editing this chapter. 

 

 

 

What? Could it be that Killian noticed it was me?

 

In the hallway as she was walking back to her room after teatime with Killian, Elshnain hugged herself, feeling a bit creeped out.

 

Asherai said that Killian didn’t show up while he was dealing with Mikhail.

 

So, he would never think that I had left this place.

 

Even though Mikhail seems oblivious, he reports about me to Killian every day…

 

So he would know that I obediently stayed in my room the whole time.

 

Let’s not worry too much.

 

Trying to calm down the anxiety that had suddenly surged up, Elshnain straightened her shoulders and walked towards her room with quick steps.

 

Several maids and servants passed by her, but they all treated her as if she were invisible.

 

Truth be told, Elshnain was getting used to being treated that way.

 

Killian summoned so many illusions of me, and now everyone still thinks that I am not real.

 

Even when she was walking around the mansion with Mikhail, and even when she was seen chatting with Killian, everyone treated her as if she didn’t exist.

 

“I guess this is what it feels like to be a ghost.”

 

Last time, she had gone to the kitchen alone because she was hungry and tried to talk to a servant, but it caused a huge commotion.

 

[G….g…….ghost!!!]

 

The servant fainted, foaming at the mouth, and Elshnain was so shocked that she almost fell down with him.

 

Luckily, Mikhail was there to quickly intervene.

 

I’ve given up now.

 

She had considered publicly announcing that she wasn’t an illusion, but decided against it, thinking it was pointless.

 

It’d be hardly fair to ask Killian to make accommodations for someone who is practically an enemy; Elshnain thought to herself.

 

And since Killian, the owner of the mansion, hated her, wouldn’t it be normal for his subordinates to also do the same?

 

After all, not everyone in this world was as kind as Mikhail.

 

Speaking of this, Mikhail was truly a good person. He probably knows that Killian, whom he respects, doesn’t just dislike me but hates my guts, yet he’s still as nice as ever.

 

“Ah, Elshnain. You are here.”

 

“Yes. Everything okay?”

 

“Yes, hummm.”

 

Mikhail, who was standing guard at the door, cleared his throat as if he had something to say. But just as she was about to ask what was wrong…

 

Crash!

 

The sound of something falling echoed inside the room.

 

“Oh! There’s an intruder in the room…!”

 

“Ahhhh no, no, Mikhail!!”

 

“What?”

 

Mikhail, who was about to rush in with his hand on the hilt of his sword, stopped in an awkward pose due to Elshnain’s protest.

 

Elshnain flapped his arms widely and tilted his head.

 

“I left the window wide open and put something that could easily fall up there.”

 

Confused, Mikhail blinked a couple of times.

 

“Hahaha! So don’t worry, just stay here. That’s probably the sound of it hitting the floor.”

 

“In that case, I should accompany you even more! I can’t let you pick up fallen objects yourself. It’s such a troublesome task!”

 

Wow, Mikhail……! You sure do know how to touch a woman’s heart; she mused.

 

However, although unintentionally moved by his words, Elshnain could not back down.

 

“Don’t worry, don’t worry. It’s just something a bit embarrassing for me to let you see. You get what I mean, right?” she said, twirling her hair in a slightly embarrassed fashion. “Right?”

 

But there was no way that Mikhail, who had spent his whole life being clueless, would have understood what she meant.

 

“It’s okay! Don’t worry about it! You spent so much time with me yesterday! How could I pretend not to notice when Elshnain is in trouble!”

 

“..…”

 

“I’ll take the lead!”

 

“Mikhail, no.”

 

Elshnain grasped his massive arm, which was about to open the door, and spoke in a low, but stern tone…

 

“It would be troublesome if you entered my room right now. Understand?”

 

“…..”

 

“Very, very troublesome. So just stand here quietly. Got it?”

 

“Yes…!”

 

Knowing well that her expressionless face could be very intimidating, Elshnain utilized that to its fullest extent.

 

And Mikhail, who saw her suddenly stiffened face, immediately stood straight, his military spirit fully ignited.

 

“Good job,” She lightly patted his shoulder before hastily entering the room.

.

.

.

“Phew, Still, I’m glad he listened to me instead of going off on a rant. By the way, did he spend that much time with me yesterday? Why?”

 

As Elshnain entered the room, she saw something moving around under the bed.

 

It was Asherai.

 

He was lying on the floor, curled up in an awkward fetal position with his arms wrapped around his head.

 

“What are you doing?” Elshnain asked.

 

“…Damnit.”

 

It seemed that even he thought his current appearance was ridiculous, as he muttered a small curse.

 

“Although the Polymorph ability is the dragon race’s natural power and can’t be detected like magic can, any little spec of magic I let out will immediately be felt by Killian. So what else can I do besides hiding like this?”

 

“That’s why I told you to hide behind the curtain in the first place.”

 

“I can’t breathe there. Are you trying to suffocate the one and only dragon in the world to death?”

 

The sight of him raising his nose while emphasizing himself being ‘the one and only dragon in the world’ was quite annoying.

 

No wonder Killian dislikes this guy.

 

On the other hand, it was true that the plan went smoothly thanks to this ‘one and only’ dragon, so Elshnain didn’t bother to argue with him and just shrugged.

 

“Hurry up and get under the bed then.”

 

“What? You are not telling you to come out, but to go in?”

 

“Well, do you want to get caught?”

 

After pushing Asherai, who was reluctant to go in, with force under the bed, Elshnain sprawled out on top of it with a sigh.

 

“So, what are you planning to do with this money?” Asherai, now crammed under the bed, asked in a gruff tone.

 

“This sister has got it all figured out.”

 

“Yeah, but what exactly is the plan? We’re partners now, right? What do they call it again, co-conspirators?”

 

“Hmm.”

 

Realizing she would need his help in the future, Elshnain rolled over on the bed, pondering for a while before speaking up;

 

“Alright, I’ll tell you. First, I’m going to invest the money.”

 

“Invest? You plan to grow the money?”

 

“Well, that too. Buuuttt… I’m planning to do something a bit naughty as well.”

 

“Hmm. Why are you talking as if this is your first time doing something bad, like you’re some innocent soul.”

 

“……”

 

At those words, Elshnain, who had gotten up, and was walking towards her wardrobe in order to change clothes, suddenly stopped in her tracks.

 

While Asherai, oblivious to her reaction, continued to speak.

 

“In the past, whenever there was any mischief to be done, you were the one who… Ouch, ouch! That hurts!”

 

“Get your facts straight. You were always the one starting shit.”

 

After a moment of bickering, with her pulling on his earlobe, Elshnain suddenly remembered something.

 

“Now that I think about it, you used to transform into many different things back then, didn’t you?”

 

“Huh?”

 

“You don’t really need to hide under the bed.”

 

“What?” Asherai asked back in an anxious voice.

 

“Dragons can freely transform into any living creature, not just human. “

 

“……You’re not suggesting…”

 

“Exactly. Instead of hiding, why not transform into a very small animal? Like a mouse, or maybe a cockroa—Aghhhh!” Elshnain, who was suddenly hit in the face by a flying pillow, held her nose and screamed.

 

“Hey, youuu!!!”

 

But just then……

 

Knock, knock!

 

“Elshnain! I thought I heard you call for me. Are you alright?”

 

“Oh, Mikhail! Haha, I was just talking to myself for a moment. Don’t worry about it!”

 

“Okay,” Mikhail replied with a somewhat dejected tone.

 

Asherai, looking exasperated at Mikhail’s voice, made an ugly face. Ignoring his expression, Elshnain glared at him, who was halfway out from under the bed, and said curtly:

 

“Stop suffering under the bed for no reason, and transform into something else to hide. You know it’s not just me who’ll be in trouble if you get caught, right?”

 

“…Ugh, fine. I get it.”

 

Asherai clearly knew that transforming would make it easier, but he hadn’t done it until she asked. It was likely because he was reluctant to change into anything other than a human.

 

His human side is definitely showing in times like this; Elshnain thought.

 

He had always said that transforming into other creatures felt strange to him.

 

“So, when are you planning to do that bad deed?” Asherai asked.

 

And his sulky question was met with an immediate answer.

 

“Right before the New Year’s festival .”

 

* * *

 

“Huh? What did you say?”

 

After successfully getting Asherai to transform himself, and stashing him somewhere, Elshnain ushered Mikhail into the room only to encounter an expected situation.

 

“Ahem. I’m talking about Panchigi.”

 

“…Panchigi?”

 

Elshnain blinked, trying to recall if the term she just heard referred to the same ‘Panchigi’ she knew, then asked again:

 

“The game where you flip one coin to hit another and flip it over?”

 

“Yes!” Mikhail replied with a puzzled expression. “Didn’t you teach me to play yesterday? Did I get the name wrong?”

 

“Oh.”

 

That damn Asherai. What did he teach this 100% pure knight with innocence dripping from his eyes?

 

“Ahaha. I know, I just got a little confused for a moment. So, what about it?”

 

“Could you play a round with me again today?” Mikhail said, looking embarrassed, with his hands clasped tightly together and his body rocking back and forth.

 

“Hmmm”

 

Elshnain’s face, which had a broad smile on it, subtly tensed up.

 

Panchigi… really?

 

“Do you really want to play panchigi with me?”

 

“Yes!” Mikhail’s eyes sparkled.

 

He was eager to play the game with Elshnain, or rather Asherai, again after their thrilling match yesterday.

 

He still couldn’t believe there was such a fun and thrilling game in the world!

 

The foolishly innocent knight didn’t even realize that it was gambling, and spent the whole day today eagerly awaiting for Elshnain to come back from her meeting with Killian, oblivious that he was now showing signs of addiction.

 

With bated breath, Mikhail waited for her answer, and after a while, Elshnain’s slightly stiff lips curved into a smile.

 

“Alright, alright. Let’s do it. Bring it on.”

 

It was the same mischievous smile of hers that looked so malicious in the newspaper.

.

.

.

“Sniff….”

 

And that evening, Mikhail had to go back to his room, sobbing.

 

“Uh, yesterday I clearly won in the final rounds consecutively… Why did I keep losing today?”

 

With his broad shoulders slumped, his back, as he headed toward his room, resembled that of a defeated soldier returning from war.

 

“Ughhh. Sniff….”

 

He didn’t know.

 

He had no idea that the one who taught Asherai the art of Panchigi was none other than Elshnain.

 

That no one in this world had ever beaten her at Panchigi, having mastered all kinds of tricks throughout her harsh life.

 

“Huuu… Sob.”

 

Mikhail, who took his first step into the cold world of Panchigi, felt as if he had become alone in the world; the lonely sound of his weeping following him like a consolation.

 

“Hic…..”