I'm Still Alive
Chapter 2

After a while, we stopped in front of a diner in the middle of the street. Ariel helped me get down from the horse, tied it up with a rope, and then we both entered the place together.

It was crowded inside, with many people sitting and eating.
I followed behind Ariel, walking toward a table in the corner of the restaurant where another girl was already seated.

She had light orange hair tied into two braids on top of her head.

“Ah, here you are!” – the girl said excitedly.
“Good morning, Lili,” – Ariel smiled and waved at her.

We made our way to the table.

“So this is the kid you're going to be teaching?” – she looked at me and asked.
“Yep, that’s him,” – Ariel nodded, her voice friendly as she glanced at me.

I instinctively stepped back a little.

“Hmm... you look pretty cute, kid. I’m Liliana, but just call me Lili,” – she leaned in close to my face and said.

“Y-Yes... Miss Lili,” – I stammered awkwardly.

After that, they didn’t say much and sat down at the table.
I sat next to Ariel, while Liliana sat across from us.

Liliana started ordering food—and she ordered a lot.
After a while, the waiters began bringing the dishes out.

“Isn’t that... a bit too much food?” – I whispered.

“Lili always orders this much, but she never finishes it,” – Ariel commented.
“Eating like this is how you enjoy life!” – Liliana defended herself.
“Right, right,” – Ariel chuckled.

We began enjoying this lavish breakfast.
My stomach was already growling from all the tension after riding the horse.

I ate quite a lot, but even so, nearly two plates of food were still left untouched.

“Wait a sec, I’m going to the restroom,” – Ariel wiped her mouth and stood up.

She turned and walked away from the table.
Once she was out of sight, Liliana suddenly turned to me.

“Hey, kid. Do you realize what an honor it is to be taught by Ariel?” – Liliana said seriously.

“Huh?” – I looked at her, confused.
“What do you mean?”

Liliana set her fork down, wiped her mouth with a napkin, and began speaking.

“Ariel is a really pitiful child. Her mother passed away when she was only five years old.”

Liliana began recounting some things about my magic teacher, her voice serious.

“Her father used to beat and scold her all the time after she started learning magic.”
“Her father was a retired warrior. He had a deep hatred for magic—so deep, not even Ariel knew the reason.”
“When she was seven years old, her own father sold her to a group of slave traders, and those people abused her even more.”

My throat tightened as I listened to Liliana say those words.
My nose burned, eyes starting to sting.

At that moment, faint fragments of my past life began flooding back—
And I understood just how deep the pain Ariel must have endured was.

“After that, my father bought Ariel. That’s when I met her.”

“Your father bought her?”
“Yes. My family is of noble blood. My father’s name is Heartman Polch.”

I froze the moment I heard that name—Heartman Polch.
It was the name my parents always mentioned.
He was the lord of the land where my family lived.

“So the beautiful and talented Lady Liliana everyone talks about... is actually you?”
“Well, you could say that,”

Liliana gave a proud little smile.
But then her face turned serious again.

“I’ve known Ariel since then. We got along really well, and over time, she became like a member of our family too.”

“Ariel’s really talented at magic. She learned quickly and mastered lots of powerful, useful spells.”
“Not to mention, she’s beautiful and kind as well.”
“I’ve never seen her get mad at anyone.”

I sat quietly, listening to Liliana talk about Ariel for quite a while longer.

“Oh, by the way... don’t you think Ariel’s been gone for a little too long?” – Liliana leaned back, a bit puzzled.
“Yeah, come to think of it... is this normal for her?” – I asked her.

We started to feel uneasy.

“Stay here. I’ll go check things out,” – Liliana stood up.
“I’m coming too!” – I jumped out of my seat, blurting out.

“No, you’re not!” – Liliana blocked me.
“Why not?” – I looked at her, confused.
“Stay here. Don’t ask questions,” – she said firmly.

I shivered a bit and obediently stayed behind.

Huh? Stay here? No way.

As soon as Liliana disappeared from my sight,
I ran to the front desk and told the staff, then quickly followed the direction Liliana had gone.

I followed through the alleyways until I saw Liliana running fast.
I tried to keep up and saw her turn into a side alley.
I ran up and peeked in.

I froze, completely stunned by what I saw.

Lying on the ground were several men, unconscious—
And a few others still standing.

About four men were surrounding Ariel.
Her body was covered in dirt and drenched in sweat from exhaustion.
Her face was pale, and her breathing ragged.

Behind the men was Liliana—
Her face darkened, and her eyes radiating a killing intent so sharp
It felt like it could fry the brain of anyone she looked at.