CHAPTER 90: CHAPTER 90 - MAN OR WOMAN

"Or you could be wrong," Auran said calmly. "Jumping to conclusions without enough evidence isn’t wise."

"But... it was evil magic," Marian insisted, refusing to back down.

"If you’re really that concerned," Auran replied, watching her closely, "then report it to the people responsible for dealing with matters like this—the Holy Faction. The moment they hear there’s an evil magic user in the Third Watchtower, they’ll come rushing in."

Hearing this, Marian finally fell silent, lost in thought.

"I suppose that’s the best solution for now," she murmured. "But finding someone from the Holy Faction won’t be easy."

She finished her meal and stood, preparing to leave and begin her search for someone with authority.

"If the Holy Faction subdues the administrator, I might still be able to question him afterward," she muttered to herself as she turned to go.

"When was the last time you had a proper sleep?" Auran asked suddenly, stopping her mid-step.

"Ugh, what kind of question is that, all of a sudden?" Marian replied, turning back toward him.

"Because I can see the red lines in your eyes. Get some rest before you do anything else. I strongly recommend it," Auran said as he stood up from the table.

"Clara and I will be busy for a while," he added, glancing at the woman beside him. "You’ll have to get used to her—she’ll be with me from now on."

With that, he turned and left the room. Clara rose gracefully and followed behind him, her steps light and elegant.

Marian stared after them, eyes fixed on the door they had exited through. "If that’s not a lovers’ relationship, then I don’t know what is," she muttered under her breath.

But just then, she felt something—an alert, a shift in the air.

.

"Someone’s here," she said quietly.

As the rightful owner of the mansion, Marian was attuned to its protective wards. Whenever someone attempted to enter, she would be notified instinctively. And in that moment, the signal rang clearly in her mind—someone unfamiliar was trying to enter.

"And it’s a stranger I don’t recognize," Marian muttered.

She quickly made her way toward the entrance of the Blessing Crystal Mansion.

There, she found the two crystal golems restraining a woman who was furiously shouting at them.

"Let me go, you giant stone heads! I’m Nimuk, can’t you see?" the woman screamed.

As soon as Marian arrived, the golems placed the woman on the ground. The woman—who claimed to be Nimuk—spotted Marian and immediately tried to rush to her, only to be restrained again by the golems.

"This woman attempted to enter the mansion using the name of one of your servants," one of the golems informed Marian.

"One of my servants’ names? Which one?" Marian asked, frowning.

"She said her name is that ugly little guy... Nimuk," replied the golem flatly.

No one noticed, but the woman’s eyes welled with tears the moment she heard that.

"Let me take a look and see if she really is Nimuk," Marian said.

At her command, the golems lowered the woman slightly so Marian could get a better view of her face. After a careful inspection, Marian shook her head.

"I don’t see Nimuk anywhere," she said with a mischievous smirk. "But I must admit, this woman is quite beautiful. If she wants to be my servant, I wouldn’t mind at all." She winked teasingly.

"Eh...!" the woman quickly covered her body with her arms and exclaimed, "You beastly woman—it’s me! Nimuk! Can’t you recognize me? Damn it, after barely escaping that terrible excuse of a husband, now I have to prove my identity too?!"

"How can you claim to be Nimuk when you look like this?" Marian asked, eyeing her suspiciously. "Nimuk is... well, let’s just say he’s not beautiful to the eyes at all."

Once again, unnoticed by anyone, a single tear slipped down the woman’s cheek.

"Damn it!" the woman who claimed to be Nimuk suddenly exclaimed, launching into a rushed explanation of how she escaped from the Malv-Flower World prison, how she arrived in Marian’s world, and even how she evaded the wrath of the Protectors.

As Marian listened to every detail—things only the real Nimuk could possibly know—her previous casual demeanor vanished, replaced by a chilling seriousness. Her hand shot out and gripped the woman’s throat, tightening until veins rose across the woman’s skin.

"I don’t know who you are," Marian said in a fierce tone, "but to know all this, you must have done something terrible to my friend. I’ll give you one—and only one—chance to tell me where he is."

"I... I’m telling the truth... I am Nimuk..." the woman choked out, still insisting she was who she claimed to be.

Hearing the same stubborn answer again, Marian hesitated. Doubt flickered in her eyes.

"My simple mind can’t reason through this... I need help," she muttered to herself.

Moments later, Auran appeared at the entrance. Marian motioned to him and presented the woman.

"She says she’s Nimuk. Obviously a lie—but she won’t stop saying it. I’m sorry, but I know there’s a quick way to solve this... just by checking her gender," Marian said, then lightly struck the woman between the legs.

"Ugh!" the woman cried out in pain—but it was Marian who screamed louder, quickly pulling her hand back in shock.

"What was that...? A worm?!" Marian exclaimed, bewildered.

"I don’t know what you’re still doubting," Auran said with a small, amused smile. "If what she said about everything we went through together is true, then this is obviously Nimuk."

"She... This thing is actually Nimuk?" Marian asked, completely dumbfounded.

"See? Didn’t I say I’m Nimuk?" the woman shouted, still dressed in feminine clothing.

"But... but how can he be so..." Marian struggled to finish her sentence as she looked at Nimuk’s now-beautiful face.

"Forget that. The real question is why he’s wearing women’s clothes," Auran said, raising an eyebrow.

"It’s a long story," Nimuk sighed.

But seeing the expectant, unwavering stares from both of them, he had no choice but to begin explaining what had happened to him.