CH 39

“That’s what they said.”

「You’re talking about someone else.」

“Because I forgot.”

「Ah…… I’ve heard that you can erase your memories on your own if you’ve been through something so painful or frightening that you can’t handle it. Yu…… Could it be that too?」

She almost called out his name in a friendly way.

She didn’t want to call his name. She didn’t get any closer to him.

Reason came back to her as she wanted to call out to him. She awkwardly changed her words.

Yulif sent his sunken eyes to her. In the meantime, Canaren was in a different state of mind and didn’t notice his gaze.

She was even more curious about the reason why Yulif jumped into the lake. He couldn’t swim because of his near-death experience as a child, so why did he go into the lake without thinking about it? If he hadn’t tried to die by drowning, why the hell would he…….

“Are you still curious?”

「What?」

“The reason I want to keep you by my side.”

She blinked her eyes wide in surprise. Yulif leaned his warm body towards her.

“If I tell you the reason, you might run away.”

「That’s fine…… I don’t want to know. Anyway, I have to go back to my village someday. This is not my place to live.」

“If so.”

“The moonlight is nice. The sound of the waves is soft. Perfect for a secret meeting.”

The bonfire flickered loudly. It’s probably not just Canaren’s misunderstanding that his appearance seemed to hit her.

Yulif slowly got up. His serene expression had already said that he had anticipated the appearance of Deltinus.

“Don’t worry about me and keep talking, Duke. If so, what?”

Deltinus, walking through the bushes, grinned. On either side of him stood armed and hounds with blood in their mouths.

Silence, and the gazes of the three of them were deeply entangled.

Canaren, unable to bear the eyes of Deltinus, shifted back and leaned her body away.

Yulif stepped forward in front of her as if protecting her as he always had.

“Tell me. Is it difficult to say in front of many people? Then just pass on.”

“If Your Majesty will also step back, I can say anything.”

Yulif’s reckless reply tapped Deltinus’ nerves.

The sound of trampling on the grass was deafening. Every time she heard a step, Canaren felt her own body being trampled on.

Now, the distance between Deltinus and Yulif became a distance where either one of them could be grabbed by the neck if they stretched out their hand.

Deltinus drew a cold smile over the displeasure that spread across his face.

‘I should have found you first.’

Deltinus threw the Hwira woman’s wings into the lake and released the soldiers and hounds to the forest. As soon as he heard the report that Yulif had disappeared alone, he assumed that Canaren had run away. Luckily, if Yulif fell into the lake, he would have a hard time coming out alive.

‘From that day on, Yulif was reluctant to even go near the water. It’s the only weakness of the guy, which I made myself.’

Even if he escaped by magic or discovered that it was a trap, it was enough to ensure he or his men would find Canaren first while his brother was being held there. It was not rational to spend time and troops on Yulif, who had a clear victory. As long as he holds the Canaren anyway, Yulif would follow you.

So, Deltinus searched the forest, leaving only one watchman near the lake.

However, the darkness that fell in the forest was getting thicker, and he didn’t even have any objects that had the scent of Canaren enough to imprint on his hounds. Because he had been hunting all day, the smell of other animals’ blood was accumulating everywhere. Neither the soldiers nor the hounds were of any use.

As the heat slowly spread to the top of his head, a watchman came running and reported.

“The Duke of Rubius has arrived! But while he was using his magic, he suddenly collapsed… He plunged himself into the lake. After that, a woman from the Hwira tribe, who was next to the Duke earlier, appeared and saved the Duke!”

When the report was received, Deltinus was quite far from the lake. It was unexpected that Canaren, who had run away, returned and saved Yulif.

He was very upset. He was the one who dug the trap, but he felt like he were being played by the two of them.

Deltinus beheaded the guard. Still, he was not satisfied, and he smashed his sword at the corpse of the innocent watchman several times.

“Such useless trash.”

He spit out a swear word, as if for everyone to hear it.

The soldiers who witnessed the death of the watchman shuddered.

The only person who was not afraid in this place was Yulif. It was truly annoying.

“I said, go.”

“Yes…… Yes!”

“Get the wings. The color is white and the size should be about this. It was done with magic so it wouldn’t have sunk into the lake. Bring it to me.”

The soldiers, who had been frozen at the sudden command, moved quickly. At the word ‘wings’, Canaren looked at Deltinus with an anxious look. One corner of Deltinus’s lips twisted.

“You always look at me with those eyes. Even though I look exactly like the Duke, you recognize me. I don’t know if I should be happy or sad.”

Canaren bit her mouth shut. Deltinus leaned his body towards her.

“You can stop acting like that now. I know you can.”

“Ah… Ung.”

“Hmm. You don’t want to speak even if your mouth is torn in front of me for acting? Then I’ll have to tear it apart. A wild and pretty mouth that flutters to the Duke and doesn’t say a word to me.”

“You cannot do that.”

Waves started crashing on the still lake. An unusual wind blew around Yulif. The blue light in his eyes gleamed faintly in his calmly sunken eyes. It was proof that he was using magic.

Deltinus recalled the watchman’s report.

‘Didn’t he say he fell while casting his magic?’

He thought there was something wrong with Yulif’s health.

“Are you trying to expose your claws to me because this isn’t the Imperial Palace?”

“It’s to protect a lifesaver.”

“The way you two caress and lick each other makes me cry.”

“Your Majesty, I have found the wings as you’ve commanded.”

“Put it down in front of me.”

Two soldiers put down a pair of wings. The wings that fell from its owners and laid on the ground were a bit bizarre and not realistic. It was even more so because of the bloodstains that remained in places even after being hit by a towering water column and flying away.

「This, this is…….」

Canaren muttered in a trembling voice. A wing of this size was difficult to find from a common bird. It was clear they were from the Hwira tribe, her people.

Deltinus explained in a kind tone to Canaren, who was about to collapse.

“The wings of your people. Do you know? This. I should have asked the wing owner for her name. She may have been the kid you used to be friends with.”

「Kill, did you kill?」

“If you want to hear an answer, you have to speak in a language that I can understand.”

Deltinus grinned. Canaren’s face turned blue and white.

Yulif opened his mouth for her, but Deltinus reached out his hand to block it.

“I like her screams quite a bit. There was nothing I didn’t like at all. I had a hard time choosing one that resembles you as much as possible. Did she die? Maybe it was because she bled too much.”

「You are not a person. A demon in human skin! How could you do such a thing!」

“You seem to blame me. This time it’s your fault. I’m not at fault. If you had quietly become mine, this wouldn’t have happened. There would have been no reason for that Hwira girl to have her wings ripped off just because she resembled you.”

It was an inconsistent sophistry. But his sarcastic words engulfed Canaren’s heart.

She suddenly had a quick passing thought.

Why did Yulif fall into the lake?

She now understood why Yulif, who couldn’t even use his magic properly due to his near-death experience, jumped into the lake. Yulif misunderstood those wings as hers. He must have thought that she was captured by the emperor while fleeing, had her wings ripped off, and thrown into the lake. So he threw himself into the lake, despite knowing that he wouldn’t be able to swim and that his life would be in jeopardy.

To save her

Her heart went down. Her feet felt like they were going to give way.

She wondered if there was no place in this world for her. Was the emperor’s cage the only place she could be in? How many people must suffer because of her?

It would have been better if she had been quietly trapped in his grasp, as Deltinus said. If that was the case, the other Hwiras wouldn’t have their beautiful wings ripped off. Yulif would not have fallen into the lake, nor would his life be threatened.

‘The Emperor was right. it’s all my fault. If I had quietly followed the Emperor’s orders. If I was locked up in a cage placed in a room. Not Yulif, but the Emperor…….’

“Don’t listen.”

A warm hand took Canaren’s hand. It was Yulif’s hand. The tears welling up in her eyes were streaming down her cheeks.

“You did nothing wrong.”

「But, everyone gets hurt because of me! It’s my fault. I tried to run away……!」

“If you’re trying to say that if you’ll sacrifice so everyone else will be happy, don’t do it.”

Strength entered Yulif’s hands. No pain was felt from their connected hands. The warmth that came from his hands made Canaren seem to harden her distant feet.

“You deserve to be happy too. You did nothing wrong.”

The ground shook. She thought it was vertigo, but the ground was really shaking.

Canaren discovered a haze-like energy rising from Yulif’s body.

“You saved me. In countless moments. That you don’t remember.”

Yulif said something she couldn’t comprehend.

‘I only saved you once.’ Canaren wanted to say that but she didn’t. It was because approaching them was an unfamiliar and ferocious presence.

Silver pupils flashed in the dark. Werewolves.

“I can’t make you happy. But I can make sure you don’t suffer.”

Yulif stomped his foot. Then, around him, a blue light spreaded out like the roots of a tree and a huge magic circle was drawn.

“That’s why I want to keep you by my side.”

The soldiers, bewildered by the light pouring from the magic circle, let out shouts. One of the wizards cried out in a voice filled with astonishment.

“How can you perform space-transport magic of this scale without any preparation……!”

Yulif recited a short spell. An unending power exploded from him.

Canaren felt it with her skin, with her sixth sense.

That power swept over her like a tidal wave. Quietly, but surely, it devoured soldiers, hounds, and wolves.

Even though she knew he wouldn’t swallow her , she feared its power. It was such a powerful and overwhelming force.

She held Yulif’s hand tightly. As if responding to her, Yulif also tightly clasped her hand.

It was only for a moment that the light and power had faded away. It was strangely peaceful everywhere. After the powerful magic swept away, all that remained were Canaren, Yulif, and Deltinus.

Deltinus slumped down as if his legs had lost their strength. It was the first time that he directly received Yulif’s magical power, which he had only heard of through rumors.

Was this really the power that a human being could possess?

Yulif looked down at him with eyes still burning bright blue.

“Do you know? How patient I am.”

“……Did you come with this intention?”

“It seems difficult to continue hunting. If you wish, I will send you back to the Imperial Palace.”

“Shut up. Do you think you’ll be okay if you use magic on me?”

“There would be no reason not to be safe.”

The conversation ended with that.

Yulif took Canaren away from the lake. He walked next to Canaren and at her pace, looking down at their hands.

‘The flow of magical power that was entangled due to the side effect of the regression was unleashed at once……. Why?’