Chapter 72
“Most people get confused, but you’re calm.”
The voice of the butterfly that had entered Kendrick’s body was androgynous.
It carried a strange aura, the kind that could enthrall both men and women alike.
“Is it because you’re a descendant of Pendragon…?”
Well, that wasn’t the real reason—she was calm because she had regressed and already knew about this—but he could misunderstand all he wanted.
Maya didn’t bother answering.
“Anyway, what matters is the fact that you managed to get in here.”
The butterfly smiled, and a hazy mist spread around them.
“I’m curious… about what you’re afraid of.”
The butterfly vanished, leaving Maya standing alone.
This was inside the butterfly’s illusion.
What I’m afraid of…
If she couldn’t break out of this, it meant she’d die.
It was an artistic way to kill, just like its appearance suggested.
Maya tried to guess what fear she would face.
Kendrick’s death, maybe.
That was when her new life started to go off the rails in ways she didn’t want.
She thought Kendrick would appear.
So she braced herself and walked forward.
But—
“…Huh.”
Standing before her was Tristan.
This is an illusion.
She could tell immediately—it wasn’t the boy she had known, but Tristan as a grown man.
Not much time had passed since Tristan had reverted from this form back to that of a boy, so she recognized it at once.
But even if she hadn’t, she would still know.
The man in front of her stared at her with eyes far colder than the real Tristan ever would.
The Tristan in the illusion wore a crown similar to the one worn by the rulers of Ritherfield.
A splendid ceremonial uniform and cloak—no doubt the butterfly’s personal taste was reflected in this illusion—looked striking on him.
If it were real, he’d look even more impressive.
The thought even made her curious about what Tristan would look like when he actually became emperor someday.
How was this illusion supposed to shake her?
Maya stood her ground calmly.
“Don’t let your guard down.”
The White Dragon reminded her by her side. Maya nodded.
“Maya Pendragon.”
It had been a long time since she heard her true name instead of Maya Beyaden.
“Maya Pendragon.”
The illusion kept calling her name.
“Yes.”
Maya answered.
But the man before her felt so unfamiliar.
Because Tristan would never call her like that, with that expression, with that face.
She suddenly wanted to see the real Tristan.
As soon as she replied, Tristan’s face twisted as if he had been waiting for it.
Her stomach churned.
When his expression changed, the vague, unreal background around her suddenly became as vivid as reality, pressing in on her.
She was engulfed by the overwhelming tide of illusion.
Her sense of reality sank.
Tristan’s cold voice pierced her ears.
“Is it true that in the past… you joined hands with the Emperor and nearly brought this empire to ruin, and in the end, you still failed to break my curse?”
As Tristan fired the words like bullets, Maya realized something she had kept buried deep in her heart without ever truly knowing.
“That you were such a cruel and cowardly person?”
Maya had always thought she wouldn’t mind if Tristan learned the truth about her past.
She even wished for it, in a way.
But that wasn’t the whole story.
I want that, but… I don’t.
Tristan was a good man—he wouldn’t show it, but…
That wasn’t the real issue.
I don’t want Tristan to be disappointed in me.
It was selfish—wanting to be remembered as someone good in his eyes.
She had discovered this truth, but that was all. Maya broke free of the illusion’s grip almost immediately.
The reason was simple:
This situation couldn’t exist in reality.
She couldn’t be deceived by this Tristan.
“The real Tristan would never say something like that.”
The Tristan she loved, her husband, wasn’t the kind of man who would hurt someone with words like these.
As Maya rejected the illusionary Tristan with her whole being, his image as emperor wavered and melted like ink in water.
Her vision shifted again.
The world rippled strangely, like coffee swirling in a cup when stirred with a spoon.
This time, Kendrick appeared.
“Maya… why did you do that?”
He reproached her, just as he had in the past.
“I thought you’d be different this time.”
“I believed you could save me.”
His voice was sharp and clear, but it didn’t shake Maya.
“I’ve heard far worse from Kendrick before.”
In her previous life, the Kendrick who appeared in her dreams had said things far harsher than this.
She had endured them all.
That gave her an unshakable strength against anything this illusionary Kendrick could say.
Above all, there was one reason why no illusion could sway her now:
“In this life, I won’t let you die like that.”
Kendrick had been the first to stand by her side as a friend.
She wouldn’t let tragedy repeat itself.
Maya summoned the White Dragon into her hand.
It grew so enormous it seemed ready to split this dark world in two.
“So if you think you can shake me with something like this, you’re dead wrong.”
She had been through too much to fall for such a cheap trick.
Maya slashed across the sky.
Cracks appeared on the ceiling as if someone had ripped a sheet of paper in half.
Through the gap, she saw the butterfly’s eyes staring at her.
Maya kicked off the ground and leapt out.
A wyvern appeared from nowhere, letting her mount its back.
“I told you to go….”
The wyvern snorted, as if to say, What are you going to do alone?!
“Thanks.”
Maya smiled faintly and patted its back.
Thanks to the wyvern’s stubbornness, closing the gap between her and the butterfly became much easier.
Riding the wyvern, Maya closed in on the butterfly. In the end, she subdued it and held her sword to its neck.
For the first time, the butterfly looked shaken.
How did she escape so fast?
The illusion was supposed to be an unbreakable wall, deep and strong.
It was the natural enemy of humans, feeding on their fears.
Ordinary people could never escape it. Even if they did, it would take days, even hundreds of days.
As proof, even the great Duke of House Beyaden, and Kendrick Archisia—whose body it currently possessed—were still wandering in their illusions.
How on earth had she broken free?
They even seemed to love each other…
She had shattered House Beyaden’s illusion in an instant.
The butterfly had wanted to enjoy this longer.
It had barely awakened, and even if this was all for the Demon King’s resurrection, still—
I wanted people to know I was alive!
It planned to wreak havoc on its way out. It had even used its insect swarm to spread its name.
…But to think my illusion wouldn’t work.
If she kept chasing this close, there wouldn’t be any time left for fun.
“You can’t kill me so easily.”
The butterfly tried to stall for time, saying whatever came to mind.
“That’s true.”
The descendant of Pendragon agreed without hesitation.
It seemed the butterfly might get to play a little longer after all.
Stupid human, it laughed inwardly, then refocused on the fight.
But then—
“That’s why I’m not going to attack you.”
“…What?”
“I’m not going to kill you either.”
Maya Pendragon said it with a calm face.
✦✦✦
The wolf had accepted its death without resistance.
And the butterfly showed no real will to kill Maya either.
They hadn’t found the monsters just because they were lucky or skilled.
The monsters had intentionally revealed their locations.
Both Maya and Tristan had reached the same conclusion:
Maybe—
Death was the ending these monsters truly wanted.
Then let’s try not killing them.
It might be impossible to never kill them, but it was worth testing.
Even if they were wrong, they could at least gather information from the reaction.
Information about the strange behavior of these monsters.
“…You’re lying. You have to kill me to get your friend back.”
The butterfly’s voice was calm, but Maya immediately caught the faint tremor of doubt in it.
All those talks and struggles with Tristan hadn’t been for nothing.
The butterfly’s eyes darted nervously.
Its composure cracked.
It spoke again.
“…Even if I attack you?”
“Then I’ll defend myself.”
“You won’t be saying that after you’re hurt.”
The butterfly grinned wide, then lunged at her.
Desperation in its every move.
Maya stepped back to dodge—
And then, a blade of black light flew between them.
