Chapter 67
I leaned against his chest, panting for breath.
“Princess, are you okay?! Why all of a sudden—ugh!”
“Shut up. Be quiet.”
His voice seemed to reverberate through my skull.
I covered his mouth with one hand and forced my eyes open, though they wanted to close.
Then the spirits gathered around me.
[Master! I remember! What happens when the four of us gather!]
[Me too~. Master, it’s okay~. This is just a natural procedure~.]
[It won’t take long. Relax and rest for a bit, Master.]
[Once you open your eyes again, it will be complete—true power.]
“What are the spirits saying? Still… they’re not acting strange, so nothing’s wrong, right?”
Hist removed my hand from his mouth and whispered something.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t respond to their words.
‘So sleepy…’
Through my fading consciousness, I could hear Hist’s voice.
“I’m… really worried. What should I do? …Princess? Neroli!”
With that desperate voice, I finally closed my eyes completely.
Deep in the forest, sunlight poured naturally through the lush green trees.
Flowers of vivid colors bloomed profusely, and spirits were playing among them.
Modway, Marin, Nesgal, Dimodi.
A man and a woman sat leaning against a huge tree, watching them.
The man had dark black hair, and the woman had a slightly rounded belly.
Whenever the breeze blew, the man’s long hair flowed naturally.
The woman giggled as she touched his hair.
It was a peaceful scene, like a painting.
Then the man whispered.
“Congratulations. By the grace of Dalia, you’ve contracted with all the spirits, just like me.”
He said this while looking at the woman lovingly, smiling.
His red eyes were so familiar.
“You are the only one in this world who could ever kill me.”
“Gasp!”
I woke up with a scream, jerking my upper body upright, trying to recall the scene I had just witnessed.
‘What was that?’
What I saw just now…
Was it a dream?
‘No, it wasn’t just a dream.’
Even as I opened my eyes, the scene felt like a distant past, yet the man’s voice and gaze were still vivid.
Regaining my composure instantly, I knew exactly who he was.
‘A dragon…!’
Callus! The black dragon said to protect the Lornod Empire!
The historical records of the dragon’s human form matched the man’s appearance perfectly.
And even from a brief glance, the overwhelming presence was palpable…
‘There’s no way he’s human.’
Determined, I replayed the dragon’s whisper in my mind, not wanting to forget a single word.
It wasn’t something I could afford to overlook.
‘Was the woman with him also contracted with all the spirits, just like me?’
What did he mean by “just like me”?
And what did he mean by saying she was the only one who could kill him?
‘Who is that woman?’
No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t recall her appearance.
I decided to organize the information I had and list possible assumptions.
While lost in thought, something flew toward me rapidly.
[Master!]
[You’re awake~.]
[We’ve been waiting for you!]
[Did you sleep well?]
More spirits had joined in, making even more noise.
I hugged the spirits who were clinging to me.
“Ah, you guys… I must have scared you when I suddenly collapsed, huh?”
[Hehe! We’re fine!]
[It was for you, Master~.]
[Are you physically okay?]
[Master, you’re completely fine.]
I checked my body carefully after Dimodi’s words.
And I couldn’t help but be surprised.
I had exhausted all my energy while breaking the seal…
‘But I’m fine?’
No, more than fine. My body felt amazing.
The circulating energy of the spirits within me was endless, like the sea, and even the fatigue I had always felt seemed to vanish completely.
‘All the tiredness I always carried melted away.’
A clean, healthy body, as if I had been reborn.
At that moment, one thought struck me.
‘It’s the same as Lornod.’
When the dragons described their physical condition, they always said: no matter how much they run, they never tire; they had never felt physical fatigue or pain since birth.
‘Then… does that mean what the dragon said about “becoming like me” applies to me too?’
At that moment:
[Clearing throat!] “Master, sorry for the interruption, but you should take care of that clumsy guy.”
[Right! Hist took such good care of you?!]
[The couch you were lying on, Master? Hist summoned it~.]
[That guy nearly cried…!]
“What?”
I finally snapped out of my thoughts and looked around.
A short distance away, Hist was sitting on a chair.
I was a little surprised to see him.
“You… that’s…”
Hist sat with his legs crossed, a dark cloth covering his eyes.
“So he really hurt his eyes earlier…!”
I quickly got up from the couch and approached him.
‘Luckily, the medicine to heal eyes is in the preparation room.’
I sighed internally.
Even as a great mage, he should be able to heal minor injuries with magic…
Could this be beyond even his power?
‘It makes sense. That light wasn’t ordinary divine power.’
If Hist’s eyes were permanently damaged because of me…
I reached out to the cloth covering his eyes, trying to hide my anxiety.
“Let me take a look at your eyes first.”
“I was really surprised.”
His voice interrupted me, making me pause.
Could he see even through the cloth?
Hist met my eyes precisely and spoke.
“You just asked if I was surprised by your collapse.”
“Well… yes.”
“I don’t know what the spirits said, but I was surprised.”
He muttered and frowned.
“I never want to feel that disgusting feeling again.”
“…I’m sorry. This is my fault.”
Hist stayed silent, staring at me after my apology.
I moved my hand to gently touch the area around his eyes.
“You got hurt because you were helping me… I’m sorry.”
I meant it.
Seeing him normally move like the wind, and then seeing him with his eyes covered, made my heart feel uneasy.
Whether it was guilt or pity, I couldn’t tell—but one thing was clear.
“If… your eyes don’t heal completely…”
“…”
“I’ll take responsibility. I promise.”
As long as the eyes themselves weren’t damaged, I was confident I could restore his vision.
I had studied eye medicine in depth while treating Hevaro’s grandson.
‘I have to find time to treat Hist no matter what.’
As I resolved that, I felt his eyes warming behind the cloth.
Looking down at his cheeks, I saw they were flushed red.
“You have a fever? Not good. Let me remove this cloth.”
“I-it’s nothing like that.”
Hist suddenly leaned back, waving his hands and glancing at me.
“Clearing my eyes? Honestly, I wanted to let you take responsibility… but my conscience won’t let me.”
With that, he lightly removed the cloth from his eyes.
Through it, I saw his thinly opened violet eyes.
I quickly examined them.
Hist coughed awkwardly, avoiding my gaze.
“As you can see, my eyes are fine. After a little rest, they’re completely healed.”
“Then why were you wearing that cloth?”
“Just in case. I blocked the light and vision for a moment.”
Hist added softly, “And it was hard to keep looking at a collapsed Princess.”
“…You’re not lying to me, are you?”
“Why would I? I don’t lie.”
I nodded, seeing no significant issue in his eyes, shining like amethysts under the greenhouse lights.
‘Thank goodness.’
As I felt relieved, Hist grabbed my shoulder and gently pushed me back.
“Is… this far enough? You’re too close!”
“Ah…”
I blinked quickly.
I hadn’t realized how close we were while checking his eyes.
‘When did we get this close?’
Feeling slightly embarrassed, I apologized.
“Sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I was in a hurry.”
“I wasn’t uncomfortable… but… ugh!”
Suddenly, Hist furrowed his brows and pounded his chest repeatedly.
I frowned at his unexpected action.
“Was that so uncomfortable?”
“No! It’s not that! My heart… my heart feels strange!”
He pounded his chest a few more times, then seemed to regain composure, coughing lightly and looking at me.
“Anyway, I accept your apology, Princess. How’s your body? Why did you collapse?”
“Well…”
I hesitated, needing a moment to decide how much to tell him.
Perhaps sensing my hesitation, Hist crossed his arms and said in a displeased tone:
“Don’t hide anything. Tell me everything. You promised earlier.”
“What promise?”
“The one where you said you wouldn’t leave me out. Don’t you remember?”
