CHAPTER 05
Unlike the three people who were glaring at Philiatus with faces that looked like they wanted to beat him up right away, Mars followed his words with a bright smile, as if he was having a lot of fun.
“That’s right. I don’t know.”
At those words, the three people shut their mouths tightly and turn their heads.
Mars spoke in a soft voice.
“It’s late tonight, so let’s rest. We’re going now.”
At those words, Philiatus suddenly looked around and gently grabbed the hem of Mars’s clothes.
“Kid, are you going too?”
Mars tilted his head and smiled brightly.
“Why? Are you afraid of being alone?”
“No, that’s not it… I’m just, I’m just saying….”
It was Philiatus who trailed off for no reason because of his pride.
Then Mino spoke with a displeased expression. His expression was one of great annoyance and annoyance.
“Human. There’s an unwritten rule in Agape Castle. After midnight, everyone must return to their assigned location. You’re not allowed to wander around the castle at night. Especially not in the east.”
Then he said with a glare.
“Why did such an arrogant and arrogant person, who has no self-awareness, come as a sacrifice of all people……”
Filiatos muttered quietly to himself as he watched Mino grumble and get up from his seat as if to tell him to listen.
“……Ah, I was just so surprised earlier, I’m not weak!
Mars burst out laughing at Filiatus’s boast, but then grabbed Filiatus’ hand and said, “Don’t get too worked up.”
“I’ll speak to those three separately. Philiatus isn’t a sacrifice—he’s a bride.”
“Well, that’s it…….”
“Okay, I’ll really go. See you tomorrow.”
Mars, who was about to grab the doorknob and leave, paused in front of the door for a moment, then turned around and approached Filiatus.
Then he started sniffing like a little puppy.
“……What, what is it? Do I smell something?”
Filiatus, who was flustered for no reason, used all his sense of smell to sniff his arms and sleeves, but there was no particular smell.
Then Mars looked into his eyes again and said.
“Piliatus. Keep the door shut tonight. No matter what happens, don’t come out. Understood?”
Mars pretended to be an adult and spoke firmly, then left without saying anything.
The remaining Philiatus stared blankly at her back and muttered to himself.
“……What is it……?”
That night.
Filiatus was tossing and turning on the bed.
The old bed was uncomfortable when I first lay down on it, but because of my heavy and complicated mind, even that discomfort was forgotten.
A quiet castle without a single breath of wind.
Outside the window, a faint rustle of wind rustled fallen leaves. Dust rose in the darkness, and even the slightest noise grew louder. The creaking of the old timbers added a desolate echo to the entire castle.
“The master of the castle hasn’t even shown himself yet… and the only one who seems friendly to me is a little kid.”
Filiatus muttered as he stared blankly out the window at the moon.
“For some reason, the three of you look at me like I’m your mortal enemy… Hmm. A bride, a sacrifice… Well, it’s nothing special, I guess?”
By the way, this large castle only has four servants.
One was a little boy who could barely understand what was being said, and the other three looked human, but their eyes and demeanor were strange and eerie, like those of beasts or soulless dolls, as if they had stepped halfway into another world.
What on earth are they…?
Moonlight seeped into the room, and as his face was bathed in its pale light, Filiatos suddenly remembered the rules of the siege that Mino had mentioned earlier.
“Is it…… past midnight?”
The night is deep, but sleep doesn’t come. My thoughts are racing. No, perhaps it’s because my thoughts are so numerous that even my eyelids don’t feel heavy.
“I told you not to wander around the castle after midnight… why?”
Actually, I pretended not to hear, but I am Filiatos who heard clearly what Dante said earlier.
‘How dare you! To call Areias hideous! How beautiful he is!’
Areias.
Are you talking about the owner of this castle? Oh, I’ve heard that somewhere…
If you say it’s beautiful, then it must be a four-legged monster. If it’s not a monster, then what is its true identity?
Taboos, perhaps because they’re taboos, make us even more curious. It’s human nature to want more when told not to. Curiosity slowly began to seep into Philiatus’s eyes.
If I may give a name, wasn’t Philiatus a bride offered to the master of this place?
Rather than waiting for the day to die like a terminal patient, since my body will be sacrificed anyway, wouldn’t it be okay to be curious?
The thought made the corners of my mouth slightly rise. I felt like I had to force myself to rationalize.
“Rules are meant to be broken.”
As that thought crossed his mind, Filiatus abruptly stood up. He had long since forgotten about unwritten rules.
The hallways of the castle were as clean and quiet as if bathed in moonlight. Even the sound of footsteps brushing the floor slowly faded away, leaving only the suffocated air.
Filiatus walked cautiously, barefoot. The cold stone floor felt fresh on his soles, but he hadn’t even noticed it.
“It’s not a castle, it’s like a maze…….”
Perhaps it’s because the moonlight doesn’t shine through, and only a few candles illuminate the surroundings. It feels like I’m walking down the same hallway I just passed, like I’m trapped in a maze.
Wherever you go, you will see old castles covered in white dust, with no trace of human hands having touched them for a long time.
I couldn’t feel a single breeze in the place I had passed by, and even though I was just breathing, the traces I had left behind felt heavy.
But Philiatus could not stop walking and return to his room.
“Isn’t this a jewel?”
The further you went into the hallway, the more unbelievably treasures there were.
Perhaps there are more treasures than in the treasury of the empire.
Unfaded gold ornaments, glittering jewels and precious metals, even the royal seal. A splendor unlike any seen anywhere else was quietly piled up.
Before those gleaming, almost breathless, lights, Filiatus paused for a moment. He was about to move on, unable to fathom the meaning of this radiant splendor, so out of place in this desolate castle—
The place where the tip of the foot stopped was right in the east.
The forbidden direction that Mino absolutely told me not to go.
As he was about to head east, cutting through the cold air that enveloped his toes, Filiatos felt something off.
“……?”
It felt like a strange heat was starting to spread down my lower abdomen.
Suddenly, the back of my neck felt warm, and my heart began to beat faster. It was a sensation I’d never felt before.
“……what……?”
An unknown fever and a strange discomfort rising from within.
But it soon turned into a strange longing. A hunger, like desire, radiating from the center.
‘… … It feels a little hot… … .’
Philiatus, unaware of the significance of the change, continued to walk, as if driven by some instinct. For a moment, it seemed more like a strong pull than curiosity.
As if being led, he passed through a long corridor that curved eastward, stopped in front of a room, and placed his hand on the doorknob, his cheeks slightly flushed.
Now, rather than the air being hot,
‘Yes, that feeling of being suffocated by a very strong scent―.’
Despite the cold sweat running down his spine, Filiatos went deeper into the room.
I entered a long corridor covered in red carpet. At the end of it, someone was standing.
Filiatus stopped walking and only then realized that his heart was beating like crazy.
… … What is it? Why is my body like this?
The moonlight was obscured by clouds, and the corridor was dark. Finally, as if recognizing Filiatos, Inyoung slowly rose and began to walk out of the darkness.
