Chapter 112 ….
Is there something Ezekiel is trying to show me? Or is this just a memory playing back on its own?
Within the illusion Ezekiel showed me, I saw my mother as a child.
I watched young Mom burst into giggles, chat to the marble, and even sit beside it reading a book.
She talked with Ezekiel without rest, and the two of them truly looked like friends.
But—
“…It’s dark.”
I frowned and quietly stared at the scene unfolding before my eyes.
The background looked like night—extremely dim and dark—but even within that darkness, my mother’s golden hair shone brilliantly.
At some point, the childlike image of my mother had become that of an adult. She stood before the marble, clutching her stomach.
And then she began to get angry.
Each time thunder and lightning struck, the scene flashed bright for an instant, revealing my mother’s furious face.
But from that moment on, I couldn’t hear any sound.
Like trying to hear noises from above the water while submerged deep in the waves, I could only occasionally catch something faint that sounded like “Ezekiel.” Nothing else reached me.
So I couldn’t tell what kind of conversation Mom was having with Ezekiel through the marble.
Only—
“…I’m leaving.”
Seeing my mother, who had been arguing in front of the marble, suddenly turn and run out, I could only infer that their conversation hadn’t ended well.
What kind of conversation did Mom have with Ezekiel?
Just as that question arose—
Tap.
Someone grabbed my hand.
It wasn’t part of the illusion. It was a real hand. The warm touch of a real person.
I knew who was holding my hand.
“Lemart?”
But no answer came back.
It seemed we were still partially disconnected from each other. I held Lemart’s hand—and noticed something strange.
‘It’s damp.’
His palm was wet, like he was breaking out in a cold sweat.
Why?
Did Lemart see something different from me?
If Ezekiel had shown Lemart the same memories related to “Astrid Ferdinand,” there was no way his palm would be this clammy with cold sweat.
Carefully, I held Lemart’s hand more firmly.
I didn’t know why he was sweating, but I hoped I could at least offer him a little comfort.
As if that feeling reached him, I felt Lemart tighten his grip on my hand.
At that moment—
Flash!
The space before my eyes suddenly brightened, and the illusion Ezekiel had been showing us ended.
The burst of light slowly faded, leaving us alone in the complete darkness of night.
The cat-like magical beast that had guided us here was nowhere to be seen.
I sat still and looked toward the cave entrance.
It was pitch-black and silent, as if no one had ever come or gone.
That was when I realized.
‘It’s all over.’
It was finished.
In the novel, it had been simply described as “the evil dragon was defeated,” but this was how it truly ended.
[ Eve, are you all right? ]
X spoke to me.
With the vibrating sword resting across my knees, I nodded.
“I’m fine.”
I looked at Lemart.
Like someone who had just woken from a nightmare, he was staring at me, drenched in cold sweat.
He stared blankly at me for a long moment before suddenly turning his head away.
“…Is it over?”
Lemart muttered.
I nodded.
“It’s over.”
I could tell.
There was no longer any trace of Ezekiel’s power anywhere.
The guardian contract bound by dragon blood—
The contract that pierced through the hearts of the guardian bloodline—
I could feel that it was no longer in effect.
Grandfather would probably feel it too.
That Ezekiel was dead.
But—
‘There’s no time to be sad.’
I didn’t even have time to mourn.
There was something Ezekiel had asked of me, and I was the only person who could carry out the request he made while alive.
So grieving would have to come later.
“…But are you okay?”
Still, offering comfort was something I could do now.
I didn’t forget to look after Lemart.
After wiping away his cold sweat, Lemart quietly nodded.
He meant he was fine.
I watched him for a moment, then gripped X and sprang to my feet.
If it were up to me, I would have comforted Lemart a bit longer—but we didn’t have time for that.
When the heroes entered the cave, the sun had been setting. Now it was completely dark night.
I couldn’t tell exactly how many hours had passed, but it was clear a great deal of time had gone by while we were under Ezekiel’s protection.
‘Have the heroes already left?’
I leaned through the rocks and checked the cave entrance again.
Still silent—like no one had visited.
Just then—
“My lady.”
Someone hurried toward us.
It was a Ferdinand knight dressed in white. With the white cloth wrapped around him, he had been nearly invisible in the snowy mountains.
But now, under the moonlight, the white uniform stood out even more.
I looked at him.
He was someone I had seen in Ferdinand.
“I am Arendt Felipe, Commander of the Blue Dragon Knights. We have confirmed that the subjugation force has fully withdrawn from the snowy mountains. They are currently heading toward a village in Knut and departed the mountains two hours ago.”
After answering exactly what I had been wondering, he bowed and stepped back.
“Thank you for letting me know.”
With X slung over my shoulder, I quickly turned toward the side path.
“There’s no time to waste. Let’s go.”
“Right. Let’s head down.”
Careful not to slip, we descended along the side path.
When we reached the cave entrance, countless footprints were scattered chaotically across the ground.
They led inside—and then back out.
For a moment, I thought I could faintly see the heroes’ figures overlaid on the tracks, and I narrowed my eyes.
They went into this cave, killed the guardian dragon, and came back out.
“…Phew.”
And now it was my turn to follow them in and finish the task Ezekiel had entrusted to me.
After taking a deep breath, I strode into the cave.
Just then—
“Lady Eve, will you be all right on your own?”
Arendt, who had told us the time earlier, came after us holding torches.
Without hesitation, he handed one torch each to me and Lemart.
“I was ordered not to follow you into the cave, so I will remain here. But it’s dark inside—please take these. If you fall, it could be dangerous.”
The torch in my hand flared red.
“Mm. Thank you, Arendt.”
“Thanks.”
Holding our torches, we once again headed into the cave.
Arendt remained at the entrance watching us, and just as he had said, the interior was extremely dark.
Long.
Wide.
Pitch-black.
Endless darkness stretched ahead.
It was such a deep, dark tunnel that it made me wonder—does something really wait at the end of this?
‘Ezekiel is waiting for me at the end.’
With that thought, the deep darkness of the cave didn’t feel so frightening.
We walked for a long time. Here and there, we saw broken sword fragments and arrows that the subjugation force must have dropped.
We deliberately ignored them and kept walking.
How long had it been?
“Lemart, over there…!”
My eyes widened when I saw a soft blue light glowing faintly in the distance.
“Yeah… looks like the dragon’s light.”
Lemart nodded in response.
For a brief moment, our eyes met.
Then we both started running toward it at the same time.
The closer we got, the brighter the light became—and the narrower the cave grew.
And then, after running—
“…Huff… huff… Ezekiel…”
I finally found Ezekiel.
Lying there with an utterly peaceful face, as if he had fallen into a deep sleep.
