Chapter 18
‘What’s that sound?’
Elledin perked up her ears, staring at the closed door reflected in the clear glass of the balcony window.
Footsteps could be heard beyond the door.
What time is it?
When she looked at the clock, it was already past 1 a.m. Since the servants in the duchy never came to the second floor at this hour, the only one who could be awake was probably Fernan.
Elledin left the balcony and returned to the room to open the door.
He seemed to have already gone downstairs, as his footsteps could be heard in the distance.
‘Where’s he going in the middle of the night?’
Could something have happened?
Worried, Elledin hurried after him.
When she got to the first floor, she saw Fernan turning toward the room that led to the basement.
She followed him into the room and saw that the iron door to the basement was slightly open—he had already gone down.
Peeking through the gap, she could see Fernan descending the stairs far below.
With a candle in his right hand, he moved confidently through the pitch-black basement.
Elledin knew this was a place she shouldn’t be stepping into, so she began to back away—but just then, a harsh voice echoed through the hallway.
“Who’s there?”
It was a rough, unfamiliar voice she had never heard before.
Startled, Elledin took a step back.
At that moment, with a loud clang, the iron door slammed shut with a strong gust of wind.
Feeling exposed, Elledin quickly ran back to her room.
She dove into bed and squeezed her eyes shut.
She could only hope he hadn’t noticed her.
How long had she been lying there like that?
The door creaked open.
Elledin held her breath.
The door closed, and Fernan slowly approached her. She could hear his tired footsteps even through the blanket.
With a thud, he lay down beside her.
“Hoo…”
A heavy sigh escaped him. The bed rose and fell with his breathing.
Fernan reached out and wrapped his arms around Elledin’s cold body. As if seeking comfort, he buried his face in the nape of her neck.
‘Fernan…? Why is he like this…?’
Though confused, Elledin pretended to be asleep.
His breath tickled her skin, but she resisted the urge to flinch. Her heart, which had been pounding from fear, now began to beat faster for a different reason.
Afraid he might realize she was awake, Elledin didn’t move a muscle and held her breath.
Thanks to her efforts, Fernan’s harsh breathing slowly eased, eventually turning into soft, steady breaths.
His warmth, almost hot, had already warmed her chilled body.
After that night, Fernan acted as though nothing had happened.
Meanwhile, Elledin continued to receive devoted care from the duchy’s servants. She felt her body gradually regaining strength.
Feeling better, Elledin finally got out of bed and made her way to the office for the first time in a while.
She sat at her desk as she was used to and began reviewing documents with proper posture.
It was a quiet, peaceful routine.
But then, a blood-curdling scream rang out from beyond the window.
“Aaaaahhhh!”
Startled, Elledin jumped up and rushed to the window.
Stepping out onto the balcony, she could see movement deep within the forest.
Squinting, she saw trees toppling one by one.
‘That is…’
Massive monsters were gathering in one spot.
They were smashing trees, as if searching for something. Several broken carriages lay beside them.
“Intruders,” said Silin, who had rushed over in response to Elledin’s alarmed voice. Her tone was flat, as though this situation was nothing new.
She stared out at the forest with emotionless eyes.
“Intruders? But I thought this place was protected by a barrier…”
“There are foolish humans who think a powerful treasure is hidden here because of that barrier,” Silin replied.
“How did they—?”
“Raaaaaargh!”
A monstrous roar interrupted Elledin, loud enough to drown out her voice.
When she looked toward the forest again, she saw monsters retreating in response to a burst of glittering light.
“Some high-level mages are capable of breaking the barrier,” Silin added.
“Molek?”
At the familiar voice, Elledin and Silin turned around. Molek was grinning, having entered at some point without them noticing.
Just like Molek and Silin had said, people occasionally invaded the duchy.
They knew monsters existed, but since Fernan had been fending them off, people outside the North rarely encountered them firsthand. As such, monsters didn’t seem so terrifying to outsiders.
That’s why some people even paid large sums to hire mages and break through the barrier.
But what they found wasn’t glittering treasure—it was monsters lingering near the barrier, longing to escape.
At the sight of such enormous monsters, people panicked and screamed.
Very few managed to regain their composure and fight back. Most hesitated—and were quickly devoured.
“Isn’t it dangerous when the barrier breaks?”
Surely there was a reason for its existence.
“Well, what’s there to worry about? Our master will take care of it anyway,” Molek said cheerfully. Silin had already lost interest and was brewing tea.
“This time, it seems there’s someone smarter among them, but they’ll be dead soon enough, so no need to worry,” Silin added.
Elledin spoke up in a serious tone.
“But we can’t be sure they’re only after treasure. What if someone among them came to see Fernan?”
Both Molek and Silin froze.
“Oh… I never thought of that,” Molek said, widening his eyes in surprise.
“But really, who would come to a desolate place like this on purpose? The only visitors are nobles sent by the emperor now and then—and they never go so far as to break the barrier,” Silin added, pouring tea.
At their words, Elledin suddenly realized how quiet it had become outside.
Molek gently closed the balcony door and escorted her back inside.
“It looks like the master will take care of things, so you can rest here, my lady.”
“Isn’t it dangerous, though? There are so many monsters…”
“Come on, you know how strong the master is. We’d only get in the way.”
Molek laughed heartily.
Despite the unease creeping in, there was nothing Elledin could do.
She took one last glance outside and sat back down. Silin placed warm tea and cookies beside her.
“Thank you,” Elledin said with a gentle smile and picked up the documents again, sitting upright like before.
Though Silin had spoken casually, Elledin’s mind was elsewhere.
No matter their intentions, death felt like too high a price for intruding.
They had families too, perhaps even children, and some might have come simply to survive.
‘This isn’t right…’
Elledin clenched her hands. But this was the duchy, and there was nothing she could do.
In the end, she forced herself to focus on the paperwork.
Early that morning, Fernan was in the forest behind the castle.
He soared high into the sky and looked down on the thick woods below.
‘That spot looks good.’
The location was just right.
Having made up his mind, Fernan descended in an instant.
He planned to build a space for Elledin here.
On the wide field, he wanted to create a small glass greenhouse and a large lake in the center. He would need space for that.
Surveying the forest, Fernan exhaled briefly and swept his arm sideways.
A sound like air being sucked away echoed.
In an instant, everything within a 3-kilometer radius vanished. The grass beneath his feet remained, but the trees that had blocked the view had disappeared—roots and all.
‘I won’t be able to see her today.’
Fernan looked down at himself. His feet were covered in black fur and scales, and his torso had long since ceased to resemble anything human.
‘The area’s ready.’
Now, it was time to get rid of the nearby monsters.
Of course, he’d erect a barrier far stronger than the one outside—but Elledin’s presence attracted monsters, so he had to be extra cautious.
Besides, the outer barrier had been intentionally weakened to make it easier to kill monsters.
Just then, he heard someone scream.
‘Perfect.’
When humans broke through the barrier, monsters trying to escape would gather in one place. It made killing them much simpler.
Traveling the vast North and killing monsters one by one was nearly impossible, so Fernan often used these opportunities to deal with them.
When he arrived at the source of the scream, humans and monsters were already in a standoff.
“Hm…”
Fernan folded his wings and perched on a tree, watching silently.
The battle between the mages and the monsters was already over. Only one human remained standing—everyone else had fallen. Meanwhile, monsters kept swarming in from the distant forest.
‘He doesn’t look like a mage.’
Fernan stared at the lone trembling man.
It was only a matter of time before he died. Fernan sighed, already bored.
Then, he happened to glance elsewhere.
‘!!!’
Far away, Elledin stood on the balcony. Her platinum-blonde hair shimmered in the sunlight.
Unconsciously drawn, Fernan shifted his body—and a tree branch fell toward the man.
Startled by the falling branch, the man looked up.
For a moment, he was stunned by the sight of the monster-like duke—then he clung to the tree and began to cry.
“Please, spare me! I beg you!”
‘He’s so scared, he can’t tell fantasy from reality.’
Fernan stared down at him, bewildered.
He thought he looked no different from a monster. Yet this man believed they could communicate and was speaking to him.
The man seemed to realize this monstrous being held his fate. Half-monster, half-human—it was possible Fernan had once been someone like him, cursed after entering the duchy.
And since no one had reportedly entered the North in months, this man must have entered long ago and somehow survived.
‘I shouldn’t have followed them so recklessly!’
The man—Liam—sobbed in regret. He couldn’t die here.
Though skilled in architecture and magic and proud of his talents, Liam had to settle for being a powerless merchant because he was a poor commoner.
He had followed the mages, lured by promises of wealth—and ended up like this.
Still, he believed that one day he’d be recognized and live comfortably with his family. He couldn’t die now.
When Fernan didn’t move, Liam scrambled to grab the hem of his pants.
“Please save me! I’ll do anything. I beg you—I have a little sister. She’ll die without me!”
Fernan stared at him silently.
Should he save him… or not?
As their eyes met, Liam sucked in a breath and froze.
He recognized that look.
It was the look of someone weighing a decision.
