Episode 31
“…Serita.”
“Yes. I know.”
Benjamin, who had been feeling the same thing beside her, placed a hand on Serita’s shoulder.
It was a signal to take a step back—there was nothing more they could do here.
“I hope you’re ashamed of calling yourself a healer while doing something like that to your patient.”
Leaving only those words behind, Serita left the room with Benjamin. Inside, only Peyton and Sophia remained.
Looking at Sophia, whose complexion was gradually improving, he sighed.
“I’m actually a really good person, you know.”
At last, his hand lifted from Sophia, revealing her peacefully asleep, no different than when she had been healthy.
The toxic energy tormenting her had completely vanished. Now, all that remained was to wait for her to awaken from her deep slumber.
Gently brushing aside her tousled lavender hair, Peyton murmured softly.
“Sophia Benny.”
An unfamiliar name.
“Benny Ro Lancel.”
A well-known name.
“…So it’s you. The child of miracles.”
She had insisted, just by her very existence, that she was a miracle. How could he not have known?
After quietly gazing down at Sophia for a moment, Peyton dusted off his hands and opened the door. The attendant waiting outside turned to look at him, and Peyton gave a bright smile.
“Bled, mind if I have a word with the lord of this castle?”
Bled Howl Roberti’s Office
The deep night had settled, and brilliant moonlight poured through the wide window. Under that glow, Peyton blinked his eyes tinged with a bluish hue and waved cheerfully.
“Bled! Long time no see!”
Peyton and Bled had a fairly long history. When they were younger, Peyton had treated him once, and their connection had continued since then.
Though, in recent years, the relationship had become mostly one-sided, as Peyton had stopped responding to any communication.
“You’re still as lively as ever.”
Though Bled had permitted him to enter, seeing him walk in so cheerfully and familiarly made his brows furrow instinctively.
Bled brushed back his snow-white hair and gestured first at a chair with his pen tip, then toward his desk.
Understanding that he should bring the chair himself, Peyton obediently dragged one over and sat face to face with Bled.
“How’s Sophia?”
Bled pretended to calmly handle his documents, but the slight tremble in his hand gripping the pen revealed just how worried he truly was.
“She’s safe. For now.”
“For now?”
The implication that she hadn’t fully recovered made Bled glare fiercely at Peyton.
“I let you into this castle on the condition you would cure her completely.”
“Did you? Sorry! I don’t really remember that part.”
“Peyton.”
“But what can I do? I can’t remember very well, and I confirmed that the child of Lancel is alive.”
Seeing that annoyingly cheerful face made Bled want to jab his pen straight into it, but he composed himself and calmly set the pen down.
“You’re not trying to blackmail me with the knowledge that Sophia is alive, are you?”
“That’s actually not a bad idea!”
“Don’t even think about it. I plan to reveal that Sophia is alive soon anyway.”
“…Huh? Why?”
Peyton tilted his head, clearly confused. Bled let out a sigh.
He had learned about a flower called Salia from Lorey and Lucion. It was said that it had been created by Edmond and only grew from seeds he possessed.
On the day Edmond visited the castle, he had stopped by the Rosent Castle garden, so it was likely that the flower had been planted then. But that wasn’t the real issue.
“I’m not so dull that I couldn’t recognize my own close friend.”
Bled had already realized that the person who visited that day was not Edmond. The behavior had been subtly off from the Edmond he knew.
He couldn’t tell exactly who it was or what their purpose had been, so he had merely observed the situation. Since the man left after visiting the garden, he had assumed nothing serious happened.
“I already know that wasn’t Edmond who came before.”
“…Ah.”
“It was Lang, wasn’t it?”
Peyton fell silent at Bled’s accurate deduction.
‘Even Edmond himself couldn’t tell he wasn’t speaking to the real Lang.’
He simply wished he could pass on what Bled had just said to Edmond.
“I heard that the Salia flowers share colors. If one changes, the other changes too.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“I heard Sophia touched the flower and it changed color. Then he must know too.”
That Sophia is, in fact, alive.
Even without Peyton saying a word, Bled had already figured it out. Since he had been found out, there was no longer a reason to keep hiding Sophia.
“There’s no need to hide her anymore.”
“I see! So much for trying to leverage the whole ‘should we tell the world Sophia’s alive or not’ thing. Guess that trick’s out the window.”
Peyton quickly continued as Bled’s glare intensified.
“But there’s one more thing. Sophia’s still not completely cured.”
“…What do you want?”
“I’m glad you’re someone I can talk to, Bled.”
Smiling as brightly as a sunny morning, Peyton looked utterly innocent—but Bled was growing more irritated by the second.
He wanted to grab Peyton by the collar and drag him straight to Sophia, forcing him to heal her. But that would definitely backfire.
Peyton was the only one in existence with healing powers so miraculous they bordered on divine.
“Make me Sophia Benny’s official physician!”
With the kind of pure smile only a child could wear, Peyton made his request. Bled was stunned.
Peyton Cel Meria. A name meaning you and the salvation of the world. And now he was offering to become Sophia Benny’s doctor?
Out of the blue? Clearly, he had an agenda.
“Aren’t you known to be close to Lang?”
“Who said that? Sion? Oh wait, Rona’s here too. Right—Lorey must’ve said it!”
People often said that Peyton, always being where Lang was, helped make the undying even harder to kill.
He had started hiding Sophia’s existence because of someone like that. Why would he now let such a person stay by her side?
“That’s a reasonable suspicion! But unlike Lorey, I don’t disobey Lang’s orders.”
“….”
“But think about it this way.”
Peyton’s golden eyes sparkled brightly as he tried to persuade Bled.
“I follow Lang’s orders. That’s true. I’m even here because of his orders. But think about why he sent me. He’s still watching.”
“…Sigh.”
“Lang has patience. He’s lived a time even I can’t imagine. Humans don’t even live a hundred years. You only dig up a flower before its time if you have a reason.”
“So?”
“He sent someone like me. Someone powerless. Someone who can save that child.”
The faint smile on Peyton’s lips reached Bled’s eyes.
“He sent me to deal with whatever incident Salia might cause. To keep that child alive. I don’t know the reason. Lang doesn’t trust me.”
“….”
“And I don’t trust him either. That’s why I only act on my own when I’m not given orders.”
“Is there even a difference?”
“It means that without orders, I’m on your side, Bled.”
Utter nonsense. There was no way he could believe that.
Bled’s eyes were filled with doubt, but Peyton continued unfazed.
“Didn’t Lorey ever tell you this?”
“Tell me what?”
“That the first five mages ever born all had some defect.”
Peyton pointed to his own eyes and shrugged.
“And that all of us loved Lancel more than we loved Lang.”
When magic first began to appear in the world, five mages were born. One of them was Lorey. Another was Peyton.
“Look at Lorey. Isn’t she devoted?”
There was a slight cloud in his usually sunny expression, but Bled didn’t notice.
“If I’m not under orders, I can protect Lancel’s child too.”
His voice was so sincere, it clouded judgment like a strong wine.
But Bled was a cautious man. As he hesitated, Peyton puffed up his cheeks and slammed the desk with a thud.
“Ugh, forget it! Let’s just keep it simple!”
“What do you—”
“If you don’t appoint me as Sophia’s physician, I’ll let her die just as she is!”
Bled’s face twisted with frustration.
Push harder. Talking too much wasn’t working—this would be faster.
“No one else can save her.”
“….”
“I’m offering to be her doctor. I’m expensive, you know?”
There were no duplicate mages, so Peyton was the only one capable of instantly healing any wound. He had saved countless lives by mere seconds.
He was the only one who could save Sophia—and he was also threatening her life.
“Sigh…”
Clutching his forehead, Bled replayed Peyton’s earlier words in his mind. Lang probably did send him for a reason.
He said that without orders, he would act on Bled’s behalf.
Taking another deep breath, Bled pulled out a new sheet of paper from between the documents and muttered,
“Let’s draft a contract.”
“A wise choice, Bled.”
Though it was an unavoidable decision for Sophia’s sake, it also meant Bled was showing a sliver of trust in Peyton.
Once the contract was written and signed, it was sealed inside a vault that wouldn’t open until the term ended.
Watching it all, Peyton smiled innocently and said,
“Now that it’s done—by the way, Sophia’s actually already healed!”
The moment those words left his mouth, Bled’s gaze turned colder than a midwinter blizzard. His hand reached toward the sword hanging on the wall.
“W-Wait! Wait! That’s a real sword? I’m sorry! Please don’t kill me!”
