Chapter 46
Deonis stepped into the workshop more carefully than usual.
“Do you like it?”
He nodded toward the crystal sorter in the workshop.
“I like it a lot.”
The cut on his arm was pretty deep—like it had been slashed by a thick sword. Still, he seemed to be in a better mood now than before. As Melody wrapped the bandage, she began to speak.
“The monster I saw there was a Grawel. They like shiny things and can’t see very well. The young ones aren’t even that fast in the air.”
She explained that the monster wasn’t very dangerous, but Deonis’s eyes still didn’t seem convinced.
“Even if it wasn’t the Crown Prince, I would’ve done the same thing.”
“I still don’t like it.”
Melody pouted and looked up at him.
“I care about my life, you know. If it was actually dangerous, I wouldn’t have stepped in.”
“But you could’ve died.”
It felt like they were going in circles—back to the start. As she frowned at him, she noticed his eyes shift to her hand that was holding his arm. And what she saw there surprised her.
In his red eyes… was fear.
“Are you worried about me?”
“…”
“If you are, just say you’re worried. You don’t have to get angry about it.”
He looked away and ended their long eye contact.
“…You’re someone I need.”
His voice was firm, but something about it sounded sad, even self-blaming. Melody felt a little shaken. It was like a small balloon inside her had deflated. What was she expecting him to say? Even she didn’t know.
But she still had something she needed to do.
“I want to join the expedition because I need to see the runes used in the barrier. It’s for the magic-nullifier you wanted. Let me prove that you need me.”
That wasn’t her real reason—she wanted to see if the future had changed. But she gave him an excuse he could accept. Deonis let out a deep sigh and asked her roughly:
“If you had to choose… between a wizard and a weak person, who would you save?”
“…If I had to choose, the weak one.”
Deonis frowned again. Something about her answer upset him.
“I thought you risked your life for that wizard.”
“I didn’t.”
“So you thought you could survive a public whipping?”
“I’d only know if I tried.”
He asked more and more, and his expression grew darker.
“I mean… I’d probably end up badly hurt. Maybe even crippled.”
He stared at her quietly, then asked again in a softer voice.
“And still… you’d choose the weak one?”
She didn’t understand where this was going.
“You should just focus on keeping yourself safe,” he said, “Don’t worry about protecting anyone else.”
Melody suddenly felt upset and looked straight at him. His eyes were red, intense—and somehow… familiar.
They reminded her of Goblin, her dog, always growling at the world to protect her.
Maybe Deonis was the same.
She finally knew what to say.
“You’re not going to protect me?”
“What?”
“I’m trusting you when I go on this expedition.”
His eyes, no longer cold, looked down at her quietly. And then… he smiled, like he’d just realized something new.
The way his red lips curled made Melody swallow hard.
Was it the evening light?
His eyes looked like they were glowing.
It was strange. It wasn’t the first time she’d seen him smile.
“Don’t get out of my sight.”
That was his way of saying—yes, she could come.
The day of the expedition came quickly. Melody packed her things until the very last morning, cramming extra magic tools into her bag.
“If I shove it in here, it should fit…”
She muttered while trying to squeeze something into the side pocket.
Anna pulled hard on the zipper.
“Did it close?”
“It did, but—wait, huh?”
The zipper suddenly popped open.
“…It’s coming undone again.”
“Don’t tell me it’s broken?”
“Looks like it.”
Anna showed her the half-open bag with a helpless look. Melody sighed and decided to just leave it open.
Turns out, she wasn’t good at packing either.
At the mansion’s front gate, wagons were lined up. Melody tossed her bag into one, but then saw Anna bringing another unfamiliar bag and setting it beside hers.
“That’s mine.”
Anna answered before Melody could even ask. Melody tilted her head.
“Yours?”
“Please let me come too.”
“No.”
Melody answered coldly.
Outside the barrier, monsters could kill you in a second. They weren’t just scary—they were real, living nightmares.
“It’s full of monsters out there.”
“I know. But I’ve made up my mind. I’m going with you.”
“You could die.”
“I know that too.”
“And you still want to come?”
Anna lifted two heavy-looking bags with a serious face.
“Yes. I’m stronger than I look. I don’t mind sleeping anywhere. And I’m not scared of bugs.”
But that wasn’t enough to survive outside the barrier.
“I want to see how far I can go.”
“…You’ll regret it.”
“No matter what happens, I won’t.”
It was clear she wouldn’t back down.
Melody saw a bit of her younger self in Anna—the same stubbornness she had when she begged her father to take her on monster hunts.
So she took out a bracelet-shaped magic tool from her bag and pressed it into Anna’s hand.
“Keep this with you. It’ll protect you from one monster attack. You will regret this, but I’ll do everything I can to make sure you come back safely.”
Anna stared at it in silence… then nodded.
“…Can I give you a hug?”
“Huh? Uh, okay.”
Melody looked a bit flustered, but Anna hugged her tightly. Melody stood stiffly for a moment, surprised by the strong grip.
“I’ll do my best to stay by your side. Let’s both come back safe.”
A short while later, Melody climbed into the carriage and looked back at the mansion.
The servants who had come to see them off wore mixed expressions—worry and hope. The sound of horses and clanking armor filled the air.
“Come back safely.”
The steward’s voice rang out. Then, toot—a trumpet sounded, and the horses took off all at once.
Melody leaned out the carriage window and saw the Malacar estate growing smaller in the distance.
The expedition had begun.
Melody thought the expedition would go straight through the forest and out of the barrier.
But instead, the group stopped in the southeastern lands of the empire—at the Jeffwood territory.
The land near the sea looked peaceful at a glance. But within the expedition group, things were far from calm.
It was all because of the Holy Knights.
“We’re staying in someone’s land? What, did someone pray because they didn’t want to sleep in a forest?”
One of the Duke’s knights spoke loudly enough for the Holy Knights to hear. It wasn’t common to stop in another noble’s land during an expedition.
“They’re so fancy they can’t sleep without a roof, huh? We’ve been catching monsters just fine, even rolling around in the woods.”
—To be continued—
