DNCTFB 19

<Episode 19>

“Is checking the safety of a servant’s home considered a privacy violation? Even if that person is someone I absolutely need?”

“…It’s still personal. And there’s no safer place than a magic tool maker’s home, so please go back. If you break the contract, it’ll bring pain worse than death…”

Melody stopped mid-sentence. She looked up at him, suddenly realizing something.

“But… you’re already in pain, aren’t you?”

For Deonis, pain was a part of everyday life. Even if he broke the contract, it wouldn’t really change anything. There was no pain greater than what he already lived with.

That’s when Melody realized—she’d been tricked.

“So the punishment for breaking the contract only applies to me.”

“The contract was made by the temple. Not me.”

His voice was low and calm, like it landed softly near her ear. When she gave him a suspicious look, he made a face she had never seen before. His eyebrows lowered, his eyes looked gentle.

That was all it took for Melody to feel like she’d been unfairly doubting him.

“I understand pain too. If I didn’t… I never would’ve come looking for you.”

He had a point. The contract he brought was the standard form from the temple. He hadn’t written it himself.

Still, she couldn’t shake off the uneasy feeling. Deonis must have known the contract terms wouldn’t affect him—but he said nothing.

“Then… should I rewrite the contract so that you die if you break it?”

“I don’t want that!”

Melody panicked at the very idea.
She hadn’t meant it like that.

“It would only apply to me.”

“I still don’t want it!”

“You don’t want me to die?”

“Of course not!”

Deonis’s eyes softened. A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

“I’ll let you go—for today. Come out early tomorrow.”

She couldn’t read his expression, but he waved at her lightly.

“Take care.”

She looked back to check—half-expecting him to follow her. But he stood there, in the sunlight, unmoving.
Maybe it was because they were inside the barrier, but somehow, he looked… fragile.

She walked along the mountain path for about twenty minutes, until she reached the edge of the barrier.
Without hesitation, Melody stepped out.

Growl—

She hadn’t taken more than four steps when a monster blocked her way.

“Again?”

Without panic, Melody pulled out her hammer. Thanks to the hunting squads, strong monsters were rare now.
Still, whenever she left the barrier, something always seemed to appear.

“A Grigrigu, huh.”

It looked like a bear. Grigrigus were strong enough to tear down trees with a single swipe, but they were slow—easy enough for someone like her to dodge.

“Please don’t kill me.”

She recited her trigger spell, and the hammer flew— landing squarely on the monster’s head.

She expected it to get back up—but it collapsed immediately.

“Did I hit a weak spot? That was… quick.”

She picked up the monster’s core and walked a bit farther.
Below the hill stood a small wooden cabin, half hidden inside the barrier.

Inside, it was dark and cold—even in the middle of the day. But this was still the place she called home.
Because three years ago, her father disappeared.

“Still not back today…”

The temple said he had died, but it felt more like he’d gone missing.
He left only a single letter—then vanished without a trace.

[Mel, my beloved little fate. Happy 20th birthday. You’re all grown up now, so I’m going to finish something I left undone. Even without me, I know you’ll eat well, sleep safely, and live strongly.
I love you. – Dad]

She had read it so many times that the edges were worn, and some letters had blurred from her tears.

Melody knew why he left. It was because of her.

‘My daughter, I’m sorry. If it weren’t for me, you could’ve lived inside the barrier, eaten warm meals,
slept safely, and learned from a great teacher…’

Since she was little, her father would say that now and then.

‘But I like you more than meat or a warm house or teachers. You’re not there—so I’m not going.’
‘They probably have a mountain of books there.’
‘I’m smart without books.’
‘They also have chocolate snacks.’
‘Hmm… can’t I have chocolate and Dad?’

She should’ve just told him she liked him best. She regretted not saying it every day.

After he left, Melody spent a full year trying to prove she was okay without him. She went to the village, lived among ordinary people, and worked in back alleys making illegal magic tools.

She ate tasty food. Slept in places without monsters. In her second year, she began saving money and searching for him.

She did everything he wanted her to—
now it was her turn. She wanted them to live together.

‘Dad might be smart, but he’s too trusting. He’s probably trapped in some illegal contract and suffering. That’s why I need to be near him.’

But her father was more careful than she thought.
Two years passed—and she couldn’t find a single clue.
Even the flower gifts he sent every year for her birthday stopped in the third year.

That was when she decided to become a magic tool maker for the temple.
Luckily, there were no green-haired men in the temple prison.

‘What if… he left because I looked too happy without him?’

Her worries grew with time.
Eventually, she moved her house to the very edge of the barrier, near where she used to live with him.

Behind the house, in a clearing, she built a small box. She filled it with tools and food—just in case he ever came back.

“Where are you, Dad…”

She opened the box.
No one had touched it.

She reached inside and pulled out a pendant necklace—
the first magic tool she had ever made.

‘Look, I made this! So you can wear it when you go monster hunting. If it’s red, you’re fine. If it turns yellow, you’re hurt. If it turns black… that means death.’

‘Mel, you made this yourself? How did you even do it?’

‘I copied the formulas you use! A hunter said blood changes after one day when you die— so if your blood changes, the red color should too.’

‘Talking about corpses is a little early for a seven-year-old.’

‘I knew about it since I was five.’

‘Your mother was right. She always said our daughter would be incredibly smart.’

‘Of course—because I take after you!’

‘Your mother knew I’d fall in love with her. She even knew I’d meet the world’s most beautiful daughter someday.’

‘I even look like you. But you’re the silly one inside.’

‘No way. You’re beautiful—because you take after your mother.’

He hugged her so tightly it almost crushed her. And she, pretending to complain, hugged him back just as tight.

It was… a warm, precious memory.

[Come home. Your fate is waiting for you.]

Melody left a letter and gently closed the box.

Meanwhile…

Deonis stood still, watching the forest where Melody’s green hair had disappeared.
He stared long enough that her silhouette was burned into his memory.

Once she was completely out of sight, he stepped forward toward the woods.

“Are you going to break the contract?”

Rohan asked.

“I said I wouldn’t change the terms. That’s as good as permission.”