Chapter 93 …

“Haah… You’re hopeless.”

Ricardo’s tired eyes stared blankly into the distance.

He rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed, then suddenly sprang forward at lightning speed and struck Richard on the back of the neck.

Thwack—.

A clean, crisp impact echoed across the mountainside.

Richard’s body, completely defenseless, collapsed to the ground. It seemed he had never imagined his older brother would attack him.

I, too, watched Ricardo’s actions in shock.

It seemed he had knocked his reckless younger brother unconscious to protect him from danger, but I had no idea what he planned to do next.

Ricardo gently lifted his fallen brother and slung him over his shoulder.

His touch was so careful and affectionate that it was hard to believe he was the one who had just knocked him out.

“Honestly, you’re such a handful. It would be nice if you just listened for once.”

After muttering to himself, he was about to take a step forward.

“Sir Ricardo, I will escort Sir Richard instead.”

A familiar voice came from the opposite direction of the wind.

It was Mikhail, who had chased after Richard.

Mikhail calmly walked toward Ricardo while straightening his disheveled hair.

Ricardo’s body instantly tensed, unlike before. His eyes gleamed sharply like a beast encountering an enemy.

“Who are you?”

“I am Mikhail, the butler of Valienor. A pleasure to meet you.”

“The butler of Valienor with red hair and red eyes… How interesting.”

“I suggest you put that curiosity aside, Sir Ricardo.”

Watching their fierce confrontation made my nonexistent heart shrink with anxiety.

As I nervously observed the situation, the scenery in front of me suddenly began to drift away.

My body felt as though it were floating, being pulled somewhere—like I was dangling from a rope.

Is this what Hayden explained? The soul following the body where it is!

The moment I realized what was happening, a white light swallowed me whole.

Being trapped in white darkness and sucked somewhere felt strangely familiar. It wasn’t much different from the sensation of moving through spaces I had experienced before.

Soon, as if fog were clearing, a completely different scene filled my vision.

Just moments ago I had been in the middle of a barren rocky mountain, but now I was overlooking a lush mountainside densely packed with evergreen trees.

Where’s my body? Somehow it feels like I should head that way…

Instinctively, I began moving to find where my body was.

It was half unconscious—like an invisible thread was pulling me along.

Clang—! BOOM!!!

Suddenly a tremendous roar swallowed the entire mountain.

If exaggerated, it sounded as if a meteor had fallen.

The trees trembled violently, as though shaken by an earthquake. The shock from the earlier impact traveled through the branches.

Damn. That sound came from the direction I’m heading.

I sped up and rushed toward my destination.

Before long, I found familiar figures on a wide grassy plateau.

Father! Hayden!

Seeing the two men talking with serious expressions, I hurried toward them.

Ariel’s limp body was also resting safely in Father’s arms.

“It looks like you handled it properly.”

“Next time, please refrain from such a rough method. I thought the mountain was collapsing.”

“Unless it’s a snowy mountain, this kind of impact won’t collapse it. But a half-blood monster in the Mahalla Plateau… Does that mean even the central region is no longer safe?”

“It hasn’t even approached the villa yet, and strange things are already happening. Anyway, Duke, please stay here. You must not go near mountains, forests, or trees.”

“Understood. My mind is clearer than you think, so don’t worry. You know I at least have the strength to protect myself and Ariel.”

“That may be true… but if a magician expelled from Rafas is in Nephirion, we don’t know what kind of magic they might use. I’ll place some defensive spells just in case before I go.”

“Thank you. Don’t worry about us too much. Focus on retrieving the spring water.”

Hayden nodded firmly.

Then he raised his index finger and thumb, tapping the air repeatedly.

Though invisible, he seemed to be casting magic.

“It’s done. Please remember what I said. I can’t block things like mental interference, so you must be careful.”

Meteorio’s brows deeply furrowed, clearly irritated by the magician’s repeated nagging.

When his blue-gray eyes signaled for him to leave already, Hayden’s blue hair fluttered lightly as he departed.

Meteorio carefully sat down so the Ariel in his arms wouldn’t be shaken.

As he looked at the motionless Ariel, his face gradually twisted in anguish.

A sorrowful groan escaped through his clenched lips. The veins along his jaw and neck bulged as if they might burst. The grinding of his teeth echoed steadily.

Wanting to comfort him, I sat close beside Father.

Even though I knew he couldn’t hear me, I still spoke sincerely.

Duke, Ariel will be okay. Please don’t worry so much.

Watching Ariel and Meteorio while in this out-of-body state filled me with a strange sadness.

After all, the real Ariel had already died.

I had come from another world and taken her place.

Perhaps that guilt and remorse made my heart calm even while facing death.

Actually, from the moment I possessed this body until now, I had never truly believed Ariel’s life was completely mine.

Such a rich and happy life didn’t seem to suit someone like me.

That self-deprecating thought had always lingered somewhere in my heart.

That was why I believed that if a cold and cruel god suddenly took away this unexpected fortune, I would quietly accept it.

So I simply lived each day sincerely.

“No, Ariel. You can’t go this way.”

Thick tears fell—one after another.

Meteorio gently stroked Ariel’s face with trembling hands and whispered hoarsely.

“My love… Please. Just help me one more time. I’m sorry… I’m so sorry… I have no face to show you… If Ariel leaves like this too, what am I supposed to do…?”

His voice was choked with tears.

At the end of his unsteady breathing, a heart that seemed ready to collapse was painfully revealed.

I was drawn into his sorrow and struggled together in that swamp of grief.

Was my father on Earth like this when I died?

The forgotten thought suddenly surfaced, drowning me in uncontrollable emotion.

Then, at the end of that sorrowful reflection, I discovered a fragment of my heart I hadn’t known.

It felt unfamiliar—yet natural.

A heavy, sincere truth I had forgotten.

Ah… I want to live.

I want to live and enjoy days like this a little longer.

I want to live so Father and my brothers won’t be sad.

I want to live and be loved more.

I want to live—so desperately.

An unknown warmth gently wrapped around my soul.

My softened heart trembled wildly, like something newly born.

I don’t know what this feeling is. Everything looks new.

Caught in a whirlpool of mixed emotions, I quietly watched Meteorio’s face.

Then I finally acknowledged what I was feeling.

Until now, I had only thought of him as Ariel’s father.

Or rather, I had kept telling myself that.

But I realized the truth.

I had come to see Meteorio as my real father.

My father who protects and loves me.

A wave of deep affection surged within me.

Never again.

I didn’t want to lose Father, my brothers, or the happiness I had barely managed to grasp.

As if he had read my heart, Father sobbed quietly.

“It’ll be alright. Ariel, everything will be alright. Your father will save you no matter the cost… Otherwise I wouldn’t be able to face your mother.”

No! Please don’t think like that! We should find a way to live together. Why do you keep…

Rustle—.

Suddenly, a presence was heard from the entrance of the forest.

Meteorio’s head snapped toward the sound.

At the end of our gaze stood a woman with pink hair.

!!!!!

I looked back and forth between Ariel’s body in Father’s arms and the mysterious woman, doubting my eyes.

Because the woman looked exactly like Ariel.

As if she were Ariel’s mother.

Judging by Father’s stunned expression, he seemed to think the same.

He blinked his tear-filled eyes and muttered hoarsely.

“…My love?”