CHAPTER 162………………………………………….
In the fleeting moment when I slowly closed and opened my eyes, the events of the past unfolded before me like a cascade.
The chilling first meeting, Claude—who said he felt something special in me—and the secret sympathy I had harbored.
Perhaps we could have been good friends.
Until he harmed the people I cared about. Then I opened my eyes and faced reality.
The comrade I longed for, someone in a situation similar to mine, no longer existed. The man in front of me was nothing more than a dark sorcerer who hated humans.
He curled the corners of his mouth into a sly smile and spoke.
“You hurt quite a bit last time. Really startled me. Hmm? I suspected you might be accompanied by an extraordinary demon, but still…”
“Why did you wait for me?”
I had no time for idle words. I cut him off coldly and deliberately.
Claude twitched his eyebrows once and then shrugged.
“How merciless.”
“The only reason I’m letting you live right now is that. I need to know what you’re plotting.”
“Even terrifying, aren’t we?”
Despite my warning, Claude continued to speak playfully.
I frowned, and he giggled.
“Sorry, sorry. You’re still so adorably ignorant about dark sorcerers.”
“…?”
“Dark sorcerers don’t fear death. Death is our closest friend. No need to be afraid, right?”
Only then did I realize how utterly ‘human’ my thinking had been.
I had been threatening to kill him in front of those who could bring the dead back to life.
“Even if you really did try to kill me, I’d come back. By one of us. My skin might be a bit paler, but I wouldn’t be much different, right?”
It was a horrifying thought.
No matter how many of them were killed, if even one dark sorcerer survived… humanity would once again have to face them all.
“In the past, they ended the war by isolating all the dark sorcerers on a remote island.”
There was a reason our ancestors made that choice 300 years ago.
“So calm down. Killing me here won’t change anything.”
“….”
Annoyingly, Claude’s words were true.
“You’re right, Emily. I waited for you. I found the traces we left behind and believed you would come.”
Claude continued calmly. He hadn’t acted, but the undulating magic around him reflected his mood.
The gentle, fluttering magic seemed to whisper directly to me: I want your favor.
Its meaning was still subtly unclear.
“Persistence is a virtue of dark sorcerers.”
Facing him made me confront the ugliest depths of myself.
Had I not grown up with my siblings, had I followed the instincts of a dark sorcerer, would I have become a monster like Claude?
No—would I even have recognized the concept of being a monster?
In that sense, Claude was an unbearably unpleasant mirror. He ruthlessly exposed the nature I wanted to hide.
So I pretended not to notice his magic. When I didn’t respond and stiffened, he added casually:
“Fine, I admit my methods were extreme. I didn’t consider your ‘human’ way of thinking either.”
Claude’s eyes softened as he spoke.
The sun had already begun sinking beyond the horizon. Darkness would soon spread fully.
“But my offer still stands.”
He extended his hand to me.
Barehanded, no gloves. Subtle holy energy shimmered across the back of his hand.
“There’s a path suitable for dark sorcerers.”
He spoke with conviction.
“You belong with us.”
“Who says?”
A blunt reply escaped me. It was the first time I had been so openly sarcastic.
I hesitated after saying it, but Claude didn’t seem to care. I, too, saw no need to show him courtesy, so I let it pass.
“To you, Hurel or Zeke may have been meaningless lives, but to me, they weren’t. You crossed a line that should never be crossed.”
So his honeyed words no longer had any effect on me.
A brilliant future alongside my kin? I no longer wished to dream of that—especially if it meant using countless human corpses as a carpet beneath my feet.
“You’ll think that for now.”
Claude acted as if indulging a child’s tantrum, though I was deadly serious.
So I reaffirmed my stance firmly.
“…I never wanted to be a dark sorcerer.”
“Oh?”
“I was only born a dark sorcerer by chance.”
If my mother hadn’t roamed the battlefield, if that hadn’t sown the seeds of long-dormant misfortune… I would never have been born a dark sorcerer.
“Interesting.”
Claude smirked.
His expression seemed to see right through my thoughts.
“Humans always claim we threaten them, as if they’re innocent victims. It’s curious, really.”
“If God hadn’t bestowed holy power upon us, you might have been captured and raised like livestock long ago.”
“Hmm. We need to clarify that point.”
Claude nodded.
“Look up the ‘Forgotten Library’ in the Papal Archives.”
“What?”
“It will show what humans you care about most have done. I’m curious if you’ll still say the same thing after seeing it.”
Through his softly curved eyes, his deep blue irises flashed sharply.
“Emily… why choose the harder path when an easier one exists? Living as a dark sorcerer would be far simpler than as a human.”
His face twisted in genuine disbelief, as if watching a younger sister wander the wrong path.
“That’s just how ecosystems work. Each has a role suited to their place. Would a lion pretending to be herbivore survive by eating grass?”
I was momentarily speechless.
“Dark sorcerers are above humans, superior in the natural order. Feeling pity for humans is one thing, but considering yourself human… is strange.”
He explained kindly, genuinely concerned for me.
“Imagine seeing a human who acts like a dog out of pity for one. You’d think they’re crazy and try to fix them, right?”
“….”
“What makes them different from you?”
“Well… that…”
As I struggled for words, Claude’s magic pierced my vulnerabilities.
Focused on his words, I lost control of the magical flow.
“Ugh!”
A short groan escaped me as a wave of weakness left my body.
I collapsed to one knee, clutching my chest. The sharp pain made me bend forward.
“What have you done…!”
“Talent is great, but still untrained and clumsy.”
Claude murmured with a small laugh. When I lifted my head, he stood before me.
Kneeling in front of him, I tried to rise immediately, but his gentle press on my shoulder stopped me.
“Remember what I said. The Papal Archives’ ‘Forgotten Library.’”
“You mean, you think I’ll go…?!”
“You will.”
Claude smiled faintly in front of my face.
Ah.
The bright moon cast light behind him. Though I knew it couldn’t be true, it felt like a spotlight in the dead of night.
A man seemingly favored by the night sky whispered into my ear.
“Honestly, you’re drawn to me too.”
“…!”
The sweet scent brushed my nose.
It was overwhelmingly sensual, almost sticking to my skin.
So blatant it made me laugh nervously.
He deliberately chose ambiguous words, gentle contact, and even magic to stir the atmosphere.
The trick was obvious—but it suited Claude perfectly.
“Then, see you next time.”
He laughed softly and bade me farewell.
Clang!
The world seemed to shatter, peeling away the illusions around me. The cries of insects, previously unheard, struck my ears sharply.
“Milady!”
Shuhil came running, panting. Leaves clung to her hair, and scratches from branches marred her clothes.
“Where on earth have you been?!”
Her face checking me for injuries felt surreal.
The moments with Claude seemed like a lie. Yet the goosebumps creeping over my skin proved it wasn’t an illusion.
“Shuhil….”
“Hm?”
I squeezed my eyes shut and spoke.
“…We need to go to the Papal Archives. Right now.”
I had to see the truth resting there with my own eyes.
