CHAPTER 75…………………………
When I found out that a dark sorcerer was here, what was the right thing to do?
Option 1: Tell Tristan the truth and wipe out the dark sorcerers in one strike.
Option 2: The end of the human world has come. From now on, it’s the dark sorcerers’ era—so I should hurry up, cut my ties, and join their side.
The correct answer?
…The moment I realized that the dark sorcerer who appeared was a man I knew, my priorities shifted, obviously.
Option 3: Do everything in my power to keep Tristan and Claude from running into each other.
That’s it.
Just imagining it makes my head hurt. If those two met, Claude would no doubt say something like, “Well, we meet again,” just like last time!
Then Tristan would give me that suspicious look—after all, how could it not be strange that I’m acquainted with the leader of the dark sorcerers?
That kind of suspicion is exactly what I’d like to avoid.
And if Tristan were to get seriously hurt after running into Claude, that would be a disaster.
Wasn’t the Holy War three hundred years ago started by the dark sorcerers’ public assassination of the Belond Empire’s crown prince?
That heinous act, carried out in the heart of the capital, drove the Belond Empire to declare an all-out war, plunging the entire continent into a horrific conflict.
Of course, a clash between humans and dark sorcerers was bound to happen eventually—but the fact that it began with the prince’s death means we should be cautious.
If something were to happen to Tristan here… the continent might face another great war.
That was the one thing I wanted to avoid.
“Your Highness, shall we check that side first?”
“Let’s.”
I led Tristan naturally toward the direction opposite where the magic was emanating from.
It reminded me of the chaos from last time—when I’d nearly been eaten by a monster.
“If Isaac saw me out here walking around at night again, he’d probably faint. Ever since that monster incident, he’s been ridiculously overprotective.”
“Sir Werner’s the same. It’s lucky we made it back safely.”
“True. He seems to care about you quite a bit, Your Highness. Have you known him long?”
“He was my mother’s knight.”
We chatted idly as we strolled along the shore. Tristan’s attention seemed completely off the dark sorcerer’s trail now.
And surprisingly, he was easy to make small talk with.
We had the royal family as a common topic, and we knew enough about each other that the conversation flowed smoothly.
Ding, dong, daaaang—
“It must be the hour.”
From the top of the tower, the bells rang out. We stopped to watch the holy light ripple through the barrier.
Even now, it was a breathtaking sight—like the stars themselves were spilling down toward me.
As I lowered my gaze, Tristan’s eyes met mine.
When had he started looking at me?
And he didn’t look away. In fact, he stepped closer—just one pace, until he stood right in front of me.
Without thinking, I lifted my hand and brushed beside his eye.
“Your eyes…”
The holy light reflected in his red irises, starlight shimmering in them.
I was caught for a moment by how beautiful it was—
RUMBLE!
A thunderous explosion echoed from afar.
I snapped back to reality. Tristan turned sharply toward the sound.
The gentle, dreamy atmosphere from moments ago vanished, and we were instantly on edge, like soldiers thrust onto a battlefield.
“There,” Tristan said, pointing precisely toward where the magic had flared earlier.
“It might be dangerous.”
I grabbed at his sleeve instinctively. He gave a faint, amused smile, as if misreading my worry.
“No need to worry. We’re right in front of the Tower of Nyx—no matter how bold they are, they wouldn’t dare pick a fight here.”
Sure, no one sane would cause trouble right under a priest’s nose.
But who knew what lunatics would sneak this close in the first place?
Worse, if Claude even hinted at something in front of Tristan, I’d be done for!
I gripped his sleeve tighter.
“But you could get hurt! Maybe we should at least call Sir Werner—”
“No. We need to catch them before they flee.”
He brushed my hand away again, then pulled a small orb from his robes and pressed it into my palm.
“It can summon Grand Duke Gehellain. You should hold on to it.”
“What? But—”
“Wait here.”
His tone left no room for argument.
“No, I mean—!”
Sure, I was worried about him… but mostly, I wanted to survive this!
Whoosh.
Tristan threw his cloak over my shoulders and dashed off before I could stop him.
I nearly shouted after him, “Hey! Will you at least let me finish a sentence?”
“…Unbelievable.”
I muttered as I ran a hand through my hair—
“Tell me about it.”
A voice spoke behind me. I turned sharply—only to see the source of all my problems standing there.
“Hey. We meet again.”
Claude.
He smiled down at me, all teeth and arrogance.
When—? Before I could even form the thought, I instinctively took a step back.
“Ouch. That’s cold. We’ve met plenty of times now, haven’t we? But every time you act like you’re seeing a monster.”
That pleasant smile of his was utterly revolting.
Claude stepped forward, closing the distance I’d created—three steps. That was all that separated us now.
“That man from earlier—he’s the crown prince, right?”
“……”
“Relax. If I wanted him dead, I’d have moved already. I even waited until he left before showing up. If I’d shown up while he was here, I might’ve been tempted to kill him out of spite, you know?”
His teasing tone was full of mock innocence, like we were sharing an inside joke. Anyone else might’ve thought we were siblings.
“We’re not ready to fight head-on yet, anyway.”
That “yet” sounded ominously meaningful.
“…Why did you come here?”
When I finally found my voice to ask, Claude’s eyes widened in feigned surprise—then curved with amusement.
“You finally spoke. I just wanted to hear your voice.”
Was he even listening to me?
“Oh, right. You asked why I came. Hmm, let’s see…”
Claude circled slowly around me as he spoke. Every time he slipped behind me, my muscles tensed.
“Maybe because it’s fascinating? You’re the first human who doesn’t disgust me.”
He tilted his head, feigning innocence. I felt a wave of unease crawl up my spine.
“Or maybe because you’re annoying—always getting in my way?”
Suddenly, he grabbed the back of my neck. Then he leaned in, inhaling deeply at my shoulder.
“Ugh. You reek of priests.”
If I moved wrong, he might snap my neck—I could feel it. My mind went blank with fear.
“Your name was… ah, right. Emily.”
His voice dropped to a low whisper.
“Come with me.”
…What?
I gasped, and he chuckled softly.
“Why not? I did some digging. They call you the disgrace of House Walker, a punching bag in high society, stripped of inheritance and title—a shell of a lady.”
“……”
“When the dark sorcerers rule the world, I can make you rise to the highest place a human can reach. What do you say?”
The highest place a human can reach? How laughable.
“…As your pet?”
“Caught me.”
He smiled, smug and playful. My blood boiled.
“So your answer’s no?”
“Obviously.”
“Shame.”
Claude’s eyes gleamed—deep and dark as the midnight sky.
“There were only two choices, you know. Come willingly… or be dragged.”
Before I could react, his hand clamped over my mouth.
The strange texture of his glove pressed against my skin, his large hand easily covering my jaw.
“No need to make this harder than it has to be. Hmm? I’d rather be a kind master.”
Wrong.
His eyes were completely deranged. Instinct screamed that words wouldn’t work on him—and that if I was taken now, I’d be doomed.
“Mmmph!”
“Shh. Quiet, now.”
“Mmph—!”
I bit his fingers as hard as I could, but he didn’t even flinch. Instead, he smiled like I was a misbehaving child.
“Don’t worry. I’ll walk you, feed you, even bathe you.”
He spoke like a child begging for a puppy. The dissonance made my skin crawl. I struggled violently—
Slice.
A clean sound cut through the night, and the hand over my mouth fell away.
“Ah~. Guess I’m a little late.”
Claude stepped back, clutching his half-sliced glove, blood welling from his hand.
“…What?”
Then I caught the faint scent of a familiar cologne.
An arm was draped protectively over my shoulder—the sword in that hand unmistakable.
Samuel’s blade was pointed squarely at Claude.
“A dark sorcerer, huh.”
Tristan had returned.
