* * *
[Did you hear the bell ringing?]
Russell was startled at the sound and he looked at Bethel in surprise.
[What’s wrong, Bethel? Why was the possession released?]
Bethel was at a loss for words. Releasing a possession should feel like walking out of a door, but sothing was clearly amiss.
However, that wasn’t important right now.
“Where did the young master go?” Hu’s question added to the confusion felt by Russell and Bethel.
Fear gripped Russell as he scanned his surroundings.
‘What’s going on?’
Lucion’s heartbeat was slowly fading away.
Suddenly, Lucion disappeared, and Ratta was nowhere to be seen.
But for his heartbeat to be fading like this, sothing was definitely wrong.
[Wait. I’ll…]
Russell moved imdiately.
As he was about to break through the wall, he felt Lucion from behind.
―Russell!
Ratta cried out, weeping tears.
Hu’s face turned pale.
Shudder.
Hu’s body collapsed, and he trembled all over.
There was a fist-sized hole in Lucion’s abdon.
Blood kept pouring out.
This shouldn’t be happening.
The amount of blood flowing out was far beyond normal.
―Lucion! Lucion is dying!
Ratta shouted, rubbing her face against Lucion.
[…]
Swish.
Russell’s hand went down.
He finally understood the aning of a broken heart.
Can a ghost feel such emotions?
But it felt like he was suffocating, as if he would die.
―Russell! Please save Lucion!
[Hu. Calm down. Stop the blood first. Use whatever you can to stop it! Hurry…!]
Russell’s voice rose without realizing it as Ratta’s cries pierced his ears.
“I understand. I understand…!”
Trembling, Hu finally pulled out all the bandages from his pocket.
[Bethel.]
[Tell . Quickly! Quickly, Russell!]
Bethel shouted.
It was so hard to stay sane.
She couldn’t understand what had just happened.
Why?
Why did Lucion end up like that?
[I.]
Russell managed to get the words out.
[I’ll open the way, just possess Lucion and buy us so ti, please.]
Russell’s expression crumbled.
Struggling to hold back his tears, he used the darkness allowed by Lucion to open the door for Bethel to possess him.
“The bleeding… it won’t stop!” Hu’s voice trembled as he spoke.
No matter how much hemostatic agent he applied or how tightly he pressed the bandages against the wound, the bleeding wouldn’t stop.
He couldn’t help but resent Lucion’s constitution for not being able to heal.
But even for a mont, when Bethel possessed Lucion, Lucion’s breathing, which was almost interrupted, returned to normal, and the blood that had been flowing slowly stopped.
Ratta, who had been crying, looked up upon hearing Lucion’s stabilized breathing.
―Lucion, is, is he okay now?
[…How much ti is left?]
Russell asked, biting his lip.
[…]
Bethel remained silent.
She couldn’t bring herself to say it, not knowing if it would truly co to pass.
She sobbed, feeling the imminent loss of Lucion and consud by fear.
[Russell… Russell, is there no way… to save Lord Lucion? We can’t let him go like this. We can’t… We can’t let Lord Lucion go like this.]
How could one quantify the depth of sorrow?
But even though Bethel sensed how devastated Russell was, she had no choice but to ask him.
[Hu, carry Lucion on your back.] Russell instructed, his voice devoid of emotion.
Hu imdiately lifted Lucion onto his back, understanding what needed to be done.
He rushed upstairs, carefully stabilizing Lucion’s body.
[Yes, Miella… the necklace she made. It’s our last hope.]
Russell didn’t want to admit it, but no matter how hard Bethel forced herself to breathe on Lucion’s behalf, the sound of his heart was getting fainter.
Not even when he was facing the light head-on, not even when he was pierced by a sword, had Russell felt pain like this.
It was unbearable.
[…It’s the last hope.] Russell managed to utter, suppressing his rising emotions.
He held on with all his might, reminding himself that if he broke down, it would truly be the end.
“Mr. Kran!”
Hu shouted as if his throat would burst.
Was Hal calling for him?
He was waiting for Lucion from above. Kran couldn’t possibly be glad in a situation like this.
Kran hurried downstairs upon hearing the urgent call.
“What’s happening…” Kran’s legs montarily gave out as he saw Hal being carried by Rental.
The heavy scent of blood and Hal’s outstretched hand were covered in blood.
“Where is Miella now? Please let know! Please tell where Miella is!” Hu’s voice trembled, on the verge of tears.
“She… She’s in the east. But I don’t know the exact location…” Kran stamred, his eyes wide open.
His eyes quickly turned red, and his voice seed choked, as if sothing was blocking his throat.
The fear of losing a loved one had strangled his throat.
[Wait. I will track her down.]
Russell used Lucion’s darkness to infuse Kran’s mind with darkness.
―Ratta, sobs, I’m ready. Ratta is ready, so please tell quickly.
Ratta shed tears.
The stairs were stained with Lucion’s blood, so much that even Ratta herself felt overwheld with guilt.
Russell, who had closed his eyes tightly, opened them and said.
[There it is! Did you know where it is?]
―Yep. Ratta knows.
Hu grabbed Kran’s arm firmly at Ratta’s words.
* * *
Kwang!
“Wh-What a surprise!”
Miella jumped in fright at the sudden sound of the door opening.
“Who is it? Is it Heroan?”
However, she soon recognized the voice and chuckled.
“Why? Did it break again? I asked you to handle it more delicately…”
“… Ms. Miella.”
It wasn’t Heroan.
Miella took off the glasses she was wearing, stood up from her seat at the sound of Rental’s voice.
Sothing felt off.
Why would Rental co here at this hour?
‘I thought I heard they were raiding the mansion.’
Wondering if it was already over, Miella walked toward the door.
Then she slumped down in her seat.
Her breathing suddenly beca rough.
“Why, why is this happening? Why…”
Thud.
Kran closed the door behind her, and Hu urged Miella on.
“Please use that item quickly! Please!”
“Just a mont… No, it’s not,” Miella replied, trying to steady herself.
With Kran’s support, she stood up, tightly gripping her trembling hands.
She needed to calm down.
She was the only one who knew how to use the necklace properly.
“I will… I will prepare in another room. Please lay him down here,” Miella said, rushing to open the door to her bedroom.
She grabbed the necklace and hurriedly made her way to the storage room filled with glowing objects.
Hu gently laid Lucion down on the bed, carefully supporting his weakened body.
Kran, his gaze fixated on the blood trailing down Lucion’s neck, managed to choke out the words.
“We need to remove the mask. It’s restricting his breathing.”
He rembered the agreent he made with Hal, to never uncover his true identity and to pretend ignorance if he ever found out.
But leaving Lucion in this condition was too dangerous.
Hu hesitated upon hearing Kran’s words.
[Take it off.]
Russell forced the words out.
Lucion was his priority now.
[That’s right, you have to take it off.]
Even Bethel agreed.
Hu asked hesitantly, “Can… can you keep the secret?”
He bit his lip, understanding the weight of what he was about to ask.
He knew how desperately Lucion had concealed his identity all this ti.
“I can keep it. If I ever change my mind, you can kill then,” Kran answered without a hint of hesitation.
If Hal were to ask who he was, he could respond in this way. He would remain loyal to his one and only god, who had given him a new life.
“I believe you,” Hu replied, trusting Kran’s resolve.
Hu then removed Lucion’s mask, revealing the transformation of his dark red hair into a mix of blue and gray.
Lucion’s breathing, which had been short of breath, gradually subsided.
Kran’s eyes and mouth opened wide in an instant.
“S-Saint?”
Even though he was even paler now, how could Kran forget that face?
“Yes. Mr. Hal, he is Lucion Cronia,” Hu declared, deciding that there was no use hiding the truth any longer.
‘How..’
Suddenly, it all made sense to Kran. The reason why Lucion used the pseudonym Hal.
Cronia’s youngest son was a warlock.
And Lucion, the warlock, was a saint.
His mind was filled with confusion, trying to reconcile these seemingly contradictory facts.
However, his thoughts were interrupted by the sight of a black fox beside Lucion, weeping.
Kran had heard rumors about Lucion raising a fox cub in secret.
“It’s a secret. I will definitely keep it. …No, I didn’t see anything.”
Regardless of the circumstances, Kran buried the knowledge that Hal was Lucion deep within his heart.
He had to.
Kran understood that Lucion had not yet reached adulthood.
How much had he suffered to conceal his true identity as a warlock?
He wasn’t just young; he was a child.
There were so many things Kran wanted to say to Lucion, but now was not the ti.
“Hang in there. You have to hold on,” Kran whispered, his voice filled with determination.
Lucion had to survive.
He had to live without fail.
“Cough…”
As Lucion coughed up more blood, Bethel grew increasingly anxious.
There was no ti to think about the mask or anything else at the mont.
[Miella. Is Miella still far away?] Bethel asked urgently.
Bang!
Miella burst into the room, slamming the door open and stepping inside.
Hu looked at Kran with a worried expression.
Should he tell Miella about Lucion’s true identity after Kran?
[There’s no other choice, Hu.] Russell stated, his voice dry.
For Lucion’s sake, the mask had been removed.
“She is soone you can trust,” Kran spoke up, referring to Miella.
Only a select few knew the secret, but Miella was soone who could be relied upon to keep it.
Besides, they had no other viable option at the mont.
Putting the mask back on might only worsen Lucion’s already labored breathing.
“I… Oh, my God…” Miella’s voice trembled as she rushed in, nearly dropping the necklace she was carrying.
In front of her was the sight of Lucion Cronia, the saint, lying beside Hal’s mask.
Miella seed overwheld, as if she had many things to say. Finally, she managed to find her words.
“P-Please close the door.”
“I will go.”
Kran moved imdiately.
Miella pursed her lips and turned her attention to Hu.
“I haven’t experinted on a person yet.”
Hu reassured her, saying, “It’s fine.”
Miella continued, her voice filled with concern, “It might hurt, so please hold his body still.”
The necklace she held in her trembling hands was not yet perfect.
Its purpose was to filter out light and retain only the regenerative power within, but there might still be so unfiltered light present.
Additionally, she was uncertain about how a power solely composed of regenerative abilities would affect a person.
However, Miella no longer hesitated. She knew all too well that it was their only viable option.
“Please tear the bandage,” she requested.
Rip!
Hu quickly ripped at the cloth wrapped around his stomach, exposing his wound.
Miella couldn’t help but be surprised at the sight. Where else would she see such a miraculous wound?
“…Holy shit,” Kran’s voice ca from behind Miella.
It was a wound that was nothing short of a miracle that he was still alive.
Miella bit her lip as hard as she could, her hands trembling as she applied the magic item over the wound.
Like sprinkling salt, large and round particles fell onto the injury.
Those particles were the remnants of the regenerative power that had filtered through the light.
Gulp.
Ratta sniffled and watched quietly.
The regenerative power, which had accumulated like snow, suddenly began to tremble.
Like branches extending, long white lines reached out to each other, resembling spider webs.
Bubble.
Foam ford.
Wobble.
Lucion’s back arched upward, and Hu grabbed him urgently.
Lucion’s body shook as if he were having a seizure.
Miella’s eyes widened, but she didn’t stop using the item.
She knew it would be useless to stop now.
Exhaling, slowly.
Carefully, slowly.
She focuses intently on generating a steady stream of regenerative power.
[Endure, Lucion!] Russell clasped his hands together, aware that it was the unfiltered light causing this reaction.
But he could hear Lucion’ heartbeat growing stronger, and he begged more fervently.
[…Please hold on, Lucion.]
Bethel also prayed and prayed.
She could feel his body coming back to life, and she could only beg for his survival.
“Please hold on, young master.”
Hu had never understood the behavior of those who sought a god who didn’t exist.
But now he understood.
He was so desperate that he hoped soone, anyone, would grant him this wish.
―Lucion, when you’re fully healed, I’ll give you Ratta’s favorite ball and all the snacks! I promise I won’t play with your hair or break any bowls! So, please, open your eyes!
Ratta closed her eyes tightly, pouring all her heartfelt emotions into her words.
The regenerative power flowing from the necklace enveloped the wound, consuming the foam and covering the entire area.
Bubble bubble.
The sound of bubbling gradually subsided, and in an instant, the foam disappeared.
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