“Focus on your doubts.”
The next day at the Pluto Ducal House, teor was still preoccupied with the voice he had heard in the prayer hall the night before.
“Focus on my doubts…”
Why had such a ssage been delivered to him?
He couldn’t be sure if it was truly a divine voice or rely a manifestation of his own thoughts.
But ultimately, it didn’t matter.
What mattered was that he did have doubts about Crescent.
She seed to be hiding sothing.
When Crescent disappeared in Winterly Duke’s icy domain, it had struck him as peculiar.
"I was with Duke Winterly. I was wandering through the castle when the space suddenly shifted."
The condition for escape was supposed to be finding the Aurora Orb with Eyes in pairs. So why had Crescent been transported alone?
It was odd.
Of course, unexplainable things happened all the ti—especially in the Demon Realm.
But what troubled him even more was Crescent’s behavior after they returned to the human world.
"Thank you, teor. Because of you, we all made it back alive."
"Y-Yeah, thanks, teor."
The knights had all thanked him, thinking the exit opened because he found the orb.
Only Crescent had remained silent, simply watching quietly.
It was unusual.
The Crescent he knew would have been just as vocal in her gratitude as the other knights.
Even when they gathered later to recount their experiences in the Demon Realm, she had spoken very little.
When he explained that the exit had opened before he found the orb, she didn’t seem the least bit surprised.
It was almost as if she had already known.
If that were the case, why hadn’t she shared what she knew with him or the knights?
What had happened while she was with Duke Winterly?
And what exactly was she hiding?
teor had found her behavior suspicious, but he hadn’t pressed the matter further. He didn’t want to push her.
He had trusted Crescent for a long ti. A minor oddity wasn’t reason enough to doubt her.
And so, he had set those fleeting suspicions aside, choosing to believe in her instead.
“Focus on your doubts.”
Now, that trust felt unsettled.
The nagging weight of doubt had returned, heavier than ever.
teor found himself consud by these thoughts, unable to shake them off.
He spent the entire day lost in his head, barely registering his als or the world around him.
At one point, he sat on a windowsill, staring blankly out into the evening.
Suddenly, a realization struck him.
“This isn’t the first ti.”
When had it been?
There had been a mont in the past when he felt this sa unease about Crescent. But it was so long ago that he couldn’t rember exactly what had happened.
The mory had been fleeting, sothing odd that he dismissed just as quickly.
“What was it…?”
He racked his brain, searching for the elusive mory.
It felt important—sothing he had to recall.
Would he be able to rember?
He searched and searched, combing through his mind, but nothing surfaced.
Frustrated, he eventually stepped outside.
The sun was beginning to set, casting long shadows across the estate.
The air was cool, but teor’s chest felt tight.
It was as if he’d gone to the prayer hall to rid himself of his burden, only to co back with an even heavier one.
Once again, Crescent is the reason for my turmoil.
That thought lingered as his eyes caught sight of soone leaving the estate.
Even in the dim light, her golden hair glinted vividly, her small fra moving with an unmistakable lightness.
Crescent.
There was no doubt it was her.
Where was she going at this hour?
teor’s gaze narrowed slightly.
“Focus on your doubts.”
It was as if the voice from the night before had cast a spell on him.
Even Crescent’s late-night outing now seed suspicious.
Before he knew it, teor found himself following her.
***
The carriage was packed to the brim with boxes that Cyrillote had carefully prepared for .
And to think, every single one of them contained fascinating items designed to ss with demons!
The Duke of Dinsions wouldn’t see these coming.
Looking at the loaded carriage, I couldn’t help but grin at Cyrillote.
“This feels so satisfying. I don’t think I’d regret spending my entire fortune on this.”
“If this helps you take down demons, I’d happily send a carriage full of weapons every day.”
“And wouldn’t that leave your head exploding from having to invent new ones nonstop?”
“Crescent, as long as it’s for you, my head doesn’t matter.”
“Pfft.”
I let out a small laugh.
My heart felt as full as the carriage.
It really was my good fortune to have a friend like Cyrillote—soone who supported unconditionally.
“Thank you so much, Cyrillote. This is going to help more than you know.”
Considering I’d practically emptied his shop, I had no doubt these would co in handy.
At least one of these inventions would be enough to catch the Duke of Dinsions off guard. I just had to make my strike count when the opportunity arose.
And these were the creations of the sa genius who made Eun-chongi—there was no way they’d fail .
“By the way, Crescent.”
Cyrillote’s tone suddenly turned serious, making glance at him curiously.
“Yeah?”
“Can I ask… who’s the demon you want to kill?”
“Oh…”
I paused, unsure of how to respond.
I couldn’t tell anyone about the Duke of Dinsions. That secret was tied directly to my identity.
Seeing my hesitation, Cyrillote quickly added, “If I knew who it was, I could design weapons specifically to deal with them. I thought it might help.”
“Oh, I see.”
A weapon designed specifically to take down the Duke of Dinsions. That would be ideal.
But I shook my head.
“What I have now is already enough. I’m thrilled with everything you’ve given —it’s more than I could’ve hoped for.”
“All right. But if you need anything else, promise you’ll let know.”
“And end up being a total bother to you?”
“That’s exactly what I’m hoping for. Ha, anyway, you should head back before it gets too late. Want to escort you to the ducal house?”
I shook my head firmly.
“No way. You already stayed late because of . You need to get so rest.”
“Fair enough. I’ll save the escort for another ti.”
“Sounds good.”
It was ti to head ho.
But instead of turning away imdiately, I paused to look at Cyrillote. He t my gaze with a warm smile.
Taking a deep breath, I felt a surprising sense of lightness.
“Hey, Cyrillote.”
“Yeah?”
“To be honest, when we were younger, I used to think you were a bit… weird.”
“Is that supposed to be a complint?”
He chuckled, a wide grin spreading across his face.
Only Cyrillote would take sothing like that as praise.
“You were different from the other kids—more grown-up, I guess. To , it felt a little strange. Maybe even unfamiliar. But now that I look at you, I think I was wrong.”
“Should I be crying tears of joy right now? Did I just earn a complint from the lady herself?”
“Not a complint—just sothing I’ve been aning to say. Thank you, Cyrillote. You’re really a good person.”
“!”
His eyes widened like full moons, and for a mont, he looked genuinely moved, his eyes glistening with unshed tears.
“Crescent, can you put that in writing? Getting called a ‘good person’ by you—I want to pass that down as a family heirloom.”
“Seriously, you’re ridiculous sotis.”
He laughed softly, and I found myself smiling in return.
“I an it, Cyrillote. I’m so lucky to have a friend like you. I want to repay you soday. What would you like?”
“Hm, if you insist, how about granting one wish?”
“Of course. I can’t wait to hear what it is.”
What kind of wish would he make?
I gave him a playful smile, genuinely curious.
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