Cardinal Sergius of the Holy Kingdom of Rosario, who served the goddess Sironia, had been feeling a strange sense of discomfort lately.
No, to be precise, it was less a sense of discomfort and more a question.
“Um, Lady Yutia?”
Sergius’s voice reached Yutia, who was gazing out the window of the office at the scenery of Rosario.
However, Yutia acted as though she had not heard him at all, rely staring blankly at the view.
“Ah.”
“Lady Yutia?”
When Sergius called out once more, a low sigh escaped her, as if she had only then co to her senses.
She looked at him with a calm smile forming on her previously expressionless face.
“What is it? Cardinal Sergius.”
“I have taken care of everything you ordered last ti.”
At Sergius’s reply, Yutia asked back.
“Taken care of?”
“Ah, didn’t you ntion it before? The matter regarding the eastern village.”
At that, Yutia, who had been smiling softly, let out a quiet exclamation of realization.
“Was it handled well?”
“Yes, I took asures exactly as you instructed.”
“That’s a relief. Thank you as always, Cardinal Sergius.”
“It was nothing. Then, I shall take my leave.”
“Yes, please do.”
After bowing to Yutia, who once again wore a gentle smile, Sergius exited the office.
The mont the door closed, he thought.
‘As expected, sothing’s strange.’
He voiced his doubts about Yutia Bloodia.
Of course, if soone had overheard their conversation, they would have asked where, exactly, there was anything questionable.
It had only been a brief exchange, after all.
Yet Sergius’s doubts only deepened.
He had already maintained this sort of relationship with Yutia for several years now.
While it was true that the beginning of that relationship had not been particularly pleasant, the years that followed had given Sergius both a sense of stability and enough familiarity to understand Yutia as a person to so degree.
That was why he imdiately sensed the change in her recently.
‘Why has she been forgetting so many things?’
It was only natural for people to forget things.
No matter how clever soone was, if sothing was not important to them, that was simply how it went.
However, such forgetfulness did not suit the Yutia Bloodia Sergius knew.
She rembered everything.
No, it went beyond that—she seed to know most necessary information to the extent that it felt as though she were foreseeing the future.
Yet recently, sothing about her had been off.
She had started forgetting things with alarming frequency.
For instance, it was not uncommon for her to forget even the orders she herself had given.
Of course, that did not an she was becoming foolish.
Aside from that aspect, she was still the Yutia Bloodia Sergius knew.
And that was precisely why he found her so strange.
‘What on earth is it?’
Sergius stared at the closed door of her office for a long while.
***
Seolrang stared at the man in front of her.
He had the sa golden hair as her, and sat in the center of the shrine, waiting for her—a beastman.
[Let ask you once more. Are you ready to abandon everything and accept the ‘fragnt’?]
At the beastman’s question, Seolrang nodded without hesitation.
“Yes.”
A firm voice without the slightest trace of doubt.
Amused, the man who had been watching Seolrang let out a soft, intrigued exclamation.
[Last ti, you were trembling in fear, yet now you speak with conviction. Why are you so certain?]
“Because I need power.”
[...............Such a trite, yet upright answer.]
“Just give it to . You said you would last ti.”
At Seolrang’s urging, the beastman let out a small chuckle.
[Don’t rush like that. If you’re worried because the situation outside is urgent, don’t be. As long as you’re here, ti outside won’t flow.]
“......It won’t flow?”
[More precisely, it will flow extrely slowly.]
Watching the beastman shrug his shoulders, Seolrang bit her lip tightly before speaking.
“You talk too much.”
[Calling the one who’s about to give you power ‘you’—isn’t that a bit much?]
“You said you’d give power anyti if I accepted, didn’t you?”
[Don’t think so hastily. I told you already. Ti here flows absurdly slowly. And—]
Yet the beastman’s expression remained relaxed.
[—I’m just a little curious. Just a few days ago, you were backing away even when I offered you power............... Why are you trying to take it right now?]
He rose from where he was seated and approached Seolrang.
[As you know, essence—no, this power—is strong. And because of that, there is a price.]
He spread three fingers, then folded his thumb.
[First. If you accept imnse power and fail to control it, you will go berserk, your entire body shattering, leaving you a wreck.]
Next, he folded his middle finger.
[Second. Even if you succeed in controlling the power and fully accepting the strength of Abominable Blood, you will no longer be yourself.]
[As I explained last ti, when you use essence, the user’s age becos fixed until all trials of the essence are completed. And the mont the trial ends, you receive all the ‘maturity’ you never had at once.]
Finally, he folded his index finger.
[Third, you must accept the mories of all those who have used this essence under such dissonant circumstances. And when that happens—]
The beastman looked at Seolrang and spoke as if observing from afar.
[—will you truly be able to remain yourself?]
As he stared at her with crimson eyes reminiscent of soone else, a hint of enjoynt in his gaze, Seolrang closed her mouth.
[If you have talent, and if fortune favors you, you might be able to maintain ‘yourself.’ But let say this in advance—though many reached the final trial, none fully accepted the power of Abominable Blood.]
[Not when you were called the Golden-Maned Tribe, not when you were called the Cursed Clan, nor when you were called by any other na.]
[Even so, no leniency is given. From the start, this trial is a great—]
His words continued.
However, Seolrang was no longer listening, instead recalling the price he had ntioned.
Failing to accept the power and becoming a wreck?
That did not scare her.
Perhaps thinking about what ca after might stir other emotions, but to protect her Master, that was a choice she could make without difficulty.
Finding maturity?
That did not scare her either.
The ntal pain that would co with it was sothing she could endure, as long as she could save her Master.
But.
The last one alone frightened her.
‘Should I explain it in detail? Accepting the mories of those who used the essence is the sa as having dozens of lives’ mories fill your head.’
‘Countless values clash, shatter, and new values are built atop them, and everything you like and dislike becos entangled with innurable values, growing dull.’
Seolrang recalled the words the beastman had spoken when they first t.
It was a terrifying story.
It ant that all the values she held dear would disappear.
The things she cherished.
Her family.
Her Master.
They were far too precious to Seolrang.
Yutia, who beca her family when she had nothing.
Rine, who always took care of her in silence.
Radan, who always listened without a word when she complained.
Deus, who played with her without speaking.
And her Master, who would throw away his own life without hesitation to save her, no matter the situation.
They were all unbearably precious to her.
No—calling them everything she had would not be an exaggeration.
The ones Seolrang wanted to protect, no matter the cost.
That was why she was afraid.
Afraid that what was precious to her would no longer be precious.
Afraid that what she loved would no longer be lovable.
Afraid that what she deed important would no longer matter.
Afraid that everything she had
would co to be regarded as nothing at all.
So she ran away.
Even though she could reach the final stage, she did not.
Even though she could gain power, she did not.
But.
“Give it to .”
[What?]
“I said, give it to .”
Even so, Seolrang made her choice.
She was still afraid.
Her trembling body betrayed her fear, and her violently shaking eyes spoke of her terror.
Yet she chose.
She had to choose.
She had to protect them.
Even if what was precious to her ceased to be precious.
Even if what she loved ceased to be lovable.
Even if what she valued ceased to matter.
Even if everything she had...............ca to be regarded as nothing at all.
She wanted to protect them.
Her family.
Her Master—Alon.
At Seolrang’s resolute, determined answer, the beastman silently looked down at her with crimson eyes resembling soone else, then let out a small chuckle.
[You know, do you realize this? Even if you don’t take the power here, that guy can survive. Of course~]
He muttered, ‘that’s as far as it goes,’ but never took his eyes off Seolrang.
“Hand it over. Now.”
Seolrang answered once again.
[Why? Even if you don’t take the power, he won’t die, you know?]
The beastman asked back, as if he could not understand.
Seolrang spoke without hesitation.
“Because that’s not what my Master would want.”
Seolrang knew.
What kind of person her Master was.
That was why she knew.
How deeply he would grieve.
Seolrang did not want to see that.
And.
At her unwavering answer, the beastman, who had been staring at her expressionlessly for a mont,
grin—!
As if sothing delighted him greatly, a deep smile spread across his lips.
[Very well. I’ll give it to you.]
mories flashed through Seolrang’s mind.
Each one was a precious recollection.
She kept recalling them, clung to them again and again, so as not to forget, ...............so as to cherish them.
And.
[Congratulations. Beastman—no.]
The beastman laughed with clear enjoynt, his crimson eyes gleaming as he spoke.
[You who can now wield all lightning.]
Thus, he opened his mouth.
And then.
Hwaaaak—
A blinding white light engulfed everything.
***
At the mont when the enormous mouth was about to fully close and swallow Alon’s body, the Poison Swallower flashed its dozens of eyes, smiling as if the predetermined ending pleased it.
‘Is it impossible after all............!?’
At the instant Alon desperately searched for a breakthrough in the woefully insufficient ti,
“ . . . . . .!”
The closing mouth of the Swallower stopped, as if by a lie.
No.
That was not it.
It had not stopped.
It was unable to move.
Alon could tell.
Because he felt it too.
A killing intent so chilling it felt as though his heart might burst.
And before long, Alon found its source.
‘Seol…rang?’
There stood a single beastman.
At a glance, her towering height exceeded two ters.
What caught the eye first was her golden hair flowing down to the calves of that massive body, then, atop that golden hair, sothing like a halo—a golden crown.
And finally, what ca into view was a pair of utterly indifferent, golden eyes that sent chills down the spine.
Even so, Alon had no trouble recognizing that she was Seolrang, and at the mont he faced her, Seolrang vanished.
And then.
Alon saw it.
Though it was midday, the world was being dyed into night.
As if night were devouring day.
The midday world was erased, and the midnight world descended.
What was ford was a night where a vivid golden moon hung in the sky.
“Rangchangrangchang(槍狼槍)-”
A golden moon made of lightning, emitting a radiance brilliant enough to turn midday into darkness.
[Falling Moon(月).]
It began to fall downward.
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