Chapter 395: Budding (10)

Cardinal Sergius of Rosario, the holy kingdom that served the Goddess Sironia, had been feeling a strange sense of unease lately.

No—strictly speaking, it wasn’t unease so much as a question.

“...Lady Yutia?”

Sergius’s voice reached Yutia, who was standing by the window of the office, staring out at the Rosario scenery.

But Yutia, as if unable to hear him, only kept staring blankly at the view.

“...Lady Yutia?”

“Ah.”

Only when Sergius called again did a low sigh slip out, as if Yutia had finally snapped back to awareness.

With a calm smile settling over a face that had been expressionless, Yutia looked at Sergius.

“What is it, Cardinal Sergius?”

“Th-that... everything you ordered last time has been handled.”

At Sergius’s reply, Yutia asked back.

“Handled?”

“Ah—didn’t you say it last time? About the matter in the eastern village area.”

At that, Yutia—who had been smiling softly—let out a quiet little sound.

“I see. Was it handled well?”

“Yes. I took measures exactly as you instructed.”

“That’s a relief. Thank you as always, Cardinal Sergius.”

“Not at all. Then I’ll take my leave.”

“Yes. Do so.”

After bowing to Yutia, who was smiling again, Sergius slipped out of the office.

The moment the door closed, he—

‘It’s definitely strange.’

—voiced his question about Yutia Bloodia.

If someone had overheard their conversation, they would have asked what on earth there was to question.

It had been nothing more than a short exchange.

And yet Sergius’s doubts only deepened.

He had maintained this kind of relationship with Yutia for several years now.

Of course, it was true the beginning of that relationship hadn’t been pleasant.

But over the past few years, the time had given Sergius a sense of stability—

and it had been enough time to let Sergius understand Yutia, at least to a certain degree.

That was why Sergius could immediately sense that something had changed in Yutia lately.

‘...Why are you forgetting so much?’

People forgetting things was natural.

No matter how clever someone was, if it was something they didn’t consider important, that was simply how it went.

But that kind of forgetting didn’t fit the Yutia Bloodia Sergius knew.

Yutia remembered everything.

No—beyond that, to the point Sergius sometimes wondered if Yutia was seeing the future, Yutia seemed to know most of the information that was needed.

But lately, something was off.

Yutia had been forgetting things far more often.

For example, there had been countless times when Yutia even forgot orders Yutia had given personally.

That didn’t mean Yutia was becoming a fool.

Aside from that one part, Yutia was still the Yutia Bloodia Sergius knew.

And that was precisely why Sergius found it so unsettling.

‘...What on earth is going on?’

For a long while, Sergius stared at the closed door to the office where Yutia remained.

####

Seollang stared at the man in front of Seollang.

Golden hair the same shade as Seollang’s.

A beastkin who sat in the center of the shrine, waiting for Seollang.

[Let me ask again. Are you ready to throw everything away and accept the ‘fragment’?]

At that question, Seollang nodded without hesitation.

“Yeah.”

A firm voice without the slightest wavering.

As if amused, the man watching Seollang let out a strange little sound.

[Last time you were trembling in fear, but now you speak with certainty. Why are you so sure?]

“Because I need power.”

[...What a trite, straight-laced answer.]

“Then hurry up and give it to me. You said you would last time.”

At Seollang’s urging, the beastkin let out a quiet chuckle.

[Don’t rush me like that. If you’re doing this because things are urgent outside, don’t worry so much. As long as you’re here, time outside won’t flow.]

“...Won’t flow?”

[More accurately, it’ll be flowing extremely slowly.]

Watching the beastkin shrug, Seollang pressed lips together hard before speaking.

“You talk too much.”

[“You”? Isn’t that a bit much to say to the one who’s about to give you power?]

“You said you’d give it to me whenever I accepted.”

[Don’t think about it so hastily. I told you, didn’t I? Time here is absurdly slow. And—]

Even then, the beastkin’s expression stayed relaxed.

[—I’m simply curious. You were backing away even when I said I’d give you power just a few days ago... so why are you trying to take it right now?]

The beastkin rose from where the beastkin had been sitting and walked toward Seollang.

[As you know, essence—no, this power is strong. Which means there’s a price.]

Holding up three fingers, the beastkin folded the thumb.

[One. If you accept a power this great and can’t control it—if you lose control and go berserk—your whole body will be shattered and you’ll end up ruined.]

Next, the beastkin folded the middle finger.

[Two. Even if you control it and succeed in accepting the full power of Monster blood, you won’t be you anymore.]

[Like I explained last time. When you use essence, your age is fixed until you finish every trial of essence. And the moment the test ends, you’ll get back, all at once, a ‘maturity’ you never had.]

Lastly, the beastkin folded the index finger.

[Third, in that situation full of dissonance, you’ll have to accept the memories of everyone who used this essence. And when that happens—]

Looking at Seollang as if observing from a distance, the beastkin tossed the words out, casual.

[—will you really be able to remain you?]

At the sight of that beastkin staring fixedly with red eyes that strangely resembled someone else’s—almost as if this were enjoyable—Seollang closed Seollang’s mouth.

[If you have talent, and if you have heaven’s luck, you might be able to keep ‘you.’ But I’ll tell you in advance: plenty reached the final trial, but none fully accepted the power of Monster blood.]

[Not when you were called the Golden Mane Tribe, not when you were called the cursed tribe, not when you were called by any other name, either.]

[And yet there’s no leniency in this. In the first place, this test is a great—]

The beastkin kept talking.

But Seollang didn’t listen, instead recalling the “price” the beastkin had listed.

“......”

Becoming ruined because Seollang couldn’t accept the power?

That wasn’t frightening.

Maybe thinking about what came after would bring up other feelings, but—

to protect Master, it was an easy choice.

Gaining “maturity”?

That wasn’t frightening either.

No matter what kind of pain came with it, if it ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) meant saving Master, Seollang could endure as much as needed.

But.

...The last one, more than anything, was terrifying.

‘Want me to explain in detail? Having to accept the memories of those who used essence means your head will be filled with dozens of people’s memories.’

‘Countless values will clash, break, and new values will be built on top of the wreckage.’

‘Even what you like and what you hate will get tangled up in countless values until you go numb.’

Seollang remembered what the beastkin had said when they first met.

It was a horrifying story.

Because it meant every value Seollang held would disappear.

What Seollang treasured.

Seollang’s family.

Master.

“......”

To Seollang, they were precious—too precious.

Yutia, who became family for someone who had nothing.

Rine, who always looked after Seollang without a word.

Radan, who always listened in silence when Seollang spilled complaints.

Deus, who played with Seollang without a word.

And Master, who—no matter what the situation was—threw Master’s own life away without hesitation to save Seollang.

They were all precious.

No—calling them “precious” wasn’t even enough. They were everything.

People Seollang wanted to protect no matter what it took.

That was why it was terrifying.

Seollang was afraid what had been precious would stop being precious.

Afraid what Seollang loved would stop being lovable.

Afraid what had mattered would stop mattering.

Afraid Seollang would come to see everything Seollang had—

as if it were nothing.

So Seollang ran.

Even with the ability to reach the end, Seollang didn’t.

Even with the ability to gain power, Seollang didn’t.

But.

“Give it to me.”

[What?]

“Give it.”

Even so, Seollang chose.

Seollang was still afraid.

A body trembling told that fear.

Eyes shaking without mercy told that terror.

And yet Seollang chose.

Seollang had to choose.

Seollang had to protect them.

Even if what had been precious stopped being precious.

Even if what Seollang loved stopped being lovable.

Even if what had mattered stopped mattering.

Even if everything Seollang had—

...came to feel like nothing.

Seollang still wanted to protect them.

My family.

Master.

Alon.

[.......]

At Seollang’s resolute, unwavering answer,

the beastkin looked down at Seollang in silence with those distinctive red eyes that resembled someone else’s—

then let out a quiet laugh.

[Hey. You know this? Even if you don’t take the power here, that guy can live. Of course—]

Muttering, “That’s as far as it goes,” the beastkin never took eyes off Seollang.

“...Hand it over. Now.”

Seollang answered again.

[Why? Even if you don’t take the power, that guy won’t die, I’m saying.]

The beastkin asked back, as if it truly didn’t understand.

Seollang spoke without hesitation.

“Because that isn’t what Master would want.”

Seollang knew.

What kind of person Master was.

That was why Seollang knew.

How sad Master would be.

...Seollang didn’t want to see that.

And then.

[.......]

The beastkin, who had been staring at Seollang without expression for a moment at that solid answer—

grinned.

As if something about this was that enjoyable, a deep smile spread at the corners of the beastkin’s mouth.

[Fine. I’ll pass it on to you.]

Memories flickered through Seollang’s head.

Each one was a precious recollection.

Seollang kept bringing them up, again and again.

Held onto them over and over.

So they wouldn’t be forgotten.

...So they could be treasured.

And then.

[Congratulations. Beastkin—no.]

Laughing as if delighted, the beastkin’s red eyes gleamed.

[You who can now handle every lightning.]

Those words were spoken.

And then—

Fwaaaahk—

pure-white light swallowed everything.

####

Not much time remained before the enormous mouth could fully close and swallow Alon’s body.

The devouring one’s jaws were poised to shut completely.

The venom-swallowing one, dozens of eyes flashing, smiled as if the predetermined ending was amusing.

‘So it won’t work after all...!’

In that instant, as Alon forced mind to spin for a way out with time that was absurdly insufficient—

“...!”

The devouring one’s closing mouth stopped, as if it were a lie.

No.

That wasn’t it.

It hadn’t stopped.

It was—

unable to move.

Alon could tell.

Because Alon could feel it too.

A killing intent so enormous it made the heart feel like it would burst.

And it didn’t take long for Alon to find the source of that killing intent.

‘Seol...lang?’

There stood a single beastkin.

A massive height, well over two meters at a glance.

The first thing that caught the eye was golden hair that fell all the way down to the calves of that huge body.

Next was the golden crown, like a halo, resting over that golden hair.

And last—

eyes of gold, indifferent to the point of sending chills down your spine.

Even so, Alon had no trouble recognizing that it was Seollang.

And the moment Alon faced that—

Seollang vanished.

And then—

Alon saw it.

Even though it was midday, the world was being dyed into night.

Like night was eroding day.

The midday world was erased.

And the midnight world unfurled.

What formed was a night with a vivid golden moon hanging overhead.

“Wolf Spear, Wolf Spear—”

A golden moon made of lightning, pouring out brilliance bright enough to turn midday into darkness,

Falling Moon.

It began to drop downward.