LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 42
‘How… did he know?’Elsez stared at him in confusion.She had never revealed her identity as Ruel in front of him, nor had she ever brought up that past.Who would ever consider such an absurd possibility—that the dead Ruel had returned in another body?Yet, if Cassian realized it on his own, everything would become much easier from here on.“…Ah.”But then, Cassian’s once-focused eyes twisted in pain again.For the briefest moment, there had been a flicker of hope in his gaze—only to be swallowed by deep longing. He had realized the boundary between dream and reality.Even so, he couldn’t bring himself to let go of Elsez’s hand.No—he didn’t want to let go.Closing his eyes, he tightened his grip on her hand, as if afraid she would disappear.“…Just for a moment.”“……”“Just stay like this for a little while.”His voice, low and desperate, made it impossible for her to pull away.Soon, his breathing evened out.As he drifted into sleep, the tense expression on his face softened slightly.Watching him, a bittersweet smile crept onto Elsez’s lips.‘So that’s why you’ve been like this every year around this time…’To him, this wasn’t just the day they defeated the Demon God—it was the day Ruel had died.Knowing she still remained in his memories didn’t bring her joy.Because it wasn’t a memory of happiness, but an unhealed wound, a scar left by his failure to protect a cherished comrade.“Sleep well, Cassian.”I’ll forget for now, too.Elsez decided to stay still until he fell into a deeper sleep.That was when—“My lady?”A familiar voice came from behind.Turning around, she saw Astea stepping into the library.“Ah, Your Holiness.”Instinctively, Elsez tried to stand.But in his sleep, Cassian’s grip on her hand tightened.Caught in an awkward half-rising position, she could only glance at Astaire, unsure of what to do.Astaire, who had initially greeted her with his usual warm smile, suddenly froze when his gaze fell on Cassian.‘Just now… his expression…’But in the blink of an eye, his face returned to its usual gentle demeanor.As if that chilling look had never been there.Approaching them, he asked casually,“What were you doing?”Noticing how his eyes lingered on their clasped hands, Elsez quickly explained,“He was either sick or having a nightmare—he was sweating so much. I tried to wake him, but he just fell back asleep like this. If I move my hand now, I think he’ll wake up.”“Just pull it away. His hand’s practically rotting from handling too many demons.”“…What?”She had never heard of such a thing before.In her previous life, she had hunted countless demons for experience points, but this was news to her.It was obviously nonsense, yet somehow, when Astaire said it, it almost sounded believable.As Elsez hesitated over his words, Astaire stepped forward and firmly pulled her hand from Cassian’s grasp.Then, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, he gently held her hand in his own.“Mmh…”The movement stirred Cassian awake.When his half-lidded eyes focused on Astaire, his expression soured instantly.“First thing I see when I wake up… what terrible luck.”“How kind of you to greet me so warmly.”Cassian scoffed at Astaire’s sarcastic reply, muttering under his breath,“Kind, my ass.”Then, he pushed himself upright, sitting on the sofa.Astaire took a seat on a nearby couch and got straight to the point.“What about the job I assigned you?”“Just as you said, I found the dark guild that was hired by that brat.”Cassian stretched lazily, then continued,“And, well, the result was predictable. They had no idea who entrusted them with the artifact piece.”One of the ironclad rules of dark guilds was secrecy.For missions requiring absolute discretion, they charged exorbitant fees but never asked about their clients’ identities or objectives.“But I did ‘persuade’ them to cough up some details about the client’s appearance.”‘I bet that persuasion involved fists…’Considering Cassian’s usual methods, Elsez suspected violence had been involved.She only hoped Astaire wouldn’t ask how he got the information.“Ash-gray hair, estimated to be a man in his mid-fifties. Height roughly similar to that one.”Cassian gestured toward Elsez.“Slender build. He kept touching his chin whenever he was thinking, like someone who had grown a beard for a long time.”Astaire narrowed his eyes in thought before nodding.“Good work. At least we have a lead.”This time, Elsez spoke up.“What about questioning Count Lort?”Astaire let out a sigh.“He’s stuck in a loop. Keeps saying he knows nothing. Doesn’t know where the dead children came from, doesn’t know who’s behind it all.”“As if he really doesn’t know. A few punches would probably jog his memory.”At Cassian’s blunt remark, Astaire simply responded with a cold smile.Meanwhile, Elsez… well, she had to admit—deep down, she agreed.Cassian ignored Astaire’s reaction and stood up.“Let’s go see that bastard. I’ll get the truth out of him.”“…Cassian, you’re too barbaric.”“Efficient, you mean.”Astaire sighed as he watched Cassian, who seemed ready to storm off to Count Lort immediately. Then, he spoke.“A representative from the imperial family is coming today.”At the word imperial, both Cassian and Elsez furrowed their brows simultaneously.“Suddenly? Those people never cared whether the Demon God flipped the continent upside down or not. Why now?”“It’s only a matter of time before this incident becomes public. They can’t just ignore someone impersonating the crown prince—it would tarnish the empire’s authority.”“Makes sense. They do have an obsession with their useless authority.”“And aside from the impersonator, they’ll want to handle this as quietly as possible.”Having the empire’s security issues discussed both within and outside their borders wasn’t something the imperial family would take lightly.Cassian considered Astaire’s words.Whoever was behind this had not only attempted to resurrect the Demon God but had also gone as far as impersonating the crown prince. That wasn’t just reckless—it was audacious.There was no doubt that digging deeper into this would lead to dangerous consequences.After a brief silence, Cassian turned to Elsez and spoke.“Rookie, shouldn’t you step away from this now?”“…What?”“Now that the imperial family is involved, it’s best not to get tangled up any further.”“I agree. There are… other factors to consider.”Elsez immediately understood what Astaire meant by other factors.He was being vague for Cassian’s sake, keeping her noble status and engagement to Tezette a secret, just as she had asked him to.As Astaire implied, Tezette was close to the crown prince. If word got out that his fiancée was involved in temple affairs, it could cause problems.Elsez had little concern for noble society anymore, but Tezette would undoubtedly find himself in an awkward position.However—‘I already called off the engagement.’That was no longer her problem.With a bright smile, she replied,“It’s fine now. That issue has been settled.”“That issue?”Cassian looked puzzled just as the library doors swung open and Lancelot entered.“Your Holiness, the representative from the imperial family has arrived.”“I’ll be right there.”Astaire immediately stood up.Since the representative had been sent on behalf of the crown prince, it would be rude to remain seated while greeting them.Cassian also rose to his feet.“Let’s see what kind of dog the imperial family has raised.”Elsez followed them as they exited the library and headed toward the temple’s main entrance.Just as they approached the central hall leading to the sanctuary, a group of people entered from the opposite direction.Lancelot led them, and beside him was a tall man of nearly equal stature.Midnight-black hair swayed gently in the spring breeze, contrasting sharply against his eerily pale skin.His deep green eyes held an unsettling sharpness, reminiscent of a predator.Against the temple’s bright and holy backdrop, he stood out—almost as if he didn’t belong there.As Elsez laid eyes on him, she froze in place.‘…Tezette?’He, too, had spotted them.His gaze flickered across the three of them before settling firmly on one person.Elsez knew with certainty—he was looking at her and her alone.With cold, unreadable eyes.With long strides, he closed the distance between them.Astaire’s brows furrowed slightly as Tezette approached, while Cassian, visibly taken aback, spoke up.“You’re the one the crown prince sent?”But Tezette never once glanced at Cassian or Astaire.Since the moment their eyes met, his gaze had remained solely on Elsez.She looked up at him warily.The boy who had once stood on the threshold between youth and manhood was now a fully grown man.Yet rather than feeling nostalgic, Elsez found herself overwhelmed by an unfamiliar sensation.Tezette continued to look down at her, his expression unreadable.Then, at last, his crimson lips parted, and in a voice as chilling as a wind blowing through a dark forest, he spoke.“I never expected to find my fiancée here.”