After leaving the campsite, Evelyn headed toward the edge of the clearing.
She had intended to slip back into the haystack and practice controlling her mana again, but now that everyone had seen her, the attention made her uncomfortable.
Most of the looks directed at her were friendly, but she could not help worrying that someone might see how weak and unsteady she became afterward.
'It would be a problem if people started saying the Grand Duke picked up damaged goods from somewhere.'
The edge of the clearing was only about a hundred meters from the camp, so it wasn't particularly dangerous.
"That place looks perfect."
Having found a suitable spot, she ran up to the oak tree standing atop a low hill.
The fresh scent of grass and the cool breeze opened her lungs the moment she reached the hill.
At the same time, the peaceful scenery left a bitter taste in her mouth.
This tranquility had been built upon someone's sacrifice.
People praised Kallian's ability to wield the power of darkness freely as a gift from the gods.
But Evelyn saw it differently.
How cruel and burdensome it is for an entire empire's peace to depend on one person.
Remembering the merciless cold of the North that had felt as though it would tear the tips of her fingers off, she thought of Kallian, who had spent his entire life in such a place.
And the peaceful world surrounding her now only made her feelings for him grow deeper.
'He was right. If I prove my worth, then I can ask for what I want.'
With renewed determination, Evelyn began her training.
As she surrendered herself to the breeze and stretched out her hand, soft moonlight settled over it like a veil.
Following the memories of her previous life, exactly as Kallian had taught her.
Again and again, she slowly guided the mana flowing within her body to her fingertips.
Soon, a gentle white light gathered in the palm of her hand.
'That's right. You're doing well. Very well.'
Kallian's gentle voice from long ago echoed inside her mind.
Throb.
Just remembering the affectionate way he had looked at her made her chest ache.
Though perhaps...
Even in those moments, he had been seeing someone else's face overlapping with hers.
'Get a hold of yourself. Don't think about anything.'
Shaking her head to drive away those thoughts, she tightly closed her eyes.
Just as she concentrated on the energy flowing through her body like a clear stream—
Rustle.
She suddenly sensed someone's presence behind her.
'What...? It feels like someone is watching me...'
A chill ran down her spine.
There were knights gathered not far away, but around her, she was completely alone.
'No... Monsters can't appear in the Empire's safe zone. Not unless a Gate has opened...'
She comforted herself with that thought as she slowly opened her eyes.
Rustle. Rustle.
"...!"
Along with an ominous sensation, demonic energy stretched toward her like mist from behind and slowly began tightening around her neck.
The foul stench of a monster.
Instinctively sensing it, Evelyn froze like a stone statue, holding her breath.
'Don't turn around!'
Monsters instinctively attacked anything that moved.
If she made the slightest movement now, they would lunge faster than lightning and tear into the back of her neck until she stopped breathing.
'Aah!'
She could only scream inwardly.
But then the bizarre, eerie sound she had heard in her dreams echoed beside her ear.
Unable to endure it any longer, she whipped her head around.
Crunch... Crunch...
"AAAHHH!"
The instant she met the creature's hollow eyes, black as endless darkness—
Slash!
As Evelyn screamed and collapsed onto the ground, something hot splashed over her head.
Silence followed the horrifying sound of something being cut apart.
The nauseating smell of blood.
Its lingering warmth.
The grotesque skin writhing like a ghost.
Her mind went blank.
What...?
What just happened?
Carefully, Evelyn closed and reopened her eyes.
The grotesque monster had been split cleanly in half and was twitching on the ground.
Everything felt so unreal that she couldn't think.
Unable even to breathe, let alone scream, she slowly followed the pool of blood with her eyes.
Standing there was Kallian, calmly sliding his sword back into its sheath.
Looking at the breathless Evelyn, he asked,
"Are you hurt anywhere?"
Her heart pounded violently.
She could not answer.
Only her lips moved soundlessly.
The fear that had flooded over her rooted both feet to the ground.
"At least from what I can see, you seem unharmed."
He tidied his slightly disheveled hair before crouching down until they were at eye level.
"I'm glad I wasn't too late."
Then, without another word, he gently wiped the blood from her cheek.
That alone made her feel much calmer.
Even stranger was the fact that the moment she felt his warmth, the fear wrapping around her body completely disappeared.
Simply having him beside her filled her with profound relief.
That must mean she relied on him that much.
"I... I thought it would be safe since it was so close to the campsite."
Trying to calm her racing heart, Evelyn clasped her trembling hands together.
"I just wanted to be of some help to you, Your Grace. I never meant to cause trouble..."
Perhaps it was because of the pounding headache.
Her blurred eyes trembled, and all the sadness she had kept buried burst forth at once.
Only then did she truly realize just how much she had missed him.
Not wanting him to see her reddened eyes, she unconsciously rested her forehead against his shoulder.
"I never imagined a monster would suddenly appear like that. Normally... monsters head toward places where there are more people."
As soon as she said it, she realized something was wrong.
Ordinary monsters instinctively moved toward the strongest concentration of human scent.
Kallian seemed to find it strange as well.
Frowning, he nudged the monster's corpse with the tip of his scabbard.
Instead of green blood, black blood flowed from its hollow shell.
It resembled the creature he had encountered in the swamp earlier.
As though an ordinary plant or animal had been transformed by injecting it with a monster's blood—or its soul.
"It certainly is ominous."
"And of all people, these abominations chose someone who belongs to me."
A grinding sound came from his clenched jaw.
The fist he held so tightly that the veins bulged trembled ever so slightly.
Yet Evelyn did not feel afraid.
It had been such a long time since someone had worried about her that the feeling was almost unfamiliar.
Still leaning against his broad shoulder, she gently reached out and held his hand.
It was rough.
Warm.
The demonic energy consuming his body flowed out through their joined hands, traveled up her arm, and toward her heart.
Taking a deep breath, she quietly let her healing power flow into him, hoping to ease his emotions.
"Thank you... for saving me."
For a brief moment, Kallian stared blankly before letting out a quiet sigh.
It looked as though he was suppressing something.
Thinking he was still angry, Evelyn lowered her head and spoke softly.
"And... I'm sorry for acting on my own. I'll apologize, so even if you're angry... please don't be mad. You came to save me, after all. At the temple... and now, too..."
You were really scary when you got angry.
Hearing her childish complaint, Kallian's imposing aura softened immediately.
"I wasn't trying to frighten you."
"So... what I'm feeling is something a little different from anger."
With a sigh, he reached out and gently brushed the windblown strands of her hair back into place before meeting her eyes.
"And don't say you're sorry."
"Even if the one you're apologizing to is me."
"I'm not used to that."
"I've spent my whole life apologizing even when I hadn't done anything wrong."
"...What?"
For once, Kallian looked genuinely flustered.
He frowned.
Without saying anything else, he simply removed his own cloak and wrapped it around her body, which was still dripping with black blood.
After securely fastening it with his large hands, he lifted Evelyn effortlessly into his arms and began walking.
"You need to wash first."
"There's a lake behind the campsite. It'll be better to clean yourself there."
After walking for some time...
A thin waterfall, cascading like white strands of an old man's beard, came into view.
Beneath it lay a quiet lake.
Moonlight poured over the water's velvet-like surface, creating a breathtaking scene.
"Wow... It's so, so beautiful."
"I'm glad you like it."
By the time Evelyn, still covered in black blood, had said it was beautiful for about the tenth time, Kallian gently set her down in the shallow water along the darkened lakeshore.
"Wash up and come out."
Evelyn tilted her head in confusion but obediently removed her shoes.
She sat at the edge of the lake and dipped her feet into the water.
Although the weather wasn't hot, the back of her neck had turned bright red from embarrassment.
Watching her splash her feet in the water, Kallian fell into thought.
That was too close.
If he had arrived even a little later...
She might have died.
The mere thought made his heart pound violently.
Was it because he could never again have seen a face that resembled someone from his past?
Or because he would have lost the healer he had finally found?
He could not tell.
Perhaps it was neither.
That thought crossed his mind.
But he deliberately pushed it away.
No matter how carefully he tried to stitch together emotions he had already cut away...
They would remain tattered all the same.
Kallian's gaze lingered on Evelyn's back before slowly drifting away again.
Do I really have no choice but to keep turning away?
Was that truly the best answer?
