CHAPTER 46…..
When he called out that familiar, long-missed name, she turned her head toward him, her beautiful red hair fluttering in the air.
Cold, unmistakable fury flashed in her violet eyes as they pierced into him.
“!”
Flinching, Tenebres froze where he stood.
Erika’s gaze locked with his in midair. Fear and tension dried his throat and squeezed his chest tight.
“You villain. Did you ever stop to think how I felt when I was left alone?”
Her accusing, condemning stare stabbed sharply into his heart.
“If everyone leaves me like that, how am I supposed to live?!”
Every word she spoke cut him open like a dagger.
“E–Erika…”
As he barely managed to whisper her name in an attempt to beg for forgiveness—suddenly!—her delicate hands closed around his neck.
In an instant, she was on top of him, pressing him down.
Gah—! Even as pain crushed his windpipe and his vision dimmed, he never once thought to resist or throw her off.
Because he was the one who had caused her so much pain.
No matter if his choice had been for her sake, it had been the wrong one. Why hadn’t he realized she would fall into such despair and self-blame? It all felt like it was entirely his fault.
“It’s because of you…!”
Her face twisted in anguish as she cried out. Like a death sentence, the murderous light in her violet eyes glinted sharply.
If he had made her this way, perhaps granting her wish and vanishing here and now was the right thing to do.
That thought crossed his mind—
—and then a faint, distant voice drifted toward him.
[…s!]
“!”
Though her hands were around his throat, her voice was coming from somewhere else entirely.
[As! Plea…! …eave!]
“Ghhk!”
Something was wrong. Mustering his will, he forced strength back into his limp body and looked at the one strangling him.
And there—Erika’s face suddenly transformed into his own. Or rather, into the face of Asterios, Commander of the Knights protecting Roziana.
‘Tch—this is!’
The crushing pain at his throat reached its peak. Then, in an instant, the face glaring down at him shifted again—this time into Mephisto’s.
With a violent jerk, Asterios threw off the hands at his throat and shot upright.
Cough! Cough, hack!
He wheezed for breath, air rushing back into his long-blocked windpipe.
“Ah, such a shame. Just a little longer and it would have been perfect.”
“Ghhk—you…”
Who was this?
It wore Mephisto’s face, but it wasn’t him.
He was sure he’d seen that arrogant, vile, smirking expression somewhere before. Yet the memory felt either far too old to recall—or as if it had been cut out of his mind entirely.
“You are…”
Just as Asterios struggled to recall the figure’s identity, that desperate, far-off voice reached him again.
[…rios! Asterios! Please!]
The sorrowful echo filled his mind completely.
Even sunk deep into the abyss, that voice was dear to him—lovable.
It hurt, almost unbearably, yet in a way that made his heart ache with longing.
And knowing she was calling out to him made his foolish heart race.
‘Erika.’
With great effort, he forced open his heavy eyelids, and there she was—her face a mess from crying, surrounded by her knights.
Above them, the ornate, elegant ceiling shone like molten gold.
The Dreat Imperial Palace.
“A little later and it could have been disastrous,” Ijef said softly as he withdrew his hands from Asterios’s body.
“I’ve healed all the internal injuries for now. You should be able to recover your health with time.”
“That’s a relief,” said Leodian, letting out a breath.
Asterios sat up and bowed. “I failed to protect Her Highness properly and only caused concern. I am deeply sorry, Your Majesty.”
“No, Duke. Roziana has told me everything. I hear you even risked your life to save my daughter—how could that cause me worry? I will wait eagerly for your full recovery.”
The Emperor patted Asterios lightly on the shoulder before turning to leave. Once the Emperor and his attendants were gone, the Imperial Guard knights approached.
“Commander, we’re truly glad you’re safe.”
“Thank you for returning with Her Highness.”
“We were all so worried.”
Marie from his own ‘Shadow’ unit, and Fiona, Angela, and Thomas from Dreat’s knight order, all greeted him warmly.
“To think you rescued Her Highness from the Demon Realm unharmed—you are truly remarkable, Commander!” Thomas’s face shone with admiration. Fiona and Angela’s expressions were much the same. None of them had realized the Duke of Tenebres possessed such power.
“You’ve worked so hard. We’re glad you’re back,” said Marie, eyes red from crying.
Then Roziana, who had been quietly watching, spoke softly. “Let the Duke rest now. Ijef, stay here a little longer.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Once the four knights had left, Asterios looked between Roziana and Ijef.
He wanted to speak properly with Roziana, but didn’t understand why she’d kept Ijef behind. A faint furrow appeared between his brows.
“Ijef will tell you about your condition, Asterios. Listen carefully—it’s important.”
So the earlier remarks weren’t the whole story? Was something seriously wrong with his body?
The atmosphere suggested a grave matter was about to be discussed. Yet even so, Asterios’s attention was mostly on checking Roziana’s condition.
‘Her unstable mana seems fine now…’
Mana that raged wildly could harm not only the surroundings but the caster herself. And because Mephisto had prevented her from fully making that mana her own, using it would have strained her body. He had thrown himself in front of Mephisto’s attack for that very reason.
‘When mana is unstable, both receiving and delivering blows only end up poisoning her.’
But now, thankfully, she seemed stable—and beautiful.
Roziana, ever radiant, now bore the air of a grown woman. He could confidently say no one could resist her.
‘Thank goodness.’
But then another thought hit him—that others, too, would feel the same admiration and desire. That alone made his blood boil.
Even though the mood suggested something dire about his own health, his greatest concern was still her.
“Her Highness thought it best to keep this secret from others for now, so even His Majesty has not been told,” Ijef began calmly, lifting his clear brown eyes.
“Your Grace’s body is recovering, but for some reason, the power of Black Breath is leaking away.”
“…What?”
Asterios’s jaw dropped in shock.
Black Breath’s power essentially meant mana. Since most of his mana had transferred to Roziana, he had expected to be nearly empty. Refilling it would take a great deal of time and training.
‘But to have it leaking away…’
In all his long years, he had never heard of such a thing.
“It’s probably because of me,” Roziana said matter-of-factly, meeting his startled gaze.
“I can see it, you know—your leaking power.”
“!”
Normally, any special power—be it a dragon’s or holy power—manifested its distinct color and ability only when used. Being able to see someone else’s mana without focusing meant her level had risen considerably.
“Your power is connected to me.”
Connected? Was that even possible?
It was astonishing—without being in a cage or making physical contact, his power was somehow still transferring to her. He’d never heard of such a thing.
“In any case, you need plenty of rest from now on. Your strength keeps draining, so you’re basically on a timer.”
Only three days after regaining consciousness, she laid out the facts to him coolly, one by one.
“I’m not telling my father yet. He’d immediately remove you from guarding me. How could a hollowed-out commander protect me?”
The truth was obvious, yet her words stabbed into his heart like a blade.
“But I will keep you by my side.”
Her firm voice brushed against his ear, every word both sweet and soft yet sharp and cold.
“You will help me complete my circle. Your penance isn’t over yet, Asterios.”
Her words made his golden eyes waver helplessly.
Then, with a swish of her dazzling golden hair, she turned and left the room.
