Chapter 62
“But to ask about the Evil God… Don’t tell me someone actually accused you of being one and tried to harm you, Lady Rosatia? If that’s the case, I’ll hunt them down right this moment—!”
“No… it’s fine.”
I calmed the unnecessarily excited Cosmos and took a sip of water.
It wasn’t impossible to be mistaken for one. After all, this hair and eye color weren’t exactly common.
As I set down the glass and glanced across the table, I noticed Peyton had stopped moving entirely, his hands frozen mid-action. It was clear from his expression that something was off.
His face, as if overcome by fear or worry, instantly shifted into his usual goofy grin the moment our eyes met.
After seeing that face, how could I not be concerned?
When the meal was over and we were heading back to our rooms, Sophia stopped Peyton.
“Are you okay?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“At dinner earlier—”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Anyway, I’m tired, so I’m heading in first! Good night, Sophia!”
Tired? He once told me his body doesn’t even get tired.
He spouted nonsense with an awkward laugh before hurriedly retreating into his room.
What exactly happened in the distant past to make him act so strangely now?
Seeing him dodge the question so blatantly made it hard to even bring it up again.
Whether the time would come later, Sophia had no choice but to leave it for now and returned to her room.
As she sat and let Lorei comb her hair, she asked quietly:
“Do you know much about Peyton?”
“…Hmm.”
“The way he talks… it seems like you lived similar lives. Did you know him from childhood?”
“Yes… well, we share a similar past, but I never paid him much attention. I’m not very fond of him.”
“Then… you probably don’t know much about the time when Peyton ran away from home?”
“Oh, that I do know.”
Setting down the comb, Lorei continued.
“He left the mansion saying he was seeking freedom and came back about two months later. He made such a scene yelling that he’d leave again, the entire estate was in chaos for a day.”
Seems like he was always that childish.
“But he never left again.”
As Sophia listened, something caught her attention.
“You two lived together?”
“Ah.”
Realizing she’d revealed more than intended, Lorei looked momentarily flustered but soon gave a small nod.
“Back then, all the mages lived together in one mansion.”
I recalled Peyton mentioning that there were only a few mages back then—five, if I remembered correctly.
And how he said he couldn’t leave the mansion for someone’s sake. That someone whose life had been forcibly extended.
“…Did you serve anyone back then?”
“Yes. There were two, but I only served one of them.”
In the mirror, Lorei’s eyes were soft and full of tenderness—as if she still missed that person dearly. If it was from long ago, that person must be gone by now.
Even if they were the one whose life had been extended, Peyton had said they were already dead.
Thinking the topic was too heavy to drag on, Sophia tried to change the subject—but Lorei spoke again.
“When Peyton ran away, the one I didn’t serve went out to look for him.”
Their eyes met through the mirror as Lorei gently lifted a lock of Sophia’s lilac-colored hair.
“That person had the same hair color as you, milady. And eyes very similar to yours.”
The reflection in the mirror revealed a distinct hatred in Lorei’s gaze. So obvious, it didn’t need to be explained.
“Rang. That was the name.”
“…Did that person give you terrible memories?”
With eyes like that, how could I not ask?
Just the thought of someone doing something so vile to Lorei twisted Sophia’s expression.
Lorei gave a faint, softened smile in return.
“Was it just me? To every mage, he is evil incarnate.”
Suddenly, Sophia recalled something from the past.
“I didn’t like you at first, milady.”
“You looked too much like someone I hated. Those scary eyes, that purple color. And since you never smiled, you reminded me of him even more.”
That’s what Lucion had said when he finally opened up to her.
And now Lorei had said something eerily similar. Could it be that the person Lucion hated was the same one Lorei spoke of?
“It must be the same person.”
There couldn’t be that many people in the world who matched that description.
Perhaps this was the very “Evil God” the Church kept referring to. And Peyton, who ran away to this place, must’ve been dragged into something because of him.
Whatever happened back then, Peyton must’ve returned to the mansion traumatized. He might have ranted and yelled, but he never attempted to run away again.
That would explain why he looked so pale earlier—because this land held such terrible memories for him. Because he knew exactly who the so-called Evil God was.
“Is that person still alive?”
“…Yes.”
Lorei’s voice trembled with sorrow.
“…I see. Thanks for telling me. It’s quite late now—you can go.”
“Yes. I’ll come again tomorrow. Sweet dreams, milady.”
With a kiss on Sophia’s forehead full of affection, Lorei left the room.
Even after Lorei had gone, Sophia didn’t move. There was simply too much on her mind.
Peyton’s past. The things she needed to do in order to survive.
The latter was more important.
Right now, the only thing she could do was ask the mages around her about magic.
She had questioned Peyton and Lorei several times after learning from Joshua and Benjamin that they’d been affected by the Dream Mage’s magic—but had gained little insight.
The Dream Mage was someone even they didn’t know much about.
“Only one person can meet the Dream Mage—a mage named Hemil Devit, who creates magic potions using rare magical herbs.”
“Meeting the Dream Mage requires a specific condition. And Hemil is the only one who fits it. I don’t know what the condition is, though. He never told me.”
Peyton had told her that once.
But Hemil Devit was currently asleep. Still not awake. And no one even knew where he lay resting.
Figuring out why the Dream Mage had tried to kill her was critical—but this uncertainty made it impossible to act.
If things continued like this, just like in her previous life, Joshua and Benjamin could suddenly turn on her…
“…Ha.”
A chill crept up her neck.
***
Despite all her worries, morning broke on the second day of their journey.
Unlike the day before, Peyton seemed cheerful as he led the way with energy.
“If we keep climbing this slope, there’s a huge temple. But I think something happened recently—the back gate completely collapsed or something?”
“Really?”
“Yeah! So apparently, no one can go in right now. What a shame!”
He pointed at the path that had been closed off, pouting with disappointment. Sophia looked at him—something felt off.
He seemed different than usual. His ever-changing, jewel-like eyes were as lively as always… and his rainbow-colored hair shimmered brilliantly under the sun—but…
Was it fluffier than usual?
“Huh? What? Why are you staring at me like that?”
“…”
“What the heck! You’re making me blush!”
As Peyton joked under her persistent gaze, Sophia finally figured out what had been bothering her.
His hair! His hair was puffier than normal!
She wasn’t the only one who noticed. Joshua suddenly stepped between them, pointing at Peyton’s head.
“When did you become so close with birds?”
“Birds? What bird?”
“On your head.”
“My head?”
Peyton reached up—and instead of hair, his fingers brushed against soft feathers.
This was…
“Wh-WHAT the hell?!”
He shrieked and flailed, but the bird merely fluttered up into the sky for a moment—then settled right back onto his head.
“So-Sophiaaa…”
With teary eyes, Peyton whimpered as if begging her to do something about the bird.
His hair must’ve been incredibly fluffy for it to look so comfortable.
To help him, Sophia gently reached out. The bird looked at her, then hopped down onto her arm. The sensation of its tiny claws gripping her skin felt strange.
It seemed unusually friendly. Someone must have raised it. As Sophia gazed at the blue-feathered bird, Peyton reached out toward it.
“Oh—wait. It’s a carrier bird.”
He deftly removed the small message tube from its leg and pulled out a letter.
“Wow, this bird knows exactly where to find you. Isn’t that abnormally smart?”
Benjamin commented, to which Peyton shrugged.
“Well, it’s a carrier bird sent by a mage. There are people who can train anything—birds, cats, mice, dogs. You name it.”
It wouldn’t be wise to treat it like a regular bird.
Muttering to himself, Peyton read the letter. His expression darkened as he crushed the small note in his hand.
