Chapter 24
“Don’t you think it’s unfair to wake up after 300 years only to die like this? I have enough magical power to break dark magic. Maybe we can use that power to find another way to undo the imprint…!”
I blurted out rapidly.
“How about we look for a solution together so you can take revenge on the dark mage? Aren’t you angry about being attacked by a human?”
Yes!
You get revenge, and I survive!
“There’s no guarantee you won’t get hit by dark magic again when you fight that mage. But if I’m there! You can fight without being affected by dark magic! I’ll help you with everything!”
With desperate sincerity, I looked up at Kaithis with pleading eyes.
* * *
Kaithis was confused.
He had barely broken free from his seal, only to be ambushed by a dark mage.
After losing consciousness and then waking up again, he found a strange human woman standing before him.
And when he saw the woman’s eyes, trembling as if she might burst into tears at any moment, someone from his past came to mind.
It made his resolve weaken.
But Kaithis suppressed that feeling and began calculating in his mind.
It was true that he was furious with the dark mage who had dared attack him.
Especially since it had been a sneak attack, not a fair fight.
As Kaithis’s eyes narrowed slightly—showing the faintest sign of wavering—Rene hurriedly shouted,
“Do you know where the dark mage is?”
“No.”
“I’ll find them for you! I’ll find them and help you get revenge…!”
Please just let me live!
“And I’ll find a way to undo the imprint too!”
Rene clasped her hands together in front of her chest and pleaded earnestly.
“I’m begging you like this.”
At that moment, Kaithis’s eyes shook.
“I’m begging you like this.”
Once again, a vision from the past overlapped with the present.
The woman before him looked far too similar to that woman.
To the woman who no longer existed in this world.
For a moment, it almost felt as if she had been reborn.
Maybe that was why.
Even though he knew he should kill her, his resolve kept wavering.
“And… wouldn’t two people be better than one? I’m actually pretty smart.”
It was true that leaving the woman alive might help him track down the dark mage.
And his desire for revenge was already burning fiercely.
More than anything, as long as she kept reminding him of that woman, killing her wouldn’t be easy.
If he kept her nearby and observed her, he would eventually notice the differences between her and that woman.
And once he did, perhaps she would stop overlapping with the memory.
Yes.
When that time came, it wouldn’t be too late to decide what to do with her.
“…One month. Find a way to undo the imprint within that time.”
That was why Kaithis decided to give Rene one month.
“I understand!”
Rene nodded frantically.
Kaithis withdrew his claws.
As he stepped back, Rene hurriedly scrambled to her feet and put some distance between them.
Fortunately, Kaithis made no further attempt to kill her.
Only then did Rene finally breathe a sigh of relief.
“Th-then let’s meet again after we find a way to undo the imprint!”
Afraid that Kaithis might suddenly change his mind, Rene shouted hastily.
Then she rushed toward the fountain pen.
Please take me home. Please.
The moment she grabbed the pen and prayed desperately—
Bang!
With a loud sound, her vision flipped upside down.
And finally—
She returned.
To her own room.
Rene let out a long sigh of relief, tears welling up in her eyes.
At least she had survived that life-or-death situation.
First she would wash up and warm her body.
Then she would slowly think about how to find the dark mage.
But—
“Where is this?”
…Why was Kaithis teleported here too?
Rene turned toward him in shock.
Kaithis was calmly looking around the room.
“Th-this is my house, so… um…”
Rene stammered nervously.
Kaithis’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Judging from her reaction, it seemed she hadn’t intended for him to come along.
She had claimed she would search for a way to undo the imprint.
Yet she had tried to run away immediately afterward.
It made him wonder if she had been playing him.
“Were you planning to abandon me?”
“N-no?”
But her voice carried a hint of dishonesty.
Kaithis’s eyes narrowed even further.
* * *
Under Kaithis’s sharp gaze, I thought quickly.
If I told him I’d investigate the dark mage and the method to undo the imprint by myself…
Would he believe me?
No.
There was no way.
Then the only way to ensure my safety while staying with him was…
“A contract! We should make a contract. Humans do that kind of thing.”
Even if it was just a piece of paper, it wouldn’t hurt.
I walked to my desk and pulled out a sheet of paper, then looked around for a pen.
That’s when I spotted the fountain pen lying on the floor.
The only pen in the room right now was that fountain pen.
But I hesitated.
What if touching it teleported me somewhere else again?
Feeling uneasy, I just stared at it.
Kaithis strode over and picked it up instead.
“Ah! If you touch that—!”
…Nothing happened.
Looking at the pen he handed to me, I noticed something strange.
The bright gold color it had before had now turned black.
It seemed all the magic stored in the artifact had been used up.
“Hurry up and take it.”
I quickly accepted the pen and began writing the terms of the contract.
Then I handed it to Kaithis.
He scanned the document quickly.
I had written it in the Imperial language, using Rene’s memories… but could he read it?
“It’s always good to make things clear.”
After staring at the contract for a moment, Kaithis looked up and asked,
“Your top condition is that I do not harm you for one month?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Then what is my top condition?”
“You should decide that yourself. I don’t know what you need.”
Kaithis seemed to consider it for a moment.
Then he nodded.
Crunch.
He bit his finger.
Using the drop of blood that formed, he pressed his fingerprint onto the contract and handed it back to me.
…You could’ve just signed it with the pen.
Afraid he might ask me for a blood seal too, I hurriedly signed my name.
“Th-then… please take care of me from now on.”
I extended my hand.
Kaithis stared at it briefly before taking it.
His hand was surprisingly warm.
Just then—
The door suddenly opened.
And a very unwelcome face appeared.
Louis Sober.
Oh no. Why did he have to come right now?
While I frantically wondered how to explain Kaithis’s presence—
Louis Sober pointed his chin toward him.
“Who is that man?”
“Uh… well…”
Louis Sober’s gaze moved to Kaithis, who stood quietly in the corner of the room.
“That’s Kai! My new bodyguard knight!”
If anyone found out that this man in my room was the evil dragon Kaithis, it would be a disaster.
The imperial knights had already been dispatched to hunt him.
I could be accused of harboring the dragon.
Or worse—if Kaithis were captured, he might kill everyone here in anger.
So I decided to disguise him as my personal guard.
“A bodyguard knight?”
“Yes.”
Louis Sober’s eyes narrowed.
His gaze swept up and down Kaithis with obvious displeasure.
“You do realize that appointing a bodyguard knight requires approval from the head of the family?”
“I was just about to ask the Count for permission.”
“As if Father would approve some stray man who wandered in from who-knows-where.”
Louis Sober mocked openly.
“Let’s just wait and see how that turns out.”
After giving Kaithis one last sideways glance, Louis Sober left the room.
I sighed and turned to Kaithis.
“Sorry for lying. The Empire is in chaos right now trying to hunt you down. So I couldn’t reveal who you really are. If you want, I can help you return to the northern mountains—”
“No need.”
Kaithis replied calmly.
“I’ll stay here.”
