Translator: Nox

Chapter 33

---

“…What did you say?”

At the words of his adjutant who had come to his room, Kiriel’s brow furrowed instantly as he lay there reading a book.

Levon’s eyes widened slightly at the fierce gaze of Kiriel Yudia, which revealed a jumble of indescribable emotions—anger, bewilderment, or something in between.

What kind of man was Kiriel Yudia?

After the Holy Demon War ended and his brother’s death, he had become the incarnation of lethargy. He was the kind of man who made one wonder if apathy personified would look like this.

Thanks to his adjutant’s nagging, he handled the bare minimum of his duties out of necessity, but he lived each day like someone whose reason for living had vanished—just breathing, with a pallid face.

He never showed any emotion, his expressionless face and curt voice suggesting that all he had left was indifference and apathy.

“Levon.”

When Kiriel scowled and urged him on, Levon realized his mistake, adjusted his slipping glasses, and hurriedly opened his mouth.

“Bunny has been poisoned by Demonic Qi.”

“That’s why I’m asking—why did that kid, who went to the market, suddenly end up like that?”

“According to the report from the shadow we assigned to watch her, after returning from the market, she met with the Duke within the ducal estate.”

Kiriel scowled at Levon’s explanation, rose from his seat, threw a coat over his robe, and immediately headed out of the room.

Levon hurriedly followed behind.

“Afterward, she said she wanted to go to the Imperial Palace, and the Duke couldn’t refuse, so he took her there.”

“The Imperial Palace.”

Kiriel’s brow narrowed.

There was only one person in the Imperial Palace connected to Demonic Qi.

The Emperor’s only son.

The one afflicted by a vicious curse that a demon had cast at the cost of its own life.

Crown Prince Roel Lavdia Rotis.

He was a child who had spent more time in ruin than in health. A cursed imperial at just four years old.

Even after the curse, he had clung to life for five whole years, which showed tremendous will to live.

“Did she make contact with the Crown Prince?”

Kiriel barked fiercely—rare for him—and strode forward.

Levon hesitated and shook his head.

“We haven’t received exact details on that yet.”

“And the kid.”

“She’s been moved to the Temple within the ducal estate first, since she’s afflicted with Demonic Qi…”

After leaving the mansion, Kiriel headed straight for the Temple.

An ominous aura was palpable from the entrance.

Kiriel took a deep breath and strode forward. As expected, several people had gathered in front of the Temple upon hearing the news.

And among them, he spotted a child pacing restlessly, unable to enter.

A boy standing awkwardly in a corner, not quite blending into the crowd.

Gray hair and golden eyes.

It was Allen, one of the children he had taken in.

Kiriel stopped in his tracks upon seeing the boy.

“Allen.”

“…Young Master.”

At Kiriel’s call, Allen looked up at him with eyes wide as saucers. Tension was evident in his sharply contracted pupils, as if startled.

“B-Bunny… She went to buy potatoes and hasn’t come back… T-Today I had lessons, so I couldn’t go with her… Someone said she was cursed…”

Reading the fear in Allen’s stammering eyes, Kiriel roughly rubbed his face with his palm to compose himself, then knelt on one knee.

“Allen.”

“Yes.”

“Calm down.”

“…But.”

“I’m going inside to check the situation, and I’ll do everything I can. No one knows exactly what’s happening yet. So…”

“Peep!”

At the sudden sound, Kiriel turned his head to see a small, bright red bird-like creature perched on Allen’s shoulder.

Kiriel’s eyes narrowed.

A Divine Beast?

He could faintly sense its aura.

“What’s this?”

“Ah… um…”

Allen’s lips twitched, and he cautiously rolled his eyes. Then, squeezing them shut, he spoke.

“It hatched from Bunny’s egg. Bunny asked me to keep it secret from you and everyone else because it wasn’t the Black Flame Dragon and you’d be disappointed…”

Kiriel’s expression grew subtly complex at Allen’s words.

There had never been any disappointment to begin with. No matter what hatched from what was presumed to be a Divine Beast egg, the chances of it being the Black Flame Dragon were zero.

‘Still, this came from that egg that devoured all those Holy Power Stones?’

It seemed too… small and weak for that.

He narrowed his eyes and rubbed his chin.

No record of this kind of bird existed in the annals of summoned Divine Beasts or holy artifacts.

“…Since Divine Beasts protect their masters, I thought it might help, so I brought it.”

At Allen’s words, Kiriel silently regarded him.

Unlike his usual tough act, he couldn’t properly meet people’s eyes and shied away from relationships.

Rather than confronting malice head-on, he’d just get annoyed and turn away.

A boy who had been scorned and treated like a monster for ten long years—defeat was probably etched into his very bones.

“Allen.”

“Yes.”

“I’ll take care of that child. You’re still young, and we don’t know what effect it might have on you, so go back to your room for now.”

Allen hesitated at Kiriel’s words.

He lifted his head, then lowered it again, a faint disappointment flickering in his downcast eyes. He clearly wanted to go inside.

But it was too risky to let in a child who hadn’t come of age, whose Holy Power was incomplete.

“Thank you for bringing the Divine Beast. It’ll help a little with it by her side. I’ll make sure to deliver it to your little sister safely. I’ll even tell her you brought it.”

“…!”

Allen’s eyes widened at Kiriel’s words.

Little sister.

That single word stabbed straight into his heart.

Allen nodded, and Kiriel ruffled his hair once before standing.

“I’ll take good care of Bunny. And…”

“Yes.”

Kiriel gazed intently at the boy’s golden eyes, pure as a beast’s, as he answered promptly. When Allen tried to avert his gaze again, Kiriel spoke once more.

“From now on, drop the ‘Young Master’ title.”

“Huh?”

“People might think you’re not my kid, but some stranger.”

With that, Kiriel turned sharply.

“You lot won’t help even if hundreds of you gather—disperse and do your own jobs.”

In stark contrast to his gentle words to Allen, Kiriel delivered a chilling remark to the crowd, like a biting north wind, and entered the Temple.

Watching him go inside, Allen’s mouth opened and closed before he slowly blinked.

“People might think you’re not my kid, but some stranger.”

Was he… his kid?

He never imagined hearing those words from Kiriel Yudia.

Allen’s face flushed bright red in an instant. He rubbed his burning cheeks with his palms and slowly turned away.

‘I need to get stronger.’

Stronger Holy Power, stronger Divine Beast—so he wouldn’t cause worry.

Allen’s footsteps turned toward the training grounds.

---

“I’m shocked. I never thought you’d say something like that, Young Master.”

“Something like what?”

“You know, those kind words empathizing with the kid. I thought you were made head to toe of lethargy, indifference, and ice from the North.”

“That’s rich coming from you.”

Levon could deliver sharp words with a tongue like a blade and an expressionless face, no less than Kiriel himself, so Kiriel narrowed his eyes.

Levon shrugged indifferently.

“Anyway, it’s too small and weak to have come from that egg. I’ve never seen a Divine Beast like this in the records.”

“…”

Kiriel glanced at the little red bird on his shoulder, narrowed his eyes, then flung open the door to the healing chamber within the Temple.

The scene that unfolded made Kiriel’s face harden.

“It’s no use. The healing power isn’t working at all…”

“The purification power isn’t working either.”

“Her fever’s over 104 degrees now, and we’ve been injecting antipyretics directly into her veins since earlier, but the medicine isn’t taking effect.”

From healing priests to purification specialists, and even the family’s personal physician—they were all gathered.

And in their midst lay a child on the bed, face flushed red, eyes barely open, breathing in ragged gasps.