Bang!
“You idiotic bastards!”
Lucius, who had struck the table with his fist, shouted in an agitated voice. The twins and Baron, standing side by side with stiff expressions, exchanged troubled glances.
Upon hearing the news that the ant clan had attacked the Imperial Territory, Lucius immediately heard the news that Ash had gone missing and became greatly enraged. Baron, who had barely dissuaded Lucius from insisting he would scour the forest even if he had to bring private soldiers, pleaded with a pale face.
“Father, bringing private soldiers to the Imperial Territory? That’s an absurd serious crime. Please reconsider.”
“Then are you telling me to just vaguely wait until Ash returns like this?”
“They say the Imperial Family has dispatched an investigation team to the ant nest. The truth will be revealed soon. I think this is a problem where you don’t need to step forward, Father.”
Lucius, whose body had been trembling as he suppressed his anger, soon let out a sigh. It was an appearance of losing his reason, unlike Lucius who always maintained his composure. Baron, who had been chewing his lower lip as if frustrated, opened his mouth.
“Why do you cherish that child so much?”
“…”
“Father, who is cold about all matters, I really don’t understand at all why you lose your reason only in front of matters related to Ash.”
Lucius, who had hesitated, raised his head. And let out a sigh. Just as the twins, who had been reading the room in the silence, were about to change the subject, Lucius’s calm voice resonated around them.
“When I crossed over to the Gobi Continent on a diplomatic matter, I met a woman there who called herself a prophet. She was a truly mysterious woman. She didn’t just get things right at the level of a few days, but even things a few minutes away.”
Admiration passed over Lucius’s face as he mulled over the memory. Even thinking about it again, she was an amazing woman. Because she not only got all the results of the civil war that had occurred on the Gobi Continent at the time right, but even saw through the life he had lived up to that point in detail. Lucius, who had been touching his lips, slowly continued speaking.
“When I asked if there was a prophecy she wanted to give me, the woman who suddenly took me to the slave market pointed to Ash and said this.”
“…”
“If you adopt this child and cherish them like a jewel, this child will prevent your family from being annihilated… she said.”
Baron, who had been listening quietly to the story, let out a snort. And refuted firmly.
“It must have been the nonsense of a con artist. She definitely received money under the table from Ash’s original owner.”
“I thought so too. But it was a clear fact that the woman had given important help in the negotiations. So I said I would adopt them so as not to feel awkward.”
“…”
“On the way back to the Empire with that child, there was an incident where the carriage was attacked by a magic beast.”
He didn’t remember exactly, but he clearly remembered it was quite a strong magic beast. Even the most skilled guards in the Empire were beaten to a pulp in just a few minutes. Just when he was preparing his mind with the resolve to die, young Ash stood in front of Lucius without hesitation.
“When even the guards were all in a panic and busy fleeing… that small child alone stood in front of me. What was really strange was that the magic beast, which had clearly lost its reason, became docile as soon as it saw Ash.”
“…It must have been a simple coincidence.”
“Whether it’s a coincidence or not doesn’t matter. What’s important is…”
A glimpse of affection appeared in Lucius’s eyes, which had been stained with anger all along.
“That child saved my life.”
“…”
“In that sense, no matter how I think about it, I feel that the Imperial Palace is too dangerous for my beloved youngest son.”
Lucius, who had stood up, looked out the window with his hands clasped behind his back. If God bestowed grace and Ash returned safely without dying… this time he vowed to absolutely not let that child fall into danger. Even if that choice was opposite to Ash’s choice.
Lucius, who had finished making his judgment, loosened his constricting necktie. And muttered in an irritated voice.
“I’ll have no choice but to call Ash back to my side.”
* * *
Screech…
As the female ants that had quickly finished devouring scattered, Narikeh, who was almost nothing but bones, was revealed. Narikeh, who had been twitching with his soul gone, let out a mad laugh. For some reason, what came to mind on the brink of death was the shameless yet beautiful face of the female who had deceived him so casually.
“I see. That kiss was also ultimately to feed me poison.”
“…”
“Was all that acting cute and pretending to love me also all an act? Damn it, I should have carried out the deed first before holding the ceremony after all…”
At Narikeh’s monologue dripping with regret, Deus’s expression hardened coldly. Unable to listen any longer, Deus finally cut him off with an annoyed expression.
“Don’t reminisce about my wife on your own.”
Having finished speaking, Deus trampled Narikeh’s head without hesitation. With a crunch, chunks of flesh splattered everywhere. As Narikeh’s existence was extinguished, the fifth Summoning Seal rose in the air.
Deus’s gaze, which had calmly seized the seal, reached the hole where Ash had fallen. After putting the Summoning Seal in his pocket, he jumped down below the hole without hesitation.
‘If there’s even a little breath left, I can collect the soul, so I can take them to the Void.’
Ash not only had a weak body but also poor stamina. There was no way such an Ash could survive here in a state poisoned by a dense concentration of Dark Magic.
That’s why Deus thought. If they couldn’t be saved in this world, he could cut off their breath himself, then collect their soul and take them to the Void.
Thud.
Just as he was falling endlessly, Deus, who confirmed he could glimpse the ground, stuck a dagger from his waist into the wall. Deus, who safely arrived at the lowest part of the hole, looked around.
‘They definitely should have fallen around here.’
This place, where the ground was thickly covered with soft vines in layers, seemed to have originally been a forest. Dead trees with no life force and large cocoons hanging on those trees caught his eye here and there.
Deus, who confirmed a tree with bizarrely broken branches, frowned. Just as Narikeh had said, this place seemed to be a space strongly affected by Dark Magic. It was truly a forest of death where not a single blade of grass grew and no living thing could survive.
Just as his heart was becoming increasingly anxious at the gloomy scenery, an indigo butterfly flew over and landed on Deus’s shoulder. It was a butterfly with brilliant colors that didn’t match the monochrome scenery.
‘Why is there a butterfly in a place like this…’
The indigo butterfly that had briefly landed on Deus’s shoulder soon flew off again toward somewhere. Deus, who had been watching this with puzzlement, slowly followed the butterfly’s trajectory.
It was a strange thing. The deeper inside he went, the more the number of indigo butterflies gradually increased. Even the trees that had clearly rotted black due to Dark Magic regained their color. Passing through the green forest, Deus’s lips parted slightly as his feet stopped in front of a giant old tree. He could see Ash lying as if dead in front of the old tree.
“Ash.”
When Deus called the name quietly, green sprouts sprouted around Ash, who was lying neatly. And they grew thick with vines intertwined as if protecting Ash from intruders.
At the same time, thousands of indigo butterflies that emerged from cocoons surrounded Ash. Unlike other spaces, this place where Dark Magic wasn’t felt at all was beautiful to the point of being dazzling rather than clear.
‘Could it be.’
Deus’s heart, which had been quiet all along, beat rapidly. Deus, who strode toward Ash, cut down the vines that had grown thick in a dome shape with his dagger. And pulled the arm of Ash, who appeared to be sleeping soundly.
Ash, who was pulled out limply, was held in Deus’s arms. Deus, who confirmed Ash’s breathing with a stiff expression, muttered in a voice drained of strength.
“To live with you, one heart won’t be enough.”
Having finished checking, Deus tightly embraced Ash. And let out a sigh of relief. Fortunately, there was still breath. It wasn’t just that there was still breath.
The skin that had clearly been blotchy from being poisoned by Dark Magic was clean, and the bleeding had also stopped. If it weren’t for the bloodstains hardened on the philtrum, they were in such good condition that even the fact of being poisoned by Dark Magic would feel like a lie.
‘How is this even possible?’
Just as he was quietly mulling over his thoughts, a gray butterfly that flew from somewhere landed on Ash’s nose bridge. The butterfly’s color, which had been flapping its wings weakly as if already poisoned by Dark Magic, gradually dyed indigo.
Astonishment appeared in Deus’s eyes as he watched that scene. Ash, who had been twitching at the butterfly’s wing flapping tickling the nose bridge, slowly opened their eyes. And made eye contact with Deus who was holding them.
“You really…”
Deus, who cupped Ash’s cheek with his hand, smiled faintly. Ash, who had been quietly watching that smile, slowly closed their eyes again. All the circumstances surrounding this space were proving it.
“You surprise me every time.”
This was definitely an unprecedentedly overwhelming purification ability.
