—My child?
My voice doesn’t reach. Is this also because I became a demonic beast? The lord simply picked up the beastkin. This wasn’t something to be kept in the same place as his son.
Right, let’s find a room in a more cozy place.
He wandered around the cave here and there and found a suitable room. When he put the beastkin down there, the beastkin went to the closet and hid.
Kidnap beastkin and turn them into demonic beasts.
I don’t want to. Then they’ll become like my son.
He didn’t want to make anyone like that.
My poor child…
I should have rather become a demonic beast myself.
Thinking of the stench from the withered skin and rotting flesh made his heart anxious. The lord pushed his hand into the closet and dragged out the beastkin. Then he carefully examined whether there was any strange smell, whether there were any drying parts.
Thank goodness.
This child had no problems at all.
Kidnap beastkin and turn them into demonic beasts.
Yes. Tomorrow. I’ll bring more tomorrow.
So stop whispering now.
Please…
* * *
Five.
Nine.
Ten.
Fourteen.
The children kept increasing. Why isn’t my child among them? Ah, right. I stored my child separately in a cooler, drier place. Because they mustn’t rot.
Kidnap beastkin and turn them into demonic beasts.
The lord carefully examined the child. Were there any injuries, any rotting parts, were the eye colors intact, were they making pained expressions?
Fortunately, the newly arrived child was also fine.
He also checked the children who were already there.
Thank goodness.
No one changed like my son.
—There’s a lost child.
They must have lost their way back from the maze. The maze is complicated, so it can’t be helped. But it was okay. If the monsters found them, they would bring them back.
The lord decided to check on the other children in the meantime. The child he took out today smelled a little. But it wasn’t the smell of rot. Thank goodness. Thank goodness.
Just as he was feeling relieved, something suddenly flew at him and lodged in his forearm. When he turned his head, there was a beastkin he’d never invited holding a child.
An intruder!
—Give me the child!
The poor child was making a frightened expression.
Don’t worry. I’ll rescue you soon.
However, the opponent wasn’t easy. Even though he rushed at them with all his strength, they didn’t die easily. Why?
Die. Die. Die. Die.
Why won’t you die?
The lord, who had been rampaging in excitement, was shocked to see the enemy running toward the closet and chased after them.
My child. Don’t lay a hand on my children.
Give me my child.
The lord hysterically struck at the protective barrier. It was blocking him from his children.
—KRAAAAAK!!
Electricity seared through the lord’s entire body. He soon recovered with the demonic beast’s unique recovery ability, but it was painful.
Still, if it was to protect the children, it was okay.
He had to save the children from that vicious beastkin.
Let’s kill them. I must kill them. Kill. Kill.
Even if I burn my life force.
Thinking that, his body grew larger.
Yes, now I can kill them.
—Die!!
The moment he rushed forward shouting that, an intense light surged in. And his neck was severed.
—No…
The children.
I have to save them…
My poor child…
Will I be able to go to where that child is…
* * *
I did it!
The dead demonic beast’s corpse turned into black smoke and disappeared. He was so happy that the situation ended without anyone getting hurt.
Kaniel jumped up filled with joy. But Taeyon’s expression wasn’t good.
“Taeyon…?”
Taeyon swallowed the blood that rose from inside without hearing Kaniel call him. It was dangerous. He’d used his ability too much unexpectedly. His ability wavelength was rampaging too wildly, making him dizzy, and his head wouldn’t work properly.
Taeyon stood still, unable to even sheathe his sword, and took deep breaths. The hand gripping the sword trembled.
“Y-Young Master…?”
Perhaps sensing Taeyon’s reaction wasn’t normal, Arkan called him in a frightened voice. When he glared in rising irritation, Arkan hesitantly stepped back.
‘I want to destroy everything.’
Taeyon forcibly suppressed the rising destructive urge. This wasn’t his desire. It was just that his ability wavelength was rampaging too much, putting his nerves on edge, and incomprehensible desires that weren’t even his own were blooming.
‘The sound of heartbeats is annoying.’
It was too loud. Too many hearts were beating at different speeds. The cave seemed filled entirely with noise, driving him crazy.
It wasn’t just sound. The smell of moss, the musty odor, even the smell of beastkin fur—each one was irritating. The wind brushing against his skin was unpleasant, like being poked with needles.
“Arkan.”
“Y-Yes!”
“Take everyone immediately and—”
It was the moment he was about to say leave.
“Taeyon, are you okay?”
Kaniel, who had rushed over alarmed by the unusual atmosphere, asked while grabbing his forearm.
On the Surface, when an ability user was in this kind of situation, it was common sense not to do irritating things. But there was no way Kaniel, who came from the Floating Island, would know such things.
Arkan bit his own fist in shock. However, the situation he imagined didn’t happen.
“T-Taeyon…?”
Taeyon instinctively pulled Kaniel into a tight embrace and buried his face in his shoulder. The senses that had been so on edge they drove him mad found their place again. A dizzying peace wetly soaked his mind. It felt like melting away pleasantly.
“Uh… why, what’s wrong…?”
“Just stay like this for a moment.”
“…Okay.”
Until now it had only been suspicion. The reaction was too weak to call him a Tuner. But now it was different. He felt an intense peace that could only be called that of a Tuner.
The sharply rampaging ability wavelength gradually subsided.
“Mmm…”
Kaniel rolled his eyes in an awkward feeling. Before he knew it, Arkan was leaving the room with the people. Though Kaniel’s eyes widened at the atmosphere of leaving him and Taeyon behind, Arkan only grinned.
He had no idea what was going on. In the cave with just the two of them, Kaniel didn’t know what to do, then awkwardly raised his arms to embrace Taeyon’s back. And when he carefully patted him, Taeyon made a groaning sound.
As they stayed like that for a moment, mischief bubbled up for no reason.
“Didn’t you say you shouldn’t behave improperly?”
“…It’s fine. You can do as you like.”
If anything, the one doing as they liked right now was Taeyon, wasn’t it? Kaniel thought so but decided not to point it out.
“Can I really do as I like?”
“Yeah.”
It was a husky voice soaked in fatigue. That voice felt somehow stimulating, as if tickling his ear.
Kaniel, whose cheeks reddened for no reason, awkwardly stroked Taeyon’s back again.
“Then can I unbutton now?”
“…That’s not allowed.”
Taeyon answered in a subdued voice. He knew it. Then what did he mean by doing as he liked?
“Um, shouldn’t we go back too?”
“……”
“Ooh. You don’t want to go yet…”
He said it meaning they should separate soon, but Taeyon instead pulled him even tighter. He wasn’t normally like this. Could it be that his body was so tired he might collapse, or something like that?
Kaniel looked down at the man leaning his cheek against his neck with a worried heart and asked.
“Are you feeling very unwell?”
“…No.”
You look very unwell but you’re being stubborn.
“Ah. Come to think of it, I also felt unwell earlier from using too much magic power…”
Taeyon pushed away Kaniel’s shoulders and examined him up and down with furrowed brows. At his worried expression, Kaniel hurriedly shook his head.
“No, I’m somehow fine now. Why is my magic power recovering so fast…?”
Kaniel tilted his head puzzled. His constitution wasn’t one where magic power recovery was slow to begin with, but somehow it seemed faster than usual.
“…Shall we head back soon?”
“Yes. If Taeyon is okay, let’s go out.”
Kaniel turned around holding Taeyon’s hand worriedly. But Taeyon pulled Kaniel toward him, making him put the hand he was holding on his shoulder, then scooped him up.
“T-Taeyon?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m, I’m fine though?”
“Right.”
“I’m fine…”
“Yeah.”
Even knowing what he meant, Taeyon just ignored it. Kaniel, who rolled his eyes for a moment not knowing what to do, soon wrapped his arms around his neck and leaned comfortably.
Taeyon walked out of the cave with a smile on his face.
He thought he understood how this strange phenomenon worked. Without knowing it, Kaniel was absorbing his ability wavelength and converting it into magic power. Because he normally only reacted faintly, even Taeyon had been confused about whether Kaniel was a Tuner or not.
But this mage seemed to be a Tuner who only properly exhibited his ability when magic power was insufficient. As Taeyon, who wasn’t a mage, it was difficult to understand the principle, but perhaps the ability called abilities might be related to magic power.
‘To think tuning was such a pleasant thing.’
Wouldn’t this be comparable to drugs?
