#78
That’s the problem. When I speak, everything becomes “suspicion.” When I move, every event becomes a “variable.” That’s why my existence is burdensome. If I had disappeared, would events have proceeded naturally?
The Archduke didn’t answer immediately, as if thinking the same thing, then suddenly looked away from the formation and gazed at me.
In that moment, the air stopped slightly. And.
Beautiful blue eyes that would make one happy to look at for a lifetime were gazing at me intently.
I curved my eyes in pure admiration.
Laughter naturally leaked out. Even knowing it wasn’t genuine, the moment those eyes touched me, emotions moved first. It wasn’t shallow affection, but an emotion closer to deep reverence.
Compared to those, my eyes that were only murky and hazy, bearing the color of graves.
I had felt that difference from the beginning. My eyes were always heavy. They held many emotions, left many memories, and thus were cloudier. In contrast, Skyle’s eyes were transparent until emotions touched them. That made me anxious while simultaneously—drawing me in.
“So, shall we head back for today?”
Though my voice was light, there was a slight tremor at the end. The emotion of being anxious about staying in this space. The emotion of being concerned about him being here.
“Shall we.”
Skyle answered briefly. A surprisingly compliant reaction. He didn’t refuse. He didn’t stop his analysis either. Just an attitude of “if that’s what you want.”
“Yes, let’s go.”
I took a step. My body moved first, and my heart followed. Somehow, I felt a little relieved.
“If Your Highness wishes it, then so be it.”
Those words sounded like some kind of promise. Not simple agreement, but implied language meaning “anything if you wish it.” Having such a person by one’s side—how overwhelming and frightening that was.
Though I hesitated at his compliant response, I moved to lead him outside, feeling reassured for now.
One step, two steps. We gradually moved away from the formation. The magical barrier still hadn’t activated, and we were still safe. However—
And at that moment.
Light flashed.
* * *
Impatience could be read on the Prince’s face, which had always been leisurely.
He was always smiling. Speaking as if joking, moving playfully. Acting as if whatever he did was all part of his plan. But now, very subtly—the corners of his mouth drooped, and the tension gathered inside his pupils wavered.
‘He doesn’t even know everything is being read.’
Skyle thought quietly. The Prince who had the ability to read emotions didn’t know that his own inner thoughts were being exposed. That was ironic. Ersen always acted like someone who controlled everything, but those gaps were always too delicate and clear.
The moment Skyle’s gaze narrowed deliberately.
It was intuition. Not a premonition, but a sense close to precognition. Tension ran down the back of his neck. And—
Suddenly, the formation inside the warehouse began to emit light.
It wasn’t white light or red light, but a strangely murky gray light. The magic circle that had been slowly spreading seemed to move alive following a certain pattern. It wasn’t simple emission but a “response.”
And after a very brief moment passed, Skyle keenly noticed the change and hid the Prince behind him.
His body reacted. Faster than thought. His hand moved first without his knowledge. He pushed the Prince back with his arm, wrapped around his waist, and moved him backward. Light and precise. As if it were a movement he had practiced for a long time.
“Stay still, Your Highness.”
Those words sounded like a command. But at the same time, they were language of protection. Firm and sharp but—with an extremely warm resonance. The Prince briefly drew in breath. The feeling of his chest tightening at an unexpected sensation.
“…!”
Ersen was speechless. He hadn’t known he would move so quickly to envelop and protect him. Skyle, unlike his usual quiet personality, was now acting as if controlling this entire space.
At least the Prince doesn’t seem to be the owner of that formation.
Skyle thought after confirming the genuinely surprised face that flashed by. If he had been the owner of that formation, this reaction would have been acting. But right now, the Prince seemed to have no leisure even for acting. That was real bewilderment.
At that moment, one of the groups visible through the gaps between boxes looked at Ersen.
Skyle immediately followed that gaze. From within the shadows where there had been no movement and almost no presence could be felt—one clear gaze was extended toward the Prince. It was a look that held no resentment or emotion, simply “carrying out orders.”
“…Half-demons.”
When that word came out, the air became heavier. He knew they were here. But he hadn’t expected them to actually move. Usually, they were beings who just quietly watched and then disappeared.
“They moved just as Your Highness said they would.”
Skyle said quietly. This was confirmation. The fact that the bait had played its role. The problem was that the bait had gotten caught in the trap itself.
This time, truly, toward the bait.
There was no escape now. Having revealed intent and moved, this barrier would draw up something, and someone would pay the price. Who that would be—Skyle was beginning to guess.
Skyle whispered sharply.
That whisper was emotion faster than words. Even without fully expressing it in words, the Prince had already caught that nuance. But he gave no answer.
The Prince remained silent.
He stood with his mouth closed and eyes shut. A posture as if concentrating on something for a moment. Rather than fear, it seemed like time for calculation and judgment.
With a face as if he had some concern.
He was still wavering. But that wavering was no longer “fear.” The face of someone making a “decision.” And the lips of someone preparing to voice that decision.
At least he didn’t look panicked or impatient like before, so Skyle gave his face a brief glance before turning his gaze back to the front.
That was trust. And instinct. If the Prince didn’t act, what he had to do became simple. First, grasp the entire situation and prepare response routes.
The fact that the barrier set by half-demons had begun operating meant that things he didn’t know about were happening.
This isn’t a simple realm of confinement or illusion. This is “connection.” What this barrier responds to is blood, memory, and mana. And when those conditions are met—unpredictable results follow.
‘What are the activation conditions? Surely Your Highness didn’t activate that… probably not.’
Suspicion made his heart heavy. But suspicion couldn’t cloud judgment. He calculated possibilities. There was no way the Prince had deliberately activated this formation. But… could coincidence be this precise?
In fact, it was because the traces of Eris in Ersen’s blood had automatically fulfilled the activation conditions, but neither Ersen nor Skyle could figure that out immediately.
If mana reaction is blood reaction, and blood reaction is the revival of memory. That’s a formation texture that humans cannot handle. What this formation is reacting to right now—was the very existence called Ersen.
Ersen turned his head.
Those pupils. Those eyes that always seemed veiled somehow were unusually clear and cold this time. Gray with emotions almost disappeared. Light that was forcibly suppressing the mass of emotions circling somewhere dark inside.
His ashen gray pupils were faintly distorted.
That wasn’t anxiety, but awareness. The awareness that he had become the center, that he had become not the victim but the activation point. He was accepting that. While accepting it, he also knew what he had to do.
“Archduke, you wouldn’t leave if I told you to go back alone, would you?”
The words were brief. But heart was contained within. The emotion of not wanting to leave him alone. A sentence where emotion rang out before words. But Skyle’s reaction was immediate.
“What kind of absurd thing to say.”
He answered a little faster than usual. That wasn’t calculation but instinctive response. The idea of running away alone from this place was unimaginable. That was because of Ersen as that “person”—not as Your Highness.
“…Good. Then let’s fight together this time.”
Together?
Wondering about that, Skyle nodded.
He wasn’t originally someone who easily accepted such proposals. Because he didn’t move by emotion. But now it felt different. This proposal wasn’t based on emotion but on trust.
“Should I follow Your Highness’s instructions?”
It sounded like a joke, but it was sincere. In this situation, whose judgment to follow—if that standard was Ersen, then Skyle was accepting that now.
“Ahaha, not right now. I’ll just trust the Archduke. The feeling isn’t good, so it would be nice if we could just leave quickly?”
Laughter was mixed at the end of his words. But that laughter wasn’t light. It was a mask hiding urgency. A smile to protect someone. The very fact that he could smile like that was rather a signal of warning.
“Right. I’m now certain that what Your Highness wants isn’t intact half-demons.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
