The Fruit of Love
We laid everything bare to the intruders Grill had rounded up—the truth behind the incident and the identity of the real culprit. At first, they didn’t believe us. But once Leon, Grill’s own son, testified, and the man in the black cloak confessed, their fury turned on a dime—straight to Shark.
Kalz agreed to release them under one condition: they were to keep silent about everything that had happened at the castle. Of course, a non-disclosure agreement was signed. From now on, if someone in town suddenly lets out a bloodcurdling scream and collapses, there’ll be only one possible reason.
“Even if we can excuse the villagers who got swept up in the mob, what about them?”
I nodded toward Shark and his bound henchmen.
“They’ll face judgment under Imperial Law.”
“But can that really happen? Is there even anyone in Swalter who can punish them fairly?”
“Don’t worry. I’ve already made arrangements. Until then, they’ll stay locked up in the castle.”
And just like that, the next day, a joint peacekeeping force from three nearby towns arrived and took the prisoners into custody.
“So this was that ‘secret job’ you were talking about before?”
“Yeah. I reached out to the noble families who used to manage my domain. Even after the class system was abolished, they kept their promises and continued to support me—unlike Swalter. So I decided to trust them.”
And that trust paid off. In order to prove their loyalty to Kalz, the families promised to handle the situation in Swalter as quietly as possible.
What followed was utter chaos. Victory had left the castle in shambles—inside and out—so we had to clean and repair everything. In the meantime, everyone strutted around with beaming faces, bragging about their heroic exploits. I didn’t hold back on the praise, either.
As expected, Kalz’s injuries were severe. Butler Squawk ordered complete bed rest and strict recuperation—no exceptions. So I only got to see him for a short while each evening after wrapping up the day.
A few days later, Leon visited the castle with good news.
“Everyone’s safe?”
“Yeah. They’re a little weak, but fortunately, Arachne hadn’t hatched yet. We removed the egg in time, so with the right treatment, they’ll make a full recovery.”
“That’s a relief.”
The earlier victim’s death was tragic, but at least we stopped things before it could happen again. That alone was a blessing.
“Those sketchy recruiters you mentioned? They were definitely in on it. They tricked people with fake job offers, then locked them up and used them as hosts. Their hideout was in a repurposed underground sewer—near that well.”
“The one that suddenly dried up?”
“Yeah. They did that on purpose—so no one fetching water would hear the victims screaming.”
So that’s why the bodies were found where they were. They’d dumped the corpses far from the hideout to throw people off. The directions varied, but the distance was similar. That’s why the well sat right in the center of the triangle.
“And that strange stench? It came from the Arachne incubation process. So in the end, every bizarre incident in the village… it was all because of my father.”
“Are you okay?”
“Haha, how could I be?”
Leon gave a lifeless laugh, his eyes falling along with the corners of his mouth.
“…Honestly, I still can’t wrap my head around it. I ask myself a hundred times a day—why? Why would he do it? I know it’s not something I’ll ever understand, but I keep trying anyway. And I hate myself for it.”
“He’s your father. Of course it’s hard to be rational. Don’t beat yourself up.”
“I feel terrible toward the villagers too. I don’t even know how to face them. Maybe if they yelled at me or threw rocks, I’d feel better. But instead, some of them… they try to comfort me. Isn’t that ridiculous?”
“It’s not ridiculous. Everyone knows how much you care about this village.”
Leon’s expression finally cracked. He swallowed back the sobs rising in his throat, refusing to let tears fall. I took his hands in mine and gently patted them.
“Leon. I know you want to take responsibility for what your father did. But that doesn’t mean his crimes are yours. You’re not Shark.”
“…You sure about that? I don’t think I’m all that different. When I first saw Kalz, I immediately assumed he was the culprit.”
“Come on, that’s not the same.”
“No, it is. Looking back now, I think… I wanted Kalz to be guilty. Because of my own selfish reasons.”
I didn’t ask what those reasons were. If I’d been the cause of that wish… there wouldn’t have been anything I could do.
Leon didn’t say anything else either. He just gave me a soft, melancholy smile.
“That’s why I’ve decided to atone. From now on, I’ll serve the village with a different heart. I’m going to sell my father’s estate and use the money to help everyone. That’s the path I’ve chosen.”
“You’ll do great. You always have.”
“Thanks. But… I’m a little worried. Once my mom hears about this, she might come running to take me away.”
“Your mom—the one who divorced him?”
“Yeah. She’s always said the same thing. That I should come live with her, at least until I’m an adult.”
“…That’s just how moms are. Wait. What did you just say?”
“What?”
“Until you’re an adult? Leon, how old are you right now?”
“I’m nineteen. Didn’t I mention that before?”
Nineteen?! So he’s still a minor…!
“Now that I think about it, I don’t even know how old you are, Bell. But hey, it’s not a big deal—we’re already friends, right?”
Leon grinned brightly, but unlike him, my mind was spiraling as memories rushed back.
The first time we met—when he proposed to me.
The time he ignored all common sense and just barged into the castle uninvited.
That bizarre badminton bet he tricked me into, which ended with me holding the racket like a fool.
All of it—just the reckless mischief of a kid?!
A sharp pain throbbed in my skull like a hammer.
“Bell, are you okay? You don’t look so good.”
Crack!
The sound snapped from my lips before I could stop it. Leon blinked, wide-eyed.
“You? Is that any way to talk to your hyung?”
“Bell…? What’s with you all of a sudden?”
“You little punk! Going around fooling people with your old-soul act—what kind of adult do you think you’re gonna be pulling stunts like that already, huh?!”
“…You know you sound exactly like one of those drunk uncles yelling at kids in the street, right?”
That day, Leon left the castle with a blank expression I’d never seen before—cold and stiff. But even then, he didn’t forget why he came.
“Oh, right. This was actually the main reason I dropped by.”
“What is it?”
“Remember those old village records we dug up a while back? If you still want to take a look, come by. They should still be in the secret library.”
“Oh, that? Nah, I don’t need them anymore. I’ve already found everything I was looking for. Wait—the copperplate!”
How could I forget something so important? With everything going on, the completed copperplate had completely slipped my mind.
“Thanks for coming, Leon! Get home safe!”
I rushed to see him out, then sprinted back to my room. The copperplate was still right where I’d left it—in that same bag. I pulled it out—my life-saving artifact—and wiped off the dust with my sleeve.
“All right… let’s see what this thing actually says.”
My eyes scanned the engraved letters, heart pounding:
To the one who seeks to lift the Beast’s curse: love. If two hearts, without falsehood, unite as one, and the true fruit of their love is born, then in that moment, the curse shall be lifted forever.
The true fruit of love…
“What do you think it means?”
Kalz, lounging against the bed, glanced over the copperplate and replied flatly.
“It’s vague.”
“Right?”
No doubt—we were both stuck on that one word: fruit. But even thinking about what it might mean was uncomfortable, let alone saying it out loud.
Because for us… it felt impossible.
“There’s probably a reason they used such an ambiguous word. Maybe there isn’t just one right answer.”
“Like what?”
“Well, people call marriage the fruit of love, right? Sometimes couple rings are called that too. Or anything a couple creates together could count.”
“Fair enough.”
Silence again. Until I finally blurted out what we were both tiptoeing around.
“…It’s not seriously saying we need to have a kid, is it?”
“That’s the most likely interpretation.”
“Oh, come on! That witch has lost it. She goes on and on about ‘true love,’ and now suddenly it has to be about having a kid? What, are we saying same-sex love doesn’t count unless it ends in childbirth? That’s straight-up discrimination!”
“Don’t get worked up over something we haven’t confirmed yet.”
“I know, I know… it’s just…”
I couldn’t deny it—not to myself.
If we were being honest, the thing that felt most like a correct answer… was a child.
