After the bizarre banquet ended, Nox kept his promise and removed the brand. The stubbornly persistent blue handprint near my elbow vanished with just a casual flick of his fingers.
Of course, it was a simple and easy task for him, but not for me. The pain caused by the brand burning away was far worse than I had anticipated.
I bit my lip to suppress a groan. I was aware of Kyle’s worried gaze fixed on me from the side, and I didn’t want to trouble him any more than I already had by bringing him to this dangerous place.
Kyle frowned, clearly displeased that I was enduring it for his sake, yet he still carefully rubbed my back in an attempt to soothe me.
“So…”
I finally spoke after a long silence, my voice slightly subdued.
“You want me to cooperate with your experiment. Tell me what I need to do. Let’s get this over with as quickly as possible and go our separate ways. After all, the Grand Duke here has his hands full with other matters.”
“I’ve been thinking about that,” Nox said with a smile, glancing at my expression.
“You don’t seem like the type to take losses lying down.”
“Good observation. I have no intention of being a pushover.”
“I like that even more. So how about ‘equivalent exchange’?”
“Equivalent exchange?”
I wasn’t asking because I didn’t understand—I was just caught off guard by the method.
I had already braced myself to pay an appropriate price for uncovering information about Nox, the soul-shattered Lukit, and the rogue mages in this lawless zone.
The reason I willingly walked into this place in the first place was twofold: to find a cure for Frost’s poisoning and to ensure that while Nox was busy researching—or whatever he planned to do with me—he wouldn’t launch an attack on the North.
But an equivalent exchange… That made it difficult to judge whether I was getting a good deal or not. It meant I’d have to give up something the other party wanted in direct proportion to what I gained.
“Of course, I wouldn’t want either of us to spill everything, so there will be restrictions.”
I sat still, waiting for his next words.
“One secret per day, and three questions. The answers to those questions can only be ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ You must answer truthfully, and you can only invoke the right to remain silent once—until you leave this place. Alternatively, if neither of us wishes to answer a question, we can let it slide with mutual silence.”
In short, it all came down to how well we could craft effective questions.
I had almost no experience with this kind of thing, but there was no backing out now.
I nodded in agreement and asked, “That’s fine, but what if someone lies?”
Kyle, who had been sitting quietly, added, “Yeah. You don’t exactly seem bad at lying, so wouldn’t this just turn into a one-sided interrogation?”
“To think I’m so distrusted,” Nox sighed theatrically, putting on a mock-pitiful expression. Not buying it, buddy. Just drop the act.
“I’ll cast a magic similar to a contract spell, but far more intuitive and powerful than a mere piece of paper. There’s a specific spell designed for maintaining balanced information exchange.”
He pointed at his own neck.
A faintly glowing pattern resembling thorny vines began to emerge, encircling his pale skin.
“Don’t worry. This ‘shackle’ only lasts about a week. If either party lacks sufficient information to exchange, they will experience pain, which will intensify over time until it’s resolved. The same applies if you lie when answering a question.”
“So in other words, I shouldn’t even think about just taking the information and walking away.”
“Exactly. But don’t feel too wronged—I’ll be bound by the same rules as you.”
“You’d better not try sneaking an extra one onto me alone.”
I wasn’t falling for his tricks twice. No way.
‘A week, huh? That sounds manageable.’
Since I needed to increase my Deviation Interference level anyway, that amount of time was necessary.
I looked up at Kyle as if seeking his permission. He seemed reluctant but gave a short nod in response.
A blue light approached my neck. It would’ve been a lie to say I wasn’t anxious.
I quickly summoned the system and asked discreetly:
‘Is this really safe? It’s only for a week, right?’
I didn’t want to live my life second-guessing everything, but considering who I was dealing with, I couldn’t afford to trust blindly.
After briefly analyzing me, the system responded:
[This is a temporary curse. It will be lifted in seven days.]
Even if that weren’t the case, I could probably dispel it myself once my Deviation Interference rate reached the required level.
Still, knowing it was confirmed eased my mind. He was a shady and dangerous bastard, but at least he wasn’t the type to deceive me over petty matters. If he was going to cause trouble, he’d do it in a big way, not through small tricks.
With the meal finished, Nox declared it was time to begin his research in earnest and led me to his lab. I had no reason to refuse, so I followed.
Naturally, Kyle came along as well.
Now that my right hand was finally free, I gripped his hand tightly.
I wanted to reassure him, to tell him not to worry—that everything would be fine. But my fingertips had gone cold, making it difficult to convey my intentions.
Instead, Kyle’s fingers slipped between mine, his warmth seeping into me.
As if to say, I’m here.
No matter what happens, I’ll protect you.
Because I love you that much.
That silent message made me feel at ease.
***
When I lay down on the cold examination table, Kyle took a seat near my head.
His elegant face was filled with worry.
It was as if Nox had secretly declared his intent to kill me—Kyle’s expression darkened as he glanced toward him, briefly showing open hostility before masking it again.
“How much time is left?” he murmured.
He was referring to the remaining time on Reload.
Now that I thought about it, we had spent a lot of time eating and talking this morning. The miracle gauge had already surpassed 80%, so the remaining time for today should be…
[In approximately 4↑↑, ‘□□□□.’ will be released.』¿¡]
At that moment, Nox, who had been selecting vials from a glass shelf with his back turned to the metal bed, abruptly froze.
Sensing something unusual, he turned back toward me, his gaze filled with curiosity.
[Improper¿ input ⒲〔〕has been detected. ¡¡]
[(╯▔皿▔)╯]
[Stop peeking at things without permission! Let’s respect each other’s domains¿？¿!]
Wait… can he see our conversation? Is that even possible?!
I had never once considered the possibility that someone could eavesdrop on my exchanges with the system, so I was completely thrown off.
My body tensed up involuntarily, and Kyle immediately shot to his feet, cupping my cheek as he called my name.
I opened my mouth to respond, but then—
A flood of glowing system windows burst into my vision, turning my entire field of view an intense blue.
[Improper interference has increased. Adjusting to find an appropriate threshold.]
[In the ‘Domain of Deviation’ only, the duration of ‘Reload’ will be doubled.]
Wait, what?! The duration is doubling?!
With my miracle gauge over 80%, that meant I had—sixteen hours?!
Holy shit.
This was literally a miracle.
For at least the next week, I would be able to maintain my human form for nearly an entire day.
Eyes shining, I grabbed both of Kyle’s hands and squeezed them tightly.
“Your Highness. I—I have plenty of time.”
“…What do you mean?”
“I’ll explain everything in detail later. For now, I have about twelve hours left.”
That alone was enough for Kyle to grasp what had changed.
His crimson eyes lit up brilliantly.
As we exchanged looks, Nox returned to the examination table with several vials in hand.
He set a small dish near my head and, with careful precision, let a few drops of potion drip onto it.
A sizzling sound erupted as a pungent stench filled the air.
I turned my head away, pressing myself closer to Kyle to avoid looking at whatever it was.
“Don’t worry, today I’m only going to test a few basic reactions. The ‘equivalent exchange’ will also be done step by step.”
“Worry? Please. You should be the one careful not to get all your secrets stripped away by me.”
“I like that confidence.”
Nox’s blue eyes curved in amusement.
“Then, shall I go first for today’s secret?”
“No, I’ll go first.”
The first step had to be set right.
I had no intention of letting him take control from the very beginning. Besides, if he suddenly threw out a heavy secret, I’d be forced to reveal something equally significant.
“I am…”
A secret shocking enough, yet one Kyle already knew. A topic that might help me uncover more about Nox’s identity.
It was practically predetermined what I would reveal first.
“I’m not from this world.”
Nox didn’t seem too surprised. He must have expected it to some degree.
And then, he revealed something that I had somewhat anticipated as well—yet it was still a shocking kind of secret.
“I am from several hundred years ago.”
I pushed myself halfway up and complained. The smoke was stinging my nose. When I sniffled, Kyle pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to me.
“You can’t just leave it that vague!”
“You didn’t explain what kind of world you came from either, did you? This much is fair. Besides, my throat doesn’t hurt right now.”
“…And what exactly is this smoking dish? Get rid of it.”
“Oh, that? I couldn’t hear properly.”
A magic potion to assist eavesdropping, huh? I narrowed my eyes in irritation. System, don’t even bother appearing. He won’t be able to see or hear you anyway. So cut the tricks.
“Now go ahead with your three questions. I’ll answer them honestly.”
“Then, I won’t hold back.”
Nox quickly fired his questions.
“Are you from an ancient era?”
“No.”
“Do you love Kyle Blake?”
“Yes.”
At my answer, Kyle smiled slightly. My ears burned for no reason. It was just an obvious fact, so why was I getting flustered?
“Are you planning to kill me?”
I met Nox’s gaze. His blue eyes locked onto me, sharp and penetrating, as if trying to see straight through me.
“No.”
If, in the future, he attacked the North, I would do whatever it took to kill him. But for now, that wasn’t the case. I planned to cooperate quietly until I got everything I wanted.
The shackle tightened slightly, as if it had detected that my denial wasn’t entirely genuine. But the pain faded quickly, as if it had decided to let it slide—for now.
“I see.”
Nox smiled brightly and removed the dish, seeming to abandon the eavesdropping attempt.
“Now, it’s your turn. Ask me anything you’re curious about.”
There were countless things I wanted to ask. I chose the most fundamental one first.
“Do you intend to plunder the North?”
“Yes.”
“Are you a person who died long ago? In other words… are you one of the dead, like the servants of this castle?”
He shrugged.
“Yes.”
After a brief pause, I asked,
“…Do you intend to fully reconstruct the ‘Heart of Winter’?”
Nox didn’t answer right away.
Instead, his blue eyes—filled with something I couldn’t quite decipher, whether it was intrigue or something more dangerous—fixed on me.
Then, slowly, he answered.
“Yes.”
