#77
Which of the half-demons was using this technique wasn’t revealed in the original work either.
That magic circle had remained thoroughly as the technique of an “unknown person” even in the original work. All the characters only faced the results, and it was never revealed by whose hands or with what intention it was created.
But now I thought I knew.
After directly seeing this circle, analyzing its internal structure, and narrowing down who could use this at this point, there was only one possibility. Both the design method and the flow of magic resembled him.
‘Elder Hascal.’
He never moved directly. Instead, he sent shadows, utilized tools, and coordinated from a safe place. But he was more precise than anyone, more persistent than anyone. A being who would never let go once he bit down.
Since returning, Elder Hascal was the only half-demon I had directly influenced and affected.
The first board I shook after regression. At that time, I harbored countless suspicions while confronting him, and even after that, I had avoided intentional contact. But his reactions were always subtle, and I was certain we would meet again someday.
Moreover, recalling his obsession with Eris, I couldn’t think of any other answer.
The gaze he had shown me. That attitude of calling Eris’s position “contamination.” That couldn’t have been simple hatred. It was—possessiveness. The emotion I had tried to ignore until now, but had definitely felt.
“So what do we do about that thing?”
The words flowed out. Like a monologue, with a tone as if hoping someone else would answer. A question thrown into a space without answers. But that wish became reality faster than expected.
It was when I was muttering like that.
Someone spoke lowly from behind.
“What will you do?”
I turned my head with a start.
The sound was small, but it pierced sharply into my ears. A familiar tone, familiar presence. My heart reacted first. My body twisted slightly, and my pupils instinctively sought him out.
“Archduke?”
My voice was low with surprise. But somewhere within it, something like relief was melting. I hadn’t really thought he would come, but it was as if I had secretly hoped he might.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
His expression wore his usual leisurely and elegant smile, but his eyes were cold and firm.
That smile was Skyle’s typical weapon. With the most gentle face, he hid the sharpest determination. His eyes now were—like a sword. A gaze that reached straight without bending.
I hid my trembling eyes and grinned.
Relief came first. That was the reason for the laughter. Not a calculated smile, but just—because I could breathe out. A reaction that came from the very simple reason that I could share danger with someone.
“Did you follow me?”
I spoke to sound deliberately like complaining, or like scolding. While hiding my real emotions. If he had followed me, at least I wasn’t alone in this curse circle.
“When someone who shouldn’t be seen happens to be visible on my way, shouldn’t I be concerned? Are you alright? Coming to a place like this alone in your current physical condition seems a bit much.”
The end of his words was gentle, but reproach was mixed in his speech. He was always like that. Hiding worry, organizing my actions with refined language. Not scolding, not persuading. Just—speaking as if recording.
This time I was able to smile smoothly without incident.
Silently meeting his eyes. My heart wasn’t disturbed, and the strength in my fingertips was stable. The fact that I could do that while facing him was proof that things were different from before regression, so I could find some stability.
“Well, it’s fine. The Archduke came.”
Those words contained lingering notes. It wasn’t simple comfort, nor an expression of relief. It was trust. The emotional transfer of ‘since you came, somehow things will work out now.’
“Though you never called for me.”
He pointed out. Not a rebuttal, but an affectionate correction. Even in all this situation, his appearance of not losing composure somehow became something to rely on.
“You followed me, didn’t you? I thought you would.”
Even while speaking, my voice trembled slightly. Emotions I couldn’t completely shake off brushed past my throat and came out. But my eyes were looking straight at Skyle.
“Should I say you’re wise as expected?”
He laughed lightly as if deliberate. Affectionate tone, gentle laughter. But his eyes still didn’t change. A gaze that made me not forget that he was seeing everything, reading everything.
“I just like the Archduke.”
When I said that, silence flowed for a moment. A moment when emotional lines wavered. His appearance of laughing without changing expression gave the feeling that he was hiding some deeper emotion within.
He laughed as if he couldn’t help it.
It wasn’t sincere. But it was comfort. The kind of comfort I wanted, comfort I could accept. We understood each other that way. People who knew roughly where each other stood without bringing out sincerity to the end.
I naturally averted my gaze from him and looked at the curse circle again.
At that moment, reality unfolded before my eyes again. Skyle’s presence made me feel relieved, but at the same time was a source of anxiety. Because—
‘It would be better if you weren’t here.’
Of all people, it was somewhat worrying that the Archduke, who was obviously going to be the target of that curse circle, was here.
As soon as the Archduke saw the same thing I was seeing, I spoke casually.
My voice was low, my tone relaxed. A manner of speaking as if it was nothing. But guided intention was hidden within. I wanted to confirm how he would react to seeing this circle, what he could see and what he couldn’t see.
“Aren’t you curious?”
Skyle tilted his head slightly. His eyes didn’t move. There was no amplitude of emotion. Just quiet currents calculating something under an expressionless face.
“About what?”
The question was more organization than asking back. It was a tone as if he wanted to confirm with words first, even though he knew what intention I had in bringing it up.
“That thing. In such a conspicuous place.”
I lightly surveyed the surroundings while speaking. The wall, boxes, traces of mana, and the magic circle exposed so blatantly. That circle revealed without concealment or protection was revealing more information than it appeared.
When I spoke while lightly surveying the surroundings, the Archduke slightly lowered his eyes and tilted his head.
His gaze quietly turned toward the circle. The gray magic circle seeped thinly into his blue pupils. There was no emotion, but his observing eyes were sharp. I could see the amount of information he was understanding.
“It’s a place where anyone could come if they were interested.”
That statement contained its own test. Someone placing this circle openly meant they “wanted it to be discovered.” I was the first to reach that intention, and he was next. The problem was—was that coincidence?
“That’s true.”
Skyle answered briefly. Words that were neither agreement nor denial. But that he was reading the meaning within those words showed on his expression. His eyebrows moved very slightly. Interest, or wariness.
“And half-demons drew a suspicious circle in such a place?”
Those words weren’t a clear diagnosis, but a kind of fishing. A means to draw out his reaction wanting to know why I was certain that circle was “from half-demons.” I had to reveal my suspicions first for his analysis to become natural too.
“How did you know that’s a half-demon circle?”
He returned with a question. The reaction I predicted. His voice sounded like light laughter, but was actually the language of exploration. Why I was making such a conclusion, where the basis for that was.
“I’ve seen and heard things too.”
I answered with a short laugh. I didn’t let the word “regression” out of my mouth. Instead, I hid all reasons within those four syllables and just covered it with a ‘that could be possible’ attitude.
“You seem to have diverse experiences.”
Skyle smiled again. Words that could sound like admiration or wariness depending on the listener. But to me it sounded more like analysis than praise.
“Something like that.”
I shrugged and said.
The answer was light, but my heart was heavy. The reason I recognized this circle wasn’t “experience” but “reflection.” The failures from before regression, the clues I missed, and the stubbornness to never make such mistakes again.
“More than that, Archduke. What I mean is, aren’t you curious about who’s trying to get what with that circle?”
The words I really wanted to say. The core. The purpose of this circle was confusion, but its effects appeared differently depending on the situation. And if we couldn’t grasp that purpose, we would be dragged along by this flow once again.
“Hmm.”
Skyle didn’t answer. Instead, he looked at the magic circle again. Instead of reading emotions, he was reading structure. The connection of curves, the asymmetry of the center, the tendons of the perimeter. He analyzed all of it quietly, precisely.
He would have moved like this anyway.
Because he was originally that kind of person. He stays silent in unclear situations and doesn’t act before making judgments. Even if I didn’t say anything, he would have tried to grasp the purpose of this circle anyway.
Though if I said it, even the same content would look somewhat suspicious.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
