Chapter 79

“…Yes.”  

Lapheche’s face flushed as red as her hair. Only then did Austin rise to his feet with a satisfied smile.  

“Then rest well, future Archmage.”  

Leaving that farewell behind, he picked up his robe and exited the room without hesitation.  

Thud.  

The moment the door closed, Lapheche rolled twice across the bed.  

“I won’t leave you.” 

“I won’t give you a reason to worry.”

“Future Archmage.“

“Kyyaaaa!”  

She let out a silent scream and stomped her feet in the air.  

‘Why did Minuelle say she didn’t like a man like him?’  

She couldn’t understand it. Sure, Austin had acted a bit arrogantly toward the Karnian clan, but wasn’t that somewhat expected from royalty?  

Besides, even when Minuelle coughed up blood on his face, he had forgiven her generously.  

“He’s so magnanimous… He’s the best.”  

Even after his proposal was rejected, he showed no sign of being hurt, which she liked.  

Had he acted overly kind to her right after, it would’ve felt like she was just a consolation prize, which would’ve put her off. But the indifferent, calm kindness only raised his favorability in her eyes.  

“He’s like a prince on a white horse… No, in the desert, I guess it’s a prince on a white camel?”  

She giggled to herself and, with her tension finally released, drifted off to sleep.  

Meanwhile, Austin let out a snort as he stepped out of the room assigned to Lapheche.  

The way she was falling for him so easily, with that naïve face of hers—  

“She’s nothing like Minuelle Karnian.”  

The thought of her irritated him, but at the same time, there was a lingering regret.  

If only he could have drawn Karnian to his side, she would have been an incredibly powerful ally.  

Even personally, the match wouldn’t have been bad, which made it all the more regrettable.  

She was the first woman who had ever defied him so boldly. If he could keep poking at that strong-willed woman, maybe life wouldn’t be so boring.  

“Tsk.”  

But Austin clicked his tongue once and let go of the lingering regret.  

He and Karnian had already crossed a river of no return.  

He’d still send assassins occasionally, but didn’t have much hope. His instincts told him the only thing left was a head-on clash.  

Before long, he arrived at a massive stone gate and placed his hand on the crystal orb at its center.  

Silently, the door opened, and a chill one would never expect in Chitrum flowed out.  

“You’re here.”  

Contrary to his expectations that no one would be inside at this hour, someone greeted Austin.  

An old man, his face and hands deeply wrinkled, yet his posture straighter than most youths—an oddly striking impression.  

Even Austin wore a slightly awkward expression, feeling caught off guard.  

“Not resting, even at this late hour?”  

“When I die, I’ll rest forever. While I’m alive, I must move.”  

Delivering a scathing blow to every lazy soul out there, the old man chuckled warmly.  

He was the last priest and remaining follower of the forgotten desert god once worshipped in Chitrum—the Sand God  

He was the one who had told Austin about the fire spirit when he first arrived in Chitrum.  

“Well? Any results?”  

“Using what you lent me, I caught a big one.”  

Austin pulled a green gem pendant from his robe and tossed it over.  

The priest of the Sand God caught it without so much as blinking and tucked it into his robes.  

Lapheche firmly believed it was her mother’s keepsake, but now it had returned to its original owner.  

“A big one? That much?”  

“If that pendant glowed bright enough to blind, would you believe me then?”  

“Incredible.”  

The pendant’s origin was fake, but the claim that it reacted to magic was not.  

He simply hadn’t told her that ordinary magic wouldn’t make it respond.  

The old man smiled in satisfaction.  

“She’ll make good nourishment.”  

Austin didn’t deny it as he looked around, enjoying the cool air.  

The room was filled to the ceiling with terraced fields, each bed densely growing Yoshicho, a magical herb.  

If the heat made cultivation impossible, then lower the temperature.  

Inspired by the decade-ago frost caused by the fire spirit, the idea worked brilliantly.  

“In a way, the Yoshicho fields are thanks to her. I’d better not waste even a single drop of her magic.”  

“Don’t worry. With this much Yoshicho, even an ordinary person could become a spirit wielder.”  

But such a spirit wielder would only be usable once or twice, so he had no intention of using it on Lapheche.  

Excessive use of Yoshicho causes a person to lose their sense of self and merge with nature, no longer human.  

It was the reason true spirit wielders—once common in the distant past—had become all but extinct, with all knowledge of spirits buried.  

Why butcher the goose that lays golden eggs in one stroke?

***

Minuelle was busy.  

Whether she was helping her parents and sister devise a plan to rescue the emperor or spending her spare moments training to control fire more efficiently, she was always moving.  

Watching her, Esadien found himself amazed again and again.  

‘She’s gotten healthier, but now she’s working herself to death.’  

In truth, Minuelle was just acting naturally—imbued with the workaholic spirit of a K-laborer, born to toil.  

Even their king was a man who worked from dawn till dawn.  

To Esadien, who had once lived without a care, it was eye-opening.  

‘I heard she did a lot at the second princess’s wedding, but…’  

Seeing it up close was entirely different.  

There was more to Minuelle than he had thought.  

He once believed she was just beautiful—but she had scars she didn’t want to show, and a burden that couldn’t be explained by frailty alone.  

No one lives without shadows.  

Esadien realized he had been so wrapped in his own darkness, he never looked around.  

But after becoming a beast against his will, he could step away from himself, and suddenly, his view expanded.  

‘I’m ashamed.’  

He truly felt that way.  

He’d been trapped in his own shadows for so long, he didn’t know how to accept the light.  

What kind of heart did Minuelle have, to keep approaching someone like him who only pushed others away?  

He felt ashamed and sorry.  

– Minuelle. 

He also regretted not being able to help her more now.  

All he could do, in this beastly form, was tug gently on her clothes when she dozed off at her desk.  

– You should lie in bed and sleep properly. 

“Mmm… okay…”  

Half-opening her eyes, Minuelle waved her hand and barely managed to climb into bed.  

Esadien nudged her with his snout to help her up and was about to lie beside her when—  

“No, El. You sleep on the floor.”  

She had sounded drowsy moments ago, but her command was crystal clear.  

Frozen mid-motion, Esadien received a second, firmer command.  

“Good boy. Down.”  

Though her tone was kind, there was a wariness in her voice.  

Like a true animal, Esadien instinctively sensed it and was deeply shocked.  

– Minuelle…

Even though he whimpered, she didn’t relax until he settled down beneath the bed.  

Only then did she pull the covers over her head and fall into deep sleep.  

With no other choice, Esadien rested his face between his paws and tried to sleep as well.  

‘She’s just tired. That’s all. She doesn’t want anything near her.’  

He tried to convince himself.  

The bed was big, but his transformed body was even bigger.  

Still, a bad feeling lingered.  

As soon as the sun rose and Minuelle rushed out, Esadien secretly sought out Gabbie.  

– O spirit, is there any way I can become small again?

Gabbie, who had been playing with birds, scowled.  

– Humans. When a bird is born, does it return to the egg? When ashes fall, do they become a tree again?

He scolded him, but knowing how desperate he was, he didn’t say, “Told you to confess earlier.”  

– Minuelle’s so focused these days, our connection’s gotten stronger than ever. If I lie, she sniffs it out like a bloodhound. Asking me for help would only endanger you more.

– I’m sorry.

– Isn’t there a follower of the love and beauty god nearby? 

Following Gabbie’s advice, Esadien sought out Ramande, a priest of Plendena. But this one also let out a deep sigh.  

“I’m a priest, not a god.”  

Esadien drooped his head.  

‘Guess I really have to leave before she finds out.’  

Everyone was busy lately.  

He knew the patrol schedule. He could slip away in the dark if he had to.  

But what held him back was Minuelle’s whispered words when she hugged him: “Let’s never part.”

Esadien truly wanted that.  

If he ran now, he’d be abandoning her—both as Esadien and as El.  

He couldn’t bear it.  

“But why now, all of a sudden?”  

– Well…

When he confessed that he’d been unexpectedly reverting to human form now and then, Ramande’s face darkened.  

“You share a room with Minuelle in that state? You pervert!”  

He didn’t shout it aloud, but his lips definitely formed curse words.  

– It’s not like that! It only happens for a moment, and it’s agonizing. I even fainted once… 

Even so, Ramande’s expression didn’t soften.  

Recently, he’d seen that exact look before—on Minuelle’s face when she looked at Austin.  

‘Just die.’  

That’s what that glare meant, probably.  

“Enough. Move to a different room. Immediately.”  

– I was going to suggest that anyway…  

Esadien murmured gloomily and cautiously asked,  

– Is there any way to stop the transformation altogether?  

Ramande snorted.  

“Divine power can break curses, not cast them. If I could reverse your state, you would’ve been kicked out of the manor the day you arrived.”  

– I figured.  

Esadien let out a long, deep sigh.  

Only two paths remained now:  

Leave her, or be discovered.