Chapter 120 

Dephensores tilted his head in puzzlement. After Alexa left, he was left alone in the subspace, bound by the curse. But he had always been alone, so he didn’t feel lonely. The sand that clung to his toes, the wind brushing against his cheeks, even the sun hanging in the sky, everything was simply one of many things he had grown used to.

And yet, something felt strange.

He stared blankly at his palm. The warmth of Alexa’s touch, felt for the first time in ages in his true form, and the scent that had tickled his nose lingered heavily in the air around him.

“Hmmm…”

So it’s because she’s the sacrifice for the curse, she’s different, huh?

He clenched and then opened his hand. The cursed blood inside him was seething. He had made a great effort not to show it while Alexa was there, but his instincts had been whispering to him all along: Kill her. Even the murderous intent he had revealed to her had been genuine. Dephensores’s blue eyes glinted coldly.

‘As expected.’

His lips curled into a sharp smile. It looked like a smile, but there wasn’t a trace of joy in his expression. He raised his head high. Just as he had expected, Alexa would be the one to lift the curse binding them. That was why she had come into this world in the first place, so it was only natural. She would break the curse with her life, and become the bridge that released the wolves from their chains and set them free into the world.

‘Luna…’

It was a moment when he found himself especially reminded of the lover he had not seen in so long. Lunailliah, who was likely still keeping the place he had left behind all by herself. A tender smile curved his lips. His expression was imbued with an emotion very different from earlier. Understandably so, since she was his only remaining humanity, the one person he had longed for all these years.

“I’ll return soon.”

Regrettably, not a single thought of the son he had left beside Lunailliah remained in Dephensores’s mind.

* * *

At that very moment, Lunailliah was also thinking of Dephensores. Watching Tenail enter the room, arms full of firewood, she couldn’t help but be reminded of him. His sons resembled him strongly. The eldest had chosen to live not as a god, but as a ‘wolf’, and he had died that way. But there were no regrets. He had inherited the position of lord of Thersion, lived a long life, and left behind many cherished memories. Besides, Lunailliah still had her kind second son. In place of his older brother, who had chosen the path of Thersion, Tenail had decided to remain by his aging mother’s side.

“Tenail.”

“Yes, Mother.”

Tenail, who had been quietly placing logs into the fireplace for his warmth-loving mother, responded gently.

“I think your father will return soon.”

Lunailliah smiled softly. She could see and sense more than ordinary people. Her gaze drifted through the air. She was watching Alexa.

“Ugh… I’m really not hurt anymore! I can do everything now!”

Alexa, her cheeks flushed, trembling slightly. Alexa, with a heart far warmer than any of the wolves. Her eyes so beautiful they looked ready to spill tears at any moment, the image of her reflected in Lunailliah’s heart.

‘You saw her too, didn’t you? That child.’

Lunailliah’s eyes crinkled as she smiled. Alexa was not a child born to a normal fate. She was a girl destined to bear great burdens, for Thersion, and for this world. Dephensores must be seeing the same thing Lunailliah saw now.

This beautiful world.

* * *

Alexa let out a deep sigh. No matter what she said, it never seemed to get through to anyone. As far as she knew, this world was on the brink of a great tide of fate. She couldn’t afford to just stay idle like this. But Thersion never asked anything of her.

They simply seemed to want her to stay here, safe. Even Essellia no longer told her anything.

‘Maybe Jeremiah’s the better option at this point.’

Terrun… seemed like he probably didn’t know much. Ysildus would just smoothly dodge the topic. So among them, the only one who might be honest was her human friend, Jeremiah. She figured she had to first understand what was going on in order to figure out what stance she should take.

Magic was the only thing Alexa could do. And judging from what she had gathered so far, it seemed the Emperor’s mages would soon attack Thersion. She might not be able to make a big difference in that war, but couldn’t she at least create a magic circle to oppose those mages?

If she could rally the mages residing in Brillia and Thersion, and if things went as she hoped, maybe she could even break the curse as well. Alexa walked briskly through the garden. She could feel eyes trailing her like a tail, but no one would stop her from meeting a friend. Just then, Jeremiah appeared, walking alone toward her. She had asked the maids for his whereabouts, so it wasn’t a coincidence.

“Jeremiah!!”

Alexa waved her hand vigorously.

“Alexa?”

Jeremiah’s eyes widened. He had just stepped out after finishing a separate task with Ysildus and Terrun. Under Ysildus’s guidance, Jeremiah had recently been assigned his own group of advisors, all humans. They had been carefully selected to form his future cabinet, should he one day become Emperor.

These days, Jeremiah was focused on drawing noble families over to Thersion’s side, expanding their influence with support from the Blue Moon Merchant Guild. So while he was working apart from Ysildus and Terrun, Alexa came looking for him.

“Jeremiah, coming from work?”

“Ah…”

Jeremiah’s eyes darted. Alexa stood there with a bright smile blooming across her face. A fresh, summery fragrance wafted from her, like a blooming rose. At 22, she had grown far more mature than before. Just looking at her felt blindingly beautiful, and when she smiled like that…

Jeremiah almost blurted something out, but bit his tongue and gave a short nod. Ysildus had warned him gently but firmly. 

[“You better watch your mouth, Jeremiah. There’s only one reason I flipped Temperchi and chose you as Emperor. Alexa. To keep her safe… in a warm cradle. I don’t like how flies keep buzzing around her.”]

The image of Ysildus, smirking as he referred to the Emperor as a fly, was burned into Jeremiah’s mind. A chilling warning, Ysildus’s blade could turn on Jeremiah at any time. He gulped.

“Jeremiah, do you have time to talk for a bit? It’s been a while.”

“Us…?”

“Mm? Yeah. We’re good friends, aren’t we? I mean just an honest conversation between friends.”

Alexa beamed at him. Jeremiah smiled, looking like he was about to cry. Us, yes, the only person who ever referred to Jeremiah with such a warm word was Alexa. Even though he had joined hands with Ysildus and Terrun, they never treated him so kindly.

But Alexa was different. She was the only one who treated him with genuine sincerity. He had missed this warmth for the past five years, missed that smile that shone like the sun. And so, carelessly, Jeremiah gave in once again.

“Sure. An honest conversation. We… are good friends, after all.”

They walked side by side. Alexa chattered on, grumbling about the outrageous things Thersion had been doing to her. But not a hint of malice could be felt in her voice.

“I appreciate it… I do. I’m grateful for the concern. But I don’t want to just sit around doing nothing either.”

“…It’s because we want to protect you, Alexa. We lost you for five years. No matter how it happened.”

“That’s…”

Alexa’s eyes dimmed. She had heard what became of Selina in the end. And it was far too pitiful and insignificant a death for the female lead of a novel. What’s more, Selina had been so young at the time. Wasn’t there another path she could’ve taken?

“Ah…”

Jeremiah bit his tongue. This is why Ysildus told me to watch my mouth. 

Alexa seemed to be thinking of Selina. Sweet Alexa had likely cared for that girl too. 

Flustered, Jeremiah said, “She had no choice, Alexa! Turns out she was exchanging letters with the Witch of the Spire. She was a spy!”

“…The Spire?”

Alexa murmured. That meant Selina’s secret helper in the original novel was the Spire? The Witch of the Spire had been portrayed as utterly evil in the source material, an ally of the Emperor who raised her blade against Thersion…

‘Wait… what is this…?’

Alexa’s pupils trembled a deep blue.

‘If Selina… was a spy for the Spire…’

She swallowed hard.

‘Then the one who leaked information on Thersion and put Ysildus in danger in the original… was Selina? The female lead?’

Jeremiah, sneaking glances at the deeply pensive Alexa, opened his mouth before he could stop himself.

“Alexa.”

“…”

She turned to him.

“Alexa. Later… someday in the future.”

Alexa tilted her head.

“Would you come with me to the Imperial Capital?”

“…Huh?”

“Would you… live with me?”