− …You’ll return it?

Hundreds of years ago, Canak Gillesos needed a vessel to collect all the magic power in this world, and he chose part of the body of his evil hand Gilrote as that vessel.

Of course, back then, Gilrote willingly followed the orders of his master Canak, but now, hundreds of years have passed since his master’s death.

It was clear that he would want to get his body back. Perhaps he needed it to attain an even higher divine status. Even though he was an evil god, once he had already become a god, it was only natural to desire to become more perfect.

− You’ll return all three magic stones? Along with all the power contained within them?

Gilrote asked with a suspicious look.

“Yes. But… I don’t know if you’re aware, but I’ve separated the main body of the magic stones from the curse.”

− Hoh. You’ve performed a difficult feat. As long as the magic power remains intact, it doesn’t really matter.

“Then there’s no problem. I’ll retrieve all three magic stones and return them to you.”

− You would dare to give up such power. For a mere human.

He seemed a little irritated. Like an angry child faced with a proposal he never wanted to accept but had no choice but to.

− You are truly arrogant. For a measly human, you truly resemble Canak Gillesos in an infuriating way.

Now looking like a faint smoke, Gilrote remained silent for a moment before opening his mouth again.

− Very well. But as I said, there isn’t much time.

“……”

− You have only three days, descendant of the hero. Find the magic stones and offer them to me within that time. If you can’t, you will either join me or be cruelly crushed by the wheel of causality.

With that demonic curse as his last words, Gilrote completely vanished. Finally, the stone chamber was enveloped in silence.

As soon as the tension was released, Kasha ran towards Leon.

“Leon!”

Her heart seemed to stop at the sight of him leaning against the stone wall like a corpse. Kasha brought her trembling hand to his cheek.

Grab.

In an instant, Leon’s hand reached out and pulled her shoulders into his embrace in one swift motion.

The fierce pounding sound hitting her ears.

As soon as she confirmed it, a sense of relief washed over her as if all the strength had left her body.

“Leon… I thought you were dead, I was so scared.”

The tears that burst out wet Leon’s already messy shirt front.

Leon tightly embraced Kasha’s body as she cried like a child. As if he would never let go again. As if he wanted to become one with her.

“I told you. I won’t die without your permission. And you seem to keep forgetting, but I’m the empire’s top holy knight. I won’t die from injuries like this. So… don’t worry, Kasha.”

She could feel his lips pressing firmly against the top of her head. That sensation was so preciously welcome that Kasha tightened her arms around him and buried herself in his embrace.

‘I’ll never… let you go. I won’t lose to a madman like Nigel, or to demons.’

Suddenly, she felt his hand come over and grasp her injured hand. The familiar sensation of divine power began to flow into her body.

Perhaps it was because she was too relieved that he was safe. The next moment, Kasha passed out, her body going limp.

‘What is this smell?’

Grand Duke Osilote, Philip Aranias, frowned at the terrible scent as he opened his eyes.

“This place….”

Unbelievable. This was Mallofi Temple again.

‘How could I be dragged back here after escaping….’

Grinding his teeth, Philip suddenly realized that his mind had become remarkably clear.

It was a sensation he hadn’t felt in a very long time. The memories of the past few months felt hazy like a dream or unfamiliar as if they were someone else’s.

“What in the world is going on?”

As Philip muttered those words, someone’s shadow cast over him.

“You’re awake.”

“…Leon?”

Philip was surprised to see the face of his eldest son, whom he felt he hadn’t seen in a very long time. His son, who was always mature beyond his years, had now become a dauntingly strong man.

Even in the past, he was just a righteous and beautiful, picturesque holy knight. But now it was different. From him flowed raw charisma, completed with unpredictable energy and strong conviction.

“The scent is supposed to reduce pain, and it seems to be quite effective. You don’t seem to be feeling much pain.”

Muttering those words in a cold tone, Leon reached out to the duke’s bedside. He took out the extinguished incense from the incense burner and lit a new one.

“I’ll burn one more since we need to finish our conversation.”

Philip, who had been puzzled by Leon’s words, suddenly felt something was missing. And the moment he looked down at his arm, the cause of that feeling of emptiness, he was so shocked his heart nearly stopped.

“…?! What, how did this…!”

His right arm had been cut off cleanly from the elbow and was wrapped in bandages. That wasn’t all.

His body was a mess all over like a rag. Although not completely severed like his right arm, both his legs had their joints dislocated and seemed unable to move at all, having completely lost their function.

It was a state where it was surprising that he was still breathing.

Along with the shock bordering on terror, the memory of the moment he received these injuries came back vividly.

The remains of Prince Arthur that he had desecrated with his own hands. The demon with a snow-white body and blue eyes. The red crystal flying towards him. The terrible pain the moment it passed through his body.

“Aaargh! What is this? Why am I! Why?!”

Philip cried out.

“Why, you ask.”

The voice of his son, with a much heavier resonance than Philip’s terrified scream, penetrated his ears.

“Well. That’s what I want to ask you, Father.”

For the first time, emotion appeared in Leon’s voice that had been cold. Contempt. And resentment.

“Wh-what are you talking about?”

“Why… why couldn’t you live any better than this?”

“What, what are you saying?”

“Now that you will never be able to leave this place, lying on your sickbed, think long and hard. About why you are receiving this punishment.”

“Wh-what? Leon! Are you saying you’re going to leave me like this? How could you commit such an unfilial act!”

“Then, do you want to go out to the imperial palace like this and strut around in front of Nigel again? Do you want everything to be revealed about what you tried to do using the remains of Prince Arthur, that young child?”

Philip flinched. How the hell did this guy know that?

“What? L-Leon. That’s not it. I wasn’t trying to… Actually, I don’t know why I did such a thing myself. Really.”

“As for the reason… you’ll also have plenty of time to ponder it, Father. That’s why she bothered to lift the curse of madness for you.”

“Wh-what are you saying? Curse, what−.”

But Leon didn’t answer Philip’s rambling anymore and turned to head for the door.

Does his father even know? That the one who saved his life, and as a result lost both parents in a terrible way, was Kasha.

That it was also her who figured out that the jeweled ring inserted in his severed right arm was the medium for the curse, and removed it to break the terrible curse.

Even if he knew, would Father have enough conscience to feel ashamed in front of her?

Probably not.

‘It will take a very long time.’

Philip, who had no way of knowing what Leon was thinking, cried out desperately.

“Leon! My son!”

Leon didn’t look back. He grabbed the doorknob and muttered calmly.

“For the rest of your life, be grateful… for her mercy. Because that will be the only way you can end your life as a human.”

Having said that, he closed the door and left without a moment’s hesitation.

Click. Thud.

Now completely alone, Philip raged and thrashed about. But the result of thrashing around for a while was merely falling off the bed and landing upside down.

“Ouch! Ow….”

At least the strong scent had faded and he thought he could live, but now a terrible pain pierced through his injury sites.

“Ugh… Aargh! It hurts, it hurts!”

Unable to endure the pain, Philip writhed and crawled on the floor like a worm. But there was nowhere he could reach anymore.

Panting in pain, he muttered.

“J-just kill me… I’d rather die than live like this…!”

But there was no one here who would bother to do that for him. And Philip knew all too well that he himself didn’t have the courage to take his own life.

Faced with the long life ahead of being abandoned in pain, forgotten by all, Philip wailed in terrible fear for the first time since he was born.

“You’re back… Are you all right?”

As soon as Kasha saw him, she jumped up from the small bench in front of the fountain in the duke’s residence where she had been sitting and reading a book.

The autumn sunlight was too intense, so she was wearing a parasol. Wearing a light green long-sleeved dress under a white parasol and with her hair braided down, she exuded a maiden-like atmosphere like a single flower.

As soon as he saw her face, Leon felt like he could breathe again, and fortunately, he was able to give a natural smile.

“I’m fine. Did you find anything?”

“……”

Kasha silently looked into his face for a moment, then lowered her gaze without a word.

It was Leon’s decision to return the duke to Mallofi Temple.

Since there was no way for the duke, who could no longer move on his own, to get out of the temple, it was practically no different from imprisonment.

It may seem cruel at a glance, but considering the evil deeds the duke had committed so far, it was a decision that was not excessive in the slightest.

Kasha raised her head. Now was not the time to waste thinking about the duke. Because of her fainting, the grace period given by the evil god Gilrote was now only two and a half days left.

“No significant progress yet. But we have to keep looking.”

She was reviewing the materials on the magic stones brought from Gillistin Castle. To find even the smallest clue.

Leon stroked Kasha’s cheek as if to encourage her. Then he opened his mouth with an apologetic expression.

“I think I need to go out again right away. There’s a report that a mine has appeared around this area.”

“Okay. Go ahead.”

Now that the medium of the curse had been separated from the duke, the most worrisome thing was Anthony’s rampage.

Kasha waved her hand at Leon with a vigorous expression. He left reluctantly.

“Don’t go anywhere alone. I’ll be back soon.”

“I know. Just go already.”

Having barely seen Leon off, Kasha sat back down on the garden bench and opened her book. But the contents wouldn’t enter her head at all.

“We need to find Anthony… quickly.”

Was there a place he might secretly look for?

A place familiar to him that others would never search−

Flip.

The white hand turning the page suddenly stopped in midair.

“There might be… such a place.”