“This is… a magic firework?”

Originally a store selling fireworks, the floor was scattered with fireworks.

Among them, Irene found a familiar item and picked it up.

It was the hairpin she had received as the first prize from a balloon dart game.

Curious, she touched her head, feeling empty.

When she tripped over the magic firework and fell, the hairpin must have come off.
“This seems like something you should have.”

Looking at the hairpin, Irene suddenly remembered when Kallos had personally pinned a hairpin to her head.

Irene picked up the hairpin, biting her lips.

Kallos might have given her something like this as a gift, jokingly or perhaps not wanting the hairpin himself.

However, the touch of the hand that used to touch her head was unexpectedly gentle and affectionate, making her quite uncomfortable.

Maybe that’s why. Memories of everything Kallos had done for her came flooding back like a panorama.

Starting from saving her from being mistaken for a witch and facing the risk of being burned at the stake.

Taking care of everything, even excessively so, leaving nothing lacking.

Even when the priests insisted she was a witch and needed to be tried, Kallos believed in her until the end and defied the priests.

Even though a person died in the process, considering the circumstances, it was the priests’ fault…

“What kind of absurd thoughts am I having now?”

Startled, Irene covered her mouth with her hand.

Even if the priests were at fault, killing a person was still wrong.

Moreover, using that corpse to manipulate fellow priests was also a wrongdoing on Kallos’s part.

Apart from suppressing her freedom, which was somewhat ambiguous, Irene couldn’t think of anything else Kallos had done wrong.

“……Nothing.”

If we had to nitpick, it was suppressing her freedom, but even that was a bit ambiguous.

Aside from being unable to leave Esper Castle, she was free to act as she pleased.

However, Irene was overwhelmed by the many things Kallos had done for her.

Until now, she felt like a fool for trying to escape from someone so good.

‘No, it’s natural to be afraid.’

Because Irene didn’t know why Kallos was treating her so well.

She only heard about needing her, without knowing where or how she was needed.

So, while it was natural to be afraid of Kallos, on the other hand, she felt there was no need to be this afraid.

If Kallos had harbored ill intentions, he wouldn’t have treated her so well.

Then, is there really a need to run away?

Especially when there’s nowhere to go even if I run away…

“……”

Along with the realization that there was nowhere to go, the loneliness of being left alone in the world suddenly pierced her bones, making her eyelashes hot.

Irene no longer wanted to see the hairpin, but she couldn’t bring herself to throw it away and put it in her pocket.

Then, covering her hot eyelashes, she bowed her head deeply. Her frail shoulders trembled slightly.

Thud .

“……?”

After sobbing silently for a while, Irene, upon hearing a sound like something breaking, lifted her head.

Something large with thick fur? No, that wasn’t fur…

“A spider… legs.”

Ka-kang .
As if to announce the answer, a spider, as large as a person, descended from the wall.

Six different eyeballs, rolling in various directions, simultaneously stared at Irene.

“…….”

Irene was frozen, unable to escape or even scream, in the gruesome sight that made her spine chill.

Her tear-dried face turned pale.

The spider, now completely on the ground, extended its hairy legs towards Irene.

“……!”

Regaining her senses belatedly, Irene quickly rolled to the side to evade the spider’s attack.

Though her expensive dress was mercilessly torn, exposing bare skin, she paid no attention.

Irene picked up anything within her reach and threw it at the spider—pebbles, wooden splinters, unidentifiable debris—but none of them dealt a blow.

Except for one thing, the magic firework.

Kwa-aang .

The moment Irene’s thrown magic firework hit the spider’s body, a loud explosion was heard, and flames engulfed its hairy body.

Kieeek .

The spider, screaming in agony, began to writhe. As a result, the pillar collapsed, and the ceiling, barely holding on, quickly started to descend.

I need to get out before it collapses.

Irene quickly got up and ran towards the exit.

Just as she tried to slip through the half-open door, sticky spider silk flew in, wrapping around her legs.

“Ah!”

Due to this, Irene couldn’t leave the door and cowered in front of it.

The only thing that bounced out of her pocket was the hairpin she had put in there.

Jjanggrang .

Despite the intense impact, the shattered fragments of the mermaid’s tear scattered in all directions. Strangely, the shadow remained in place without dispersing.

It was a bizarre phenomenon, but Irene inside the collapsing building couldn’t see it.

The spider, barely putting out the flames clinging to its body, blinked its eyes and rushed towards Irene.

Irene wanted to escape, but her two legs were tied by spider silk, preventing her from doing so.

‘Am I going to die like this?’

Resigning herself to everything, Irene closed her eyes tightly.

The crumpled image of Kallos appeared vividly before her.

“I will definitely come to get you. You just have to wait for me quietly.”

Usually, they say that the face of the person you most want to see appears when you’re about to die, so it was ironic that the face of the fearsome Kallos came to mind.

But this question couldn’t be answered.

I’m going to die here.

As Irene huddled, resigned to everything and hoping for a painless death, a sharp and crashing sound was heard.

Kieeek .

Following the intense sound of something breaking, Irene was startled as she raised her head.

Then, standing by the completely shattered exit, a man backlit by the sunset came into view.

“I finally found you.”
It was Kallos.