As tears rolled down Irene’s cheeks and her face turned pale, Kallos, taken aback, asked in confusion, “Why are you crying?”

Irene didn’t respond and just cried sadly.

Was going back to Esper Castle that repulsive for her?

Well, since she was forcibly brought here without her consent, it must be unpleasant.

With a somewhat bitter expression, Kallos wiped away the tears flowing down Irene’s cheek with his thumb.

“Don’t cry.”

“…….?”

Although it was a clumsy and unconvincing comfort, it was enough to stop Irene’s tears.
Irene looked at Kallos with teary eyes and asked, “Can I… return to Esper Castle?”

It was a strange and amusing question.

When Kallos had suggested going back, Irene had cried as if the world was leaving, so he couldn’t quite understand why she suddenly asked such a question.

However, her expression was too serious, and she seemed so earnest, so he nodded without any sarcasm.

“Sure.”

“Anytime?”

“Anytime.”

I see. I can return anytime.

Relieved, Irene smiled brightly.

Although there was no explanation for why he brought me here or why he treated me so well, it doesn’t matter.

At least he won’t hit me or accuse me of being a witch.

Instead, he protected me and even created a place for me to return to… I’ll follow him.

The vacillating heart of Irene tilted decisively in one direction.

When Irene, who had firmly decided, held Kallos’s hand, which had wiped away her tears, there was a sudden intense pain that felt like a scorching hot iron support against her spine.

“……!”

It was as if the pain, so severe that even a scream was swallowed, made her consciousness dizzy.

“Why is this happening?”

Although Kallos noticed her abnormal reaction and asked, there was no way she could answer.

“Irene.”

As the pain swallowed her consciousness completely, her body collapsed lifelessly.

Kallos caught the collapsing Irene in his arms.

‘It’s hot.’

It felt like hugging a hot boulder.

It wasn’t this hot when he touched her earlier, so what happened?

Kallos’s face contorted in bewilderment.

‘I should quickly take her to the clinic.’

Where was the nearest clinic?

He had thought about calling a doctor to Esper Castle, but going there directly would be faster.

While estimating the location of the clinic, Kallos, who was about to embrace Irene to carry her, paused when he saw a widely open flower tattoo between the torn fabric on her back.

Could it be…?

Kallos spread apart the torn fabric and confirmed the vine and flower tattoo on Irene’s back.

When he first checked the vine and flower tattoo, there were four buds and three fully bloomed flowers.

It was the same after coming to Esper Castle.

But now, the vine and flower tattoo on her back had three buds and four fully bloomed flowers.

A new flower had bloomed.

‘Mom, my back hurts so much…’

The child, writhing in excruciating pain as if his whole body were burning, reached out to his mother.

The small face of the child was entirely covered in tears. His eyes were so swollen from crying.

The woman looked at the child with pity, but she didn’t embrace him.

‘Sorry, I’m sorry. Irene…’

Like the child, she only apologized while shedding tears.

If she’s sorry, why doesn’t she hug me?

Did I do something wrong?

Is it not allowed to be in pain?
However… I don’t want to be in pain either.

The tear-stained face of the child was filled with sadness and resentment.

The child desperately reached out to be embraced by his mother, but in the end, couldn’t reach her.

Instead, someone else firmly grabbed the child’s hand.

“It’s okay.”

Not only that, but this person also hugged the child, who was struggling in pain, tightly and comforted him.

“You’ll be fine soon, so don’t worry.”

For some reason, the gentle touch soothing the increasingly warm back was affectionate and refreshing.

Perhaps because of this, the pain gradually faded away.

Not long after the pain completely disappeared, the child finally stopped crying and fell into a deep sleep in the arms of someone unfamiliar yet strangely familiar.

Due to the sudden rampage of a demon, the exorcism was forcibly terminated.

As a result of this incident, more than half of the Esper Territory turned into a wasteland, and casualties were continuously reported.

It was thanks to Kallos, who noticed the abnormal behavior of the guides and quickly took action, that it ended at this level.

There were voices saying that if Kallos hadn’t acted quickly, it would have been even more terrible.

But more than that, there were stronger voices blaming the Esper family for neglecting monster management in the first place.

Especially from the temple’s side, they strongly argued that this incident happened because the Esper family neglected the management of monsters and demanded strict accountability.

“You applaud when taming monsters is impressive, but when problems arise, you change your attitude like flipping your hand! Even bats are less capricious than them!”

Hearing the news, Jesse was furious as if flames were about to burst from his mouth.

Although Dewey seemed annoyed, he raised his eyebrows, and his voice was as polite as his words when he requested Jesse.

“People say that about humans every now and then, so don’t get too upset.”

Jesse scowled, glaring at Dewey.

“So, it’s more infuriating. Humans are evolving creatures, right? Then shouldn’t their thinking mature as well? This is worse than animals…!”

“Jesse.”

Dewey called Jesse sternly, looking at Irene lying on the bed and Kallos sitting in front of her.

Oops. Only then did Jesse realize how worked up he had gotten. He hurriedly bowed towards Kallos.

“I’m sorry, Master. I got too excited and…”

Kallos, leaning against the backrest, spoke in a calm voice.

“You should apologize to Dewey, not me.”

“What?”

“It seems you’ve forgotten that he used to be human.”

Ah, that’s right.

Jesse scratched his head apologetically and also apologized to Dewey.

“Sorry. I got carried away because it’s been so long since then.”

Dewey shrugged, seeming indifferent.

“It’s okay. Since becoming an underground resident, I haven’t really thought of myself as human.”