“That’s right. But there’s a line that humans must uphold. I have never… needed such power.”

“But Adele, magic power is similar to mana. It’s just a difference in worship.”

Valentin cut off Adele’s stumbling words. His attitude made it clear that he didn’t want to argue about this anymore.

Adele widened her eyes.

“Still, it’s disrespectful.”
“Don’t be afraid. Mere humans won’t dare to distinguish.”

“They won’t dare to distinguish?”

“In the end, the origins of both powers are the same.”

Origins are the same. Staring blankly at him in the midst of incomprehensible words, suddenly she remembered something about a legend Padre mentioned.

‘It is said that the shadow created by the Morrig god resembled him exactly.’

‘I’ve never heard of such a shadow myth before.’

‘It’s a divine flaw. They were like twins, so alike that it was difficult to distinguish them side by side.’

Morrig’s twins. The shadow of Vichelven, her dragon. As her expression changed moment by moment, Valentin’s golden eyes sparkled as well.

Her rapidly changing expressions seemed quite amusing, and his red lips twisted into a sensuous smile that could enchant anyone.

“No way.”

“Yes.”

Valentin’s voice sweetly penetrated her ears.

“If you can kill Morrig, can’t you kill me with that power?”

“…”

“How about it? Doesn’t it sound tempting now?”

‘Are you talking about…’

‘I hope you make a choice again someday. I hope you don’t regret that choice.’

‘…I feel like you…’

‘Valentin.’

‘…Valentin seems to want death as if he’s asking for it. Did I judge him wrong?’

‘It could be or not. I’ve lived for so long. I can’t say there’s absolutely no lingering regret, but…’

‘…’

‘But at least, if you have the power to oppose me, Adele won’t be afraid of me anymore. Whenever something similar happens, she can just kill me.’

‘…’

‘So first, grow your magic power, Adeleheit. Think about other things later.’

Think about it later. Whether Valentin could comfortably say that and forget the conversation, she couldn’t be sure, but she couldn’t escape from that day even for a single moment.

That day. No matter how many times she revisited the conversation, Valentin consistently hinted at one thing: his own death.

Unable to grasp his intentions, she now had strange thoughts.

Did he intentionally approach her from the beginning? Because she could kill him? Humans no longer give birth to magic…

‘I don’t know.’

She chewed her lip.

Glancing at Margaret, who was dozing off in the opposite chair, and pulling out the dagger she had secretly hidden in her bosom, she raised it slightly.

Despite trying to grab the dagger several times since that day, she couldn’t even draw a faint glimmer, let alone light.

‘I wish you would tell me clearly what you truly want…’

Sighing, Adele turned her gaze outside the swaying carriage window.

It had been three full days since they left the Ansgar Castle and began to ride south towards the palace.
Contrary to her troubled mind, the scenery outside the carriage window noticeably warmed up. Just yesterday, they were riding on a path through the dense evergreen forest where the snow had not fully melted. Today, it was a neatly maintained road.

She opened the window and leaned her head out slightly. Somehow, it seemed like they were nearing the first village adjacent to Schleierung.

“We’ll be arriving at the village soon.”

Adele sighed with relief. Due to the vast and rugged terrain of Ansgar, cities and villages were sparsely scattered. As a result, they had been camping in the carriage since the first day they left the castle.

The thought of finally being able to enjoy a proper meal and rest brought a subtle smile to her face.

“Vijon.”