She slowly looked around with eyes full of wonder.

It felt like she had always dreamed of this moment. The moment when she realized that she too had a ‘power’ sleeping within her, just like others…

She gazed at the swirling lights, overcome with emotion.

At this moment, she was simply happy, regardless of whether it was holy power or magic.

“Your Highness, can you see this light too?”

Adelheit whispered cautiously. She sensed Valentin nodding beside her.

“I can see it.”

“I thought I might be mistaken, or perhaps gone mad. One of the two.”

“That’s not possible.”

Adelheit burst into laughter.

“Oh, Valentin. This is too…”

The moment she met his gaze head-on, wanting to share this overwhelming emotion, she realized she had made a big misunderstanding.

Valentin was merely looking down at her expressionlessly amidst the swirling blue light.

That expression even seemed a little sad, disconcertingly.

“…”

He seemed like a completely different person from when he had gently awakened her magic.

As Adelheit hesitated, only then did he reflexively move his lips to feign a smile.

“There.”

He slowly released her from his embrace.

As soon as Valentin let go, the light that had filled the room instantly faded.

Adelheit hesitantly checked her hand that had felt burning hot, but there wasn’t even a trace of contact, let alone a burn mark.

It felt unreal, as if everything that had just happened occurred in a dream.

“How was it?”

Unlike Adelheit who was still dazed, Valentin soon asked with a smooth smile. She chose her words slowly.

“It was an amazing experience. And fascinating too.”

“For now, I’ve merely forcibly awakened it. Feeling it again is a task… that Adelheit must accomplish alone.”

“Is this really my power?”

“It’s not complete, but yes. Though my power is mixed in… It’s certainly a power… that Adelheit could handle.”

He nodded in affirmation. Adelheit’s eyes grew dreamy as she recalled the magic that had beautifully colored the room just moments ago. Valentin, who had been quietly watching her, suddenly added as if he just remembered:

“If Adelheit becomes skilled enough to infuse this much power into a magic stone alone, she could even kill… Morig.”

It felt as if someone had suddenly burst the heart that had been so full just moments ago.

It felt like being thrown back into cruel reality in an instant. Adelheit blinked her lime-green eyes in bewilderment.

“What did you say?”

“Morig. Amusingly, the god humans believe in.”

At Valentin’s assertion, Adelheit’s expression turned as white as a sheet of paper in an instant. It was problematic enough to casually call the most sacred being by name like the neighbor’s dog, let alone talk of killing that divinity. Just hearing it stirred up an intense revulsion, as if committing an unforgivable sin.

“How…”

It was such a terrible statement that if anyone were to hear it, there would be no room for excuse even if immediately dragged before the inquisitors.

Only then did she truly realize that the power residing in her body was the power of demons.

Just moments ago, she had been overjoyed at confirming some kind of possibility, but now it felt as if a very wicked and impure monster was coiled up sleeping inside her body.

Adelheit shuddered and hugged her arms.

“I don’t want to do such things! Harming someone, e-especially, e-even harming g-god, such blasphemous acts…”

“Calm down, Adelheit. You seem very shocked.”

“Of course I’m shocked! How can you speak such blasphemy against God?”

Valentin, who had been quietly watching the flustered Adelheit, tilted his lips into a smile.

As if smiling with just the mouth was enough, even though his eyes weren’t smiling at all.

“How strange.”

“…”

“Since Morig isn’t human, Adelheit has no reason to feel guilty. Even if you tear him to pieces and throw his wretched body to the rats and centipedes and snakes.”

“Please stop saying such things. What if someone hears you…”

“Sometimes it’s hard to understand. The way humans think. Especially someone as contradictory as Adelheit.”

“What do you mean?”

He grasped her chin and lifted it. She could see inexplicable sparks pooling in his subdued golden eyes. He whispered tenderly.

“You wanted power, didn’t you? So I awakened the sleeping power, but why are you angry?”

Adelheit stared at him blankly with tears welling up in her eyes, utterly dumbfounded.

She wasn’t sure who was having trouble understanding whom.

It had been hard enough to be accepted among ordinary people just for being born somewhat lacking, and now she had even awakened the power of demons.

At this point, it was no different from deliberately pushing her to be rejected by the whole world.

‘It would be fortunate to just be rejected. If the inquisitors found out, it would be immediate execution.’

If it was going to be like this, it would have been better not to know that such a power was sleeping within her from the beginning.

If she was going to die, it would have been better to have died long ago, before developing such attachment to life.

Before tasting affection and trust between people. Before feeling like she was even a little bit useful to this world.

Adelheit placed the dagger on the table with a pale face.

“It’s a power I don’t need.”

“But Adelheit, you’ve always wanted to have power, haven’t you?”

“That’s right. But still, there are lines that humans shouldn’t cross. I’ve never, not even once…”

“Magic is the same as holy power. The only difference is which god you serve…”

Valentin cut off Adelheit’s stammering words. His attitude clearly showed that he didn’t want to argue about this anymore.

Adelheit’s eyes widened.

“You’re still speaking blasphemy.”

“Don’t be afraid. Mere humans wouldn’t dare to distinguish between them anyway.”

“What do you mean they can’t distinguish?”

“Because in the end, the source of both powers is the same.”

The same source. As she stared at him blankly at these incomprehensible words, she suddenly remembered something the padre had mentioned about a certain legend.

‘It is said that the supreme God Morig had a shadow that looked exactly like him.’

‘I’ve never heard of such a shadow legend before…’

‘Because it’s God’s shame. They say it was like a twin that was indistinguishable when placed side by side.’

Morig’s twin. The dragon of Bitchleben, and the shadow. As her expression changed moment by moment, Valentin’s golden eyes sparkled in response.

His red lips twisted as if finding her ever-changing expressions quite amusing. It was a sensual smile that could enchant anyone.

“No way.”

“That’s right.”

Valentin’s voice sweetly penetrated her ear.

“If you can kill Morig, couldn’t you kill me… with that power?”

“…”

“What do you think? Does it sound a bit more tempting now?”

‘What you’re saying now sounds just like.’

‘I hope that you will choose again someday. And I hope you won’t regret that choice.’

‘…From what I can tell, it seems like Your Highness… ‘

‘Valentin.’

‘…It seems like Valentin wants to die. Have I misjudged?’

‘Maybe, maybe not. I’ve lived for a very long time… I can’t say I have no lingering attachments.’

‘…’

‘But at least if you have the power to oppose me, Adelheit won’t fear me anymore. Because you can kill me anytime if the same thing happens.’

‘…’

‘So first, cultivate your magic, Adelheit. Think about the rest later.’

Think about it later. Valentin might be able to say that easily and forget about that conversation, but she couldn’t escape from that day for even a moment, constantly circling back to it.

That day. No matter how many times she went over that conversation, there was only one thing Valentin had been implying throughout. His own death.

It was so difficult to grasp his true intentions that now she even had strange thoughts. Could he have intentionally approached her from the beginning? Because she could be someone who could kill him? Since humans are no longer born with magic…

‘I don’t know.’

She chewed on her lip.

Glancing at Margaret, who was nodding off in the opposite seat, she slightly pulled out the dagger she had secretly hidden in her bosom.

She had grabbed the dagger several times since that day, but couldn’t even draw out a faint glimmer, let alone light.

‘I wish you’d tell me what you truly want, without hiding it…’

Adelheit sighed and turned her gaze to the window of the swaying carriage.

It had been exactly three days since they left Ansgar Castle and started heading south where the Imperial Palace was located.

Unlike her troubled mind, the scenery outside the carriage window had noticeably warmed up.

Just yesterday, they had been traveling on a muddy fir forest path where the snow hadn’t fully melted, but today they were on a well-maintained road.

She opened the window and slightly poked her head out.

It seemed to be bustling outside the carriage, probably because they were approaching the first village adjacent to the Schleicher territory.

‘We must be arriving at the village soon.’

Adelheit let out a sigh of relief.

Because the Ansgar territory was so vast and barren, cities and villages were formed too sparsely.

That’s why they had been sleeping in the carriage every night since leaving the castle on the first day.

At the thought of finally being able to enjoy a proper meal and rest, a smile unconsciously slipped out.

“Your Highness.”