“Life doesn’t always go according to plan.”

“No. It will. I won’t fail, and things will flow as I’ve arranged.”

“…Why are you so sure?”

“Because I have a reason I absolutely can’t fail.”

Having moistened his mouth with water, Dante Ian continued speaking.

“So, here’s my question. I heard you’re like family to the Great Saintess, so why are you trying to escape? Don’t you want to see her?”

“…”

That talk again. Talking like we’re family.

Thinking of Ivy Violet sent chills down my spine.

Dante Ian truly believed Ivy Violet was looking for me out of concern.

But there’s no way he doesn’t know that saintess candidates are dying in the temple.

Or perhaps he thinks the same way as Hillstain Mathias.

Kind on the surface, but no one knows their true intentions.

They’d just hand me over to gain privileges. Whether I become a corpse or not, it doesn’t matter to them.

What a bunch of empathy-lacking people!

Instead of answering, I stabbed at the salad with my fork, poke, poke. And soon, our conversation stopped.

“Duke.”

It was because his subordinate arrived.

“What is it?”

His subordinate, face covered with a cloth, glanced at me before looking back at Dante Ian.

“It’s fine. Report.”

At those words, the subordinate bowed his head.

“Beasts.”

Beasts? I looked outside.

The morning sunlight was blazing down on the desert.

I thought beasts usually appeared at midnight, but beasts at this hour?

“Let’s go.”

“How should we assemble?”

“Minimal forces.”

“Yes. Understood.”

Dante Ian wiped his mouth with a napkin and stood up.

“I’ll go ahead, so take your time eating.”

I stared at Dante Ian’s food.

Despite neatly slicing the steak, a lot remained. I turned my head to watch his back as he left through the door.

He’s one of the empire’s strongest ability users. I know it’s strange to think this, but Dante Ian’s back looked a little tired.

The night in the desert city began early.

The sun, which seemed like it would never fade during the day, set much earlier than in the east.

So even at night, I couldn’t fall asleep.

I quietly slipped out of my room. As soon as I stepped out, a dark silhouette rushed toward me.

“Eek!”

I stifled a scream, and a strange sound came out.

“Where are you going?”

It was the black-haired woman with pigtails I met this morning.

“I want to take a walk… Is that okay?”

“Of course it’s okay. I’ll guide you. Let’s go together. The streets are like a maze, so you might get lost.”

“Thank you.”

They say the desert is very cold, but being inside the city walls, the temperature was just right.

“With the Duke leaving suddenly, you must have been bored all day.”

“Oh, about that. Do beasts usually appear in the desert during the day?”

“Yes, very rarely. They usually come out at night, but beasts nearing the end of their lifespan might appear then.”

“Hmm.”

So Dante Ian has to fight even during the day, not just at night.

At least it’s fortunate there aren’t as many beasts as in the north.

As long as they keep dealing with the beasts that appear, it’s manageable. Though they’d need a steady supply of healing power.

“Oh, sorry. You can’t go this way. Let’s take another path.”

While wandering through the winding streets, the maid suddenly blocked the way with a pale face.

“Why? Is it private property?”

Then, a piercing scream of pain came from the building across the street.

Thinking I misheard, I perked up my ears, and sure enough, another scream rang out.

“No, you can’t. It’s a mistake. This way is…!”

The maid was frantic, already sweating coldly.

Even from a brief listen, it was a scream from a voice hoarse beyond recognition.

“A child…?”

The voice, rough and split into several tones from overuse, was high-pitched and thin.

A child making such a monstrous cry of pain? What kind of pain could cause that?

Too shocked to move, I stood frozen as another gut-wrenching scream of agony echoed.

Anxiety washed over me.

It wasn’t the same, but I knew a similar kind of suffering.

Pushing past the maid, I hurriedly ran toward the building.

“Latieana, please… If you get caught, I’m dead.”

“Shh.”

I gestured to the maid that it was okay and tiptoed to peek into the room through the window.

Good heavens.

“Gasp!”

I covered my mouth.

It was a frail, short-haired girl.

With deep blue hair like Dante Ian’s.

The girl, who looked barely ten years old, was thrashing on a massive bed, curling up and trembling, then sobbing uncontrollably, repeating the cycle.

Five adults, who seemed to be physicians, were at her side, but they stood helpless, unable to take any action.

“Who is she? That girl?”

The maid, now peering into the room with me, whispered tearfully.

“She’s Noah Ian…”

Ian?

“The Duke’s sister?”

“Yes…”

Unable to bear looking any longer, the maid wiped tears streaming down her reddened eyes with the back of her hand and turned away.

“What happened to her?”

“I heard she went out on a beast subjugation a week ago and was attacked by a beast… Such a delicate, small person, how much must she have been hurt…”

A beast? No. That’s the side effect of using an ability!

With darkened eyes, I looked back into the room.

Disheveled hair, a face streaked with tears. A dress soaked with sweat.

Her dry, cracked lips were swollen and bloody.

She clenched her teeth to endure the pain.

Then opened her mouth wide to scream again.

The girl seemed like she’d break any moment. It was hard to watch with open eyes.

Was it because she was around the same age? In my wavering vision, I saw Edan Dietrich’s childhood overlapping with hers.

The past when Edan Dietrich, using his ability for the first time in a subjugation, suffered unbearable pain—it felt like I was seeing it.

“Where’s the entrance? I need to go inside.”

“What?”

“Hurry!”

“No, you can’t! No one is allowed in here, no matter who they are…”

“I’ll take responsibility. Just show me the way.”

That’s when it happened.

Dante Ian burst through the door, shouting.

“What are you doing! Get the potion now!”

It was a command filled with rage, as if he’d cut their throats.

The startled physicians shrank back, exchanging glances. Then the doctor with the tallest hat spoke to Dante Ian.

“With all due respect, Duke. She took a potion an hour ago.”

Dante Ian’s cold gaze, fixed on the girl, turned to the doctor.

“It’s not working! Get more!”

“She’s consumed hundreds of potions in the past week. And the potions promised by the temple haven’t arrived, so we’re short. If beasts appear in this situation, the other knights…”

“So I went out alone today to take down the beast, didn’t I? Get them all now.”

“Duke, I understand. But please think more calmly and wait…”

Dante Ian grabbed the physician’s throat.

“If it’s not enough, take mine.”

“That’s…!”

The physician trailed off. Of course, it was unthinkable.

So that’s why Dante Ian went out alone to deal with the beast today.

For his sister, even giving up his own potion.

The side effects must be severe, but was he planning to go to the temple to be healed by Ivy Violet?

“Get it.”

It was a command that sounded like coercion, a threat. Another trembling physician stepped forward.

“Duke! It’s not just the potion. Noah Ian’s body can’t handle any more…”

“Shut up.”

Dante Ian irritably released the physician’s throat.

“What do you mean, handle more in this state!”

Dante Ian pointed at Noah Ian with his eyes.

The physicians’ anxious gazes wavered uncontrollably.

He wasn’t wrong.

The sight of a small child writhing in agony, as if her breath would stop any moment, was painful to witness.

What’s worse is that the pain from an ability’s side effects never leads to death.

The physicians, knowing this, seemed to be making the most rational judgment.

Even after drinking hundreds of potions, if there was no effect, it meant recovery through potions was nearly impossible.

“Why!”

Dante Ian roughly ran his hand through his hair.

“Why aren’t the potions working!”

Meanwhile, Noah Ian began clawing at her own body.

“Uh, ugh…”

With a hoarse voice, the girl whimpered thinly, tearing at her body.

Her bloodshot, unstable eyes darted wildly.

Dante Ian, grimacing, strode over and tightly embraced Noah Ian.

“Just one day. Hold on for one day, Noah.”

…

So that’s why Dante Ian kidnapped me.

To take me to Ivy Violet and use her privileges.

That’s why he moved for Ivy Violet faster than I expected.

“Please guide me inside, quickly!”

“B-but…”

“I’ll take responsibility. Hurry!”

At my insistence, the maid, with a frightened face, led me into the building.

Even though it was right in front, we had to circle around to find the entrance.

As I took my first step into the corridor leading to the room, Dante Ian opened the door and came out.

In that short time, the cloth around his shoulders was stained with blood.

Probably Noah Ian’s blood from clawing her skin.

I stood still, staring at it, when Dante Ian noticed me.

“Latieana?”

“Let me help.”

At my abrupt words, Dante Ian furrowed his brow in disbelief.

He placed a hand on his forehead, looked down, then up at the ceiling, and finally let out a sigh.

Then, with long strides, he approached me in an instant.

“Are you going to die in her place?”

His sincere words made my hair stand on end.

As I froze in fear, Dante Ian leaned down and whispered in my ear.

“Unless you’re going to die to take away her pain, shut up and stay out of it.”