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

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

“…Why are you so sure?”

“Because there’s a reason I absolutely must not fail.”

Dante moistened his lips with water and continued speaking.

“So let me ask you this. I heard you’re like family with the Grand Saint, so why are you trying to run away? Don’t you want to see her?”

“…”

There it is again. Talking about being like family.

The thought of Ivy made my skin crawl.

Dante really believed that Ivy was looking for me out of concern.

But surely he must know that saint candidates are dying in the temple.

No, perhaps he thinks the same as Hillstain.

Outwardly kind, but with unknown inner thoughts.

They’re just trying to deliver me to obtain privileges. Whether I become a mummy or not is of no concern to them.

Such lack of empathy!

Instead of answering, I stabbed at the salad with my fork. And soon our conversation was cut short.

“Duke.”

It was because his subordinate had arrived.

“What is it.”

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

“It’s alright. Report.”

At those words, the subordinate bowed his head.

“Demons, sir.”

Demons? I looked outside.

The morning sun was blazing down on the desert.

I thought demons usually came out at midnight, but at this hour?

“Let’s go.”

“How should we assemble?”

“We’ll go with the minimum.”

“Yes, understood.”

Dante wiped his mouth with a napkin and stood up.

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

I stared at Dante’s food.

For having neatly cut up the steak, a lot remained. I turned my head to watch his retreating back as he left through the door.

He’s one of the most powerful ability users in the empire. So I know it’s strange to think this, but Dante’s back looked a bit tired.

Night in the desert city began early.

The sun that had burned as if it would never disappear during the day set much earlier than in the east.

So even when night fell, I just couldn’t fall asleep.

I quietly slipped out of the room. As soon as I came out, a black silhouette swooped in.

“Eek!”

Trying to hold back a scream, a strange sound came out.

“Where are you going?”

It was the black-haired woman with pigtails I’d met in the morning.

“I’d like to take a walk… is that not allowed?”

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

“Thank you.”

I’d heard the desert was very cold, but maybe because we were inside the city walls, the temperature was just right.

“You must have been bored all day since the duke suddenly left.”

“Ah. About that, do demons normally come out during the day in the desert?”

“Yes. Very rarely. Usually they come out at night, but demons nearing the end of their lifespan can sometimes do that.”

“Hmm.”

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

It was fortunate that there weren’t as many demons as in the north.

It’s just a matter of steadily dealing with the demons that appear. Though that means he’d need a steady supply of healing power as well.

“Oh, I’m sorry. We can’t go this way. Let’s take another route.”

As we were winding through the streets, the maid suddenly blocked the path with a pale face.

“Why? Is it private property?”

And then a sound of tearing pain came from the building across the way.

Thinking I must have heard wrong, I pricked up my ears, but sure enough there was a scream.

“Ah, no. It’s a mistake. This way is…!”

The maid fidgeted anxiously, already breaking out in a cold sweat.

Even at a glance, it was a scream hoarse from overuse.

‘A child…?’

Though hoarse and split into three or four strands, it was a thin, high-pitched voice.

A child making such a monstrous sound of pain? What could be hurting so badly?

As I stood still in shock, another agonized scream like someone vomiting their insides rang out.

Anxiety swept over me.

Though not exactly the same, I knew a similar kind of torment.

Leaving the maid behind, I rushed toward the building.

“La-Lady Latieana… We’ll be in big trouble if we’re caught. I’ll be killed.”

“Shh.”

I gestured to the maid that it was alright and stood on tiptoe to peer into the room through the window.

Oh my god.

“Hup!”

I covered my mouth.

It was a frail girl with short hair.

With the same deep blue hair as Dante.

The girl, who looked to be about 10 years old at most, was alternating between thrashing on the huge bed, curling up and shaking violently, and sobbing loudly.

There were five adults who looked like doctors by her side, but they were unable to take any action and had given up.

“Who is that? That child?”

The maid, who was now looking into the room with me, whispered tearfully.

“It’s Lady Noah Ian…”

Ian, that means.

“Is she the duke’s sister?”

“Yes…”

As if unable to watch anymore, the maid turned away, wiping the tears flowing from her reddened eyes with the back of her hand.

“What happened?”

“I heard she went out to subdue demons a week ago and was attacked by one… That small, delicate person, who knows how badly she was injured…”

Demons? No. This is the side effect of using an ability!

I looked into the room again with darkened eyes.

Disheveled hair, face covered in tears. The dress soaked with sweat.

Her dry, chapped lips were swollen and bloody.

Gritting her teeth trying to bear the pain somehow.

Then opening her mouth wide and screaming again.

The child looked like she would break at any moment. It was almost unbearable to watch.

Maybe because we were about the same age. In my wavering vision, Edan’s childhood overlapped.

It was like seeing that past when Edan first went out to fight and suffered near-death pain from using his ability.

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

“What?”

“Hurry!”

“Ah, no! This place is absolutely off-limits to anyone…”

“I’ll take responsibility. Quickly, show me!”

That’s when it happened.

Dante burst in through the door and shouted.

“What are you doing! Bring the potion immediately!”

It was an angry command as if he would cut their throats right then and there.

The doctors flinched and hunched their shoulders, then looked at each other. Then the doctor wearing the tallest, longest hat spoke to Dante.

“Forgive my impudence, Duke. But she already took the medicine an hour ago.”

Dante’s cold gaze, which had been on the child, turned to the doctor.

“It’s not working! Bring more!”

“In the past week, Lady Noah has drunk hundreds of bottles of potion. And we’re short on supply since the potions promised from the temple haven’t arrived yet. If demons appear in this situation, the other knights…”

“Isn’t that why I went and dealt with the demons alone in place of the other ability users? Bring everything now.”

“Duke, I understand. But it would be better to think calmly and wait a little longer…”

Dante grabbed the doctor by the throat.

“If there’s not enough, bring mine.”

“That’s…!”

The doctor trailed off. Of course that was unacceptable.

So this was why Dante had gone alone to deal with the demons earlier.

Even his own potions for his sister.

The side effects must be severe, but he was probably planning to go to the temple and be healed by Ivy anyway.

“Bring it.”

It was an order that sounded like coercion, a threat. Finally, another trembling doctor spoke up.

“Duke! It’s not just a matter of potions. Lady Noah’s body can’t take any more…”

“Shut up.”

Dante irritably released the doctor’s neck he had been gripping.

“What more do you expect her to endure in this state!”

Dante gestured toward Noah with his eyes.

The doctors’ anxious eyes shook uncontrollably.

He’s not wrong.

The sight of the small child writhing in agony as if about to die at any moment was painful just to watch.

What was worse was knowing that the pain from ability side effects never actually leads to death.

The doctors seemed to have made the most rational judgment possible, knowing this.

The fact that hundreds of potion bottles had no effect meant it was difficult to expect recovery from potions anymore.

“Why!”

Dante roughly ran his hand through his hair.

“Why isn’t the potion working!”

Meanwhile, Noah had started scratching at her own body.

“Uu, uugh…”

The child whimpered in a hoarse voice as she clawed at herself all over.

Her bloodshot eyes wandered aimlessly, unstable and erratic.

Dante’s face contorted as he strode over and embraced Noah tightly.

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

…

So this was why Dante had kidnapped me.

He was planning to take me to Ivy and use the privilege.

That’s why he. He moved for Ivy’s sake sooner than expected.

“Please guide me inside, quickly!”

“B-but…”

“I’ll take responsibility. Hurry!”

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

Even though the building was right in front of us, we had to go around in circles before finding the entrance.

Just as I set foot in the hallway leading to the room, Dante was coming out through the door.

In that short time, blood had stained the cloth covering his shoulders.

It must be Noah’s blood from clawing at herself.

As I stood there staring at it, Dante noticed me.

“Latieana?”

“Please let me help.”

At my sudden words, Dante frowned as if dumbfounded.

He put his hand to his forehead and lowered his head, then looked up at the ceiling, and finally sighed.

Then he strode over to me in one long step.

“Are you going to die in her place?”

My whole body bristled at those words spoken in all seriousness.

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

“Unless you’re going to die and take away that child’s pain, shut up and stay put.”