But after doing so, they couldn’t guarantee what would happen to Askan’s life.

“No, it’s too dangerous. That’s just like putting your life on the line.”

“When weighing your life against mine, the answer is already out.”

“Askan!”

I called his name loudly. I couldn’t listen anymore because he kept making absurd remarks.

But Askan’s expression was too calm. His attitude, as if he was doing something obvious, made my heart sink.

Askan glanced at Decain and asked.

“Do you think the same as me?”

So far, Decain had been quiet.

He might not understand all the conversations between me and Askan, but he was so quickwitted that he seemed to have understood the situation.

“I don’t know how great your abilities are, but I saw you summon fire and harden your body. If you can bring in people from the Kalua Empire because of you, honestly, it’s the best method.”

“For the first time, we agree.”

Askan and Decain exchanged looks and nodded.

Seeing them seem to be planning something without me, my whole body chilled.

“What are you saying right now. Askan, are you telling me to run away using you as bait? You might die.”

Askan looked at me and smiled faintly. His faint smile hurt so much that it seemed to linger in my mind.

“I told you. I will protect you so that no one can touch a single hair of yours.”

“No. I can’t agree. I can’t guarantee my life until the end, but they won’t kill me from the Regent Empire right now, so if we buy time….”

“As I said earlier, I don’t like the slightest possibility that you might get hurt. I can’t trust my life to others more than that.”

Despite my desperate explanation, Askan did not flinch.

Contrary to my explosive emotions, all Askan did was straighten my hair, which was disheveled while riding the horse quickly.

“Don’t worry. I won’t die leaving you.”

“I can’t allow it.”

Askan said no more. He just glanced at Decain once.

Decain, with his hardfaced expression, stood up from his seat.

I had a bad feeling watching Decain approaching me.

“Don’t! Please….”

I tried to step back, but Decain was faster. The last thing I saw was him striking my neck, and my vision went black.

The last expression of Askan that remained in my eyes was peaceful, without any resentment, sorrow, or injustice.

I didn’t realize it before, but I could feel the overflowing affection for me from his gaze, and my heart welled up.

It seemed as if he was expressing that he still loves me with all his body in this moment.

So I lost consciousness without being able to say the words of telling him not to go until the end.

Decain, carrying Tanashia who had lost consciousness, turned to look at Askan.

“I ended up being the bad guy.”

It was a matter of course that Tanashia would resent Decain when she came to her senses later.

Askan smiled bitterly and answered faintly.

“Please, take her safely.”

“Even if you didn’t ask, I was going to do it. I’m a little jealous. With today’s events, you will always remain in Tanashia’s memory.”

“There’s no need to be envious. I have no intention of being remembered.”

There was no such calculation involved at all. He just didn’t want to see Tanashia get hurt again right in front of his eyes.

Even if Tanashia longed for Askan for the rest of her life, he didn’t want to be someone who only existed in her memory.

He wanted to be someone who could share warmth with her. To eat together, walk together, and have conversations, he longed for such a daily life.

Shortly thereafter, Askan mounted the horse with an unconscious Tanashia and said,

“It might sound a bit brutal, but buy as much time as we can to escape.”

Askan nodded without a moment’s hesitation and replied,

“Gladly.”

With that, the horse carrying Askan and Tanashia sped off.

Askan watched Tanashia get further away before he turned his head.

Her safety was entirely in his hands at that moment. He couldn’t put her in danger with pointless sentimentality.

A flame erupted around Askan.

At the moment, it was his limit to create without losing his sanity.

“Heave.”

With a short breath, he closed his eyes and opened them again. Then, a red light circled in his golden iris for a moment.

The number of flames created in midair increased to two, three, four.

Along with it, Askan felt his sanity slowly blurring.

As he released the power within his body, all that was left was a primal instinct to destroy everything. It was a feeling he had become familiar with through several experiences.

‘I wanted to give her a ring as good as the magic stone.’

It hurt him to see Tanashia happy to receive a magic stone ring from Olland.

Tanashia, feeling happy, said she wanted to give Askan something, but he felt bitter, not happy, that he could not give such a gift.

If he could, he wanted to gather all the precious and good things in the world and give them to her.

But he had nothing to give. There was nothing he owned that would suit the noble her.

With that, he had dared to harbor feelings for Tanashia with nothing of his own.

What’s so difficult about it? Just say what you want.

Can we kiss?

What he wanted was only Tanashia.

The only being Askan had longed and wished for since he was born was her.

When she answered his lustful request with a kiss, Askan felt overwhelmingly happy, as if he owned the whole world.

Listen when people speak. I said I wouldn’t regret it. It’s just embarrassing.

When Tanashia looked at Askan with a redhot face, he prayed he would be the only one in the world to see this face.

He thought she might find their short kiss disgusting.

He thought she might get angry, saying he had dared to overstep like Dekein, a being he shouldn’t have dared to overstep.

Despite his worries, Tanashia never once mentioned that he was a lowly slave.

She just looked at him lovingly with a red face.

‘…how could I not fall in love?’

Tanashia said she would teach him how to enjoy life, but thinking about it now, that was wrong.

Tanashia taught him how to live a life without her.

It felt like the whole world revolved around her. As if she was the only one shining.

And thus, she became his world, everything to him.

BOOM!

A tree in the forest fell on one side, set on fire by the flames Askan had created.

Because the fire he created wouldn’t go out, it would turn everything around it into ashes.

‘Looking back, I’m fortunate.’

Askan couldn’t give her an expensive magic stone ring like Olland, but there was one thing only he could do.

For the first time, he was thankful for this cursed ability.

Many nights spent in the lab, he cursed the world. Why he had to be trapped here unlike ordinary people. He never wanted this ability.

It felt like all the times he had suffered were for this moment.

Shush! Shush! Squeak!

Many arrows were shot at Askan, but they could not pierce his body, which had become hard as steel.

With Askan’s small gesture, the flames burned more fiercely.

Until Tanashia safely escaped from here, he did not intend to let a single soldier of the Lagent Empire live.

‘I am truly happy to be able to risk my life for you.’