As if casting a shadow, Ibi instinctively stepped back. However, Ente was faster.

With one hand, Ente wrapped around the back of Ibi’s neck, and with the other, he covered her eyes.

The snake whispered into Ibi’s ear, blocking her view.

“Take a rest for a moment. When you wake up again, I’ll show you something interesting.”

With that statement, Ibi lost consciousness.

Ibi was looking at Diess.

My butler who always looks tired but suits formal attire very well.

Ibi was genuinely glad to see him, but without being deceived, she asked.

“Diess, did you die by any chance?”

There was no response.

Did I dream? Why is this happening again? Where does it hurt?

If it were the real Diess, he would have responded with a retort, but the phantom remained silent.
Because it’s a dream.

Aware of the dream, Ibi bit her lips in agony. Then, she leaned her head on the shoulder of the Diess she had drawn.

“…Don’t die.”

The thought that he might be dead was burdensome. An unimaginable fear swept over her back like a gust of wind, causing her to shiver.

“Even if you say you’re okay, I won’t give up.”

However, Ibi gritted her teeth. It would be more comfortable to collapse, but she resisted again. As always, she fought desperately, alone in desperation.

“So somehow, stay alive. I won’t just let you die alone.”

With that murmur, Ibi raised her head. Then, she forcefully pushed away the hallucination that made her appear weak.

She disappeared like being swallowed by darkness, and Ibi, left alone in the pitch-black, began to think.

‘No matter how they are Night Clan, they’re too strong.’

Diess is strong too. Moreover, he once went hunting for the Night Clan on Rohika’s orders, although he released them himself.

So, suspecting that the maid might be a snake, she sent her out with Diess. She thought that Diess could suppress the snake.

However, what appeared at the meeting place was not Diess but the snake. So, there was no choice but to admit Diess’s defeat.

‘Not dying. Just because they are of the Night Clan doesn’t mean they’re immortal. What’s that?’

It doesn’t mean she’s uninjured. She just doesn’t die and recovers.

Recovery. Regeneration. Maybe fusion. What makes that possible? The heart? The brain? Perhaps a curse.

‘…In the end, it’s only one person’s worth of human.’

Ibi purifies. The vast lake of Tienada, called the essence of the god, and the vast amount of seawater it contains.

Compared to that, humans are nothing but a handful of dust.

After completing the calculations, Ibi recalled the feeling when she was captured by the snake.

‘It was terrifying.’

Really, it was genuinely terrifying for the first time in a long while.

Perhaps she had been too complacent all this time. To the point where her body stiffened enough to be threatened with her life.

‘But I won’t let it happen again.’

Although she handled it cautiously, fearing that she might be killed, she resisted again. As always, she fought desperately and overcame it alone.

Ibi took a deep breath, having resolved herself.

At the same time, a conversation she had with Diess not long ago came to mind.

Will you regret it?

If I regret it, I’ll be lucky.

Then?

I can’t stop. Once is difficult, but twice is easy.

Amidst this, because of the nagging Diess, Ibi smiled bitterly.

My butler, raised as a hunting dog.

A fool who failed at hunting and was abandoned by his master.

I picked you up because being in a pitiful situation like mine.

So, I will survive. If I die, you will be abandoned again.

Whether you regret or fall, that’s what comes after surviving.

The sound of rain was heard.

Frighteningly, Enthe’s voice came from beside Ibi as she realized that.

“Are you awake?”

“Yeah.”

Ibi answered reflexively, but Enthe laughed.

However, Ibi paid no attention and assessed the situation first.

She opened her eyes, but she couldn’t see anything. It felt like something was covering her eyes.
The body is sitting. A soft chair with a backrest. Wrists are tied to the armrest. However, the legs are free.

The wind is felt. Outdoors? But it’s not raining.

Tap, tap, tap. The sound of raindrops hitting and bouncing off the minerals. Thud, splash, thud. The sound of thick fabric getting wet.

There is no smell of earth. Still inside the castle, and it’s high up.

“You haven’t killed me yet.”

“I promised to show you something interesting.”

Casually muttering, Ibi responded to Enthe with a similar tone. So, Ibi naturally asked.

“Why did you pretend to be a maid?”

“Well, why did I?”

“Because you’re an X-bastard who pretends to be weak to test other people’s reactions.”

“If you know so well, why ask?”

Enthe burst into laughter at Ibi’s sarcastic remark.

The insane Night Clan turned out to be surprisingly friendly to Ibi. Their words and actions were quite polite.

So, it was even more incomprehensible. He had choked Ibi with a smiling face like that.

“Isn’t this curse so interesting?”

“I find nothing amusing about it.”

When Enthe asked with a clear smile, Ibi responded fiercely. Then, as if sighing, she added.

“You said you came to kill me. So why play such tricks instead of casting a proper curse?”

“That’s right. Originally, I planned to kill you quietly. Without anyone knowing, without knowing why you died. Then I was going to steal the corpse….”

“But?”

“My thoughts changed.”

While talking about killing her and taking her corpse, Enthe strangely remained cheerful. It was an attitude that could send shivers down one’s spine, but Ibi just chuckled.

“If you act so recklessly, the gods will be angry.”

“It’s okay. I’ve already received enough punishment.”

As Ibi narrowed her eyes at Enthe’s words, suddenly, a black cloth flowed down over her closed eyes.

“It’s time to start now.”

Ibi blinked her blurry eyes and looked around.

It was pitch dark. It was night, and sporadic lights were hung between the columns.

The place where Ibi sat was similar to the spot where high-ranking nobles sat during the purification ceremony on the tower.

A terrace in the shape of a box that allowed for a view. However, it was not ordinary. The railing was filled with rough crystals instead of smooth marble.

Crystals? No, it was salt.

“You wanted to come in here.”

Recognizing the salt, Enthe smiled and said, “It’s the most expensive show in the world.”

Ibi quietly looked down. In the brightly lit area, there was a large cage.

And inside was a neatly dressed child.

Although the form was only visible from a distance, Ibi could tell.

This place was a secret arena for watching the Night Clan.