Himierd was keeping her mouth shut with an expression that suggested she didn’t know how to take Ord’s words.

If left alone, it seemed she would remain silent forever and turn into a pillar of salt. Like the foolish humans in old tales.

Ord continued speaking. His breathing became rough, mixed with small coughs, but he didn’t seem to mind.

“However, if Laila is there.”

He spoke calmly like an old man, forgetting the fact that he was referring to her by name rather than ‘witch’ or ‘Kristrad’.

“If Laila is there, Eustar’s weak points don’t need to be exposed. If Eustar is a weak castle that easily crumbles, Laila is the strongest and most sensitive weapon standing at the forefront of those castle walls.”

A sharp breath escaped between Himierd’s lips. She unconsciously clenched her fists, then suddenly remembered Ord’s severely cut hand and felt a tingling sensation behind her knees.

“Are you saying that without that witch… without Laila Kristrad, His Highness the Prince would come to harm? Then she, Kristrad… did she come here solely to be His Highness’s shield?”

Sunken eyes, yet pupils blazing with intelligence, stared fixedly at Himierd. Ord moved his parched lips slightly, then answered slowly as if confessing a painful past mistake.

“Yes, that’s right. At least, that was my intention.”

“That’s…”

Himierd, who was about to quietly object, clutched her fist again and held her forehead. In the dim room, the breastplate she wore glinted with an ominous ashen color.

“I can’t believe it.”

Himierd finally said.

“His Highness the Prince was healthy even when that witch wasn’t around. He has never once fallen ill.”

“That’s because I was there.”

Ord immediately retorted. He looked at Himierd, who still couldn’t grasp the situation, with pitying eyes and said,

“Don’t you understand? I told you I made a direct contract with the devil. In exchange for giving myself completely to the devil, I was able to become Eustar’s shield. But Himierd, I am dying soon.”

At that moment, Himierd felt her heart sink, completely unrelated to her own will.

Her lips trembling silently, she spoke.

“…What did you say?”

Ord made a subtle expression, as if watching someone who had tripped over nothing. His gaze towards Himierd sank ever so slightly, affectionately enough for only Himierd to notice.

“Why are you surprised? You wouldn’t have expected me to fully enjoy the life given to me, would you?”

It sounded like a sarcastic question, but there was no such tone in Ord’s voice. Rather, he seemed to pity Himierd. And rightly so. Himierd’s expression was distorted to the point of looking pitiful.

Yes. Himierd thought. In her heart, a small, solid part that was still maintaining composure rolled with a click, like a marble.

With each rolling trajectory, it left black traces like burnt marks, and on those traces, words that could not be ignored were engraved. Isn’t Ord’s words right, it said.

Of course, his words were not wrong. Was it just Himierd? Everyone in the royal palace, all the people of Sierou knew about Ord’s illness and the fact that he would die soon.

When Ord Hyanmorik passes away, preparations for the national funeral would be made faster than ever before, and preparations to place Eustar Hyanmorik on the throne would also be carried out without a hitch.

The noble officials of the royal palace, regardless of their rank, always held in their hearts the possibility that Ord Hyanmorik might die tomorrow, or even tonight.

But why? When Ord readily acknowledged his own limited life, Himierd felt enormous anger beyond sadness.

She wanted to say that it wasn’t true, that he could live. If necessary, she felt she could kneel before him, kiss his bony instep, and wail until he recovered.

For a long time, Ord Hyanmorik had been the cause of massive headaches for Himierd. But for an even longer time, he had also been an object of admiration as a monarch.

Even though it had been a long time since Ord fell ill, Himierd continued to believe in him. Someday he would be alright, someday…

She couldn’t let go of that foolish hope, even knowing that someday would never come.

“Yes.”

Himierd, who had been silent, finally answered in a trembling voice.

“I have never doubted that fact. But I have also never doubted the fact that you would someday rise up and overcome it. Why are you telling me this? You might as well whip me instead. You should rejoice at the sight of my flesh tearing and blood flowing. You ought to do so.”

“Why should I do that?”

Ord, wearing a cool smile, lowered his head as if tired.

“Come here and open the drawer under the side table. I don’t think I can go down to open it.”

Himierd wanted to run out, rejecting him with her whole body. But contrary to her thoughts, her body moved first.

She opened the bottom drawer attached to the bedside table. After unlocking the intricately decorated lock and pulling the handle, she saw a box wrapped in silk inside.

“Bring that box here.”

She picked up the box and carefully placed it next to Ord. She didn’t know what was inside, but it was heavy, and the box even had a more complex locking mechanism than the drawer.

Ord slowly unlocked the box with fingers like dry twigs.

When his fingertips caught on the protruding parts of the hard metal and convulsed, Himierd’s chest tightened as if hit by salt, thinking his fingers might snap.

Finally, the box opened. Inside were the royal seal, the pen used by the king to write official documents, and jewels, brooches, and rings symbolizing the royal family.

Ord took out a ring with a clear jade embedded in it and held it out to Himierd. Jade the same color as her eyes, one of the seven rings that only the king of Sierou could possess.

“Take it.”

Himierd stepped back with an expression of terror, as if he had handed her a crushed insect.

“What are you saying? I can’t accept it.”

“No, you must take it. Keep this and when Eustar returns, show it to him. It’s the only way to protect you from today’s events.”

Ord’s arm stretched out further towards Himierd. If she didn’t take it soon, it seemed his body would roll off the bed.

Himierd reflexively took the ring, but her hand trembled violently. The trembling that started at her fingertips made her shake like a person with palsy. The ring in her palm blurred and sharpened, constantly shaking.

“Why are you doing this to me?”

The moment she finally opened her mouth, unable to hold back, tears flowed down Himierd’s cheeks. Her head felt hot and her eyes felt as if they would burst.

If it weren’t for Ord’s gaze on her, Himierd might have broken the window and jumped out.

Ord quietly laughed and lowered his chin slightly. It was a habit he used to have when he was healthy, just before making a witty joke.

“You still don’t know the reason?”

Himierd’s eyes widened. Ord continued to look at her face. As if to imprint it in his eyes, to engrave it in his mind, in his soul, to never forget.

He had loved Himierd for a long time, but Himierd had given all her heart to Eustar from the beginning.

It was the same even after she married, even after she became a widow. He loved her so much that he couldn’t dare to touch her.

And it was the same for Ord as well.

“Now leave me alone.”

Ord’s body slowly tilted onto the bed as he turned his gaze away. His head touched the pillow, but it was so light that it seemed the cotton didn’t even sink.

Himierd looked down at the ring in her hand and cried until she felt dizzy.

Unable to make a sound, she shed tears silently and then left his bedroom in a daze. She thought she would never see Ord again. She vowed never to see him again.

Muge kept her eyes closed while being carried by the fairy, just as when she first appeared, to conserve her energy as much as possible.

She felt that if she could organize the unsettling energies coursing through her body even a little, her condition would improve significantly, but paradoxically, she needed her own energy to do so. In the end, staying still while exhausted was the best course of action for now.

“To the right.”

As Muge guided the way, Eustar and Laila took the lead. Generally, Eustar handled the magical beasts they encountered, while Laila supported him by creating barriers or drawing magic circles around him.

However, there were things that Eustar couldn’t handle, and ghosts were such beings.

“Kyaak! Miss!”

The fairy, who had been easily carrying Muge’s small body, suddenly screamed in a piercing voice. It happened the moment Laila roughly opened the ghost’s memories, leaving it defenseless.

Startled, Eustar jumped and turned to look at Muge.

“What’s wrong? What happened?”

Muge, who had been biting her lower lip tightly, said,

“It’s because the energy isn’t circulating properly. Hey, blue thing. Are you going to keep making a fuss? Huh? Want to get smacked?”

“Getting smacked isn’t the problem! I thought you were about to explode just now! The stagnant energy can’t escape, so you’re burning up!”

Just then, there was a bang! It was the sound of Laila slamming the ghost to the ground. She stared blankly into space for a moment, then snapped back to reality at the noise from behind.

“Muge, what’s wrong? Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. You’ve gotten better.”

Laila smiled faintly. Seeing the deep, inerasable anxiety shadowing her face, Muge said,

“There’s no need to worry so much. I’m not weak enough to explode from this level of heat.”

Laila, who had been looking down at her for a moment, said,

“May I… try to help you, Muge? I’m not sure if it will work, but there might be a way.”