“There’s not a single person around.”
Judas said as he looked around.
Beside him, Eliya was walking hand in hand with him.
“Everyone who was supposed to die is dead, and those who could escape have all fled.”
The two had arrived at the Bevel family’s mansion.
That mansion was used by Balak and Narcissi, their five direct descendants.
In Judas’s mind, this place resembled more of a castle than a mansion.
The size was extraordinary.
So much so that it took a few minutes to run from the main entrance to the central building.
“It feels like a ghost might come out.”
“Don’t worry. I’m here.”
Judas felt reassured by her presence, but he also found his situation a bit strange.
‘…Am I not the knight protecting her?’
It seemed like their roles kept shifting.
However, given that Eliya was indeed stronger than him, he had nothing to say.
And she wasn’t just strong; she was overwhelmingly powerful.
Eliya’s reason for being here was simple.
The black key she had taken from Balak’s possession.
She wanted to find out what it was for.
Balak had tried to retrieve that key before his death.
There might be hidden tricks he hadn’t anticipated.
The reason she brought Judas along was simply that he had to follow her wherever she went.
This was not a place she wished to stay in for long.
It was filled with unpleasant memories.
Just being back here threatened to bring her mood down, but she didn’t feel that way with Judas by her side.
Still, she wanted to confirm her purpose and leave as soon as possible.
The largest building in the central area was the main mansion.
Right next to it was Balak’s Magic Research Lab.
“That’s the building. Balak’s personal magic research lab. There has to be something in there that we can use this key on.”
It was just a guess, but it was the most likely possibility.
They headed straight into the research lab.
The inside was a complete mess.
Books and flasks were scattered everywhere, and some furniture was broken.
It seemed like the fleeing people had stolen all the valuable items.
Eliya had even sent soldiers to gather spoils in the past.
“I hope they didn’t touch anything useful for this key.”
Eliya decided to check the drawers first.
Judas agreed with her.
The two wandered around the spacious lab, checking every drawer with a keyhole.
However, there was no matching hole to be found.
They even tried to force open locked drawers, but there was nothing impressive inside either.
“There has to be something….”
If it wasn’t in the drawers, there must be something else.
But was there anything else to put the key into besides the drawers?
Eliya decided to change her search direction.
“There might be a secret door or something. Judas, come behind me and hug me.”
“Uh? Oh, okay.”
For reasons he didn’t understand, Judas complied without hesitation.
Eliya smiled as she felt the warm embrace surrounding her and cast a spell.
She created wind centered around herself.
The gentle magic spread throughout the room.
Eliya carefully read the flow of the wind that she manifested with magic.
“…Found it.”
Among them, several strands of wind flowed in a completely different direction.
To the naked eye, it looked like a flat wall blocking the way.
“…But why did you want me to hug you?”
“I just felt like it.”
Truthfully, it was because she was worried that if Judas stood apart from her, the wind flow would be disturbed.
But since it felt nice to be embraced, she said it that way.
“…Ah?”
Judas didn’t quite get it, but since he was okay with it, he decided to let it slide.
Eliya approached the wall where the wind seemed to be escaping.
Thud. It echoed when she knocked. There was space beyond.
“I think this is a door.”
“Should we try to force it open?”
“No, if it’s been hidden this thoroughly, there might be some traps set up.”
“Got it.”
Unlike the simple-minded Judas, Eliya decided to proceed cautiously.
She pulled various books from the bookshelf beside her.
Behind it was a hidden keyhole.
She inserted the black key that Balak had left behind.
It fit perfectly.
After she inserted and turned it—
Click.
The wall rotated and opened.
“Whoa….”
While Judas marveled at the sight, Eliya observed the area around the entrance.
Fortunately, there were no magical traps.
Beyond the door was a straight corridor.
It was dark and narrow, allowing barely enough space for a single person to pass.
“I’ll go first.”
“But….”
“Can you detect and disable magical traps ahead of time?”
“I’m sorry for being useless.”
“It’s okay. Just being by my side is helpful.”
With Eliya leading the way, Judas followed her down the dark path.
The deeper they went, the more puzzled Eliya became.
What on earth was this place built for?
There were no signs of magical traps, even for a hidden location.
At the end of the corridor, there was a door.
It wasn’t locked.
Opening it reveals a small space.
It looked like a tiny study.
The walls were lined with bookshelves filled to the brim with books.
As if the shelves weren’t enough, piles of books were also on the floor.
A thin layer of dust lay on top of them.
‘This place looks like it hasn’t been touched at all….’
Most of the books Eliya recognized.
They dealt with magic theory and practice.
Starting from the basics, through to advanced stages.
The ones piled on the floor and strewn across the desk seemed to be books read recently.
They were primarily about creating and merging magic.
‘What was he trying to create?’
Noticing some notebooks, Eliya randomly picked one up and opened it.
It had neatly recorded traces of researching new magic.
Changes in practical implementation through variations of magical shapes.
Creativity starting from change, and so on.
‘…What kind of magic is this?’
It was a type Eliya had never seen before.
All of the notebooks were filled with such attempts and studies.
‘He seems to have been experimenting with creating some magic….’
Other notebooks weren’t much different.
‘What kind of magic was he trying to create? It seems like targeting magic that only activates on specific subjects… But it’s too complicated for a wizard to use directly. It’d be different for me, though. Anyway, it seems Balak wanted to implement this as an artifact.’
The resulting artifact was easily found.
It was sitting right on top of the desk.
A necklace.
It was the only item in this space emitting magical waves.
Something that had caught her eye since she entered.
When Judas reached out to touch it, Eliya grabbed his hand and stopped him.
“I’ll touch it first. It might be dangerous.”
“Uh….”
Judas felt oddly like a reckless child.
Eliya hid him behind her and reached for the necklace.
‘It’s not a type of trap. The magic engraved on it is definitely targeting an external object that satisfies certain conditions… At the very least, it poses no threat to me, Judas, or my allies.’
She first put the necklace away and continued her investigation.
After examining the study more, there were no meaningful clues.
Ultimately, they couldn’t figure out why Balak had tried to retrieve the key leading here just before his death.
‘Was my assumption about him trying to take out the key just a mistake? That can’t be….’
If it didn’t hold significant importance, he wouldn’t have kept it so meticulously.
Regardless, they had no more information to gather here.
“It’s a shame, but there’s no clue…. Let’s head back.”
The two came outside, holding hands.
They could have teleported back, but Eliya chose not to.
She wanted to walk with Judas.
While with him, she momentarily forgot that this place was the Bevel family mansion.
Exiting the research lab brought them back to the mansion grounds.
What was once a luxurious place had now fallen to ruins.
The sight of chaos was strangely pleasing to her.
As they walked side by side, Judas spoke first.
“Did you find something?”
“I did, but I still don’t know what Balak was trying to do back then. Since there’s no clue left behind, I’m going to turn back. Maybe I’ll find something while researching this necklace.”
“I see. What will you do next?”
Eliya’s goal was to wipe out the Bevel family.
She had intended to strike at the Empire that dared to disturb her.
But her thoughts had changed recently.
Spending time with Judas seemed more beneficial.
“First, I’ll check what the Empire has to say. If negotiations break down… it’ll be troublesome, but I’ll have to fight.”
However, she still planned to respond if the opponent refused to avoid confrontation.
She didn’t want to leave any hostile enemies intact.
“And also, if possible, I also want to take down the Assassin Guild.”
“…The Assassin Guild?”
“Yes. Even though it was an assassination contract, they were the ones who killed my mother.”
Judas tensed up without realizing.
He was part of the Assassin Guild in the past, though he couldn’t remember it now.
Would Eliya understand if he mentioned it?
She must consider them her arch-enemies for killing her mother.
He wasn’t sure.
Even though he hadn’t carried out any assassinations, he was merely affiliated with them.
However, stepping in could allow him to help Eliya achieve her goal.
“I want to at least find the person who killed my mother. Holding the entire organization accountable is unreasonable and too difficult.”
That much he might be able to help with.
Even if it meant risking his safety.
Eliya looked at the suddenly serious Judas beside her.
It was a complex mix of emotions.
The unpleasant and difficult memories filling this space contrasted sharply with the presence of his world, and that felt very strange.
It felt like two incompatible elements were merging, but she didn’t dislike it.
Just walking with him made her feel like the unpleasant memories were slowly peeling away.
Her only color.
The light radiating from Judas slowly pushed back the dark ink of her past.
“Want me to tell you a story from the past?”
Eliya suddenly asked.
In truth, it was something she wanted to do, but she felt shy and hesitated to just state it outright.
She wondered if he might not want to hear it.
“A story from the past? Is it about when you lived here, miss?”
“Yes, yes.”
“Of course, I’d like to hear it.”
As his agreement came, Eliya beamed.
Though it was nothing special, his affirmative response was simply pleasant to hear.
“See over there?”
Eliya pointed to a corner of the estate.
“That… what building is that?”
“Yes, yes. That’s where I lived when I was here.”
“…It doesn’t look like a building someone would actually live in.”
From his perspective, the small, low building seemed more fitting as a storage shed.
It looked so small that one could barely imagine winter winds seeping in.
Though it was cold, it was hard to picture the grandeur of its heyday now.
However, it was certain that while the building looked unremarkable now, it probably was just as rickety back then.
It seemed out of place, like a lonely picture in the background.
But Eliya simply smiled.
“That’s right. It wasn’t used as a living space. It was a storeroom or sometimes even a makeshift prison when the dungeon was full or used for torture.”
“…….”
“Then, about ten years ago, after I came here, it became my home.”
Judas couldn’t bring himself to say anything.
He wanted to express some form of empathy or consolation.
But he couldn’t even begin to imagine the pain and isolation she had endured, so he kept silent.
Any premature empathy would only be selfish.
Instead, he held her hand tighter.
That alone was enough for Eliya to feel comforted.
“And over there is the study. When I was having lessons with the tutor, I had to walk there. When learning etiquette, I had to move to the main building in the center.”
For a child to walk that far, it was quite a distance.
Eliya cast her thoughts over the landscape of her past.
It had been horrendously painful.
At that time, she hadn’t even known her mother was dead.
She believed her mother would eventually return and take her away.
She prayed every night.
Not knowing it was a prayer she could never reach.
“Long ago, you know, I once lost a doll. Back then, I was carrying around a teddy bear.”
Judas glanced at Eliya’s arms.
She was hugging a cat plushie with her other arm.
‘…She must have been cute back then too.’
He imagined her with a teddy bear and thought that too was quite adorable.
“My mother had given it to me as a last gift, but it suddenly disappeared, and I was frantic. I searched the entire estate until dawn, only to find out later that Aghan had stolen it and hidden it.”
“…….”
“As I wandered through this wide place until my feet hurt, no one helped me. No one even bothered to try.”
At that time, Balak was aware Eliya was wandering around.
Eliya too had hope for his intervention but he never intervened.
Because if Balak intervened, it would destroy the intended imbalance.
Back then, Eliya resented Balak.
Now she almost felt grateful for it.
Because he was so cruel, he could kill her without hesitation or remorse.
“At that moment, I realized. Ah, there is not a single ally in this vast world. In the end, one has to stand alone.”
She had allies, but they were gone.
But that was a thought she decided not to voice.
What she wished to communicate wasn’t that.
“But then, it turns out I wasn’t completely alone.”
Eliya looked at Judas and smiled softly.
Her only color.
The very man who was the essence of her world.
She was always ready to show him her unembellished face.
“Do you remember what I mentioned before? That all the insults directed at me are just like leaves piling up.”
“I remember.”
“The leaves piled up in the yard can just be swept away. But leaves piling up in the heart just linger.”
“And you cleared away those leaves.”
A warm visitor to the cage.
Anemone.
And the fireflies.
The child who threw out the leaves that couldn’t be cleaned away.
That origin was right in front of her.
Her heart filled with him.
Eliya leaned into him.
Like how the moon fell onto her before, this time she approached him.
A sense of fulfillment filled her heart like she was embracing the entire universe.
Always, there was an existence willing to open its arms for her.
She smiled at him.
With words resonating, filling the vast empty space.
“Thank you for coming to me.”
Had he not come, had they not collided,
The anemones in the cage would never bloom, and she wouldn’t have experienced this heart-pounding emotion.
As Judas smiled at her bright expression, he came to a realization.
Right now, she was burying the bad memories with him.
Since she couldn’t erase the scars left in her heart, she was painting anew with him.
Judas willingly wanted to be her color and brush.
He hugged her tightly.
After all, he had received a lot from her too.
It wasn’t just material things like food and shelter.
Before he knew it, Eliya had colored his world, and now it revolved around her.
The small warmth nestled thoroughly in his embrace.
Small, warm, and precious.
It fitted perfectly, as if it was prepared just for him.
Judas silently held her.
Until the memory of this place melted enough in his warmth.
Just quietly.
Then Eliya slowly lifted her head.
Naturally wrapping her arms around Judas’s neck, she stood on her tiptoes.
In the desolate ruins with no interruptions, they approached the moment they had been waiting for.
Judas gently leaned down, tilting his head slightly.
The moment felt like flower petals were falling, moving at an incredibly slow pace.
They slowly layered over each other.
The soft touch of their lips made no sound.
They simply connected in peaceful silence.
As slow as it was, the warmth and feel of their skin became clearer.
Warm, soft, and moist. The closer they got, the stronger the scent of each other became.
They shared a breath for a moment.
Pulling away from their lips was as slow as the moment they touched.
When Judas opened his eyes, he saw Eliya was crying.
Tears flowed from the corners of her eyes.
Yet her lips were curving into a bright smile, expressing immense happiness.
Judas held her tightly without saying a word.
It wasn’t a moment that needed words.
Language is merely a means to convey thoughts and feelings.
If hearts were connected, language only gets in the way.
Matching heartbeats.
Breaths exchanged.
Shared warmth.
The lingering heat on each other’s lips.
That was enough for their hearts to reach one another.
In the embrace of the universe, Eliya smiled and shed tears.
Although her life felt like dust cast into the void, he willingly held her.
Even if she was the moon shining because of herself, that little rising light was enough to illuminate the entire universe.
In the vast estate, where only the two of them were present,
In the desolate Bevel mansion, they felt as if their world was filled only with each other.
Before they realized, the unpleasant memories of Eliya in this place had vanished as if burned away.
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