Chapter 300: Name (1)
─Thump!
My heart was pounding. The demonic dark energy that circulated through my body amplified all of my characteristics, and my Vision caught the Cannibal. He was staring at me, growling and coveting my flesh. The dark-red eyes of a ferocious beast, moving through mist. This was an ancient demon that ate countless people over the years.
However, killing him was surprisingly simple. As the saying goes, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ By this principle, the demon could be destroyed.
…This was my reasoning. After that, I moved by instinct.
The gushing energy stirred up hatred in my mind, and the bloodline of Yukline urged me to kill. At this moment, even my mental power, which had reached its peak, was only controlling my ability to identify who was a foe. No, I was refusing to control myself.
Whooooosh-!
First, I observed him with the Vision. I grasped his location and immediately released all the dark energy in my body to freeze him.
…And.
—Craaash.
There was the sound of something breaking. The very next moment, a torrent of dark energy flowed into my mouth. It wasn’t human… but it had the taste of something alive.
Crack—!
I swallowed part of him.
─!
He struggled in my body. However, I didn’t care. It was nothing more than a lump of dark energy running wild, so all I had to do was to digest it. The process continued smoothly.
—!
Bit.
—!
By.
—!
Bit.
The further I digested him, the more the struggling decreased, and my vision blackened. I couldn’t see anything. I couldn’t even think. Just anger, rage beyond my limits, violently emanated from the Yukline heart.
Whoooosh-!
The dark energy swirling inside my body leaked outside. My heartbeat was loud as if it would break, and my veins bulged.
…I was getting hungry. This simple desire I felt was probably from the Cannibal. He stirred up these desires and urged me to eat.
…I was hungry.
Crack—!
An eerie sound reached my ears, probably from the slaughter I committed.
“Ugh… aaaahhh…”
Faint screams drifted into my ears.
—Professor! Professor!
At the same time, someone cried out.
—Professor, I mean, Deculein!
However, the hunger inside my body was still there, and I was still looking for food.
…I was getting even more hungry.
Then I barely realized this wasn’t Cannibal’s desire. He had already been devoured by me, but the demon’s explosion of dark energy was…
—…Woojin.
…Time slowed. All sound disappeared.
That name being called stopped my heart. It was nothing but a hallucination…
* * *
…It was a fleeting moment. It took probably less than a minute. That was the time it took for Deculein to completely consume the man-eating demon.
“…”
Lia watched Deculein silently. Now he was lying on the ground; the veins pushed up against the surface of his skin a dark red.
“…Count. Are you okay?”
Lia asked. There was no answer from Deculein, but…
“Ahh, ahhhh—!”
Someone else screamed.
“…Someone call a doctor, a doctor!”
It was Bell. Caught by Deculein’s explosion, his arm and leg were torn away.
Of course, no one could help him. Even Bell’s lieutenant was sneaking away from him.
“…He was more like a demon than the demon.”
Lucy said while looking at Deculein. Even she seemed a little frightened.
“How could a human eat a demon?”
Deculein froze the man-eating demon to shape it and swallowed it. It was truly a dreamlike sight. Not a good dream, but a nightmare.
A real nightmare.
“W-We should get a doctor—!”
“You’re so noisy.”
Lia cast Silence. Meanwhile, Lucy looked down at Deculein. She seemed to be pondering something.
“…Don’t you dare consider any weird thoughts. I will protect him.”
Lia, noticing her suspicious look, opened her arms and warmed up her mana. Lucy grinned.
“I’m not. I’m just curious.”
“About what?”
“What does the word that calmed Deculein down mean? Wugin?”
“…”
Lia flinched. Kim Woojin. Korean names were quite unfamiliar in this world, so it seemed like they would understand it as a word rather than a name.
“…It’s nothing.”
Lia looked around, then glanced to Deculein again. He was still knocked out cold… was the ancient demon too much for him? No, even if it wasn’t too much, the way he killed it put too much strain on him.
Anyway.
“…”
Lia watched Deculein. His sleepy face looked like Woojin’s…
Slap-!
Lia clapped herself on the cheeks, shocking herself back to her senses.
“Sir. Are you okay?”
Deculein was not Woojin. It must have been purely coincidental that he responded to her call.
“…Count?”
Lia called to Deculein and put her hand on his forehead—
“Ahhhhhhhh!”
—He grabbed her wrist.
Deculein’s eyes shot open.
“Y-You scared me!”
* * *
…In the Time sanctuary, Sophien was reading a diary.
Rustle- Rustle-
She was turning the pages one by one, letting the words fall across her heart like pure snow.
[…Professor Deculein has always been there for me.
My father broke my body, but the Professor took my mistake as if it was his. He made me hate him so that I wouldn’t get hurt. He had to bear the hatred by himself.]
Each line contained Julie’s sincere heart and all the sacrifices and devotion that Deculein showed Julie.
[I didn’t know he was someone like that. Maybe I knew, but I denied it. Therefore, I am giving up on myself because I am a human being full of sins, errors, and misunderstandings. Trying to run away without overcoming them is what I can do for the Professor’s sake.]
The diary was cold, holding spots of frost here and there. Probably, it was from Julie’s tears.
[When I open my eyes, I will forget, but I want to remember at least this.]
Sophien’s red eyes sank low.
[I still want to be a knight. However, my master is only Deculein…]
…This much.
Thud-.
Sophien closed the diary. She lowered her head and placed her hand on her chin, then looked at Julie in the cylinder.
“…I envy you. I can’t help but be envious.”
A love that even the Emperor would never receive. Julie, who took it without knowing it, gave away her life.
“…And I pity you.”
Sophien loosened her grip on her sword.
Clank—
The back of the sword touched the barrel and slid off.
—Are you going to leave her like this?
Keiron asked.
“If Julie dies, the Professor will be sad.”
—Yes. That’s right.
Sad Deculein. She had never seen him sad before, but that was why she didn’t even want to imagine it. Even the thought of it was painful.
“…Keiron.”
Sophien placed Keiron on the table. He stood atop Julie’s diary in his miniature form.
—Yes.
“It is unfair.”
She sighed.
“Deculein is trying to protect Julie with his life. He values Julie more than me… but I’m worried that Deculein will be sad.”
She was the one who intended to kill Julie to have Deculein. However, she was afraid Deculein would grieve Julie’s death.
“It is extremely unfair.”
—No.
It was the first time Keiron denied her so sharply. Sophien’s eyes narrowed.
“What?”
—It’s not unfair.
Before she could ask what he meant, Keiron lowered his head and said.
—Your Majesty. Deculein has already given his life to Your Majesty.
“…”
—He always dedicated himself.
Sophien stared at Keiron, asking what he meant with her gaze.
—Your Majesty. Deculein’s heart is wounded. Even his body cannot recover from the scars he’s endured.
“What-“
—Your Majesty is doomed to kill the one you love.
As the Emperor’s knight, he couldn’t normally dare say such a thing. But Keiron had been waiting and waiting for this moment.
“…Keiron.”
Sophien was the most human now. Keiron couldn’t miss this golden opportunity. As her protector, he must not miss it.
“Do you want to die?”
—Your Majesty, you definitely… tried to kill Deculein.
“…”
—Your Majesty’s love stirred up within yourself the urge to kill. Your Majesty was born that way from the very beginning.
The proof was in Keiron’s eyes. Sophien realized it too; the Emperor’s knight never lied to the Emperor.
—So Your Majesty has tried to kill Deculein not once, not twice, not three times, not four times… more than that.
Keiron met Sophien head on.
—Deculein has always served Your Majesty regardless. He didn’t run away. He only endured.
Sophien’s unconscious attempts to kill Deculein. Even at moments, he could be killed if he made even the slightest mistake; Deculein always resolutely returned to Sophien…
—Also, at night when Your Majesty was exhausted, he came to visit and held you in his arms. Enduring Your Majesty’s nails driving into his heart.
“…”
Some mornings when she felt so strangely refreshed. Then, on all those days, Deculein…
—Your Majesty. Deculein is that kind of person even if Your Majesty humiliates him or even if you try to kill Julie here.
“…”
—He is always giving his life to Your Majesty, only for you.
Sophien closed her eyes for a moment. For some reason, Keiron’s words felt like they were pounding on her temples.
“…Do you mean that Deculein knows? That I’m trying to kill Julie…”
—Yes.
“…You’ve been communicating secretly, Keiron. With Deculein.”
The Emperor’s knight said nothing. So it was true.
—Your Majesty.
“…”
Sophien clenched her teeth and set her jaw.
—Tell me Your Majesty’s feelings.
“…Feelings?”
—Yes. What you are feeling right now.
Keiron’s question was ridiculous, and it was so ridiculous she struggled to speak. Sophien looked at him, anger in her mouth…
—Your Majesty. You are shedding tears right now.
His words stopped her.
Drip-
Something warm and wet rolled down her cheek.
Drip-
Sophien stared at the droplet that hit the ground.
Drip-
A tear. She didn’t even have to ask whose it was.
Her own.
Drip-
Sophien’s emotions flowed freely out of her.
Drip-
Tears for the first time in her life.
Drip-
Sophien forced out her trembling voice.
“…I can’t figure it out.”
…She answered Keiron’s question.
“These feelings.”
She couldn’t figure it out. She couldn’t understand this feeling shaking her heart.
“But one thing is certain….”
She looked to Julie again. This knight had fallen into a deep sleep and was shifting her time.
Sophien’s sword lay atop her container. The sword she brought to kill.
“…I don’t want the Professor to be sad.”
Sophien had no way of knowing her feelings like this.
“I want him to be happy.”
The emperor was a being who could have everything. There was nothing she couldn’t have or take.
“Even if the one he loves is not me… it’s okay.”
Sophien was confused with herself, saying that it was okay even if she couldn’t have him. Rather, she smiled, relieved despite her confusion.
“Okay. If the Professor becomes happy… I will have no regrets even if I drown in this feeling.”
Was this love? Was love only wishing for the happiness of the one you loved? Was it okay if she wasn’t included in that happiness?
“That is my feeling…”
In that instant-
Sophien’s brain was filled with pain. It felt as though her skull were being pried open, but at the same time, she felt liberated.
“…”
Sophien accepted the pain and her new feelings.