Chapter 126

Kinaine had a long dream.

In his dream, he was a prince beloved by all, then a mercenary who alone survived a battle with magical beasts, a dragon's bride candidate, and also an evil black mage.

Fragments of memories were jumbled together, and eventually he even forgot that this was a dream.

Now Kinaine was at the village prayer house.

'Wait, wasn't this destroyed?'

For a moment, the image of the devastated prayer house flashed before his eyes. What was this? When he shook his head, the vision that had just flickered disappeared.

Kinaine, who strangely quickly forgot the doubt he had felt, opened his mouth as he offered a gold button before the divine statue.

"Please accept this and grant my wish this time too."

At that moment, another strange feeling came over him.

'I feel like I've said these exact words before.'

The sense of déjà vu became increasingly clear. He knew what was going to happen next.

Now the old caretaker who built the prayer house would chide him. He would converse with the caretaker, then head to the forest, and there...

The thought ended there. The old man's voice that he had expected to follow didn't come.

Instead, a hand reached from behind and took the gold button.

Kinaine's gaze lingered on the white, straight hand without a single scar. Though it was just a hand, it could only be described as perfect. Like that of a sculpture modeled after a god's form.

"Your wish will be granted."

A soft voice was heard.

Just as he was about to turn his head to look at the face.

"Hah!"

Kinaine woke from his sleep.

Piiiiing– a ringing sound reverberated in his ears.

"Ugh."

Kinaine groaned softly and tried to cover his ears. Or rather, he tried to. But his hands wouldn't move. Belatedly, he realized he was lying on a cold floor with his wrists and ankles bound by something.

As he swallowed his groan, the ringing gradually subsided.

'What happened?'

His last memory was using black magic on the magical beast that was charging toward Tiron and Jane. Since his body had been switched with Hasan's, it was the first time he had willingly used black magic to destroy something.

The moment he invoked the curse, he felt a coldness as if all the blood in his body had frozen. What followed was terrible pain. If souls truly existed, what Kinaine felt at that moment would have been the agony of his soul shattering into pieces.

"Urgh."

The moment he recalled that eerie sensation, nausea surged. The dry heaving only stopped after several repetitions. Physiological tears streamed down his cheeks.

'And then, and then...'

Kinaine forcibly gathered his thoughts amidst the dizziness that felt like someone was shaking his skull.

After that, the magical beast turned to stone and he lost consciousness.

'And now here.'

At that moment, with a clatter, his body shook greatly. Kinaine blinked his wet eyelids.

'It's moving. Are we traveling?'

Just then, the clattering sound stopped. Kinaine halted his thoughts and listened toward the outside.

"...I said!"

"But this is... not!"

He faintly heard people's voices. The sounds, which seemed like some kind of argument, soon ceased.

Shortly after, there was a clatter, and cold air entered. Kinaine closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep.

Chirp! Chirp chirp!

"Shh, Chirpy. Be quiet."

A familiar voice was heard.

"I'm sorry. Dad said absolutely not, so I can't get you out of here."

Chirp, chirp!

"I don't know why Dad's acting like this either. Dad says the mister is a very bad person, is that true?"

Chiiirp!

"But if it weren't for the mister, we would all have been..."

The stealthy footsteps finally came close. Kinaine opened his eyes.

"Mister! Are you awake?"

"Jane..."

Kinaine, who had half-raised his waist, collapsed again.

"Mister!"

The startled cry pierced his ears. Small hands frantically touched various parts of Kinaine's face, then pulled away in surprise.

"Y-you have a very high fever. What should I do?"

"It's fine."

This time, Kinaine properly raised his waist and sat leaning against the wall. Though his head was still throbbing and it was difficult even to breathe properly, he didn't show it outwardly and asked.

"Where is this?"

"Inside a carriage. The carpenter grandfather gave us a ride."

So the caretaker is safe too. Kinaine swallowed a sigh of relief.

"Dad says we can't live in the village anymore. He says once magical beasts appear, they might appear again."

"That's right. It's no longer safe there."

Too many people had died. Land soaked with so much blood had a high probability of spawning magical beasts. Though ordinary people didn't know this well, Tiron, who had wandered around treating people, would have known.

"Tiron..."

Kinaine couldn't continue. Because that was surely the name of the one who had bound his hands and feet.

Jane, who had also seen the ropes binding Kinaine, carefully began to speak.

"I'm sorry. They're tied too tight, aren't they? I told him not to, but Dad said the mister is a very dangerous person, so he had to do this..."

So he realized after all. Kinaine smiled bitterly. Well, if he hadn't recognized his identity after seeing a magical beast turn to stone, he would have been a fool.

"I've never seen Dad make such a scary face before. ...Mister, are you really a black mage?"

Kinaine didn't answer, but the clever child seemed to read the answer in his silence.

"But you saved us."

Jane looked as if she wanted Kinaine to make excuses. But what could he say? Even if it wasn't intentional, the fact that Tiron's tragedy was because of him remained unchanged.

Not receiving the answer she had hoped for until the end, Jane muttered in a disheartened voice.

"...I'll leave Chirpy here. Dad said not to take him out of the cage at all, so I had to keep him locked up."

Chirp!

Chirpy made a sound as if to say he was here. At the clear chirping that didn't match the situation, Kinaine reached out and fiddled with the cage.

"You've been good."

Even though you could break out of a cage like this anytime.

Asad would have been dumbfounded to know that the spirit beast he had been searching for so desperately was actually this close. He had thought it could only transform into objects, but in fact, it could transform into anything it had swallowed.

It wasn't difficult to guess how it had ended up in the human realm. As they say, to hide a tree, hide it in a forest—the clever spirit beast must have deliberately hidden itself among birds. But unfortunately, it fell under the obedience magic and ended up following him, eventually flowing into the human realm.

Should he say it fell victim to its own trick, or that their fates were deeply intertwined?

"Thank you for caring."

"It's nothing. If I'd known you were awake, I would have brought food and medicine too. If I get a chance, I'll bring them."

"Who said you could?"

It was then that the cold voice was heard. Kinaine's body flinched slightly. His skin stung from the outpouring of hostility.

"D-Dad."

"I told you not to come near here, but you snuck in while I was talking? Go to grandfather right now."

"But!"

"Jane!"

"Fine... but the mister has a really high fever right now. Please give him medicine. Whatever his true identity is, we're alive thanks to him."

Jane left, dragging her feet. Shortly after, the carriage began to move again.

It felt as if they were being crushed by the weight of silence. Finally, Kinaine opened his lips first.

"Tiron."

"Don't act familiar with me."

"..."

"When I first saw you, I thought your face was somehow familiar. A young man with black hair and black eyes. I didn't suspect because I thought the black mage had died long ago."

The voice filled with self-loathing became tinged with anger the next moment.

"Even so, why couldn't I recognize you right away? I of all people should have known."

Rough hands grabbed his collar. The pressure on his throat from the collar momentarily cut off his breathing.

"You damn bastard, did you enjoy deceiving me? How far are you going to trick me! To think I saved with my own hands the one who turned my parents, my hometown to stone. Every time I recall that day, I want to cut off my hands!"

Kinaine merely swayed limply as Tiron gripped and shook him. The anger and hatred flowing from him dug into his skin like thorns.

"...If you want to kill me, then kill me. You have that right."

"What?"

"If I die, Jinaks will return to normal... Ugh!"

The collar that had been choking him loosened, then a strong force threw Kinaine to the floor. A voice trembling with anger fell upon Kinaine's head.

"Lies. You just want to die comfortably here and now. You seem to think I'll fall for your tricks again, but not a chance. Do you know where we're going?"

"..."

"The royal palace."

Kinaine slowly raised his head, which he had lowered.

"The king may have sealed off the capital, but if he learns that the black mage is alive, he won't be able to keep the gates closed. Having rendered this service, he might even accept us as capital citizens. Then both I and Jane can live in a safe place."

As he heard Tiron's footsteps moving away, Kinaine repeated inwardly. The royal palace... he hadn't thought he could return there alive. Is this how life pushed him once again to an unexpected place?

When Tiron returned shortly after, he forced Kinaine's mouth open by shoving his fingers between his lips.

"Drink. If you spit it out, I won't let it slide."

As soon as his mouth opened, bitter water poured in. Kinaine drank it without any resistance.

He would have consumed even poison without objection, but this was medicine.

"You must pay for your crimes. You should die in the most painful, agonizing way in this world."

Tiron muttered through gritted teeth. The taste of hatred pouring from him felt even more bitter than the medicine.

"Don't die until then."

Two days later. The carriage carrying Kinaine arrived at Astria, the capital of the Kingdom of Hairak.