Chapter 108

Kinaine naturally deflected the force pushing him. Then he grabbed the wing joint of the boy who nearly fell over the cliff from his own momentum and pulled him inward.

"Die!"

Though his body wasn't what it used to be, subduing a boy who didn't even know how to fight properly wasn't particularly difficult for Kinaine. Pinning down the struggling Rahu, Kinaine focused his mind.

He felt demonic energy writhing around Rahu's head.

'Black magic.'

Kinaine swallowed a groan. As expected, Rahu was under black magic.

'I thought so...'

When Rahu had returned to the ruined palace after running out, Kinaine had sensed intense killing intent from him.

Usually, though Rahu was uncomfortable with and wary of the human Kinaine, he had never harbored murderous intent. Of course, he might have briefly harbored ill will out of anger at hearing about giving up the selection. But the Rahu he had known until now, though rough in words and actions, wasn't someone who would actually harm others.

So at first, he had thought it was someone else imitating Rahu trying to trap him. But touching his hand confirmed it was really Rahu, and he realized the situation was more serious than expected.

His personality couldn't have changed in just a few hours. Clearly some other problem had arisen.

And at this moment, discovering traces of black magic on Rahu, his suspicion became certainty.

A dark shadow fell over Kinaine's face.

'If Rahu fell under black magic in such a short time... that means there's a black mage in the dragon palace.'

Another black mage.

They were someone who could harm others without hesitation for their goals. Using Rahu as bait proved this. They had planned it so that even if Kinaine realized it was a trap, he would have no choice but to enter it himself to save the bait.

"I'll kill you! I'll kill you!"

Rahu, trapped and unable to move by Kinaine, screamed wildly. The blood-curdling cries made his ears ring.

The other black mage wasn't the immediate problem. He needed to resolve this situation before Rahu's mind broke.

In fact, throughout their walk while holding Rahu's hand, he had tried to break the black magic, but only coughed up blood from the recoil with no real results. Well, if he had known how to break black magic, he wouldn't have come this far.

'Let's think. First, the black magic cast on Rahu probably maximizes negative emotions toward me.'

Though sharing the name "magic," black magic was completely different from dragon magic.

Black magic drew power from hatred, anger, sadness, fear, desire to dominate, and desire to destroy. Just as an apple seed could only grow into an apple tree, black magic couldn't escape these categories.

Hearing that Kinaine would give up the selection, Rahu must have been extremely angry. Someone targeting Kinaine had made that anger blaze, making him unable to rest until he killed the object of his hatred.

'How do I stop this?'

Just then, he felt Rahu's body convulsing slightly. Moreover, the gurgling sounds suggested he was foaming at the mouth. The situation wasn't good.

Anger was like fire, harming even the one harboring it. Usually it took a long time to reach this point, but Rahu was holding anger beyond normal limits due to black magic. Left like this, he might go insane or in the worst case, die.

Kinaine's fingertips trembled.

'Think, think. There must be a way.'

Though he forced himself to think, he couldn't stop his self-loathing.

I don't know how to remove black magic.

All I know is how to cast it.

"...Right, only how to cast it."

Kinaine placed his hand on the forehead of Rahu, who was choking and gasping.

"I'm sorry, Rahu."

Red blood soon dripped onto his finely trembling hand.

* * *

Rahu opened his eyes. Looking around with a bewildered face, he finally realized he was lying on some cliff.

Rahu knew where this was. He had come here while wandering the dragon palace during his runaway. The highest hill in the dragon palace. The place where the shrine was built.

'But why am I here?'

He had definitely been in that old palace. Then after hearing the human's words, he had run out in anger...

Wait, who had he been angry at?

'How dare I?'

Rahu's gaze met the black eyes looking down at him.

"Ah, Lord Nine!"

Rahu jumped to his feet. Then he crawled on his knees to prostrate himself before Kinaine. His deeply bowed shoulders trembled like aspen leaves.

"How dare I look directly into Lord Nine's eyes. I've committed a mortal sin! I'm sorry!"

"...Rahu, it's alright."

"No! How dare I!"

Thump! Thump! Seeing Rahu banging his forehead on the ground, Kinaine swallowed a sigh. Then he spoke in a firm voice.

"Stop. That's an order."

"Yes, yes! Lord Nine!"

Only then did the thumping stop.

Kinaine lowered his head.

"I'm sorry, Rahu. But this won't last long either. So please bear with it for a while. I'm truly sorry."

Rahu's face was full of questions as he stared at Kinaine who kept apologizing.

"Why do you say such things? Lord Nine can do anything to me."

"Don't say things like that."

"Is that an order?"

"...Yes, it's an order."

"Yes! I understand!"

The immediate response plunged Kinaine into deep self-loathing.

But this was the only way to save Rahu.

What Kinaine had used on Rahu was powerful obedience magic.

It made him obey by inscribing the terror that 'you must never disobey this person's orders.'

'Rahu, it's an order. Breathe.'

'Ugh, hah!'

'You can never be angry at me, can't hate me, can't kill me. And you won't remember what happened here. This too is an order.'

'...Yes, Lord Nine.'

The unknown black mage had touched Rahu's emotions, turning a small spark into a raging fire.

Kinaine didn't know how to extinguish that fire. All he knew was how to set a bigger counterfire.

Anger toward him probably still remained in Rahu's inner mind, but the absolute fear and obedience Kinaine had planted would suppress that anger.

Kinaine pressed his throbbing eyes firmly.

'It was the worst method.'

But this was the best he could do.

The fortunate thing for Rahu was that this disgrace wouldn't last long. When the black mage died, the black magic would break. This at least wouldn't be different from dragon magic.

Kinaine turned around.

"Then I'll head back..."

At that moment, dizziness struck. A side effect of the black magic.

Before he could catch himself, Kinaine lost his balance and tilted. Toward the cliff below.

"Lord Nine!"

A strong force pulled Kinaine inward.

"Huh?"

But from the rebound, the one who pulled him fell over the cliff instead.

In that instant.

Though he couldn't see anything, Kinaine instinctively shouted.

"Rahu, fly!"

...

...

A long silence circled the hilltop.

Kinaine's fists clenched. Though his nails dug into his palms causing wounds, he felt no pain.

How nice if his heart could be the same. If he could feel no pain even when wounded. Then at least he wouldn't need to hold back the scream threatening to burst forth.

'Because I cast the obedience magic.'

The original Rahu would never have chosen to sacrifice himself in Kinaine's place. He had a sister to protect.

As if substituting for tears he couldn't shed, drops of blood trickled down his palm and fell to the ground.

It was then.

A faint sound came from the bottom of the hill.

"Ah."

A small exclamation escaped Kinaine's lips as he realized what the sound was. The sound from below grew louder until anyone could tell what it was.

It was the sound of a large bird flapping its wings.

The wind from the wings scattered Kinaine's hair.

Finally landing on the ground, Rahu shouted in an excited voice.

"L-Lord Nine, I flew! I flew!"

As if forgetting he had nearly died moments ago, Rahu bounced around with joy.

"How did this happen? Ah, Lord Nine!"

When Kinaine collapsed as tension left him, Rahu quickly ran over to support him.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, thank you."

Standing up again, Kinaine carefully embraced Rahu. The rapid heartbeat told him he was alive. Finally breathing a sigh of relief, Kinaine spoke the truth.

"Rahu, you could fly from the beginning. Because the dragon's curse was broken long ago."