Chapter 97

"...Asad!"

Asad didn't answer. He collapsed helplessly into Kinaine's arms like a puppet with cut strings.

'Has he lost consciousness?'

Kinaine carefully laid him on the floor and raised himself up. As he lifted his head that seemed ready to drop from complete exhaustion, a golden urn came into his view. Kinaine staggered over and lifted the urn with both hands.

"Ugh."

And began vomiting continuously.

The sharp smell of blood filled the room.

After a while, when his churning stomach settled, Kinaine wiped his mouth. Red blood stained his sleeve. But he wore a faint smile.

The gamble had succeeded.

The moment he kissed Asad, he had instinctively realized. What he could do.

While kissing him, Kinaine had absorbed Asad's demonic energy.

When intoxicated by demonic energy, it's difficult to think properly. Asad's endless self-loathing and hatred must have been inflated by the influence of demonic energy. Like continuously pouring oil on burning flames.

Though absorbing it all was impossible, dealing with even some of the demonic energy should have helped Asad control his emotions. It wasn't because he truly welcomed Kinaine's kiss, or because he had forgiven him, that Asad's hatred had fallen asleep.

Just that his gamble had paid off, Kinaine thought.

Anyway, after vomiting some blood, his body felt lighter and his mind clearer.

'Is it the same principle as extracting poison? The demonic energy might have left with the blood.'

Kinaine thought vaguely while wiping his face with fabric strewn on the floor. He could tell his face was a mess without looking, as tears had been flowing continuously at some point. Though the rainbow-colored shimmering fabric clearly wasn't ordinary at a glance, right now it was just being used as a face towel.

The pain from demonic energy was nothing. While talking with Asad, Kinaine had learned what it meant to feel like his soul was being shattered.

It felt like emotions were rippling at the brim, like a glass filled precariously to the point of overflowing. He could feel emotions that he normally could have forcefully suppressed stirring in his chest.

This wasn't good. He needed something that could help him forget these emotions that seemed ready to overflow at any moment.

"Some alcohol would be nice."

Kinaine muttered unconsciously, then startled himself.

As a prince, Kinaine hadn't particularly enjoyed alcohol. Using alcohol to wash away worries was a habit he had picked up when he first became a mercenary.

There were no mercenaries without stories, and most of them depended on alcohol. Kinaine had been like that for a time too. After his purpose of restoring Jinaks became clear, he hadn't touched alcohol at all and had completely forgotten about it. Thinking how it suddenly came to mind now, he realized why they said habits were frightening.

Still, he would have liked to taste the wine that Ilya's side had prepared as a gift. Though he wouldn't have the chance.

As Kinaine was trying to erase his craving for alcohol, his gaze suddenly fell on Asad lying on the floor.

"Isn't the floor too hard?"

Though he knew Asad's body was sturdy, still, lying on the cold floor bothered him. His complexion didn't look good either.

Finally, Kinaine struggled to carry Asad on his back toward the bed where he had woken up. Because Asad was so tall, his legs dragged slightly on the floor, but that couldn't be helped.

If it had been his former body, he could have carried him more easily, and without letting him touch the floor.

Though he knew it wasn't good to keep thinking about the past, he couldn't stop thoughts that kept popping up. Probably aftereffects from what had just happened.

He really needed alcohol. Or something even more intense.

"Nngh, so heavy."

After barely managing to lay him on the bed, he noticed Asad's furrowed brow.

Was he having a nightmare? Kinaine pressed his fingers between Asad's brows to smooth them. Asad made a pained sound.

It wasn't just his eyes playing tricks - his complexion really did look bad. Asad's condition didn't seem good.

Just in case, Kinaine placed his palm on Asad's forehead to check his temperature. His eyes soon widened.

"He's burning up."

Asad was hot enough to warrant the expression 'boiling.' Moreover, at some point his pheromones had also started leaking unstably.

Could it be a side effect of the demonization?

"A doctor..."

Kinaine rose urgently but soon remembered the magic on the doorknob. After hesitating briefly, determination settled on his face.

Though using black magic was really something he didn't want to do, there was no reason to hesitate if Asad's condition was dangerous.

Having decided, Kinaine approached the door. Or rather, tried to approach.

But at that moment, a strong force pulled him back.

His vision spun for an instant. Kinaine held back his body that had almost counterattacked. Because there was only one other person here besides himself.

"Lord Asad, you're conscious!"

"..."

Asad was looking down at Kinaine, pinning him underneath. His eyes, which had been dyed black and unfocused, had regained their original golden color.

'Thank goodness.'

Only upon seeing those eyes could Kinaine truly feel relieved. Those golden eyes shining like the sun were proof that Asad had really escaped his demonization.

But why wasn't he saying anything? Feeling somehow uneasy, Kinaine spoke first.

"Do you remember what happened?"

"...We were at the birthday banquet."

Asad couldn't continue further.

So he doesn't remember what happened before becoming a magical beast after all.

'Of course Your Highness wants the dragon to wake up. Since the awakened dragon won't remember Your Highness, you might be able to save your wretched life.'

It was as he had said. Kinaine instinctively knew that Asad's memories as 'Helio' had fallen back asleep deep in his mind.

Worried that Asad might be anxious about not remembering, Kinaine deliberately began explaining.

"Please don't be alarmed. Lord Asad, you were briefly unwell during the banquet."

Kinaine intentionally avoided using the word demonization. He felt it might somehow stimulate Asad in his unstable state.

Asad still said nothing and just stared intently at Kinaine. The one growing increasingly anxious under that gaze was Kinaine.

"But fortunately all the leaders were there, so no one was seriously injured, so please don't worry."

"..."

Still no answer came.

Kinaine's instincts rang alarm bells. Somehow he felt like something similar had happened before, but what was it?

For some reason, his head wasn't working well. As Kinaine blinked slowly, his gaze suddenly turned downward. Specifically, to something touching his thigh.

Kinaine spoke calmly.

"Lord Asad, though I know you're unwell, may I make one request?"

"What is it?"

"Please control your pheromones."

He swallowed the words asking him to also remove that thing touching his thigh.

"No."

However, Asad refused with a languid exhale.

"Now is not the time for this. Everyone must be worried outside."

Though Asad usually liked marking Kinaine with his pheromones, now really wasn't the time. Moreover, Asad clearly wasn't well either.

Though Kinaine spoke deliberately coldly with a serious expression, Asad only shook his head.

"No. I can't. Because I'm not doing this on purpose."

"What do you..."

"Are you really an omega?"

Then Asad lowered his head and buried his face in Kinaine's neck. Kinaine could feel him deeply inhaling his scent.

"Lord Asad, ngh."

Kinaine let out a small moan at the sudden force of teeth near his neck. A languid voice reached his ear.

"Do you really not know, or are you pretending not to know?"

Only then did Kinaine realize that the pheromones flowing from Asad were growing increasingly thick.

Why did alpha pheromones make one's head dull? Kinaine sighed softly. Though he might not know about omegas, he knew better than anyone about things related to alphas.

The hot body, pheromones flowing regardless of will, languid movements...

'This is... rut.'

Though he had wished for something more intense than alcohol to forget his worries, wasn't this too intense?