Hierian, who had promised to put an end to Duke Izbe’s arrogance, headed towards the Duke’s residence with determination. I knew he would give the Duke a good lesson, but that didn’t ease my mind.
‘The rumors that have already spread won’t die down easily.’
Spilled water cannot be gathered again. Gossip, which satisfied people’s curiosity, was no different. Moreover, there was a good justification for it.
The Astita family was attempting to make a central breakthrough and was causing various issues. It would surely be seen as a thorn in the side of the existing nobility. There were more than a few who wanted to take advantage of this momentum to crush the influence of the Astita family.
Although I had expected it to some extent, now that I was facing it, I found it hard to swallow.
‘Perhaps Father and Brother have changed their minds.’
In reality, Therid had been in a gloomy mood since the incident with the Crown Prince’s fiancee. Even when I firmly said, “That won’t happen,” it was useless.
‘Well, there’s nothing I can do about it.’
I just thought that if someone were to appear in a social circle, they might believe it.
While lost in vague thoughts, Adantito asked quietly, breaking the silence.
“Siara, there’s something I’ve been curious about all this time.”
“What is it?”
“What are your plans after the social circle ends?”
Finally, I remembered Adantito telling me to come to the temple when all of this was over. But at that time, my status and destination were uncertain, so it didn’t matter. Soon, I would become part of Astita.
“Of course, I’ll return to Astita.”
“…I see, as expected.”
Adantito nodded with a lack of enthusiasm. Lately, he had become noticeably dispirited. It seemed like a good opportunity since he had been concerned about me.
‘Let’s ask him now.’
After hesitating for a while, I opened my mouth.
“What’s the matter with you?”
Then Adantito quickly reached out his hand.
“W-What’s the matter?”
“What’s wrong? After spending so much time by my side, did you suddenly lose interest in your duties?”
Even though he was always by my side and neglected his duties as a High Priest, I didn’t know he was feeling upset. So I tried to mock him, telling him to take a break and return to work, but Adantito’s expression was strange.
He let out a quiet breath and buried his face in his hands, like the tail of a large dog hanging down, displaying a listless appearance.
“… I have to protect you, Siara. I’m not sure if I’m doing well, though.”
“Why do you have to protect me?”
“Well…”
Adantito hesitated for a long time and finally plucked up the courage to speak.
“Because you are the Savior.”
The Savior. It was the first time Adantito had mentioned that word since he lost his memory.
‘Could it be that he regained his memory?’
No, if that were the case, Adantito wouldn’t be so kind to me. In the subjugation force, Adantito was the King of Nagging. Perhaps he read my thoughts because he calmly said:
“By the way, I apologize for the trouble during the subjugation force.”
Startled by his words, I stood up from my seat.
“What! Have you regained your memory?”
“Yes, by the grace of the gods.”
He started the confession with a regretful expression.
“Back then, I didn’t know anything. If I had known that you were Siara, I wouldn’t have acted so arrogantly. I feel embarrassed and ashamed.”
What does it mean for me to be Siara? There’s no difference between the current me and me from back then. It was confusing, but I just nodded my head in agreement.
“Now that I know, that’s good. Anyway, didn’t the Eora God say anything about my curse? With their help, maybe we can also break the Demon King’s curse.”
“It might not be impossible, but it won’t be easy either.”
I had expected something along those lines, so I wasn’t disappointed. With a silent nod, Adantito spoke softly.
“…If we were to annihilate the Demon King.”
“Annihilate the Demon King?”
“More precisely, it would be his annihilation in the current dimension. Without a medium, he can’t exert his power.”
Adantito explained to my bewildered self.
“We’ve sealed his main body, haven’t we?”
“That’s right.”
“So, currently, the Demon King can only exert his power through Dianel’s body. If Dianel’s soul is annihilated, the Demon King won’t be able to use his power here anymore.”
As he said unexpected words, his gaze grew significantly darker. It wasn’t a casual remark, and it made me feel uneasy for no reason. Sure, Dianel was a bad guy, but the annihilation of his soul? It seemed excessive.
As I didn’t say anything, Adantito returned with his usual compassionate expression and spoke again.
“Of course, it’s Siara’s decision.”
“…Why is it my decision?”
“Huh?”
“It’s strange. Isn’t the Savior supposed to be such a remarkable existence? Shouldn’t important matters like that be decided by people like you and Hierian?”
I may be the Savior, but all I had was healing abilities. While healing abilities were impressive, they were nothing compared to their honor and power. In fact, I’m still being used as gossip material, and I don’t have any convincing authority.
But upon hearing my words, Adantito’s expression stiffened, as if he had heard something he shouldn’t have. He looked at me with a shocked face for a while, then slowly smiled.
“Siara, the Savior is an extraordinary being. Please refrain from making such remarks as before.”
Adandito finished speaking and politely bowed his head before leaving. The previously noisy room fell silent.
‘Hierian is still causing trouble for the Duke, it seems. Well, that wicked guy deserves a good scolding.’
I went to the dressing room to tidy up the untidy clothes and ended up collapsing onto the couch. My body, which had been plagued by Madame Lulu, longed for some rest.
* * *
Hierian was diligently completing the task given by Siara. He had been tormenting the Duke to the point where he willingly volunteered to serve.
He also made great efforts to correct the gossip surrounding Siara. He sought out those who spread baseless rumors and reprimanded them, ensuring that they would not spread any more false information in social circles.
After all the work was done, a whole day had passed in the blink of an eye.
In the dim night, Hierian headed to Siara’s room, feeling relieved. Siara’s quarters consisted of a reception room, a living room, a dressing room, a bathroom, and a guest room. Hierian often stayed in the guest room.
‘Siara must have fallen asleep by now.’
He thought he would be able to share his story with her tomorrow. Just imagining Siara’s reaction upon hearing about the Duke’s news made the corners of his mouth curl up in anticipation.
While thinking about this, he noticed a thin ankle sticking out from the dressing room.
“…Siara?”
The ankle was so pale and slender that the veins were visible. It was undoubtedly Siara’s. However, he couldn’t understand why she would be lying in the dressing room so late at night.
‘Is she in pain, perhaps?’
After contemplating for a moment, Hierian took a step toward the dressing room. He cautiously moved his feet, afraid of waking Siara. As he approached, he discovered Siara lying on the couch, fast asleep. She seemed quite exhausted, emitting a peaceful breathing sound.
Moonlight streamed through the large window in the dressing room, casting a sparkling glow on Siara. Witnessing such a breathtaking sight, Hierian had the urge to embrace her right away. However, he resisted the temptation and used his magic to lift her.
Then, he gently laid her on the bed in her bedroom and quickly left the room, taking advantage of the moonlight. With the moonlight illuminating his flushed cheeks, Hierian disappeared.
* * *
In the dark of the night, a small figure perched atop a towering tree, as if lulling the forest to sleep. It was a cat-like creature the size of a child’s arm, with beige fur and red eyes. The cat-like creature with its shimmering golden hair approached and sat beside him.
“Dianel, what are you doing here?”
Even with a serious tone, Dianel remained silent. Instead, he walked to the end of a branch, seemingly trying to distance himself. However, Adandito paid no attention and continued speaking.
“I want to annihilate you right away. If Hierian and I join forces, it will be far from impossible.”
At that moment, Dianel’s steps halted. Standing still on the branch, he looked at Adandito silently. Adandito then spoke in a scratchy voice, as if scraping something.
“But why do I spare you?”
“.…”
“Because I’m worried that Siara will be sad. I’m afraid that one day, she will regain her memories and hate us for what we’ve done.”
“….”
“Remember that I’m not sparing you out of consideration for you. If you ever cause harm to Siara, we won’t just stand by and watch.”
With those words, Adandito disappeared from the tree. Dianel, staring at the shattered divine power, murmured.
“…To be able to annihilate me.”
It seemed as if Adandito implied that he could accomplish the daunting task of soul annihilation.
Dianel’s eyes, reminiscent of crimson, sparkled with an unusually dark light.
