#081

A deep timbre captured him. As if drawn by an invisible force, he stopped abruptly.

Slowly turning, he saw blue eyes staring at him, having turned around. The elongated pupils were sharp, as if angry. Despite trying to avoid it to not displease him, the conclusion was the same.

A frustration bordering on despair welled up, and Cullen winced. He wanted to know the answer. How to act so as not to bother Kiyen, not to anger him. Was his existence ultimately just a nuisance to him?

“I thought it wasn’t necessary to answer. It’s not an important issue.”

It would be. Wasn’t it one-sided from the start? It was he who requested the transaction, who asked for help, who swayed Kiyen, who had been quiet. Even his feelings were only one-sided.

“Nothing will change even if you hear my answer.”

As he gave a silent reply, Kiyen approached him. Cullen, who had been retreating as Kiyen approached, stopped only when his lips parted.

“No, it changes.”

In his golden eyes, something akin to betrayal seemed to flow.

“You are not the first Larkan to try and help me.”

A story he had never heard before flowed from him.

“There were several. Those who, captivated by my appearance created by the goddess, or drawn by some pathetic pity or guilt, stepped forward to help me. But look. I am still bound to the Imperial Palace of the Empire.”

A clear sneer appeared on Kiyen’s face. The smile he had so longed to see was formed in a direction Cullen did not want.

“The Larkans who said they would help me eventually left when they found a beloved ‘kin.’ To bear children, to find someone they could understand, or because of their families.”

The coldly formed smile spoke of resignation.

“You humans eventually turn your backs for the same reason. You kept me bound for those with mixed blood. Carias was no different in the end. Did she not bind me by asking me to protect her descendants?”

Kiyen tilted his head diagonally, meeting his eyes. He smiled.

“So it changes.”

His crooked lips slowly found their shape.

“I cannot break my deal with you, but you are human, so it doesn’t matter if your heart changes at any time.”

As you Larkans always do.

Cullen held his breath, reading the hidden meaning. Kiyen, who had returned to his usual expression, was waiting for Cullen’s answer. The resignation hardened over a thousand years was felt in his words.

An indescribable sadness washed over him. It was the same heavy feeling he felt the moment he first stopped to look at him.

Didn’t he want to protect that pitiful state? Didn’t he think he wanted to free him, who lived without knowing loneliness as loneliness, like a caged bird, merely not dying?

“I like you, Lord Kiyen.”

Cullen slowly reached out and grasped Kiyen’s clothes. He wanted to hold his hand, but he couldn’t, as Kiyen wouldn’t want it.

“I truly… like you.”

As his clothes were grasped, Kiyen froze. His blinking eyelashes stopped.

“I can do anything for you.”

The world turned upside down. The moon occupied the sky where the sun had disappeared, and the shimmering crimson light slowly subsided, sinking into purple.

“So please don’t worry.”

From the moment he met Kiyen, Cullen’s world had been turned upside down, revolving around him.

“Even in death, you are the only one I will like.”

Kiyen stared at Cullen, motionless, as if time had stopped. His eyes, which had flickered with betrayal, now held confusion. Cullen thought he should be heading into the mansion soon, but he willingly waited for Kiyen. To reassure him.

“You didn’t look for me for several days.”

Kiyen finally spoke.

“That’s why I asked.”

There was no long explanation. Though it was clearly a misunderstanding, Cullen smiled slightly at the fact that his absence had been noticed.

“I always bother Lord Kiyen, so I did it to avoid disturbing you.”

Kiyen fell silent at Cullen’s words. The conversation ended there. This was because the cheerful sound of musical instruments announcing the start of the banquet began to drift through the windows. Was he waiting for an answer that he wasn’t a nuisance? It was just as a faint disappointment was about to surface.

An unexpected remark was heard.

“Follow me. Lasano is not here, so he will deceive you into thinking he is. Stay by my side during the banquet.”

According to the plan, Cullen was supposed to finish his preparations and go to where Kwanu was. Kiyen was supposed to survey the interior and confirm the arrival of the black-cloaked individuals before joining them.

At the sudden remark, Cullen asked cautiously.

“…Isn’t that a bit different from the plan? The Young Duke will recognize my face.”

At the same time, a vain thought crossed his mind: was this to comfort him? Before disappointment could be tinged with faint joy, Kiyen said,

“You have something to confirm. The Young Duke will call me later. I’ll explain the details on the way.”

Kiyen straightened his posture and turned. Cullen slowly followed him, who walked away without looking back. As if trampling on the vain emotions that had been shimmering like heat haze.

The corridors of the Duke’s mansion were decorated with fresh flowers that had been cut beforehand. Carpets were laid out in every corridor, and candles covered in glass adorned the walls. The interior, at the peak of splendor, was teeming with people.

Thanks to always being by the Young Duke’s side, Kiyen moved through the interior without any issue. Cullen, wearing the robe Lasano usually wore, followed Kiyen and arrived at the Young Duke’s room.

Lasano was shorter than Cullen, but there was almost no difference. However, due to the slight difference in build, the knights at the door glanced at Cullen. Their gaze, which seemed uncertain, scattered when Kiyen looked at them coldly. Soon, the door opened.

“The Young Duke is in the banquet hall. He seems to be planning to come here and threaten ‘them’ when the banquet is in full swing.”

Kiyen began to search the room. His movements seemed familiar.

“Them…?”

“The ones wearing black cloaks.”

He spoke as he examined the Young Duke’s bookshelves one by one.

“As you know, the Young Duke knew our identities. He dismissed the identities of everyone except me as nonsense, calling only me a Sorcerer. Whoever tipped him off means they knew about us. But if he knew my identity, he wouldn’t have thought he could kill me or you. To kill you, he would have to deal with me.”

Quickly scanning the books, he reached for the top shelf.

“Then why? For what reason did he do such a thing? To tie your feet? Perhaps because you might die by this monster? Or because you or I might kill the Young Duke who dared to harm you?”

Kiyen was unraveling the questions he hadn’t properly organized to deal with the monster one by one.

Anything was possible. Cullen was bothered by the last of the listed questions. Duke Refellon was someone who, on the surface, supported him in the palace. Although he tried to manipulate him according to his intentions, he was still Cullen’s faction.

If Cullen killed the Young Duke, it was natural for his relationship with Duke Refellon to deteriorate.

However, the reason for planning that was vague. To weaken Cullen’s position?

In the first place, Cullen was already someone who had left the palace. It was unlikely that they plotted this because they were targeting Cullen; Cullen possessed nothing. If a reason had to be given… was it because he interfered with their affairs?

“The exact reason is unknown. However, it seems that the premise of the Young Duke trying to appease me was not among those reasons. The Young Duke intends to use me, a Sorcerer, today to threaten those who provide Cadmium.”

Was it not simply infatuation with his appearance? Certainly, it would play a significant role, but it was surprising that he had other reasons too. Even if he had changed strangely, he didn’t seem to have become an idiot.

“Based on my observations over the past week, the main factor driving the Young Duke is Cadmium. He cannot sleep without inhaling it every day. Perhaps those gathered here today are similar.”While briefly organizing the pouring information, Kiyen scanned the entire bookshelf.” Finally, as he reached for the highest shelf and pulled out a book, the bookshelf split open to the sides. Between them was a small recess.

“As I expected, an unprecedented event is occurring throughout this land. And now, I think I can definitively define them as a certain group.”

With those words, Kiyen took out a piece of paper from the split recess and handed it to Cullen.

Upon receiving it, he saw a pattern. On the high-quality parchment, cut into a neat square, was something resembling a red goat. Ancient script was written in a circular border around the goat, which Cullen could not read properly.

Ancient script was a dead language still under research, and Cullen had learned only a tiny portion at the Imperial Palace. The fact that he could name Kiyen was the result of luck, hearing it while wandering.

“The Young Duke called them ‘Zarkas’.”

The moment he heard the name, Cullen felt all the emotions that had been tormenting him subside. Instead, a chilling tremor ran down his spine.

“Are you referring to the owner of this pattern?””

“Yes. What you are holding is an invitation. Only with that can you get the chance to participate in the banquet that provides Cadmium. It is only possible for those with money and nobles… and no one can ever make contact first.”

Kiyen tapped the parchment in Cullen’s hand with his index finger.

“Do you understand the meaning?”

“I don’t know anything except the word ‘god’.”

“Try flipping it over.”

Cullen carefully flipped the paper. His eyelashes blinked. Cullen’s vision showed a completely different shape than before.

“This… looks like a severed head.Kiyen looked down at the pattern with him and slowly opened his mouth.

“What is written in ancient script is a curse.”

“Are you referring to the power of the god Akesis?”

“Rather than that… it’s closer to a will.”

Their eyes met. Kiyen pushed the paper towards Cullen and whispered.

“The meaning is this.”

His lips drew near. A very small vibration spread just in front of Cullen’s nose.

“Behead the goddess.”

He got goosebumps. Cullen stared at Kiyen’s lips for a long time, then lowered his gaze and tightly gripped the paper. It was a single sentence, yet it explained many things. Everything was contained within it.

Akesis is a god sealed by Aksha. All the monsters and powers Cullen has encountered thus far are connected to Akesis’s power.

Going back to the beginning, the magic that was cast on his mother’s carriage and was broken, the curse placed on Cullen, the curse on the territory of Duke Exion, the weapons from Dark Island used by Ulli and the Sorcerer—none of these could have happened if not for Akesis.

Therefore, anything related to the curse will likely involve Zarkas. The root of the spread-out branches has finally been defined in a single language.

“Those who borrowed Akesis’s power wish for the goddess’s death…?”

Kiyen continued Cullen’s muttering.

“And Ella is connected to Aksha. All Larkans are connected to Aksha, and so am I. I don’t know the exact purpose behind their actions or what they’ve been doing, but I’ve grasped the thread.”

The influx of information made his mind complex.

“Did they commit those cruel acts to kill the goddess?”

“Gods cannot die.”

“But didn’t Akesis also die?”

“That is a matter for the gods. I don’t know how they intend to kill a being that even I cannot reach, but….”

Kiyen looked in the direction of the banquet hall’s music and said.

“Now that we’ve finally grasped a bit of the reality, things will change.”

Cullen nodded.

“If the Young Duke brings Zarkas, we can capture and interrogate them. And if we go further….”

He might find out who killed his mother. No, if one were to be precise, all of them were connected to his mother’s death. Furthermore, the debt of life owed to Gale and his comrades.

Therefore, he must find their roots, pull them out, and complete his revenge.

Cullen gripped the paper tightly and gazed at Kiyen. Kiyen had, after all, brought Cullen this far. To the beginning of clues he could never have reached alone.