#104

“Whoa!”

Ulli, who had suggested it herself, opened her eyes wide, as if she hadn’t truly believed it would work. Arne, with a bewildered look, asked Cullen.

“Wh-what do we do?”

“You won’t die.”

To calm Arne, Cullen said that for now. Then, he observed the compass’s reaction. The stone, perfectly nestled in the shallow groove of the lid, seemed to have found its place. However, after waiting for several minutes, there was no change whatsoever. Lasano sighed.

“Nothing happened.”

“Can I take it off now?”

Arne seemed eager to remove it as soon as possible. Cullen nodded, and Arne carefully placed the compass back on the table.

Cullen examined the compass intently. He wanted to pick it up himself but hesitated to touch it carelessly. He worried that the curse might flare up again due to Akesis’s power.

But…

It wasn’t a serious situation, and Kiyen wasn’t pushing him away, so even if the curse flared up, it might be alright for now.

As he pondered this, he looked at Kiyen, and their eyes met. Whether they were thinking similar thoughts, he didn’t know, but Kiyen’s lowered gaze felt strangely intimate. His earlobes flushed with the thoughts he’d conjured alone. He idly fiddled with the hand he’d been holding, and Kiyen flipped his palm over.

Their palms met, as if interlocking fingers. A ticklish sensation arose. His insides burned, and he felt he had to say something.

He had never held hands like this before. Usually, it was more like holding the back of a hand.

“It’s alright.”

“…Understood.”

Permission granted. Cullen reached out with his other hand and grasped the compass. He felt a slight jolt, but it was different from the sensation that had flared up intensely the moment he touched Akesis’s stone. It felt like something cool had pierced his body and vanished.

“How is it?”

Lasano and Arne, who knew about this to some extent, watched Cullen’s reaction. Ulli asked.

“Why? What is it?”

“Cullen-nim does not have good compatibility with objects imbued with the power of the god Akesis. You’ve seen illusions before.”

“The complete opposite of me.”

Ulli did not have good compatibility with things imbued with the goddess’s power. It was unavoidable as a price for choosing Pantal, but the memory of the situation that had driven her to that point surfaced, and her expression darkened.

Coaxing his desire to not let go of Kiyen, Cullen carefully withdrew his hand. Then, he opened the lid and examined the compass, but it remained unchanged.

“For now, I don’t feel anything in particular. The compass itself hasn’t changed either.”

He then tried to remove Akesis’s stone. He carefully attempted to detach the stone, but it was stuck as if it had been one with the compass from the beginning and wouldn’t come off. If even his grip couldn’t remove it, it was clearly influenced by Magic.

Kiyen, who had been watching, extended his hand. Cullen carefully handed him the compass.

If Cullen was affected by Akesis’s power, Kiyen couldn’t even touch things imbued with his power. But the moment Cullen thought, If Cullen is fine, maybe Kiyen can touch it too? The compass slipped in the air near Kiyen’s hand and dropped to the floor with a thud. It was a phenomenon similar to when Duke Exion’s dagger had pushed Kiyen away.

“Hmm.”

Kiyen stared at the fallen compass with eyes that were difficult to read.

“Isn’t Akesis God’s power neutralized? It should be if Cullen-nim can touch it without issue.”

“Should I try touching it too?”

Ulli stepped forward. Cullen nodded, and Ulli reached out to the compass on the floor. Unlike Kiyen, the compass wasn’t repelled, but the moment she touched it, she recoiled with a suddenly pale complexion.

“Ulli?”

“…I can’t. I feel something strange.”

Ulli moved as far away from the compass as possible and sat down in a chair. Cullen, watching her with concern, picked up the compass from the floor and placed it back on the table. Finally, Lasano touched the compass.

“I’m fine.”

“Me too.”

The group was thrown into confusion. For now, the two priests, who carried on the will of Goddess Aksha, were unaffected by anything. Ulli could touch it but seemed affected, while Kiyen couldn’t even touch it.

“If they combine like that, it’s highly likely to be an artifact.”

Kiyen said to Cullen, who was deep in thought. His blue eyes sharply pierced the compass.

“An artifact?”

“It’s an object that reveals its original form when things imbued with divine power are gathered. Aksha liked to play tricks like that. There was nothing I couldn’t touch… that’s strange.”

Then Ulli asked.

“So, are things like Pantal also artifacts?”

“It’s different from that. Ruena might know about the weapons of Dark Island, but artifacts are scattered to conceal their original form.”

Arne slowly summarized the situation.

“Well, you said the compass pointed to Akesis-nim’s stone… so, is the compass itself an object that indicates the direction of artifacts?”

“It seems so.”

“Then what was this stone? Since the compass has a use, didn’t this stone also have an initial purpose?”

Lasano provided the answer.

“It seems to be related to the weather.”

The weather had changed with Kwanu’s appearance, so it made sense. However, whether that was a power Kwanu originally possessed or something implanted later was impossible to confirm at the moment.

“It will reveal itself gradually, so let’s rest well today and pick up the pace tomorrow heading south. It takes three weeks to reach the south, so it’s good to rest well.”

Cullen, having summarized the situation, was about to hand the compass to Arne when Kiyen stopped him.

“It would be better for you to keep it. If you are no longer affected, it is acceptable for you, who are related to the oracle, to be its master.”

Cullen put the compass away again. He gazed down at it, then tucked it into his chest. Ulli was the first to rise.

“Then it’s decided, right? I’m going for a walk. I don’t feel good after touching that.”

With a less-than-pleasant expression, she left first. Concerned by her pale complexion, which had seemed pale since earlier, Cullen also stood up. If she had experienced something similar to him, he could easily imagine what she might have seen. As he was about to follow Ulli, Kiyen spoke.

“You can leave her be.”

He looked at Kiyen’s blue eyes, which watched him quietly.

“…If Ulli saw something like the illusion I saw, it might be better to stay by her side for a moment.”

Kiyen remained silent.

“I endured because you were there, Kiyen-nim, but Ulli doesn’t have someone like that… I’ll be back shortly.”

Golden eyelashes moved slowly. Kiyen, who had been looking at Cullen expressionlessly, turned his gaze away. As Cullen hesitated at his back, devoid of any expression, Kiyen threw out a word.

“Do as you wish.”

Then he stood up and went upstairs. Watching him head upstairs, Arne said.

“We’ll talk to her, so go to Ulli-nim!”

“That doesn’t sound like a good idea.”

Lasano countered.

“Whatever the exact nature of your relationship, chasing after someone else while leaving your lover behind doesn’t seem like a very wise decision.”

“But we’re colleagues?”

Arne’s words were met with a chuckle from Lasano.

“However, Kiyen-nim is also the only Dragon here.”

It was a thought that weighed on his mind. For Cullen, Kiyen was the most important being, and he didn’t want to displease him. However, if Kiyen truly didn’t want him to go, he would have stopped him completely. Since he only needed to bring her back, it wouldn’t take long.

“I’ll be back quickly, so please. As Arne said, she’s a colleague, so it would be good to share her worries, wouldn’t it?”

“Yes, Cullen-nim.”

Cullen cut through his hesitation and left the inn.

Outside was quiet. The ivory moon bisected the purple-black sky. A half-moon, not yet full, seemed to gaze down at him. Leaving the chirping of night insects behind, Cullen slowly headed towards the forest. He had an uncanny sense of direction, even without following footprints.

Passing the forest’s edge and entering the area lined with dead trees, a voice suddenly spoke.

“You seem to be looking for the young lady who carried her sorrow.”

He spun around, and a face with a staff, chuckling, appeared. It was Pir. Her crimson eyes shone deeply under the night sky.

“Did you see Ulli?”

“She went towards that valley. She’s skilled, so she’ll easily handle night beasts. It’s not a dangerous place, so don’t worry.”

Pir, holding her staff, pointed behind the dead trees.

“It’s not far from where I’m staying, so if you follow it, you’ll find her.”

“Thank you.”

As Cullen was about to leave, Pir spoke.

“There’s one thing I couldn’t convey to her when I was with her.”

He took a step forward, then stopped. Slowly turning back, he saw her looking at Cullen.

“Carias-nim left a message to be delivered only to his descendant when this time came.”

“What is it?”

Pir raised her head high, looking up at Cullen. A fleeting sadness crossed her wrinkled face.

“He said that Cullen-nim’s choice would change many things. He said it would lead to a change in the world.”

His heart felt heavy. Cullen gazed into her crimson eyes and asked again.

“Did she say why?”

Pir shook her head. She then continued her question.

“Do you believe in Dragons, Cullen-nim?”

Again, this question.

Everyone, including the people from the Imperial Palace, had asked Cullen this. As if they didn’t want him to believe in Kiyen.

“Yes.”

Cullen was not a fool. Even if he acted like an idiot blinded by Kiyen, the mindset that had supported him for so long wouldn’t disappear. He knew that Kiyen might have ulterior motives, that he might seek revenge against the Imperial Palace and humans now that he was free.

However, Kiyen was a being who spoke only the truth, more than anyone Cullen had ever seen. He was pure to the point of being cruel, and yet innocent like a child. His unwillingness to harm life, his declaration of trust in Cullen despite countless betrayals.

Cullen didn’t want Kiyen to remember only the worst of humanity. That was separate from loving him. It was because Cullen himself had become human again after meeting Kiyen.

“I believe.”

Therefore, he wanted to show him that there were humans who kept their promises.

“That’s a dangerous belief.”

“I have lived my entire life in danger. So, that is not a problem.”

Pir slowly smiled.

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

“A long time has passed, so much must have changed. In that case, I too shall try to believe in Dragons.”

Pir erased her meaningful smile and turned her staff.

“May the breath of the goddess reach your dreams.”

Leaving a farewell greeting, she slowly disappeared into the darkness. Cullen watched for a long time until she vanished into the darkness and was no longer visible. The forest became so quiet that no sign of presence could be detected. It was as if no one remained but Cullen.

Suddenly, with a strange feeling, Cullen walked in the direction Pir had disappeared. He reached the spot where her footsteps might have moved, but no presence could be felt.

“Pir?”

There was no answer, and the forest remained silent. As Cullen was about to take another step, something brushed against his feet. He slowly lowered his gaze. It was Pir’s staff.

Pir was nowhere to be found. Like someone who had finished their task, she had simply vanished somewhere.