#208

“But it’s magic we’ve all never used before.”

White asked with a worried expression. Black was silent, lost in thought. Cat continued.

“Whatever magic it is, we’ve all used it for the first time before! We’ve done well so far. Using the principle of spatial displacement, if we each take charge of breaking a link, it should be possible?”

Black, who had been quiet, nodded. Kihelene’s gaze, which had been flicking between him and Cullen with a calm expression, caught his eye.

“It is possible. However…”

Black hesitated for a moment, then looked up at Kihelene and asked.

“Are there many Demonic Beasts there too?”

Kihelene flinched and stared intently at Black, then cautiously nodded.

“Yes. There are flying Demonic Beasts, and large and small ones.”

After hearing Kihelene’s answer, Black looked at Cullen and said.

“If we use Magic, we won’t be able to help the others. It’s magic we’re trying for the first time, and we need to concentrate our power. So, defeating the Demonic Beasts will be entirely up to the others.”

At that, Ulli’s expression turned serious. She glanced at Lasano, Cullen, and Junon, then looked at the surrounding knights and mercenaries.

“…There’s no other way. But we have to do it.”

With a darkened face, Ulli scanned the people and sighed. Then, quickly brightening her expression, she clapped her hands.

“Alright. This is not the time. Now that the method is decided, let’s head straight to our destination as soon as dawn breaks. We came this far for this day. If we don’t do it, who will?”

Saying that encouragingly to everyone, Ulli began to give instructions skillfully.

“Kihelene, let’s rest for now. Junon worked hard too. Where are the knights who came with you from?”

At Ulli’s question, one of the knights stepped forward and bowed his head to her, saying,

“We are knights from the Lefellon Territory, sent by Lord Moet to assist Lady Ulrika. Lady Kihelene personally came to ask for our help…”

The knight carefully observed Cullen as he continued.

“Lord Moet said he owes a debt to Cullen, the last Crown Prince of the former Imperial Palace, and sent us. We never expected to meet you like this, it’s an honor.”

At his words, the other knights also spoke to Cullen one by one.

“When you saved the territory with the Guardian Dragon, my family also received help.”

“My fiancée would have been crushed to death by the building if not for the Guardian Dragon.”

As more and more stories emerged, Ulli’s expression brightened. She bit her lip, then looked at Cullen and Lasano alternately, and said,

“It was worth the trouble, right?”

“I didn’t do it because I wanted to, though.”

Lasano shrugged in response, but his expression wasn’t displeased. Cullen nodded at Ulli’s words and unconsciously glanced behind him.

If Kiyen were here, he might feel a little better. Thinking of Kiyen, who might be somewhere unseen, weighed heavily on his heart.

“Alright, I’ll go tell the others about the plan. Everyone, go get some rest. We’re leaving as soon as dawn breaks! Knights, follow me. I’ll show you where to rest.”

“Understood.”

Following Ulli, the knights bowed to Cullen one by one as they passed. Once Ulli led them away, the briefly boisterous atmosphere subsided. The Young Dragons ran up to Cullen with pattering footsteps, sticking close to his side and staring intently at Kihelene.

“Who is that person?”

“Her eyes are the same color as Cullen’s.”

“Are they siblings?”

Kihelene, flustered by the string of questions from White and Cat, cautiously turned to Cullen.

“Are these other Dragons?”

“Yes.”

“They resemble Kiyen and Cullen so much. That’s probably why they’re stepping forward even though it’s not their business…”

Kihelene smiled bitterly and met Cullen’s gaze. She had seen it before, but up close, her face had become leaner and sharper than before.

Seeing the transformation of a once most elegant royal, Cullen realized that the Larkan Imperial Palace had truly vanished. He had seen the Imperial Palace crumble and knew people no longer called it an Empire, yet it only truly hit him now, facing Kihelene.

So much had truly changed. Kiyen, the people around him, the world.

“I apologize again, Lord Cullen. Kiyen may not want to hear my story anymore, but… please, tell him someday that I will truly feel guilty even in death.”

“……I understand.”

He didn’t say it would be alright. But even with just an understanding nod, Kihelene maintained a strained expression, bowed deeply, and withdrew. As Junon turned to follow her, he blurted out a single sentence.

“Thank you. Lord Yurisis will be truly grateful too.”

At the mention of Yurisis’s name, Lasano’s expression also became complicated.

“Actually, I dislike closing the passage. There are still my family and others left on Dark Island, and I wanted them to be able to rest peacefully, even if it was in the form of Demonic Beasts, if they crossed over here. But because of the grace you and the Dragons have bestowed…”

Junon bowed his head to Cullen.

“I will cooperate in defending this land tomorrow with my life. Thank you again. For not killing the one Lord Yurisis loved.”

With that, Junon followed Kihelene. All that remained were Lasano and the Dragons. Lasano, watching the direction Junon had gone, turned his head and met Cullen’s gaze. For the first time in a while, he wore a seemingly relaxed smile.

“Junon said what I was going to say. It seems my life was meant to be preserved for tomorrow. As this is the conclusion to what we have done, I should offer my farewells in advance.”

Lasano gave a slight bow.

“I am sorry and grateful for everything. And the fact that you once considered me a comrade is something I will never forget.”

“Lasano.”

Cullen’s expression hardened at his words, which sounded like a farewell. Sensing something, White also looked anxious and grabbed Lasano’s clothes.

“What’s wrong, Lord Lasano?”

“Ahaha.”

Lasano laughed at White and ruffled the child’s hair.

“My journey to find my precious person will have to be postponed for later, Lord White.”

“I promised I would help you.”

Lasano smiled wryly at White’s words and met Cullen’s gaze again.

“Thank you for keeping me by your side until now, when I deserved to die. If I had come to my senses sooner, perhaps things wouldn’t have reached this point.”

“Speculating about the past is unnecessary. And Lasano, you will not die.”

Lasano wore a skeptical expression, denying Cullen’s certainty of his death.

“Tomorrow’s battle, there is truly nothing I can be certain of. The path we took to get here alone, if it had been solely by human strength, would have resulted in countless casualties long ago. Not everyone can have a happy ending, Lord Cullen. That is reality. Thanks to meeting you, Lord Cullen, I have been spared a bit of the misery that suits me. I am content with just that.”

With that, Lasano approached Cullen and clasped his hand tightly. His grip, holding his hand as if in a handshake, was warmer than expected.

“I don’t know about others, but I hope you and Kiyen find a happy ending. Stop living for others now. Haven’t you both lived that way your entire lives? Kiyen’s wrongdoings towards you may never be erased, but…”

Slowly releasing his hand, Lasano smiled.

“Still, I hope you will finally acknowledge what you truly want and move forward. You have never stopped loving Kiyen. Unlike me or Kiyen, I hope you don’t realize it only after you’ve lost him.”

Having finished speaking with a much more relaxed expression, Lasano turned away before Cullen could grab him. Watching him disappear into the darkness that had enveloped the campsite, White looked anxious. White, who rarely showed emotions as much as Black, asked Cullen,

“Was that Lasano’s farewell, Lord Cullen?”

“Why would it be a farewell? You said that’s for when you die.”

Cat asked, as if unable to comprehend. At the word ‘death’ spoken by children who knew nothing of it, Cullen gazed at the spot where Lasano had vanished and opened his mouth.

“Those with finite lives don’t know when they will meet death, so in dangerous situations like today, they sometimes say goodbye in advance. To prepare for a possible separation.”

“Then is Lasano going to die?”

“Are you going to die too, Cullen? And Ulli?”

White and Cat asked anxiously. Cullen shook his head.

“It won’t happen like that.”

He said it to reassure the children, but Cullen himself was not certain. The conversation he had with Kiyen about mortality came to mind, and he felt a growing anxiety tightening his chest. Despite having betrayed him and his companions, the part of him that had once recognized Lasano as a comrade ultimately couldn’t bring himself to hate him.

He didn’t want to see Lasano die. Ulli and the others felt the same.

However, he doubted if he could protect them. Though he was told he had power, he wasn’t sure if it was strong enough to protect everyone.

Cullen slowly lowered his gaze. Then, he stared at his own calloused and scarred palm. His hand, which felt like barren land, seemed too desolate to save anyone.

Cullen couldn’t sleep properly all night. He knew he should rest, especially at times like these, but the anxiety about what was about to happen churned his insides. Kiyen’s absence was also a factor that kept him awake.

For days, he had always been within his sight, but now he was nowhere to be seen.

What he had once thought was good – to feel emotions clearly again – now felt like a source of anxiety. He felt afraid of the moment he might lose those he cherished. Though he had been indifferent to his own death, he wished for tomorrow not to come.

And at the same time, he missed Kiyen terribly. He felt as if all his anxieties would disappear if Kiyen were by his side, so Cullen finally gave up on trying to sleep and sat up. Sitting on his blanket, he looked down at his shoes.

These were the shoes Kiyen had put on him.

Memories of all the ways Kiyen had shown him over the past two months flashed by. His face, beaming when he woke up, his body collapsing as he clung like a child, his sapphire eyes that had welled up with tears several times, and the hands that had put on his shoes.

His heart ached as he recalled Kiyen’s cautious glances, trying to gauge his feelings, and his bright smile at a word of concern.

Moreover, today, seeing Kiyen, who had remembered Cullen’s words and not killed Kihelene even when faced with her, Cullen felt firsthand that Kiyen was acting with him truly in mind.

Kiyen was lovable for that. He was endearing, pitiable, and beautiful all at once, making Cullen want to embrace him. He had waited all night for Kiyen for that very reason.

Cullen couldn’t push Kiyen away just because he might die, as Lasano had said; Cullen already loved Kiyen. No, he had never stopped loving him. His wounded heart had merely pushed Kiyen away for a while.

If he didn’t love him, there would be no reason for him to worry about Kiyen so much. Cullen had simply thought he didn’t want to love Kiyen anymore, fearing he would be hurt again, just as he had told Kiyen. But Kiyen was now expressing his love for him in every way, leaving no room for doubt.

There was only one thing Cullen needed to do to avoid getting hurt.

Run to Kiyen and call his name.

He was ready. The moment he realized this, he couldn’t stay still. Cullen grabbed his sword.

He quickly finished preparing to find Kiyen and stood up. As he tried to slip past the sleeping people and run, someone grabbed his arm.

“Cullen.”

He spun around and looked back to see Kiyen, who had appeared without him knowing. Kiyen, silhouetted against the faint dawn, looked down at Cullen with a serious expression. His robe was stained with blood.

“Prepare yourself. The Demonic Beasts are coming. That thing I’ve been sensing since earlier…”

Kiyen gazed towards the center of the northern region, where Kihelene had rushed. His jaw was set.

“They have begun crossing the passage.”