Chapter 18
It Hurts
“…Slave market?”
Blake frowned.
Usually, he wouldn’t care about whatever the Duke Gerwehr was up to, but the mention of a slave market caught his attention.
It was because of his first encounter with Riche.
“Why there?”
“How should I know what’s going on in that man’s head? Apparently, he’s just wandering around without buying any slaves.”
If he was just wandering around without buying, there had to be a reason.
Perhaps, he couldn’t find what he was looking for.
…A slave market.
“Are you looking for someone?”
“Now that the word’s out, Blake.”
Duke Hibetsman crossed one arm, casually covering his mouth with his hand as he spoke more discreetly than when Duke Gerwehr mentioned going to the slave market.
“It seems someone heard Duke Gerwehr mumbling about Rhytheom.”
Blake glanced briefly at Duke Hibetsman at his words.
He was shocked enough to stand up abruptly, but he couldn’t do much more than that.
More eyes were now on Lordwick’s tent. It was natural, with two dukes together.
Blake and Duke Hibetsman continued their conversation with casual faces, but the voices they spoke in, intended only for each other, were grave.
“Did you find any clues? It’s pointless to wander around the market without a plan.”
“I agree. To find Rhytheom, one must use their abilities. Would the author do something so draining just to search aimlessly?”
The abilities of the Gerwehr family were well-known.
Their brilliant golden eyes could penetrate the essence of things, even revealing truths hidden within lies that deceived everyone else.
The reason the Gerwehr family had the most Rhytheom in history was also because of this.
“It’s the perfect ability to find Rhytheom. You can recognize it just by looking at it.”
But that was an old saying. Now, searching for Rhytheom seemed like chasing after the wind.
The last record of Rhytheom was 107 years ago. Many had tried to find it over the years but failed.
“It’s a futile hope. They’re extinct.”
Blake stated definitively. It sounded like resignation.
It was then that Duke Hibetsman attempted to offer some comfort.
As Blake, who had been staring straight ahead, suddenly stood up with a fiery gaze, demanding, “What did you do?”
His sharp voice, mixed with anger and various emotions, echoed through the hunting ground.
Near the Gerwehr family’s tent, Duke Gerwehr was shouting at someone.
“Hey. Blake. It’s your son!”
Duke Hibetsman, confirming the target, quickly rose to his feet as well.
With an intimidating force, Duke Gerwehr grabbed Deon by the shoulders.
His burning golden eyes were fixed on Deon. More precisely, they were on Deon’s chest.
“How did you do it? How did you manage to do that cursed thing?”
The composed Duke Gerwehr, who had been calmly conversing with nobles just a while ago, was nowhere to be found.
He was yelling at Deon as if he were mad.
“Did you find it? Did you? Tell me. Where did you find it? Did you find it somewhere else other than the dirtiest place?”
At the sight of Duke Gerwehr, people around them subtly began to step back.
‘What’s going on?’
Deon looked at Duke Gerwehr with irritation in his eyes.
The breath coming from him was unbearable up close.
“Speak!”
‘It’s too noisy.’
Should he just shut his mouth?
As Deon was about to snap his fingers…
“Clang.”
Without having done anything yet, Duke Gerwehr suddenly grabbed his throat with both hands and fell to his knees.
His face quickly turned red, tears forming in his eyes.
Although he repeatedly opened his mouth, no sound came out.
“Lord…wick…”
With a painful groan from Duke Gerwehr’s mouth, the name of a family flowed out.
All eyes turned to one place.
There, Blake was walking towards Deon.
After sending his son to Duke Hibetsman, Blake coldly questioned Duke Gerwehr, who had collapsed to the ground.
“What’s the matter, Duke Gerwehr?”
“Cough, cough.”
Duke Gerwehr’s breath returned. Rising to his feet hastily and clutching his chest, he bowed his upper body again.
“G-groan.”
This time he could breathe, but it was extremely weak. Wheezing, Duke Gerwehr raised his head.
Anger simmered in his red eyes as he looked down at himself. Blake spoke in a low tone.
“I distinctly warned you three years ago. Not to approach my son.”
With veins bulging in his golden eyes, Duke Gerwehr twisted his lips.
“It’s not you, is it…? Right, it’s not Lordwick’s doing.”
“Lordwick’s doing?”
Blake narrowed his eyes at the name of his family mentioned by Duke Gerwehr.
Even amidst wheezing breaths, Duke Gerwehr couldn’t contain the laughter bursting out.
“Hehe… Sorry, Lordwick. Seems like I have business with your son.”
“Business? Isn’t one supposed to be alive for that?”
The thought crossed everyone’s mind watching the scene that Duke Gerwehr might end up dead.
But who among those present could stop Lordwick, the man with abilities?
Another duke, Serdia, seemed to be watching the situation with amusement.
Ultimately, there was no one else but himself.
It was when Duke Hibetsman stepped forward to restrain Blake.
“Enough-.”
“What’s all this commotion about!”
The enraged voice of the emperor echoed through the hunting ground.
* * *
Lordwick House.
Late at night, Anna peeked into Riche’s room.
On the wide bed inside, she saw the bulging quilt and pillow where Riche’s silver hair protruded.
“He’s sleeping well.”
Riche, who fell asleep earlier than usual claiming he was tired, looked as if he had collapsed like a dead mouse.
“He probably won’t wake up in the morning, right? I should go to bed too.”
Anna breathed a sigh of relief and closed the door. The rounded full moon hung in the window of the hallway where Anna stood.
* * *
[Rhytheom!]
“Why are you here? To break the contract with the biggest star?”
“Make a contract with me!”
“No, make a contract with me!”
The forest of monsters, by the lake.
Guided by Pythons, Riche arrived at the lakeside surrounded by stars.
“No. I won’t terminate the contract. So I won’t make a new one.”
Despite Riche’s firm answer, the stars persisted, relentlessly asking him to make a contract.
As refusal didn’t work, in a difficult situation, a whispering sound suddenly reached Riche’s ears.
[He said no. Why interfere with someone else’s contractor?]
“Eek!”
“Here it comes!”
“Run away!”
It was Python who emerged from the lake. The stars that had gathered around Riche hastily fled.
Returning with a brilliant light, reminiscent of their first meeting, Python stopped in front of Riche.
“Is it okay now?”
Creating a shadow over his eyes, Riche asked Python.
Seeing the intensified light, it seemed like Python had purged the toxicity from the human world in the lake.
[Completely.]
Python’s sacred voice exuded satisfaction.
Then, transforming into a squirrel to dazzle Riche, Python climbed onto Riche’s shoulder.
“No one saw you coming out of the sanctuary, did they?”
At Riche’s question, Python chuckled.
“Who would have seen me? Don’t underestimate my cognitive manipulation ability.”
It was a kind of hallucination. For instance, making clothes on the bed look like Riche. Or reducing Riche’s presence to be less noticeable than roadside rocks to avoid being spotted by guards.
Last time Riche sneaked out of Trapeat’s dressing room without the Treang siblings knowing, it was all thanks to Python using this ability.
“Do you remember the demons not paying attention to you when we came here? You wouldn’t know they were clothes until morning.”
Indeed, Riche nodded.
When Python suggested going to the forest of monsters, Riche’s biggest concern was the monsters.
Even Deon, who was a monster, struggled. How would Python and Riche handle them?
But worrying was futile.
“Squeak…”
Even when the demon approached, it didn’t recognize Riche and Python and went on its way.
“Shall we go back now?”
“Yeah. There’s no need for any more visits now. This should be enough.”
At the mention of going back, the hidden stars around shouted at Riche not to leave.
When Python made a threatening noise, screaming, they fled into the lake.
As Riche and Python left the lakeside, the forest changed its appearance as if it had been waiting.
“It’s this way.”
Guided by Python, as Riche walked, he stopped when he found something under a tree where the moonlight had descended.
“A wolf?”
“A wolf?”
Riche asked, following Python’s words.
Meanwhile, Python, who had descended from Riche’s shoulder, observed the wolf from the side with a sniff.
“It’s still a young individual. Seems injured, though?”
It was a small wolf.
Blood was stuck to its fur, and its injured upper body repeatedly moved up and down laboriously.
“Why are you just standing there?”
As Python examined the wolf’s condition, he noticed Riche standing motionless and asked.
If it were a usual contractor, they would have rushed forward before him. What’s wrong with that meddler?
Riche spoke with pursed lips.
“It’s an ability user.”
“What?”
Python was surprised and jumped.
There was a reason why Riche didn’t immediately agree with Python’s words.
What she was seeing now was not a wolf but a bundle of black energy.
Python hesitated, then relaxed his gaze.
“Even though I don’t like the remnants of those guys, I can’t do anything about the condition. It’s so serious.”
“Is it that bad?”
Due to the crouching wolf, the energy of the upper body covered the entire body.
Since Riche couldn’t see the proper condition, she had to ask Python.
Python nodded.
“There seem to be wounds like those from a blade. Bones are broken too. It’ll die in a few days if left alone.”
Tsk tsk. How did this ability user end up like this?
Python clicked his tongue. Looking at the undulating black energy, Riche said,
“We have to help.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s hurting.”
“Like you did to your brother? Even then, he died. It’s not just because of the side effects of the ability.”
“Can’t you fix it with the stars’ abilities?”
“I told you. Healing isn’t my specialty. I can grant requests to alleviate pain, but that’s about it.”
“How…?”
“Tell me?”
Pythos’ smile, with the corners of his lips turned up, looked as sinister as it could get.
Riche quickly nodded and cautiously cradled the young wolf in her arms.
The little wolf whimpered softly.
The warmth emanating from its skin felt comforting.
It might have looked like a pitiful and ordinary wolf that had met with an unfortunate accident, if Riche weren’t Rhytheom.
The dark energies clung to Riche as if magnetized.
“What are you planning to do?”
Pythos asked.
“He’ll die within a few days if we leave him like this.”
Riche gently stroked the wolf with cautious hands. The blood was beginning to clot, making the fur stiff.
It couldn’t be seen, but she could feel it through touch.
The poor creature was in agony.
“I can’t just stand by and watch him suffer.”
The assumption that someone would come to help this wolf in the Forest of Monsters was absurd.
If she was the only one who could help, she couldn’t turn away from the wolf.
With the wolf nestled in her arms, Riche walked forward.
“Fine, do as you wish.”
Pythos climbed onto Riche’s shoulder.
