083. The Forest of Mist (1)

That was the extent of their conversation.

[See you later.]

With those parting words, the familiar distortion of his vision returned, and Owen awoke from his sleep.

“Are you awake?”

Lucia’s voice greeted him.

She had drawn the curtains wide open, letting in the morning sunlight as she turned to look back at him.

“Yes.”

Her hair glowed brilliantly red in the early sunlight, like the burning hues of a setting sun.

Owen rose from the bed and made his way to the window where Lucia stood.

When he wrapped his arms around her from behind, she let out a soft laugh.

“What is it? Did you have a nightmare?”

“No, it wasn’t a nightmare.”

“Then what was it?”

Looking up at him, her voice was filled with curiosity. Owen responded with a gentle smile.

“It was a dream about you.”

It was a peaceful morning.

* * *

“It’s been a while.”

On the day they departed for the North, Owen, Kyle, and Bella gathered at the imperial palace.

They weren’t the only members of the group, of course.

It was natural to include more people for a journey involving the Mage Tower Lord, the Duke of Verdun, and the Saintess.

Accompanying Bella were two temple maids and five knights from the Holy Knight Order, as well as five knights assigned by the emperor from the Imperial Guard.

While Owen and Kyle could have brought along attendants, knights, or mages, they chose not to.

The reasoning was simple: the more people they had to protect, the more cumbersome the journey would become, and a larger group would slow them down.

“I didn’t expect you to be so shameless, Saintess.”

When Bella was the first to greet the group, Kyle approached her and muttered quietly.

“To offer such a warm welcome after lacing my tea with a sleep-inducing herb.”

Leaning close as if to whisper in her ear, his words were sharp, but Bella only smiled.

“You’re mistaken. I served the same tea to everyone.”

“And yet you didn’t drink it yourself, did you?”

“Neither did Your Grace,” Bella replied, glancing briefly at Owen.

Kyle let out a mocking laugh.

“You’re confident nothing will come of it, aren’t you? That’s why you’re acting this way.”

“I truly have no idea what you’re implying…”

“Even if I brought up the sleeping herb, you’d dismiss it as anything but a poisoning attempt. And technically, the tea was identical for all three of us.”

Bella tilted her head, feigning ignorance, as Kyle spoke in a low voice.

Her brazen behavior made him click his tongue in frustration.

“There’s no need to act now that Kyle’s figured it out.”

Owen, who had been watching their interaction from a distance, interjected.

Bella gave him a questioning look, prompting Owen to explain briefly.

“The tea was weaker than expected.”

“…You overheard?”

“In a way, yes.”

When Owen confirmed it, Bella sighed softly before turning her gaze back to Kyle.

“Then, the Mage Tower Lord must also know. Are you not bothered by it?”

“What exactly do you mean?”

“That someone you care for is this kind of person.”

“I don’t understand what you’re implying.”

Kyle didn’t answer her question directly. Bella seemed eager to press further, but the arrival of the Imperial Guard knights cut her short.

“We greet the Saintess.”

“We greet the Mage Tower Lord and the Duke of Verdun.”

The five knights bowed to the three of them in turn.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I look forward to working with you.”

Unlike Kyle and Owen, who only nodded in acknowledgment, Bella responded warmly, her tone dripping with courtesy.

The knights seemed visibly moved by her words.

“We will do our utmost.”

After the knights finished their greetings, the Holy Knight Order and the maids joined them.

One by one, the group mounted their carriages and horses.

Owen and Kyle had prepared horses for themselves.

“Would you like to ride together?”

As Owen mounted his black horse and Kyle was about to mount his, Bella approached them.

She appeared ready to board the temple’s pristine white carriage.

“The journey will be long. I thought it might be nice to chat along the way.”

If Owen and Kyle joined Bella in the carriage, their horses would have to be managed by one of the knights.

Though they hesitated briefly, both ultimately nodded.

There was something they needed to discuss with Bella.

“Let’s do that.”

“Alright.”

Owen and Kyle handed their reins to a knight and climbed into the carriage.

The saintess’s pure white carriage was spacious and immaculate, just as one would expect.

Once they boarded and the coachman closed the door, the group set off at a steady pace.

Bella spoke as soon as the carriage began moving.

“There’s soundproof magic cast on the carriage.”

“It seems so.”

“That means we can speak honestly now. Mage Tower Lord, does it not bother you that this man isn’t really Owen?”

Her pointed question made Kyle furrow his brow.

With an expression of confusion, he replied, “You ask as though it ‘should’ bother me.”

“Of course, it should. That man stole someone else’s body,” Bella asserted, gesturing at Owen.

Kyle sighed and replied calmly, “If there was mutual consent, it doesn’t matter.”

“How can you say that? If the original owner dies, it’s basically murder.”

“I’ve heard it’s a merging of souls, not murder.”

“…Just how much have you told him?” Bella’s gaze shifted sharply to Owen.

Owen, wearing an expression devoid of emotion, responded flatly, “I told him the truth.”

“Are you insane? You told him everything?”

“Why wouldn’t I? There’s nothing to gain from hiding it now that it’s been exposed.”

As the sharp exchange between Bella and Owen continued, Kyle looked momentarily startled before clearing his throat a few times.

“Owen is correct. I asked for an explanation, and since everything had already been revealed, he provided one.”

“And you… believed all of it?”

“It would be stranger not to believe it after hearing the two of you discuss it,” Kyle countered, leaving Bella speechless.

She let out a long sigh and pressed her fingers to her temple.

“So, the two of you laid everything bare, shared secrets, and are still calling yourselves friends?”

“That’s correct.”

“…You’re a pushover, too, aren’t you?”

At Bella’s muttered comment, Kyle raised his eyebrows in surprise.

“Pushover?”

When he echoed her words, clearly taken aback, Bella pressed on.

“Exactly. How else do you explain this? How can you act so selflessly toward someone you like without expecting anything in return?”

“…I think you’re misunderstanding something.”

Owen, noticing Bella’s persistent prodding of Kyle, frowned.

“You’re not implying that the ‘someone he likes’ is me, are you?”

“Yes, I am,” Bella replied with a nod.

Owen’s expression twisted into one of disbelief.

“I sincerely hope you’re not deluded into thinking Kyle harbors romantic feelings for me.”

“What? Why would I….”

Kyle, who had started to deny the idea, suddenly turned to Bella with a shocked expression.

“Wait, do you mean ‘like’ in ‘that’ sense?”

“How else could you interpret it?” Bella shot back, equally incredulous.

“There’s also friendship,” Kyle replied, sounding defensive.

“That’s not typically how people phrase it…” Bella trailed off, looking at him with a mixture of frustration and disbelief.

“Well, I didn’t realize,” Kyle admitted, his tone apologetic.

Bella stared at him, her anger simmering just beneath the surface. She had assumed Kyle’s behavior indicated romantic feelings, but if that wasn’t the case, it meant his relationship with Owen was genuinely one of close friendship.

And yet, Kyle had never shown Bella even a shred of such regard.

“Ha… In any case, the important thing is that you both see me as your adversary, isn’t it?”

The situation had already spiraled into chaos, and Bella knew there wasn’t much she could do.

“That depends on how you act,” Owen replied.

“‘Adversary’ isn’t the right word,” Kyle added. “You’re more of a bargaining partner.”

Bella looked between the two men and sighed.

“My actions are my choice.”

“And ours are ours,” Owen responded without missing a beat.

“Well, I don’t like that. It means I’d have to give up what I want,” Bella said with a bright smile as she turned her gaze toward Kyle.

Kyle and Owen sat side by side, facing Bella. As the conversation continued, Bella alternated her attention between the two.

“And what exactly do you mean by a ‘bargaining partner,’ Mage Tower Lord? Explain.”

“Exactly what I said.” Kyle pulled a worn piece of paper from his coat.

“This magic circle guarantees your survival even after leaving your current body. So please, leave it.”

The sheet, fragile with age, seemed to tremble in the light. Bella gazed at it silently, her expression unreadable.

Seeing Owen remain unshaken, Bella realized this must have been prearranged between him and Kyle.

“It’s an ancient magic circle,” Kyle explained. “It allows dimensional travel—even for a soul.”

“…So that’s why you and ‘that man’ were so accepting of my existence,” Bella muttered, finally understanding.

“There’s such a concept as dimensions in this world?”

“Both Owen and you seem surprised by this notion,” Kyle remarked, intrigued.

“Well, of course. No one in this world would think of such a thing so easily.”

“Dimensions make up the universe. This world is just one tiny fragment. The world you and Owen came from is another,” Kyle explained calmly.

“The universe? You even know about that?” Bella asked, her voice tinged with astonishment.

“This is the second time you’ve been surprised by that,” Kyle replied evenly.

Bella shook her head, muttering under her breath.

“What kind of lore did the author create…?”

“It’s not just the author’s creation,” Owen interjected firmly.

“This is the world of ‘The Flower of the Empire,’ yes, but it’s not solely a product of the author’s imagination. What we saw was only a fraction.”

“You sound like you know everything,” Bella quipped, smirking at Owen’s certainty.

“I don’t know everything. But I’m certain of that much,” Owen retorted without hesitation.

“This world is real. It’s not a place where people can merely be seen as characters.”

“Is that a warning? Telling me not to covet you?”

“Is that how it sounds?”

“Absolutely. It’s absurd, considering how desperately you fought to stay by Lucia’s side.”

Bella sneered, but Owen remained unfazed.

“I don’t see Lucia as just a character.”

“Of course. You’re insane, after all,” Bella snapped.

“I don’t see Kyle as just a character, either. And that goes for ‘Bella,’ too.”

Bella glared at him, her anger bubbling over, but Owen met her gaze steadily. He gestured toward the paper in Kyle’s hand.

“This magic circle will let you return to Earth, to Korea. You can go back without harm or death.”

It was persuasion—a final act of mercy.

And Bella knew it.

She knew these men, strange as they were, wouldn’t kill her.

Just as she suspected, they had brought her a solution that involved no sacrifice.

Or so it seemed.

‘No sacrifice… except Owen himself.’

Bella reached out, her fingertips brushing the paper.

As soon as she grabbed the worn sheet, Kyle released it willingly, seemingly convinced she was accepting their offer.

But Bella’s grip tightened, and then, with a sharp motion, she tore the paper in half.

“I don’t need it.”

The fragile sheet split easily.

Bella smiled radiantly as she ripped it again.

“I’m not going back.”

 

 

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