When I first used the time-stopping spell, it completely drained all the mana within me, leaving me exhausted.
But now, even with generous use, I consume only about a quarter of the total. I had fewer targets than before, but I felt a huge improvement.
Though Eleanor had tampered with my mana system without my knowledge, I couldn’t help but appreciate the benefit in moments like these.
I kept my eyes open and walked past the frozen guards and into the tent. Inside, there was a large iron cage, and inside it were my family and Raphir. They and the guards inside have been frozen by the time-stopping spell as well.
Seeing my family tied up with their limbs and mouths bound was heartbreaking.
“…I’m sorry.” The words escaped me unintentionally. I walked up to the iron bars, kneeled down, and sat.
This would probably be the last time I would see my father and brothers. Truthfully, I didn’t want to say goodbye this way. I wanted to convey to my family just how much love I had for them and how grateful I was for all the love they had given me.
Even though my father had been overly protective, I understood his feelings and why he had acted that way.
My eyes welled up with tears again. I took deep breaths to prevent myself from crying. Now, my family would remember me as a traitor and an ungrateful daughter. However, I thought it was better to be hated than to live forever burdened by the pain and guilt of not being able to save them.
‘…I don’t have time for this.’
I placed my hand on the iron bars and began to recite a spell once more. Soon, my family and Raphir began to glow white. As the spell was completed, they vanished from my sight.
“…Goodbye, everyone.”
I whispered with a slightly choked voice.
━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━
At the same time, there was a commotion in the Rojasis Mansion, in the capital of Trachen.
Julion, along with his three sons and Crown Prince Raphir, who had been missing for the past two days, suddenly appeared inside the mansion.
They were all tightly bound with ropes. The butlers and servants rushed forward to quickly untie the ropes.
“What on earth… How did this happen? Did Father do this?” Nita asked, looking at Julion.
Julion remained silent, his brow furrowed deeply.
“There’s no way. We were bound and gagged, unable to cast any magic. Even if it weren’t the case, there’s no way a grand spell like teleportation over such a distance could exist in this world,” Aslan said.
“Then, could it have been the Demon King?” All eyes turned to Raphir at his words.
“If it’s something impossible with human magic, we can only think the demons did it, right? The Demon King has such immense power, so even if he did something strange like this, it wouldn’t be surprising.”
“But why would the Demon King…?” Nita trailed off in disbelief.
“Probably for the sake of Eila. Didn’t the Demon King spare our lives because of her? He didn’t kill us right there, and I’m sure it’s because Eila asked him to spare us.”
“…….”
Everyone fell into a heavy silence, their faces clouded with dark thoughts. It seemed as though they had all accepted this as the undeniable truth. Except for one person—Julion, who had a different thought.
There was no way the Demon King could perform such a large-scale teleportation spell. The magic power of demons is mainly used in a way that exerts physical strength. If he possessed such ability, there would be no need for him to wage a war in the first place.
He could simply teleport to Eila, take her with him, and disappear again.
Julion had another piece of information that others were unaware of. Two years ago, Eila acquired ancient magic through the artifact.
At that time, Eila had also helped the Demon King escape using the same magic. Julion didn’t know that the ancient magic she learned had the power to teleport multiple people simultaneously over such a long distance. However, considering the circumstances, there was no doubt that Eila had teleported Julion and the others.
Being able to use teleportation magic meant that at any time, she could escape from the Demon King as long as she wished. But she chose to stay by the Demon King’s side.
<I love Clyde. I will spend the rest of my life with him.>
Eila’s words as she looked directly at him still echoed in Julion’s ears.
Raphir had said that Eila intentionally did this for their sake, but it was undoubtedly not the only reason. Even two years ago, his daughter stood against him for that half-demon. She claimed he did nothing wrong, putting the blame on him instead.
Certainly, Eila was not ensnared by any enchantment. However, it was equally true that she willingly gave her heart to that half-demon’s seduction.
A bitter groan escaped him. He still couldn’t believe it. Eila, his daughter whom he had raised with care for over 20 years, how could she say she loved a demon?
Especially when her own mother died at the hands of demons.
Julion still dreams of the wife he failed to protect every night when he closes his eyes.
He can’t count the number of friends and men who have been torn apart by the demon’s claws before his eyes. He still remembered each of their names.
How, how could Eila…
Julion buried his face in his trembling hands. Since that day twenty years ago, he had waited eagerly for the day he would reunite with Christina in the afterlife.
But now he could dare to face her.
━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━
Fifteen minutes after returning to the tent, Clyde pushed open the door and stepped inside.
“Was it you?”
I rose from the bed, looking at his eyes glowing red in the darkness.
“Yeah. That’s right.”
“…….”
Clyde walked towards me silently.
“I used the teleportation magic I used to come to meet you to send everyone back to Trachen. Even if they hurry to catch up with us from there, it will take at least three days. By that time, we’ll likely have crossed the boundary into the demon realm.”
Clyde, who had finally reached me, knelt on one knee on the bed.
Unconsciously, I stepped back. But as I stepped back, he moved closer.
Eventually, I found myself falling onto the bed as Clyde came closer. His hand brushed my face, and the shadow cast by his body covered me entirely.
I swallowed hard.
“So, my father and brothers won’t chase after us again. You have to understand, Clyde. I just can’t leave my family, knowing they were in prison. But still, I won’t leave your side again, so…”
“Shut up.”
Clyde said it in a gruff voice. A chill ran down my spine for a moment. He reached out and put the choker around my neck again.
“Uh, hm…”
I shuddered, feeling all the strength drain from my body.
“…Believe me, Clyde, I wasn’t trying to trick you or betray you again. I was just…”
“I told you to shut up.”
“Clyde, please….”
“If you were me, would you believe a word you said?”
“…….”
Mixed with self-deprecating laughter in that question, I couldn’t bring myself to answer.
“You say that you don’t hate me, that you want me, but when I touch you, you shed tears. How the hell am I supposed to believe you when you casually say you love me in front of your family, but when I ask you if you really do, you can’t answer me?”
“No, Clyde, you misunderstand. It’s not like that…”
“Moreover, in the short time I left, you managed to escape and rescue your family. Earlier, you acted like you had no choice but to remove the necklace to convince those bastards. But you were planning on doing this all along, weren’t you?”
“No, Clyde. I really don’t.”
“Then why didn’t you escape with them? Why? Were you afraid I would really destroy the empire? Scared that I might kill your family and that prince one by one right in front of you?”
“…No….”
My chest felt tight, and I couldn’t even utter words of denial. Clyde’s face looking down at me seemed so tormented and agonized.
At that moment, a tear fell from Clyde’s eye onto my face. His tears looked like droplets of blood due to the red glow in his eyes. Clyde muttered with a twisted expression.
“It’s funny. I’ve known for a very long time that it was the only way to keep you by my side. And yet, here I was, holding out such absurd hope, even for a moment, that maybe, just maybe, I might mean something small… to you. That you might love me too….”
“Clyde…. No. In fact, I do, and I love you, too. But…”
Clyde used his large hand to forcibly cover my mouth. He spoke ominously, his eyes devoid of any light.
“Don’t ever utter such cruel lies again.”
“…….”
The next moment, Clyde grabbed the neckline of my dress and tore it apart.
Scary