My Will Did Not Mean This

“I’m fine. I would be lying if I said it didn’t hurt, but this much can be treated with magic.”

 

“Krrrrr.”

 

“Huh?”

 

Vivian stretched out her hand thoughtfully. Aslan, who had been hesitantly cowering, slowly raised his head.

 

“Now, come here. I’m scared of being alone.”

 

“…”

 

A long silence and a look of hesitation. After Vivian waited patiently, it was finally time for Aslan to take a step.

 

“Garg, gag!”

 

“Ah!”

 

Aslan suddenly twisted his body as if in pain. The curse he had suppressed for a while began to struggle again. Vivian, pushed by his struggle, fell into a corner. Aslan, who was breathing heavily, suddenly opened his eyes wide.

 

“Wait a minute, I don’t mind…!”

 

“Kwaaaang!!”

 

Aslan glowered harshly at Vivian, as if he would not allow her to approach any further. The rock that touches the black lion’s claws crumbles helplessly. If she had been a little late in dodging, her entire body would have been shattered. While she was startled and stopped, Aslan, who had also stopped, turned around and ran away. The place he fled to was the king’s tomb.

 

“Stop, come back!”

 

Vivian, who was hastily following him, stopped. The moment she entered the tomb, a dire premonition went up her spine. Uneasy and suspicious, she felt like she needed to get out of here right away.

 

“Huh, black lion…”

 

Vivian stepped inside him, thinking that she should take care of Aslan and run away quickly. Since it was the king’s tomb, she was worried about what would happen if the body came out right away, but fortunately, the remains were well wrapped and placed in several layers of sarcophagi in a corner of the tomb. Vivian took a hesitant step along the traces that Aslan had destroyed.

 

“Are you a black lion?”

 

She heard running footsteps from across the street. It seemed that each area of the cemetery was connected by passages. It was just as she was about to pass by the king’s sarcophagus. I saw a familiar sentence carved on the ceiling. The sword that defeated the devil.

 

‘Why is Eleonora’s symbol here?’

 

The emblem was engraved in a position where one could face it directly when lying down on the sarcophagus.

 

‘They said that the only person who believed in the hero and fought alongside him was Eleonora’s progenitor. Did the first emperor want to be with his comrades forever, even after his death?’

 

It wasn’t even a lung disease attack, but her heart was strangely constricted. The reason was unknown. She thought it might just be because of the discomfort caused by the fact that this place was ‘someone’s grave.’ Vivian suppressed the ominous feeling that kept raising her head and continued walking. In a corner of the graveyard, Aslan was seen coughing up blood and panting. Her mind, which had been filled with Eleonora’s sentences, changed in an instant.

 

“Don’t run away, come here.”

 

“Krrrrr.”

 

“Because I’m fine. It’s more painful to be alone when you’re sick, right?”

 

Vivian lowered herself to one knee to reduce Aslan’s guard. His gaze, which was constantly coughing up blood, trembled slightly. He stared longingly at Vivian’s small, white hand, then turned his head and curled his body smaller as if resigned.

 

‘Maybe it would be good. At least if I were Iris…’

 

Vivian, who had been immersed in his thoughts, suddenly stiffened. Aslan’s enemy glared ominously inside her as he stared at her. The air changed in an instant. Muscles contracted heavily as if about to explode. Claws sticking out menacingly. Fangs fiercely exposed.

 

“Why, why suddenly…”

 

It was a clear signal just before an attack. Vivian quickly ducked her body and at the same time Aslan rushed in. A black shadow fell over her head.

 

“Ahh!”

 

“Krrrrr!”

 

But it wasn’t her who screamed. Vivian suddenly raised her head. Dozens of assassins, who didn’t know when they had invaded, were surrounding Aslan and Vivian from all sides. They were directed at Aslan, not Vivian.

 

“Keep in mind. You can kill the targets.”

 

“But I never heard she had a girl!”

 

“Kill that woman. It will be difficult if you leave a witnesses!”

 

“Krrrrrrrr!”

 

The person who ordered the woman to be killed died immediately. Only then did Vivian realize that Aslan was trying to save her. Even though he suffered so much from the rampaging curse that he vomited blood, even while losing his reason as a human being.

 

‘This damn special ability. Why do you weaken people’s hearts!’

 

How could she run away from a beast that fights to protect her? Vivian gritted her teeth and pulled out her sword. Her blade struck the ground and grazed her assassin. Her thick bloody scent was in the air. Vivian immediately turned around and launched her second attack. The assassin who was ambushed from behind her collapsed without even saying a word. She thought as she watched the men flock to her.

 

‘This time, it must be an assassin sent by the crown prince. You damn bastard!’

 

To Johannes, Aslan was like a time bomb. It was a threat that we didn’t know when he would explode, but he would definitely explode at some point. When Aslan would die, Johannes would inherit the curse. But even if he didn’t die, the danger still existed. This was because there was a possibility that Aslan could resurrect the devil by sacrificing himself. Just like the ending of the original.

 

Therefore, Johannes wanted to imprison Aslan while sparing his life. To steal his ego through black magic and turn him into a living corpse.

 

‘Aslan did nothing wrong.’

 

He did not covet the throne. He did not desire anything that was not given to him. He established his own kingdom in Northern Blackford and gathered forces. In the end, it was just those who were naturally drawn to him as he struggled to survive.

 

“Ah, the more I think about it, the angrier I get.”

 

Vivian mercilessly cut down the assassin who was charging at her. On the way, he threw away his long sword as the blade became dull and took the life of an enemy with two daggers. She didn’t know. She was just annoyed by the whole situation surrounding Aslan.

 

‘I guess this damn special ability is interactive, not one-sided.’

 

She couldn’t help but think that way.

 

“Crrrrrr!”

 

“Ugh, damn it…”

 

The end of a long battle. Aslan took the last remaining assassin’s breath. Compared to Vivian, who was free to avoid battle due to her small size, Aslan suffered significant injuries. In particular, it seemed like the focus was on his left side, which had not yet healed.

 

“Krrrrr.”

 

The color of the eyes suddenly returned to gold. However, there was still deep guilt and regret in his eyes as he looked at Vivian.

 

‘I’m really fine.’

 

But if Aslan rejected her, she could no longer force herself on him. Vivian, who had been slowly taking a step back, soon turned her back. Just as she was about to leave the tomb.

 

“…”

 

Her steps were caught. The animal hurriedly approached and bit the hem of her clothes.

 

“Shouldn’t I go?”

 

“Crung.”

 

“You said you didn’t like me earlier. You just attacked me and told me to go away…”

 

Even though she knew it wasn’t sincere, her voice came out rough. To be honest, when he broke the rock trying to push her away, she was genuinely scared that he was going to kill her.

 

“Heh heh.”

 

Aslan’s golden eyes were shining brightly as he looked up at Vivian. His eyes seemed to be very reflective.

 

“You just roar at me and don’t even look at me when I call you. I said I was scared of being alone.”

 

“Kkiing.”

 

“Am I that unreliable? I said it was okay and nothing was wrong, but you ignored everything and ran away. Do you know how upset I was at that time?”

 

“…”

 

The strength holding Vivian’s collar loosens little by little. Aslan’s head drooped helplessly. At first, she was planning to just say a few words, but seeing this reaction made her feel bad. Vivian sighed softly and opened her arms wide.

 

“Don’t do that again. I’m a surprisingly narrow-minded person.”

 

“Crung…?”

 

“I’ll forgive you just this once. Now, come into my arms.”

 

In terms of age, Aslan was clearly older, but she decided not to worry about such trivial things. The black lion, which hesitated for a moment, soon fell into Vivian’s arms.

 

“That’s right.”

 

Because Aslan was much larger, she ended up clinging to him, but Vivian just patted the back of Aslan’s neck. While wandering through the graveyard and fighting the assassins, the sun had completely set. Now that it was truly dangerous to go outside, Vivian and Aslan lay down in the aisle furthest from the king’s tomb.

 

Vivian muttered while lying on Aslan’s back.

 

“As expected, I think it’s great. I ended up taming such a huge black lion, right?”

 

“Crung.”

 

“I have to brag to my brother.”

 

There was so much going on all day. As she lay down against the warm animal, her eyelids naturally became heavy. Vivian fell into a deep sleep, as if submerged in water.

 

＊ ＊ ＊

 

A distant, deep night. The moon was waning.

 

“…”

 

A long shadow fell over Vivian’s sleeping head. Aslan, who had already returned to his human form, was staring at her helplessly. His fingertips were infinitely careful as he swept up her hair that was clinging to her round forehead.

 

“I’m sorry, but it’s hard to brag.”

 

If he could make Vivian proud, he could imitate an animal as many times as he could. But unfortunately, his curse was broken too soon. The sensation of the curse running rampant within his body was vivid. At that time, he was sure that he would have to wander around this forest for a month.

 

‘Is it thanks to you? Because you forgave me like this…’

 

How long would it be since he last saw her face sleeping without boundaries like this? Her pure white skin reflected the blue moonlight and sparkles dazzlingly. Like a jewel, it was so mysterious and fascinating that her mind was mesmerized.

 

‘For always chasing after me as I cowardly ran away…’

 

He had never been more grateful that Vivian tames wild animals as a hobby. Even though he knew he would harm her, he couldn’t resist this little hand. Maybe he was actually afraid. With his body taken away and trapped in the depths of his consciousness, how much longer would he have to endure alone this time?

 

‘Look at me like this. Speak to me like sunlight seeping into a swamp. Please don’t turn away from mr. For acknowledging my screams with this delicate body and these small hands.’

 

He placed Vivian’s pale white hand very carefully on his palm. Just like grabbing a tea cup, so small and thin that he was afraid it would break. Just by touching each other’s palms, the heat rose uncontrollably. He wanted to touch her just a little bit more. Just a little deeper.

 

He spread his fingers between hers and carefully inserted his. Even though it was only their fingers that were interlocked, he felt an overwhelming sense of satisfaction.

 

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