BANG!
The flowerpot that was originally by the window narrowly brushed past X’s temple. X cautiously opened his tightly closed eyes as soon as the man lifted the flowerpot.
X’s dry lips twitched as he glanced at the shattered flowerpot that had crashed into the wall behind him.
“You still haven’t found her?”
A shiver ran down X’s spine at the sound of the eerie voice.
X basically feared and respected his God, but he still believed he would not hurt him.
After all, X was the most useful creation he had made. X himself had proven that quite well up until now.
“I’m sorry…….”
Recently, however, things had begun to go wrong, and for the first time in his life, X felt threatened.
He began to fear standing in front of his creator, considering the possibility that his creator could kill him.
It started after Arsene disappeared with Mary.
X had underestimated it. He didn’t expect Arsene would take Mary, and that Mary would make such a decision, leaving her family behind.
Even after sternly warning them not to do anything foolish. The day he came face to face with the human Arsene, he should have kept him and Mary apart somehow, not dealt with Baron Bruno.
If only he could turn back time…
But X knew. Even if he could turn back time, he wouldn’t be able to separate Arsene and Mary.
He was afraid of Arsene. He knew that Arsene, who was called the compassionate companion of god, would be merciless to him.
“In the meantime, the memories of Grand Duke Conler are leaking out.”
Mary’s disappearance brought another variable. X sealed Estin’s memory using his brother’s life as collateral.
Their plan to manipulate his memories and replace Mary Conler with Tia Bluea went awry as well.
He had even considered taking advantage of Mary’s absence to imprint Tia Bluea as Estin Conler’s daughter once and for all, but Mary’s absence was just as devastating to Estin.
“A poisonous fellow.”
The man gnashed his teeth. X agreed with him, even as he stood motionless.
Even with his memories sealed, he still felt a sense of crisis as soon as his daughter disappeared. The sudden disappearance of his memories must have given him a terrible headache.
Now, two vicious men are desperately searching for Mary Conler, who vanished without a trace, like snow melting on a sunny day.
X didn’t realize Arsene’s powers had returned to such a degree, and that he had earned Mary’s trust by coming to her aid like a black knight whenever she was in trouble.
In a way, God and X brought it on themselves. They were the ones who created the crisis that allowed Arsene to save her.
“Is Tia Bluea still at the Grand Duke’s estate?”
“It seems so. Her relationship with the Grand Duke isn’t particularly good.”
“Tsk, useless.”
The words were obviously directed at Tia Bluea, but the coldness in the voice was like a well-sharpened knife plunging into X’s heart.
Tia Bluea was his God’s finest work, crafted over countless hours.
She was essential to change Mary Conler’s fate. Considering the current situation, it was all on the verge of being in vain.
Feeling uncomfortable in front of his god, X began to quickly roll his thoughts in his mind. He couldn’t live each day feeling like he was walking on a knife’s edge.
X naturally enjoyed amusement and prioritized fun. But in a situation where he felt threatened, it was impossible to find amusement.
“Maybe…”
As X continued to ponder deeply, cautiously testing his luck, his god stared at him.
Caught in the ominous gaze, X hesitated whether to speak or not. He prayed that his words would slightly change his god’s mood, even if just a little.
“Now that Mary is separated from her family, she might feel lonely. Wouldn’t it be concerning if she became lonely?”
“How can she be lonely when she has Arsene?”
“Arsene isn’t her family. He can’t entirely console her. She might also feel guilt for leaving her family behind.”
X’s words sounded reasonable, but the god felt uneasy for some reason. Did she not have enough determination when she decided to leave her family to follow Arsene?
But then again, ‘she’ is a fragile and delicate being, so she might feel immense guilt for the decision she made with her own hands.
“I will definitely find Mary Conler! So please don’t be impatient.”
X, who quickly noticed the subtle changes in the man’s expression, admonished him with a sinister voice. The man sat on the sofa and tightly closed his eyes.
X was never one to disappoint him. Even now, he must be putting tremendous effort into finding traces of Mary Conler.
He was well aware of that, but he didn’t know how to suppress his rising anger.
“……I see.”
Still, compared to the anger he felt when she was taken away from him, this was nothing. He had waited for hundreds of years, so couldn’t he wait a little longer?
There was still some lingering anger in the man’s voice, but it had softened to some extent.
X finally took a deep breath. As he turned to leave, he stopped in his tracks.
‘Ah, is it okay to say this? The atmosphere has improved, and I shouldn’t ruin it for no reason, right?’
“Do you have anything to say?”
The man asked impatiently as X hesitated.
If he just said, “Nothing,” and walked away, he’d only irritate him more than he already was.
X took a deep breath and tried to maintain a nonchalant tone as he began to speak.
“Well, do you remember Cameron Arstans?”
“Are you testing my memory?”
“It’s not that… It’s just that… It seems like Rex Bluea is up to something. It seems like he’s trying to get revenge on Cameron Arstans. You know Rex Bluea has a dangerous ability.”
X, who had recently wandered over to Demimore to see if he could find any sign of Mary Conler, found himself facing an unexpected figure.
Rex Bluea was preparing to take revenge on Cameron for Mary Conler’s disappearance.
He couldn’t properly grasp the details of the plan, but his abilities were more than enough to shake Cameron Arstans.
“Why does that matter?”
X still felt like he should help Cameron to some extent.
Of course, he was curious about how Rex Bluea would use his abilities, but Cameron Arstans had also helped him, and he thought he could still be one of the useful chess pieces.
He needs him to keep Demimore in check.
“We still have to help Cameron…….”
“X.”
The man’s cold voice cut through X’s words.
“Do you think it’s a good time to engage in superficial camaraderie when I’m already busy and preoccupied?”
“Oh, no, I didn’t mean that.”
“If you had the mental capacity to care about such things, you would have found Mary Conrler by now.”
“No, I’m just……. I thought he might be able to keep Demimore in check.”
At the man’s sarcasm, X felt his eyes glaze over him.
As the man said, he wondered if he had been so distracted by this that he hadn’t been able to find Mary Conler.
“Mary Conler is missing, so what’s the point of keeping Demimore in check?”
The man stood up and pressed his index finger against X’s forehead. X tightly closed his eyes.
“Tell him to take care of himself. I don’t need chess pieces that can’t even win.”
When Cameron Arstans woke up from his sleep, he found himself in the middle of a forest.
‘Where am I?’
A sense of familiarity washed over him. He remembered seeing this forest somewhere before. Cameron, who was lying in the forest in his pajamas, had an ominous feeling.
In the vicinity of the spot where Cameron had been lying, there was a bonfire, providing some illumination to survey the surroundings. Cameron cautiously approached the bonfire, feeling his way through.
‘Am I dreaming?’
Cameron blankly stared at the fire, then pinched his cheek.
“It hurts.”
Judging by the pain, this wasn’t a dream at all. Startled, Cameron quickly stood up from his spot and scanned the surroundings.
Where was this place? Why was he here? His legs began to tremble uncontrollably.
“……X?”
If X had summoned him here, it would be somewhat relieving.
Perhaps X had called him here to discuss the recent disappearance of that thorn in their side.
Could X have kidnapped Mary Conler? Where was she being held captive?
The thought that X might have tied Mary to a tree somewhere around here, giving him a chance for revenge, slightly lifted Cameron’s spirits.
