EP: 109
Storm
Muriel kissed Kaiton with trembling breath. Kaiton closed his eyes slightly and received Muriel’s kiss. As their trembling subsided, his dense and thick eyelashes fluttered softly.
The cautious yet intense flow of air surrounded the two as if about to explode. When his black eyes looked at her, it felt like she was being sucked into another space. The dream room where only he and herself existed was recreated every time they locked eyes like this.
Suddenly, Kaiton’s eyes became watery, and he embraced Muriel as if clinging to her. The rapid but heavy thumping of his heart resonated through their skin. It was a poignant and resilient vibration, as if tears could pour out like a torrent. It felt like witnessing the budding of a blue life amidst the cold and swirling snowstorm. It was so fragile that it felt like it could disappear at any moment, but it provided solace and strength to see that resilient and sturdy sprout.
Why did a person who was infinitely strong feel so weak and precarious? Muriel held him tightly in her arms, kissed the tails of his teary eyes which had drooped down sadly, and gently placed moist kisses on his face as if comforting him.
“Ah…”
Kaiton exhaled a long and labored breath, like a person finally coming ashore after a long swim, releasing a breath of relief. He let out a deep breath as he stamped his hot lips on her fair skin, as if he could breathe only then. Muriel’s thin nightgown was pulled down, and his lips delved into the more intimate places.
“Me too…”
When their hot breaths finally merged into one, Muriel said with a soft, low voice.
Whether the words “I love you” were spoken aloud and reached him, or whether they ultimately scattered and disappeared into his lips, the memory was faint. But Muriel expressed her love with her entire body. It was only when she reached Kaiton that she felt alive, so the two of them dug into each other’s embrace without pause.
***
“Why are you spacing out again?”
Kaiton asked Muriel, holding out cooled down soup. After his sorrowful and poignant confession, he seemed to have changed. Worried that she might scald her mouth while eating the soup, he had taken the effort to cool it down.
“Just… I thought Kaiton was so sweet.”
So much so that it doesn’t suit you. Even though she was sure she had swallowed those last words, Kaiton stretched his lips into a smile as if he had heard them, and placed a drink next to the soup. It meant to wet her throat before eating the soup.
He didn’t spoon-feed her, but he took care of Muriel’s meal to an excessive extent. This incident occurred after Muriel had been spacing out frequently and mindlessly gulped down hot soup, which caused burns not only in her mouth but also in her esophagus.
The drink he handed her was the terribly bitter and sharp tea that he often drank too. It had a taste that could instantly wake up one’s senses, yet Muriel remained absent-minded.
“Muriel.”
“….”
“Mure.”
“….”
When Muriel mechanically stirred the soup without hearing him, Kaiton lightly tapped Muriel’s cheek. Only then did Muriel slowly refocus her attention towards Kaiton. Kaiton, while gazing at her, unknowingly grew nervous and ran his tongue over his dry lips.
“Are you okay?”
“….Yes?”
“It’s hectic these days. Are you tired?”
“No… It’s not that.”
Muriel’s distracted state was partly due to Kaiton’s changed attitude, but she knew he was asking about the monster moat business.
As Debbie had predicted, there was a new wind blowing through the kingdom. It all started when Muriel began selling monster-moat services in the surrounding territories.
In order to fulfill the promise to the thieves’ guild and hold a funeral for everyone, a portal was essential. There was nothing better than a portal for traveling between territories. However, since opening a portal without Sharan’s permission was prohibited, they had to strategize on unofficial inter-territorial portal openings. That’s why Muriel proposed constructing demon fortress facilities in the surrounding territories. It was a generous offer, saying, “I’ll give you a monster moat facility, so connect a portal with us.”
Of course, most territories scoffed at the words of a suspicious woman who built monster moats, rode a Murishi, and brought unregistered wizards with her. Furthermore, they were wary of her request to open a portal, especially since it was for the funeral of a notorious bandit family. They were wary that she might have another purpose.
However, when one place was in danger of being attacked by demons, they reluctantly asked for help, willing to grasp at straws. Thanks to the demon moat, they managed to fend off the attack, and the demon hunting business flourished. The exponential increase in demons also contributed to its success.
There were places that willingly opened portals, offering to do so willingly without Sharan’s knowledge. They even suggested that they could open the portal anytime within a year if desired. Thanks to this, the territories were bustling. Everyone tirelessly mined Tapahite, built facilities, and hunted for monsters to fill them.
Naturally, Muriel was busy, too. Muriel put forward Kai Crawford as the lord and took charge of his internal and external affairs while claiming to be his deputy. Most of her work involved writing letters asking if they wanted to build a moat for the estates the next funerals were to be held. It was an easy task where the only thing she had to do was write letters, but as Muriel’s condition worsened, Kaiton seemed to think she was overdoing it.
Muriel was trying to explain her deteriorating condition properly when Chen rushed into the restaurant holding an envelope.
“Muriel, a reply has arrived for Kai Crawford. It’s from Liam’s hometown, Ashville.”
The attention of the people gathered in the restaurant turned to Muriel. If it was a letter for Kai Crawford, it would contain a response regarding the portal opening and the monster moat.
Liam, who was learning the trade of a blacksmith under Tucker, must have heard the news and rushed to the entrance of the cafeteria. The funeral of Liam’s family was mentioned in the reply from Ashville’s lord. He looked at Muriel with anxious, trembling eyes.
Muriel accepted the letter from Chen. Even though she wasn’t drunk, she fumbled twice while opening the letter and stared at the paper for a long time, causing gasps of excitement to erupt from all around.
“Let’s depart as soon as enough Tapahite is gathered.”
Congratulations, Liam. With Muriel’s words, the atmosphere instantly turned into a celebration. Chen rushed out, saying he would deliver the message to the wizards, but he managed to squeeze in between the crowd dancing and hoisted Liam up in the air several times.
Even after having made seven monster moats and twice as many funerals, the impact always remained the same. Both those who had already held funerals and those who hadn’t yet sincerely congratulated Liam, filled with joy.
“Send August in your place. Take a break.”
Kaiton was the only one who couldn’t immerse himself in the festive atmosphere and grabbed Muriel’s arm, wearing a worried and dissatisfied expression.
“You’ve been in a weird state as of late. Is it because of pacio?”
Kaiton pursed his lips in disapproval for a while, then cautiously whispered. His voice was grimly low, as if he was upset and could not hide it.
“Is it because of me…?”
Lately, Kaiton had been extremely reducing his use of magic. Unless it was absolutely necessary, he felt uncomfortable using Muriel’s pacio and whenever a situation arose where he had to use it, he would check Muriel’s condition with an irritated look.
Muriel silently placed her hand on his. It meant to check it for himself. Kaiton quickly checked her pacio, and a cold chill ran through her body, but even after the check was done, Kaiton’s hand did not let go.
“Recently, when people see demons, they think of Kai Crawford from the Ghost Realm. They want help. Some of the people who come to the estate say they have come in search of a savior.”
“So?”
Is that a reason to overexert yourself? Kaiton gripped Muriel’s hand as if he didn’t like the coldness in her fingertips and wore an anxious expression.
Interest in Kai Crawford was second only to the Ghost Estate and monster moats. There was a lot of talk about his true identity. Rumors spread about the genius wizard who disappeared from the palace had become the lord of the Ghost estate, and there were even claims that Kai Crawford, the lord of the Ghost Realm, was just a foreign noble with the same name, questioning why a sorcerer who was usually sharp and only focused on magical research would help people.
In any case, more and more people were seeking help from him. Muriel intended to reveal Kai Crawford’s true identity when the time came. It was Kaiton Ur who protected you all from the demons. He is not the Demon King. However, Kaiton still made a face that didn’t understand Muriel’s explanation. As if questioning what the hell was the point of all that, he only tightly held onto Muriel’s cold hand and furrowed his brow.
“I want Kaiton to receive the love of the people. Kaiton is not the Demon King as you all think. I want everyone to know he’s a good person.”
“I don’t need everyone’s love.”
“But…”
“Don’t you know? All I need is your love.”
Muriel took a breath. She was unable to speak with her beating heart, and Kaiton whispered once more, as if confirming, grasping the ends of Muriel’s hair in one hand.
“All you need to do is love me.”
Muriel just nodded at his words as if possessed. When Kaiton brought the hair he held in his hand to his mouth, pressing his lips against it, Muriel’s heart pounded as if it would burst. The rapidly pumping blood seemed to rush forward, and her head whirled. The hazy lethargy that couldn’t be shaken off even with strong coffee or bitter tea vanished in an instant.
As she managed to hold back the pounding heart that reverberated throughout her body, like the heart of a newly hatched bird, Kaiton took Muriel’s hand and pulled her close.
“Stay with me. Don’t go anywhere.”
***
Kaiton gently swept Muriel’s sleeping white back. The mark of the curse, like the claws of a beast, that didn’t belong on her soft and pristine back, painfully caught his eye. He hadn’t acknowledged it, hadn’t even realized it, but it was a trace of the anger and evil he had left on her indifferent self, even though there hadn’t been a single moment when he hadn’t loved her.
“Look at me” his anxious and desperate plea revealed his wicked and malicious heart. The more he felt HE was an unworthy person who shouldn’t dare to be greedy for Muriel, the more his heart twisted. He wanted to leave some sort of his mark on Muriel, who did not remember him, no matter in what form. Even if it meant causing pain and suffering.
Muriel still did not remember him, but he now wanted to erase this ugly scar. It was still painful and lonely to have to remember the times they shared alone, but now he wanted to forgive her indifferent oblivion.
He didn’t want Muriel to be in pain because of him. He wished the precious person who came to him would be a little happier, a little more joyful. Of course, he was a pathetic and lowly human, so he did some petty calculation even when it came to forgiveness. He hoped she would forgive him when she learned everything. He wanted to be forgiven for the irreversible wrongs he committed, blinded by revenge and pain, the sin of touching others’ pacio. May she still look at him with tender eyes even when she finds out that it was him who left a curse of pain on her in hopes that she would suffer.
Kaiton now covered Muriel’s naked body with the white blanket in order to erase the mark of the curse. He didn’t like Ondal’s eyes watching her, but he needed the power of fragments to unravel the complex curse.
He carefully placed his hand on her back, cautious not to wake her, and Kaiton’s face gradually froze.
Why… wasn’t the curse going away?
***
Nicholas Neville, who had been searching for Muriel as anxiously as Sharan, who’d put out a warrant of arrest, had a hunch as soon as he heard Kai Crawford’s name being mentioned along with the Ghost estate. Muriel Storm was there. Since Kai Crawford was in charge of educating the saint candidates, it wouldn’t be strange of her to disappear with him.
He didn’t think Muriel was the real saint.
There was no one in the Kingdom of Bulrion who knew more about the secrets of the saint than him, so they’d all been wasting time with nonsense. In the midst of weighing whether the real saint was Rovelia or Muriel, an unexpected figure came and suddenly took off with the saint.
Kai Crawford hadn’t already convinced Muriel Storm to join his side, had he? Hell, hell… Come to think of it, that unlucky wizard was a pretty seductive and handsome man, not to mention that fierce and arrogant vibe he had. It would be easy for a cunning and wicked guy like him to win over a young and isolated girl like her.
Nicolas Neville’s expression, which had been sweetly elated at the thought of finally finding Muriel Storm, twisted with annoyance. He anxiously chewed on his lip and nervously brushed aside his dirty blond hair, streaked with brown spots.
The apprentice priest who was performing the ritual noticed his change. What was wrong with him? Rumors were rampant that a portal opening had been established in the Ghost Estate, but it was unthinkable for the kingdom’s high priest to use an unauthorized portal without Sharan’s permission. Therefore, they were traveling by carriage. Moreover, the carriage was chosen by the high priest to move discreetly without Sharan’s knowledge, but he still thought he should have used the portal. Nicholas Neville was like a houseplant in a greenhouse which could not reach the outside without a portal. If suddenly placed in the rough wilderness, a delicate flower like him could wither and die.
The apprentice priest observed the high priest, who was not easy to please, while cautioning the coachman to handle the carriage more carefully.
“Your Holiness, are you alright? We are soon to reach the abandoned land.”
“Between Kai Crawford and me, who do you think is more handsome?”
“…Pardon?”
Nicholas’ brows crumpled in annoyance when he asked back in amazement at the unexpected question. The apprentice priest quickly regained his composure and pondered the words of the high priest. The person who claimed they must go to the Ghost Estate right away to find the missing saint… was asking who’s more handsome?
Instead of contemplating how to dispel the fact that the saint, who would bring revival to the temple, was being pursued by Sharan to be killed, the apprentice priest found himself pondering who was more handsome between Nicholas Neville and Kai Crawford.
“Will Kai Crawford, who claims to be the lord of abandoned land, be the one whom His Holiness is asking about… can’t it be someone we don’t know? To help surrounding territories and provide a home for those who have nowhere to go… it doesn’t seem like Kai Crawford would do something so selfless.”
“No, it’s definitely that Kai Crawford. I’m sure of it.”
His eyes, as clear as a water-filled rose, were asking the question. So, who’s more handsome? The efforts of the inexperienced priest to move past the awkward question were in vain. He recalled the chilling man who made his spine tingle and sent shivers down his body with just a glance. He had the presence of a cool beast hiding his claws, but he was so beautiful that it made one forget their fear and become captivated. It was a beauty that exuded an unattainable nobility and wildness that could never be tamed.
It was true that Nicholas had once been a high priest who enjoyed tremendous popularity due to his fairy-like appearance, but if the opponent was Kai Crawford, it was true that he gave off a vague and careless feeling. Of course, it was because the other person was overwhelmingly impressive.
Gulp.
The apprentice priest answered awkwardly, moistening his throat enough so as to not stutter in the middle.
“O-Of course, the Holy Father is much more beautiful. Isn’t that guy somehow creepy?”
“Hmm….”
Perhaps the answer was not satisfactory, so the priest quickly brought up a topic that would surely please the skeptical high priest.
“Do not worry too much. Your Holiness is the savior of the Holy Maiden, is he not? If Your Highness had not found the last letter of the Saint, wouldn’t Muriel have fallen into the hands of the wicked and become a puppet by now? Surely Muriel will be grateful for Your Highness’s grace and be impressed.”
“Ah, I did. I… “
Nicholas Neville smiled contentedly at the words of the apprentice priest. He had also planned to manipulate Muriel to his side by exploiting her, using her as a weapon against Sharan. However, since it was all for the sake of his cause, he felt no wrong in his conscience.
“I rescued the Saint from the clutches of Katrina Nox.”
I knew that damned curse was gonna cause problems!! I’m guessing another layer of magic is over it which has to be solved first to get to it
