Chapter 93
“You were killed by humans, weren’t you? That means your body will instinctively reject them even more.”
I understood what he was saying, but I still couldn’t give up on seeing Didi.
“Didi is really, really kind. He likes me!”
“Yes. And he is also the reason you died.”
I froze for a moment before I started hitting his head.
“Don’t say that! Didi is a victim!”
My tiny fists were too weak to do any harm, so he kept talking without a care.
“Either way, it’s impossible. Since Yggdrasil entrusted you to me, I have a duty to protect you. That is my mission. And I absolutely refuse to fail my first mission.”
Hearing him say that, I couldn’t hit him anymore.
He was doing this to keep me safe.
But does that mean I can never see Dedrick again?
“Can I at least tell him I’m alive?”
“No. Just knowing that you exist will put him in danger.”
“But Didi wouldn’t—!”
“To me, he is just another human. No matter how precious he is to you, it means nothing to me. Especially not right now. Maybe later…”
“Later? So it’s possible someday?”
“I can’t say for sure. I’ll have to see how things go.”
“Really not even a little?”
“No.”
No matter how much I begged, he was firm. In the end, I had no choice but to take a step back.
If I kept resisting and he decided to give up on his mission, I might never see Dedrick again.
“…What if I just watch from a distance?”
He was silent, so I hurried to add more.
“You said I just can’t touch humans, right? I’ll only watch. And maybe help him a little if he’s in danger. Just a little, please?”
“No.”
“Please! I’m begging you. I won’t touch him or talk to him. I just want to help him. If you want, I’ll even get down on my knees! Honestly, I don’t care if I die helping him!”
“…Ha.”
He ran a hand over his face and bit his lip. Then, as if he had no other choice, he finally nodded.
“Thank you!”
“But when we watch him, I will hide our presence.”
“That’s fine! That’s more than enough! So when do we go?! Let’s go right now!”
Novembris put me down and sighed.
“We’ll go after the rain stops. And if you do anything reckless, this will be the last time.”
“…I might run out without thinking, so make sure to hold me tight.”
“Haa. I can’t believe you’re being so honest. Fine, I’ll do that.”
Only then did I breathe a sigh of relief.
‘I get to see Didi!’
He must be injured.
The academy life must be hard for him.
Hearing about my death must have hurt him a lot.
I hope he’s not suffering too much…
I blinked as the rain fell on my face.
“Get some sleep. Nothing helps recovery more than rest.”
“…Will I grow faster if I sleep a lot?”
“Yes.”
Great. I lay down under the World Tree and tried my best to sleep. But my thoughts kept drifting to Dedrick.
Tears welled up and slipped past my closed eyelids, and a firm yet gentle branch patted my back.
“…Thank you, Yggdrasil.”
[Sleep well, little one.]
A warm and kind voice, like magic, lulled me into a deep sleep.
A Dark Forest.
Unlike the bright sanctuary, this place was gloomy, eerie, and filled with the ominous cries of wild beasts.
Novembris took one look at it and muttered.
“Disgusting.”
He was wrapped up in cloth from head to toe, only leaving his eyes exposed.
He was holding me in one arm, and I was also wrapped up tightly like a burrito.
“This is so uncomfortable.”
“Don’t take it off. There’s malice everywhere in the air.”
“But you said touching humans is dangerous, not the air.”
“I just don’t want to touch anything here.”
“Do you have OCD or something?”
“Yes.”
…Well, that shut me up.
“Anyway, where’s Didi? Is that building the Herba Academy? It looks abandoned.”
“Unfortunately, it’s still running.”
“I can’t believe Didi has to live in a place like that… My heart is breaking!”
“…I see.”
“That was your word to comfort me!”
“I refuse.”
“Fine, I’ll comfort myself!”
“…….”
His eyes darkened instantly.
It seemed like dealing with my energy was exhausting for him.
I smirked at him, only to get my cheek pinched. After that, I quietly looked around.
Novembris quickly entered the building. It seemed like no one could see him, as the students walked past us without noticing.
“Where could Didi be…?”
I clutched a small box tightly in my hands. Knowing he must not be feeling well, I had rummaged through Novembris’s pockets and bought some blueberries—to give to Dedrick.
“Are you really going to give that to him?”
“Why not! You said this much was fine!”
“You kept whining about it…”
“Oh no, is it not okay? Is it really not…?”
I pouted and acted like I was about to cry. He frowned in annoyance and shook his head.
“It’s fine.”
He hated noisy things. Also, because of Yggdrasil’s orders, he tended to go easy on me.
“It seems he hasn’t returned from the subjugation yet. Do you still want to go?”
“Yeah.”
“It’s quite far.”
“As long as we don’t get lost, it’s fine.”
“That won’t happen.”
He started walking again. But even though he was just walking, the scenery around us changed rapidly with each step.
“Let’s talk about what we couldn’t finish last time.”
“Oh, about the person who brought me here?”
“Yes.”
Novembris seemed to gather his thoughts for a moment before continuing.
“You know that the Duke of Blackwood led the forefront in the war against the barbarians, right?”
“Yeah.”
Perez had told me about it endlessly.
“Oh, right! There was also a rumor that the Duke of Blackwood got his heart pierced by the barbarian chief.”
“Yes, that’s true.”
“…Seriously? Then how did he survive?!”
“He didn’t.”
Wait, was the man I met actually a ghost?!
I gave him a suspicious look.
“No, but before that—there’s no way someone as strong as the Duke of Blackwood could have lost to a barbarian chief.”
“Normally, yes. But that day, the Duke discovered that his wife had been unfaithful.”
“Delani?!”
He nodded.
‘So my guess was right. She really did cheat?’
I gaped at him.
“Don’t tell me… was her lover Arnold?”
“You already know, so this makes things easier. Arnold Ectherus was the Duke’s most trusted aide. He was also the vice-captain of the White Hawk Knights. Unfortunately, in the middle of the war, the Duke found out about Delani’s affair with him.”
“Wait… Did the Duke actually love his wife? Was that why he was so shocked?”
“No. It wasn’t love. But she committed such an act inside his own castle. Of course, he was furious.”
“But if that’s the case, then what about the Duke and Lady Amelia—”
“We’ll get to that later. Anyway, once Delani Blackwood was caught, she and Arnold Ectherus worked together to assassinate the Duke.”
“But you just said he was killed by the barbarians.”
“Yes. That ‘assassination attempt’ involved leaking information to the barbarians. They made sure the Duke was vulnerable at the right moment, allowing the barbarian chief to strike. In other words, those two traitors were responsible for his death.”
“What the hell…?”
“Mind your language.”
“I was born during wartime, so I’m naturally rough-spoken. Just keep going.”
He glanced at me, as if wondering why I never lost an argument, but continued his story without comment.
“In the end, the disturbed Duke lost focus and was stabbed in the heart by the barbarian chief. That was the moment the real Duke of Blackwood died.”
So the Duke’s wife had actually murdered him.
If I found proof of this… I could bring Delani down in one move.
But first, I needed to hear the rest of the story.
“…The real Duke of Blackwood, huh? Then who is the current Duke?”
“He is the divine messenger who brought you to the sanctuary. A fallen angel who loved a human and was cast aside by the gods. Though, only briefly. The gods forgave them rather quickly.”
“…Are you serious?”
“It’s not a lie.”
What the hell?!
My head spun from all the information.
“Wow, then the Duke’s wife must have been terrified when she found out he was still alive.”
“Yes. That’s why she’s so afraid of him. She doesn’t dare provoke him recklessly.”
“Then why keep this a secret from Didi? And wait—hold on. The human that the divine messenger loved—wasn’t that Lady Amelia? Shouldn’t he love Didi even more since he’s their child?”
I was getting too worked up. Novembris shook his head, sighing.
“Could you listen in order? Why are you so impatient?”
“I can’t help it! This is a lot to take in. Keep going. We’re not there yet, right?”
“No. Anyway, after the Duke’s death, a woman appeared. That woman was ‘Amelia.’”
“Didi looks like her, so she must have been beautiful, right?”
“Yes, very. And she had a kind heart. She pitied the Duke’s abandoned body and wanted to give him a proper burial. Most importantly, she was a human loved by the gods.”
“And they fell for each other at first sight?”
Novembris nodded.
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• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Freya• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
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Advance chapters of this novel are available of my kofi channel
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