“….”
Holding the empty air was a posture that would normally be exhausting. But Basileon didn’t feel any strain at all. He was so focused on the paradoxical sensation of touching what he couldn’t actually touch that he had no attention left for anything else. He was certain he could stay like that even if Evien didn’t wake for hours.
* * *
After some time had passed.
“Basileon!”
With his eyes closed, Basileon was suddenly startled by Evien’s voice.
“Mmm… you know. How long are you going to stay like that?”
Evien had, without him noticing, slipped out of Basileon’s arms and was now watching him from a distance.
“Ah.”
It must have looked pretty ridiculous—an adult man holding onto empty air like that.
“Pft. You look like you’re putting on some kind of play!”
Basileon’s face flushed bright red.
“Evien. You were awake, weren’t you?”
“…Mhm! I woke up, and I felt this really, really warm and pleasant sensation. Then I realized you were holding me.”
Evien glanced at Basileon, then shyly turned her head away.
“You didn’t actually feel warm, did you?”
Basileon felt a wave of relief knowing that nothing had happened to Evien. Wanting to take in her presence, he ended up staring at her intently. Evien, unaccustomed to his gaze, fidgeted with her fingers.
“Believe it or not, Basileon, I actually felt warmth. It wasn’t like I could touch or feel you, though.”
“….”
It wasn’t entirely impossible. Evien was a spirit, but she was undergoing changes.
‘Could it be connected to whatever was done to Evien’s corpse?’
If a human is capable of binding him in chains, then perhaps they could be someone trained or manipulated by the Evil God. From what he knew, the Evil God was capable of all sorts of unimaginable feats. Basileon was certain, however, that a mere survivor could not be the Evil God.
The Evil God had made him believe that it was always watching from the highest place, existing in a realm beyond reach—like it was some sort of deity. The mere thought of the Evil God stirred a hatred that seeped into Basileon’s very bones. He clenched his teeth tightly, forcing himself to suppress the surge of emotion.
* * *
“…Interesting.”
Evan Martinez alternated his gaze between Evien and Basileon at the window. He watched, without blinking once, the strange sight of a specter and a killer locked in an embrace.
Tuk, tuk, tuk…
Evan rested his chin on his hand and tapped his fingers on the windowsill. Mary Crow, sitting quietly beside him, tilted her head in curiosity as she observed his behavior.
“Evan. Why are you being so scary?”
“Oh, well. It’s nothing.”
Evan slid away from the window and casually sank into the sofa. A bit fatigued, he closed his eyes. Mary observed Evan quietly.
The young man with platinum hair. He carried an air of justice and kindness, gentle and good-natured, yet at times, like now, he appeared cold and composed. He could be lost in thought during any task, or suddenly smirk to himself. From Mary’s perspective, Evan seemed a little crazy.
‘That image… that was me.’
“Hng.”
She had always thought she was the weirdest of the four survivors, and she couldn’t stand having that taken from her.
“Come to your senses, Evan. With even Lilith going off the rails, if you lose it too, then who’s going to lead us?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re going crazy, just like Lilith.”
At the mention of “going crazy,” Evan’s expression darkened sharply.
“What are you talking about…”
Click—.
It was Lilith who interrupted their conversation and opened the door.
“I found Havel.”
Lilith grabbed Havel by the collar and dragged him into the room.
“Ugh…”
Havel grumbled.
“Tch. I bet you were shoving food into your mouth again, weren’t you?”
Mary spoke, noticing the bits of food stuck at Havel’s mouth. Evan relaxed his expression and let out a sigh. Seeing the food on Havel’s mouth smeared onto Lilis’s hand, Evan took something out from his inner pocket.
“Use it, Lilith.”
He handed Lilith a carefully folded handkerchief.
“…Forget it.”
Lilith didn’t even glance at Evan and sat on a sofa far from him. With an expressionless face, she took out her handkerchief and wiped her hands.
“….”
Ever since Evan failed to empathize with Lilith’s words, their relationship had grown distant. Mary didn’t miss this subtle tension. She had always been certain that Lilith harbored some fond feelings for Evan.
‘…A lover’s quarrel?’
“Is the Duke of Ravenwood still outside?”
“Yes.”
Mary answered Lilith’s question.
“That’s a relief. The fact that the Duke is outside means this is our only chance to gather in the middle of the night.”
Lilith stood up with a determined expression and went to the workbench where a large sheet of paper was spread out. She opened her mouth as if to announce something important.
“…I have something important that I must share with all of you. Even if it’s a little hard to understand, please listen until the end.”
Lilith took a deep breath, as if trying to relax.
“Survivors. This crazy world is repeating itself like a hamster wheel.”
Mary looked at Lilith as if she were crazy.
“I know you find it hard to believe. You’ll probably think I’m being ridiculous. But it’s true. At some point, I became aware of this repeating world.”
Lilith managed to continue speaking, her voice trembling with anxiety.
“I’ve decided not to care whether you believe me or not. I’ve recently discovered something important.”
“What is that?”
“…Perhaps we might be able to stop this endless cycle.”
Mary made a bewildered face, completely unable to understand what she meant.
‘Everyone’s absolutely crazy.’
“Uh… Basileon. You must have gone through some terrible ordeal, right?”
Basileon’s mood had suddenly grown so dark that I found myself hesitating, carefully gauging his expression before forcing the words out. The warning message I’d seen last time crept back into my mind—Was this another thing tied to the Evil God? Maybe things weren’t going the way that damn deity wanted. Maybe that was why it kept tormenting both me and Basileon.
“…Evien, you speak first. Your situation matters more to me.”
For a moment, those words echoed inside me.
“Your situation matters more to me.”
“Your situation matters more to me.”
“Your situation matters more to me.”
‘That’s impossible. Someone like me, what could I possibly—’
“Are you listening?”
Basileon had somehow moved close to my ear. He didn’t need to come this close.
“Uh, um… I can hear you just fine from over there.”
“…I was just checking to see if there was anything wrong with your hearing.”
It seemed clear that Basileon was extremely concerned about me. After all, everything I’d been experiencing lately were things no dead person should ever go through.
“Well, it’s nothing much.”
I tried to sound indifferent.
“Just… I went to your room and you weren’t there, so I went looking for you. After that, I saw your message through the map. You told me to run, so I flew up into the sky, and after that…”
“And after that?”
“So…”
I just couldn’t bring myself to talk about the next part. The feeling of my throat tightening. The sensation of being unable to breathe. Even thinking about it was unbearable—that terror from the past came rushing back with it.
“…”
Basilleon would probably think, What’s so hard about just saying what happened? …What do I do.Without realizing it, my hand was already rubbing my neck. It was a habit left over from my past life. Just then, Basilleon spoke softly.
“Don’t cry.”
“What?”
I must have started tearing up without even realizing it. What happened earlier must have shocked me more than I thought. That’s probably why the tears were welling up on their own.
“If it’s so painful to even imagine, just don’t say anything.”
When I came to my senses and looked ahead, Basileon was bending down to meet my eye level.
‘Why are you looking at me like that?’
Like someone who already knows everything I’ve been through.
“What are you talking about?”
Basileon pretended not to hear me, straightened his back, and took a moment to admire the roses blooming all around us.
“Evien. Look at this.”
After saying that, he sniffed the roses.
“…”
A rose and Basileon Ravenwood… What an impossibly beautiful combination.
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