“What’s wrong with you?”
At Elsez’s voice echoing through the quiet hallway, his hand—reaching out to catch her—stopped just short.
‘What if the you standing in front of me right now… is just an illusion?’
For the three years since Ruel’s death, he had seen countless illusions of her.
He would feel a fleeting joy at seeing her, only to be crushed by overwhelming despair once he realized it was just a mirage.
If only he had never had the hope of seeing you again, would he have been able to forget and move on?
He had clung to the belief that you hadn’t died, but returned to your original world—and that someday, you’d meet again. Caught between hope and despair, he had lived through a reality without you.
No—he had endured it.
‘If the you now is just another illusion, then I don’t think I can go back to a world without you.’
If the moment I hold you, the moment I kiss you, you vanish like a joke—then I can’t take it.
If that’s how it’s going to be, then just let me live forever in this illusion.
Rashiel lowered the hand that had been reaching out to her.
In that moment, Elsez, who had been watching him with concern as he seemed on the verge of falling apart, grabbed his arm.
“What happened?”
Rashiel blankly stared at his wrist, held by her hand.
He felt her warmth from the arm she was holding.
‘She’s not an illusion.’
The instant that truth hit him, Rashiel reached out with the arm she was holding and pulled her into a tight hug, burying his face in her shoulder.
He felt the small body in his arms tremble slightly.
Only then did dream and reality finally separate. The emotions that had been choking his chest eased, and he could finally breathe.
“…Don’t go.”
Even with her trapped in his arms, he was afraid of losing her. His arms tightened around her.
“Don’t leave me alone, Ruel.”
It was a desperate voice, like he had held back the pain for so long and could no longer contain it.
Stuck in his arms, unable to move, Elsez blinked in confusion.
Since they were kids, she had never seen him so unstable.
He had always stayed calm and composed, so seeing him break down like this was unfamiliar—and even without knowing the reason, her heart ached.
She didn’t know why he was standing in front of her door at this hour, or why he was suddenly saying these things, but she did know what he needed to hear.
“I won’t go.”
Elsez reached out and hugged Rashiel back.
“I’m right here. Beside you.”
She didn’t know where he didn’t want her to go—but as always, she had no choice but to give him the answer he wanted.
Elsez gently patted his back to calm him.
Unaware of what emotions were swirling in the eyes of the man holding her.
****
That morning, Rashiel met with Dike.
Without any preamble, he got straight to the point.
“The forbidden book once held by the crown prince of Arthes—I believe it was retrieved by the Holy Nation. I would like to request access to it.”
Dike’s eyes widened at the unexpected request, then he furrowed his brow slightly and asked cautiously,
“May I ask the reason first?”
“Since the mana from the Rift Between Dimensions is the source of the Demon God’s power, if we study the rift, we might find a way to stop that power from growing any further.”
“……”
“Therefore, I ask for permission to view the forbidden book.”
On the surface, Rashiel claimed it was to find a way to oppose the Demon God. But the real reason he wanted to read the forbidden book was something else.
‘And can you look into the dimensional rift too? I heard it’s a passage connecting to another world. I want to know if that’s true.’
Elsez had asked him to research the dimensional rift, just in case everything went wrong, so that she might return to her original world.
Following her request, Rashiel had searched through the temple’s library late into the night, but there weren’t many records on the dimensional rift.
His desire to examine the forbidden book wasn’t just for Elsez’s sake.
‘If I can’t stop Ruel from leaving my side…’
Then maybe I just need to keep her within reach—no matter where her feet may land.
Even if that place lies beyond dimensions—or in the afterlife.
Dike finally spoke with a grim expression.
“It’s been over a thousand years since we began fighting the Demon God. Many have touched the forbidden book since then, but none have succeeded in defeating him.”
“……”
“Some studied the book but failed and fell into despair. Others became corrupted and turned into followers of the Demon God.”
A bitter smile crossed Dike’s face as he spoke.
“Rashiel, can you say with certainty that you’ll be different from them?”
“Are you going to abandon hope just because everyone else has failed for a thousand years?”
Rashiel’s sharp reply cracked the calm on Dike’s face.
“If you’re asking about my resolve, then my answer won’t be any different from those before me.”
Dike remembered the replies of everyone who had touched the forbidden book until now.
I’ll be different.
Rashiel was giving the same answer.
And just like them, he added:
“But the result will be different.”
Rashiel spoke with such confident conviction, it almost sounded arrogant.
But he had no choice but to be sure.
No matter how many times he failed—he would never give up on Elsez.
Dike stared at Rashiel for a long moment before letting out a bitter laugh, as if admitting defeat.
“That’s so like you, Rashiel. But unfortunately, only part of the forbidden book is currently in the Holy Nation’s possession.”
“Part of it?”
“The book actually consists of two volumes—a pair. Each has some content, but you have to read both together to fully understand it.”
“Then the other half is somewhere else?”
“Yes. To prevent something like this from happening again, the Holy Nation and the Empire agreed to each hold one volume—upper and lower.”
Rashiel’s brows furrowed.
“So to fully understand the book’s content, I’d need permission from the Empire to read the other half.”
He tapped his long fingers on the table, deep in thought.
Watching him, Dike spoke again, as if offering a small favor.
“If you’d like to read just the upper volume, I can put in a request with the department in charge. But since it’s only half—and in an ancient language—it won’t be easy to interpret…”
“No need. Thank you for your consideration.”
With that formal reply, Rashiel rose from his seat.
I already memorized the upper volume.
In truth, Rashiel already knew the forbidden book had two parts.
Back when the book was still in the imperial palace, before it was handed to the Holy Nation—
He had accessed it in secret and memorized the entire upper volume.
So the lower volume had already been separated at that time.
He had noticed it was missing, but assumed it was kept elsewhere—not that it had been entrusted to the Empire.
What Rashiel needed now was the lower volume held by the Empire.
I need to find a way to get the Empire’s permission.
Once Rashiel left, Dike remained alone in the room.
Though his face still wore a calm smile as he looked toward the door, something cold and unfamiliar glinted in his eyes.
Whiiiit—
As Dike whistled, a small bird flew in through the open window.
It landed neatly on his outstretched finger, as if it had done so many times before.
Dike gently stroked the bird’s head and whispered sweetly,
“Go and deliver my message.”
As the bird listened, a red gleam sparked in its black eyes.
“Proceed as planned.”
****
The five heroes, gathered to find a way to resist the Demon God, spent their time either training or researching solutions when meetings weren’t being held.
After finishing her training and taking a shower, Elsez returned to her room—and found a young girl crouched in front of her door.
She was one of the apprentice clerics who had come in, like Noel.
Apprentices often ran errands and were rewarded with small treats like chocolate.
As Elsez expected, the girl had a letter in her hand.
“Hi. Did you come with a delivery?”
Elsez greeted her with a gentle smile, and the startled girl quickly stood up.
Then she trotted over and handed the letter to Elsez.
“Thank you.”
After accepting the letter, Elsez patted the girl’s head lightly.
The girl bowed shyly, then scurried off.
Watching the small figure disappear down the hall, Elsez opened the letter.
A familiar family crest was stamped on the envelope.
“Tracia?”
Tracia wouldn’t normally have a reason to send me a letter.
With a puzzled look, Elsez opened it.
To Lady Elsez,
I suppose I should start with this—congratulations on becoming a full-fledged Hero, Hero Elsez Rohen.
I trust you won’t ask something silly like “How did you know already?”
By the way, how’s life at the temple?
Things are a bit chaotic over here. Business is down too, it seems…
Everyone’s feeling uneasy because of the newly crowned crown princess. Some people even say it’s a shame our oh-so-noble Tower Master wasn’t made Crown Prince instead—but really, they don’t realize how fake that guy is.
If that guy suddenly changes his mind and decides to take the title, give me a heads-up, okay? I’ll make plans to flee.
Oh, and this part’s a secret. I’m sure he knows about his reputation, but just in case—please burn this letter after reading it.
Anyway, enough of that. The real reason I wrote you is about something important.
You know that heirloom you left with me? Turns out it’s quite a significant item.
If it really belonged to one of your ancestors, then your lineage might be…
The letter continued on the next page.
Elsez, skimming without much emotion at first, found her eyes slowly widening as she read further.
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