The water rose without restraint, swallowing both me and Ceryl entirely before I even realized it. My breath caught sharply, but Ceryl did not open his peacefully closed eyes.
The bone-deep cold and the suffocating pressure stirred a hazy memory.
Right. I fell into the sea of the spirit.
At the threshold of death, I had seen Ceryl’s memories. I had spoken with the soul of Ceryl still sleeping inside my body.
The reason I came to this world, my purpose—
it was all finished.
I had saved the dragon trapped in the basement. I had opened a path toward the future for those who would save the suffering magical creatures.
Then what would happen to me now?
I had fulfilled all of Ceryl’s wishes. Was everything I had to do already over?
My body, worn down from months of suffering in this world, slowly went slack. The thoughts and worries that had filled my head were wiped clean.
For the first time, I closed my eyes, surrendering to the strange weightlessness.
I let my body drift in the swaying seawater.
My body leveled out, floating horizontally through the ocean. I neither sank nor rose anymore.
It felt as comfortable as lying in a bed.
I want to just fall asleep like this.
But suddenly, someone grabbed my wrist and yanked me up with force.
I shot upright, eyes flying open.
“Not yet.”
The man who had pulled me up spoke in a gentle, familiar voice.
He wore clothes made of fine silk. Jewelry adorned his ears, neck, wrists, and fingers, making him look like a wealthy noble.
Tall, broad-shouldered, with a handsome face and glossy blond hair—
by all appearances, he looked like a nobleman’s son.
But there was one thing that didn’t fit.
A crude crutch, made by roughly binding together branches like something picked up in the forest.
“...Leobin?”
The name came out of my throat like a thorn.
Leobin broke into a bright smile.
Seeing his healthy, relaxed face made my eyes sting. For a moment, I almost rushed forward and hugged him.
As I failed to speak, Leobin bent down and picked something up from the ground.
Then he held out a single white flower, glowing faintly, and offered it to me.
“Thanks to you, I didn’t lose my way. Thank you so much.”
A dry laugh escaped me.
Out of habit, I brushed my bangs back. The strands slipping between my fingers weren’t wet at all.
I had just been drowning in the deep sea.
Then... where was this?
Only then did I look around.
The place where Leobin and I stood was a vast open field. A warm breeze blew gently, and lush grass and flowers spread beneath our feet.
Countless questions rose at once, but the first thing I asked was about him.
“Are you... really okay?”
“Haha, yes. As you can see, I’m perfectly fine.”
Leobin smiled brightly. He even spread his arms and spun around once.
“See? Not bad, right? Don’t I look good dressed like this? I look like a noble, don’t I?”
Then he puffed out his chest and placed his hands on his hips.
Is that his idea of a noble’s signature pose?
Well, whatever.
I laughed along with him.
“Yeah, you look like a rich family’s son.”
“Wow, I pulled it off! See, I can be handsome if I try.”
“You might need a bit more effort.”
“Hey, I’m pretty good-looking already! Definitely better than Margon.”
“That’s true. If he at least shaved his beard, he might be bearable.”
“He gave up on looking handsome. I think he believes growing a beard makes him look more manly.”
We chuckled over the meaningless conversation.
It felt like something that had been weighing heavily on my chest finally slipped away.
Letting out a deep breath, I asked him,
“What are you doing here?”
“Of course I’ve been guarding you, Lord Ceryl.”
“...Idiot. I told you to rest.”
“Do you know how comfortable it is here? I’ve never felt this at ease in my entire life.”
There wasn’t even a hint of pretense or lies in Leobin’s expression.
It left a bitter taste in my mouth.
I looked around again. Beautiful flowers I didn’t even know the names of were blooming everywhere—but there was no one else here besides Leobin.
“Don’t you get lonely? Being here alone...?”
“Not at all! I have lots of friends!”
Leobin pointed past a hill with his index finger. Through the pale mist beyond it, I could see a few small buildings.
...So this is heaven.
Then people like Leobin—kind, gentle people—would gather here.
Only after reaching that thought did I feel at ease.
Leobin naturally pulled me along, and we began to walk.
We strolled endlessly through the flower field, exchanging small talk.
Strangely, even without me saying anything, Leobin seemed to know everything I had gone through.
“That damn bug! Watching it torment you, Lord Ceryl, I thought I’d lose my mind!”
“I just broke a few bones. Margon was the one who got hurt badly.”
“That guy’s tough. He’ll be fine.”
Didn’t he see Margon’s abdomen get torn open by that thing?
As I tilted my head and looked at him, Leobin grinned.
“Margon’s not meant to come here yet.”
“Ah...”
Leobin spoke as if he knew everything.
Seeing that expression, I decided to ask him everything I had been wondering.
“Leobin, how much did you know? About me.”
It was a broad question.
Leobin hesitated briefly, rolling his eyes, then spoke in a quieter tone.
“I knew that you are the rightful heir of the Lavier family.”
“The rightful heir?”
“Yes. The true bloodline of the royal family.”
Fragments of Ceryl’s memories surged through my mind like waves.
I pushed aside the ones that hadn’t settled yet and pressed further.
“Why did you volunteer for that strange magic? You couldn’t even die peacefully because of it.”
“You already know. I just wanted to protect my lord.”
“...I don’t understand. Why would you give your life for me?”
“Please don’t say that. You saved me, Lord Ceryl. From that moment on, my life belonged to you.”
Right... that’s true.
...Wait, what’s true?
The agreement slipped out reflexively, and confusion followed right after.
Before I could process it, Leobin stepped in front of me, his expression turning serious.
“Even without that magic, I would have risked my life to protect you.”
“...Why are you like this?”
“I just follow what I believe is right.”
More questions rose up.
What do you mean by right? What does that have to do with protecting me?
The tangled thoughts made it hard to speak.
Leobin extended one arm and pulled me closer.
“Come on. I’ll see you off. You can’t stay here long.”
In the air he pointed to, a golden door shimmered.
I froze, looking back and forth between the door and Leobin.
There was no explanation of where it would lead—
but I somehow knew.
When I hesitated, Leobin tightened his grip and led me forward.
I forced my feet to move, though they resisted.
Then my eyes caught on the crutch he still stubbornly held.
Even though he could walk perfectly fine on both legs, he still kept that crude branch like a treasure.
Standing before the door, Leobin looked down at me with a warm smile.
“Lord Ceryl, it’s time for you to go back.”
At his gentle farewell, I bit my lip.
Leobin, thank you. I’m sorry for everything.
So many words swirled in my mouth—
but what I finally managed to say was something meant for the future.
“See you again, Leobin.”
“Yes. Much, much later.”
“Yeah.”
Leobin opened the door.
Beyond it, I saw the cold, dark sea.
But it didn’t feel frightening.
Without hesitation, I stepped through.
The moment one foot crossed into the water, Leobin suddenly gasped as if remembering something.
“Ah, Lord Ceryl!”
I turned back in surprise.
Leobin spoke urgently,
“My younger sibling is still in that house.”
His sibling? Did Leobin even have one?
I wanted to ask, but the deep sea beyond the door pulled at my body.
Instead of asking, I nodded to tell him not to worry and stepped forward with my other foot.
An overwhelming force dragged me down, and I squeezed my eyes shut.
My breath was cut off again.
When I cracked my eyes open slightly, I saw it—
vivid even in the darkness of the sea—
red hair, shining and drifting.
My body shot upward faster than when I had fallen in.
I quickly raised both hands to cover my mouth and nose.
In an instant, I broke free of the water and floated.
Finally reaching air, I gasped desperately, coughing out the seawater lodged in my throat.
“Puh—ha... ha—hah... cough...”
“Ceryl!!!”
A familiar warmth rushed in, pulling me into a tight embrace—
and then lips crashed against mine.
My vision was still blurred, my breathing still unstable—
and yet, instead of helping, a hot, long dragon’s tongue invaded my mouth, obstructing my breath.
With what little strength I had left, I pressed my palm against Varen’s forehead and pushed him away, coughing violently.
Varen urged me anxiously,
“Ceryl, Ceryl! Hurry, your lips—”
“You—cough—that’s not—cough—rescue breaths, damn it....”
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