“Focus on your doubts.”
The next day at the Pluto Ducal House, Meteor was still preoccupied with the voice he had heard in the prayer hall the night before.
“Focus on my doubts...”
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Why had such a message been delivered to him?
He couldn’t be sure if it was truly a divine voice or merely a manifestation of his own thoughts.
But ultimately, it didn’t matter.
What mattered was that he did have doubts about Crescent.
She seemed to be hiding something.
When Crescent disappeared in Winterly Duke’s icy domain, it had struck him as peculiar.
"I was with Duke Winterly. I was wandering through the castle when the space suddenly shifted."
The condition for escape was supposed to be finding the Aurora Orb with Eyes in pairs. So why had Crescent been transported alone?
It was odd.
Of course, unexplainable things happened all the time—especially in the Demon Realm.
But what troubled him even more was Crescent’s behavior after they returned to the human world.
"Thank you, Meteor. Because of you, we all made it back alive."
"Y-Yeah, thanks, Meteor."
The knights had all thanked him, thinking the exit opened because he found the orb.
Only Crescent had remained silent, simply watching quietly.
It was unusual.
The Crescent he knew would have been just as vocal in her gratitude as the other knights.
Even when they gathered later to recount their experiences in the Demon Realm, she had spoken very little.
When he explained that the exit had opened before he found the orb, she didn’t seem the least bit surprised.
It was almost as if she had already known.
If that were the case, why hadn’t she shared what she knew with him or the knights?
What had happened while she was with Duke Winterly?
And what exactly was she hiding?
Meteor had found her behavior suspicious, but he hadn’t pressed the matter further. He didn’t want to push her.
He had trusted Crescent for a long time. A minor oddity wasn’t reason enough to doubt her.
And so, he had set those fleeting suspicions aside, choosing to believe in her instead.
“Focus on your doubts.”
Now, that trust felt unsettled.
The nagging weight of doubt had returned, heavier than ever.
Meteor found himself consumed by these thoughts, unable to shake them off.
He spent the entire day lost in his head, barely registering his meals or the world around him.
At one point, he sat on a windowsill, staring blankly out into the evening.
Suddenly, a realization struck him.
“This isn’t the first time.”
When had it been?
There had been a moment in the past when he felt this same unease about Crescent. But it was so long ago that he couldn’t remember exactly what had happened.
The memory had been fleeting, something odd that he dismissed just as quickly.
“What was it...?”
He racked his brain, searching for the elusive memory.
It felt important—something he had to recall.
Would he be able to remember?
He searched and searched, combing through his mind, but nothing surfaced.
Frustrated, he eventually stepped outside.
The sun was beginning to set, casting long shadows across the estate.
The air was cool, but Meteor’s chest felt tight.
It was as if he’d gone to the prayer hall to rid himself of his burden, only to come back with an even heavier one.
Once again, Crescent is the reason for my turmoil.
That thought lingered as his eyes caught sight of someone leaving the estate.
Even in the dim light, her golden hair glinted vividly, her small frame moving with an unmistakable lightness.
Crescent.
There was no doubt it was her.
Where was she going at this hour?
Meteor’s gaze narrowed slightly.
“Focus on your doubts.”
It was as if the voice from the night before had cast a spell on him.
Even Crescent’s late-night outing now seemed suspicious.
Before he knew it, Meteor found himself following her.
***
The carriage was packed to the brim with boxes that Cyrillote had carefully prepared for me.
And to think, every single one of them contained fascinating items designed to mess with demons!
The Duke of Dimensions wouldn’t see these coming.
Looking at the loaded carriage, I couldn’t help but grin at Cyrillote.
“This feels so satisfying. I don’t think I’d regret spending my entire fortune on this.”
“If this helps you take down demons, I’d happily send a carriage full of weapons every day.”
“And wouldn’t that leave your head exploding from having to invent new ones nonstop?”
“Crescent, as long as it’s for you, my head doesn’t matter.”
“Pfft.”
I let out a small laugh.
My heart felt as full as the carriage.
It really was my good fortune to have a friend like Cyrillote—someone who supported me unconditionally.
“Thank you so much, Cyrillote. This is going to help me more than you know.”
Considering I’d practically emptied his shop, I had no doubt these would come in handy.
At least one of these inventions would be enough to catch the Duke of Dimensions off guard. I just had to make my strike count when the opportunity arose.
And these were the creations of the same genius who made Eun-chongi—there was no way they’d fail me.
“By the way, Crescent.”
Cyrillote’s tone suddenly turned serious, making me glance at him curiously.
“Yeah?”
“Can I ask... who’s the demon you want to kill?”
“Oh...”
I paused, unsure of how to respond.
I couldn’t tell anyone about the Duke of Dimensions. That secret was tied directly to my identity.
Seeing my hesitation, Cyrillote quickly added, “If I knew who it was, I could design weapons specifically to deal with them. I thought it might help.”
“Oh, I see.”
A weapon designed specifically to take down the Duke of Dimensions. That would be ideal.
But I shook my head.
“What I have now is already enough. I’m thrilled with everything you’ve given me—it’s more than I could’ve hoped for.”
“All right. But if you need anything else, promise you’ll let me know.”
“And end up being a total bother to you?”
“That’s exactly what I’m hoping for. Ha, anyway, you should head back before it gets too late. Want me to escort you to the ducal house?”
I shook my head firmly.
“No way. You already stayed late because of me. You need to get some rest.”
“Fair enough. I’ll save the escort for another time.”
“Sounds good.”
It was time to head home.
But instead of turning away immediately, I paused to look at Cyrillote. He met my gaze with a warm smile.
Taking a deep breath, I felt a surprising sense of lightness.
“Hey, Cyrillote.”
“Yeah?”
“To be honest, when we were younger, I used to think you were a bit... weird.”
“Is that supposed to be a compliment?”
He chuckled, a wide grin spreading across his face.
Only Cyrillote would take something like that as praise.
“You were different from the other kids—more grown-up, I guess. To me, it felt a little strange. Maybe even unfamiliar. But now that I look at you, I think I was wrong.”
“Should I be crying tears of joy right now? Did I just earn a compliment from the lady herself?”
“Not a compliment—just something I’ve been meaning to say. Thank you, Cyrillote. You’re really a good person.”
“!”
His eyes widened like full moons, and for a moment, he looked genuinely moved, his eyes glistening with unshed tears.
“Crescent, can you put that in writing? Getting called a ‘good person’ by you—I want to pass that down as a family heirloom.”
“Seriously, you’re ridiculous sometimes.”
He laughed softly, and I found myself smiling in return.
“I mean it, Cyrillote. I’m so lucky to have a friend like you. I want to repay you someday. What would you like?”
“Hm, if you insist, how about granting me one wish?”
“Of course. I can’t wait to hear what it is.”
What kind of wish would he make?
I gave him a playful smile, genuinely curious.