Chapter 36
Chapter 36
The strange sensation left her feeling uneasy, but as her consciousness rose closer to the surface, only one thought came to her.
“Derion…?”
She had fallen asleep holding him close, but how long had she been out?
Her body still ached with exhaustion and sleepiness tugged at her mind, but that only made her worry more. If she felt this weak, how was Derion, who was far more fragile than her, holding up?
That worry vanished when her half-lidded eyes caught sight of a familiar white tuft of fur. He hadn’t left. All this time, he had stayed curled in her arms, sharing his warmth.
“Thank goodness…”
Realizing that, she felt his gentle body heat seep into her own. Her senses sharpened, more acute than ever, even though her mind remained hazy, like she was still half-asleep.
It was a strange disconnect. Why was this happening?
Creak.
“Damn it! What the hell are you getting scared for?! Don’t you know how nasty Lombard is when he’s pissed?”
“…Do you think I’m scared on purpose? I’ve never seen a magical beast that intact before.”
“Oh please, as if I’ve seen them every day and kept my cool? What’s so terrifying about a tied-up animal?”
“He’s not just an animal, he’s a magical beast!”
“This isn’t the Demon Realm. In the human world, magical beasts are just big, ugly animals. You forget that?”
“Maybe, but… this place is still Inpethera.”
There were two male voices; one gruff and irritable, the other quieter, more hesitant and rattled through the log cabin. It sounded like they’d entered the cabin for shelter and were preparing to rest, but their conversation didn’t pause.
Between their words, she caught the distant murmur of rain, just a whisper through the briefly open door.
The sound rang in her ears with unnatural clarity.
‘Why can I hear this so clearly…?’
She sniffed, and the thick, damp scent of rain struck her nose. A bitter tang clung close, and she realized it was her own dried sweat.
‘Gross… I didn’t need to know that.’
She quietly cleared her throat and gently shifted Derion away from her chest, but her thoughts were racing again. These men didn’t seem to be searching for her. They’d stumbled in to escape the weather which was… a relief.
She felt her tension ease slightly. Maybe too much because drowsiness came crashing in again.
‘No, no… don’t fall asleep now!’
Even if her mind was foggy, she could still think clearly enough to know this wasn’t the time. She forced her eyes open, willing herself to stay awake.
“They said this is… the human world?”
How had she ended up here? All she’d wanted was a brief escape, a simple walk. Just some fresh air…
She bit back a sigh and tried to retrace the chain of events.
‘Was that spring a portal to the human realm? Or… was it Lukevart?’
She could easily suspect him. Maybe Lukevart had intentionally sent her here. Her brows furrowed. Internally, she cursed his name as she refocused on the men’s conversation.
If this really was the human realm, she needed more information. Most importantly, were they allies or threats?
‘Always survival first.’
Lucifer would come for her. If he couldn’t, Regnator or Morus would.
And if she were to get hurt…
Then the human world would bear the weight of that consequence. Lucifer wouldn’t forgive it.
‘Inpethera…? I’ve never heard of that place before.’
To keep from falling asleep, she strained her hearing and continued to listen.
“You don’t know who Lombard is? He’s the lunatic who took over Inpethera. Controls magical beasts like toys. What’s there to be scared of?”
“That’s exactly what’s terrifying. You can’t treat a magical beast like a pet unless you’ve made a contract. They’re not ordinary animals. Do you even get what that means?”
“Ugh! Not this again. You’ve never even met a demon or been to the Demon Realm. What makes you so sure? You saying Lombard’s a demon? And it’s not like the Demon Realm was even known to exist until four years ago when the Demon King showed up!”
The louder man, Lawrence, seemed to have no patience, while the softer one sighed heavily.
“Lawrence, that’s not…”
“What now? You gonna tell me the temple hid the Demon Realm on purpose? So people wouldn’t be afraid? That the gods deliberately concealed the truth about other dimensions?”
“Lawrence…”
“We both know that’s bullshit. And don’t act like you don’t. You of all people—you were trained in that crap. You’re part of it.”
“…”
“If it were really for the people’s good, they wouldn’t have kept studying the Demon Realm in secret.”
The quieter man fell silent, lips sealed.
“So don’t feed me excuses. You panicked and got us kicked out of Inpethera without gathering intel. That’s on you.”
“…I’m sorry.”
“I told you not to come preaching that temple garbage to me! I don’t believe in them! Hell, I hate them! You know what they did!”
“Lawrence! No, the temple…”
“Save it! All those bastards see is what they want. That’s why I loathe them!”
His voice cracked with rage, like old wounds had reopened. Then, a bitter, breathy laugh. It said everything. Just how much he despised the temple.
“They weighed lives based on ‘order.’ Deemed the poor unworthy of their sacred power. Even with money, they made you wait, in truth, status always came first!”
“…Lawrence, the idea of ‘order’ itself isn’t wrong. We know now that monsters are magical beasts that slipped through cracks between realms. That’s why their forms are distorted. They’re meant to live in the Demon Realm…”
“Bullshit again! What part of hiding the truth keeps order? What did your precious secrecy get us? Why do you think Inpethera even exists?!”
The quieter man had no answer. Lawrence had won the argument through sheer fury. But even in his silence, the softer man’s ragged breathing betrayed the words he longed to say.
‘Why can I even hear this…?’
Still had no answer but she kept listening.
“I’m saying… sometimes ignorance is better. For people like us, maybe the world is better off if we don’t know about the Demon Realm.”
“Why? What can someone like me even do about it?”
“It’s the fear of the unknown. That’s why the temple hid it.”
“Ugh, give me a break. You of all people know what the temple really researched. You’re not even mad you got exiled? Hell, you’re wanted! And for what, some half-blood sister you walked away for?!”
“…”
“You could’ve lived in comfort if you’d just kept quiet… Why throw that away?”
“….”
“People who don’t know the truth should just stay that way.”
The man said nothing, even his breath paused like he’d slipped into an old, painful memory. She could hear his heartbeat which was so loud and fast it made her dizzy. Lawrence noticed, grumbling and scratching his head. Even that sound came through crystal clear.
“Ugh, damn it. That was my bad. I shouldn’t have brought up your sister.”
“It’s fine. It’s been a year already.”
He tried to sound calm, but it came out hollow. Lawrence sighed again.
“So how long are you going to keep looking?”
“There were signs of childbirth at her place. I’m sure she had Arthur’s child.”
“Sure she gave birth? Maybe it was stillborn, or maybe… it was attacked, right?”
“No… I’m sure. Their child wouldn’t die so easily.”
The words were quiet, but firm and unshaken. Silence returned between them. Then a gulp came, and one of them drank water. That sound alone sparked a surge of thirst in her.
Once she became aware of it, her mouth felt parched. She licked her dry lips and swallowed, but it wasn’t enough. Her throat burned.
‘Derion… is he okay?’
Derion was curled up, silent and still which was unusually of him.
‘He was still asleep?’
Then she realized what was wrong. She could hear every sound outside. But not Derion’s breathing, not even his heartbeat.
“Derion!”
Her drowsiness vanished. She didn’t care if they heard her. She pushed herself upright and checked on him.
‘He’s burning up!’
His body was hot, frighteningly hot. And yet, she hadn’t noticed until now. Even with her sharpened senses, she couldn’t feel his breath. A jolt of fear shot through her in an instant.
==
(TN: Aya, why Derion? Huhu, not my cutie!)
