* * *

Benjamin and Belluna, who diligently ran through the battlefield and played their respective roles, walked down the halls of Ambrosia for the first time in a long time. There was no place in the Ambrosia mansion that had been moved to the monster’s forest untouched by them. Nevertheless, it was surprising that the unique atmosphere of the duchy of Ambrosia came out.

“Is Young Master Claude asleep?”

“Yes.”

Nodding his head at Belluna’s question, Benjamin erased the faint smile from his lips. Both of the child’s eyes were swollen every day. He pretended to be strong on the outside, but it was evident that he was getting more and more troubled on the inside.

“If Master saw it, she would be very upset.”

“She already saw it. She’s probably working hard over there.”

“……I’m sure she does. Probably more than we do.”

They still haven’t seen their master open her eyes since they rushed to Ambrosia when they heard that Sarah had woken up. However, they clearly saw with their eyes the color and felt the warmth of her body, which was lying down like a corpse and only breathing. Benjamin and Belluna had a hunch at the same time.

“Is it finally time to use the power that Master told us about before?”

“She has probably finished all the work she needs to do there……”

They were the only ones who knew where Sarah’s soul was now. It was because of the magician’s oath Sarah shared with them, an oath not to bring out the fact that she had two souls. Due to the oath that her soul would be destroyed if broken, Benjamin and Belluna knew what Sarah’s condition was but did not let them know. So they had no choice but to accelerate their research further.

“But I’m glad it worked out.”

“In Ambrosia’s relics, new materials are discovered……”

Benjamin narrowed his brows with a tired face and relaxed his neck lightly. Even as they roamed the battlefield, they followed the traces of power recorded in Ambrosia’s relic. In search of cases where power was manifested in the collateral of the Ambrosia family, they searched for the place where they had settled.

“Master’s prediction was correct.”

They remembered the words Sarah had left before leaving.

‘The desire of that power will bring me back here.’

Now they know what their master meant.

“Ambrosia’s power is the power to fulfill ‘desire’.”

How will Ethan Ambrosia change if he finds out about this? Thinking of that made Belluna and Benjamin’s steps toward his office heavy. Will he really be able to fully use that power to summon their master? Is he capable of that?

“……”

“……”

When they arrived in front of Ethan’s office, ignoring their complicated mind, there was a customer waiting for them first. Belluna greeted the familiar face first.

“Miss May.”

“Hello, Miss Belluna. And Mr. Benjamin.”

May nodded at them with a stiff face and bit her lip. Seeing her eyes shake aimlessly, Belluna narrowed her brows and asked.

“Did something happen to Master?”

“……Could you spare me a moment?”

In response to Belluna’s question, May suggested in a quiet voice and looked around. In front of Ethan’s office, there were a lot of subordinates preparing reports for him. It was clear that she was probably trying to say something she couldn’t tell them.

“If it’s Miss May.”

Belluna nodded willingly and moved along with May for a while. May was the only one in Ambrosia who spoke informally to Sarah, so she had that much faith. As soon as Belluna entered the drawing room right next to Ethan’s office and saw Benjamin following her, she immediately deployed magic to block out the sound.

“Feel free to talk.”

“……”

At Belluna’s words, May swallowed her saliva as if she were nervous and said in a solemn voice.

“Lady Sarah woke up.”

“……Is that true?”

“Yes, she fell asleep again soon after, but she woke up when we had playtime with Young Master Claude.”

“Why didn’t you tell the Duke and us?”

Benjamin’s face was horribly distorted. The eyes glaring at May were ferocious. May flinched and tried to take a step back, but soon put strength on her legs.

“Lady Sarah didn’t want it.”

“……Believe me. There’s no way Master wouldn’t look for us.”

Benjamin’s voice became hoarse. Belluna said, sending Benjamin behind her back.

“If Master had been awake for a moment, there is no way she wouldn’t have done anything. Did she leave any words, Miss May?”

“There was. That’s exactly why I left to look for you two. She said the Duke and Young Master Claude shouldn’t find out about it just yet. ‘Hesitation’ will occur.”

At May’s words, Benjamin and Belluna looked at each other and exchanged glances. Benjamin took the magic that rattled from his hands before he knew it. Seeing that, Belluna took a long breath and looked back at May, and said.

“Please tell me. Let’s listen to it.”

May, who breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Benjamin, who had become calm again, said, trying not to make a mistake in what Sarah left behind.

“When the Duke is ready, I’m going to break the oath I shared with you. So don’t reject it and agree.”

“……!”

“……!”

Belluna’s and Benjamin’s eyes widened in shock at the words that came out of May’s mouth. May’s face, seeing the expression of the two, was also stained with anxiety.

“I don’t know what this means. But Lady Sarah said that if I told you this, you would understand……”

May did not understand the meaning, but as Sarah said, Benjamin and Belluna seemed to understand immediately.

“We need to talk to each other for a moment.”

The silver mana that flowed from Belluna’s hand enveloped May’s body immediately. And along with the small memorized passive words, May’s body moved outside in an instant. She used the movement magic without asking for May’s consent, but the two of them had no time to care about it. Belluna shook her head in disbelief.

“It’s ridiculous, Master didn’t intend to use only Ambrosia’s power.”

“……Last time, Oliven said, he’s just protecting Master in a different way than we are.”

Benjamin’s voice cracked bitterly as he answered. He closed his eyes as if realizing something.

“Could it be that Master is trying to sacrifice ‘that’ soul? Do you really think so, Benjamin?”

“No.”

Benjamin shook his head and turned around to cancel Belluna’s sound blocking spell.

“Where are you going?!”

“Forget it? We were on our way to report.”

“……You don’t intend to stop Master.”

Looking at Benjamin’s back as he stepped, Belluna muttered dejectively. Looking back at Belluna, Benjamin said.

“Master made a ‘choice’. Be respectful, Belluna. If you don’t want to make the same mistakes Oliven did.”

“……”

Benjamin turned his back and left the drawing room without hesitation. Then he pushed straight into Ethan’s office door without knocking. Outside, Veron’s nagging ‘It’s polite to tell His Lord first and go in! Mr. Benjamin!’ could be heard.

“……Ha. Do I have to go crazy like that to be mad at Master?”

Left behind, Belluna muttered bitterly and followed Benjamin.

* * *

“Yes, it’s the power to fulfill your ‘desires’……”

After hearing all of Belluna and Benjamin’s reports, Ethan nodded with a firm face.

“Perhaps the successive family heads of Ambrosia wanted to strengthen the destructive side of that power. The desire to become stronger is probably the urge that humans can most easily fall into.”

“……A power comparable to that of a God was placed in the hands of a mere human. It would have been harder not to be corrupted.”

The voice of his father, who still coveted that power, rang clearly in Ethan’s head.

‘A little more…… Just a little more……!’

Greed close to madness ate everything around him, and eventually swallowed himself. Being wary and jealous of the fact that the son born with the same power as himself had surpassed what he had. Desire was bound to build up its power by listening to the inner voice. The more you fear this power, the more it feeds on your fear. Negative emotions were desire’s favorite prey.

“Young Master Claude met Master even before his true desire bloomed. He probably had a bunch of positive influences. That’s why the power of Ambrosia seems to have been manifested in the right way.”

At Benjamin’s report that followed, Ethan nodded. Sarah was truly the miracle of Ambrosia. Ethan didn’t know how to give love while loving the child. Claude was loved but didn’t know he was loved.

Spend time with your child, say kind words, and don’t hide your feelings.

These were just the things Sarah had told him, but it gave him goosebumps to think that he had almost ruined Claude by not doing them.

‘If it weren’t for Sarah…… Maybe Claude became a monster like me.’

It was Sarah who connected the hearts of the two. In the end, Sarah saved Claude. Could he have been saved by her had he met her a little earlier? Ethan thought so and hid a bitter smile.

“Claude’s power is the power of healing.”

“Yes, perhaps it was Young Master Claude’s first ‘desire’ to want to heal the injured Master.”

“But after that, Claude tried to use his power on Sarah several times, but it only emitted the same light as before, and it didn’t work. What’s going on here?”

“That……”

In response to Ethan’s question, Benjamin bit his lip and slurred his words. He felt Belluna’s gaze intensely pierce the back of his head. The magician’s oath was said to be broken by their master, so Benjamin couldn’t break it at this point.

“Belluna.”

Benjamin eventually asked Belluna for help. For him, who was not eloquent, the best choice was Beluna. She would be able to convey their master’s will to Ethan without touching the oath as much as possible.

“……Fu.”

Belluna sighed loudly and stepped forward.

“With Young Master Claude’s power, Master’s body must have been completely restored. It was thanks to him that when she woke up, she was able to speak without difficulty and move her body a little.”

“……I see.”

Although she had been bedridden for a year, she was able to move her body without difficulty because her body had recovered thanks to Claude’s power. But the problem was something else.

“However, the reason Master cannot wake up like that is because of the absence of the soul……, kkeok!”

Before Belluna could finish her words, black chains formed around her and Benjamin’s necks, choking them. As if they had expected this to happen, they raised their magic and wrapped themselves in chains to buy time.

“What is it?”

“……Ugh, it’s because of the oath.”

Benjamin and Belluna’s bodies gradually collapsed in the strong chains. Benjamin said, looking at Ethan with bloodshot eyes.

“Now is the time Master…… Heok. spoke of.”

Listening to Benjamin’s difficult words, Ethan recalled the words Sarah left behind.

‘Has the Duke’s power changed yet?’

Ethan, who was looking at the two for a while, soon moved to Sarah’s room. His feet, which were walking fast, were moving like crazy before he knew it.

“……Haa.”

Seeing Ethan head towards Sarah, Benjamin and Belluna let out a sigh of relief and began to do their best to withstand the pressure of the chains. Soon, this chain of oaths will be broken. At the same time as their Master fully returned.