* * *

The next part of the hike was even harder than the first. The rough terrain and scorching sun played a role, but so did the constant movement with little rest.

There was no way Cadel could have endured a march that would have been hard enough for the rest of the group, but he did. He didn’t say a word to himself about how hard it was.

Because when your body is tired, you can think less. He instinctively realized that he shouldn’t delve any deeper into his own mind. The deeper he delved, the fewer answers he would find and the less motivation he would have.

In any case, the end he had to reach was fixed. As it was, unless he had to stop, he had to exclude as many obstacles as possible.

“Commander, at least drink some water…….”

“It’s okay.”

Cadel’s flat refusal stopped Van in his tracks. His stern demeanor didn’t seem to allow him the luxury of dealing with anyone, so Van meekly took the water bottle back.

Since his conversation with the Scarlet Dragon, Cadel’s demeanor had turned sharp somewhat. He was like that, even excluding the stiff reactions he gave to other members. Unless he was a dull idiot, Van could tell that Cadel was deliberately avoiding him.

He had a few reasons to suspect it. Maybe he’d been pushy, maybe he’d raised his voice to get Cadel away from the Scarlet Dragon, maybe he’d been disappointed. It was a possibility, but every time Van tried to apologize for his behavior, Cadel slipped away with a sigh. Cadel treated him as he would an annoying stranger.

Cadel’s coldness, something he’d never shown him before, made Van feel like he was burning inside. He’d jump into a fire if he could just get Cadel back to being himself.

For Van, Cadel’s indifference and hatred for him was more painful than death.

‘……This is crazy.’

Van’s melancholy was fully transmitted to Cadel. Cadel was acutely aware that he was doing a terrible thing to Van, that he shouldn’t be doing this to him, that he should be reassuring him now, even if these pathetic feelings belonged to Cadel Lytos. He reminded himself of this constantly, but it still made his heart grow cold, like dying embers.

Van had done nothing wrong. It was all just his own feeble attempts to deny the Cadel Lytos inside him.

He knew he was hurting Van, but he was so stubborn. As pathetic as he was, he wasn’t ready to accept the will of the other soul that lived and breathed within him.

What an ugly person. Cadel cursed himself again and again, until finally, he couldn’t take it anymore and stopped walking. Turning quickly, he held out his hand to Van, who had come to a stop with him.

“I should probably drink, I’m thirsty.”

“……Here.”

Cadel took the bottle from Van and gulped it down. Drinking so much should have weighed him down and slowed his movements, but he gulped it down without thinking.

Cadel emptied the water bottle quickly, wiped his wet mouth with the back of his hand, and handed the bottle back. Staring far away at the bottle, Van took it in slow motion. His golden eyes, blinking as if he were suppressing something, looked uncharacteristically pensive, and Cadel felt a deepening sense of guilt.

Then suddenly, Cadel wondered why he had to feel this way, why he had to calculate and execute such a simple action, and he felt a sudden rush of anger.

So instead of turning away, Cadel spoke up, his voice rising slightly.

“Thanks.”

The simple words brought a glint of recognition to Van’s eyes. The corner of his mouth tugged slightly, and he turned to Cadel, who awkwardly looked away.

“Sure. Let me know if you’re thirsty again.”

He didn’t think he’d be thirsty for a while, and he didn’t think he’d ask Van again. Cadel nodded grimly and resumed his trek.

It had taken them exactly three days to reach the summit of Mount Beryl and descend. That was despite the fact that they were constantly on the move.

All this time, Kunra hadn’t shown a single scale, and Cadel had hoped he wouldn’t show up until the very end. His mere presence was unsettling. In all honesty, what would the Scarlet Dragon gain by becoming a human’s knight, but dishonor? The Scarlet Dragon was not a man to be trifled with out of mere curiosity.

With that expectation, Cadel drew closer and closer to the Dunkelhai Kingdom, hoping that Kunra’s whim of ‘consideration’ would end in a whim.

But on their last night on Mount Beryl. Kunra crawled to Cadel’s side.

It was the same lakeside as before. Cadel recognized that he was dreaming through Kunra’s power. He thought about throwing himself into the lake, but Kunra was quicker.

“I can’t believe you hate it so openly. I’m shocked.”

Cadel lowered his gaze and stared at Kunra’s bare feet as he walked toward him. The tops of his large feet were covered in delicate veins like a real human’s.

“……Sounds like you’ve already thought about it.”

“You wanted me to think about it longer, didn’t you?”

“Because decisions have to be made carefully.”

“You weren’t thinking of sneaking away, were you?”

“No way. That’s what Cadel Lytos’ soul seems to want, but not mine.”

Kunra laughed out loud at Cadel’s frankness, which he made no effort to hide. Cadel’s head snapped up at the sound of the boisterous laughter, and his gaze locked with Kunra’s emerald eyes.

“Most humans think of this one as nothing more than a foul-tempered dragon. Anyone who touches my house will be burned down.”

“Isn’t it?”

Kunra’s eyes narrowed as he stared at him, arms crossed. Cadel knew Kunra wasn’t a dragon who killed humans just because they were unpleasant, but he wanted to pretend to doubt it, hoping to discredit Kunra in some way that would invalidate their partnership.

Kunra, however, was unperturbed by Cadel’s sulky demeanor, and his lips quirked upward as he swept a hand through his long hair. As if he knew all about Cadel’s intentions.

“No. Rather, this one wants peace. I know it won’t come easily, so I just built a little fortress for the innocent.”

“……Fortress?”

“This great mountain range is a fortress for beasts and spirits, flowers and butterflies. Neither humans nor demons can take it, and even if the second war breaks out and the human world is torn apart, this place will stand.”

Kunra casually plopped down on the floor and gestured to Cadel. It was a gesture to sit down. Cadel sighed and leaned down, and Kunra spoke.

“It’s a last resort. But even so, I don’t want to see the world fall to pieces. I’ll do something about it, just as I did during the first Demon War, when I gave the power of this body to those who could use it.”

“……You mean the Seven Knights?”

“Is that what humans call them out there? That’s a funny name.”

Looking at Kunra, who was genuinely amused by the title, Cadel remembered that he had questions of his own.

“Is that why you shared your power with Hesonia? It seems to me that peace came at a price.”

“He didn’t stop at just borrowing my power. He wanted the power to redeem the entire fairy race. It is a power that can lead a race to catastrophe, so I made a lighthearted contract with him that I would kill him if he tried to use it.”

“……Even if Hesonia dies, the contract will still be valid?”

“That is until the seal on all fairies is lifted. Did that cute blonde fairy tell you?”

Instead of amplifying the power of the Great Spirit with the power of the goddess Stella, Hesonia had made a pact with the Scarlet Dragon Kunra to strip the fairies of their freedom. It was a dark and complicated story.

Kunra, meanwhile, seemed to be favorably impressed by his encounter with Lydon. Cadel shrugged, uncomfortable with the idea of someone else finding Lydon ‘cute’.

“I can roughly understand how you were involved in the Demon War in the past.”

“You said you knew the future of this world, that there would be a second Demon War, and that your Knight Order would be the biggest player in it.”

He explained to Kunra what the system was, and what this world was, and told him about the story. There was no reason to hide it from the only one who could see through the system.

Cadel nodded, and Kunra followed suit, slowly shaking his head.

“I could sense that the movements of the Demon Realm were unusual. I was fortifying my fortress in preparation for the second war. But if you really can be the hidden card in the coming war, there’s no reason this one shouldn’t help you.”

“……Maybe I’m the reason the Demon War is breaking out. It could be a war created for me, and you want to help?”

“It isn’t a war that will stop if I kill you here, and there are definite limits to the extent to which the system can interfere in this world.”

Kunra’s eyes had an all-seeing, all-powerful quality to them. Creepily clear and deep. He took in Cadel’s melancholy face and spoke firmly.

“No matter how special you have been through, to me you are just a small human being caught up in a great destiny.”

“…….”

“There is nothing to be gained by beating yourself up. I think you should start by accepting the fact that you are an ordinary human being.”

“How can a human being with two souls in one body be ordinary?”

“I guess it’s quite concerning.”

It was strange not to be bothered. Cadel rolled his eyes at the absurdly insensitive reaction, but Kunra merely glanced up at the sky as if to check the time.

“Since you don’t seem to want this one to join, I have a suggestion.”

Lowering his gaze again, Kunra pointed a long finger at Cadel.

“Your soul is now seamlessly welded to the human soul of ‘Cadel Lytos’. If I force them apart, both souls will die, but if I leave a minimal junction, I can make each soul resemble its independent state.”

“Independent state……? That means…….”

“It means separating the will of ‘Cadel Lytos’ mixed within you. If it’s just for a moment, I can put that spirit to rest and you can regain your whole self. If that’s what you want, it’s possible to some extent.”

“Is, is that something you can do right now?”

Cadel asked impatiently, leaning in. Kunra flicked Cadel’s forehead as he leaned in, narrowing his brow.

“It’s impossible right now. If I deal with it in one day, your soul could be shattered.”

“Then…….”

“You should mix my energy with your body at least two or three times a month. So that you can adapt slowly.”

“How long is this going to take……?”

Meeting Cadel’s eager eyes, like a prisoner awaiting release day, Kunra replied in a lighthearted tone.

“Well. I think it won’t end until the ‘story’ you mentioned is over.”