‘No, fox cubs aren’t this big. And they’re not this seductive either.’

Yuphe was clinging tightly to my chest with no intention of letting go.

‘But he… I think his eyes returned to normal just now.’

Focused on identifying what was clinging to me, I belatedly noticed that Yuphe’s condition had subtly changed.

“Jella. I like it. I like it so much…”

He was continuously professing his love to me just like before, but…

‘It’s slightly different.’

His excited voice and trembling hands were subtly different.

Above all, when that suspicious power filled the voice flowing from my lips earlier.

I clearly saw it. How Yuphe’s eyes grew hazy, and afterward, he would nod obediently to whatever I said.

‘That suspicious voice is controlling Yuphe, just like it controlled me from inside my head.’

But when I told Yuphe to stop just now, he didn’t obediently back away but burrowed in like a fox.

If he had truly been influenced by that suspicious power to become docile, he should have stopped immediately at my words.

‘He’s in his right mind.’

Though his eyes still looked dazed, Yuphe was clearly acting of his own will.

If so, now that Yuphe was half-conscious was the opportunity for a proper conversation.

“You, you know what this suspicious thing attached to me is, don’t you?”

Only then did Yuphe’s movements stop abruptly. I could see him rolling his eyes nervously.

“Explain.”

“…”

“What is this unpleasant thing clinging to me, and what’s all this talk about hearts?”

When I caught and fixed his gaze as he tried to avoid eye contact, he gave an awkward smile.

“Well… do I really have to say it?”

Yuphe tried to subtly change the subject while batting his eyelashes.

“Come on, Jella, I’ll make you feel even better. Okay?”

I silently watched him with one eyebrow raised crookedly.

Yuphe has a bad habit. When it’s difficult to answer, he evades like this.

“Don’t try to change the subject. Properly explain what I asked first.”

“Hmm, I can’t…”

Yuphe muttered with his eyes cast downward.

My eyes narrowed as I watched Yuphe trying to avoid answering despite my persistent questioning.

In recent months, I had seen Yuphe make this expression several times.

“Do you know who the cult leader is?”

“I’m sorry, Jella. I can’t tell you.”

When I asked about the cult leader who was stealing people’s life force.

“You, what’s going on with this power?”

“Umm, this…”

And when I asked Yuphe how he came to use divine power.

‘You said you killed a god. That’s how you came to use such power.’

After quietly staring at Yuphe, I suddenly asked:

“Is it related to you killing a god?”

“…”

Flinch, Yuphe’s body trembled.

“Don’t tell me, this thing clinging to me. Is it the god you killed?”

“…!”

Yuphe’s eyes shook more violently than before. I seemed to have hit the mark.

As he nervously watched my reaction, he suddenly opened his mouth with prettily curved eyes and a sweet voice:

“Umm, Jella. About that…”

Thwap!

I immediately covered Yuphe’s mouth.

‘I can’t fall for the same trick again.’

That day too, Yuphe had broken the tension and induced a playful atmosphere.

“Just answer what I’m asking.”

“…”

Realizing my stubbornness, Yuphe firmly closed his mouth with clear determination not to answer.

It was a bit troublesome that Yuphe wasn’t being cooperative.

‘I don’t know when I might lose control of my body again… Ah!’

Suddenly, I remembered how his eyes had softened when I gently caressed him earlier, and he had nodded obediently saying he would give me his heart.

‘If what made Yuphe like that is still hiding in my body. Then that suspicious power from earlier, couldn’t I use it too?’

Somehow, I felt like I could.

‘I’ve used Helasio’s power that was parasitic in my heart before…’

When I placed the shackles of covenant on Cain in my past life, I used Helasio’s power for the first and last time.

Of course, it was possible then because Helasio kindly explained the method step by step, but…

‘The principle is the same in terms of using someone else’s power.’

I swallowed hard and slowly reached out toward Yuphe.

“Now, Yuphe. You’re going to answer exactly what I ask from now on.”

I focused on the suspicious energy flowing gently within me and drew out as much of that power as possible.

Perhaps sensing my intention, Yuphe flinched and tried to avoid, but I caught and fixed his gaze on me.

“You have to answer me honestly. Understand?”

As I gently caressed him while maintaining eye contact, Yuphe’s eyes slowly softened.

“Mmm…”

Eventually, Yuphe nodded and answered.

“I’ll tell you everything you ask…”

It was actually me who was surprised by that docile response.

‘Oh, it’s working?’

I had tried it just in case, but I didn’t expect it to actually work. It was even having a stronger effect than before.

Yuphe was quietly waiting for me, showing eagerness for my questions.

My heart chilled at the sight of him looking as if he had been brainwashed by me.

‘This power is far too dangerous.’

But the thought that I wouldn’t be able to learn the truth if not now left me no room to hesitate.

“What do you mean by giving me your heart? You’ll die if you give your heart.”

“N-no…”

Yuphe shook his head.

“Even if I give my heart… I won’t die… because… I’m already a dead body…”

“What?”

My expression hardened and my voice grew louder in that moment.

But Yuphe was too dazed to notice my reaction and just clung to me, nuzzling his head.

A vague, inexplicable fear began to creep up on me.

“What do you mean, dead? You’re clearly alive in front of me. So why are you saying you’re dead?”

“Five years ago… had to kill a god, but Yuria ran away… so my heart instead…”

Yuphe answered in a fragmented voice.

At first, I couldn’t understand what he was saying.

But as I gradually comprehended his words, the vague fear turned into a clear wave that crashed over me.

“So you’re saying the god issued an oracle to kill me, and to break that, you offered your heart to go kill the god? So you’re already a dead body since then? Is my understanding correct?”

“Mmm…”

“That’s a lie. Then what are you in front of me right now…?”

He gave a hazy smile toward me as I asked again, unable to believe it.

“After killing the god, I missed you so much, so I embedded the god’s core into my soul.”

“…”

To me with my distant expression, Yuphe rambled on with his explanation.

Having transcended humanity, he had become an existence that straddled the boundary between god and human, neither one nor the other.

Thus, he stole Arne’s divinity to become half-god and half-human and returned to earth, awakening again in a body that had once died.

However, since a decayed body cannot be resurrected, his body wasn’t revived… it was maintaining a state similar to the living through divine power while actually being dead.

“Then if you lose the core…”

“I would lose the stolen divinity and this body would decay again. But the soul doesn’t die. It would be ugly to look at and very painful, being trapped in a decaying body… but unless the soul itself is annihilated, I won’t die.”

Yuphe answered in a dreamy, hazy voice while still wearing a faint smile.

“Then, then if you don’t lose the core? Are you okay then?”

My voice trembled noticeably as I stammered.

“There’s nothing not okay. It’s just, the same. Just living forever in a body that doesn’t decay because of divine power…”

“Living forever…?”

“Yes.”

Yuphe answered with a bright smile.

“…”

But I couldn’t smile back at him.

My breath was becoming stifled.

Whether he loses the divine core or not, he cannot die. He has become a body that can never die and must live eternally.

How is that not a problem, Yuphe?

In the end, it means you can no longer live as a human, how is that not a problem?

“Why. Why did you do such a thing!”

“Because I had to save youuu…”

When I raised my voice, he flinched in surprise, then leaned his head on my shoulder and acted cute.

“Are you angry, Jella?”

“…”

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. So don’t be angry, Jella. Okay?”

“…”

It was devastating.

He said he killed for fun.

But that’s not true.

Why. Why did you do such a thing?

What did you gain by saving me?

After saving me like that, you couldn’t even tell me the truth and only received hatred from me.

Not knowing any of this, I got angry at you.

Saying let’s never be friends again. Never appear before me again. I hurt you with such words.

“Jella?”

You should have just told me everything.

Then I wouldn’t have said such cruel things to you.

“Don’t cry. Don’t cry, Jella…”

He muttered in a flustered voice and rubbed my eyes.

My vision blurred, and I could no longer see his face.

This isn’t right. This isn’t the time to cry. I should be asking if there’s a way to reverse this…

At that moment, Arne burst forth through my emotional turmoil.

-So that crazy bastard! He betrayed me because he was blinded by a woman!

Arne’s enraged voice echoed loudly in my head.

Flinch.

In that instant, my consciousness was suddenly extinguished.

***

Cain arrived at the Grand Temple.

The inside of the Grand Temple was noisy. Priests awakened in the middle of the night were searching everywhere for the intruder.

Her scent was carried on the slowly blowing wind. Cain turned his head toward the direction the wind was coming from.

The innermost depths of the Grand Temple. There would probably be… the Pope’s residence.

Cain’s eyes narrowed.

When she was Emperor, he had come to the Grand Temple with her as her guard when she visited her friend.

[I think Arne is over there!]

Helasio shouted.

Cain arrived at the Pope’s residence in an instant.

It was quiet since everyone had gone to search for the intruder, leaving no one to guard it.

Walking in without hesitation, Cain paused in front of the Pope’s bedroom.

An impure scent was mixed with her fragrance.

Creak.

The closed door opened too easily.

And inside, Cain discovered Jella and Yupheon.

The two on the bed were pressed together without a gap between them.

“…!”

Cain inhaled sharply as he stood frozen to the spot.

Swoosh.

Jella raised her head, sensing his presence.

“Ah, Cain.”

Her eyes curved languidly as she discovered Cain standing like a statue.

“Now only you remain.”

She said that and slid into a smile.

Her red eyes were dyed a deep purple.