“What are you saying…”

“Who would ask to save someone they don’t even love and think about sleeping together for a long time?”

“This is… just because it’s boring without the World Tree. I’m saying it’ll be boring without this one. Unlike you mortals, we live for a long time!! Love, what love. We don’t have such emotions in the first place……”

Serena chuckled as she watched Nyx speak with an unpleasant expression.

She simply shrugged lightly, not knowing how to tell him that that too was ultimately love.

“Why are you laughing!”

“Just because.”

Serena shrugged.

“Do as you please. It doesn’t matter as long as there’s no harm.”

“Well, your night vision might improve a bit or darkness might feel more familiar. You won’t die easily either.”

Serena nodded as he added that there would be benefits but no harm.

“And that promise. It will be kept soon.”

“Promise?”

“…I’ll take away all the darkness. The night will slowly disappear, and although the time people wake up will differ, there shouldn’t be any particular problems.”

The boy’s body and the World Tree’s form began to slowly melt into the darkness simultaneously.

Serena sighed slowly as she watched them disappear as if melting away.

“Is it roughly resolved?”

Drukan asked as he approached. His waist looked quite empty without the sword he had lost.

“Ah, yes. But how did you come here?”

“I think the World Tree woke me up. I fell asleep not long after, like other people……”

He sighed.

He lightly clenched his fist and then relaxed it, tilting his head slightly.

“It seems my contract with the World Tree hasn’t been broken either.”

“So they’re trying to buy time using the contractors for now.”

Magnus frowned, speaking in a displeased voice.

“What do you mean?”

“Usually, contractors share their life force. The reason they’re still alive despite receiving fatal wounds is because of you, Serena, and Drukan.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, so they’re probably trying to buy time to heal until you die.”

Serena nodded at those words. So that’s why they asked like that.

“Ah, I don’t know… Where exactly are we anyway?”

Serena tilted her head back.

The darkness above slowly began to clear. Between the disappearing darkness from where the World Tree had been, blue sky became visible and light began to seep in.

At the same time, the skulls scattered all around slowly crumbled into powder and started to disappear.

The wind that had disappeared began to blow again, and the World Tree still lay in its place.

Serena approached the World Tree cautiously.

Despite being quite withered, one branch still had green leaves alive on it.

Serena reached out towards it.

“Magnus.”

“Yes.”

“Should we cut this and plant it in the garden? I’m not sure if it will grow or not.”

As Serena pointed to a branch and spoke, Magnus nodded.

“Well, it wouldn’t be bad.”

As Magnus nodded lightly, Drukan quietly approached.

“Serena, may I take that by any chance?”

“Why?”

“I thought it wouldn’t be bad to plant it in her territory. After all, I’m also a contractor… It would be difficult for humans to easily touch it there. And I could continue to take care of it.”

At Drukan’s words, Serena let out a low exclamation, “Ah,” and nodded. Come to think of it, his wife was a dragon.

Living for a time close to immortality, they could continue to take care of it even after they died.

“Ah… if that’s the case, well.”

Serena, easily understanding Drukan’s words, nodded.

“I’ll give it up.”

Drukan bowed his head at Serena’s words.

“Thank you.”

He took out a dagger from his waist and cut off the branch in one swift motion, trying not to damage it as much as possible.

“I plan to stop by where my wife and daughter are for a moment… would it be alright if I come back? There shouldn’t be any big problems, but I’m worried. I’ll plant this while I’m there too.”

“Ah, feel free to go.”

The answer came from Magnus. Serena nodded as well.

“It’s fine if you come back slowly after seeing them wake up.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Drukan’s lips curved slightly.

The thought of meeting Tiavias and Riphia already lifted his mood quite a bit.

“I’ll depart when the view clears a bit more.”

It was still too dark all around to gauge distances well. Magnus grabbed Serena’s waist and lightly sat on the World Tree’s trunk.

He naturally sat her on his thigh and lightly kissed her.

“So……”

“So?”

“When are we going to have our child?”

“……”

Serena’s face flushed at Magnus’s words. When she struggled, Magnus lightly kissed the back of her neck.

Drukan tactfully moved far away and looked at the distant mountains.

‘…I miss Tia.’

Drukan thought.

The long night was ending and morning was dawning.

* * *

Zing– Serena opened her eyes, frowning slightly at the pain throbbing around her waist.

She felt sore all over as if she had been beaten. As she sighed, Magnus pulled her into his arms and kissed her neck.

“Wait… what are you doing now.”

Serena said in horror, her face turning pale. Magnus opened his mouth with a rather sulky expression.

“I’m not doing anything. Where are you trying to go…?”

“I want to wash up because I feel sticky……”

He lightly embraced Serena and laughed lowly into her neck, gently kissing her shoulder blade.

Magnus smiled contentedly as he looked at the autumn colors that had bloomed ignorantly on Serena’s body.

He liked it, feeling as if he had left his mark of ownership.

Seeing Magnus’s expression, Serena frowned and roughly pushed him away.

“I’m going to wash up.”

“Don’t you need help?”

“…Well, I don’t mind.”

Serena slowly nodded.

As Serena’s knees went down from the bed, they buckled for a moment.

Magnus reached out and lightly caught her by wrapping an arm around her waist as she staggered.

“You’re being stubborn.”

“If I stay stuck to you any longer, there won’t be anything left of my body.”

“I won’t do it anymore.”

“I heard that yesterday too.”

Serena growled, fiercely contorting her face.

Magnus tilted his head innocently and then shrugged with a grin.

“Did I?”

He said lightly as he picked Serena up in his arms and got up from his seat.

Serena sighed while she was carried in his arms as he naturally entered the bathroom.

The scenery visible outside was quite different from a short while ago.

The darkness that had hung over everything had disappeared somewhere, and all the people who had been asleep had woken up.

They said that even those who hadn’t woken up began to slowly open their eyes as time passed.

One month.

It had been a month since that crazy incident.

The large bathtub was already filled with steaming water, though it wasn’t clear when someone had come in and filled it.

Magnus entered the tub while holding her and sat Serena on his thigh.

“…Do we really have to wash like this?”

“Is there any reason not to?”

“There are many reasons why we shouldn’t.”

Serena answered calmly.

Magnus whispered that it was a pity, but it wasn’t Serena’s concern. She was quite tired from being tormented by Magnus for several days.

“Ah, Serena. I heard your false charges have been cleared. The final verdict came out.”

“Ah, really?”

“Yes, the culprit was Viscount Lavie who got caught up in Nyx’s mischief. That man who picked a fight with you at the party.”

She paused at Magnus’s words.

Serna sighed and turned her head. She was tired in many ways. She nodded.

“Handle it as you see fit. Since it was because of Nyx, I’m somewhat responsible too… It’s okay to show some leniency.”

“I’m not okay with that.”

“Still, it wasn’t done intentionally so……”

“Ah… but it was probably an explosion of the negative emotions he had been harboring.”

Magnus said as he nibbled on her shoulder. Serena’s body trembled at the sensation of his teeth grazing her skin.

“Well, let’s say we forgive that incident……”

Magnus smiled quite wickedly. Serena glanced at him from the corner of her eye and scratched her cheek.

It was the face of someone who’s about to do something.

“We’ll have to dig into other areas. It seems he’s done quite a few shady things. This will be fun.”

He said in an ominous voice.