Chapter 7 – Trauma (Part 6)

“Oh, and you might have noticed, but Mollek and Nisroch are also demons.”

Halfway through the meal, Fernan said with a fresh smile.

At his words, Ellerdin was so surprised that she dropped the glass she was holding.

He hurriedly reached out and caught the glass.

“Are you hurt?”

Fernan checked Ellerdin’s legs in a panic.

“Surely not Celine too…?”

“Oh, she is human.”

At that moment, Celine came over with a new glass.

“I’m sorry for not telling you until now.”

She smiled apologetically.

“But from now on, there will be nothing hidden from you, Madam. I can swear to that.”

Celine clenched her fist and spoke firmly.

After finishing the meal and returning to her room, Ellerdin quietly looked at the ceiling.

Considering how close she was with those demons, she thought Celine would warmly welcome her when she revealed her identity later.

‘I hope the day comes when I can talk comfortably.’

In fact, she still couldn’t believe that most of the people staying in this castle were demons.

‘Come to think of it, various races are gathered here.’

Demons, dragons, humans, half-bloods, and even mermaids—all the races existed here.

It was hard to believe that everyone acknowledged each other and lived peacefully.

‘I never thought life could be this comfortable.’

Because of that, she wanted to protect this peace even more.

‘Fernan hopes his parents’ curse will be broken.’

And she too wanted to properly meet his parents.

She was curious about the people who raised Fernan.

Ellerdin stood up abruptly. There was much to find out.

***

‘I need to learn more about the Great War.’

Arriving at the library, Ellerdin began reading all the books with the words angel and demon in them.

Some books described their characteristics, while others philosophically interpreted their existence.

Among them were romance novels with them as the theme and predictions of an impending war.

‘As expected…’

Ellerdin shook her head and returned all the books to their places.

There wasn’t any properly written content, but more than anything, everything was written from the angels’ perspective.

Of course, since the angels were the victors of the war, it was more appropriate that only books from their perspective remained in the world.

‘Is there a record untouched by human hands…?’

Ellerdin pondered for a moment.

Then she suddenly remembered the dragon’s legacy Parin mentioned. There was a possibility that different records remained there.

Ellerdin hurried to the garden.

Parin’s ears perked up at the sound of footsteps coming from afar.

He raised his body, which was stretched out under the warm sunlight.

“Parin!”

Ellerdin called out to Parin as she entered the garden.

Parin stretched and approached Ellerdin. He could tell what Ellerdin wanted without her saying it.

“So, should we go now?”

“Yes!”

Ellerdin exclaimed with sparkling eyes.

“Uh… but how do we get there…?”

Ellerdin tilted her head. She had come energetically, but she couldn’t think of a way to get to the dragon’s nest.

“Get on my back! I’ll take you there!”

Phil said, puffing out his chest.

“Thank you for the offer. But I don’t think I can withstand the speed.”

She imagined soaring high into the sky and then falling.

“There’s no need to fly. I’ll open the entrance from here.”

Parin chuckled.

“From here?”

It didn’t make sense. Ellerdin tilted her head in confusion.

Parin’s throat bulged, and soon a large orb came out of his mouth.

The orb emitted a white light and was surrounded by a thin membrane that looked like it could break at any moment.

“This is…”

“It’s something I took from an eccentric fellow long ago. With this, you can directly move to the nest. Of course, it’s a bit unfortunate that it’s single-use. Ah, it includes the return trip too.”

“Is it okay to use it for me?”

Ellerdin looked up at Parin with a pleading expression. Parin flapped his wings and spoke.

“It’s fine. It’s a place you could fly to in a day anyway. By the way, aren’t you going with that guy? He wouldn’t let you go alone.”

Parin tilted his head.

And as soon as he finished speaking, someone entered the garden.

Pretending to be innocent, Fernan walked in with a pure expression, and Parin snorted.

Ellerdin blinked at Parin’s sudden laughter.

At that moment, she felt a hard muscle against the back of her head.

The scent brushing her nose was familiar. The warmth wrapping around her fingers was familiar too.

Ellerdin looked up with an incredulous expression.

Fernan was standing right behind her, smiling brightly.

“Fernan?”

Ellerdin’s eyes widened.

Her eyes seemed to ask how he was there, and Fernan smiled broadly.

“I saw you while taking a walk. Did I succeed in surprising you?”

Phil and Pearl whispered that the demon lied too much.

Ignoring their whispers, Fernan asked.

“By the way, what is that orb? It feels unusual.”

“It’s an orb that opens the path to my nest. If you’re going, hurry up and go. That’s why you came, isn’t it?”

Parin, tired of watching the couple’s affection, spoke in a weary voice.

Fernan smiled brightly and wrapped his arm around Ellerdin’s shoulder.

“Shall we go then?”

“But, is it okay? You’re busy.”

“Nothing is more important than the time I spend with you.”

Despite Fernan’s words, Ellerdin still looked unconvinced.

‘I came alone because of this.’

Ellerdin sighed inwardly. She appreciated his concern for her, but she didn’t want him to overexert himself.

However, there was no time for a verbal battle here, so Ellerdin nodded, saying she understood.

When Ellerdin touched the orb, it broke, and a small gate opened.

“Amazing.”

Ellerdin’s eyes sparkled with excitement. She touched and pressed the gate.

Then the gate wobbled and moved up and down.

“!!!”

“Puhahaha!”

Ellerdin was startled and stepped back, while Parin burst into laughter.

“It’s getting impatient, telling you to hurry in. Go on.”

“Thank you, Parin. We’ll be back soon.”

Parin gently nudged Ellerdin’s back.

Ellerdin nodded and tightly held Fernan’s hand.

Ironically, having him with her gave her a sense of security.

At that moment, just before entering, Parin asked Fernan.

“But… are you sure you can go in?”

Parin asked, trying to hold back his laughter.

But he couldn’t answer because Ellerdin’s body was already entering the gate.

Their figures were quickly sucked into the gate.

“Oh my…”

Inside the gate, Ellerdin gasped in awe.

She looked around blankly.

Inside the gate was like a cave, with large magic stones attached to the inner walls, emitting a purple light.

Blue flowers bloomed on the path, and white butterflies fluttered around.

Ellerdin reached out and touched a butterfly.

As soon as she touched it, the butterfly shattered, and the condensed power entered Ellerdin.

“Gasp.”

Startled, Ellerdin took a step back. Even though it was just a small amount of power, it invigorated her entire body.

Every breath of air in this place awakened the cells in her body.

“Ellerdin.”

A low voice echoed in her ear. Startled, Ellerdin covered her ears.

“Wh-why did you call me?”

Ellerdin asked, shrinking her body. Her ears were turning red.

‘Is it because she’s a mermaid that her body absorbs power well?’

Fernan’s eyes narrowed. He lifted his head and felt the power surrounding them.

This place, filled with holy power, was a bit overwhelming for him.

His senses dulled, and strength slowly drained from his body.

His vision darkened a bit, and he couldn’t hear well.

‘Damn dragon… He’s probably laughing outside right now.’

Fernan sighed. He rested his forehead on Ellerdin’s shoulder.

“Huff.”

Ellerdin held her breath. The shoulder where Fernan’s forehead rested felt hot.

His breath sounded closer and clearer than usual.

“Fer…nan?”

“Ellerdin, I’m sorry. I came to help you, but it’s a bit… tough.”

At his words, Ellerdin looked at Fernan with a worried face.

She cupped Fernan’s face, who had his eyes closed.

His body temperature was hotter than usual.

‘He must not be compatible with this place because he’s a demon.’

Ellerdin’s expression turned serious.

“But once we reach the nest, it should be fine.”

Fernan smiled weakly.

At his words, Ellerdin clenched her fist.

“I’ll get you there quickly.”

Ellerdin firmly held Fernan’s hand and began walking.