Ciela grimaced as she met the butler’s hazy gaze.

“The tension on the butler’s face was so obvious that it was impossible not to notice it.”

With a faint smile, Lilia turned the corners of her lips. Calix stood in front of her as if guarding her.

“D*mn.”

Patrick muttered under his breath. As he tried to manipulate his magic to bind Calix, Lilia knocked down a white sphere with great force.

The clash of opposing magical forces made a deafening noise.

“Can you really focus on anyone but me?”

A distinct crack appeared in the white sphere Lilia had been holding.

Patrick grimaced in frustration and gave up trying to restrain Calix.

Although the corrupted being inside Lilia couldn’t unleash its full power immediately, it was still strong enough to spare some energy to disperse it. 

Focusing her magic once more, she managed to partially mend the crack that had formed in the magical sphere holding Lilia. 

“Ah, what a shame. I was so close to breaking free… just a little more time and I would have been free of this bondage.” 

She ran her tongue over her red lips as if to ease her frustration. But despite her words, there wasn’t a trace of disappointment on her face as she looked down at Patrick. 

“Well, it’s no big deal if I don’t escape right now.” 

Lilia looked around nonchalantly, taking in her surroundings.

Patrick, unable to hide his tense expression.

Calix, standing with his back to them, guarding Lilia. The butler, positioned between the bookshelves. And Rune, his pale face betraying his unease. 

“Even if you hold me back, there doesn’t seem to be anyone here capable of overpowering this man.” 

Her slowly drifting gaze finally settled on Ciela. 

‘The only woman among the humans who could wield that sword.’ 

To eliminate any potential threat, she had ordered Theodoro to find and destroy the Key, but he had never been able to locate it. 

‘She found it so quickly.’ 

Her brow furrowed slightly, but her expression soon relaxed.

It didn’t seem to matter much to her. 

The fairy, unprepared for the unexpected need to hide in a human body, was vulnerable, and the human capable of wielding the weapon was weak. 

“Poor human. Before you can even hit me with that weapon, you’ll die first at the hands of your fiancé.” 

The sound of Lilia’s soul, trapped in the same body, laughing in delight echoed in her mind. The laughter, filled with self-destructive emotion, was intoxicating, feeding her own growing pleasure. 

“Ciela.” 

Patrick called her name. 

“Run from that human mage for now. Then bring someone who can bind or handle him.”

“No. I will stay here. One person will be enough, just in case.”

“What? Are you crazy?”

Patrick turned to her and shouted angrily. He wondered if she had gone mad, swallowed by fear, but Ciela seemed as calm as a still lake.

“If you die, there will be no one left to use the ‘weapon’, do you understand?”

“I know. But running away and planning for the future won’t make the situation any better.”

Unable to deny it, he just sighed.

“Do you think we can deal with three people at once and bind the demon after we all escape? Dealing with the demon alone is more than enough.”

“……”

Besides, no matter how the fairy sees it, Calix is the only swordsman in the realm. There aren’t many beings who could stop him.

The chances of finding someone who could stop Calix in time were slim.

Even if they sought the cooperation of the Imperial Family, would they arrive before the fairy inside Lilia could fully unleash her power?

“If we’re even a little late, none of us will make it out unscathed.”

If anyone was capable of wielding a weapon capable of piercing the corrupted fairy, it was Patrick. Right now, he was the only one in this place who could hold her back and stop her. 

If she ran off to plan the future while he died, it would still be impossible to prevent the impending disaster. 

“So what are you going to do? Are we all going to die here together?” 

“No. My life is valuable too.”

Upon hearing this, Rune immediately began to cast a teleportation spell. He had decided to trust her since he had fled this mansion, and now was not the time to hesitate. 

“I’ve only been healthy for a year, and there’s still so much I need to do – so many things I want to experience.” 

Her future stretched out before her, and her life was far too precious to throw away carelessly. 

“So I’m going to choose the option with the greatest chance of success.” 

Ciela took a step forward – then another. She walked with unwavering determination, and as soon as Patrick realised her intention, he cried out in despair, as if he had lost his mind.

“Do you still seriously believe that this man hasn’t been completely brainwashed by the demon?”

“Yes.”

“This is insane! Even if we don’t fully understand his power, this is reckless!”

“Patrick, you’ve had more experience with demons than I have, so you obviously know better. But I understand as well.”

Ciela looked into Calix’s hollow red eyes and saw herself reflected in them.

“I know Calix better.”

She couldn’t just dismiss what she’d felt the first time she’d seen the brainwashed Calix as a *feeling*. The Calix she knew never hesitated in the face of an enemy. Yet he hesitated in front of her. 

Even now, despite her approach, he was still gripping the hilt of his sword, but hadn’t drawn it. There was no trace of hostility in his stiff expression, no real sense of danger. 

“Kwahahaha! You really are a funny person!” 

Lilia, who had been trembling, suddenly threw her head back and laughed uncontrollably.

“Yes, it’s true that man is strong – but only among humans. Do you really think a mere human can withstand my power? Pfft. It’s been centuries since I’ve heard such a ridiculous joke.” 

She laughed so hard that tears welled up in her eyes. After a moment she wiped them away and regained her composure. 

“It might actually be quite entertaining to see if there is any truth to your foolish belief.” 

A faint smirk curled at the corner of her lips as she spoke. 

Still seeing Calix hesitate to draw his sword, Lilia gave another command.

“Calix, kill Ciela, who’s trying to hurt me.”

“……”

“Strangle her and make her realise as slowly as possible how stupid she really is.”

Already under the influence of the brainwashing, Calix reached out and followed the order without hesitation. Ciela’s fragile neck, which seemed ready to break at any moment, was easily gripped in his hand.

“…Calix.”

The hand that slowly tightened around her neck was so cold that Ciela instinctively shrank her shoulders. Trusting the man she knew, she looked directly into his hollow eyes.

“Do you know who I am?”

Ciela raised her arm and placed her hand on his cheek. Just as she had done with Titi, she hoped that his subconscious would respond to her.

“Look at me properly.”

When her hand touched his cheek, Calix instinctively sought warmth and rested his face against her palm. He immediately widened his eyes and pulled his face away, an expression of displeasure, and his grip tightened.

As Calix increased the pressure in his grip, the distinct pulse of her heartbeat was clearly transmitted to him. It flowed through his palm, through his veins, spreading throughout his body and resonating deep within his heart.

It was as if the hand that held her was telling him what he was killing.

“!”

In an instant, the pressure in his grip loosened.

Frozen in an ambiguous position, as if he had neither released nor not released his grip on her neck, Calix stood still.

Whether it was the sound of her heartbeat through his palm or his own, something inside Calix was pounding loudly.

A deep ripple appeared over his dull red eyes.

Cough!

Ciela clutched her throat and took a deep breath. After steadying herself, she lifted her head, only to see her eyes widen in shock. 

Tears streamed helplessly down Calix’s face. 

“Crazy… What the hell is this man?” 

Patrick watched the scene unfold, his mouth agape. 

This was the power of a catastrophe, capable of destroying the world. Someone who had never had any positive regard for humans would never step forward to kill a corrupted being of his own kind. 

It was a power that no mere human should be able to withstand.

Fully aware of the overwhelming disparity in strength, Patrick had dismissed Ciela’s claims as nothing more than a feeling. He had thought her actions to be nothing more than reckless foolishness. But now he realised – he had been wrong. 

This man was truly resisting the power of the Corrupted. 

Is it possible that strange humans would be drawn to an even stranger human – one who carries the stench of corruption and the scent of fairies at the same time?’ 

Even as the thought crossed his mind, Patrick frowned, still finding it utterly absurd. Yet he couldn’t shake the eerie illusion that the scent of flowers was growing stronger around him.

‘How could such an impossible thing happen?’

Patrick turned his head towards the horrified scream. How could he relate to this? 

With a mocking smile, he cast logic and reason aside and shouted, 

“Ciela! If the brainwashing isn’t complete, then a mental shock will shatter it!”

Ciela rolled his words around in her mind, then gently cupped Calix’s tear-stained cheek with both hands and pulled his face down.

“Calix, I lost the bet.”

She looked into his dark eyes and thought,

“So please, come back to me.”

She stepped forward on tiptoe and planted a soft kiss on his lips.