The whole body covered in wounds was already tattered. Blood had been coming up since earlier, possibly due to damaged intestines. He saw the sword wielded by the wolf approaching slowly.

He instinctively knew that he couldn’t avoid this attack.

Defeat wasn’t the only bitter thing.

Even in this situation, the thought of dying while protecting Lou didn’t seem like such a bad end. He only hoped that the commander of the Holy Knight Order had taken Lou far away.

But his hope was cruelly shattered.

“Phew, I knew this would happen.”

Pinion couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

Lou came down the stairs quickly, grumbling.

He was so shocked that he stopped attacking and called her name blankly.

“Lou?”

“Always showing off….”

Pinion, who had belatedly grasped the situation, shouted angrily.

“What are you doing? Why did you come back here?”

“I knew this would happen. Oh, it’s the first time I’ve seen Your Highness beaten up like this. It was worth coming back.”

Pinion shivered at her nonchalant tone.

For ten years, her flaws that had always annoyed him were still the same, even in this situation.

The foolish Lou who protected the fleeing maid.

The indecisive Lou who couldn’t coldly reject Iscallion, bringing about the worst situation.

And the foolish Lou who couldn’t leave behind the fiancé she hated the most and came back.

“You’re the first woman I’ve ever found so exasperating.”

And he was exasperated with himself for loving her despite those flaws.

“Look who’s talking.”

The wolf, who had been demanding Lou until just now, seemed curious about her reason for coming back.

[Why did you come back? Did you really come because you were worried about the bloodline of the Sun God?]

Lou answered with a different question.

“Did Iscallion perhaps give you the ownership of this castle too?”

[While using his body, I can do whatever I want with his possessions.]

“Then can I invite a friend?”

Both the wolf and the Crown Prince looked at Lou incredulously.

But soon, the wolf shrugged.

[It doesn’t seem like the outcome will change no matter who you bring. Fine.]

“Thank you.”

Lou rummaged through her bag. Then Janet, who had turned into a bat, popped out.

“Master, you’re not asking me to deal with that guy, are you?”

“Wasn’t that vampire the Crown Prince’s contractor…?”

Gined, who had been pointing his sword at the wolf until then, stared at Janet in confusion.

“Well… actually, she’s my contractor.”

Lou awkwardly avoided Gined’s eyes and smiled.

Gined sighed lightly.

“You don’t need to explain. Really, I didn’t expect you to do your best to this extent. Now, even if you say you’re friends with a vampire lord, I won’t be surprised.”

“Haha….”

The atmosphere between the two, who were having a conversation that Pinion couldn’t understand, seemed quite intimate. It bothered him. Suddenly, the pain disappeared, and energy surged through his tired body.

Feeling invigorated, he saw a legitimate target for venting his anger right in front of him.

Pinion got up again and without hesitation charged at the wolf.

* * *

The Crown Prince, who was on the verge of death, suddenly began fiercely attacking the wolf.

‘What? He looks better than I thought.’

But as if to prove that the most useless worry in the world is worrying about the male lead, Pinion was fighting remarkably well.

‘D*mn it, don’t fail!’

Would the Crown Prince know? That this was the first time I cheered for him since turning back time.

“The Crown Prince is fighting so well, do I really need to intervene?”

Janet muttered.

“What?”

“Unlike the Crown Prince, I’m a fragile vampire. If I fight the wolf, I’ll be annihilated. It’s better to disobey orders and become one-eyed than to face him.”

Her reasonable judgment left me speechless for a moment.

But I tried to argue.

“W-What are you saying? We made a contract, so you have to take responsibility!”

“There was no clause in the contract that I had to fight such a great demon. I avoided the Holy Knight, only to enter a tiger’s den. Besides, without Shahar, I have no chance of winning.”

“You don’t know until you try. Janet, I believe in you….”

While we were talking, the situation suddenly reversed.

The wolf’s sword pierced Pinion’s abdomen.

[The game is over.]

In disbelief, both Janet and I froze for a moment.

Among the frozen crowd, Janet was the first to regain her senses.

“Thank you for everything, Master. Please survive on your own.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Janet turned into a bat and started flying away.

She was truly young in appearance but old at heart.

There was no time to be angry at Janet’s betrayal, as the wolf approached the fallen Pinion and raised his sword high.

At the critical moment, Gined barely managed to block the wolf. With tremendous force, he pushed the wolf away.

Meanwhile, I approached the fallen Pinion. His injuries were severe, even at a glance. It was surprising that he was still conscious.

‘D*mn, he’s not really going to die, is he?’

I looked at Pinion’s gruesome wounds and closed my eyes tightly.

“I really don’t want to do this… but you can’t live doing only what you want, right? Isn’t that right, Your Highness?”

Yes, this is all to defeat the wolf. The man in front of me is not my detestable ex-fiancé, but a hero who will save the world. I convinced myself.

“What are you trying to do? Stop it!”

Pinion, realizing what I intended to do, hurriedly tried to move away, but my hand reached him first.

Soon, a pain as if my stomach was being torn apart hit me.

“D*mn, it hurts!”

“Why are you doing this? I can defeat him without this!”

“If you have the strength to talk, go and fight!”

I barely managed to apply the potion I brought from Enril’s lair. The wounds healed to some extent.

Pinion glared at me for a moment, then gritted his teeth and attacked the wolf again.

Regardless of his personality, he was doing his job well.

The tide turned in our favor again.

“Good job!”

I forgot the pain and cheered enthusiastically for the male leads.

The wolf wasn’t going to just watch. He immediately charged at me.

I, slowed by the pain, couldn’t avoid him.

In the blink of an eye, he was right in front of me.

Despite the continuous attacks from the male leads, he didn’t care.

Instead of dodging, he hugged me tightly.

I stared at the wolf with wide eyes at his sudden action.

And soon after, I realized his intention.

Even though I had temporarily given in to the wolf, that body still belonged to the male lead. All of his wounds were transferred to me.

“No, don’t…!”

I shook my head desperately as I saw the blue sword blade flying towards the wolf’s neck.

Now that I was touching the wolf, I would ultimately be the one to lose my life to that sword.

Fortunately, the sword stopped just short of hitting him.

[You’re indeed useful in many ways. Is this how it feels to receive a gift?]

The wolf laughed loudly, almost splitting my ears.

The heated atmosphere cooled down as if cold water had been poured on it.

“D*mn it!”

Pinion, who barely managed to retrieve his sword, cursed roughly.

My body trembled with the pain and anger that surged all at once.

To endure such humiliation just because I was the substitute female lead, serving as a backup battery for the male leads and now a human shield for the villain.

My reason was paralyzed by rage.

Better to suffer than to die.

“F*ck, just kill me!”

If I was going to die anyway, it might be better to take him with me….

[But you’re not very smart. I’ve been dead for a long time. If this body gets damaged, it’s Iscallion who will die.]

“Ah, cancel that!”

How could things be this terrible?

I fell into endless despair.

* * *

By the time the wolf took me out of the underground prison, it was already after sunset.

Unlike before, he walked without hesitation.

[The world has changed so much. Can you believe it? This place used to be a very warm and beautiful beach. The name Pontos also means sea.]

Inappropriately for the situation, he was indulging in sentimentality. It seemed he was quite emotional about coming to the surface after so long.

Half out of my mind, I must have been invisible to him as he pointed to a streetlamp.

[Oh, what do you call that light-emitting metal pole?]

As if proving that he was Shahar’s brother, he showed great interest in the streetlamp.

Of course, I didn’t answer. I didn’t want to talk to him, and I was in too much pain to speak properly.

[Does it hurt?]

“…….”

[But don’t worry. It’s not enough to kill you.]

‘F*ck.’

How many times have I cursed today?

But recalling the recent situation, I couldn’t help but curse.

After the wolf noticed my ability, the male leads completely lost their will to fight.

Even if it was Iscallion, I didn’t expect the cold and rational Pinion and Gined to make such a choice.

The wolf had turned them into something akin to living corpses, but he didn’t kill them.

The reason was simple.

[I need to save my strength to face my brother.]