Chapter 28

“What is this?!”

The Earl of Wilt shouted in a terrified voice and fled. It was then that Eched drew his sword.

As Eched pierced Mesh’s shoulder, a white light appeared from somewhere.

The light, likely divine power, disappeared along with the necklace in Eched’s hand without leaving a trace.

“Aaaah!”

It was unclear whether Mesh’s scream was due to the sword or the torment of the divine power.

Soon, his thrashing body went limp.

“Is he… dead?”

“No. If I hadn’t done this, he would’ve died. He’s merely unconscious now.”

Eched wiped the blood off his sword and returned it to its sheath. His expression, as he looked at the blood pooling from Mesh’s shoulder, was utterly indifferent.

He used the magical communication device in the Treasury Director’s office to summon knights to take Mesh into custody.

The events had unfolded so quickly that her mind was left in a daze.

“Let’s go. We need to find the necklace vendor.”

“Yes… we should.”

There was no time to remain idle.

Mesh was soon dragged away by the arriving knights.

The staff gathered in front of the office gasped in shock as they saw him.

“W-what happened?”

A pale-faced woman, who appeared to be a Treasury employee, asked urgently.

“It’s nothing.”

Black magic was not a topic to be discussed lightly.

Eched brushed past the woman.

The chaotic situation in the Treasury was quickly brought under control by the now-recovered Treasury Director.

***

‘You like that woman, don’t you? This is the mysterious necklace that grants wishes. Confess and share it with her. Then your wish will surely come true.’

Mesh opened his eyes in a daze.

Blinking felt strange, and the voices of others reached him in fragments, as if filtered through a perforated cloth.

His body felt cold, but his head burned, leaving him with a bizarre sensation of being detached from himself.

“Mesh?”

Suddenly, the Saintess appeared before him.

Her wide eyes looked at him as she asked about his condition.

‘Why am I… Ugh!’

No voice came out, and a ringing sound buzzed in his ears.

Fragments of conversations with the Knight Commander and Grievance Counseling Chief in the Treasury Office resurfaced in his mind.

They had said the necklace he bought from an unknown merchant was a talisman used in dark sorcery.

A sharp quill and paper were placed before him.

“Please write down the details of how you acquired the necklace.”

It was a knight standing beside Anella who handed it to him.

[Kill.]

Kill?

Mesh’s head shot up. But the eerie voice he heard did not belong to any of the people standing over him.

[Kill.]

Who’s there?

He rubbed his ears with his palms.

The eerie voice continued to whisper the same word.

[Kill.]

Kill… her…

Mesh grabbed the quill.

Against his will, his hand tightened as if it would soon rise and stab someone.

‘Ah.’

It was then that Mesh realized this was the fate of someone ensnared by dark sorcery.

The Knight Commander and Counseling Chief’s words about him being cursed by dark sorcery were true.

There was never a necklace that granted wishes.

There was only a dark sorcery curse commanding him to kill.

‘Bebil was right about everything.’

He hadn’t believed the claims that he intended to harm Bebil.

With trembling hands, Mesh began writing on the paper, desperate to save the woman who shared the necklace with him.

[Kill.]

‘No. I won’t.’

“Mesh?”

Sensing something was wrong, the knight stepped forward, pushing Anella behind him.

It was at that moment that Mesh swung his arm.

The knight narrowly dodged, sustaining only a slight graze on his cheek.

Mesh swung again, but his legs were tied to the bed, causing him to fall over.

“Mesh!”

He stared blankly at his bound legs, then alternated his gaze between the quill in his hand and the people approaching to restrain him.

[Die.]

All he had wanted was to express his feelings to her. The necklace had merely been a convenient excuse to cling to hope.

But he never imagined it would lead to such ruin.

“Save… me.”

Blood surged up his throat as he struggled against the curse to squeeze out those words.

“Please… save her…”

It was his final desperate cry.

The sharp quill pierced through his fragile flesh.

The treatment room was filled with gasps of horror.

***

The moment Mesh attacked the knight, Shaterian’s heart sank. A chill spread through her body from her fingertips.

She saw Orgon and the knights stationed outside rush into the treatment room. The chaos and noise from within struck her ears like a storm.

When Mesh, who had fallen to the floor, raised his hand again, her view was suddenly blocked. It was Eched, standing in front of her.

“Eched…”

“You don’t need to see this.”

Although she didn’t witness Mesh’s final moments, the conversations of those bustling about confirmed that he had died.

The thought that dominated her mind at that moment was this:

Was Mesh’s death a result of the story deviating from its original course, or was he always fated to die?

If it was because the story had changed, then the one who caused his death was none other than herself.

A heavy darkness settled over her mind.

Her spirits sank endlessly.

“Shaterian. Are you alright?”

‘Not at all.’

She bit her lip and couldn’t bring herself to answer.

Avoiding Eched’s calm gaze, she looked instead at Anella and Orgon as they emerged from the treatment room.

Anella’s beige dress was stained with crimson blood, leaving it in ruins.

Anella hurried over and handed her a crumpled piece of paper.

The blood-stained paper, like Anella’s dress, contained Mesh’s written testimony before his death.

“There wasn’t just one necklace. It was a pair.”

“What?”

“He said he gave it to her, but we don’t know who she is. He begged us to save her.”

Anella’s voice quivered with suppressed tears.

‘Her…’

“Ah!”

Suddenly, the face of the woman who had spoken to her in the Treasury Office came to mind.

Realizing who Mesh’s “her” might be, her steps quickened.

The Treasury Office wasn’t far from here.

She had to find and stop her immediately.

For the sake of those around her, and for her own sake.

“Get away!”

But as she neared the Treasury Office, the sound of screams and cries grew louder.

She was too late.

The Treasury Office was already a scene of tragedy.

The stench of blood filled the air as people clung to each other in chaos.

They were trying to restrain a woman who had pinned someone down.

“Die! Die!”

“P-please spare me!”

A necklace emitting a black glow dangled from the woman’s neck.

The areas beneath her eyes had turned black as she succumbed to dark sorcery.

“I’ll try purifying her.”

Anella’s voice was calm despite having just witnessed a death.

Orgon nodded and pushed through the crowd, disarming the woman and pinning her down in an instant. He used divine power to immobilize her and removed the necklace.

Once free of the necklace, the woman’s movements calmed significantly.

But removing a talisman from someone consumed by dark sorcery didn’t immediately restore them to normal.

Purifying someone affected by dark sorcery required considerable time.

Even when Anella had poured divine power into Mesh while he lay unconscious, he couldn’t be purified because there hadn’t been enough time.

“I’ll purify her.”

Anella approached and placed her hand on the woman’s back, near her heart.

A soft light emanated from Anella’s hand and slowly seeped into the woman’s body.

Even earlier, when Anella had healed Mesh, it had been remarkable to see how quickly torn flesh mended under her touch.

The woman’s body soon collapsed completely onto the floor, much like Mesh had after being struck by Eched’s sword.

“She needs to be taken to the temple. I’ll escort her there.”

“I’ll come with you.”

The sun was already setting. Since it was uncertain when the woman might regain consciousness, Anella and Orgon decided to leave for the temple immediately.

It became her and Eched’s responsibility to report to the Emperor.

The knights who had accompanied them quickly restored order in the Treasury Office. The injured were taken to the infirmary.

‘What if that woman dies too?’

Like Mesh?

Anxiety crept in. Everything felt like her fault, filling her with self-loathing.

“Shaterian.”

“Ah.”

The hand covering her face brought her back to her senses.

“What’s wrong? Are you unwell?”

It was Eched’s hand.

He had stayed by her side, insisting his only duty was to protect her.

“I’m fine. It’s nothing.”

She pushed Eched’s hand away and pressed her fingers against her temple.

Her thoughts remained dark, leaving her in a foul mood.

“Let’s report to His Majesty first, then search for the necklace vendor tomorrow.”

“Search? You don’t need to go.”

“No. I have to go. I’m the one who can sense the aura of dark sorcery.”

Even if there were other reasons she shouldn’t go, she had to for this.

His brows furrowed as he spoke firmly.

“No.”

“This isn’t about your permission. Even if you refuse to come, I’ll go. Your opinion doesn’t matter.”

She drew a clear line, telling him not to concern himself with her.

Her cold words caused Eched’s expression to harden.

He stared at her in silence before turning his gaze away.

He looked deeply displeased.

She didn’t care. Whether Eched’s mood soured or not.

In fact, she thought it was better this way.

Perhaps it would help him grow distant and return to his original self.

It might be selfish of her.

But she wanted Eched to remain as he was in the book.

The silver wolf Divine Beast, detached from human emotions and incapable of becoming human.

That was the only source of stability she could cling to in this chaotic situation.