Chapter 84

The unexpectedly heavy wish left her momentarily speechless.

Eched’s face darkened, sensing that fleeting moment.

She averted his gaze by rolling her eyes.

“Shaterian.”

Eched urged her as if demanding a promise immediately.

“But…”

Faced with Eched’s piercing glare, she swallowed her words.

In truth, the answer was clear upon reflection.

For Eched to end his punishment, he could not interfere with human life or death.

If that were the case, when she died in this life, Eched must not save her.

Then, was it truly the right answer to love Eched passionately now?

Could I bear to witness the death of someone I loved?

It seemed that Eched’s punishment would not end in this life but in the next.

Therefore, such a promise was meaningless.

Yet, Eched seemed desperate to secure her promise that she would die later than him.

With a deep sigh, she finally nodded, agreeing reluctantly.

There was no way to outlive Eched, a partial Divine Beast…

But since he insisted on sealing the promise, even using his authority, she had no choice

Even if she couldn’t keep it later, it wouldn’t be her fault.

The promise was solely the result of Eched’s stubbornness.

Sighing deeply, she looked down at the inhuman Eched.

“Eched. In situations like this, you should say you want to become a ‘person,’ not a ‘human.’”

The only thing she could do for Eched now was to teach him richer emotions.

“Alright.”

Eched nodded as if he understood.

How obedient he was—it was endearing.

“Then why am I crying now?”

“Well…”

He didn’t even know why he was shedding tears.

She removed her hand from his tear-streaked face and spoke.

“That’s your heart, so I can’t know for sure. But maybe you feel sad thinking I might abandon you and leave, or perhaps you’re anxious because I didn’t wake up. Something like that. When you pushed my hand away earlier, it was because you were angry at me.”

Eched’s expression subtly twisted in discomfort.

“Are emotions really this complicated?”

“Yeah. People usually feel emotions in a complex way.”

Loving while hating, hating while loving—things like that.

For Eched, who had never cared about human emotions, it would be an incredibly challenging task.

Seeing Eched furrow his brow slightly and fall deep into thought made her smile involuntarily.

“So, what do people usually do for others when they feel these emotions?”

“In times like this? Well… they comfort them.”

“How?”

When he asked so directly…

Eched’s gaze was sharp, as if demanding the correct answer immediately.

“It depends on the situation. In our case…”

Peck.

Her lips lightly touched Eched’s cheek before pulling away.

Lifting her head, she looked at Eched, who was gazing up at her, and gave an embarrassed smile.

“How is it? In relationships, people usually resolve things like this.”

“Relationships…”

Eched murmured the word, and his expression brightened.

It seemed he liked both the word and their interaction.

Suddenly, Eched pulled her waist closer, and she rolled her eyes at the natural gesture.

“Are you pretending not to know?”

“Huh?”

Where did he learn such tactics?

Feeling his soft lips against hers, she chuckled softly.

In the end, this tender resolution made her feel like they were truly loving partners—or perhaps even more than that.

***

Due to her current state of health, it was inevitable that she would have to take a break from work for a while.

Moreover, her family, deeply concerned about her well-being, insisted so fervently that she ended up living almost as if confined, unable to leave the house.

Creeeak…

The sorrowful cry of an animal echoed.

“Kyahaha—”

The innocent laughter of a child accompanied it.

She turned her gaze toward Vivace, the daughter of Pell and the Raccoon Divine Beast.

Vivace, hugging the Raccoon tightly in her arms, laughed as if she were the happiest person in the world.

However, the expression of the Raccoon in her embrace was far from pleasant.

Now, as for the current situation…

Pell had come to visit her home during his holiday to check on her condition. Since it was his day off, he had brought his daughter along, and for some reason, the Divine Beast Raccoon had tagged along as well.

When she looked at him as if to ask, ‘Why did you bring that along?’, Pell, scratching the back of his head awkwardly, explained:

“When I was about to head home after work on the first day, I felt too sorry to leave it alone in the office. So I brought it home, and Vivace became so fond of it.”

“Ah, I see. So you’ve been keeping it at home ever since?”

“Yes. It understands human speech quite well, is quick-witted, and… well, I thought it was rebellious like you, Chief, but it’s completely powerless against Vivace.”

There seemed to be something in Pell’s words that bothered her, but she let it slide, narrowing her eyes slightly at him before turning her gaze to Vivace’s laughter.

To others, the Raccoon might not seem any different, but to her eyes, it was clear as day. The Divine Beast was on the verge of tears.

‘Help me, human!’

The Raccoon sent her a signal.

She ignored that pleading gaze without hesitation.

Where do you get the nerve to issue commands when you should be bowing your head and begging for help?

Realizing that she had no intention of helping, the Raccoon, after a moment of hesitation, leaped out of Vivace’s arms.

Now that Vivace could walk fairly well, she toddled after the Raccoon with determination.

“Vivace, don’t fall.”

“Uunngh…”

The child, too focused on catching the Raccoon, seemed not to hear her father’s words.

Eventually, the child stumbled over the carpet on the floor and was about to fall.

It was none other than the Raccoon who caught her small body.

Despite all its earlier resistance, the fact that it saved her showed that it didn’t entirely dislike her.

‘What a tsundere.’

The child, holding the Raccoon that had practically jumped into her arms, hugged it tightly, while the Raccoon, now trapped, sighed in a way only she could notice.

For a Divine Beast, supposedly noble, to be caught by a mere human child and reduced to such a state…

Shaking her head, she turned her gaze to Pell.

“Pell. How is Masetike doing these days?”

“Mr. Masetike? He’s doing well, of course.”

Pell looked at her with a puzzled expression, as if wondering why she would suddenly ask about him.

“No, it’s just… nothing unusual about him?”

“Unusual? Hmm… Well, he’s been acting a bit strange ever since he returned to the Grievance Counseling Office. But you must know that already, Chief.”

Blinking in confusion at Pell’s nonchalant tone, she replied, 

“I don’t know…”

“What? Why not?”

Pell looked at her as if it was inconceivable that she wouldn’t know.

“Uh… Am I supposed to know?”

“Yes, you should. He’s changed so much.”

Masetike had changed? In what way?

This was the first she’d heard of it.

“Well, two years isn’t exactly a short time. It’s not unusual for someone’s personality to change during that period.”

“How exactly has he changed?”

“Hmm… I can’t say it’s something specific…”

“Think carefully. There must be a reason you feel that way.”

At her urging, Pell fell into thought. After a long pause, his face lit up as if he had figured it out.

“He’s less kind than he used to be.”

“What…?”

“Before, he was overly polite and cheerful. Now, he maintains a moderate level of politeness but seems to keep people at a distance.”

His words were vague at best.

“Is that all? Nothing more concrete?”

“Yes. After all, people perceive things differently. Oh, and he doesn’t smile as much anymore. If I had to describe it, it’s like he’s someone who’s lost something and no longer has any attachment to life.”

If that was the case, why had I never noticed?

“I had no idea…”

“Well, it’s not surprising. You’ve been so busy since Mr. Masetike returned.”

Listening to Pell, she tried to recall Masetike but couldn’t think of anything particularly unusual.

‘He does seem a bit gloomier than before…’

“Pell. Did you hear anything about what Masetike plans to do during his leave?”

“Other than saying he had urgent matters to attend to, not really… Why? Is something wrong?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

She answered firmly.

Since she only had suspicions at this point, she thought it best not to arouse unnecessary doubts.

“By the way, this is a big problem. The Saintess’s reputation has taken a huge hit because of this incident.”

Pell sighed deeply.

“Why is the Saintess’s reputation suffering?”

“Because of the explosion in the square, which resulted in over a hundred casualties. Some people are complaining that the incident wouldn’t have happened if the Saintess hadn’t been there, as she was the target.”

“They should be blaming the bomber, not the Saintess.”

Why take out your anger on the wrong person?

“They’re saying the Saintess is the cause, so there’s been a lot of protests demanding she return to the Holy Kingdom quickly.”

“What…?”

“I’m worried that this might escalate into a riot. It’s been so frightening commuting to work these days.”

She couldn’t understand why things had taken such a drastic turn.

The sudden shift in public opinion about Anella overnight struck her as deeply troubling.

“What about the identity of the assailant?”