Roxanne's hand moved her.
The wide deltoid muscle and the split chest line below the collarbone.
The bandage loosely tied above it caught her fingertips.
At that moment, Roxanne's hand moved away.
As if this was a problem that only she had to solve.
Her mouth was dry.
No, was it wet?
Sepia swallowed dry saliva.
Her slightly trembling hand pulled down the bandage tied to his shoulder.
There was a scar that looked like it had been scratched by a claw on his firm-looking chest and the eight-branched abdominal muscles below it.
Sepia ran her fingertips over the scar that was almost completely healed.
Visually and tactilely.
The warmth under her hand was some kind of addiction.
Suddenly, the scar on his left waist caught Sepia's attention.
It was a place that was hidden by the bandage.
A unique scar that looked like it had been torn by a saw blade.
'... Why is this.'
Sepia’s hand touched the scar that vividly brought up the buried memory.
“How are you?”
“...It seems to be healing well.”
A voice that came at that moment pulled her out of the past.
He asked as if he sensed Sepia’s agitation differently.
“That’s fortunate. Then, is Sepia okay?”
He asked about the aversion she had once confessed.
Sepia gave an answer that was neither true nor false.
“Yes. I’m okay too.”
She had never felt aversion to Roxanne for even a moment.
“I’m glad you seem to be on the right track.”
He smiled and grabbed her hand that had been away for a moment.
When her palm pressed against his rib cage, she could clearly feel the elastic skin and the density beneath it.
“Hand...”
She had to tell him to let go.
It was hot as if it was burning. She felt like she had become a living being jumping into the flames, knowing that the tips of her wings would burn.
“I thought it would get better faster this way. You never know. As the second son of the Kurds claimed, Sepia might have special abilities.”
The somewhat mischievous words barely managed to pull Sepia’s senses back.
Her hand slipped out of Roxanne’s realm.
Despite knowing that they could capture each other.
“There’s nothing like that. And it looks like a scratch.”
“So, aren’t you worried now?”
“Make sure to maintain your dignity as a warrior. You’d better put on some clothes since you don’t have any bandages anymore.”
Roxanne laughed so hard at Sepia’s scolding that he arched his back.
Thanks to that, the scars were reflected in the light.
The characteristic of a divine beast is its strangely fast recovery.
However, fatal or poisonous wounds remain on the body as scars.
Sepia looked over the marks on his skin one by one.
In addition to the scars that were probably fatal, there were also unique marks.
Especially near his forearms.
‘They’re not fang marks.’
They looked like they had been cut and sewn up.
This thought occurred to her absentmindedly.
Could they really all be wounds from the battlefield?
And, the mark on his left waist...
“Why is that?”
“...The wound looks peculiar.”
“The barbarians attack until the Beastmen die.”
He put on the gown hanging next to him.
Sepia muttered to herself as she looked at the body covered by the blue cloth.
‘...It must be an illusion.’
The one with that wound had to be Demios.
“It feels good to think that Sepia was worried.”
Roxanne pulled out a chair in front of her.
“Please sit down.”
“...Yes.”
Roxanne, who had told her to wait a moment, went to the side door in the room and brought some water to boil.
It was her second visit since winter.
The only difference from that day was that there was one more chair.
“Here it is.”
And even the small teacup. Even the pink tea with a faint scent of spring flowers was pretty.
The teacup and even the tea leaves were all to Sepia’s taste.
As if they had been waiting for her to visit.
“I liked the mug before better.”
“Isn’t this glass to your taste?”
“I’m just kidding. I like both.”
The previous mug seemed to show an unexpected side.
She liked that this small and cute cup was prepared for her.
She couldn’t give up any of them.
Sepia lifted the glass and observed him closely.
She saw him pressing the back of his head earlier, but his hair was not straightening because it was curled.
It was strange to see his disheveled appearance up close.
The male who had just woken up rested his chin on his hand as if he was a little embarrassed, but to Sepia’s eyes, he looked like a lion who had woken up in the sewage.
Of course, he was closer to a wolf.
Strange imaginations were running wild in her head.
The blood of a divine beast was superior.
Not only did it heal wounds quickly, but it was also less painful.
However, his body was full of indelible scars.
Suddenly, she felt the urge to see his true form.
However, it was impossible.
Only their companions could see the royal family’s appearance transformed into a perfect divine beast.
Unless a war broke out, the day would come when she would be able to see Roxanne’s true form.
‘...But Demios never showed me his true self.'
That was the first and last time she saw his true self when she was in Huron.
The beastman had a period of liberation once a year.
The liberation usually took place at the side of their companion, and the period varied depending on the species, but on that day, they shared their entire bodies with each other.
The same was true for the divine beasts; Demios always left the palace for about a week between summer and fall.
Normally, the Empress would also be present during that period.
However, Sepia had never been invited to a liberation.
She didn't even know where he spent that period.
When the liberation period approached, Demios avoided Sepia for about two weeks before and after.
Whenever they happened to meet, he would stare at her as if he was going to kill her and bare his teeth.
His eyes looked as if he wanted to tear her apart.
It was something she experienced every year, but it was just as uncomfortable every time.
'He probably didn't want to show it to that extent.'
As much as she had avoided Demios, maybe he didn't trust her either.
Sepia lowered her eyes and fixed her gaze on the glass.
When would Roxanne be liberated?
He must have spent that period alone.
But it was rude to ask such personal matters.
Moreover, that wasn’t the important thing right now.
“What happened?”
Roxanne was scarred enough to leave scars along with the knights.
Could it be that he was the culprit who killed the beasts?
“We were attacked outside the palace.”
“Are they the rumored beasts?”
“...No. They are beastmen. They also claim to be residents of Leopold.”
Sepia opened her mouth at the familiar name of the territory.
“Are you sure they are the residents of Leopold?”
“... I’m currently checking, but they don’t seem to be beastmen before they are residents of the territory. They are closer to barbarians.”
There was a bigger problem before determining whether they were truly residents of the territory.
The reason barbarians were so powerful was because they were closer to beasts or monsters than humans.
They walked on two legs, but their entire bodies were covered in fur, and most importantly, their heads were like those of animals, and they lacked the intelligence to handle proper tools.
Above all, the beastmen could only return to their original form and did not change into monsters like barbarians.
“They were like rational beasts.”
Roxanne recalled yesterday’s attack.
Unlike the barbarians’ habit of rushing in and killing, the raids by the landowners were covert and systematic.
Monsters with the heads of pigs, bears, and lions.
Their appearance looked very similar to the barbarians.
If they hadn’t been able to communicate, they would have treated them as barbarians without a doubt.
Above all, the landowners were holding swords.
The barbarians couldn’t handle weapons.
That difference proved that they were beastmen.
The captured landowners were currently being held underground, and the interrogation continued until dawn.
However, the beastmen with the heads of bears kept spitting out the same words.
‘...It’s all your fault, Duke. You’re the reason the territory is sick!’
It was the same when they attacked.
They all spat out words of resentment toward Roxanne.
However, the epidemic that hit Leopold was more than ten years ago.
“But... I haven’t heard any reports of an epidemic.”
Since ancient times, the imperial family has been obliged to keep a close eye on infectious disease outbreaks and report them immediately.
Above all, winter was a season with a low probability of outbreak.
If the plague had really arrived in Leopold, it would have been very recently, from early spring to late spring.
“I sent a message to my uncle a while ago, but I haven’t heard back yet. I dispatched knights to Leopold this morning.”
While Roxanne was away for a long time due to the war, Leopold was temporarily occupied by his uncle, the white-headed eagle Rapikan, the brother of the Red Queen.
“I guess we’ll have to wait and see. I’ll have to find out about this incident too.”
It could have been related to the beast attack incident. ‘
'Unless they’re talking about the past...’
If the plague had really been spreading in Leopold, they had to deal with it before the real summer came.
The humid and hot season spread the disease more widely and quickly.
However, what they were worried about now was not just the presence or absence of the disease.
The wide deltoid muscle and the split chest line below the collarbone.
The bandage loosely tied above it caught her fingertips.
At that moment, Roxanne's hand moved away.
As if this was a problem that only she had to solve.
Her mouth was dry.
No, was it wet?
Sepia swallowed dry saliva.
Her slightly trembling hand pulled down the bandage tied to his shoulder.
There was a scar that looked like it had been scratched by a claw on his firm-looking chest and the eight-branched abdominal muscles below it.
Sepia ran her fingertips over the scar that was almost completely healed.
Visually and tactilely.
The warmth under her hand was some kind of addiction.
Suddenly, the scar on his left waist caught Sepia's attention.
It was a place that was hidden by the bandage.
A unique scar that looked like it had been torn by a saw blade.
'... Why is this.'
Sepia’s hand touched the scar that vividly brought up the buried memory.
“How are you?”
“...It seems to be healing well.”
A voice that came at that moment pulled her out of the past.
He asked as if he sensed Sepia’s agitation differently.
“That’s fortunate. Then, is Sepia okay?”
He asked about the aversion she had once confessed.
Sepia gave an answer that was neither true nor false.
“Yes. I’m okay too.”
She had never felt aversion to Roxanne for even a moment.
“I’m glad you seem to be on the right track.”
He smiled and grabbed her hand that had been away for a moment.
When her palm pressed against his rib cage, she could clearly feel the elastic skin and the density beneath it.
“Hand...”
She had to tell him to let go.
It was hot as if it was burning. She felt like she had become a living being jumping into the flames, knowing that the tips of her wings would burn.
“I thought it would get better faster this way. You never know. As the second son of the Kurds claimed, Sepia might have special abilities.”
The somewhat mischievous words barely managed to pull Sepia’s senses back.
Her hand slipped out of Roxanne’s realm.
Despite knowing that they could capture each other.
“There’s nothing like that. And it looks like a scratch.”
“So, aren’t you worried now?”
“Make sure to maintain your dignity as a warrior. You’d better put on some clothes since you don’t have any bandages anymore.”
Roxanne laughed so hard at Sepia’s scolding that he arched his back.
Thanks to that, the scars were reflected in the light.
The characteristic of a divine beast is its strangely fast recovery.
However, fatal or poisonous wounds remain on the body as scars.
Sepia looked over the marks on his skin one by one.
In addition to the scars that were probably fatal, there were also unique marks.
Especially near his forearms.
‘They’re not fang marks.’
They looked like they had been cut and sewn up.
This thought occurred to her absentmindedly.
Could they really all be wounds from the battlefield?
And, the mark on his left waist...
“Why is that?”
“...The wound looks peculiar.”
“The barbarians attack until the Beastmen die.”
He put on the gown hanging next to him.
Sepia muttered to herself as she looked at the body covered by the blue cloth.
‘...It must be an illusion.’
The one with that wound had to be Demios.
“It feels good to think that Sepia was worried.”
Roxanne pulled out a chair in front of her.
“Please sit down.”
“...Yes.”
Roxanne, who had told her to wait a moment, went to the side door in the room and brought some water to boil.
It was her second visit since winter.
The only difference from that day was that there was one more chair.
“Here it is.”
And even the small teacup. Even the pink tea with a faint scent of spring flowers was pretty.
The teacup and even the tea leaves were all to Sepia’s taste.
As if they had been waiting for her to visit.
“I liked the mug before better.”
“Isn’t this glass to your taste?”
“I’m just kidding. I like both.”
The previous mug seemed to show an unexpected side.
She liked that this small and cute cup was prepared for her.
She couldn’t give up any of them.
Sepia lifted the glass and observed him closely.
She saw him pressing the back of his head earlier, but his hair was not straightening because it was curled.
It was strange to see his disheveled appearance up close.
The male who had just woken up rested his chin on his hand as if he was a little embarrassed, but to Sepia’s eyes, he looked like a lion who had woken up in the sewage.
Of course, he was closer to a wolf.
Strange imaginations were running wild in her head.
The blood of a divine beast was superior.
Not only did it heal wounds quickly, but it was also less painful.
However, his body was full of indelible scars.
Suddenly, she felt the urge to see his true form.
However, it was impossible.
Only their companions could see the royal family’s appearance transformed into a perfect divine beast.
Unless a war broke out, the day would come when she would be able to see Roxanne’s true form.
‘...But Demios never showed me his true self.'
That was the first and last time she saw his true self when she was in Huron.
The beastman had a period of liberation once a year.
The liberation usually took place at the side of their companion, and the period varied depending on the species, but on that day, they shared their entire bodies with each other.
The same was true for the divine beasts; Demios always left the palace for about a week between summer and fall.
Normally, the Empress would also be present during that period.
However, Sepia had never been invited to a liberation.
She didn't even know where he spent that period.
When the liberation period approached, Demios avoided Sepia for about two weeks before and after.
Whenever they happened to meet, he would stare at her as if he was going to kill her and bare his teeth.
His eyes looked as if he wanted to tear her apart.
It was something she experienced every year, but it was just as uncomfortable every time.
'He probably didn't want to show it to that extent.'
As much as she had avoided Demios, maybe he didn't trust her either.
Sepia lowered her eyes and fixed her gaze on the glass.
When would Roxanne be liberated?
He must have spent that period alone.
But it was rude to ask such personal matters.
Moreover, that wasn’t the important thing right now.
“What happened?”
Roxanne was scarred enough to leave scars along with the knights.
Could it be that he was the culprit who killed the beasts?
“We were attacked outside the palace.”
“Are they the rumored beasts?”
“...No. They are beastmen. They also claim to be residents of Leopold.”
Sepia opened her mouth at the familiar name of the territory.
“Are you sure they are the residents of Leopold?”
“... I’m currently checking, but they don’t seem to be beastmen before they are residents of the territory. They are closer to barbarians.”
There was a bigger problem before determining whether they were truly residents of the territory.
The reason barbarians were so powerful was because they were closer to beasts or monsters than humans.
They walked on two legs, but their entire bodies were covered in fur, and most importantly, their heads were like those of animals, and they lacked the intelligence to handle proper tools.
Above all, the beastmen could only return to their original form and did not change into monsters like barbarians.
“They were like rational beasts.”
Roxanne recalled yesterday’s attack.
Unlike the barbarians’ habit of rushing in and killing, the raids by the landowners were covert and systematic.
Monsters with the heads of pigs, bears, and lions.
Their appearance looked very similar to the barbarians.
If they hadn’t been able to communicate, they would have treated them as barbarians without a doubt.
Above all, the landowners were holding swords.
The barbarians couldn’t handle weapons.
That difference proved that they were beastmen.
The captured landowners were currently being held underground, and the interrogation continued until dawn.
However, the beastmen with the heads of bears kept spitting out the same words.
‘...It’s all your fault, Duke. You’re the reason the territory is sick!’
It was the same when they attacked.
They all spat out words of resentment toward Roxanne.
However, the epidemic that hit Leopold was more than ten years ago.
“But... I haven’t heard any reports of an epidemic.”
Since ancient times, the imperial family has been obliged to keep a close eye on infectious disease outbreaks and report them immediately.
Above all, winter was a season with a low probability of outbreak.
If the plague had really arrived in Leopold, it would have been very recently, from early spring to late spring.
“I sent a message to my uncle a while ago, but I haven’t heard back yet. I dispatched knights to Leopold this morning.”
While Roxanne was away for a long time due to the war, Leopold was temporarily occupied by his uncle, the white-headed eagle Rapikan, the brother of the Red Queen.
“I guess we’ll have to wait and see. I’ll have to find out about this incident too.”
It could have been related to the beast attack incident. ‘
'Unless they’re talking about the past...’
If the plague had really been spreading in Leopold, they had to deal with it before the real summer came.
The humid and hot season spread the disease more widely and quickly.
However, what they were worried about now was not just the presence or absence of the disease.
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