Episode 103. Suppressed Desire
A man's shadow, crossing a dark hallway, stretched out in front of a door.
The door, decorated with ornate patterns, seemed to house someone of considerable importance in the imperial family.
"Hmm."
Even without putting his ear to it, the woman's breathing could be heard quite heavily.
Beloveye, closing his blue eyes in the darkness, opened the door without knocking.
Suddenly, the room froze in place at the sudden sound.
Beloveye, moving absently, saw Dipper and Lawrence, entangled in his vision.
Beloveye briefly glanced at them before casually walking away, stopping in the middle of the room as if he were the owner of the room.
"I have something to tell you. Should I go ahead and do it, or should I wait?"
"...!"
Beloveye asked in a calm voice. Dipper glared at him, and Lawrence's eyes trembled with anxiety.
Beloveye crossed his arms and leaned unsteadily on his feet, seemingly unconcerned with how they viewed him.
He seemed completely unconcerned, but the pressure of his massive body standing tall and looking down upon them was immense.
His blue eyes slowly drifted from Lawrence, who was beneath Dipper, to Dipper again.
“Hmm. This is certainly not a sight the Supreme Being would like.”
Lawrence’s eyes wavered at the word “Supreme Being.”
Beloveye internally scoffed at the sight and spoke again.
“Well, that’s enough. I’ve come to tell you something that might be helpful.”
Dipper frowned at the word “help.”
"Lawrence should have paid the price for daring to summon me here and force me to do her bidding."
Beloveye's eyes narrowed as he stared at Dipper.
"It was all planned."
"Of course not."
Beloveye smirked, his lips twisting into a smile.
"Thanks to you, I guess I'll have to adjust my plans a bit."
"...?"
Beloveye tore Dipper's hand from his and tapped his collar.
"I guess there's no sane god in this world, right?"
Beloveye's eyes were gently furrowed.
Bercheria felt an unfamiliar sensation on her fingertips without warning.
It was a meaningless action that wasn't unpleasant, but didn't particularly make her feel good either.
Bercheria raised her eyes to Laurent.
As if he had been waiting, his red eyes met hers.
"Ha."
Bercheria averted her gaze and removed her hand from his.
"Laurent said Lacrahan was using me because he wanted to become a god, right? How fascinating."
She crossed her arms to hide her hand before continuing.
"I didn't know Laurent knew Lacrahan's true feelings better than I did."
Laurent took his remaining hand and looked at it upside down.
“I’ve said this before, but it’s not like I knew Lacrahan’s true intentions. I heard it from Beloveye.”
“Was Beloveye acquainted with Lacrahan?”
Laurent ran his fingertips through his hair, which felt as warm as the sun.
His forehead, revealed to be flawless and smooth.
“No. But the Supreme Being and Lacrahan are acquainted. And above all, becoming a god again is impossible without the Supreme Being's help, so he couldn’t have done it alone without warning.”
Bercheria fell silent, and Laurent looked rather pleased.
“Bercheria. When you regained your memories a while ago, Lacrahan made a new promise with the Supreme Being he met again. To offer you up and become a god again.”
“If that’s true, then I can’t help but be surprised that the Supreme Being is so open-mouthed.”
“Bercheria. I don’t want to defend the Supreme Being, but he, too, would want to resolve the matter between you and Lacrahan as quickly as possible. After all, you two have been a source of headache for him for so long.”
Bercheria knew all too well that the Supreme Being regarded Lacrahan and Bercheria as thorns in his side.
“Laurent, I’m sorry, but no words will convince me. I believe what Lacrahan has shown me more than anything else.”
Laurent squinted at Bercheria’s attitude, which seemed impenetrable.
When Bercheria’s brow furrowed at his laughter, he nodded.
“I didn’t expect you to believe me. I just wanted to tell you the truth, so don’t feel too pressured. It’s up to you to figure out what’s real.”
A man's shadow, crossing a dark hallway, stretched out in front of a door.
The door, decorated with ornate patterns, seemed to house someone of considerable importance in the imperial family.
"Hmm."
Even without putting his ear to it, the woman's breathing could be heard quite heavily.
Beloveye, closing his blue eyes in the darkness, opened the door without knocking.
Suddenly, the room froze in place at the sudden sound.
Beloveye, moving absently, saw Dipper and Lawrence, entangled in his vision.
Beloveye briefly glanced at them before casually walking away, stopping in the middle of the room as if he were the owner of the room.
"I have something to tell you. Should I go ahead and do it, or should I wait?"
"...!"
Beloveye asked in a calm voice. Dipper glared at him, and Lawrence's eyes trembled with anxiety.
Beloveye crossed his arms and leaned unsteadily on his feet, seemingly unconcerned with how they viewed him.
He seemed completely unconcerned, but the pressure of his massive body standing tall and looking down upon them was immense.
His blue eyes slowly drifted from Lawrence, who was beneath Dipper, to Dipper again.
“Hmm. This is certainly not a sight the Supreme Being would like.”
Lawrence’s eyes wavered at the word “Supreme Being.”
Beloveye internally scoffed at the sight and spoke again.
“Well, that’s enough. I’ve come to tell you something that might be helpful.”
Dipper frowned at the word “help.”
“What nonsense are you talking about?”
Beloveye was famous among the gods for his lack of interest in other beings.
He operated by the iron rule that no one would touch him unless someone else touched him.
“You’re going to help me?”
Dipper laughed, still finding it absurd.
“Do you really think I’ll believe that? What’s your plan?”
Beloveye stared at Dipper like that, his expression unwavering.
Instead, Beloveye slowly brushed back his blue hair and glared at Dipper with the eyes that were visible through it.
“It’s not so much a plan as it is a bit tired. If only Lacrahan and Bercheria weren’t here, everything would be peaceful.”
“Well, that’s true.”
Beloveye glanced at the bed, then turned away as if nothing had happened.
Originally, it was Lawrence he had come to see.
Even when he made his second promise with the Supreme Being, he hadn’t even considered Dipper’s presence.
But who would have thought that as soon as he opened the door, he would suddenly find Dipper in intercourse with the Empress.
Even Beloveye, whose expression rarely changed, had to work hard not to be shaken.
‘If the Supreme Being finds out, this will be a mess too.’
Dipper, the person involved, seemed oblivious.
But Beloveye had no intention of spreading the news.
Dipper likely knew that much.
“I said it was for help, but I just want to get this over with quickly and return to my territory.”
“To the Der'Ansis Empire?”
“Yes.”
Beloveye’s straightforward answer cleared Dipper’s face of suspicion, which had been etched throughout. Beloveye wasn’t the only one who longed to return to his own territory.
Dipper, too, longed to quickly wrap up his affairs in Periat and return to the Kingdom of Contana.
“I’ve been in Periat for too long.”
Dipper covered Lawrence with a blanket and rose from the bed.
“Even humans feel uneasy when they leave home, but it’s even worse when the god who protects it is absent like this.”
Dipper trudged up to Beloveye, his bare body pressed against the back of his neck, and looked up at him.
“If you think about it, even if it's Bercheria, it doesn’t make sense for her to leave her territory and marry some mediocre person, right?”
Dipper checked the position of the slanting moon outside the window and turned his head back to Beloveye.
“Perhaps it would have been cleaner to just get rid of them from the beginning. Actually, that makes the most sense. Honestly, we can find any number of other gods to replace the guardian god.”
“How can a god get rid of a god? Impossible...”
“As expected. You’re completely blocked.”
Dipper smiled with amusement and smoothed Beloveye’s collar with both hands.
“Why would a god get rid of a god? It’s up to humans to get rid of the gods.”
It was a whisper that only Beloveye could hear.
Dipper grinned and stared at Lawrence, who was lying on the bed watching.
The lands protected by the gods mirrored their personalities.
That's why Der'Ansis, guarded by Beloveye, possessed more wealth than any other continent.
That's why Periat boasted so many exceptional knights.
And why was Contana called a land of savages?
"Don't make that face. I didn't sleep with Lawrence simply to create a weapon that could kill a god."
Dipper's brown eyes gleamed in the darkness.
Beloveye was famous among the gods for his lack of interest in other beings.
He operated by the iron rule that no one would touch him unless someone else touched him.
“You’re going to help me?”
Dipper laughed, still finding it absurd.
“Do you really think I’ll believe that? What’s your plan?”
Beloveye stared at Dipper like that, his expression unwavering.
Instead, Beloveye slowly brushed back his blue hair and glared at Dipper with the eyes that were visible through it.
“It’s not so much a plan as it is a bit tired. If only Lacrahan and Bercheria weren’t here, everything would be peaceful.”
“Well, that’s true.”
Beloveye glanced at the bed, then turned away as if nothing had happened.
Originally, it was Lawrence he had come to see.
Even when he made his second promise with the Supreme Being, he hadn’t even considered Dipper’s presence.
But who would have thought that as soon as he opened the door, he would suddenly find Dipper in intercourse with the Empress.
Even Beloveye, whose expression rarely changed, had to work hard not to be shaken.
‘If the Supreme Being finds out, this will be a mess too.’
Dipper, the person involved, seemed oblivious.
But Beloveye had no intention of spreading the news.
Dipper likely knew that much.
“I said it was for help, but I just want to get this over with quickly and return to my territory.”
“To the Der'Ansis Empire?”
“Yes.”
Beloveye’s straightforward answer cleared Dipper’s face of suspicion, which had been etched throughout. Beloveye wasn’t the only one who longed to return to his own territory.
Dipper, too, longed to quickly wrap up his affairs in Periat and return to the Kingdom of Contana.
“I’ve been in Periat for too long.”
Dipper covered Lawrence with a blanket and rose from the bed.
“Even humans feel uneasy when they leave home, but it’s even worse when the god who protects it is absent like this.”
Dipper trudged up to Beloveye, his bare body pressed against the back of his neck, and looked up at him.
“If you think about it, even if it's Bercheria, it doesn’t make sense for her to leave her territory and marry some mediocre person, right?”
Dipper checked the position of the slanting moon outside the window and turned his head back to Beloveye.
“Perhaps it would have been cleaner to just get rid of them from the beginning. Actually, that makes the most sense. Honestly, we can find any number of other gods to replace the guardian god.”
“How can a god get rid of a god? Impossible...”
“As expected. You’re completely blocked.”
Dipper smiled with amusement and smoothed Beloveye’s collar with both hands.
“Why would a god get rid of a god? It’s up to humans to get rid of the gods.”
It was a whisper that only Beloveye could hear.
Dipper grinned and stared at Lawrence, who was lying on the bed watching.
The lands protected by the gods mirrored their personalities.
That's why Der'Ansis, guarded by Beloveye, possessed more wealth than any other continent.
That's why Periat boasted so many exceptional knights.
And why was Contana called a land of savages?
"Don't make that face. I didn't sleep with Lawrence simply to create a weapon that could kill a god."
Dipper's brown eyes gleamed in the darkness.
"Lawrence should have paid the price for daring to summon me here and force me to do her bidding."
Beloveye's eyes narrowed as he stared at Dipper.
"It was all planned."
"Of course not."
Beloveye smirked, his lips twisting into a smile.
"Thanks to you, I guess I'll have to adjust my plans a bit."
"...?"
Beloveye tore Dipper's hand from his and tapped his collar.
"I guess there's no sane god in this world, right?"
Beloveye's eyes were gently furrowed.
***
Bercheria felt an unfamiliar sensation on her fingertips without warning.
It was a meaningless action that wasn't unpleasant, but didn't particularly make her feel good either.
Bercheria raised her eyes to Laurent.
As if he had been waiting, his red eyes met hers.
"Ha."
Bercheria averted her gaze and removed her hand from his.
"Laurent said Lacrahan was using me because he wanted to become a god, right? How fascinating."
She crossed her arms to hide her hand before continuing.
"I didn't know Laurent knew Lacrahan's true feelings better than I did."
Laurent took his remaining hand and looked at it upside down.
“I’ve said this before, but it’s not like I knew Lacrahan’s true intentions. I heard it from Beloveye.”
“Was Beloveye acquainted with Lacrahan?”
Laurent ran his fingertips through his hair, which felt as warm as the sun.
His forehead, revealed to be flawless and smooth.
“No. But the Supreme Being and Lacrahan are acquainted. And above all, becoming a god again is impossible without the Supreme Being's help, so he couldn’t have done it alone without warning.”
Bercheria fell silent, and Laurent looked rather pleased.
“Bercheria. When you regained your memories a while ago, Lacrahan made a new promise with the Supreme Being he met again. To offer you up and become a god again.”
“If that’s true, then I can’t help but be surprised that the Supreme Being is so open-mouthed.”
“Bercheria. I don’t want to defend the Supreme Being, but he, too, would want to resolve the matter between you and Lacrahan as quickly as possible. After all, you two have been a source of headache for him for so long.”
Bercheria knew all too well that the Supreme Being regarded Lacrahan and Bercheria as thorns in his side.
“Laurent, I’m sorry, but no words will convince me. I believe what Lacrahan has shown me more than anything else.”
Laurent squinted at Bercheria’s attitude, which seemed impenetrable.
When Bercheria’s brow furrowed at his laughter, he nodded.
“I didn’t expect you to believe me. I just wanted to tell you the truth, so don’t feel too pressured. It’s up to you to figure out what’s real.”
Laurent took a sip from the wine glass in front of him and swallowed it.
Silence fell between them after that.
They gazed at each other, each lost in their own thoughts.
A moment passed like that.
“Why are you just staring at me?”
Laurent was the first to speak.
At his question, Bercheria lifted the hand she had been holding and gently grasped the neck of the wine glass he offered her.
“Looking at Laurent like this, a look in your eyes I saw a long time ago comes to mind.”
She placed the glass between her fingers and gently shook it, causing the red wine to sway like a calm sea.
“My look?”
“Yes.”
“It must have been quite impressive, considering you still remember it.”
Bercheria nodded slowly.
“It was impressive.”
Then she lifted the glass to her lips.
The red wine flowed between her red lips.
Only after the glass was completely empty did Bercheria remove it from her lips.
“It was a spell-bound wine.”
“...”
The wine, which had been about a third full, vanished without a trace.
Laurent simply stared at the empty glass.
Then, when Bercheria flicked the side of the wine glass with her finger, Laurent suddenly burst out laughing, as if awakened from a deep sleep.
“What am I saying? Bercheria, if anyone heard, they’d think I was trying to get you some kind of strange drink.”
Watching Laurent laugh, Bercheria let out a faint smile.
“Of course.”
“There’s no way, Bercheria.”
“I know. It’s impossible anyway.”
Laurent, who had been laughing at the unexpected words, raised his eyebrows cheerfully.
“Yes?”
Since regaining her strength, Bercheria’s body had been growing stronger by the day.
She didn’t know why this was happening, but she suspected it was because of the staff.
The staff's divine power had been amplified hundreds of times over before, thanks to the Supreme Being having breathed his power into it and shaped it into a tower.
This was likely a detail even the absolute god himself was unaware of.
Because divine objects absorb and condense rampant power, they had long since stored the absolute god's powers surrounding them.
Ultimately, the staff had become a reservoir of power even greater than the absolute god himself, and this power was now slowly flowing into her.
Bercheria rested her chin on her hand and gazed at Laurent with her captivating golden eyes.
"With this paltry concentration of magic, you can't defeat me, Prince Laurent."
She watched the smile slowly fade from Laurent's previously smiling face.
"Anyway, thank you for giving me such a nice drink."
Things she'd once feared now seemed so trivial.
Bercheria was quite pleased with herself.
Silence fell between them after that.
They gazed at each other, each lost in their own thoughts.
A moment passed like that.
“Why are you just staring at me?”
Laurent was the first to speak.
At his question, Bercheria lifted the hand she had been holding and gently grasped the neck of the wine glass he offered her.
“Looking at Laurent like this, a look in your eyes I saw a long time ago comes to mind.”
She placed the glass between her fingers and gently shook it, causing the red wine to sway like a calm sea.
“My look?”
“Yes.”
“It must have been quite impressive, considering you still remember it.”
Bercheria nodded slowly.
“It was impressive.”
Then she lifted the glass to her lips.
The red wine flowed between her red lips.
Only after the glass was completely empty did Bercheria remove it from her lips.
“It was a spell-bound wine.”
“...”
The wine, which had been about a third full, vanished without a trace.
Laurent simply stared at the empty glass.
Then, when Bercheria flicked the side of the wine glass with her finger, Laurent suddenly burst out laughing, as if awakened from a deep sleep.
“What am I saying? Bercheria, if anyone heard, they’d think I was trying to get you some kind of strange drink.”
Watching Laurent laugh, Bercheria let out a faint smile.
“Of course.”
“There’s no way, Bercheria.”
“I know. It’s impossible anyway.”
Laurent, who had been laughing at the unexpected words, raised his eyebrows cheerfully.
“Yes?”
Since regaining her strength, Bercheria’s body had been growing stronger by the day.
She didn’t know why this was happening, but she suspected it was because of the staff.
The staff's divine power had been amplified hundreds of times over before, thanks to the Supreme Being having breathed his power into it and shaped it into a tower.
This was likely a detail even the absolute god himself was unaware of.
Because divine objects absorb and condense rampant power, they had long since stored the absolute god's powers surrounding them.
Ultimately, the staff had become a reservoir of power even greater than the absolute god himself, and this power was now slowly flowing into her.
Bercheria rested her chin on her hand and gazed at Laurent with her captivating golden eyes.
"With this paltry concentration of magic, you can't defeat me, Prince Laurent."
She watched the smile slowly fade from Laurent's previously smiling face.
"Anyway, thank you for giving me such a nice drink."
Things she'd once feared now seemed so trivial.
Bercheria was quite pleased with herself.
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