Episode 98. Are you sure of her feelings?
Upon arriving at Wyatt's location, Lacrahan first spotted Bercheria and Kelita facing each other.
And then, as if waiting, a thick fog rolled in.
The Royal Guards, rushing to intervene, also suddenly became lost in the enveloping fog and began to murmur.
This was the first time in their lives that they could not even locate their comrades, a thick fog so thick they could not even see their own.
Lacrahan closed his eyes and waited for his senses to stabilize.
The Royal Guards seemed to have forgotten that they had just arrested Wyatt.
"Grand Duke!"
Wyatt took advantage of the gap and ran to Lacrahan's side, his breathing rasping.
Unlike the Royal Guards, who were always confined to the imperial palace and received the same training, Wyatt's bones were clearly etched with the know-how gained from three years of war.
Even in the pitch-black darkness, where you couldn't even tell how many fingers you had, he possessed the ability to sense his allies.
"Wyatt, stay out of the way for now. I'll take care of the rest."
"But Grand Duke!"
"That's helpful right now."
Wyatt finally turned around as Lacrahan had instructed.
"I apologize, Grand Duke."
Lacrahan calmly collected his gaze and stared intently at the spot where Bercheria had just stood.
At that moment
——Gyaaaaah!
Kelita's screams could be heard from within.
Lacrahan pushed aside the flustered knights and ran straight towards them.
The thickening fog was slowing even his forward movement.
But it wasn't enough to cause Lacrahan to lose his bearings.
When he reached Bercheria, pushing through the suffocatingly dense fog, he was met with an unbelievable sight. Kelita kneeling before Bercheria. And standing behind her...
“Supreme Being.”
The Supreme Being was clutching Bercheria’s hand in front of Kelita.
A small butterfly was fluttering, emitting a silvery light within their overlapping hands.
The flow of time surrounding them stopped, and the Supreme Being's head slowly turned towards Lacrahan.
The moment their eyes met, the Supreme Being's eyes, which had previously looked up in surprise, narrowed slightly.
“It’s been a while, Adkins. No. Should I call you Lacrahan now?”
Lacrahan's black eyes coldly stared at Bercheria’s hand, which the Lacrahan was holding.
“Let go of it.”
“See? Are you trying to show off in front of me by saying she's your woman?”
“Let go.”
The Supreme Being tilted his head and said,
“I’m sorry, but I’m a little nervous right now. I’m trying to prevent the parallel butterfly from being destroyed.”
Time had completely stopped, and only Lacrahan and the Lacrahan were moving.
As the Supreme Being slowly opened his palm, a parallel butterfly, on the verge of breaking apart, emerged from it.
Lacrahan's eyes crinkled.
"Are you interfering with human will right now?"
The Supreme Being gazed at Lacrahan, leaving the parallel butterfly suspended in the air.
"Have you forgotten that Bercheria is not human, Adkins?"
"Call me Lacrahan. You seem to have forgotten that I am no longer a god."
"Ah. Yes, that's right. You were human now."
The Supreme Being laughed, seeming to be delighted.
"How funny. A human woman becomes a god, and you who was a god are now human..."
However, the Supreme Being's lips tightened before he could finish his sentence.
"So you are now human..."
His eyes wavered, as if he had forgotten a crucial point.
Lacrahan took up the words the Supreme Being had left unfinished.
"Yes, I am human now. And a human who knows how to kill a god."
Lacrahan's eyes, which had remained calm throughout, widened with a smile.
“You haven’t forgotten that fact, have you?”
“...”
The silver butterfly floating in the air began to flap its wings and writhe in pain, unlike before.
As if revealing the inner thoughts of the Supreme Being, who was in turmoil.
Lacrahan locked his clear eyes with the Supreme Being.
“You’ve always been like that. You feared the collapse of the divine right more than anything. You worried that everything you’d achieved would disappear because of the humans you created.”
“Without me, this world would not exist, Lacrahan.”
“No. The world where gods and humans were one is over.”
The Supreme Being twisted his lips as if mocking Lacrahan.
“Even if you know how to kill, do you dare think a human can stand against me?”
His white hair began to float in the air, strand by strand.
The Supreme Being's wrath was clearly felt by Lacrahan, sending chills down his spine.
“Lacrahan, listen carefully. I could, right now, just like them, trap you in time and kill you.”
Lacrahan was never one to back down, but with Bercheria by his side, it was different.
His heart pounded with anxiety, fearing that something might go wrong with her.
But he knew better than anyone that he shouldn’t show it.
“Lies. You, the Supreme Being, can’t possibly not know what will happen if you kill a human recklessly.”
Lacrahan lightly lowered his shoulders and approached the Supreme Being.
The Supreme Being's eyebrows furrowed in annoyance at his unhesitating movements.
Only when the distance between them narrowed to the point where he could reach out and touch him did Lacrahan stop walking.
Slowly raising his head, he met his gaze, and the Supreme Being carefully studied Lacrahan's face.
A god who became human out of love.
That experience had made Lacrahan the most perfect of all the humans he had created.
"I know how to kill you, but I won't use it."
The Supreme Being's eyes narrowed.
Lacrahan's graceful face was etched into his gray irises.
"Because Bercheria has become a god, she cannot kill a god. And I promise here and now that I won't kill you."
Lacrahan's voice was soft and unfalsified.
If there was something hidden within, he would have sensed it before anyone else.
"The secret the Supreme Being so desperately wanted to hide will be hidden forever."
The Supreme Being looked at Lacrahan with a pensively frown.
Now that the world had stopped, even the time flowing between them felt suffocating.
The Supreme Being, who had been staring at him for what felt like a frustratingly long time, suddenly smiled.
“Yes, it’s true that I’m starting to get a little tired of your love stories.”
He brought the parallel butterfly, which had been floating in the air until just a moment ago, between them.
“Do you know what happens if you exchange your soul for a parallel butterfly and the divine water loses its power?”
“...?”
“Your soul disappears. Not even a trace remains.”
“Should I be shocked by that?”
The Supreme Being laughed out loud.
“There’s no need for that.”
The parallel butterfly suddenly beat its wings faster, as if in pain.
“I made a contract with Lawrence a long time ago. I grant her endless reincarnation, and she will help you and Bercheria avoid meeting during that lifetime.”
“Is that a benefit? It sounds like a curse to me.”
“Yes, humans are foolish. They don’t know that endless life is a curse. I took advantage of that.”
The Supreme Being stared at the fluttering parallel butterfly.
“I’ll give you a chance.”
The gaze shifted back to Lacrahan.
“I wondered how sacred that foolish human love could become.”
The butterfly’s wings crumpled, their small, irregular flaps now painfully slowed.
“I will ensure that Kelita and Lawrence remain unharmed even if the parallel butterfly disappears. This is possible, as it does not go against human will.”
The Supreme Being's gray eyes pierced Lacrahan.
“Lacrahan. Are you sure that Bercheria’s heart will not change, no matter what interference?”
Lacrahan met the Supreme Being's gaze without moving.
“Tell me, Lacrahan. Do you trust Bercheria?”
The answer was easy. It couldn’t be difficult.
“I trust her. More than anyone else.”
“Are you sure that her heart will not change, no matter what interference?”
Because it was none other than Bercheria.
“I am sure.”
“Alright then. Let’s make a contract.”
A transparent crystal appeared next to the fluttering parallel butterfly.
"If Bercheria still loves you despite the interference of these two souls I returned, then I will let you go."
The tendons on Lacrahan's wrists bulged.
He knew what it meant for a god to make a promise.
Absolute power.
He had no choice but to keep his word.
"But if Bercheria doubts your love and wavers, everything is over. Bercheria will be destroyed, and you will have to return to me."
Even Lacrahan couldn't arbitrarily break or change a promise made to a god.
To the gods, a promise was like a ritual, requiring the utmost care.
"Of course, this must all be kept secret, just you and me."
"..."
Lacrahan stared at Bercheria, frozen like a doll.
The end of the long journey seemed finally in sight.
"Good. I promise."
Trusting Bercheria was easier than anything for Lacrahan.
The Supreme Being, who distrusted love and humans, would likely not understand.
"So neat, Lacrahan."
As the previously colorless, emitted light, the crystal, placed precisely between them, split in half and was absorbed by Lacrahan and the Supreme Being.
"Ha."
Lacrahan closed his eyes, feeling the weight of the promise.
And in the next moment, the parallel butterfly shattered, and time began to flow again.
"Gyaaaaaaaah!"
Kelita let out a chilling scream and fell to the ground, while Lawrence, far away, collapsed with a thud.
In an instant, the fog cleared, and those nearby ran towards Kelita and Lawrence with surprised expressions.
“Lacrahan.”
Bercheria confirmed that the parallel butterfly that had been in her hand just a moment ago had disappeared, and immediately looked at Lacrahan, who was beside her.
The questions of when he had arrived and why the parallel butterfly had disappeared seemed useless to Bercheria.
“The Supreme Being has come? What did you talk about with him?”
Lacrahan smiled gently and hugged Bercheria.
“Nothing.”
The fragrant scent of flowers permeated his nostrils, and a sense of stability came over him.
“We didn’t talk about anything.”
Lacrahan closed his eyes deeply.
Upon arriving at Wyatt's location, Lacrahan first spotted Bercheria and Kelita facing each other.
And then, as if waiting, a thick fog rolled in.
The Royal Guards, rushing to intervene, also suddenly became lost in the enveloping fog and began to murmur.
This was the first time in their lives that they could not even locate their comrades, a thick fog so thick they could not even see their own.
Lacrahan closed his eyes and waited for his senses to stabilize.
The Royal Guards seemed to have forgotten that they had just arrested Wyatt.
"Grand Duke!"
Wyatt took advantage of the gap and ran to Lacrahan's side, his breathing rasping.
Unlike the Royal Guards, who were always confined to the imperial palace and received the same training, Wyatt's bones were clearly etched with the know-how gained from three years of war.
Even in the pitch-black darkness, where you couldn't even tell how many fingers you had, he possessed the ability to sense his allies.
"Wyatt, stay out of the way for now. I'll take care of the rest."
"But Grand Duke!"
"That's helpful right now."
Wyatt finally turned around as Lacrahan had instructed.
"I apologize, Grand Duke."
Lacrahan calmly collected his gaze and stared intently at the spot where Bercheria had just stood.
At that moment
——Gyaaaaah!
Kelita's screams could be heard from within.
Lacrahan pushed aside the flustered knights and ran straight towards them.
The thickening fog was slowing even his forward movement.
But it wasn't enough to cause Lacrahan to lose his bearings.
When he reached Bercheria, pushing through the suffocatingly dense fog, he was met with an unbelievable sight. Kelita kneeling before Bercheria. And standing behind her...
“Supreme Being.”
The Supreme Being was clutching Bercheria’s hand in front of Kelita.
A small butterfly was fluttering, emitting a silvery light within their overlapping hands.
The flow of time surrounding them stopped, and the Supreme Being's head slowly turned towards Lacrahan.
The moment their eyes met, the Supreme Being's eyes, which had previously looked up in surprise, narrowed slightly.
“It’s been a while, Adkins. No. Should I call you Lacrahan now?”
Lacrahan's black eyes coldly stared at Bercheria’s hand, which the Lacrahan was holding.
“Let go of it.”
“See? Are you trying to show off in front of me by saying she's your woman?”
“Let go.”
The Supreme Being tilted his head and said,
“I’m sorry, but I’m a little nervous right now. I’m trying to prevent the parallel butterfly from being destroyed.”
Time had completely stopped, and only Lacrahan and the Lacrahan were moving.
As the Supreme Being slowly opened his palm, a parallel butterfly, on the verge of breaking apart, emerged from it.
Lacrahan's eyes crinkled.
"Are you interfering with human will right now?"
The Supreme Being gazed at Lacrahan, leaving the parallel butterfly suspended in the air.
"Have you forgotten that Bercheria is not human, Adkins?"
"Call me Lacrahan. You seem to have forgotten that I am no longer a god."
"Ah. Yes, that's right. You were human now."
The Supreme Being laughed, seeming to be delighted.
"How funny. A human woman becomes a god, and you who was a god are now human..."
However, the Supreme Being's lips tightened before he could finish his sentence.
"So you are now human..."
His eyes wavered, as if he had forgotten a crucial point.
Lacrahan took up the words the Supreme Being had left unfinished.
"Yes, I am human now. And a human who knows how to kill a god."
Lacrahan's eyes, which had remained calm throughout, widened with a smile.
“You haven’t forgotten that fact, have you?”
“...”
The silver butterfly floating in the air began to flap its wings and writhe in pain, unlike before.
As if revealing the inner thoughts of the Supreme Being, who was in turmoil.
Lacrahan locked his clear eyes with the Supreme Being.
“You’ve always been like that. You feared the collapse of the divine right more than anything. You worried that everything you’d achieved would disappear because of the humans you created.”
“Without me, this world would not exist, Lacrahan.”
“No. The world where gods and humans were one is over.”
The Supreme Being twisted his lips as if mocking Lacrahan.
“Even if you know how to kill, do you dare think a human can stand against me?”
His white hair began to float in the air, strand by strand.
The Supreme Being's wrath was clearly felt by Lacrahan, sending chills down his spine.
“Lacrahan, listen carefully. I could, right now, just like them, trap you in time and kill you.”
Lacrahan was never one to back down, but with Bercheria by his side, it was different.
His heart pounded with anxiety, fearing that something might go wrong with her.
But he knew better than anyone that he shouldn’t show it.
“Lies. You, the Supreme Being, can’t possibly not know what will happen if you kill a human recklessly.”
Lacrahan lightly lowered his shoulders and approached the Supreme Being.
The Supreme Being's eyebrows furrowed in annoyance at his unhesitating movements.
Only when the distance between them narrowed to the point where he could reach out and touch him did Lacrahan stop walking.
Slowly raising his head, he met his gaze, and the Supreme Being carefully studied Lacrahan's face.
A god who became human out of love.
That experience had made Lacrahan the most perfect of all the humans he had created.
"I know how to kill you, but I won't use it."
The Supreme Being's eyes narrowed.
Lacrahan's graceful face was etched into his gray irises.
"Because Bercheria has become a god, she cannot kill a god. And I promise here and now that I won't kill you."
Lacrahan's voice was soft and unfalsified.
If there was something hidden within, he would have sensed it before anyone else.
"The secret the Supreme Being so desperately wanted to hide will be hidden forever."
The Supreme Being looked at Lacrahan with a pensively frown.
Now that the world had stopped, even the time flowing between them felt suffocating.
The Supreme Being, who had been staring at him for what felt like a frustratingly long time, suddenly smiled.
“Yes, it’s true that I’m starting to get a little tired of your love stories.”
He brought the parallel butterfly, which had been floating in the air until just a moment ago, between them.
“Do you know what happens if you exchange your soul for a parallel butterfly and the divine water loses its power?”
“...?”
“Your soul disappears. Not even a trace remains.”
“Should I be shocked by that?”
The Supreme Being laughed out loud.
“There’s no need for that.”
The parallel butterfly suddenly beat its wings faster, as if in pain.
“I made a contract with Lawrence a long time ago. I grant her endless reincarnation, and she will help you and Bercheria avoid meeting during that lifetime.”
“Is that a benefit? It sounds like a curse to me.”
“Yes, humans are foolish. They don’t know that endless life is a curse. I took advantage of that.”
The Supreme Being stared at the fluttering parallel butterfly.
“I’ll give you a chance.”
The gaze shifted back to Lacrahan.
“I wondered how sacred that foolish human love could become.”
The butterfly’s wings crumpled, their small, irregular flaps now painfully slowed.
“I will ensure that Kelita and Lawrence remain unharmed even if the parallel butterfly disappears. This is possible, as it does not go against human will.”
The Supreme Being's gray eyes pierced Lacrahan.
“Lacrahan. Are you sure that Bercheria’s heart will not change, no matter what interference?”
Lacrahan met the Supreme Being's gaze without moving.
“Tell me, Lacrahan. Do you trust Bercheria?”
The answer was easy. It couldn’t be difficult.
“I trust her. More than anyone else.”
“Are you sure that her heart will not change, no matter what interference?”
Because it was none other than Bercheria.
“I am sure.”
“Alright then. Let’s make a contract.”
A transparent crystal appeared next to the fluttering parallel butterfly.
"If Bercheria still loves you despite the interference of these two souls I returned, then I will let you go."
The tendons on Lacrahan's wrists bulged.
He knew what it meant for a god to make a promise.
Absolute power.
He had no choice but to keep his word.
"But if Bercheria doubts your love and wavers, everything is over. Bercheria will be destroyed, and you will have to return to me."
Even Lacrahan couldn't arbitrarily break or change a promise made to a god.
To the gods, a promise was like a ritual, requiring the utmost care.
"Of course, this must all be kept secret, just you and me."
"..."
Lacrahan stared at Bercheria, frozen like a doll.
The end of the long journey seemed finally in sight.
"Good. I promise."
Trusting Bercheria was easier than anything for Lacrahan.
The Supreme Being, who distrusted love and humans, would likely not understand.
"So neat, Lacrahan."
As the previously colorless, emitted light, the crystal, placed precisely between them, split in half and was absorbed by Lacrahan and the Supreme Being.
"Ha."
Lacrahan closed his eyes, feeling the weight of the promise.
And in the next moment, the parallel butterfly shattered, and time began to flow again.
"Gyaaaaaaaah!"
Kelita let out a chilling scream and fell to the ground, while Lawrence, far away, collapsed with a thud.
In an instant, the fog cleared, and those nearby ran towards Kelita and Lawrence with surprised expressions.
“Lacrahan.”
Bercheria confirmed that the parallel butterfly that had been in her hand just a moment ago had disappeared, and immediately looked at Lacrahan, who was beside her.
The questions of when he had arrived and why the parallel butterfly had disappeared seemed useless to Bercheria.
“The Supreme Being has come? What did you talk about with him?”
Lacrahan smiled gently and hugged Bercheria.
“Nothing.”
The fragrant scent of flowers permeated his nostrils, and a sense of stability came over him.
“We didn’t talk about anything.”
Lacrahan closed his eyes deeply.
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