Chapter 128

After laughing himself breathless, Lycian pulled me into an embrace so tight I thought my ribs might splinter.

Trapped against his chest, I floundered like a fish starved of air.

The moment I finally wriggled free, he caught my chin and pressed his lips to mine again.

‘I—I can’t breathe…!’

I had to pound my fists against his chest before he finally let me go.

“Haah…!”

“Muriel, why aren’t you breathing? You can use your nose.”

“I—it doesn’t work that well. When you’re kissing….”

“Then you’ll just have to practice more. This won’t do.”

“As if? I don’t need practice!”

He was already trying to kiss me every chance he got—how much more practice was he planning?

I needed to prevent the tragic fate of my lips swelling up like pollock roe.

As I blocked him with ruthless precision, Lycian looked genuinely disappointed.

He brushed my mussed-up hair back behind my ear and asked, almost pleading,

“And Muriel—when you turned into a hamster earlier, you were seriously too cute. Won’t you transform again?”

But I refused without hesitation.

“No.”

Putting aside the embarrassment of that pitiful little hamster form, what if Lycian decided to swallow me in one bite?

“Why not? Afraid I’ll pop hamster-Muriel into my mouth?”

“…!”

“That would be wrong. It’s animal abuse.”

First of all, I’m not even an animal!

I just happened to transform into a hamster!

“But why a white hamster? Why not a mint-colored one?”

“…A mint-colored hamster would be a bit…!”

It would look ridiculous…!

Meeting my sharp glare, Lycian snickered.

“Well, mint or white, I like them both. You have to transform again for me later.”

No. Absolutely not.

I shut my eyes in feigned sulkiness, and his voice drifted over me, low and suggestive.

“Ten years ago—after you left me with the knight order—aren’t you curious what happened?”

That bait, I couldn’t ignore. I’d been wondering the whole time.

I slowly opened my eyes and looked at him.

“What happened?”

“Ah. Cute.”

“?”

He suddenly leaned in and kissed my forehead before answering.

“The forest was too far from the imperial palace, so we took refuge at Epherne Castle first. Not long after, the Dragon of Time and the First Emperor arrived.”

“They came to protect you.”

“That’s right. The Dragon of Time examined the remnants of the curse left in my body and pinpointed the witch’s location. Did you know? Her hideout keeps moving.”

“Ah, that….”

At his words, something surfaced in my mind.

The system had mentioned it. The ‘Moving Ashen Castle.’

“The Moving Ashen Castle?”

“That’s what it’s called.”

Like Howl’s Moving Castle or something? Though I’m sure it looks completely different.

“Until then, they’d had trouble tracking her because the hideout kept shifting around. Apparently it’s even left the Altera continent multiple times.”

“I see….”

“But the curse’s trace remained in my body. Using that, the Dragon of Time fired an attack spell at the witch’s located position.”

‘A—a missile?’

Dragon’s breath was terrifying enough—now he was launching long-range missiles too?

If I were the Witch of the Crescent Moon, I’d just quietly hide somewhere. No way I’d pick a fight with Orthemius….

“She was gravely wounded by that attack and entered hibernation. It seems she wakes periodically, but she falls asleep again soon after. It was the same the last time she attacked me.”

Hearing that, my eyes lit up.

“Then that could be a weakness, right? For example, if someone went to subjugate the Witch of the Crescent Moon and she fell asleep midway through… that would be the perfect opportunity.”

“Exactly. And about that grave injury….”

“…?”

“She had already been weakened by a prior attack. According to the Dragon of Time.”

“…!!”

Th-that….

‘Wasn’t that me…?!’

The destruction spree I’d unleashed while escaping the Ashen Castle replayed vividly in my mind.

That (nuclear) bomb I’d hurled had definitely dealt her considerable damage….

‘I’m screwed….’

If the Witch of the Crescent Moon saw me again, she’d try to kill me for sure. Ha. Ha. Ha….

In a heavy voice, I confessed.

“You know… the one who dealt her that fatal wound… that was actually me….”

“…What?”

When I explained what had happened in detail, Lycian made the strangest face.

Neither laughing nor crying.

“Muriel…. I know married couples start to resemble each other, but if we’re going to be bound by fate, did it have to be in this way?”

“I know….”

On the witch’s kill list, Lycian’s name was probably written right next to mine.

We’d have to either escape her somehow—or finish her off ourselves…!

That dawn.

I couldn’t sleep, just stared blankly at the ceiling when the system suddenly popped up.

“…….”

I could almost cry.

System. You’re really on my side, aren’t you….

‘Then why did you go berserk at the Magic Tower?’

This clearly meant: stop stalling and open it.

With a flat expression, I pressed YES.

Then—

The Tear of the Great Spirit…?

‘And where am I supposed to get that?’

Wh-what?

‘Who is it…? Who else is lining up a killing shot at me now?!’

But the system offered no further answers.

Shivering, I lamented my fate for a while before hugging the fox tightly and forcing myself to sleep.

---

Two weeks later, June 10.

Lycian and my engagement ceremony was suddenly right around the corner.

The exact date: June 17.

That’s right. It was almost here…!

“Hey, shouldn’t I start attending imperial noble social gatherings now and then? I mean, I am the Second Prince’s fiancée….”

“Why bother with such a hassle? Don’t worry about it, Muriel.”

“No, but still—!”

“The float’s moving.”

“Gah!”

I quickly grabbed the fishing rod and lifted it. A heavy weight tugged at the hook.

Looks like I’d caught a big one.

With trembling arms, I braced myself and pulled hard.

Splaash!

“…!”

A massive, rainbow-colored—

‘Fi…sh?’

—or something—soared high into the air.

We quickly dragged it onto the bank and examined it together.

“…What is that?”

“It’s enormous. How did you catch this with your fawn-like strength, Muriel?”

“You little—.”

The creature flopping on the dirt looked far too bizarre to be a normal fish.

Rather than seafood, it looked more like… a Po×émon.

“Is that… even edible?”

“It looks like it’d kill you if you ate it.”

“It might be poisonous.”

“Should we test it on Dante first?”

“Value your friends….”

Dante had been extremely busy lately. What he was up to, I had no idea.

Lycian seemed to know something, though….

“Let’s put it in here for now.”

After removing the hook from its mouth, we transferred it into a large bucket.

Then I used my appraisal skill.

“…?”

“What is it?”

Still staring with my mouth half open, I pointed at the bizarre fish with my index finger.

“Th-this… it says it’s edible….”

“Really? What kind of effect does it have?”

“That… hold on.”

After pressing the system for more detailed information on its effects and relaying it to Lycian, his eyes gleamed dangerously.

“Oh….”

‘Wh-what is that villainous reaction…?’

Gripping my shoulders, Lycian spoke with solemn seriousness.

“Muriel, I have a good idea.”

Three hours later.

We invited two people to the two-story house within the subspace.

One was someone I was fairly close with—Dante Veratis.

“…….”

And the other….

“It’s an honor to be invited, Purifier.”

Dante and Lycian’s master… Duke Luminous.

At a glance, it might have looked like a heartwarming gathering of teacher and disciples in one place—

‘Wh-why does the atmosphere feel like this…?’

In air so tense it felt like I’d get indigestion just from drinking water, I swallowed dryly.