DOTD Chapter 3

This time, I didn’t avoid his gaze. Or, more accurately, I couldn’t.

 

From a fairly close distance, his blue eyes, the color of crystal clear ocean, locked onto mine.

 

Louis looks just like that. I remembered his usual gentle demeanor, and for a moment, his eyes overlapped with those of my last memory.

 

“Argh.”

 

I groaned, and my body shuddered. She unconsciously clutched at the spot near her heart where the dagger had stabbed her.

 

“Bella, are you okay?”

 

Rowan turned toward her as Evan approached in surprise and stopped speaking.

 

“What happened?”

 

“No, no, I’m fine, I just… suddenly had a terrible memory.”

 

Evan wore a worried expression. I shook my head, unable to meet his kind blue eyes. An uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach.

 

“I’m going for a quick walk.”

 

“It’s dangerous to wander around at this time…”

 

Rowan started, cutting Evan off.

 

“You’d better not go far.”

 

I merely smiled quietly and walked away.

 

Walking blindly through the mountains, where the paths were unknown, but within reach.

 

The slightly chilly air felt cool.

 

“I guess I can’t turn back, can I?”

 

A glance back revealed nothing but dark trees. I plopped down on a random flat rock nearby.

 

“I shouldn’t stay with them for long anyway.”

 

I’d be the only one who would suffer if I stayed with them. I had a hard enough time with my villain friends.

 

‘Should I sneak away now?’ 

 

No, they saved my life, but I have to bid them goodbye.

 

Life doesn’t always turn out the way we expect.

 

‘I couldn’t prevent Louis’ darkening and my death, which I wanted to prevent so badly.’

 

No, I beg to differ. My death was prevented. 

 

‘Why? It was a mortal wound that should have killed me instantly.’

 

“I should have died.”

 

Why wasn’t I dead? What the hell was going on?

 

Glancing down at my palm, I felt an unfamiliar mana in my body. In fact, I had felt mana similar to this before.

 

It was caused by my mistake.

 

— ‘Bella, what happened?!

 

— ‘I touched Andra’s heart, and then suddenly…!

 

— ‘It’s a mana surge. Bella can’t handle this much mana. If this continues, it will kill you.

 

— ‘Then what do we do? Adrian, quickly!

 

The chaotic situation flashed through my mind.

 

I was barely clinging to life above the pool of blood I’d spit up.

 

Sion and Adrian were trying everything they could to revive me, and Louis stood there, wide-eyed and stiff with shock at the sight of me dying.

 

What I had touched was one of the god’s treasures, Andra’s heart.

 

It was a small dagger-shaped object with a red glowing blade, but it was supposed to be harmless to the touch.

 

— ‘It’s not a side effect, quite the contrary.’

 

— ‘What do you mean?

 

— ‘It’s compatible, which means you can absorb it.

 

— ‘Absorb…?’

 

— ‘Yes, you can absorb it.

 

I organized the information in my head and tried to put it into context.

 

If it’s the power of a god, it should be able to nullify the power of the blackened Louis.

 

Does it seem like I’m onto something?

 

What did the dagger Louis used to attack me look like? Was it shaped like Andra’s heart?

 

Using mana, I created a physical manifestation of the dagger in my memory. Louis held it like this and pointed it at my heart.

 

I closed my eyes and tried to conjure up a clear memory.

 

The image of that reddish dagger flashed through my mind.

 

“What do you think you’re doing?”

 

“Huh?”

 

The dagger I’d made from mana slammed into the other sword, sending it flying with a clang.

 

“Stop.”

 

Opening my closed eyes, I saw Evan standing in front of me with his sword drawn and a serious expression on his face.

 

“No one deserves to die.”

 

🦋

 

“Evan, you’re weird.”

 

After Bella disappeared into the woods, Rowan spoke up.

 

“Why am I?”

 

“Why are you so sweet to her, you? Do you have a crush on her?”

 

Evan didn’t answer, just shrugged.

 

What was this vague answer? Does he actually have a crush on her? Rowan narrowed his eyes and furrowed his brow.

 

“Is our prince old enough for love?”

 

Evan blushed slightly at the teasing tone and threw up his hands.

 

“It’s not like that!”

 

Rowan’s stomach burned as he watched him so guardedly.

 

“There’s a lot of shady stuff going on here, think about it. She could be a spy sent by the Palace.”

 

“Don’t be so sure.”

 

Evan sounded nonchalant, as if he didn’t know Rowan’s secret.

 

“Do you realize you’re too young?”

 

“We don’t know anything yet. We’re just accompanying her for a while.”

 

Evan said, tightening his grip on the sword he’d left loose to sleep with.

 

“Right. Let’s say it’s all good. Except for the sudden appearance, the fact that she doesn’t remember anything before she fell, and the fact that she’s a mage of unknown skill. What’s that?”

 

Rowan trailed off as Bella listed the suspicious things, his eyes following Evan, who had sheathed his sword and packed his blanket.

 

Evan’s gaze focused on him.

 

“What are you talking about?”

 

Rowan lowered his voice and spoke quietly.

 

“That her heart isn’t beating.”

 

“…”

 

“How are you going to explain that?”

 

Silence passed between them, and their eyes grew serious.

 

🦋

 

There are times when it feels like my heart beats even when it’s not.

 

Such was the case right now.

 

I’m startled by Evan’s sudden appearance. I feel my heart fluttering, like it’s been tricked by magic into not beating.

 

“Evan, why are you here…”

 

“…I thought you might be in danger. I didn’t sneak up on you.”

 

He said in a low, sunken voice. The darkness within his eyes was eerily still.

 

“What are you doing?” I asked, pointing to the sword he held.

 

Not only had he interrupted my contemplation, but he’d also sent my crafted dagger flying.

 

He didn’t hesitate, but answered firmly, “You may think this is presumptuous, but no, it’s not.”

 

“Then what the hell…”

 

“No one deserves to die.”

 

His words echoed through my head again.

 

‘So, he thought I was taking my own life?’

 

“I don’t know what kind of life you’ve had, or why you’ve made the choices you’ve made, and I don’t have the power to stop you.”

 

I understand where he’s coming from. I was just holding a knife to my heart.

 

And I couldn’t tell him that I was simulating my situation at the time of the attack.

 

“Evan, it’s…”

 

“I still want Bella to live.”

 

He said each word carefully, like he was saying it with great care.

 

And he meant it. I found myself wondering, ‘Did his sincere and warm words come from the righteousness of the hero’s character?’

 

“Does it ever occur to you that I might be a bad person?” I asked in a casual tone. It’s pure curiosity.

 

His deep night blue eyes widened, and his voice was unwavering.

 

“I assure you, Bella is a good person.”

 

“…”

I was speechless. He’s a powerful man, after all.

 

A laugh that sounded like a sigh escaped. 

 

Later, he would never be able to say this.

 

For now, I decided to clear up the misunderstanding.

 

“I didn’t mean to do what you think.”

 

“…”

 

“I did.”

 

Evan didn’t answer, but remained silent.

 

I just rolled my eyes, searching for a way out of this situation.

 

“I…”

 

“…I’m glad you’re not, I was worried.”

 

Evan sheathed the sword he was still holding. 

 

It didn’t look like the misunderstanding was completely resolved, but it was a step back.

 

He turned around, took a step back, picked up his blanket from the ground, and dusted it off.

 

Climbing down from the rock, I looked around for the missing dagger, but it was nowhere to be seen, thrown somewhere in the dark forest.

 

I didn’t need it anyway. The mystery of the day seems to have been settled.

 

The dagger Louis wielded to stab me seems to be the heart of Andra.

 

If my guess was right, that means I survived by absorbing the heart of a god.

 

There are five divine treasures in this world. 

 

They are symbols of the five gods who descended on this continent in the beginning.

 

The Heart of God, the Tear of God, the Voice of God, the Pendant of God, and the Eye of God. 

 

These treasures play a very important role in the battle against Louis later in the novel.

 

But I’ve taken one of them, and the repercussions could be devastating.

 

‘This is bad news for Evan, the male lead.’ 

 

All the more reason for him not to favor me. The sooner I get away from him, the better…

 

As I gathered my thoughts, I walked over to Evan’s side. 

 

He was looking more relaxed than he had earlier, but his expression turned serious.

 

“I’m sorry to interrupt your walk.”

 

“Oh, right.”

 

So, I absorbed the divine treasure, and that nullified Louis’ attack?

 

“Shall we head back now?”

 

“Ah, yes.”

 

That’s just a stroke of luck. I just happened to be holding that sword when Louis attacked, and it saved my life, didn’t it?

 

Wait, by accident?

 

“Um… Bella?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

Evan’s call pulled me out of my thoughts.

 

“Where are you going now, do you have a destination?”

 

“Why?”

 

“Because I want to go with Bella.”

 

“…”

 

I shut my mouth, speechless again.

 

This man was a master at leaving me speechless.

 

Did I just get offered a job as his associate?

 

The recklessness of trusting a stranger and the aura of virtue that makes you want to trust him so badly make him the epitome of a protagonist.

 

“Evan has a destination, doesn’t he?”

 

“Yes, he does.”

 

“Where is it?”

 

“To Avantha, the City of Gold, because he has a task he must accomplish.”

 

Avantha was built around a golden tower, the only place in the Land of Gold that could be called a city.

 

Something he must accomplish.

 

An uneasy feeling rose in my stomach. I wondered if stopping the war was something he could declare so decisively.

 

Pushing my fears aside, I asked Evan a question to get him thinking.

 

“…What if I get in the way of what needs to be done?”

 

But unlike me, he didn’t deflect, he got straight to the point.

 

“What do you think about the war?”

 

I felt my heart drop with a thud, the last thing I wanted to hear.

 

“War…”

 

When I heard the word war, I realized how much I didn’t want to hear it. I clenched my trembling hands tightly.

 

There has been a war, after all. I must have been knocked unconscious for a long time by Louis’ blow.

 

And now, the war was ongoing.

 

So my friends are now frustrated that they couldn’t kill each other.

 

Am I already dead to them?

 

“Bella? Are you okay?”

 

Evan gripped her shoulder urgently. 

 

Through my disoriented vision, I could see his worried face.

 

Seeing his concern and being touched made me feel like I was going to cry, so I bit my lip.

 

“I didn’t want that to happen.”

 

“What? About what?”

 

He lives in a world where war are the norm, so let’s not make a fool of ourselves.

 

I shook my head, and answered, “No.”

 

Evan didn’t stop worrying, but he didn’t pry either. His caring gentleness was actually reassuring and warm.

 

As if he’d inferred something from my reaction, his eyes turned more determined than before.

 

“I’m going to stop this war.”

 

“…”

 

“You may think it’s an absurd goal, but I’m going to do it.”

 

No, I don’t think it’s an absurd goal, because you’re absolutely capable of it.

 

I smiled bitterly, muttering the words I couldn’t deliver.

 

“I can’t help you.”

 

Evan’s expression turned into a soft smile, as if that was okay.

 

“You don’t have to help, it’s just…”

 

The look on his face made me want to throw a rock.

 

“I’m just saying I can’t come with you,” said Bella.

 

“Oh.”

 

I turned away, unable to look at his hardening expression. He said nothing behind my back.

 

In the silence of the space, the question popped into my head again.

 

‘That’s strange. I wonder how this happened.’