DOTD Chapter 30

 

🦋

 

“The Kingdom of Bennet…”

 

Bella murmured, feeling a sense of nostalgia.

 

It was her hometown, the place where she had first met her friends.

 

And now, it was an active battlefield in the war against the Asher Empire, as well as the home of the Dante Knights, led by Sion.

 

The Dante Knights, in line with the Kingdom of Bennet’s emphasis on ability, was a knight order that accepted anyone with skill, regardless of their background.

 

Thanks to this, Sion, who was a commoner, and Louis, whose origins were unclear, were able to settle and live there.

 

It was also the foundation for Bella and her friends to meet.

 

‘Someday, I want to become the leader of the Dante Knights.’

 

Sion’s voice echoed from the depths of her memory. She wondered what he was like now, having achieved that dream, and felt both anticipation and concern.

 

A place filled with memories of peaceful times together. It must be very different now from what she remembered.

 

A place filled with memories of peaceful times together. It must be very different now from what she remembered.

 

The memories of her time in the Kingdom of Bennet were warm and happy, but the thought that she could never return made her heartache.

 

As Bella remained silent, lost in her thoughts, Evan watched her reaction, but Sammy suddenly interjected.

 

“Why would you go there? The Kingdom of Bennet is literally at war every day. While surprise attacks like this are rare for us, over there, the emperor shows up constantly, without warning.”

 

At the sudden mention of Louis’s name, both Bella and Evan stiffened.

 

Bella’s expression hardened due to her complicated feelings, while Evan’s was due to his hatred for the person who had started this war.

 

“That’s exactly why I should go. I’m going to fight him.”

 

Evan declared resolutely, and Sammy was shocked.

 

“Evan, if you keep talking like that, you’ll end up dead without anyone knowing.”

 

“…Why does he show up so often? Don’t emperors usually just give orders from the rear?”

 

Bella hid her turbulent emotions and asked as calmly as possible.

 

“Ah, well…”

 

Sammy leaned in and lowered his voice as if sharing a secret.

 

“You know Sion Fidelio, the Blazing Knight, right? If you’ve ever held a sword, you’d know his name… Anyway, when the emperor shows up, he usually engages in combat with that knight.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Who knows? People just speculate that they must be mortal enemies or something.”

 

“Mortal enemies…”

 

Bella remembers the fierce look in Sion’s eyes as he pointed his sword at Louis right after Louis had attacked her.

 

It was almost the look one would give a mortal enemy.

 

‘Even without that, it wouldn’t be strange to see them fighting.’

 

Even when they were living together, they often fought under the pretext of sparring.

 

Despite Louis being a dark mage, Sion’s swordsmanship was always exceptional enough to match him.

 

“Or maybe it’s because the Blazing Knight is the only one who can single-handedly stand against the emperor.”

 

“Is the Blazing Knight really that strong?”

 

Evan asked, his eyes sparkling with curiosity.

 

Evan, as a swordsman, couldn’t help but be interested in hearing more about Sion Fidelio, the leader of the Dante Knights.

 

Sammy shrugged, “Who knows? When the two of them clash, the entire area is said to be completely devastated. No one can observe the battle closely enough to tell who has the upper hand. Since neither has died, people just assume it’s a draw.”

 

It was a somewhat deflating answer, but Evan’s eyes only grew brighter as he solidified his resolve.

 

He wanted to become a knight as strong as them.

 

‘Compared to them, my strength is probably nothing.’

 

A fact that had been weighing heavily on Evan just moments ago now felt different.

 

The burden of the immense power that had oppressed him for so long seemed to lighten.

 

‘With monsters like them out there, my cursed strength is nothing…!’

 

Evan was surprised by his own thoughts.

 

And then, as the surprise faded, anxiety crept back in.

 

‘The curse… right, I’m cursed. It’s not the same as just being strong.’

 

The pain that had haunted him for so long wasn’t something he could easily shake off.

 

‘Did I just say I want to grow stronger with this cursed power?’

 

A small unease began to grow, swelling into a massive wave that threatened to overwhelm him.

 

Evan was helplessly swept away by the emotion. It felt like he was sinking endlessly.

 

Bella noticed the change in his demeanor.

 

‘He’s clearly digging himself into a hole.’

 

She knew it might be meddlesome, but Bella wasn’t heartless enough to ignore someone struggling with their trauma right in front of her.

 

“Evan, do you want to join the Dante Knights?”

 

To pull him out of his pain, Bella threw out any question she could think of. Her words almost succeeded in lifting Evan out of his sinking thoughts, but it failed.

 

“Is that so? You’re aiming to become even stronger!”

 

It was because of Sammy’s added comment. He had merely responded casually, but unfortunately, it touched on Evan’s sensitive spot.

 

“Is it okay for me to become stronger?”

 

Evan’s anxious mind led him to ask a restless question. Evan’s wavering blue eyes, flickering as if on the verge of extinguishing, reminded Bella of a friend from her memories.

 

Louis used to come to Bella whenever he felt anxious about becoming a demon, and she would comfort him without understanding the full context.

 

Evan’s expression now resembled the look in Louis’s eyes back then.

 

Unable to hold back, Bella grabbed Evan’s hand firmly.

 

“Of course. Is there any reason you shouldn’t become stronger?”

 

“Because I’m not worthy of it.”

 

“That can’t be true. The Evan I know would never do anything wrong.”

 

Despite Bella’s comfort, Evan shook his head with a bitter smile.

 

“…Thank you for saying that. But, Bella, there’s something you don’t know. I……”

 

Evan hesitated, unable to confess his curse to Bella.

 

Bella didn’t wait for him to finish.

 

“You’re right. There’s probably a lot I don’t know. But even so, there’s something I do know.”

 

Evan’s eyes widened in surprise.

 

‘Even if I don’t fully understand, there’s something I can know.’

 

It was something Evan had once said to Bella.

 

“Those words…”

 

“Do you remember? You said that to me too. I can know this much, Evan is more than worthy of becoming stronger.”

 

Evan bit his lip and hung his head low. His lowered gaze was filled with the sight of Bella holding his hand.

 

‘It’s warm.’

 

Her words and touch were so warm.

 

Evan had been deprived of human warmth for so long. To him, who had longed for it, Bella’s warm belief and support were unfamiliar but so precious that he didn’t want to let it go.

 

“Thank you, Bella.”

 

Evan looked into her eyes and expressed his sincere gratitude. 

 

Bella smiled back at him.

 

“Don’t worry, Evan. And…”

 

Bella hesitated, unable to bring herself to ask if she could accompany Evan to the Kingdom of Bennet.

 

‘Is the timing off?’

 

“Hmm…”

 

If it weren’t for the sound of someone crying, her internal struggle might have led to a meaningful outcome.

 

“Huh?”

 

“Sa, Sammy?”

 

Evan and Bella turned their heads toward the sound and were taken aback.

 

“…?”

 

“Is he crying?”

 

Sammy, with his uncharacteristically massive arms for a mage, was covering his eyes and crying.

 

“Sniff, sob… That was such a touching conversation. You both deserve to be happy, really…’

 

The two were left speechless, staring at Sammy, who was shedding tears of emotion.

 

“Uh, you’re quite the emotional one, aren’t you…”

 

Bella managed to keep her expression neutral, but inside, she was cringing from embarrassment.

 

“Thank you.”

 

Evan, nonetheless, expressed his gratitude for Sammy’s heartfelt well-wishes.

 

“Uh…”

 

At that moment, Bella felt a pull, and her body leaned backward.

 

The hand she was holding with Evan instinctively let go. Before Bella could even turn her head to identify the solid presence against her back, Evan and Sammy’s expressions changed drastically.

 

“Gasp…”

 

Sammy, who had abruptly stopped crying, was left with his mouth hanging open.

 

Evan tried hard not to show his surprise and kept his mouth shut.

 

Instead, the people around them started shouting.

 

“The Tower Lord…!”

 

“It’s the Tower Lord!”

 

“What?!”

 

Only then did Bella realize the identity of the person exuding a massive presence behind her and grasp the situation.

 

“Adrian?”

 

A shadow passed over her head, and then she felt someone’s warmth against her back.

 

Adrian, as if shielding something precious, pulled Bella into an embrace from behind and asked,

 

“What are you doing?”

 

His voice was no different from usual, but she felt a slight pang of guilt, as if she had done something wrong.

 

‘I haven’t done anything wrong, so why do I feel like this?’

 

Moreover, she could feel her face heating up again from Adrian’s touch. So, she tried to act even more nonchalant and asked in return,

 

“How did you know to come here?”

 

“I was worried.”

 

“Haha, what’s there to worry about…”

 

Bella forced an awkward laugh, but the uncomfortable atmosphere didn’t dissipate.

 

“You’re not hurt, are you?”

 

Adrian said this while glancing at Evan.

 

“Uh, yeah… of course. I’m perfectly fine.”

 

Bella also glanced at Evan, who was subtly stiffening. She was bothered by the fact that Evan couldn’t take his eyes off her and Adrian.

 

‘They’ve met. They’re not going to fight again, are they?’

 

A mix of worry and embarrassment suddenly washed over her.

 

As Bella’s gaze lingered on Evan, Adrian covered her line of sight with his hand.

 

“Huh? Adrian, what are you…”

 

Evan, who had been trying hard to act unaffected, showed a slight crack in his composure. He wanted to look away from the affectionate sight of Adrian and Bella but found himself unable to.

 

An impulse to separate the two bubbled up inside him.

 

Adrian’s gaze, as if he knew exactly what Evan was feeling, was far from friendly.

 

No words were exchanged, but the tension between the two men was palpable.

 

Adrian, as if to make a point, took Bella’s hand and held it firmly. This action reminded Bella that she had been holding Evan’s hand just moments ago, making her feel a pang of guilt.

 

Bella fidgeted, trying to pull her hand away, but eventually gave up.

 

Looking up at Adrian’s expression, she couldn’t even bring herself to say it was just a joke.

 

Relaxing her body, Bella could only hope her face wasn’t turning red.

 

Adrian leaned in close to Bella’s ear and whispered, “Let’s go back, to the room.”

 

Evan’s sharp hearing caught every word of that soft whisper, and his poker face completely crumbled.

 

Bella looked at Evan as if she had something to say before they left, but they disappeared in an instant, not even giving her a chance to say goodbye.

 

A brief silence fell as the two vanished before everyone’s eyes using teleportation magic.

 

“What did I just see…? What’s going on between them…?”

 

Sammy muttered, then seemed to remember something and turned to Evan.

 

“Evan, thank you. Really.”

 

“Huh? For what…?”

 

“For stopping me from shaking her hand earlier. I was really about to get into big trouble, wasn’t I? Haha…”

 

Sammy forced a laugh, sweating profusely.

 

“Um…”

 

Evan couldn’t bring himself to deny it.