“This is insane.”

 

Throughout the journey to the underground prison, Raysis grumbled. Lindsey let his words slide.

 

Although Lindsey didn’t like Raysis constantly talking to her, his disheveled face without reservation was pleasing to look at.

 

Lindsey raised the corners of her mouth as she looked at him. It was a surprisingly enchanting smile, filled with self-confidence.

 

“What kind of confidence is this?”

 

Raysis looked at Lindsey as if he were enchanted.

 

He couldn’t understand why Lindsey had changed so much during the six months she had spent in the Redian family.

 

But Raysis thought Lindsey looked better like this.

 

“That kind of smile…”

 

It was much better than the gloomy expression she used to have as a child.

 

Realizing what he was thinking, Raysis stopped in his tracks.

 

What am I thinking right now?

 

Raysis bit his lower lip hard. He had questions he wanted to ask her since meeting her.

 

Did you really not steal the relics back then?

 

But he couldn’t bring himself to say it.

 

“You probably know what kind of transcendent Mikhail is. You know how exceptional it is to be invited as a guest by the Marquis Kesion.”

 

“…”

 

“Well, you were more afraid of Mikhail than anyone else.”

 

“What’s your point?”

 

Lindsey’s question left Raysis momentarily speechless.

 

What he was about to say definitely wasn’t this.

 

But regardless of his intentions, his mouth continued to interrogate Lindsey.

 

“Mikhail is in a very dangerous state right now. The moment you lay hands on him… you might not be able to turn back.”

 

“…”

 

“Healing him is something all priests shy away from. So far, only Sylvia Redian has been able to heal him.”

 

Upon hearing his words, Lindsey said,

 

“That’s because he was restrained.”

 

Raysis nodded.

 

Thinking about the process of Mikhail being healed with divine power made him feel a bit of fear as well.

 

Mikhail sometimes made a face as if he wanted to kill the priests next to him right away. And indeed, there were several occasions where he almost went berserk and nearly killed a priest.

 

The priests at the temple were all wary of healing Mikhail. Especially when a fierce person like him received healing, he almost lost his human rationality.

 

There always had to be at least two transcendent beings by his side when healing Mikhail.

 

Because they didn’t know what might happen to the healing priest. Raysis grimaced and said,

 

“It’s dangerous. Mikhail is mentally unstable even among the transcendent beings. The goddess’s power is too strong, it’s eating away at his mind.”

 

Lindsey slowly closed and then opened her eyes. She couldn’t find any humor in the current situation. Right now, Raysis was looking at her as if he were worried, continuing to talk to her.

 

Are you worried about me now?

 

You, who didn’t even believe me when it was necessary.

 

Raysis’s actions angered Lindsey.

 

How much she longed for that kind gesture from him, long ago…

 

Like they did when they were much younger. How much she wished to return to the time when they cared and cherished each other like siblings.

 

‘I won’t care about you anymore.’

 

But now, everything was over.

 

Even if he wanted to turn back now, Lindsey didn’t want it.

 

“You… Are you really worried about me now?”

 

To Lindsey’s question, Raysis seemed to want to say something, opening and closing his mouth repeatedly.

 

Lindsey scoffed at him as if she couldn’t believe it.

 

“Worried about a liar like me?”

 

“I… I…”

 

Raysis wanted to say it wasn’t like that. But no words came out as if his mouth had been sealed shut.

 

Why?

 

Even though he always wore a mask and could usually smile… He couldn’t smile in front of Lindsey who was scrutinizing him.

 

“You don’t need to explain yourself to me. The truth is, right? You never cared whether I lived or died.”

 

“…”

 

“I don’t understand why you’re doing this now. Whatever you say, I’ll heal Mikhail.”

 

Lindsey said so and moved on. For a while, Raysis could only watch Lindsey’s back.

 

⋆★⋆

 

After she lashed out, Raysis fell silent. Thanks to that, Lindsey was able to arrive comfortably at the underground prison.

 

Raysis’s words weren’t wrong. An esper before going berserk was very dangerous. Mikhail, being a strong transcendent being, was even more dangerous.

 

‘In Korea, guiding a esper on the verge of berserk was prohibited because of that.’

 

Moreover, calming an esper in such a state could intensify their obsession.

 

Raysis’s words were not wrong.

 

‘Well, Mikhail suffered some damage because of me.’

 

Originally, Mikhail would have been able to receive Sylvia’s healing immediately after returning from his mission.

 

Sylvia was always prepared to heal Mikhail. Unlike other priests who hesitated to heal Mikhail, Sylvia enjoyed doing so.

 

Sylvia was proud to be someone with divine power who could heal Mikhail.

 

Mikhail could have received healing immediately if it weren’t for the fight between Sylvia and Lindsey.

 

‘He doesn’t seem to like me much either.’

 

Didn’t he warn Lindsey not to come back when she left the Marquis Kesion?

 

‘Who came back because they wanted to.’

 

Raysis looked back at Lindsey in front of the prison door.

 

“I’m going to open the door now.”

 

“…”

 

“I’ll go in too.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Just because you hate me doesn’t mean I can leave you to die.”

 

“Of course.”

 

“When this is over…”

 

Raysis paused for a moment.

 

But soon, as if determined, he flashed his characteristic beautiful smile.

 

The smile Lindsey disliked, the masked smile.

 

“When this is over, we won’t have to see each other. That’s what you want, right?”

 

Raysis’s tone was firm.

 

‘Just give enough help.’

 

Maybe Lindsey looked confused because he saw her.

 

So, all they had to do was go back to the past, where they didn’t meet each other.

 

“That’s exactly what I want.”

 

Lindsey said so and stepped towards where Mikhail was. And entered the underground prison.

 

There, Mikhail was imprisoned. The knights of the Marquis were guarding him.

 

Even though he was restrained by mana-controlling chains, it seemed difficult for the knights to hold him.

 

Lindsey stiffened her face as she looked at Mikhail.

 

Mikhail’s deep purple hair caught her eye first. His yellowish eyes, resembling those of a beast, exuded a cold aura as if exhausted.

 

He was a handsome man who seemed to have weak eyesight, like a powerful transcendent being.

 

But no one dared to get close to him. Lindsey felt suffocated.

 

There was a strong energy in the underground prison that seemed like it could burst out at any moment. It wouldn’t be surprising if an ordinary priest fainted right away.

 

“It’s more serious than I thought…”

 

Raysis looked at Lindsey like that. No matter how you looked at it, Lindsey healing Mikhail was a crazy thing to do.

 

Unless she wanted to die.

 

Just approaching him, Mikhail would attack Lindsey. Imagining his strong hands choking Lindsey made Raysis feel disgusted.

 

“Do you see?”

 

“…”

 

“Turn back now. Mikhail isn’t someone you can heal.”

 

Mikhail Dweisi.

 

People called Mikhail the Marquis’s dog. A dog that defies death at the Marquis’s command. It was a title mixed with admiration and contempt.

 

He was a transcendent brought back by the Marquis one day after his mission.

 

A person of uncertain origin.

 

Someone noble families should never cease to despise. But unlike Lindsey, he wasn’t called dirty blood or a mongrel.

 

The powerful divine power emanating from him was considered evidence of his noble blood.

 

So, despite being in a similar situation to Lindsey’s, he became an object of fear.

 

And he was accepted by the other children of the Marquis.

 

‘Even though he’s not a person of the Marquis.’

 

Everyone revered Mikhail. Lindsey looked down at a man with bloodshot eyes, his entire body bound in massive chains.

 

He looked like a person with a ferocious appearance, like her last memory.

 

Disheveled purple hair. Bloodshot eyes.

 

Was this what a demon crawling up from hell looked like?

 

Past Lindsey had felt a sense of camaraderie with him.

 

His different hair color from the Marquis’s people. His unclear origin. There were times when she felt they were similar.

 

And those lonely eyes.

 

Eyes that seemed to contain nothing, as if they were alone in this world…

 

She thought his eyes were similar to hers. She was alone too.

 

No one loved her. But that was just her misconception.

 

Mikhail was completely different from Lindsey.