Chapter 70

70

He held me in his arms while swinging the spear in his other hand widely.

Thud, swish.

The boy, who had been watching the approaching figure, suddenly stepped back.

The boy's agile body quickly dodged the rapidly advancing spear of Sharent Clown.

Sharent Clown's eyes narrowed at the boy's quick reflexes.

"Do you need me?"

At my question, the boy's body froze.

The spear grazed the boy's cheek as he stumbled while dodging.

The hood he was wearing was torn, and a red bloodline appeared on his cheek, from which blood trickled down.

'...You're younger than I thought.'

Sharent Clown, seemingly surprised, stopped the spear he was about to swing in front of the boy's neck.

Eight years old?

He looked to be about the same age as Kaishan.

The boy pondered my question for a moment before slowly nodding.

"Yes."

His lifeless purple eyes were captivating.

The purple eyes with vertically slit pupils, the subtle black magic surrounding him, and the instinctive aura of killing and evil.

"...A monster?"

The boy looked at me straight, as if he had heard my low murmur.

His slightly widened eyes seemed a bit surprised, but there was no emotion to be felt.

'The feeling is just...'

It's the same feeling I had when I encountered a monster while exploring a ruin.

He didn't take his eyes off me for a long time.

"Why do you think that?"

A voice as monotonous as it could be, devoid of any inflection.

He approached me, seemingly genuinely curious.

He discarded his sword, lowered his robe, and slowly walked with his hands raised.

Sharent Clown still held the spear pointed at the boy. Despite the sharp tip of the spear right in front of his nose, the boy showed no hesitation in his steps.

"Mora!"

What am I supposed to do with just a feeling?

It feels like dealing with a monster.

It's like passing through the final gateway of a ruin, where the ultimate guardian lies at the bottom.

The boy just stared at me.

"Shelina is the first to recognize me properly."

He called me by my name in a toneless, indifferent voice.

'But is he really a monster?'

Really?

It's hard to believe. I knew that humanoid monsters existed, but why would one be wandering outside the ruins in the human world?

The monster race is only found within ruins.

They are created and live only within ruins. I've never heard of a monster being found outside.

So, it's natural that I would be the first to recognize one. Anyone who hasn't dealt with monsters wouldn't even sense them.

The reason I could think of him as being on par with a monster was one.

Because the final guardian I met in the Season of Death was humanoid.

To be precise, it wasn't entirely human. It had horns on its head and wings.

But its form was clearly human-like.

Purple eyes with vertically slit pupils, a voice devoid of emotion, and the intelligence to use ancient language.

"Who are you?"

"Me?"

The boy, with his hands raised, stretched his neck toward me.

He buried his nose in my neck and inhaled slowly.

Sharent Clown instinctively pulled me back at this sudden action.

"You reek of blood and decay."

I felt my breath catch.

My mind went blank.

I had an idea of what the boy was saying.

He seemed to be looking into my soul.

The boy's eyes didn't leave me. Sharent Clown didn't move, seemingly deep in thought.

The boy's eyes curved into a round shape.

They were still dead, devoid of any emotion.

Yet, his expression clearly showed a natural sense of pleasure. It was a feigned emotion.

"I'm envious."

"Huh?"

"Shelina, how can I have you?"

"Are you crazy?"

"My name is Dantalian, and I want to eat you."

"Disgusting."

I glared at him, who was talking to himself, and turned my head away.

These are not words that should come out of an eight-year-old's mouth.

Sharent Clown, after a long silence, finally swung his spear.

Dantalian quickly stepped back.

His body was so agile and light that he could freely change direction in mid-air and move like a butterfly. He was as light as a cat.

"Who wanted this child?"

"The revolutionary."

"…The revolutionary?"

Is there anyone in the empire who could be called a revolutionary?

I thought of the robed man who came looking for me, but it wasn't him. Narrowing my eyes, I looked at Dantalian, who smiled.

'So, it's scary.'

His smile didn't look like a smile at all, with no emotion in his eyes.

It seems he doesn't realize this.

Sharent Clown swung his spear once more.

Electricity crackled where the spear passed. Lightning continuously circled around him.

It felt like it would explode if touched.

This was probably the power of the artifact he could use.

I had seen him swing his spear in the ruins, but this was the first time I saw him unleash its true power.

"Be warned, this child is under the protection of the Clown family. Anyone who touches him will be considered an enemy of the Clowns."

The smile that had briefly appeared on Dantalian's lips vanished instantly at Sharent Clown's hostility.

His emotionless gaze returned to me. I've never seen someone so emotionless.

But at that moment, something familiar flashed on his wrist.

'...That is.'

He took a few steps back, picked up the robe he had dropped, and put it back on, pulling the torn hood over his head.

The dull gray hair that had been shaking was hidden, and the child's body was concealed.

"I'll see you again soon, Shelina."

"You…"

He used a magic circle without a spirit window.

With a quick incantation, Dantalian's figure disappeared.

I stared blankly at the spot for a while before blinking.

'Did I dream?'

The bracelet I just saw was definitely Silphia's.

Is he really a monster? Can a monster that closely resembles a human even exist?

There might be other cases I don't know about in the ruins.

But he's too human.

A human created without emotions or thoughts.

The silver bracelet flashed before my eyes. It was the mark of an 'experiment subject.'

A mark to prove to Silphia what kind of person had their magic power sealed or forcibly taken away.

There were a few experiments happening secretly in Silphia.

I didn't like them, so I didn't interfere.

But reports were regularly submitted, and I would read them and pass them on to Melaine.

They were experiments using human bodies to develop new magic or magic circles and check for side effects and issues.

The subjects were mostly criminals, rebellious mages, or captured thieves who had invaded the border.

'I didn't know what kind of experiments were being conducted.'

The Senate requested the experiments, and Melaine was chosen as the supervisor.

At the time, I didn't think much of it, but perhaps the Senate was gradually pushing me away.

'An experiment subject… from Silphia?'

Did Silphia conduct experiments on monsters?

Or did Silphia create humans as monsters?

Or did Silphia make humans believe they were monsters?

"Shelina."

"…Yeah."

"Are you okay?"

Sharent Clown, who had put away his spear, held me firmly in his arms and asked.

I clung to his chest, trying to control my trembling legs. My vision was also blurry.

I almost said I was fine out of habit but then thought there was no need to.

I'm young and still a baby, so it's okay to not be fine, right?

I buried my face in Sharent Clown's shoulder.

"It hurts."

My joints hurt, my body ached from rolling, and I was sore from using magic. My whole body felt like it had been beaten.

He sighed and carried me into a room.

It was Sharent Clown's room.

"Since you don't have a fever, try to get some sleep. I'll call a doctor early tomorrow morning."

"Here?"

"Yes, it's more reassuring to have you close than to leave you alone."

Sleeping next to this man felt like entrusting my neck to the enemy, which was quite unsettling.

But feeling the warmth of his hand patting my chest, I closed my eyes.

I snuggled into his embrace, seeking his warmth.

He pulled the blanket over me and held me even tighter.

The gentle touch, the warm embrace, and the steady heartbeat were very reassuring.

"Sleep, Shelina."

"Mm…"

I mumbled as my mind slowly sank into a deep sleep.

A low breath could be heard above me.

'How strong was the magic he cast?'

It's even more terrifying that he could execute such powerful magic, breaking through the protective barrier.

Pushing the thought to the back of my mind, I fell into a deep sleep.