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Chapter 40
“It’s okay.”
Before she realized it, Cassian had begun to soothe her.
“Young Viscount, this is…”
“You don’t need to say anything. I think I understand the situation.”
He was calm. Damia realized he had already grasped what the ruins before them represented.
“Come on, stand up.”
Cassian brushed the dirt from Damia’s knees. Despite his usual obsession with cleanliness, he showed no hesitation.
It was as if she were an exception.
“They won’t grow anywhere else. My promise to you might be wasted.”
Choked with emotion, Damia bit her lip tightly.
“We don’t even know how long the contact will remain effective.”
“It doesn’t matter. I was already a man with limited time anyway.”
“I know. That’s why we made the contract. But now…”
“You promised to buy me time, not to fully heal me. You’ve already fulfilled that role enough.”
“But…”
“The rest is my problem to handle.”
She had expected him to be shaken, but Cassian remained unexpectedly composed.
“I have no intention of canceling the contract. If anything, I should be begging you.”
“Excuse me?”
“The only remaining treatment I have is contact with you.”
“I can hold your hand anytime, every day if you like.”
As Damia sniffled, the corner of Cassian’s mouth twitched upward slightly.
“There must be a way. Judging by all that burned, it seems they didn’t really know what to destroy.”
“What do you mean?”
“‘Dragon’s Bane,’ they say its form changes with the era.”
“Dragon’s Bane?”
It was the first time Damia had heard the name. Cassian had apparently been secretly researching this herb for quite some time.
“You didn’t know?”
He tilted his head slightly.
“You didn’t know it was Dragon’s Bane? Then how did you know it could affect my curse?”
“Uh… as I said before, I dreamed it. I really don’t know anything else.”
Cassian let out a short sigh. He looked troubled, as if uncertain this could really be the only basis.
“Then, this Dragon’s Bane…”
“It’s a herb that kills dragons. It’s said to have been extinct long ago. Its appearance changes with the era, making it hard to find.”
As the descendant of the first man to slay a dragon, he had far more knowledge than Damia.
“Once it takes root, it’s hard to uproot. Burning it is best, but even the smoke is deadly to dragons or monsters.”
Cassian pointed with his toe at the dead wolf-like monsters.
“These are probably not wolves, but monsters. They infuse animals with demonic energy to control them as minions.”
“Then did they die because of the Dragon’s Bane? I suppose it makes sense they had no wounds.”
“Probably.”
“Did the dragons see everything? That I was cultivating Dragon’s Bane?”
“We have to clean it up so they aren’t certain.”
Cassian’s voice lowered.
“This was just a warning. They’d expect you to return here if something happened to the Viscount.”
He stared at the flowerbed with somber eyes.
“If you’d been cultivating Dragon’s Bane here, they’d have tried to burn it this time.”
“……”
“But they wouldn’t have expected much. They’d think it’s more likely you obtained it elsewhere than cultivated it yourself.”
Cassian’s gaze sharpened. Damia clenched her hands.
“Not just anyone can grow Dragon’s Bane. Even if the Ponti family is skilled with herbs, this is…”
Damia bit her lip tightly, unsure how to respond.
“Let’s sort this out and talk again later.”
He drew something from his waist—a small dagger. He seemed to always carry it.
“If the corpses are like this, it’ll raise suspicion. We’ll have to make it look like the knights dealt with them, leaving wounds to cover it up.”
Cassian, gloved, roughly lifted the wolf-like monster by its head.
“Close your eyes, Damia.”
Without hesitation, he slit the monster’s throat. Blood sprayed across the dirt floor.
He already seemed accustomed to such acts.
“Why are you watching? I told you to close your eyes.”
“In case later… I might have to handle the cleanup alone.”
Damia’s shoulders trembled, but she replied firmly.
“Do you think I’d just watch?”
“But there could be unavoidable situations. When I return home, you can’t always be at my side, Young Viscount.”
Cassian frowned, clearly displeased.
“You still want to return to the Viscount’s residence? Even after seeing this?”
“It’s still my home, after all.”
They faced each other like opponents, neither backing down, leaving a tense silence.
Finally, Cassian sighed.
“Alright. But promise me one thing.”
“What promise?”
“You’ll fully restore the Viscount’s residence. I’ll assign top-tier guards. This isn’t negotiable.”
It was closer to an order than a suggestion. There was no family to refuse.
“Understood, Young Viscount. With things as they are, Father will be pleased too.”
Damia nodded, and he smiled, satisfied.
“You get into the carriage first.”
Cassian left the backyard, giving orders to the knights.
“……”
Damia slowly surveyed the nearly burned-down mansion. There weren’t many things she could call memories.
Her father had destroyed everything her mother left behind, the only true mementos.
She went to the spot where the Dragon’s Bane had been planted. Squatting in front of the burned flowerbed, she felt tears welling up.
‘Huh?’
A leaf, broken and scorched, quivered slightly at the touch of her fingers.
Was it her tears playing tricks on her?
Damia wiped her eyes and touched the plant.
Then, a flash of light sparked where she touched.
The ashen leaf gradually turned green.
‘It’s not a mistake.’
Damia quickly reached for another plant.
As if exhaling all the held-back breath, new shoots sprouted through the broken remnants.
She looked at her fingertips. This was… more than just making plants grow.
It had already been a miracle enough to keep the Young Viscount’s heart beating.
At that moment, certainty filled Damia’s eyes.
She pressed both hands to the dirt floor, hoping the effect might spread more broadly.
“Miss!”
Romi, who had arrived belatedly, startled Damia, making her pull back her hands.
“What are you doing!”
Romi ran over with a worried expression, thinking Damia had collapsed from grief.
“Why are you touching the dirt? No matter how upset you are—”
Startled, Damia quickly shook her hands free. Dirt scattered slightly.
“No… I didn’t do anything.”
Damia replied awkwardly, turning around. She tried to stand, but her legs wobbled as if the blood wasn’t flowing properly.
“Miss!”
Romi rushed over and supported Damia, who leaned on her to regain her balance.
“What… what is this?”
“Why… what’s going on?”
Romi’s gaze was fixed on what was behind Damia. Her eyes were wide, and her lips parted in shock.
“Miss, what on earth did you just do?”
Thunk, thump.
From behind, a sound like something bursting occurred.
Damia reflexively turned around.
The ashen leaves seemed to awaken from a long slumber, sprouting all at once.
Around them, a translucent purple light spread like ripples.
“Miss… what just… did you?”
Romi trembled as if witnessing a miracle.
Her gentle, calf-like eyes reflected awe and shock at once.
Damia’s heart pounded violently.
“I… I don’t know either.”
That was all she could say.
But her mind raced nonstop.
The vague plan she had set might need adjustment.
This impossible ability was completely outside her calculations.
