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~Chapter 49~
After chatting for a while, his hair had completely dried.
Theophanes said he should properly prepare for bed now and gently laid her down.
Following his instruction, Daphne obediently lay on the bed.
Seeing that, Theophanes quickly extinguished the lights.
Even in the darkness, he moved about without hesitation.
He seemed to have excellent night vision.
She felt the mattress beside her sink as Theophanes lay down.
The faint rustle of blankets brushing echoed in the quiet room.
The tension that had slightly eased returned at that sound.
Theophanes carefully adjusted the blanket covering Daphne as well.
“Daphne, your hand.”
“O-Okay.”
Still stiff with nervousness, Daphne slowly pulled her arm out from under the blanket at his request.
She felt his large hand settle over hers.
His fingers intertwined with hers.
As if deliberately trying to make her aware of him, he moved very slowly—deliberately.
For some reason, her palm felt ticklish, and Daphne wiggled her fingers slightly.
Sensing the movement, Theophanes turned his head to look at her.
“Are you uncomfortable?”
“No, I’m fine…!”
Daphne had her eyes tightly shut. Then she murmured something under her breath.
This is part of the treatment.
A treatment to purify the body and relieve pain so she could withstand the power.
Proof of that was the fact that even after everything that had happened today, she hadn’t collapsed from exhaustion.
That alone was tremendous progress.
She wasn’t sure about his condition, though…
As she recalled using her power in the village earlier, another memory surfaced.
When the gate had closed, she remembered a whisper—“I’ll help you.” Then her memory had cut off as if a fuse had blown.
By the time she regained consciousness, the gate was already disappearing.
And then she had heard a voice again near her ear.
“It would be better not to tell him.”
Daphne knew exactly whose voice it was.
Pruna.
It was identical to the voice she had heard in her dream.
What did Pruna want? Was her goal really to make Daphne fall in love with Theophanes?
But why?
Questions filled her mind, yet she had no answers.
And the way her memory cut out and returned—it felt as though her body had been taken over.
It wasn’t a pleasant feeling.
She never wanted to experience it again.
Having gaps in her memory was frightening.
“My lady?”
At Theophanes’ voice, Daphne stopped thinking and turned her head.
She didn’t know how long he had been watching her, but their eyes met.
In the faint moonlight streaming into the room, his golden eyes were clearly visible.
“Yes?”
“Were you falling asleep?”
“Oh, no. I was just thinking for a moment and didn’t hear you.”
“I see.”
“Why?”
“Do you remember the demonic beast we saw today? The one that seemed to be mixed with others?”
“I do. There’s no way I could forget. Come to think of it… besides that one, I saw another fused beast.”
She recalled the one that had attacked the children.
“When did you see it?”
Theophanes’ voice had lowered considerably.
Though she couldn’t see his expression clearly, she could tell he was thinking seriously.
“Earlier, when you went to leave the luggage in the carriage.”
“Yes.”
“Jacquette disappeared, so I was looking for her.”
“The child disappeared?”
“Yes. Apparently she saw Iverno and chased after him.”
“She’ll need proper discipline.”
“We should at least teach her how not to get lost.”
The serious conversation had suddenly veered into child-rearing, but Daphne quickly refocused and continued.
“Anyway, the beast that attacked the children was made up of several creatures fused together. I remember the Crown Prince saying he’d never seen anything like it before.”
“Do you remember what it looked like?”
“Of course.”
Daphne lifted her free hand and folded down her fingers one by one as she described it.
“The lower body was a spider, from the waist to the neck was a human torso, and above the neck was a snake. It also had extremely sharp claws.”
“That’s even more grotesque than the flying-type beast.”
“Yes. That’s why it’s etched so clearly in my memory.”
“Hmm…”
At her words, Theophanes fell into thought.
He seemed deeply troubled.
As they talked, holding hands had somehow become natural.
Daphne turned onto her side to see him more easily.
He remained silent for a long moment, clearly contemplating.
Eventually, she spoke first.
“What is it?”
“I’ve been considering whether such a beast could form naturally. But I’ve concluded it likely cannot. Those beasts were not naturally born.”
His firm tone made Daphne tilt her head.
“Why are you so certain?”
“Because the origin of demonic beasts lies in divine beasts.”
“What?”
“Demonic beasts are fallen divine beasts. When a divine beast commits unnecessary slaughter or becomes corrupted by strong human emotions, it begins to fall. Once that corruption starts, it cannot be stopped—and eventually it becomes a demonic beast.”
The origin of demonic beasts had never been explained in the original story.
So she had no way of knowing.
She hadn’t learned about it in Himonas either.
Nodding at this new information, Daphne added,
“There weren’t any related books in the Himonas library, so I didn’t know.”
“It’s not common knowledge unless one specifically researches or studies it.”
“Then according to you, Theo, demonic beasts usually retain the original form of the divine beast?”
“That’s right. Divine beasts are sacred animals imbued with divine power. They aren’t entirely new creations.”
She immediately understood why Theophanes had spoken so confidently.
“Then if they can’t form naturally…”
After thinking carefully, Daphne spoke slowly.
“…they must be created.”
Theophanes nodded at her conclusion.
“If the one responsible doesn’t stop creating them, who knows what kinds of beasts will appear next.”
“Then we have to find the one making them.”
“Yes. That would be the logical course.”
“Then, Theo. There’s one more thing I’m curious about.”
“What is it?”
“Is there a way to forcibly pull open a gate?”
“A gate?”
“Yes. Earlier, the gate that had been opening slowly suddenly flew open as if pulled by a powerful force. It wasn’t just me who saw it—the children and the Crown Prince saw it too.”
“I’ve never seen or heard of such a thing.”
“I think it would be best to investigate.”
At her words, he nodded.
“But not now. It’s late. You should sleep.”
Though they had been discussing important matters, Daphne had been yawning repeatedly for some time.
She hadn’t realized it, but Theophanes certainly had.
He knew better than anyone that after exerting one’s power, proper rest was essential.
“Good night, my lady.”
“Good night, Theo.”
Though it still felt somewhat unfamiliar, the exchange of goodnight felt far from unpleasant.
And soon, Daphne drifted off to sleep.
