WYMBD 77

Chapter 77

“Indeed. They’re still incredible, those monsters known as the Morpheus.”

Grand Duke Meyers clicked his tongue and nodded.

“Do you think it would be possible to ask that foolish King of Arhen to give us just one? You two are close friends, aren’t you?”

“Do you really think that would work? There aren’t many of them to begin with. There’s no way he’d give one away.”

“What if you used your chess skills again—”

“I’d love to. Damn it. Why does that idiot have to possess such overwhelming power…?”

Meyers’s face twisted into an ugly scowl.

He had harbored an inferiority complex toward Arhen for a long time.

And at the root of that inferiority was the existence known as the Morpheus.

“If it weren’t for the power of the Morpheus, those insignificant bastards would be nothing…”

“That’s something I’ll make sure to tell the Emperor when I return. I’m sure he’ll be delighted to hear it.”

“Third!”

Meyers hurriedly covered his own mouth when he realized Howl was standing beside him.

His true feelings had slipped out without him noticing.

What a disaster.

“What are you talking about? I merely meant that the power of the Morpheus is extraordinary. It’s just frustrating to see Arhen possess such power and yet do nothing with it.”

“Frustrating?”

“Yes. If we had been blessed with the protection of the Morpheus, we could have created a much more beautiful world…”

As he spoke, Meyers glanced sideways at his older brother.

The King of Aldebara immediately put on a gentle smile and nodded.

Howl looked back and forth between the two sly brothers and let out a quiet laugh.

“A beautiful world, huh.”

His gaze moved past the shoulders of the nearly identical brothers.

Toward the barren land below.

The valley was filled with corpses and stained red with blood.

The brothers, who were also looking at the scene, flinched.

“So this is the beautiful world you two were hoping for.”

“N-No, that is…”

“It’s fortunate that even if Arhen’s king is a fool, at least he has some common sense. Unlike uncivilized barbarians.”

Barbarians.

It was an insult directed at the people of Aldebara.

The dynasty had begun as a nomadic tribe in a barren land, and it had not even been three hundred years since it had been recognized as a proper “country.”

That was also why wars with smaller neighboring nations were so frequent.

The king stiffened for only a moment before quickly forcing a smile.

“Ahem. Now that the war is over, why don’t you visit our country for a while? You must be tired. Rest properly before returning to Arhen. I’m certain you’ll find Aldebara to your liking.”

The king began subtly trying to tempt him, insisting that Aldebara was just as beautiful as Arhen.

Howl watched the two men, who hid something dreadful inside while smiling sweetly and bowing before those stronger than themselves.

Then he smirked.

“No. I have a feeling that if I did, I might end up destroying two countries overnight.”

Two countries.

One was the small nation whose ruins now lay before them.

The other was the country belonging to the two brothers standing proudly in front of him.

Understanding what Howl meant, Grand Duke Meyers’s face stiffened.

“Well, since my business here is finished, I’ll be leaving now.”

“Wait a moment!”

With even the enemy king captured, what else was there left for Howl to do?

Howl had fulfilled his duty and intended to return.

The Grand Duke immediately panicked.

“As I understand it, your agreement with Esteban was for five days. Leaving now would be a breach of contract.”

He spoke hurriedly.

He was right.

The Emperor of Arhen had lent Howl to Aldebara for a maximum of five days.

Only two days had passed.

Surely he couldn’t leave already?

Howl frowned as he brushed the bloodstains from his clothes.

“You people were supposed to spend five days desperately fighting, but I ended the entire situation in just two. You should be bowing your heads to the ground, thanking me over and over again.”

“B-But an agreement is an agreement…”

“What are we supposed to do for the remaining three days? It’s not as though we’re close enough to sit around drinking together.”

“What are you talking about? I would like to become friends with Lord Morpheus. We could open our hearts to each other and—”

“Bullshit.”

Even the king himself stepped forward with what he believed was a gentle smile, but it was useless.

Howl could already see through their intentions perfectly.

There had been countless people in the past who had tried to steal a Morpheus away from Arhen.

Some tried to tempt them with sweet words.

Others attempted to capture them by force.

There were many different methods.

And yet, not a single person had ever succeeded.

That was precisely why the Morpheus were called Arhen’s blessing.

There was only one reason.

Even if a Morpheus were somehow taken to another country, all they had to do was die.

The next generation of Morpheus would always be born in Arhen.

From that perspective, Aldebara’s decision to stop trying to steal a Morpheus and instead maintain friendly relations with Arhen was actually a very wise one.

Of course, the problem was that they were beginning to grow greedy again.

“You have no idea what kind of treatment people like you have forced us to endure.”

Howl gave a bitter smile.

He was thinking of the other Morpheus who were still imprisoned beneath the Imperial Palace, in a place known as the Jewel Box.

What if another country stole them away?

What if they escaped?

For those reasons, the Morpheus had been stripped of every freedom they possessed as human beings and were forced to live inside the Emperor’s Jewel Box.

“You cannot leave like this. There may still be remnants of the enemy army remaining. At least stay until we have completely dealt with everything…”

“Are you bragging about the incompetence of Aldebara’s soldiers right now? Aren’t you ashamed? That’s exactly why you’ll always remain a weak little country.”

Howl’s vicious insult continued.

The king’s lips twitched.

His eyes were smiling, but the anger hidden beneath them was painfully obvious.

“You are going too far.”

“Going too far? Ha. Just because Esteban treats us carelessly, do you think that means you people can treat us the same way?”

“That isn’t what I meant…”

“No. The only humans who have the right to command a Morpheus are the members of Arhen’s Imperial Family. Not you. Why don’t you learn your place?”

Howl smiled brightly as he looked up at the king, who was still sitting atop his horse.

Gradually, Howl’s eyes began to turn red.

The Grand Duke’s face immediately paled in shock.

But it was already too late.

“After all, if I killed you right here, there wouldn’t be anyone who could say a thing about it.”

“Ugh… I-If something happens to me, a war will break out immediately!”

“I don’t care. Arhen can just swallow Aldebara whole while we’re at it.”

Howl replied as though it were nothing.

His eyes had already turned completely red, just as they had earlier.

Moving quickly, he reached out and seized the king by the throat.

The ruler of an entire nation was being attacked.

And yet, not a single person dared to step forward.

Naturally.

Their opponent was a Morpheus.

“Actually, that wouldn’t be so bad. Your people would all become part of Arhen, so at the very least, they would receive the protection of the Morpheus. What do you think? Would you be willing to sacrifice yourself for your people?”

“…I apologize.”

Only after those unexpected words of apology did Howl finally release him.

The King of Aldebara, who had barely escaped being strangled, staggered back with a pale face.

Soon afterward, at the king’s command, a carriage and driver were quickly prepared.

“M-Make sure Lord Morpheus is escorted safely.”

“Do not worry.”

The coachman nodded.

Howl stared at him for a moment.

Then, without saying anything else, he obediently climbed into the carriage.

Before long, the carriage carrying him departed from the battlefield.

After they had traveled some distance away from the place soaked in the stench of blood—

“Hey.”

“Y-Yes?”

Startled by the sudden call, the coachman turned his head.

The small window connecting the carriage to the driver’s seat suddenly flew open.

A pair of glowing red eyes appeared.

Just like the king of the small nation earlier, the coachman nearly died of fright.

His entire body immediately went rigid.

Perhaps because the reins had suddenly loosened, the startled horses let out loud cries and came to a stop.

“W-What is this…?!”

“Your body will probably remain numb for about two days. If I leave you here like this, the wild beasts will probably tear your flesh apart by nightfall.”

“P-Please spare me!”

The terrified coachman cried out, trembling violently.

“What do you want from me?”

“Good question. There’s actually somewhere I want to go.”

“…Pardon?”

The coachman’s eyes shook violently.

His mind was racing.

When faced with death, a human mind could work at an abnormally fast speed.

And that was exactly what was happening to him now.

“I-I’ll take you! And I swear I’ll keep it a secret! So please, just spare my life!”

“Good. I’m glad you understand so quickly. We don’t have any more time to waste.”

Howl smiled and winked.

At that moment—

Crack.

A strange sound came from the coachman’s body, which had been stiff as stone.

The paralysis was released.

The coachman clutched his chest and gasped for breath before hurriedly grabbing the reins.

“…Where would you like to go?”

Howl nodded in satisfaction at his quick response and climbed back into the carriage with a small smile.

Of course, not before telling him where to go.

“Take me to Avalan. As quickly as possible.”

“Y-Yes, sir.”

With a shout, the carriage jolted forward and slowly began moving again.

Meanwhile, Howl kept his gaze fixed on the scenery outside the window.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

Watching the landscape pass by in a daze, he murmured quietly,

“At last, I’ll get to see you, Bella.”

He reached up and touched his earlobe.

“I wonder if you received the gift I gave you.”

There, hanging from his ear, was a pair of earrings—one blue and one red.

“Mmm…”

Bella frowned as she felt something continuously touching her face.

Wondering what was going on, she shifted slightly.

Then, in the next moment, she felt a heavy pressure on her chest.

Something was lying on top of her.

Ugh… I can’t breathe…

Feeling as though she might actually die if this continued, Bella’s eyes suddenly flew open.

And there she saw him.

Ray Avalan.

His face was buried against her chest, his large body completely covering hers.

“Ugh… Ray. Get off me.”

Pinned beneath him, Bella urgently shook his shoulders.

But instead of letting her go, the arm wrapped around her waist tightened even more.

“Bella, are you alive?”

“I’m alive.”

“You are. Your heart is beating.”

“It’s beating perfectly fine, so stop it already.”

Bella snapped at him slightly.

Only then did Ray let out a small laugh and finally release her.

Seriously. What is this every morning?

It had become something of a daily ritual.

A ritual to confirm whether she was alive or dead.

Several days had already passed since that day.

And yet Ray still could not believe that she was truly alive.

—I’m afraid you might suddenly die.

When he said something like that with such a terrified expression, how could she possibly ignore him?

In the end, Bella decided to understand his anxiety and let him do as he wished.

And now, she was beginning to regret that decision.

“Ray.”