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“…My husband.”

A brief question slipped through the gaps of Cecilia’s words.

I felt uneasy. Every time I heard “husband” paired with deep pink, it was almost a guarantee we were on the brink of chaos.

My teacher’s furious image glaring at that girl as if she had stolen her husband was vivid in my mind.

Just as I resolved to mediate with all my strength, another short voice echoed.

“What’s a husband?”

Seriously clueless.

Was Cecilia genuinely asking? She tilted her head in confusion.

Automatically, character details of Cecilia popped up in my mind.

Wasn’t she supposed to be the stoic yet airheaded female swordsman?

Roseha, hearing this, let out a bemused laugh as if she couldn’t believe her ears.

“Your husband, you clueless girl.”

Cecilia flinched. Her shoulders trembled slightly.

Her half-closed eyes narrowed into a line.

“Why is my teacher a prostitute’s husband?”

“What?”

“Why is my teacher a prostitute’s husband?”

“You little brat….”

“Enough with that.”

Unable to bear it any longer, I wedged myself between them.

If insults kept flying, it was obvious a real fight was brewing.

“Roseha. You’ve been so indebted to her lately, are you thinking of backtracking?”

“…I came here because I was worried about you.”

“I appreciate that. However, there’s no need to hold onto past grievances. This man has turned against the Empire and sworn to become my knight.”

In any case, it meant he was affiliated with the shrine of faith.

Roseha opened her mouth to say something but then shut it again.

I then shot a glance at Cecilia.

She looked as if she had been shot in the heart.

“Stay quiet. And apologize for your rudeness. Roseha and I are allies. We have a personal connection. We’re thick as thieves, in fact.”

“But she’s a prostitute—”

“I told you to stop. If you’re going to speak, just apologize.”

“…Yes.”

Cecilia gave a half-hearted bow to Roseha.

“Sorry.”

There’s casual sorry, and then there’s this level of casual.

Now that I noticed, there was a gold mine even greater than Balutak right here.

This was no trivial matter.

If things went wrong, it could escalate into conflict between the allies.

“I apologize, Roseha. I sincerely apologize for my subordinate’s rudeness.”

“…I’m sorry.”

After apologizing on her behalf, Cecilia finally bowed properly.

If only it had been like this from the start, how nice it would have been. I was the only one suffering because of the gold mine.

“Alright. It’s acceptable for a young fool to make a mistake.”

I turned my gaze back to Cecilia, signaling her to be careful.

Please, just stay silent. If you contradict me, just know you might get banished.

Fortunately, Cecilia only furrowed her brow slightly and did not open her mouth.

If it had been anyone other than Roseha, it would’ve been disastrous.

If she got angry even once, she wouldn’t hesitate to go all-in on me, but she showed mercy just because it was me.

“By the way, what you have in your hand, that’s the Moonlight Sword, isn’t it?”

“That’s right.”

“My, what a mouth you have. Has this girl not been trained properly yet?”

Just when Cecilia was about to retort, she glanced at me.

“…It is the Moonlight Sword.”

“Girl. From now on, keep your eyes wide open and your mouth shut. I let you off because of my husband. Otherwise, you would already be a corpse. Got it?”

“Yes, I’m sorry.”

Meanwhile, Charlotte was standing next to me, observing the two.

In her expressionless face, was that a hint of “I can’t believe this, heehee” that I was sensing, or was it just my imagination?

It seemed Charlotte also had a sly side, albeit unconsciously.

Fortunately, unlike earlier, Cecilia quietly acquiesced this time.

My heart was pounding, but somehow, it all wrapped up without further incident, so I breathed a sigh of relief.

“Anyway, is that all you came for, Roseha?”

“That’s all? My noble has collapsed! How can that be just ‘all’?”

“Don’t you have other business? Now that you’re here, how about enjoying some conversation?”

“Sounds good. It’s been a while since I saw you. Ah, but first.”

Roseha spun around and stared directly at Cecilia.

“What’s going on? Didn’t you try to kill her before? Suddenly why are you claiming to be the knight of Mu-gang-gung? You’re even holding the Moonlight Sword.”

“I’m not Mu-gang-gung’s knight. I’m my teacher’s knight.”

“Teacher?”

Now it was Roseha’s turn to press for clarification as she looked at me.

Before answering, I shrugged my shoulders.

“She claimed to be my student when she was alive.”

“She said she was your student when she was alive?”

“I don’t know. I don’t remember.”

“…What’s your name?”

“Cecilia.”

Cecilia, Cecilia… Roseha repeatedly rolled the name around in her mind.

It looked like she was trying to unearth buried memories.

After murmuring for a bit, Roseha suddenly widened her eyes.

For a fleeting moment, she noticed something unusual, then pressed into me, pinning me down.

Her unusually large pupils captured me vividly.

“Wait, are you Lucas?”

No way, she also knows this!

After a brief hesitation, I nodded.

“However, I have no memories from my previous life. That’s just what others said.”

Roseha’s expression, looking up at me, became complex.

She stepped back a few paces, distancing herself from me.

Whoa!

In a flash, she opened a portal and headed back to the great castle.

Not really understanding what had just happened, I stood there in a daze.

Her attitude changed so drastically just from hearing Lucas…

“Looks like you had some bad blood with her, boss.”

“Seems your teacher might have cut off her arm or something. Serves her right.”

The two who had come closer were now speculating various things.

From just Roseha’s behavior, it was clear she felt disappointed upon hearing Lucas’s name.

But I could read the emotional hues from her level.

‘Why has it deepened?’

The already intense pink had thickened even further.

After learning I was Lucas, it seemed she had developed even stronger feelings.

But why the sudden departure?

***

On the highest floor of the castle filled with sounds of classical music.

Tap, tap.

The waiting Drabule bent down, heading toward the source of the sound.

In the deep shadows, a bright-red dress fluttered like blood.

Just as Roseha passed by, Drabule bowed formally.

“Welcome, Your Majesty.”

“Don’t let anyone in my room. It’s always been like this, but be extra careful this time.”

“Yes.”

Tap, tap.

Roseha drifted away, having only said what needed to be said.

Drabule speculated that the boss room would likely be filled with classical music again.

Lately, every time she got near the boss room, it was usually like that.

She spent all day enjoying one-sided healing, chanting the name of the 7th ranked lord.

Any deeper thoughts were quite rude.

Drabule thoroughly patrolled the top floor and kept watch.

As Roseha, glancing back, smiled with satisfaction.

It’s nice when she listens well.

Tap.

Finally, stepping into the boss room, Roseha snapped her fingers.

And just like that, her noble gown transformed into a sheer nightgown that left little to the imagination.

“Hah.”

As the tension eased, a sigh escaped her lips.

Roseha rested her chin on her fist, calming her pounding heart.

After several deep sighs, she breathed tranquility into her heart.

“This time I really almost couldn’t hold it in.”

I almost ended up showing something undesirable in someone else’s house.

With genuine relief, Roseha lay back on her bed.

Swish. The thin, silky fabric sent delightful tingles across her skin.

“….”

Snap.

As she flicked her finger, a Barugore doll appeared out of thin air.

Without a word, Roseha patted the spot next to her.

“Come on over.”

The Barugore doll gently settled beside her.

Roseha stared intently at the doll.

In form, it was just Barugore himself, but it was merely a shell.

Setting aside the discomfort, Roseha opened her mouth.

“Hey, they say you’re Lucas.”

“I am Barugore.”

“No, from now on, your name will be Barugore Lucas.”

“My name is Barugore Lucas.”

Snicker.

Roseha lifted her legs and rested them on top of the doll.

Heh… An involuntary hum escaped her lips.

“So, it’s Lucas, huh? That’s why I felt such a draw toward you.”

The awakened holy sword.

The hero executed by humanity.

Even with just these two, I should have realized. Why did it take me so long to figure it out?

“…I should have checked beforehand.”

Roseha wasn’t very curious about who Barugore was in life.

She believed the man she had feelings for was Death Knight Barugore and none other.

Similarly, she had no interest in the Empire’s affairs, practically lacking any intel.

The dungeon just happened to be located in the magical realm of Kalasutra, severed from the Empire both physically and in information.

She originally didn’t care much for humans.

Whether they existed or not, it made little difference.

Yet, sometimes, they could serve as a source of amusement, even satisfying the desires of her subordinates.

Years ago, a man changed that view for her.

Seeing him made her think maybe humans weren’t so bad after all.

“So that was Barugore.”

She felt a hint of regret for her indifference to his life while simultaneously feeling relieved to learn this now.

The romance between demon lord and hero.

Once, Roseha had a relationship that felt like it belonged in a romance novel.

His perpetually bright face lingered in her memory, no matter how much she tried to erase it. Like the fragrance that seeped into her clothing.

With eyes closed slightly, Roseha reminisced about the bittersweet memories.

‘I have a student. A student named Cecilia.’

‘Cecilia. Our Ria will become a hero. She’ll be a better hero than I am.’

Lucas flaunted proudly about his student.

His musings became the anchor she needed to remember Lucas.

In truth, their first meeting was little more than a game for her.

That playful interaction gradually deepened into sincerity, eventually becoming an indelible love mark in her heart.

The fondness she developed for the human may have been his lingering presence.

The reason she fiercely defended humanity during the 72 meetings stemmed from her animosity toward Calandas.

Perhaps a bit of his influence contributed to that, too.

Faint murmurs floated back, vividly coating her ears.

‘Not just humans. I want a paradise where everyone can coexist. That’s why I became a hero.’

‘The Empire and this magical realm. The 72 dungeons and the four heroes. How wonderful it would be if we could break down the barriers and unite.’

‘You could call me a traitor to humanity… But someday, a day will come when everyone understands one another. By then, I may not be around anymore.’

‘Ultimately, what matters is the journey. You might be able to witness this. After all, you’re a being destined for immortality.’

What did I even reply back then?

Did I merely smile at such fleeting hopes, knowing the bittersweetness of it all?

As I struggled to remember, a self-deprecating chuckle slipped from my lips.

Time seemed to rewind, pulling up the memory of our first encounter.

He had that laughable yet pitiable smile.

‘How could I raise my sword against someone as lovely as you? Well, perhaps I could use a flower instead. Haha….’

As much as I hated to admit it, I briefly got lost in that awkward smile as he scratched his cheek.

That heart fluttering innocence was one of my rarest feelings.

That pure-hearted man stood apart from all other humans.

I continued to waver, questioning if I might truly fall for him.

Before long, his warmth wafted over me like a gentle breeze, swooping into the air like a fragrant memory.

Had he not departed so futilely, what might our relationship be like?

At that time, Roseha had quickly set aside thoughts of him.

Our crimson thread had long been severed. It seemed destined to never evolve.

Whenever he passed through her mind, she found solace in the reality that while they barely managed to settle, things had been cut short.

Lingering on a lost bond wasn’t what she was about.

Following that, Roseha wiped him clean from her memory.

That’s how she believed it would be.

“Lucas has turned back into Barugore.”

Was the crimson thread, once scattered by the wind, now returning through the breeze?

That man had returned as the Death Knight of Mu-gang-gung, ranked 7.

Like the black knight guarding the 6th ranked queen, coincidence became connection, and connection turned to destiny.

Undead cannot express their emotions.

Though stoic Barugore was fine, if he had shown even one hint of emotion, she would have recognized him then.

If she had seen that sun-like smile, it would have naturally resurfaced in her memories.

Undead forget their previous lives.

That, too, was a disappointment, but the fact that he had returned this way moved her deeply.

Her lord, who returned from death, was her black knight.

Was it not too romantic?

“Hah…. Looks like I won’t be sleeping again tonight. I’ll probably be pacing and tossing about all night.”

Leaving a sticky smile on her face, Roseha climbed onto the doll.

Wherever she looked, it was a doll that looked exactly like Barugore. For the time being, she’d have to use this for a practice session.

Afterward, the place filled with classical music as if day would never come.

It was a castle, filled with the eternal night’s chorus.