Chapter 44

“Why aren’t you coming in?”

I was curious about the two who didn’t follow me in right away.

But that was only for a moment.

As soon as I opened the door and stepped inside, my nose tingled.

“Uh…”

The space was filled with a thick, so-called “woman’s scent.”

The Black Iron Vanguard I led was an all-male group.

Living in the harsh lands, training every day until we were drenched in sweat, we naturally lived surrounded by the strong scent of men.

So, perhaps that’s why I could clearly feel it.

In this place where Riana lived, there was a faint scent of burning incense, but it couldn’t hide the subtle fragrance of a woman that lingered in the air.

‘She’s grown up a lot, Riana.’

Still, I felt more of a cute little sister vibe from Riana than a romantic one.

When I used to go into her room at home to play with her, there wasn’t such a strong feminine scent. Now, even Riana had become quite a woman.

As one of the older brothers who cherished Riana, the daughter of Commander Balthazar, I felt oddly proud, which made my nose sting even more.

But my heart was still racing with excitement.

Of course…

More than that, it was filled with hatred from the foul stench of the demon.

I really wanted to uncover what that filthy demon had been up to in the inn where our Riana had been staying.

But contrary to those feelings.

“Haha, she still has this.”

What caught my eye was the large bunny doll that Riana had cherished since she was little.

I don’t know where it came from, but it was big and rough, stuffed with soft cotton, even bigger and fluffier than Riana herself.

Riana always used to hug this doll tightly when she slept.

Of course, it seemed it couldn’t completely withstand the test of time, as it was quite worn and had many patched-up spots.

But from that doll, I could feel it.

Riana’s humanity.

‘I wonder what kind of ending this doll, which Riana always hugged in her past life, met.’

“Were you looking at Wendy?”

Riana, who had followed me in, smiled brightly when she saw me looking at the doll.

“Wendy, huh. Right, that was its name.”

“Gosh, Kairon oppa, you’re so mean.”

“Mean? How am I mean?”

“You are! How could you forget Wendy’s name? You were even the one who first sewed up the torn part of Wendy’s body.”

“Ah… Was that so?”

“You’re so mean! Look!”

Riana pouted and showed me the back of Wendy’s head.

There was a large patched-up hole.

Thinking back, that did happen.

When I first met Riana’s doll, Wendy.

At that time, Wendy’s fluffy head was all tattered from Riana burying her face in it while sleeping and drooling all over it.

And it was also a chance for me to put my sewing skills, which I had been honing since I was young, to good use.

When Riana showed me the patched-up back of Wendy’s head, I finally remembered.

“Yeah, that’s right. But…”

Thanks to Riana shoving Wendy in my face, I could see other patched-up spots all over.

The stitches were very crude and messy.

“Who fixed the other parts? I don’t know who did it, but their skills are a bit…”

“I did it myself! Did a good job, right?”

“Your skills are really something.”

I quickly swallowed the comment about the person who fixed it having questionable skills.

While talking with Riana, Abelin slowly followed us in.

But her expression had suddenly darkened.

“Abelin?”

“What?”

“Why do you look like that? Did something happen?”

“…It’s nothing.”

“Nothing? You don’t look good. This place seems fine, but the energy is quite thick. Maybe you’re being affected by it too. You should wait outside.”

“I said it’s nothing. I’m fine.”

Abelin’s “I’m fine” had an inexplicable weight and worry to it.

“She’s fine, oppa.”

Riana patted my shoulder to stop me.

“Our Kairon oppa is so charming. Acting indifferent but so considerate. But girls have secrets they want to keep.”

“…Did you bully her or something?”

“No!”

Riana, who had been trying to act mature, instantly made a sad face at the accusation.

“How could I bully her! You know I wouldn’t do that!”

“Yeah, I know.”

Riana was such a kind-hearted girl that it was hard to believe someone like her existed in the world.

But seeing her act a bit mischievous now…

Could it be that in her past life, she became so cold because her adolescence went off the rails?

“What are you thinking about, oppa? You don’t look so good yourself.”

“It’s nothing.”

“Tsk, adults have too many secrets! So, how’s my room?”

“How is it…”

Riana’s room was really ordinary.

In fact, at first glance, it seemed like there was nothing wrong at all.

So I closed my eyes again.

Not swayed by the apparent normalcy, I wanted to find the true source of the demonic energy overflowing in this place.

“…Found it.”

And soon, I could pinpoint the direction.

The thing spreading warmth throughout the room, filling it with a faint fragrance.

Incense.

In the middle of Riana’s inn, a large incense stick was burning.

“What’s this, Riana?”

“It’s a high-quality incense made from materials from the east. A gift from the Lady of the Magic Tower. Smells nice, right?”

“Yeah, it smells really good. Can I take a closer look?”

“Of course. Just don’t knock it over.”

Riana readily agreed.

Thanks to that, I could examine the incense closely.

‘Hmm…’

There was nothing wrong with the incense itself.

In fact, despite its rich and strong fragrance that filled the inn, it was still subtle and pleasant.

The real problem was…

‘The flame.’

The flame that was gently burning the incense.

I could feel an ominous energy from that flame.

“Oh, as expected of oppa!”

When I stared at the flame, Riana exclaimed in surprise.

“As expected? What do you mean?”

“That flame is special. It’s a magical flame. Look, the incense hasn’t burned down at all, right?”

“Huh? Now that you mention it…”

Riana was right.

Even though the fragrance was so strong, the incense stick was completely intact.

“If you supply enough mana, it can burn forever using mana instead of the incense.”

“I know that kind of magic is used to make mana lamps. But this is different.”

“Uh-huh, it’s not just an ordinary mana flame spell. It’s a very advanced magic. It burns mana but analyzes the components of the incense to produce the same scent.”

“That’s quite something…”

Since I’m not a magician, I could somewhat understand Riana’s explanation but not fully.

“I’ll show you. The flame has weakened a bit.”

Riana reached out to the flame without hesitation.

And at that moment.

‘…!’

I couldn’t believe my eyes.

Riana drew mana from her body and infused it into the flame.

And the color of that mana.

It was none other than…

Purple.

A sinister, repulsive demonic purple.

I quickly turned to look at Abelin.

Abelin, who had caught on to the situation, nodded with a serious expression.

“Done!”

The flame, revived by Riana’s purple mana, burned fiercely.

It lit up the inn even brighter and spread the incense’s fragrance even more intensely.

Hidden within that spreading fragrance was an energy that filled not just the inn but the entire area where the female prospects were.

The smell of Riana’s purple mana burning was the true identity of the demonic energy I had sensed.

Even after intensifying the flame, Riana didn’t take her eyes off it, staring at it with sparkling eyes.

I understood it in my head.

But I didn’t want to understand it in my heart.

Riana’s mana was the power of a demon.

Which meant that Riana was…

My hand, slowly moving to the hilt of my sword, felt incredibly heavy.

“See, isn’t it pretty?”

“Pretty?”

“My teacher said that depending on what you burn, the flame’s shape, size, and color change.”

Riana not only stared at the flame with sparkling eyes but also reached out to stroke it lovingly, as if it wouldn’t harm the one who fueled it.

“And she said my mana should become just as beautiful, as special.”

Then, Riana turned to me with a joyful expression.

“How about it? Isn’t it so romantic?”

Cute and pretty, that sparkle in her eyes.

But now, it only looked different.

…Unfortunately.