CH 138

“You’ve found out a lot.”

It was a positive answer. She swallowed. “What is the reason that you have to kill nameless wizards? Do you have to kill her right now?”

“Not right now.”

He did not explain the reason-another question, again. “Then, when do you have to kill her?”

Silence. She slightly bit inside her mouth to keep her calm-then another question. “Have you been killing nameless wizards, Rhema?”

“…Yes.”

There was a slight delay before his reply. He quietly stared at Azriel.

“How many have you killed?”

“I can’t count them.”

“Since when?”

“Since a thousand years ago to this day.”

“You have been killing them continuously? Only because they were nameless wizards?”

Wasn’t it because of accidents or suicides that nameless wizards usually did not make it to the age of 20? No way, is it because of Rhema? Could he have been killing nameless wizards whenever he left the house without disclosing his destination? All the time? Azriel began feeling nauseous. All of a sudden, Rhema had a strange look on his face. It was close to a bitter smile if one asked.

“Azriel, I didn’t kill only nameless wizards.”

“What?”

“Exceeding God’s fence is only allowed to watchmen. Even watchmen can’t go beyond the distance where the fence is out of sight.”

He said it out of the blue. However, Azriel understood to some extent. She replied. “Do you mean that you killed those who were about to exceed the fence that God made?”

“The legacy of the primal dragon enables people to approach the fence.”

Instead of answering, he made a riddle-like statement. He was giving her a clue, avoiding the words he could not say. Realizing that, Azriel repeated his words inside her mouth.

‘So, he’s saying that wizards can approach the law of the world that God had set. Is it because that the power of the primal dragon that was against God is mana? Does approaching mean that they get to learn about the law or change it…?’

Quietly looking at her, who was deep in thought, said in a low voice. “I won’t kill that girl.”

Startled, Azriel lifted her chin. “C, can you do that? Didn’t you say it’s your duty?”

“For the meantime… I’ll postpone it to the hilt.”

I don’t want to be hated by you. Swallowing the words he could not say, Rhema reached for Azriel. Touching her eye rim where it was still watery and stroking her cheek, he quietly whispered. “I wish that you don’t know all these, even at this moment.”

At his words, Azriel reflectively avoided his hand. She was afraid that her memory would be erased. Rhema’s face looked as if he was stabbed by a sword for a brief moment. However, such an expression quickly disappeared. Azriel watched his hand being retrieved in the air and bit her lip. “Rhema, can you promise not to touch my memory without my permission?”

“I’m sorry, Azriel,” he refused immediately and added, looking down at his empty hand. “If you don’t seem like you can bear it, I will erase your memory.”

“Even if it becomes unbearably miserable, let me choose. It’s my memory!”

“I can’t do that.”

“How come?”

“If you become miserable, then I…,” Rhema did not finish his sentence and closed his mouth. He turned around and began walking towards the castle. “It’s late. Let’s call it a day.”

His fastidiously white appearance from behind grew away. Azriel did not move. As she did not follow him, he looked back. Her head was down.

“Azriel? Let’s go home…,” he called her.

“I’m not coming,” she lifted her head. “I won’t come back until I find out about the watchman and interpret the disc.”

“…Azriel,” Rhema was disconcerted. His facial expression showed that he was lost for words. He hesitantly held out his hand toward her. Ignoring him, who was about to say something, Azriel called Marthi, who was sitting by the lake. “Marthi! Come on!”