IGWNI Ch 15

I opened my eyes.

It was a momentary premonition. A cold wind embraced my body. I got up from my spot.

Next to the bed, there was a single bead.

A small, black bead with a glossy sheen.

It was a perfectly round, lovely bead with no sharp edges anywhere. When had I come to possess such a bead? I quietly tried to retrace my memories, then picked it up, placed it on my palm, and silently looked down at it. When I applied a little pressure, the black bead floated up, hovering above my palm. The gaze looking down at it was indifferent. The bead began to slowly rotate above my palm. The sound of wind howled. The speed of its rotation gradually increased. The bead let out a humming, crying sound. Smoke began to rise around the black bead. With a crackling sound, a fissure appeared on the surface of the bead. Unable to withstand the speed of its rotation, the bead ended up shattering into pieces.

I clenched my fist, trying to grasp the fragments of the bead scattering between my fingers.

And in that moment, a hot emotion flowed into my heart.

Unpleasant.

「…….」

I opened my eyes.

Eustace closed his eyes again, then slowly opened them.

The unchanging scenery made him realize that he had just been dreaming.

A dream. It’s been a while.

Dweord’s dreams unintentionally had various effects on the world, so he tried not to dream as much as possible. He used to have dreams before becoming a Dweord, but after ascending to the position of Dweord, it was an almost nonexistent occurrence.

Even though he wasn’t one to assign meaning to dreams, it was not a pleasant feeling.

Eustace turned his gaze. Ramia, sleeping with a white tail wrapped around his body, came into view. Seeing him grin and smack his lips as if having a good dream, Eustace recalled the reason why he had a nightmare for the first time in a long while.

「…….」

As if it wasn’t enough to hug his own tail between his legs while sleeping, he was completely crushing it.

The tail of a Dweord was divinity [神聖] itself. Most beings would not dare to lift their heads in fear before the tail. No one even existed who would try to touch or handle it.

The tail was the manifestation of divinity passed down through the family for generations. How beautiful and strong a tail one possessed was the first and most essential condition to become a Dweord.

The moment Eustace saw Ramia, who was hugging and crushing that divine tail while drooling in his sleep, he was certain that this was the cause of the dream.

You insolent thing.

Eustace applied strength to pull his tail out.

“Ugh, ung….”

Even in his sleep, so as not to lose the tail, Yoon Jaewoo grunted and hugged the ball of fur. Eustace, in his tail form, applied strength to his tail again.

“Ung…, ugh.”

Like a baby who had its pacifier taken away, Ramia frowned and grunted. Eustace gently gave him the tail and then pretended to slyly pull it away again.

The young Ramia let out a crying sound, going, “Ugh.”

He was desperate even in his sleep.

Finding the sight funny and amusing, Eustace repeated the same act several times. Eventually, in his sleep, Ramia let out a sniffle with a face that was about to cry.

Ramia was a very clingy person. It might have been natural since he was young, but his appearance was not much different from an adult, so the feeling was strange.

The beast stopped trying to pull its tail away. Instead, it grabbed the sleeping Ramia’s shoulder with its forepaw and shook him.

“Ung, …Coach-nim, …just five more minutes.”

Ramia muttered something difficult to understand and pulled the tail over himself as if it were a blanket. The smile vanished from the beast’s eyes. Ramia’s sleep talk, mistaking him for another, was extremely unpleasant.

A large forepaw flew through the air with a thwack.

“Ack!”

Yoon Jaewoo shot up from the bed. He rubbed his back with his palm and looked around. His hair was sticking up in all directions, and there was even a trace of drool he had not quite wiped away next to his mouth. His eyes, not yet fully awake, were still puffy.

He had a face that was foolish and utterly stupid.

Just as the beast was about to hit him one more time to snap him out of it, Yoon Jaewoo made eye contact and smiled brightly.

“Jinsu hyung.”

It is a smile, as if a flower were blooming.

Perhaps because he was still half-asleep, he was several times more clingy than usual. With his puffy eyes, Yoon Jaewoo giggled and brought the beast’s tail to his face.

“Did you sleep well?”

Even though no answer came back, he smiled with a face full of satisfaction. It was such a happy smile that it made one wonder if he had completely forgotten what happened yesterday.

Yoon Jaewoo rubbed his face against the tip of the tail several more times.

“I slept so well for the first time in a really long time.”

The beast’s tail was still pinned under his body.

“Did you sleep well too?”

In the eyes asking this, a drowsy sleepiness still lingered. Yoon Jaewoo wriggled his body and moved closer to the beast.

“…I want to sleep more.”

How dare you sleep more.

The beast’s eyes glinted coldly. Just as it thought about callously pulling its tail away this time, Yoon Jaewoo lifted his head.

“Jinsu hyung. Thank you.”

A voice, mumbling as if embarrassed, is carried on the warm air.

“I was so out of it yesterday I couldn’t even thank you properly, but thank you for saving me last time and for saving me this time, too. I’m supposed to be protecting you….”

Yoon Jaewoo continued to speak as he stroked the tail with his palm.

“No one has ever saved me before.”

Yoon Jaewoo brought out the words from his heart that he had never told anyone.

“When people are born, their parents are supposed to raise them. A helpless child, until they can function as a person. I thought that was salvation, but in the end, I realized that there was no one to save me, so I worked hard and grew up on my own.”

Although he was talented, Yoon Jaewoo was a player who worked several times harder than others. He believed that the only thing that could save him was soccer. The round ball was equal to everyone. That was why he kicked the ball even more diligently. He believed that if he succeeded in soccer, he could save himself.

“I became a cripple who can’t even save myself, …but you’ve saved me several times. Thank you. Someday, I will definitely save you.”

A bitterness was laced in Yoon Jaewoo’s voice as he said that.

There were times when Ramia, who seemed to run around recklessly without a care in the world, would suddenly make a face as if he were carrying all the worries of the world. The beast did not welcome such moments.

“Hahaha. Was that too cheesy for the morning?”

As if nothing had happened, Yoon Jaewoo stretched languidly and grinned foolishly.

“Thanks to you, I slept soundly. It really feels like it’s been a long time since I slept like this.”

Yoon Jaewoo thought that all of this was thanks to the warm and soft tail. After having a nightmare, it was impossible to get a good night’s sleep. He would fall into a light sleep, waking up and falling back asleep repeatedly until morning came.

Furthermore, he had been very anxious after being attacked by the monster, but Jinsu hyung had watched over him by his side all night, so his gratitude was doubled.

“I wish we could sleep together every day.”

How audacious can you get.

The beast’s expression subtly twisted upon hearing those words.

Having a conversation in a bedroom without being fully clothed was something only permitted between those who had shared affection.

Even if one were to overlook such rudeness since Ramia did not know the laws of this world, what he had just said was not something that could be simply ignored.

“Can’t I sleep with you every day?”

They were clearly words of seduction. If he had said something like that to someone else, it was a situation where he would have no defense even if he were dragged away right now and taken until his bottom was raw. Especially if he were to let slip something similar to Yatenbaum, who was in heat all year round….

“Jinsu hyung, tomorrow, with me too…!”

A large forepaw pressed against Yoon Jaewoo’s lips. A low growl followed. It was a threat to never let such words pass his lips again. Yoon Jaewoo’s eyes widened in surprise.

The beast bared its teeth again and let out a growling sound. Before Yoon Jaewoo could even ask what was wrong, the beast moved as if flying and landed lightly on the floor from the bed.

When Yoon Jaewoo sat up in bed, the beast had already disappeared out the door.

“What’s wrong with him?”

Yoon Jaewoo scratched his head. He wondered if he had said something he shouldn’t have, but no matter how much he racked his brain, he couldn’t find an answer.

A coughing sound was heard from outside the door.

「It is time to wake up, Ramia-nim.」

It was the chamberlain’s voice. However, because he had been warned by Eustace last night, Yoon Jaewoo did not open the door right away, but checked the chamberlain through the crack in the door before opening it.

「I have a message from Dweord Eustace-nim that you should bathe and have your meal.」

Yoon Jaewoo nodded his head.

It was the daily routine he always followed when he was at Eustace’s castle. He was about to follow the chamberlain into the hallway without much thought when the chamberlain added, “However.”

「He has given an order for you to receive etiquette lessons while staying in another’s castle.」

The color drained from Yoon Jaewoo’s face at that same moment.

Within the category of things that included the word “education,” the only subject he had ever liked was physical education.

「It hurts.」

Cox, who was sitting in the center seat of the large table, muttered as if to himself. Hearing that, Eustace replied with a hardened expression.

「That is the price for trying to touch what belongs to another in the middle of the night.」

「…To do this to me just for that.」

Cox held up his tattered left arm and made a sullen face. Wounds sustained while fighting in tail form are difficult to heal. Without borrowing the power of Eustace, the Dweord of healing, Cox’s arm would surely remain in that state for the time being.

「I just went because I smelled something delicious. It’s inside my castle anyway…, it doesn’t matter what I eat, does it?」

「It doesn’t matter what you eat, but do not touch what is mine.」

「…Can’t you give me just one bite?」

Eustace let out a low laugh. A sharp killing intent appeared in his blue eyes.

「Do I look like I would?」

「…No.」

A gloomy answer returned. Everyone knew just how strong Eustace, who seemed the most proper and gentlemanly, was about his possessions.

Cox continued to mutter to himself for a long time.

「It hasn’t been long since I woke up, so… I’m sleepy, …and bothered…. It hurts…. …I’m depressed」

「Stop whining.」

As Yatenbaum openly showed his irritation, Cox, who had been muttering to himself, slowly turned his head.

「Why haven’t you left?」

「Do you think I’m here because I want to be?」

「Then why is it…?」

Cox asked with vacant eyes. He had the face of someone still not fully awake even after sleeping for decades.

「Why are you all here. …I don’t like it.」

Cox’s gloomy voice echoed. Just hearing that voice made Yatenbaum feel bad.

「We have come for the Discussion of Bedas.」

The Discussion of Bedas was the beginning of the contest to determine which of the four Dweords would occupy the seat of Azhar.

「Bedas…, isn’t there still time left for that?」

Cox’s voice as he muttered while counting on his fingers alone was eerie. Eustace’s and Yatenbaum’s eyes met.

The guy who had been doing nothing but sleeping for decades, his eyes sharpened at the mention of Bedas. Cox Philippte was not just a madman. If he were simply mad, he would not have been able to occupy the position of a Dweord in the first place.

「Even if we move it up a little, nothing will change.」

「Well, that’s something we don’t know. …I’m depressed right now.」

Cox muttered with his head bowed. His mental state ran to extremes. When he was in a good mood, he would chatter like a madman with flowers in his hair, and when he was depressed, he would mutter to himself before falling asleep.

The problem was that this mood was not something he felt alone, but was contagious. If Dweord Cox Philippte’s depression became excessive, the surrounding nature would sicken, and all the animals living within it would languish. Dweord Cox was no different from a walking plague.

The Dweords were at least mostly unaffected, but they felt a subtle, unpleasant emotion. Yatenbaum, who hated being interfered with by anyone, therefore intensely disliked Cox.

「If two or more Dweords desire it, we can discuss matters concerning Bedas.」

At Eustace’s words, Cox looked up, asking, “Huh?”

「Two… you say?」

「Me and Rau.」

Yatenbaum pointed alternately at himself and Eustace. Cox nodded, saying, “Ah, that’s right.”

「The horse-head was a Dweord too. Right. That’s right….」

Eustace blocked Yatenbaum’s twitching fist. Cox, who had been slouched, snickered and leaned back in his chair.

「Ah, yes. The two of you were close. …Hmm, yes. There was such a thing.」

Cox, muttering to himself, once again sank into his own thoughts. Knowing that he wouldn’t listen to anything anyone said when he was like this, Yatenbaum bit his lip and suppressed his anger.

「We will hold the Discussion of Bedas here.」

Yatenbaum turned his head, his fists clenched, restraining the urge to cut Eustace off.

In exchange for the promise, Eustace had demanded silence about the tail and that he drive the carriage to their destination. Yatenbaum had been suspicious that the price was too light, and just as he expected, the wolf cub showed his true colors as soon as they arrived here.

The moment he saw Cox, who was not fully awake and couldn’t even tell who was who, Yatenbaum insisted that being here was a waste of time and they should go back, while Eustace said they had to stay. Then, as Yatenbaum was about to say he would go alone and they could do as they pleased, Eustace grabbed his shoulder. And then he asked.

‘What about the promise?’

When he retorted, asking what promise, Eustace laughed lightly. Yatenbaum tried to pull Eustace’s hand off, but Eustace did not release his grip.

‘Are you suggesting we have a test of strength right here?’

‘Keep your promise.’

‘What promise did I even make?’

‘You promised to drive the carriage to the destination.’

Eustace answered with a gentle, smiling face.

‘…The destination.’

Yatenbaum realized he had fallen into a trap. Upon hearing the word ‘destination,’ Yatenbaum had naturally assumed he only needed to drive the carriage as far as the other’s castle. But Eustace had never once said that the destination was the other’s castle.

‘A promise must be kept, Mäden.’

Killing intent lingered in Eustace’s eyes as he pointed to the heart. If a promise between Dweords was broken, it was acceptable for the other party to pull out their heart with their bare hands. That was the reason for tapping the chest area when making a promise.

In the end, Yatenbaum was trapped in this castle for the sole reason that he had to drive the carriage to the destination. Yatenbaum learned painfully through this incident just how careful he had to be with his words when making a promise.

「Ah…, then is Malik coming too?」

Cox asked as if it had suddenly occurred to him.

「He’ll come.」

「He’s probably on his way.」

A firm answer came from both of their mouths simultaneously. If it was Malik Dicker, as soon as he found out that three Dweords had gathered without him, he would surely be rushing over, foaming at the mouth.

「I don’t like that cat bastard….」

The moment they saw Cox speaking in a truly troubled tone, an expression of “well, we don’t like you either” lingered on the other two Dweords’ faces.

While Cox was whining, “I don’t like him, I really don’t like him,” the door opened. Where the three Dweords turned to look, an unexpected person was standing.

“I need to see you!”

It was Yoon Jaewoo.

Behind Ramia, who burst through the door, a chamberlain followed, flustered, looking as if his soul had left his body.

The expressions of the three Dweords watching Yoon Jaewoo stride into the office changed in their own ways. Yatenbaum was simply pleased, Cox had a slightly surprised face, and Eustace… closed his eyes.

“Why do I have to receive something like that?”

Yoon Jaewoo walked up to Eustace and demanded an explanation out of the blue.

“Why is that old man giving me that kind of education? Why? Why? Tell me why.”

Eustace had asked Mainu today to take care of Ramia’s etiquette education. He had judged that no matter how young and foreign a being he was from another world, it would be better for him to learn at least the minimum of etiquette now.

“Do you know what he made me do?”

Seeing Yoon Jaewoo demanding an explanation with his eyes bloodshot, Eustace realized his thinking had been completely wrong.

…I should have taught him, even if I had to beat it into him, not now but before leaving the castle!

“Why do I have to know about the etiquette of attending to someone in bed? Did you order this? Did you order this, you bastard?”

Yoon Jaewoo demanded, panting with rage. Eustace frowned and turned to look at the chamberlain. The chamberlain, who had been at a loss, not daring to enter the room, hastily bowed his head upon receiving the gaze.

「What did you teach him?」

「That is….」

「I am asking you a question.」

「I was telling him about basic etiquette in the castle and the etiquette to be observed as a Maryan….」

Maryan was a term referring to a Dweord’s sexual partner. Since the Dweord of the North, Eustace, who was famous for being cold, had brought Ramia along to a place like this, it was inevitable that such suspicions would arise. Moreover, that very morning, Eustace had come out of the room where Ramia was staying and asked Mainu to handle his etiquette education. For Mainu, it was a natural conclusion.

「Maryan? Ah, so that thing is Eustace’s Yan.」

Cox muttered, casting a glance.

「What? When did that happen?」

Yatenbaum also asked in surprise. Eustace sighed and pressed his forehead.

「You said you wouldn’t eat him because he’s too young. You said he’s not your type!」

Yatenbaum demanded.

“What do you mean, eat? And what is a Maryan? Is that something you eat?”

Eustace gestured for him to be quiet. However, Yoon Jaewoo’s mouth did not rest, pouring out anger and curiosity.

“What is it? Why are you suddenly teaching me something strange? Are you, by any chance, going to sell me off here? Is that why you brought me? Is that my use?”

His face was on the verge of tears. The fact that Eustace, of all people, not Yatenbaum, was trying to use him in that way was a great shock to Yoon Jaewoo.

「Ramia. Shut your mouth.」

“Shut my mouth? What do you mean shut my mouth? You might as well just turn me into a bead!”

「How insolent. To dare come into a place where three Dweords are gathered….」

As Cox said that, his gaze glinted chillingly. Even though he acted laid-back, he was fundamentally a difficult person.

Moreover, as Cox said, when three Dweords were gathered and talking, no one could carelessly enter. While two might be considered a casual conversation, three or more was a number that did not gather unless there was an important matter.

This was the castle of another Dweord, Cox Philippte. If he were to demand Ramia’s execution here, neither Eustace nor Yatenbaum could raise any objections to it.

In the worst-case scenario, Eustace might have to bow his head to Cox before the Discussion of Bedas even began. If he did not want that, he had to leave this castle right now.

“What is a Maryan? What is it?”

Yoon Jaewoo, who had clearly sold his sense of awareness somewhere, repeatedly asked for the meaning of the word Maryan.

Cox smiled and tried to reach out his hand to Yoon Jaewoo. Eustace stopped his action with a cold gaze. Cox raised his eyes as if surprised.

「Is this…, really your Yan?」

Cox asked, pointing at the small Ramia who had fearlessly run into the office and was shouting. Eustace did not give any answer. Cox, interpreting that silence as he pleased, continued to mutter to himself.

「So that’s why you were so serious about not giving me a single bite. You were so serious, I thought it was something else…. Hmm, a nice smell.」

Cox closed his eyes and sniffed the air.

「It smells delicious, …haha. I really wanted to have just one bite.」

Yoon Jaewoo took a step back, looking at Cox who was suddenly acting strangely. It was a different kind of creepiness from Yatenbaum, who licked his lips while looking at him.

「Are you sure he is your Maryan?」

Cox leaned his body forward and asked again. He looked ready to snap Ramia’s neck and suck his fresh blood right now if the answer ‘no’ came from Eustace’s mouth.

Eustace let out a sigh with his eyes. He reached out and grasped Yoon Jaewoo by the nape of his neck.

“What, what is it?”

Noticing that the hand gripping him was different from usual, Yoon Jaewoo flinched his shoulders. It was not a rough grab of the scruff of his neck. At the cool touch that slowly stroked his nape, Yoon Jaewoo’s face turned white.

Eustace’s fingers clutched the nape of Jaewoo’s neck and his hair. At his sudden action, Yoon Jaewoo froze on the spot, unable to move. Eustace made Yoon Jaewoo sit on his lap.

Yatenbaum watched the scene with a dumbfounded expression.

「He is my Maryan.」

“……!”

Just as Yoon Jaewoo was about to ask what on earth that Maryan was, a low voice flowed into his ear.

—Stay still. If you do not want to die.

So that no one else could hear, Eustace’s voice vanished like the wind as soon as it reached his ear. Although he had not known Eustace for long, Yoon Jaewoo realized that the voice he alone had heard was extremely serious.

「For you to take a Ramia as a Yan…. Well, he does smell delicious. It would be nice to have just one more bite.」

Cox muttered, his eyes narrowed as he scanned Yoon Jaewoo up and down. Yatenbaum still had a look of disbelief at the sudden change in the situation.

「So Eustace Rau does engage in reproductive activities. …And with a Ramia, at that.」

Cox muttered with his eyes narrowed.

“Re, reproductive….”

As Yoon Jaewoo, who understood the word, was about to turn his head in surprise, Eustace held the nape of his neck firmly to keep him from moving.

「So do not touch him. Since I have finally found something to my liking.」

「Well, fine. For now.」

Cox nodded his head.

A Maryan was a Dweord’s partner for sex and reproduction. They were sometimes discarded after reproduction. However, it was an unwritten rule not to touch them, at least while they were in a relationship with a Dweord.

Eustace patted Yoon Jaewoo on the nape of his neck and continued to speak.

「So, from now on, even if my Maryan shows impertinence, I would appreciate it if you would overlook it appropriately.」

「Right. After you are done using him, we can reconsider that…. Ah. My head hurts.」

Cox suddenly groaned and put a hand to his forehead.

「You crazy bastard. Do you have anything to say other than it hurts, I’m depressed, I’m sad?」

「Ah…. I don’t like you.」

The table in the middle of the office split in two. Flames flared in Yatenbaum’s eyes.

Yoon Jaewoo flinched his shoulders. He had coughed up blood and collapsed when exposed to the force during Eustace and Yatenbaum’s argument.

「Mäden.」

Eustace gave Yatenbaum a look. Only then did Yatenbaum subdue the flames and glare at Cox.

「Bird-brain. You seem to have forgotten something, but I can snap your neck right now if I put my mind to it.」

「I know.」

Cox lifted his head. A bitter smile lingered on his lips.

「You, and him, and the one from the East can all beat me.」

Yoon Jaewoo turned his head.

It seemed there was a hierarchy among the Dweords as well. Then that blue-haired one must be the weakest.

「Because I am the weakest and most wretched….」

Seeing Cox mutter to himself while braiding his long hair, Yoon Jaewoo suddenly felt his nose tingle.

How strong must Eustace, Yatenbaum, and the one Dweord he had not yet met be. When Yoon Jaewoo thought of the hardships that the seemingly inadequate Cox must have endured among them, his eyes became hot.

「Yes. I am the weakest. If they put their minds to it, someone like me, my neck….」

As the voice continued to mutter while braiding the hair, Yoon Jaewoo quickly wiped the corners of his eyes with his hand.

It was a strange thing. Listening to that man’s voice made him feel depressed and his stomach churned. He was sad and his heart ached, and his chest felt tight.

「I am the weakest…, I know that.」

How pitiful. He’s pathetic and pitiable.

Yoon Jaewoo looked at the poor Dweord who was earnestly muttering to himself and shed tears.

「But still, if I put my mind to it, I can make all living things sick right now, can’t I?」

The hand that was braiding the hair stopped. A smile bloomed on the depressed face. Cox lifted his head and laughed. It was a nasty and gloomy laugh. Just hearing it made his skin crawl.

「Hehehehe, …that’s right.」

Cox, who was snickering, discovered Ramia looking at him and his eyes gleamed.

「You cried?」

“Pardon?”

「You were crying. The delicious thing, how pitiful.」

He reached out his hand. Eustace firmly slapped that hand away. Cox, confirming Eustace’s hard gaze, laughed and nodded his head.

「Yes. Yes. I get it. This one and that one are both so violent, …haah, I’m sleepy and my head hurts. That’s just how I am.」

Cox muttered while twirling his well-braided hair with his finger. The more he listened to his muttering, Yoon Jaewoo realized that he too was becoming depressed.

As Yoon Jaewoo couldn’t take his eyes off Cox with an anxious face, Eustace clicked his tongue in displeasure and reached out his hand.

The moment Eustace’s palm touched the back of his head, Yoon Jaewoo’s mind became peaceful, as if it had never been otherwise.

「My body aches. My shoulders ache. My whole body hurts. Oof.」

Cox tapped his shoulder area with his fist and glanced at Eustace. It was a pointless fit of pique. It was a ploy to sway the mood of Ramia, whom Eustace was holding.

Eustace, who was not unaware of this, put strength in his hands and hugged Ramia protectively. A warm energy seeped into Yoon Jaewoo’s body. But soon, at Cox’s voice muttering in a depressed tone, his body cooled down.

As his mood repeated between being depressed and then peaceful, then surging up again, Yoon Jaewoo reached a point where he did not know what state he was in. The pale Yoon Jaewoo leaned his body against Eustace’s shoulder and put strength in his hands.

“I….”

「Shh.」

Eustace patted Yoon Jaewoo as if soothing a child and gestured for him to be quiet.

「Why are you so insistent on talking about Bedas now? I’m so sick and sad and tired….」

「Shut your mouth, bird-brain.」

「Cox. Stop it.」

「My head hurts so much, and I’m sleepy, and ah….」

The more Cox’s whining continued, the harder Yatenbaum’s expression became. The complexion of Eustace, who was holding Yoon Jaewoo, had also turned cold a long time ago.

It was a touch-and-go situation, where either Yatenbaum would explode in anger or Eustace would tear out Cox’s throat. However, what stopped Cox’s groans was neither Yatenbaum nor Eustace.

With a bang, the door opened. A man who appeared, his brilliant golden hair flying, held up both his arms. A golden halo flashed behind his back. It was a dazzling aura, enough to make one’s eyes rot.

「I have arrived!」

「…Damn it.」

「…Ugh.」

「…….」

There was no one to welcome the brilliant man’s appearance.

An invisible tension between them tautly filled the office. No one was the first to open their mouth. An immense energy began to flow out.

They had never been gathered in the same place except for a Dweord’s encoffinment ceremony.

“Ugh….”

Yoon Jaewoo quickly covered his mouth with his palm. A terrible nausea, like riding a roller coaster twelve times without a break, began to rise.

「Hahahaha. It has been a long time, everyone.」

The blond Dweord said, with his hands on his waist.

「…Shit.」

A curse burst out of Yatenbaum’s mouth without restraint. Regardless, Malik Dicker walked to the center of the office, his long, wavy blond hair fluttering. With every step he took, a thick fragrance and strong energy flowed out. Unable to withstand that energy, Yoon Jaewoo collapsed limply onto Eustace’s shoulder. Eustace wrapped his arms around Yoon Jaewoo’s trembling head.

「What is that filthy thing?」

Malik Dicker pointed at Ramia, who was nestled in Eustace’s arms, as if he had seen something he should not have.

「It is none of your concern.」

「You brought a disgusting and filthy Ramia to a place like this? Hahaha. What a fucking dogshit situation this is. Is this not an insult to my existence?」

At Dicker’s exaggerated way of speaking, the expressions of the other Dweords, including Eustace, hardened all at once.

「Shut up, you cat bastard.」

Yatenbaum said with fire in his eyes, but Malik Dicker did not even pretend to listen and only poured out what he wanted to say.

「To bring such a filthy Ramia to a sacred place like this, where a noble and beautiful Dweord like myself has come.」

「Are you the only noble one? You bastard.」

Malik looked down coldly at Yatenbaum.

「Blond hair is nobler than that tacky red hair. Didn’t you know?」

「…Haa-ugh.」

「…Fuck.」

「…….」

The debate over colors had been going on for a long time, but there was no hierarchy among the blue, red, silver, and gold colors of the four Dweords. Only the Dweord of the East, who had an exceptionally strong self-love, insisted that gold was the best color and that all other colors were below his.

「By the way, for a Ramia, he has yellow hair.」

Malik confirmed the color of Ramia’s hair, visible between Eustace’s hands, and grinned.

「He is my Maryan.」

「Eek, that filthy thing.」

「…….」

「Hahahahaha. Really, everyone’s taste is so filthy.」

“I…. feel….”

Yoon Jaewoo said in a fading voice, but Eustace, engulfed in anger at Malik Dicker’s appearance, failed to notice Jaewoo’s condition.

“…Ugh…!”

And so, such a disaster occurred.

「How are you feeling now?」

“…I still feel nauseous.”

Yoon Jaewoo, sprawled in the bathtub, answered with a pale face. Eustace sighed and sat on the edge of the tub.

「Open your mouth.」

Yoon Jaewoo quietly opened his mouth. He wanted to ask what he was going to be fed, but he didn’t have the energy for that right now.

Eustace placed a small berry in Yoon Jaewoo’s mouth. As Yoon Jaewoo chewed and ate the berry, his churning stomach gradually settled down.

「A place where four Dweords are gathered is hard for even ordinary people to endure.」

For a Ramia with internal injuries to face that head-on, it was perhaps natural that such an incident would occur.

「You should, as much as possible, not show yourself in a place where the four of us are gathered. Do you understand?」

Yoon Jaewoo weakly nodded his head.

Eustace let out a sigh.

If he had known he would be this much trouble and cause so many accidents, he would have locked him up in the tower and come.

“…You know.”

After chewing and swallowing the berry, Yoon Jaewoo called out to Eustace in a small voice.

「Why?」

“…I don’t think it was there.”

The sound made by his moving lips echoed quietly in the bathroom. When there was no particular response from Eustace, Yoon Jaewoo thought he should whisper it in his ear.

「What do you mean wasn’t there?」

However, a precise answer came back immediately.

It seemed that as time went on, communication with Eustace was becoming clearer.

“Back then, at Iman’s castle…. that voice….”

Yoon Jaewoo thought that the man who had kicked the door down at the end was his last remaining lifeline.

The man dressed in flamboyant clothes with golden hair that flew like a lion’s mane was the Dweord of the East, Malik Dicker. The moment that man entered the office, Yoon Jaewoo’s breath was caught by the unique energy that Dweords emitted.

The other Dweords were the same, but this man’s energy was even more potent. It felt like being shaken around inside a suffocating perfume bottle that stung the nose. He remembered collapsing onto Eustace’s shoulder, but he had no memory after that.

The sound of Yatenbaum’s laughter, Eustace’s sigh, Cox’s snickering, and the shouting of Malik, whom he had seen for the first time today, crossed chaotically in his dim memory.

Only after soaking his body in the hot water of the bathtub did Yoon Jaewoo realize that he had thrown up spectacularly in the sacred place where four Dweords were gathered.

“That voice…. wasn’t there.”

Even in the midst of his confusion, Yoon Jaewoo had strained to listen to the Dweords’ voices with all his might.

“…It wasn’t that voice.”

Yoon Jaewoo was completely dejected.

Not only the voice he had heard at Iman’s castle, but also the voice that had promised to save him was not there.

Yoon Jaewoo’s expression darkened.

He had thought he only needed to find one of the four, but now it felt impossibly distant. He felt like he had been thrown bare-bodied into a hopeless pit again.

「The voice wasn’t there?」

At the man’s questioning voice, Yoon Jaewoo was surprised and quickly lifted his head. It was not the voice of Eustace he usually heard.

「Changing one’s voice is no trouble at all. The same goes for one’s appearance.」

Even as he was speaking, Eustace’s appearance kept changing. From the form of a boy to a middle-aged man, to an old man with white hair.

Yoon Jaewoo blinked his eyes and watched Eustace’s transformation.

Having returned to his original form, he looked down at Yoon Jaewoo and said.

「You, do not worry about such things and please just stay still.」

Eustace’s fingers stroked Yoon Jaewoo’s face. It was a gentle touch, like soothing a young animal. Yoon Jaewoo turned his head to avoid his hand and retorted sullenly.

“…By the way, what is a Yan?”

「Seeing as your mouth is coming back to life, your stomach must be feeling better now.」

“So, what is it?”

Putting together the conversation the three Dweords had, Yoon Jaewoo was sure that it was definitely not a good thing.

Eustace replied calmly with a placid face.

「It is a bed partner that a Dweord keeps for the purpose of relieving sexual desire and for reproduction.」

“What did you say?”

「The target can be a man or a woman, or even a Ramia. Because a Dweord can reproduce with any target it desires.」

“…What the….”

「I brought you because I thought you might be related to this matter, but….」

Eustace’s expression grew heavy as he trailed off.