* * *
There weren’t actually that many things I could say to Raizen.
Information that could directly impact the future—like Kim Minsoo’s true identity or the fact that he had been looping through regressions—was filtered out.
Still, I was at least relieved I could share information about the novel From Transmigration to Hero.
Though, I did wonder about one thing.
Just like how my real name from Korea still came through distorted, maybe there’s a kind of restriction on what information each person is allowed to access.
If that’s true, then what level is Raizen at?
What makes it okay for me to tell him that I’ve read this world as a novel?
‘Maybe it’s because Raizen figured out on his own that Kim Minsoo and I are both transmigrators.’
I had no idea what it really meant that I could share even part of what I know with him.
But I was glad I could at least say the two things I wanted most to get off my chest.
One, that Kim Minsoo is the protagonist of the novel I read.
And the other…
“Karon Luavis knows that I’m Sean Kreveta.”
This.
There was no use trying to solve it alone.
It’s just… to share this kind of worry, I’d have to reveal everything around me, so I kept it to myself.
But Raizen said he believed me, even when my words might’ve sounded absurd.
That gave me the courage to speak up.
I wasn’t sure how Kim Minsoo figured out that Shane Pantheon is Sean Kreveta.
Maybe it was written briefly in the original version of the novel that he read—something that wasn’t mentioned in the version I read.
Or maybe he learned it naturally from his repeated regressions.
Since I was able to tell Raizen that fact, it’s probably the former.
Raizen gave a slight nod at my words.
“Then… the things Karon Luavis said to you earlier…”
“Yeah. I think he was trying to use that to threaten me. Because Duke Luavis can’t find out that Sean Kreveta is still alive.”
Raizen’s red eyes darkened slowly.
After a pause, he murmured softly,
“Then the Duke must’ve been the one behind the carriage accident.”
“…Looks like it.”
In that sense, Kim Minsoo had slipped up.
Though, from his perspective, it was probably too trivial to even call a mistake.
‘Still, the fact that Kim Minsoo subconsciously equates himself with me because we’re both transmigrator—it’s not entirely a bad thing.’
He seemed to assume that we’d have access to similar information because of that.
“It probably was just meant as a threat. I don’t think he intends to tell the Duke—at least, not yet. Though… honestly, I have no idea what he’ll do. He seems like the type who’d do anything if things don’t go his way.”
This is the guy who stabbed me with a knife just to confirm I was a transmigrator.
Raizen didn’t respond—he just looked at me.
I suddenly felt uneasy, realizing I might’ve sounded like I knew Kim Minsoo too well.
When you speak with such certainty, it implies something happened to make you that sure.
‘Raizen must never find out that Kim Minsoo almost killed me.’
Or more precisely, I hoped he wouldn’t.
But I couldn’t even tell if hiding it was the right thing.
I had so little experience sharing these kinds of things with anyone that I had no clue what was right or wrong.
“…It’s just… a gut feeling. Doesn’t feel good.”
I added that like an excuse, and immediately regretted it. I didn’t want Raizen to keep misunderstanding things between me and Kim Minsoo, but I felt like I was just making it worse.
Frustrated, I bit my lower lip without thinking.
“Sei.”
When I looked up at the gentle voice, a large hand cupped my face.
Before I realized it, Raizen was standing close, his face filling my vision.
My eyes dropped instinctively—to his long, dense lashes and the elegant bridge of his nose.
I couldn’t bring myself to look any lower.
“You’ll hurt yourself.”
Raizen gently slipped a finger between my lips.
I quickly let go of my bitten lip, but he didn’t pull away.
“…Can I kiss you?”
His voice was a bit lower than usual.
He asked, even though last time he just did it without permission.
The order of things was all wrong, and somehow that made me laugh.
“If I say no… you won’t?”
The corners of Raizen’s lips lifted ever so slightly.
“I’d still want to.”
“….”
“Is that a no?”
‘What a jerk.’
If he’d just said no, my heart wouldn’t be pounding this much right now.
And here he was, still staring at my lips as he asked if it was okay.
“…Okay.”
Because if you ask like that… I can’t say no.
As soon as the words left my mouth, Raizen’s lips met mine.
He kissed me lightly, pulled away, then moved back in a little deeper this time.
The ticklish sensation made me laugh again.
Even as I laughed, Raizen kept giving me soft pecks, only to pull back and return again.
“Ah, seriously, what is this.”
“Haha.”
Eventually, even Raizen broke into laughter.
I looked up at his softly curved eyes… and then leaned in to kiss him myself.
He must’ve grown again—I had to stand on my tiptoes to reach.
‘Smooch.’
‘Why… why does it make such a loud noise when I’m the one kissing?’
It felt like something straight out of a kids’ game.
I mean, it’s not entirely wrong… but the soul in this body?
I served in the Korean military, for crying out loud.
I kissed him again, this time staying there a little longer.
But the moment embarrassment hit me like a tidal wave, I quickly pulled away from Raizen.
“Huff, hah…”
It wasn’t anything big, yet I was out of breath.
I swallowed hard and snuck a glance back at Raizen.
He stood frozen, wide-eyed.
‘What the—’
I’d never seen that face before.
Raizen, who always seemed so composed and mature for his age, suddenly looked his age for the first time.
If we were in Korea, he’d be around twenty.
That exact moment of uncertain, still-ripening youth.
Raizen blinked slowly, then rubbed his face with both hands.
When he dropped them, the expression from earlier had vanished—he was back to his usual self.
But his eyes shimmered brighter than ever.
“Sei.”
He called my name in a voice that was half laughter, half disbelief.
“Yeah? What?”
I answered as casually as I could, and Raizen let out a soft chuckle.
Then he stepped closer and gently pulled me into his arms.
That familiar, rich rose scent—like my own pheromones—once again filled the air.
“I think it’d be best to announce the engagement as soon as possible.”
To bring that up all of a sudden?
Honestly, I didn’t exactly hate it.
Adults would probably say I’m being immature if they knew.
“…But is that even possible? It won’t be easy……”
“What the adults are worried about is your safety. If it weren’t for that, there wouldn’t be any reason to hesitate, really.”
“Is that so…….”
In that case, it seemed okay.
Training with Seol had been brutally hard, like I was going to die, but it paid off.
Now I could at least form a defensive barrier strong enough to protect myself.
I still needed more training to improve its strength and duration, though.
‘And…’
I wasn’t alone anymore.
The Duke and Duchess of Pantheon, Grandfather, and Raizen… they were all by my side.
Only now, belatedly, did it truly sink in that I had a family.
“It’s something that has to come out eventually anyway. Better to speed up the timing. That way, Karon Luavis won’t have an excuse to keep blackmailing you.”
I saw Raizen hesitate as if unsure about saying what came next, so I spoke up first.
“If Duke Luavis is targeting me and makes a move, then we can definitely expose who was behind the carriage accident.”
At my words, Raizen tilted his head slightly, looking somewhat displeased.
Still, I welcomed even that.
It was so different from how he used to treat me—like I was nothing more than a means to an end.
“Right, hyung?”
Raizen gave a reluctant nod, as if conceding.
For some reason, that made me laugh.
Ah, really—everything felt like it was going to turn out okay.
* * *
