* * *
The fact that he couldn’t see the boy’s face.
That was what irritated Raizen the most.
It made the already suspicious dream feel even more dubious.
It could just be the nature of dreams, but the coincidence was too deliberate to ignore.
‘The fact that I even realize this is a dream is strange in itself.’
If he started nitpicking, there would be no end to the oddities.
Raizen decided to stop overanalyzing and focus on the scene unfolding before him.
The boy was still lingering by the entrance, waiting for someone.
He kept checking the watch on his wrist, and for some reason, Raizen felt like it was a habit of his—just like it was for himself.
How much time had passed?
Raizen was starting to grow bored of this situation.
Nothing had changed—the boy was still waiting.
If not for the fact that his outfit was different every time, Raizen would have thought he was dreaming the same dream over and over.
Then, the sound of footsteps—light and hurried—echoed from somewhere.
But just as suddenly as they appeared, they stopped.
Raizen focused on the boy’s reaction.
The boy had been about to move toward the entrance but hesitated. Instead of stepping out, he stilled, holding his breath.
His face was obscured, so Raizen couldn’t see his expression, but the tension in his posture made it obvious—he was anxious.
Arms crossed, fingers tapping lightly against his forearm.
Holding his breath, straining his ears to catch the slightest noise from outside.
‘Wouldn’t it be better to just go out and catch them instead of waiting like that?’
If he missed them now, who knew how many more days he’d have to wait?
If it were Raizen, he wouldn’t have let this situation happen in the first place.
If he wanted someone to come to him, he would ensure they had no choice but to do so.
But the boy simply waited.
And then—
The footsteps started again.
Tap, tap.
This time, they were hesitant, cautious.
And strangely quiet—so soft that one had to strain to hear them.
‘This feels… familiar.’
That thought had barely surfaced when a new figure entered his view.
‘……?!’
Black hair, brown eyes.
A lean frame, clothes slightly oversized for his body.
Another boy.
His sharp, guarded expression was unfamiliar, but—
The face was startlingly familiar.
No, it was identical.
‘Sean.’
The moment Raizen murmured that name, he woke up.
“Hah…”
Staring blankly at the ceiling, Raizen slowly sat up.
If only the dream would fade.
But the memory of it was unnervingly vivid.
A dream of unknown origin.
A boy who looked exactly like Sean.
‘What is this dream…?’
A curse’s trick?
That was the first possibility Raizen considered.
But there were too many things that didn’t add up.
‘A world I’ve never seen before. Clothes I’ve never seen before.’
Everything was unfamiliar—except for that one face.
‘I need to… watch a little longer.’
There wasn’t enough information yet.
Since the dreams kept continuing, there was a good chance he would eventually see one that connected to today’s.
Letting out a long sigh, Raizen ran a hand down his face.
His fingertips came away damp with cold sweat.
Even winter, which had seemed endless, began to loosen its grip as February arrived.
The air had been crisp and cool ever since he arrived here, so the slow shift in seasons felt both strange and fascinating.
Would flowers bloom in this duchy’s garden?
On a whim, he asked Mila, and she had smiled, telling him to look forward to it.
Spring.
A season that carried an inevitable sense of anticipation was approaching.
But the passage of time wasn’t marked by the changing seasons alone.
Raizen himself was changing, too.
During their usual time together, he had started to speak to me.
The conversations were mostly mundane—what I had done that day, what I planned to do next.
Simple questions that seemed too trivial to actually matter.
But the fact that we were having conversations at all—that was a miracle in itself.
It was an opportunity.
A chance to raise his favorability.
“So, do you have any other questions?”
Raizen absentmindedly kneaded my hand as he asked.
A casual gesture, the kind one might do unconsciously while making small talk.
Yet, for some reason, it felt strangely heavy.
As if his touch was leaving a mark on me.
‘No. It’s nothing.’
I pushed down the odd stirring in my chest.
I only had two things to focus on.
The quest. And survival.
I had no idea how to break Raizen’s curse or how to prevent him from becoming the villain.
For now, the only thing I could rely on was the quest.
Just now, we had been talking about Raizen’s upcoming manifestation ceremony, which was already just a week away.
“Hm…”
Something I was curious about…
There was one thing.
How could I get your favorability to stop being stuck at -10?
‘It’s already been proven.’
That I had divine power. That this power was useful against Raizen’s curse.
These things had been made public knowledge.
I had even personally brought back Raizen when he was ensnared by a curse trap.
I had done everything I could to showcase my usefulness in a dramatic way.
‘So then… am I really just the “good little brother” to him?’
Maybe if Raizen had been younger, and I had possessed the body of an adult, things would have been easier.
But since it was the other way around, I had no choice but to use the fact that Sean was younger than Raizen to my advantage.
“Rather than curious…”
“…….”
“I was actually scared of you at first, you know?”
I glanced at Raizen after I spoke.
He had a slight smirk on his lips.
Not mocking—more like a knowing, amused expression.
As if he had expected it.
As if he wasn’t surprised at all.
It was a change from his usual cold demeanor, so I should be glad.
But honestly?
‘It’s a little annoying.’
“But… even though I was scared, I still liked you.”
At that, the smirk vanished from Raizen’s face.
“…You were scared, but you liked me?”
It almost sounded like he was questioning the possibility itself.
As if he was trying to understand how fear and affection could coexist.
“Yeah. I was surrounded by nothing but unfamiliar adults, and then… there you were. Just the fact that you were there made me feel okay somehow.”
It was a lie.
A lie to gauge his reaction.
A step toward figuring out how to raise his favorability.
“Honestly, I don’t know. Maybe… someone told me that once. That I have a one-and-only in this world.”
“My parents… maybe they were the ones who said it?”
“Could be. You were close to them.”
Raizen fell into thought, then muttered under his breath.
“I thought it was just survival instinct.”
‘Uh… well, yeah, that’s exactly what it is.’
Before he could dwell on it, I quickly changed the subject.
“So when I found out I could help you, I was really happy.”
I deliberately squeezed his hand.
“Maybe it’s because we’re the only two in this world.”
I asked with a bright smile, but Raizen didn’t answer.
His closed lips didn’t part, and instead, he simply gazed at me—his eyes heavier, darker than before.
I wanted to look away, unable to bear meeting his gaze for too long, but now wasn’t the time for that.
Instead, I turned my thoughts elsewhere.
‘Affinity Window.’
A translucent screen appeared before my eyes.
[Raizen Miel Pantheon / Affinity –9.85]
Seriously… This is getting ridiculous.
∗ ∗ ∗
The village of Shailot, located on the outskirts of the capital, was home to the Karaka outdoor hall, where the Manifestation ceremony was held.
The Karaka outdoor hall was originally a place where rituals were performed during the era of barbarism.
The only difference was that the offerings weren’t made to a god but to the chieftain.
In the founding myth of the Sinoa Empire, Karaka held significant symbolism—it was the place where the first emperor, unable to endure the tyranny of the chieftain any longer, took his head.
Afterward, it remained as a historical site marking the end of the barbaric era, until it was later rebuilt as the outdoor hall for the Manifestation ceremony.
Shailot village wasn’t really a village in the traditional sense.
From the start, it was an area designed to accommodate the influx of people attending the Manifestation ceremony.
Over time, as inns and hotels began selling goods, it evolved into a full-fledged commercial district.
Now, despite its location on the outskirts of the capital, it attracted crowds year-round, even outside of the Manifestation ceremony period.
Still, the time when Shailot was at its busiest was undoubtedly during the Manifestation ceremony.
“Fresh flowers for sale! From lilies to freesias, we have a wide variety!”
“Top-quality lucky stones! Limited-time festival discount!”
“Excuse me, are you looking for a place to stay? Our inn has excellent rooms available!”
On the first day of the Shailot Festival, the streets were bustling with people from early in the morning.
As it marked the first step into adulthood for the empire’s youth, the streets were adorned with dazzling decorations.
And slightly off from the main streets was a district of high-end hotels, accessible only to nobles.
Among them, the tallest and most luxurious of all was the Goldman Hotel—a place where only members of noble houses ranked Earl or higher could stay.
At the very top floor of that hotel, a single family had taken residence for the Manifestation ceremony.
The Ducal House of Luavis.
* * *
