* * *

“Dowoon, if you ever feel like visiting Arthe, just say the word. I’ll personally give you a tour!”

“Nonsense. Cheong Dowoon isn’t going anywhere.”

Before Delcia could even finish her sentence, Baek Yigang cut her off.

No, “cutting off” isn’t the right word—he outright obliterated the possibility.

“Oh my, are you resorting to outright confinement now? Dowoon, you’ve really got it rough. How’d you end up stuck with someone like him?”

For a moment, something stirred in my chest.

Finally, someone who understands my struggles!

I was so touched that I couldn’t help but smirk.

“Delcia, let’s get along.”

“Been hoping for that.”

“Tch.”

As Delcia and I exchanged bright smiles and shook hands, Baek Yigang clicked his tongue, his gaze dripping with disdain.

Only after I let go of Delcia’s hand did the terrifying look on Yigang’s face finally ease.

“Oh, right. Dowoon! Tonight, there’s a tea party hosted by our side. We’ve invited all the key figures from both sides, so it’s going to be a pretty big event. You absolutely must come. Arthe’s herbal tea is famous for its amazing benefits.”

“Alright.”

“Not that you wouldn’t come on your own—thanks to someone—but, you know, formal invitations are a thing.”

Flashing a radiant smile, Delcia tossed her golden hair and left the reception room.

As soon as one person left, the large space fell into a sudden, heavy silence.

I used to be quite accustomed to this kind of stillness.

But in that moment, I realized just how impactful Delcia’s presence—and, more specifically, her voice—had been.

“When did you figure it out?”

Once Delcia’s footsteps were no longer audible, I turned to Baek Yigang and casually asked.

He stared at me silently, then replied, “About the emperor’s health?”

“From the beginning.”

The unexpected answer came immediately. From the beginning? No way.

That’s impossible.

Baek Yigang hasn’t studied medicine, nor has he spent enough time with the emperor to observe any changes.

How could he know?

Besides, his abilities are rooted in dark magic.

Dark magic can’t cure illnesses; at most, it can extract toxins accumulated in the body.

But that’s no fundamental solution.

Similarly, diagnosing diseases isn’t within its capabilities.

After all, dark magic is far from a benevolent force.

Unless… he conjured up an illness that didn’t exist.

Fixing or diagnosing a real illness?

That’s outside its scope.

“How…?”

“I see it. The shadow of death. It’s growing darker.”

Gasp. I’d momentarily forgotten—this guy’s the final boss.

And he’s even awakened as a dark Wizard.

Then again, it’s not that strange.

Awakening as a dark Wizard implies immense potential.

Still, not all dark wizards can see death.

That’s just one of Baek Yigang’s inexplicable blessings—or curses.

On top of that, it’s a fundamental ability Baek Yigang possessed as his fallen self in the original story.

There was even a scene where he grew furious because he couldn’t see the shadow of death around Ian.

That alone proved the effectiveness of the ability.

No matter how deep into hell Baek Yigang went, Ian, the main protagonist, was untouchable by death’s shadow.

“For now, there’s still time before the evening tea party. Why don’t you rest in your room until then—”

“Oh. I forgot to mention something.”

“Huh?”

Just as I was about to head to my room, Baek Yigang stopped me.

His arm blocking my path filled the air with a strange tension.

“Cheong Dowoon, your room doesn’t exist anymore.”

“…What?”

What kind of nonsense is this?

My room was perfectly fine last night—why would it suddenly be gone?

As I stared blankly at him, Baek Yigang spoke again, his voice even firmer and more resolute this time.

“I got rid of it.”

His confident, unapologetic tone made the claim feel utterly unreal.

Was he just messing with me?

“Why?”

“What do you think?”

How should I know? You’re the one who got rid of it!

“Don’t tell me you expect me to live in your room for the rest of my life.”

“Hmm….”

Something hot began to simmer deep in my chest.

As if savoring my words, Baek Yigang eventually smiled, as though pleased with his imagination.

“That doesn’t sound so bad.”

“Hey, you… You seriously got rid of it? There’s no way—how could a room that big just disappear overnight…!”

No point in arguing here.

I had to see it for myself.

Feeling an unusual sense of foreboding, I stopped mid-sentence and rushed out of the reception room.

I sprinted to the Crown Prince’s palace and headed straight to where my room used to be.

And when I arrived at the spot where my room was supposed to be…

“…This can’t be real.”

Gone.

Completely gone.

Where my room once stood was now just a familiar, empty wall, as if it had never existed.

I stood there in the hallway, dumbfounded, searching for my vanished room.

How could this happen?

Something so absurd, yet somehow, it did.

Damn Baek Yigang.

Just how far are you planning to push past common sense?

“Agh… My back…!”

As I pointed in despair at the spot where my room had been, a groaning sound caught my attention.

What the…?

The Crown Prince’s palace doesn’t allow outsiders, so who could it be?

Puzzled, I followed the sound and found Reggie slumped against the wall, his face pale.

“…Senior Reggie?”

“Well, if it isn’t the increasingly famous junior. Hey there. Fancy meeting you in a place like this.”

“That’s my line… Why are you here, Senior? How…?”

At my question, Reggie’s face twisted slightly, his gaze blatantly asking if I was seriously clueless.

“You should know by now that His Highness’s labor exploitation of the Magic Department is top-notch. There used to be a big room here, right?”

“…Yeah.”

“I was ordered to make it disappear. How’s that? Pretty seamless, huh?”

Looking utterly exhausted, Reggie still managed to flash a proud smile.

And just like that, I figured out the reason behind my room’s mysterious disappearance.

Trust Baek Yigang to involve elite personnel from the Magic Department for something so trivial.

“Wait… It was you who erased my room, Senior?”

“What? That was your room?!”

This shared moment of surprise felt surreal.

Honestly, who the hell just casually erases someone else’s room?

“His Highness is really something, isn’t he? Taking away our junior’s room like that. Dowoon, if you have nowhere to stay, come to the Magic Department. We’ve got plenty of sleeping bags.”

Watching Reggie lazily wave me over brought me back to reality.

Sleeping in a sleeping bag at the Magic Department or being stuck in Baek Yigang’s room… Great.

All my options were extreme.

“Senior, can’t you just restore it?”

For a moment, I saw the devil in Reggie.

That was not the look of a human—it was the gaze of a great demon emerging from some abyss.

After glaring at me like he’d kill me, Reggie shook his head, his face stern.

“Forget it. Restoration magic drains an absurd amount of energy. You know that better than anyone.”

Staggering to his feet, Reggie muttered something about needing to leave immediately before dragging himself out of the Crown Prince’s palace like a speck of dust blown off a desk.

…Looks like I really am going to end up living with Baek Yigang in his room.

---

“Your Highness, it’s finally complete.”

A vivid green stem stood out against the pure white silk, its color vibrant and alive.

The sharp light reflected in the eyes of the observer, who stared at it with a quiet intensity.

“Well, it certainly took long enough. To think it would take this much time just to cultivate a single poisonous plant.”

Wearing pre-prepared gloves, Piel carefully lifted the Aquila plant.

A sweet, intoxicating fragrance immediately assaulted his senses.

“Hm. The scent is quite pleasant. No one would suspect this to be poisonous.”

“The next batch of Aquila should be ready in about four days.”

“That won’t be necessary. This is sufficient for now. The Princess of Arthe won’t have any resistance to poison, so even a small amount will do.”

Piel, who spoke such chilling words with ease, placed the Aquila back onto the silk with a look of mild irritation.

If the union between Hail and the princess of Arthe went ahead as planned, Piel would lose any chance he had.

What was originally intended for Haile was now repurposed for the unexpected obstacle—the princess of Arthe.

Piel intended to test the strengthened toxicity of Aquila on the irksome princess first.

Based on the results, he could estimate the dosage needed for Haile.

“Shall I use only the stem?”

“That would be wise. Store the rest carefully. My brother will require quite a bit.”

“As you command.”

His subordinate bowed respectfully and disappeared into the shadows.

As Piel removed his gloves, a white mark glowed on the back of his hand.

At the same time, his hand began to tremble violently. His worsening condition was evident.

“It won’t be long now….”

Despite the fragility of his body, Piel’s platinum eyes burned with fierce determination, longing for the future.

* * *