Sean’s words floated in fragments through Raizen’s mind.
‘I like you…that way.’
“Why… why?”
What followed was confusion.
Hadn’t Sean always followed him obediently?
Even the engagement was practically Raizen’s unilateral decision, yet Sean had accepted it without complaint.
Things were falling apart.
The time they shared, which had once seemed perfect, was crumbling.
“…You knew, didn’t you?”
Sean smiled.
It was a smile that looked like he might cry, filled with a familiar kind of resignation.
“No… Why are you giving up?”
Raizen didn’t even fully understand what wasn’t supposed to be, yet that thought crossed his mind.
He couldn’t understand why Sean was resigning himself.
“Hyung, why are you trying to get engaged to me?”
His voice this time was different—clearer, more direct.
Yet there was no accusation, no trace of blame.
A voice that seemed to hold back every drop of emotion.
Even so, Sean’s words felt like they were tightening around Raizen’s throat.
A fear he had never known before crept through his entire body.
“I should’ve asked this earlier… but I couldn’t.”
What followed sounded almost like a monologue.
The bitter self-deprecation in it turned Raizen’s vision momentarily black.
This conversation couldn’t continue.
That was the best conclusion his malfunctioning mind could reach.
“Stop. Let’s stop, Sean.”
If he said that, Sean would listen.
Because Sean liked him.
He had always tried for Raizen’s sake, always granted even the smallest of his requests.
“I’m sorry, Hyung.”
But Raizen’s expectations were utterly shattered.
“Today… I think I need an answer.”
His voice, refusing to back down, trembled slightly.
This moment was just as painful for Sean, Raizen could tell.
That’s why Raizen couldn’t understand it even more.
If they could just leave things as they were… If they stayed like this, everything would be fine.
Why go out of the way to uncover a truth that didn’t need to be known?
Then, deep within Raizen’s heart, a malicious voice whispered.
[Why are you panicking? Isn’t this your chance?]
A chance?
Though it was his own thought, it felt so foreign that Raizen had to question it.
[You know exactly what Sean wants to hear. Just say it. Why make it complicated?]
Now that he thought about it, the voice was right.
[Give him what he wants. Then Sean will stay by your side forever.]
A strange gleam lit up Raizen’s fading eyes.
Yes. That’s all it takes.
Why had he made it so complicated until now?
A faint smile crept onto Raizen’s lips.
“Of course… because I like you.”
“…”
“I like you. That’s why… Sean.”
It was a lie.
Raizen didn’t know what love was.
Not even the slightest doubt had ever crossed his mind that what he felt might be something close to it.
So this was an outright lie.
But the moment he said the words out loud, a strange sensation spread through his chest.
Like he’d finally found the answer he’d been avoiding.
Unfortunately, the current Raizen couldn’t focus on that feeling.
He mistook it for joy—joy that he had finally found a way to keep Sean entirely to himself.
Sean, who had been silent for a moment, stepped closer.
Gently, he took Raizen’s hand.
At that touch, Raizen felt an indescribable thrill.
See? I was right all along.
Just saying “I like you” was enough.
Why had he run away from this moment all this time?
His past self felt laughable.
“So, Sean…”
Raizen couldn’t finish his sentence.
A blue light was spreading from their clasped hands.
“Sei…?”
Why was Sean using his divine power all of a sudden?
Raizen was calm—completely rational.
But his brows furrowed.
Something felt wrong.
He could tell Sean was channeling divine energy into him, and he could feel it entering his body.
But the usual sensation wasn’t there.
The blue light slowly faded.
Sean let go of his hand first.
Raizen wanted to reach out and grab the retreating hand, but his body wouldn’t move.
He couldn’t even lift his head to see Sean’s expression.
“Hyung.”
“…”
“Have you used a divine relic to suppress the curse recently?”
No. Not at all.
It had happened so naturally that he hadn’t even realized.
Until last year, he had to make contact with a divine relic for a certain amount of time to calm the seething, uncomfortable feeling within.
…But not recently.
He couldn’t pinpoint exactly when that had changed.
But one thing was certain—ever since he began dreaming of meeting the young Sean as a man in those dreams, he hadn’t touched a divine relic once.
From that day forward, Raizen’s mornings had been consumed with recalling the image of young Sean from his dreams.
Had the curse disappeared?
It was possible to interpret it that way, but somehow it didn’t feel like that.
It was more accurate to say the curse had weakened so much that its effects had dulled.
So maybe there was no longer a need for Sean’s divine power to purify it.
“I don’t know if the curse is lifted or not. But… it does seem like my divine power isn’t needed by you anymore.”
“…”
“But even so… do you still like me?”
Raizen didn’t hesitate even for a second.
“…I like you.”
“…”
“I still need you.”
Sean slowly nodded.
“I see.”
Strangely, Raizen couldn’t read the emotion behind his expression.
∗ ∗ ∗
At last, the day of the banquet arrived.
From early morning, the Pantheon Ducal Estate was bustling with visitors.
The lavishly adorned estate, fitting for one of only two ducal families in the Empire, drew gasps of admiration from many.
“A duke’s estate is truly something. But what are they thinking? I heard they restricted guest movement even during the young duke’s coming-of-age ceremony.”
“Right? And it’s not like they’ve increased the number of guards, either…”
“Well, they did just defeat the monster wave. Maybe that gave them confidence?”
In truth, more guards were stationed around the estate than usual, including members of the duke’s personal unit, the Ravens—but they had been ordered to stay hidden.
Unless someone had sharp senses, they wouldn’t notice a thing.
“I heard they’re announcing the young duke’s engagement today.”
“Me too! I wonder who it is. The princess, perhaps?”
“If that were the case, wouldn’t it be held at the imperial palace?”
As time passed, more visitors arrived at the ducal estate.
Carriages bearing various family crests filled the spacious grounds.
Raizen, the man known to be the protagonist of today’s party, observed the scene from his office.
His gaze was utterly devoid of emotion.
Knock knock.
A knock echoed through the room.
“Come in.”
The door opened, and his aide stepped inside.
Raizen turned from the window to face him.
“What’s the situation?”
“The Luavis family’s people arrived at Paon Hotel this morning. No one has left the hotel since. No visitors either.”
“No one in, no one out…”
Raizen, who had been lost in thought for a moment, moved over to the desk.
At the center of the neatly organized desk was a tall stack of documents.
They were reports from recent searches conducted near the ducal territory.
‘Only two areas were left unverified.’
Additional personnel had been dispatched to those two spots, and the search was currently underway.
Launching a monster wave required significant preparation.
It wasn’t just about tainting the monsters with demonic energy—they had to be controlled as well.
That meant a ritual site to gather and channel the energy was essential.
In other words, if the ritual site could be found and the dark mages’ mana cores destroyed, the monster wave could be stopped—or ended entirely.
But so far, no such ritual site had been found anywhere within the ducal lands.
If Duke Luavis really was behind the dark mages, there’s no way he’d stay silent on a day like this.
