Becoming the Terminally-Ill Villain Who Torments His Disciples - Chapter 85.1
Clatter, clatter.
Leaning against the shaking carriage, Cielo looked down at the sword resting in their arms. The sword Damon had given felt oddly weightless despite its large size.
“…I thought you hated me.”
Had those pleading words reached him? Or had Ryan’s heart been swayed by Cielo’s sincerity?
Whatever the reason, the fact that there was now a path to become involved with Ryan was enough to feel grateful.
“There’s really no backing out now, Cielo.”
“Pardon? What do you mean?”
“What do you think? My father gave you a dowry.”
Ryan smiled brightly as he tapped the hilt of the scabbard that Cielo was holding closely, almost as if hugging it.
“…A dowry?”
“Yep. A dowry.”
“You mean this sword is the dowry?”
“Yes. It’s the dowry that means he’s approved of our marriage.”
According to what followed, it was a tradition in the Doberman family to gift a sword as a sign of approval for marriage.
It began when the first head of the Doberman family presented the sword he had used to the one he wished to marry. In modern times, the tradition had changed—now, an elder of the family would bestow a sword upon someone becoming a new member of the family.
“A dowry…”
Murmuring softly, Cielo looked down at the sword that was as large as their own body. Who would have thought a single word like “dowry” could bring such joy?
As Cielo’s lips curled upward, Oscar, sitting beside them, reached out and wrapped his arms around their waist.
He didn’t say anything, only rubbed his face against the nape of their neck, but even that alone was enough to show just how jealous he was.
‘Cute.’
‘So happy.’
Every moment of this was filled with happiness and felt so precious.
Taking a deep breath, Cielo tightened their grip around the sword.
‘Just a bit more.’
Just a little longer, and they would finally be able to claim the desires they had dared to reach for, for the first time in their life.
‘I’ll make it mine.’
They didn’t want to let go of these keys that could lead them to happiness.
Never.
***
“Hoo…”
Taking a deep breath, Eli raised his head and looked at the imperial palace.
Ever since the day Cielo visited the forest village and left again, Eli had pushed himself to head toward the palace several times.
But despite his determination to face the Emperor, Eli just couldn’t bring himself to enter the palace.
Fear had a way of doing that. Even though just a few more steps would let him hear the truth from the other side, those final steps were more terrifying than death itself.
In the end, Eli could only keep retreating, clutching the courage Cielo had given him. All he left behind was the vague promise that one day he would find the courage to approach them.
About four days had passed since Cielo and the others left. One day, the people living in the forest began speaking with faces full of unease.
“Isn’t the Esteban estate acting strange lately?”
“Right? Didn’t lightning strike the manor recently, and start a fire or something?”
“The fire isn’t the real problem. The real problem is that the number of monsters is increasing! I heard a defensive wall nearby collapsed the other day!”
‘…The monsters are increasing?’
Eli turned his head toward the direction of the Esteban estate.
He had already noticed the considerable noise coming from that direction after Cielo’s group had left. He had assumed it had been resolved well, and that they were all living happily by now…
“Did anyone see anything unusual at the Esteban estate?”
“I was thinking of going to check it out. It seems dangerous with the growing number of monsters, but if they keep gathering, we’ll have to relocate too.”
The village leader spoke.
After thinking for a moment, Eli replied.
“I’ll go with you.”
“…You will?”
“If something’s happening at the Esteban estate… I may have to step in.”
At those words, the people around him looked at Eli quietly. A long silence followed, and then, several people smiled and nodded.
“Alright. Let’s go together.”
“Huff, huff…!”
It took an entire day to leave their small forest dwelling and reach the Esteban estate. Eli and his companions were exhausted from the constant encounters with monsters along the way.
“It’s like every monster in the world gathered here…!”
They crouched within the bushes near the Esteban manor, panting for breath.
Just as Eli was catching his breath, one of the scouts who had gone ahead came running back in a hurry.
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