SOTBW - 97

“...What?”

Najane looked at Gwyneth with a confused expression. She didn’t ask if it was because of a curse? Najane, perplexed, quickly replayed the questions Gwyneth had asked her in her mind.

“On the day Nathan Armunzen was murdered, did you visit the black market with Maximón Elgort?”

“Is it true that you only returned when it was time for the field to start?”

Recalling the questions, Najane was suddenly startled. She had been so nervous about being caught in her lie that she hadn’t paid much attention to the content of the questions. Flustered, Najane glanced at Gwyneth before lowering her gaze.

Gwyneth had noticed from the start. She knew that Najane’s visit to the black market wasn’t due to a curse, but for another reason.

Feeling guilty, Najane averted her eyes and looked back up at Gwyneth with a helpless expression.

“...I’m sorry for disappointing you, Your Grace.”

Najane sincerely apologized. It was true that she had gone to the black market with Maximón, but she had fabricated the reason, so she deserved to be scolded. However, Gwyneth didn’t reprimand her; instead, she patted her shoulder gently, as if comforting a timid child.

“You don’t need to apologize to me. Right now, the important thing is that Maximón has cleared his name.”

Gwyneth hadn’t planned to scold Najane from the beginning. What mattered was that the real killer of Nathan was someone else. What Najane and Maximón had done at the black market wasn’t as important.

In fact, Gwyneth wanted to embrace Najane. After all, Najane had revealed her own flaws in order to save Maximón. Many women who had been trafficked and cursed with the fate of being scapegoats might not be as brave, but people were often indifferent to the backstories of others. The fact that Najane bore the curse of a sex slave would soon spread, and those with prejudice would look at her like she was some kind of filthy dirt.

Gwyneth felt a bit of sympathy for Najane as she calmly looked at her, even though she had exposed her secret. She couldn’t offer words of praise or concern, as it was beyond her to question why Najane had done it. What could she say to Najane, who had risked being treated like a prostitute just to save Maximón?

Gwyneth only hoped that Najane wouldn’t ruin her life because of Maximón. But no matter what Gwyneth said, it wouldn’t reach Najane. As long as Maximón was in danger, Najane would rush to his side, even if it meant risking her own life.

Najane’s eyes were already filled with the look of someone in love.

At least, there was no doubt that Najane loved Maximón.

“Let’s not linger here. Let’s go meet Maximón. He’s probably locked up in the dungeon.”

The two of them went downstairs to find Maximón. At the entrance to the office, many people had gathered and were whispering. The Deputy Commander of Colnux had left the office, his face stiff and cold.

People whispered about whether the Deputy Commander had failed to prove Maximón’s guilt, but when they saw Najane coming down the stairs, they fell silent. Gwyneth calmly asked the office staff, who were nervously watching.

“Where is the way down to the dungeon?”

“It’s outside. If you turn right, you’ll find a low tower. The entrance to the dungeon is there.”

One of the staff members answered politely.

Then another staff member quickly asked.

“Uhm, Your Grace, what about Sir Elgort...?”

“Maximón was wrongly accused. The misunderstanding has been cleared, and he must be released immediately.”

The people around them wore expressions that said they had expected this. But not everyone in the room truly believed Maximón was innocent. Some of them reluctantly thought that Maximón, who was like a murderer, was being released for the safety of the Noctis fortress.

Najane glanced at the people whispering in low voices, feeling uneasy, but she followed Gwyneth without saying anything. The expressions on people’s faces were unsettling, but there was nothing she could do about it.

In a way, this was Maximón’s karma. If Maximón had been kind and devoted, no one would have suspected him so easily. But since he had cut off Nathan’s ear to gain a grudge for Najane, it was entirely her fault, and she also felt a sense of responsibility in this situation. All Najane could be certain of right now was that Maximón had not killed Nathan.

When they arrived at the low tower, Najane silently prayed for Nathan’s soul. Although they had a bad relationship, she found it difficult to hate him any longer because of the gruesome way he had been killed.

The guards at the tower, after hearing Gwyneth’s explanation, looked skeptical but opened the door without protest. The stairs leading down to the dungeon were very narrow and steep, and the cold air coming from below was far chillier than outside.

Holding a lantern, Najane descended the winding staircase for a long while, and soon she saw paths branching off in all directions, like an ant nest. Despite wearing thick clothing, she rubbed her forearm, feeling a chill. After standing still for just a moment, the smell of blood and ice lingered at the tip of her nose.

This place was filled with suffering and death, with no warmth at all. It was so cold and dark that staying even for a short time made it feel like one might lose their sanity. Inside the narrow prison, several prisoners were clinging to the torchlight like barnacles.

They were mostly naked, covered in blood, and their lips were pale and trembling uncontrollably. The guards walked through the hall, banging on the iron bars with metal rods to prevent the prisoners from dozing off from the cold, and sometimes gave them heated alcohol instead of water.

The harsh atmosphere of the underground prison overwhelmed Najane, causing her to momentarily forget how to breathe. She couldn’t believe that Maximón was locked up in such a place.

“Najane. This way.”

As Najane stood staring at the prisoners with a shocked expression, Gwyneth called out softly. She quickly snapped back to her senses and followed Gwyneth.

The guard, who seemed to have drunk quite a bit, kept hiccupping as he walked ahead. His unsteady steps were unsettling. Every time he staggered, the keyring jingled, and the prisoners, looking disheveled, reached their hands out toward the bars in a last-ditch effort to hold on to any hope, only to have their wrists cruelly crushed underfoot.

Those who hadn’t lost consciousness recognized Gwyneth and begged her to release them. The sound of the prisoners’ cries echoed through the hall. Najane quickly covered her ears, her heart racing with anxiety even though she was on her way to see Maximón.

The guard led them to the farthest end of the dungeon. The cells were filled with prisoners, but there was no sound, no sign of life. It felt as though the place was filled with nothing but corpses, which sent a shiver down her spine.

Could it be that Maximón was tortured while she wasn’t looking? What if he was trembling from the cold like the other prisoners...? No, he was an aristocrat, so they wouldn’t treat him that way. But, considering that he was suspected of murdering an aristocrat, would he have received proper treatment? All the prisoners locked up here looked terribly beaten.

Why did they treat him as a criminal without a proper investigation, relying only on the soldiers’ testimonies? He shouldn’t be hurt by this... Could it be that he’s disappointed in himself? No, Maximón, please don’t become like them...

“...Najane?”

Then, a familiar voice echoed from not far ahead. Najane, still in shock as she stared at the prisoners, recognized the voice calling her instantly and turned to the left. Maximón was gripping the iron bars with a confused expression, staring at her.

“Maximón!”

Najane hurried past the guard, who was sluggishly searching for his keys under the torchlight, and rushed to Maximón.

“Najane, how did you...?”

Maximón, who was about to reach out for Najane, stopped suddenly, his face contorting in pain from a headache as if an axe had struck his head. His face twisted in agony as the pain tore through his mind. In a panic, Najane clung to the iron bars and called out desperately for Maximón’s name.

“Maximón, are you okay? Maximón?”

Maximón did not respond to her call and lowered his head. His head was spinning so violently that it made him feel nauseous. The sound of Najane’s voice in his ears only made his head throb more.

Amid the excruciating pain, he suddenly remembered that he had forgotten something. The realization struck him suddenly, as if it had just occurred to him. He didn’t even know what he had forgotten, but as he exhaled desperately while holding on to the bars, he felt warmth on his cheek.

Sweat beaded on his forehead as Maximón slowly raised his head. Najane, having quickly removed her gloves, gently stroked his face. Although her touch was hesitant, as she was essentially feeling her way in the dark, her heart calmed once she confirmed that Maximón was safe. She sighed deeply, her breath coming out in a visible white cloud.

Even as his head throbbed like it might explode, Maximón held onto Najane’s small hand tightly, making sure she didn’t injure herself on the sharp spikes between the bars. Seeing his red, swollen cheeks from the cold made her heart ache with emotion.

‘He is not the one who killed Trishna, the maid. He was with me on the night the incident occurred.’

At that moment, a familiar voice rang in Maximón’s head. It was Najane’s voice, unmistakable and full of certainty. Maximón exhaled, his head lowered, the pain too great to bear. It felt as though someone were driving an axe into his skull.

As Maximón’s face turned ashen, Najane shouted at the guard to open the door quickly. Her voice echoed through the narrow corridor, but Maximón was so stiff from the pain that he couldn’t hear it.

Gwyneth, rushing to them, checked Maximón’s condition. Kneeling down, she gazed into his eyes, which were empty and unfocused. His dark green eyes were flickering between pale gray and their original color.

Seeing this brief change, Gwyneth instinctively realized.

Maximón was seeing something beyond his eyelids.

‘Everyone will know. I was born with a very unstable body. I’ve been searching for a way to control the immense magical power within me for a long time, and several months ago, I finally found the solution. It was to form a contract with someone who has no magic at all.’

As soon as Najane finished speaking, murmurs began to spread among everyone around her. Maximón didn’t understand what Najane had said, but the one seated in the highest position screamed in shock with a face full of disbelief.

“It is impossible to form a magical sharing contract with a being that is not a dragon! Even if it were possible, it would be a violation of the oath with the dragons! Do you understand what you’ve done?!”

“…Yes, I understand.”

“Emaydis!”

“At the time Trishna was murdered, I met with him at the place we had agreed upon. In the forest where the snow wouldn’t stop. And I contracted to give him half of my magic forever. There is proof of that contract on my body. If you wish, I can prove it right here.”

“There’s nothing more to hear. What are you doing! Arrest this criminal at once!”

Maximón, who had shaken off Najane’s hand, covered his ears and screamed. His anguished cry echoed through the complicated underground prison like an ant’s nest, and in an instant, everything fell silent. Maximón, breathing rapidly from hyperventilation, collapsed to his knees.

The guard, who had been fumbling about, finally managed to open the prison door. Najane rushed inside with a pale face.

Najane, quickly supporting Maximón, tried her best to make eye contact with him. She couldn’t understand what was happening, but Maximón was sweating profusely, as if he had a fever. She tried to remain calm and gently stroked Maximón’s cheek. As she did, Maximón, panting, lifted his head, following the warmth of her touch.

The prison was dim, relying on the small torches in the corridor, but Najane stared directly into Maximón’s eyes. His dark green eyes, which had once resembled the moss at the edge of a shallow stream, had turned pale gray. The whites of his eyes were streaked with veins, a sickly yellow color, and his pupils were clouded, as if staring at a corpse.

A chill ran down Najane’s back, and the feeling of dread was unmistakable. It was the same fear she had felt when facing Serith. But without hesitation, Najane embraced Maximón.

If others saw this, it would cause even more trouble than they were already in. It was obvious what would happen. They would point at him as a monster and either put him on trial or lock him away in a horrible prison like this one.

The reason why Maximón’s eyes had changed to resemble Serith’s wasn’t important. What mattered to Najane was that the person who was struggling and breathing in her arms was Maximón.

Najane slowly stroked Maximón’s head and kissed his crown. As she did, Maximón, who had been trembling violently, wrapped his arms tightly around her waist. Thankfully, he was beginning to regain his senses.

Relieved, Najane quietly looked up at Gwyneth. Gwyneth, who had been watching them with concern, stood at the doorway and cautiously spoke.

“Najane, Maximón is...”

“He’s fine. It seems like there was some problem we don’t fully understand.”

Najane shielded Maximón with her body so that the guard outside the bars couldn’t stare at him too closely. Gwyneth, seeing this, was certain that Najane had noticed the change in Maximón’s body.

But she didn’t ask about it. This place was one where voices echoed easily, and the guard, whose face was riddled with deep indentations, stared at Maximón and Najane with a confused expression. It would not be good for the fact that Maximón had a fatal issue to be known.

Gwyneth took off her coat, ripped the sleeves long, and handed them to Najane. Understanding, Najane used them to cover Maximón’s eyes.

By now, Maximón’s skin had become eerily pale. The prominent blue veins on his cheeks and neck also seemed unnatural. But despite witnessing the significant change in Maximón, she held his large hands in hers and gently stood up.

“You must have overexerted yourself without realizing it, fighting Serith for so long. You’ll feel better after some rest. It’s too cold and dark here, so we should go back to the residence and get some sleep… I’ll make sure you don’t fall.”

Najane held Maximón’s hand tightly and led him out of the prison. Gwyneth watched them silently. Maximón, with his eyes covered by the wide strap, couldn’t see at all and was relying on Najane. For a while, many people would probably gossip about Maximón’s condition, but it was better to pretend there was an issue with his sight than to let them discover his horribly altered eyes.

But if, by any chance, Maximón didn’t return to his original state…

Gwyneth sighed deeply, rubbing her eyelids as she watched Maximón’s retreating figure. She had realized immediately upon seeing him that he was not human, but she had never intended to find out what he truly was.

There had been the last dragon sealed within the body of the paladin, and monsters that grew by devouring humans, not to mention Emperor Mackanon of the Astien Empire, who enjoyed eternal life. So why should it be strange if there were other non-human beings? Yes, Gwyneth had thought so—until she saw Maximón’s eyes, now pale gray.

Reluctantly, Gwyneth stood still for a moment, deep in thought, as she watched Maximón leave the dungeon.

For a moment, Maximón had looked like Serith.

Not a monstrous creature with a horrifying appearance, but Serith, who had perfectly disguised himself in the form of a human.

“...I suppose I need to look into this.”

Gwyneth muttered to herself. Suddenly, the letter that the fake Zelter had given to Maximón came to her mind. The words she had barely deciphered from the letter—muddy knights, love, freedom... Thinking of those words, Gwyneth wore a more serious expression than ever. Problems had been appearing one after another, ones that couldn’t be guessed at casually, but Gwyneth knew of one being who could solve this situation.

Narrowing her eyes, Gwyneth followed the guard with quick, angry steps.

This time, she was determined to settle things with Mahilen.