Chapter 129
Theo stared down at the letter in his hand.
The handwriting filled the page, brimming with raw anger.
It felt as if he could hear his father’s shouts echoing from the words, and Theo unwittingly grimaced.
There was only one reason his father, Marquis Nemea, had personally sent this missive.
The major incident that had occurred in Hilderd, the Holy Empire.
The demonic invasion that struck in the dead of night.
It was a urgent demand for a detailed report on that horrific day.
The reason Marquis Nemea had sent Theo as a guard knight to the Basilian Count’s household was to extract information.
Having been right in the midst of the event, Theo knew better than anyone what had happened.
There was an abundance of details he could report to Marquis Nemea.
The white flower rain that illuminated the darkness.
A majestic spectacle so unbelievable that it had been wrought by a small child.
The demons, which had seemed utterly invincible to human strength, transformed into flower petals beneath those tiny blossoms.
It wasn’t an act of extermination, hunting, or annihilation.
Purification…
It was a moment of sacred purification.
Attaching words like “sacred” or “purification” to heretical power was improper.
Yet Theo couldn’t find a more fitting description.
If that wasn’t purification, then what was it?
Even if he faced accusations of being bewitched by heresy, Theo would steadfastly insist that that day, that moment, was one of purification.
“…”
But he had no desire to report these facts—or his own thoughts—to Marquis Nemea.
Marquis Nemea had placed Theo as a guard knight to spy on the Basilian Count’s household.
If he sent no reports at all, both his father and his sister would be deeply disappointed.
His father would lash out furiously, berating him for failing even at this.
And Sionel, his sister, who had warned him that Count Basilian was suspicious, would scold him harshly for taking their side.
He was accustomed to his father venting his anger with physical blows.
But seeing disappointment in his sister’s eyes—that would hurt deeply.
Theo drew in a deep breath, his broad chest swelling fully.
‘Even so, I won’t reply.’
During his stay in the Holy Empire, he resolved to ignore every letter that came from the Nemea Marquis household.
He didn’t want to betray the Basilian family.
He could endure his father and sister’s wrath, as he was used to it…
But if the people of the Basilian household—especially Lady Cheshire—looked at him with disappointed eyes, that would be too painful to bear.
Recalling the adorable child who had praised him as amazing and showered him with compliments, Theo hardened his resolve.
He was just about to crumple the letter in his hand.
“Why are you crumpling it?”
“Gah!”
Theo jumped at the voice from behind him.
Turning around in surprise, his large frame belying the startle, he saw a boy with sharp, protruding eyes standing there.
With his hands clasped behind his head, sauntering over lazily, he resembled a young predator.
“Is that a letter from Marquis Nemea? Planning to spill everything about what our family is up to?”
It was the second son of the Basilian family.
Karha approached right up to him and looked up at Theo steadily.
Under that piercing gaze, Theo mumbled his excuses.
“I-I’m not going to say anything.”
Karha unclasp his hands and shrugged his shoulders.
His attitude clearly conveyed zero trust, leaving Theo dejected.
In truth, no matter what he said, it wouldn’t be believed.
Because he was ‘Theo Nemea.’
Strangely, his stomach churned.
An inexplicable nausea rose, and he quietly steadied his breathing.
Forcing the corners of his mouth up, Theo offered an awkward smile.
“By the way, where is Lord Ishuel…”
Unless something was amiss, the twins usually stuck together.
Especially within the Holy Empire, they seemed to always be side by side…
Yet unusually, Karha was alone.
Karha replied indifferently.
“He’s down with a fever.”
“What?”
Theo’s eyes widened in shock.
Not injured by a demon, but just sick and bedridden.
It was the first time he’d ever heard of the Basilian men falling ill.
To Theo, who looked incredulous, Karha explained.
“It’s not actually sickness. He just couldn’t control his temper and flopped down, so no need to worry.”
“Whaaat…?”
“Our little sibling being a fairy—it’s known across the entire continent now.”
“…Ah.”
Theo rolled his eyes around.
He couldn’t grasp what to say.
From what he’d observed nearby, the Basilains were extremely sensitive about anything involving their youngest.
They were fiercely protective, yet the fact that she was a fairy had been revealed in spectacular fashion.
It was far from a good thing.
Recalling how幻 species deemed heretical were treated made it even more so…
Cheshire was only clinging to the Holy Empire because she had purified the demons; otherwise, even as a child, she would have been dragged to the heresy interrogation room.
Slave hunters who lost their minds over fairies might target Cheshire as well.
The beautiful power Cheshire had displayed that day seemed like a blessing, but delving into the reality, it was nothing short of misfortune for the Basilian family.
That’s why Ishuel, unable to stop it despite seeing the clear danger to his sibling, had collapsed in a fit of rage.
Theo hesitated for a long while.
After carefully choosing his words, the question he finally voiced was short and simple.
“Are you… alright with it, Lord Karha?”
That his adopted sibling was actually a fairy.
And it had been revealed during the Little Saints’ Prayer Assembly, leading to the humiliation of Count Basilian being imprisoned.
Yet Karha seemed no different from usual.
At Theo’s question, Karha scratched his cheek with a finger, pondering briefly.
“Well… Ishuel’s having a bit of a hard time. But I’m fine.”
“…”
“Fairy or demon, the baby’s my sibling… And if anyone targets the baby.”
Karha tapped the sword at his waist.
“I’ll protect her.”
It was pure truth, without a hint of bravado.
That day, when the holy knights swarmed toward Cheshire after she used her fairy powers.
The Basilains had stepped forward without hesitation to shield her.
Just four of them blocking the path of hundreds of knights.
Theo had been positioned behind them at the time.
The feeling of watching their backs was strangely profound.
The faint nausea that had been lingering suddenly intensified.
Thinking it hard to breathe, Theo opened his mouth.
“…Why go to such lengths? It’s only been… a short time.”
It had been mere months since Cheshire took on the Basilian name.
He was curious about the reason they had formed such an unbreakable bond in so little time, one where they would live and die for each other.
“You know why, Sir Theo.”
He had thought it a difficult question, but Karha responded as if it were the most absurd thing he’d heard.
“How could you not love her?”
He replied as if stating a universal law: how could anyone not love her?
To others, it might sound like shameless sibling boasting.
But Theo understood the meaning instantly upon hearing it.
It reminded him of his duel with Benji.
The memory was still vivid.
A duel held quietly, with few witnesses, as if to avoid prying eyes.
The dry wind blowing in, mixed with dust.
In contrast, his clammy, sweat-soaked palms.
The hilt of the sword gripped tightly.
The reason he had been able to defeat Benji was simple.
‘Because Lady Cheshire believed in me and cheered me on.’
That’s why Theo found courage.
He shattered the shell he thought unbreakable and stepped out.
Escaping the past that had imprisoned him for so long, he advanced into a new world.
She had created the turning point that changed Theo Nemea’s life.
