Chapter 27
What kind of nonsense is this?
Chesha’s fighting spirit plummeted, replaced by sheer disbelief.
She stood there, mouth agape, as the Master continued his absurd spiel.
“Lovers need their push and pull, but causing trouble for others is inconvenient.”
“Hold on. You’re misunderstanding something. Lovers? I don’t have anyone like—”
A name flashed through her mind.
“…that.”
Her voice trailed off, shrinking to a whisper.
“No one like that?” the Master echoed, his tone teasingly curious.
Chesha thrust out a hand to signal a pause, pressing the other to her forehead.
If the matter was serious enough for the Master to request a face-to-face meeting, and Hata was involved…
She dragged her hand down her face and asked, “Don’t tell me the one who took Hata… is the Holy Knight who’s stirring up the underworld?”
“Hata is your dog, yes? That’s correct.”
She was going to lose it.
Absolutely lose it.
If there was a Holy Knight bold enough to snatch her dog, it could only be one person.
Hailon…!
Why in the world would that lunatic kidnap someone else’s dog?
If Hailon were standing in front of her, she’d have decked him.
What was he thinking?
He wasn’t some reckless fool, yet he’d caused a mess that could spark a continental crisis.
All just to lure her out?
“And, enchantress,” the Master said leisurely to the half-dazed Chesha, “don’t lie to me. He’s not a Holy Knight, is he?”
The gentle rebuke cut sharply.
Snapped out of her stupor by the mention of Hailon, Chesha’s expression hardened.
“I don’t owe you the truth.”
The Master let out a low chuckle.
There were thirteen Inquisitors.
Their identities were a closely guarded secret.
They didn’t attend public events or show their faces unnecessarily.
Most people lived their lives never knowing them.
Seeing an Inquisitor meant you were their target.
Only someone as powerful as an emperor could meet one and walk away unscathed.
The underworld had always been a place untouched by the Holy Empire.
Even the Master wouldn’t risk digging into an Inquisitor’s identity.
How does he know?
Chesha’s wariness of the Master heightened.
“Fine, let’s say he’s a Holy Knight for now,” the Master said, his tone implying he knew more but would let it slide. “If he’s not your lover, why is he causing this chaos?”
She couldn’t claim there was no connection.
Chesha bit her lip, then spoke slowly. “It’s… personally complicated. But since this mess is because of me, I’ll handle it. As quietly as possible.”
“A satisfactory answer.”
“What if it wasn’t?”
“I’d have tied you up with a pretty ribbon and handed you to the Holy Knight to negotiate.”
It didn’t sound like a joke, especially since it seemed like a plausible reason for summoning her.
Chesha stared intently at the black curtain, trying to imagine the figure behind it.
“I’ve got a question too,” she said. “Why did you assume we’re lovers?”
Normally, people would assume a Holy Knight, driven by zeal to capture an enchantress, had crossed a line.
But the Master had been certain from the start that this was a lovers’ spat.
“I’ve heard for a while that a Holy Knight’s been poking around the underworld.”
“That’s it?”
“Hmm, and…” He chuckled, clearly amused, before continuing. “He’s got your mark on a rather intimate spot.”
Intimate, my foot!
Calling a mark on his collarbone “intimate” was a gross exaggeration.
Suppressing her rising temper, Chesha pressed, “You’re acting like you’ve peeked under a Holy Knight’s uniform.”
It was a probing question, thrown casually.
But the Master caught the bait, sensing her attempt to uncover his identity.
After a brief silence, he let out a long sigh.
“Enchantress.”
His voice was the coldest she’d heard yet.
“I’m rather fond of you. I hope you survive a long time, stirring up interesting trouble in the underworld.”
“…”
“So, don’t get curious about me.”
A refined way of saying, “Mind your business if you want to live.”
“Don’t order me around.”
“It’s advice, not an order.”
“Sure, whatever you say.”
Dismissing him halfheartedly, Chesha mulled over his identity.
He’s probably a noble.
His cultured word choice and manner of speaking suggested a high level of education.
Something about him felt vaguely familiar, nagging at her mind.
But finding Hata was the priority now.
“Conversation’s over. I’m going to get my dog.”
Chesha ended the exchange abruptly.
“Pleasure meeting you. Let’s not do it again.”
Leaving the Master’s laughter behind, she exited the room.
Jahan, waiting outside, approached immediately.
“I’ll escort you out.”
“No time for that.”
Night had deepened.
She needed to be back before dawn.
Chesha summoned her power on the spot.
Jahan flinched slightly as flowers and butterflies bloomed around her.
Without a farewell, she teleported.
To where Hailon was.
She arrived at a large, dilapidated warehouse.
Moonlight streamed through broken windows, casting a dim glow inside.
But Chesha spotted her target instantly.
He seemed to radiate a light of his own.
Silver hair shimmered softly under the moonlight.
Dressed in a pristine white uniform, the man sat on a chair, polishing his sword.
The way he wiped the gleaming blade of his holy sword with a dry cloth was almost otherworldly.
Hailon slowly raised his gaze.
His piercing blue eyes locked onto Chesha.
“…”
He said nothing.
Chesha, too, held her tongue, wary of speaking rashly.
A subtle silence settled over the warehouse.
Her throat felt inexplicably dry, and she licked her parched lips.
Hailon’s blue gaze flicked to her lips briefly before dropping.
Surprisingly, he spoke first.
“Enchantress.”
He stood, letting his holy sword hang low.
“To crawl into your grave over a mere beastman dog?”
Behind him, chains glowed with white light, tangled like a spider’s web.
As the darkness of the warehouse receded, Chesha saw Hata, limp and suspended in the center of the chains.
His dog ears had reappeared on his head.
The holy power had purified the fairy magic Chesha had used to conceal his ears and tail.
“Hata!”
Startled, she called his name, and Hata’s body twitched.
His drooping head lifted slowly.
His eyes widened upon seeing her.
“Lady… Lichesia…!”
His tearful, trembling voice tugged at her heart.
Her urgency must have shown, because Hailon let out a mocking chuckle.
“You’ve crossed a line this time.”
Stepping toward him, she demanded, “Give me back my dog. Before I really kill you.”
Hailon, who’d been standing still, closed the distance in a single stride.
What would’ve taken Chesha two steps, he covered in one, standing right before her.
She looked up; he looked down.
Their gazes locked.
Staring at her, he suddenly said, “It’s… a full moon tonight.”
His low whisper, mingling with his breath, left her speechless.
It was the last thing she’d expected.
The image of him polishing his sword under the moonlight.
His voice mentioning the full moon…
It stirred a memory from long ago.
The night she first met Hailon.
That, too, had been a full moon night.
