Encounter with the Demon (1)
Because she'd secretly slipped out of the palace before to ask Eunhyeon and Illyana to rescue Yuria, they were using that as an excuse to keep both the runaway princess and Illyana under strict guard inside the palace, refusing all visitors.
Illyana had once tried to demand Eunhyeon's release from Consort Helena as repayment for his prior help, but she wasn't even allowed entry into the palace itself.
The current house arrest was essentially Queen Regent Dianne's way of keeping her in check, but it was Illyana who was suffering the inconvenience.
When Illyana heard that Eunhyeon had been arrested and detained by the Royal Guard Knights, she rushed to the palace, leveraging her status as his guarantor, only to have her request for a meeting flatly denied.
Her identity was backed by every mage on the continent, but since she wasn't a subject of the kingdom and was seen as a foreigner, they used that as a pretext to refuse her.
They'd begged her to stay in Fernin and even built her the Merbiss Magic Library just to have her take charge of it, but now they were rejecting her with absurd logic.
With authority lying firmly on the kingdom's side, Illyana had no real recourse, which was why she'd come to Riod.
"Those fucking dog bastards. What? If I accept the title and become a noble of Pernias, then they can guarantee my identity? They spout that shit even now? Ha, I'm so flabbergasted. I barely held back from burning the whole palace down."
She usually came off as incredibly lazy and indifferent to everything, but once her emotions ignited, she couldn't contain them.
After unloading everything she'd bottled up on Riod and regaining some composure, Illyana noticed his reaction was surprisingly lukewarm.
She recalled that just a few days ago, he'd shared drinks with the peculiar trio of this kingdom's Duke Abros Armitas, Riod, and Eunhyeon.
Remembering that Eunhyeon had gotten involved in investigating the string of noble assaults in the capital, Illyana narrowed her eyes and glared at Riod.
"You... you knew this was coming?"
"No."
"Then? Why are you so calm?"
Riod valued Eunhyeon just as much as she did.
As he'd said before, if Eunhyeon wanted it, he'd cut off the king's head and bring it to him. Riod never questioned or doubted Eunhyeon's actions or choices.
The world saw him as the knight among knights, sworn to the royal family, but only his family and old comrades knew his true loyalty was to one man alone: Eunhyeon.
"He's in prison, and you're just sitting here? That doesn't make sense. What is it? What are you two plotting? Spill it now!"
She'd suspected for a while that Eunhyeon was hiding something from her and conspiring with Riod, but since he'd wanted to keep it secret, she hadn't pried.
But now she needed to know. Illyana glared fiercely at Riod, waiting for him to speak.
"He wasn't supposed to end up in prison. Something must have gone off plan."
"What was the original plan?"
"Let the succubus capture him on purpose and pry out that demon's true goal."
"Succubus? You mean... the demon that drains men's essence?"
"That's right."
"Essence... you don't mean Hyun's essence...?"
Imagining something, Illyana's face paled.
"Ah, no... no way..."
"What?"
"No! Who decided that's all mine—! Mmph!"
Realizing what she'd blurted out, Illyana panicked and clamped her hand over her mouth.
"......"
Riod narrowed his eyes at her odd behavior. Illyana averted her gaze slightly and cleared her throat.
"A-hem! So? Tell me everything. From start to finish, every detail."
"Eunhyeon figured out from the beginning that a demon was behind it. He just didn't step in."
"Yeah, that's Hyun for you."
"Then he approached me and Duke Armitas with a proposal."
"Huh?"
Illyana tilted her head at the unexpected revelation.
Eunhyeon wasn't the type to take the forefront and solve problems himself, even when they arose.
He'd handle them if asked or quietly from the shadows without revealing himself.
But this time, he'd proactively stepped up to lead the investigation? It caught her off guard.
What on earth changed in him?
Imagining Eunhyeon's absent face, Illyana sighed.
The crackling of burning firewood echoed in his ears.
As his consciousness awakened, Eunhyeon opened his eyes, still lying still and staring at the ceiling.
It was bright out, but still early dawn before sunrise.
Crack, crack, crack.
"Oh? Did I wake you?"
"No. I just woke up a bit earlier than usual."
Eunhyeon sat up in his sleeping bag, stretching as he greeted the slightly early morning.
"What are you doing?"
"Hm? Oh, well..."
The woman, hesitating with a kitchen knife and vegetables on the cutting board, stammered in response.
Her sharp, elongated elven ears flushed bright red, matching her childlike embarrassed expression.
"H-human cooking is kinda hard... I've always eaten what Hyun makes, so I wanted to cook for you for once..."
Her hand gripping the knife for the first time looked awkward, and the irregularly chopped vegetables betrayed her clumsy skill.
Perhaps finding her so fresh and adorable, Eunhyeon thanked the heavens inwardly for such a nice morning sight and approached her.
"Uh...?"
"You don't grip the knife that hard."
He took her hand to demonstrate.
"Ah..."
Staring at his hand enveloping her right one on the knife, she blinked in surprise.
"Hold the knife like this, and curl your other fingers so the tips aren't exposed."
As he guided her hands directly, it turned into him embracing her from behind.
"Slowly, with a steady rhythm."
His whisper in her ear from behind made her move the knife blankly, following his lead to slice the vegetables.
"Easy, right?"
"Y-yeah. It is..."
"You don't have to cook, though. 'Elves' don't even have the concept of cooking to begin with."
"True... but your food is delicious."
Sylvia, the elf traveling with him, smiled wryly but shook her head at his comfort.
As he'd said, elven culture lacked cooking entirely.
They loved nature as it was; grilling over fire or seasoning for flavor wasn't a thing.
For elves, who lived near-immortal lives in a different sense from Eunhyeon, food was mere sustenance—no pleasure derived.
They avoided killing living beings, so no meat or fish; just fruits, detoxified plants, roots, and vegetables.
Thus, Sylvia attempting human cooking was quite unexpected.
"I appreciate the thought, sis, but I'm fine. Come on, let's clean up and prep breakfast."
"Yeah, let's."
Back to their roles, Eunhyeon prepared a simple meal with outdoor tools while Sylvia packed sleeping bags and gear for quick departure after eating.
What started as an awkward human-elf duo had grown smooth over weeks; they fulfilled roles wordlessly, preparing seamlessly.
"You're amazing, Hyun. You didn't freak out seeing an elf. Have you met my kin before?"
Elves were also called the fairy folk.
Living over a millennium in vast forests larger than kingdoms, they shunned other races, existing only in legends among humans—no sightings.
Even if venturing out, artifacts disguised them as humans, making detection hard for long stays.
"I was shocked inside."
"Liar. I saw your face—'An elf,' you said flatly, looking so stiff I thought you were talking to a tree."
They chatted over simple breakfast, laughing and enjoying the time.
"We'll part ways when we reach 'Moon Village,' right?"
"Probably."
"Nooo... I wanna eat your cooking forever. Can't you just live with me?"
"The other elves wouldn't leave a human alone."
"Mmm, I can convince them."
"It's far off; let's think slowly."
"F-fine."
Smiling at her reluctant whine, Eunhyeon imagined settling in the elven village with Sylvia.
If he weren't the Apostle of the Gods, he might have accepted.
No woman he'd met compared; Sylvia held a huge place in his heart.
But he convinced himself otherwise and set off toward the World Tree.
"Ugh..."
Erin shivered on the hard floor as cold air seeped into her body.
"What was that... Hyun with some super pretty woman... Hot!"
Grasping fragments of her dream as she woke, Erin suddenly realized her wrists were still bound and sprang up like a coiled spring.
"Huh...?"
Taking stock, she realized she was in a prison cell.
"What the hell happened...?"
She remembered Ashton's one-sided beating and something speaking in her head, but nothing after—why was she locked up?
"You're awake."
As she tried to sort her confusion, a familiar male voice from the corner made her whip her head around.
Confirming it was who she thought, Erin cried out in shock.
"Hyun! Uh...?"
She jolted again at his state.
One eye swollen shut, torn clothes revealing blue bruises, arms bound behind like hers.
Gaunt and haggard, he looked far from okay.
The divine beast in her had drained his mana and essence, but under possession, Erin hadn't noticed.
Trembling, she asked, "Your face... what happened...?"
"Just some business."
"What business...?"
Why was it so battered and swollen? She couldn't grasp the situation.
I blacked out from that guy's beating... Who was the woman in my head?
The sensation of invasion, being pushed out—unfamiliar, helpless.
Frowning at the memory, Erin struggled to keep up as Eunhyeon pulled her behind him amid her confusion.
Knight...?
Staring at the knights ahead, she registered their imprisonment.
"Now, let's continue. So, my proposal—will you accept? Or not?"