Usually, this devilkin’s voice had little variation in pitch. It felt as if an artificially generated mechanical sound was speaking, almost devoid of emotion at times. However, in his recent words, it seemed as though all the emotions she could feel were contained within them.

Was this feeling of softness she perceived because he was saying the words she wanted to hear?

The comrades she was supposed to work within Sedition had preconceptions about her as a Twilight. Even a slight mistake would lead to reprimands as if the mission were a joke, and even if she achieved good results, they felt that Twilight, who was not supposed to be in her place, was taking their positions.

Wherever she went, she couldn’t be accepted as herself. She was sick and tired of the creatures in the Spirit Realm who had previously ignored her, as well as the beings in the Divine Realm who tried to protect her just because she was weak.

That was why she felt a little more at ease with Axen Arc, who wasn’t on either side.

“Or, do you think it’s fine since we’ll all be your concubines?”

“What?”

“The same goes for why you kept the Twilight Knights by your side.”

“… It’s not like that! Just think of it in a more ordinary way!”

Chrys lightly kicked his knee, which had no trace of seriousness. Even though she had spoken, the feeling of endlessly falling and breaking apart had somewhat improved thanks to Axen Arc.

The eerie sound of the continuously forming rifts, which had been going on since earlier, had suddenly stopped. Nothing but the clear, fine sky was visible.

“That’s enough. Look at the sky. Naskan and Sol must have resolved the rift.”

“Yes.”

Axen also sighed while looking at the sky. He had been focused only on her words, though he was also probably worried about the rifts.

The reason she kept the Twilight Knights by her side… was because of a dream.

In fact, besides the issue of the Lord’s request, there were other things that had been complicating her mind. Several times, she had dreamt strange dreams. Axen Arc was also one of the main characters in that dream.

‘The man who died in the dream said something like this…’

He definitely said something like this.

“…Even if the sun doesn’t set in midsummer, even if the sun doesn’t rise in midwinter.”

Standing next to her, he suddenly turned his head.

Chrys finished her words and slowly looked up at him. Axen Arc, who rarely showed a smile, was looking at her with a smile. The purplish flames characteristic of devilkins flickered hotly in his eyes.

“Do you know what this means?”

“…Ah, yes.”

She thought he would casually explain it with a smile.

His half-open eyes, usually drawn in a gentle curve, seemed to frown slightly. Axen Arc, who used to giggle and joke around, showed an unusual expression for the first time.

“Axen?”

When she tried to meet his gaze, he turned his head away. It was the first time he had avoided her gaze. He covered his mouth with his gloved hand. Despite the dark skin and the clearly contrasting redness, his visible ear was blushing vividly.

“Why is he acting like that?”

Before Chrys could speak, Axen Arc quickly began to explain. His gaze remained fixed in the distance.

“It means ‘eternal white nights and polar nights, when the final calamity comes to me.’”

“Hmm… I see.”

It wasn’t a particularly pleasant phrase, so Chryselua scratched her hair in frustration.

“I am deeply moved. Chrys.”

“What are you saying now?”

“You even proposed to me.”

“When did I do that?”

“That’s what devilkins say when they propose.”

“You’re talking about proposals when the world is ending!”

“Should I start calling you ‘darling’ now?”

“No way! Stop it!”

Chrys felt her annoyance rising again at the playful Axen Arc, who was making her laugh uncontrollably.

“If you’re going to propose, you should say, ‘Let’s be happy together forever in a beautiful world.’ Why are you saying things like that?”

“Everything has an end, Chrys. We are beings who will face the end together. I will follow you even if your end is death, destruction, or annihilation.”

“Ugh, you guys are really something else.”

The Parent Tree and the fairies were peculiar, too, but the devilkins were even stranger creatures. No wonder the devilkin guys seemed to seek pleasure and temptation at every moment… that was why the Lord advised her not to get involved with devilkins.

How much meaningless conversation did they have, not knowing if Axen Arc and Chrys were on the same wavelength or not? Naskan and Sol Noctis, who were waiting, didn’t appear, and other things caught their attention.

From a distance, a vine of golden light moved closer, swaying and blooming with dazzling flowers. It was an incredibly rapid growth of vegetation.

Chrys confirmed its identity and stood up from her seat.

“Oh? This is…”

The swaying vine, the blooming flower, and the distinctive vitality of magic. Even if she hadn’t seen the Parent Tree before, she could recognize these indicators.

“It seems you’ve requested an audience with the Parent Tree.”

“N, no, no. I didn’t expect them to come find me first.”

The Parent Tree was hidden somewhere in the central part of the Spirit Realm. Unless something special happened, it rarely revealed itself to those outside, except for a few select fairies who were its closest aides.

When they had to meet someone in person, they would often use this method to summon them.

“You wait here. When they come, tell them I went to meet the Parent Tree.”

“Yes.”

Chryselua accepted the red flower offered by the vine and followed its guidance. Eventually, she passed through several layers of magical barriers alone.

Just as her senses were beginning to feel disoriented, something wondrous captured her attention.

A colossal tree. No matter how much she tilted her neck, she couldn’t see its top. The trunk was so thick that even a hundred people stretching their arms couldn’t completely encircle it, and the sweet fragrance poured out as the wind rustled through its leaves.

“Parent Tree.”

[ Constantly feeling a sense of chaos around you. ]

It was the clear voice of the Parent Tree. Despite its gentle tone, it was not a welcoming one towards her.

[ …Why have you come here? ]

“He… Hello, Parent Tree. I am Chrys, the Twilight Dragon. I apologize for the delayed greeting. The reason I came here is—”

[Could it be that Kyscrios really sent you to me?]

The Parent Tree’s urgent voice cut through Chrys’s words.

Kyscrios, the Dawn Dragon.

Kyscrios was the name of the current Lord of the Divine Realm. It was an unfamiliar name to her as she usually referred to him as the Lord, making this sound unfamiliar.

‘…Why does it sound like that?’

The Parent Tree’s voice, which she was hearing for the first time, was different from what she had expected. She had always thought of it as perpetually calm and benevolent, like the endless praises of the fairies, yet it wasn’t so.

It sounded somewhat agitated and restless.

However, the tone of the Parent Tree felt strangely similar to the voice of her own Lord, the Dragon Lord. There was a peculiar resonance in the voice.

‘Are all Lords like this?’

Although she was undoubtedly in front of it, she couldn’t help feeling disconnected from this world. Moreover, it almost seemed as if she was witnessing the sight of a restless Divine Realm Lord who seemed to be at the mercy of everything.

Regardless, it wasn’t the time to ponder about it. Chrys answered the Parent Tree’s question.

“No, the Lord did not send me…”

The reason she had come here was too personal, related to the fruit she had been entrusted with. Chrys carefully chose one of the reasons for her coming here.

“I came because I have something to say about the last ritual.”

[ Wait a moment. ]

Not long after, a shimmering cluster of light, appearing as human figures, materialized before Chrys. Tiny particles of magic, shimmering in shades of gold and amber, floated gently. It resembled a gathering of fireflies on a midsummer night.

In the blink of an eye, the cluster of light, slightly larger than humans, gradually transformed to the point where one could recognize their features.

The divine dragons, the fairies of the spirit realm, and even the devilkins. All the blessed races of this world manifested such wondrous appearances. They were connected to the essence of the world, becoming the standard of beauty.

__

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