Chapter 46. Disappearance


At that moment, my heart pounded erratically.

The sight of Ingrid's pink hair and emerald eyes made no sense to me. After all, the main reason why we're out here is to escape from the storm brewing in the tower, to circumvent the devil.

But then she appeared right in front of me.

Her svelte figure was concealed under the faded cloak she wore, but her small and pretty face still gave her out as the charismatic female lead. With eyes as green as damp fields and lips as plump as cherries, she was truly the epitome of beauty.

However, behind that innocent face is an entity forsaken by the gods, someone who's capable of causing destruction to the world. Lilith, the devil.

Calm down, I kept telling myself.

Right now, we're in the capital of Izumo, and the streets are crowded with people. Surely, she won't try anything funny in broad daylight? Otherwise, her identity will be discovered. She isn't so foolish.

I glanced on my sides. Haniel and Servan aren't with me. Didn't they notice that I fell behind?

"Miss?" A devilish smirk plastered her face, as if she knew that I was in an internal state of panic.

While I was at a loss, a hand suddenly grabbed me firmly and pulled me backwards. I raised my head on my side, and a rush of relief splashed over me when I saw Haniel along with my older brother.

"Sister, why did you disappear like that?" Servan flailed his arms around. "We were so worried!"

I pulled Haniel's sleeve in an attempt to tell him about the female lead. But to my surprise, the mage already looked guarded even without my warning. The glare on his purple eyes was so piercing, directed towards the devil incarnate.

"Stay back." Haniel muttered grimly as he shielded me with his arm. "No need to explain. One glance from her and I can already tell who this one is."

His eyes sharpened its stare even more.

"To think that such a repulsive thing is blending flawlessly among humans," Haniel commented then took a defensive stance. "You reek of evil."

Ingrid, at this point, dropped her sweet facade.

Her eyes kept fluctuating its colors between green and red, which was so disturbing. Moreover, she raised her hand on chest level then manifested a small amount of black magic, as if to intimidate.

I subconsciously held my breath. Does she plan to use black magic in this crowded place? This is bad.

"It's about time I meet a soldier of the gods whom I despise." Ingrid, or more accurately Lilith, stated with a mocking grin. "And it's their favorite child!"

Is she pertaining to Haniel, by any chance?

"But more than you, I'm more interested in her."

I flinched when Lilith shifted her gaze to me.

"How mysterious," She drawled. "You resemble the dead maid that Ruth cared for so deeply."

In that situation, only Servan seemed clueless at our tense exchange. Still, despite being oblivious, he also stepped forward and hid me behind him.

"Look at you boys being so defensive against a frail girl." Ingrid turned her back on us. "Relax, gentlemen. I'm not going to do anything to you."

The devil looked at us smugly over her shoulder.

"Well," A sinister laugh escaped her lips. "Not yet."

Ingrid casually walked away from us.

As the distance between us grew, Haniel hesitated from where he stood. His right hand emanated a glowing light, a sign that he was ready to cast a spell anytime and confront his archenemy.

I have never seen him so conflicted before.

"Should I kill her now?" His jaw clenched. "But there are people. I cannot afford collaterals."

In the end, Haniel couldn't kill her.

There were too many people around. If he had confronted her face to face, Lilith would have retaliated and blameless passerbys would have been swept in the battle. Haniel understood that.

Still, the frustration was blatant on his face.

Haniel claimed himself as the strongest, yet he let his enemy slip away right in front of his eyes. He wanted to eradicate her evil existence and it was a chance to do so, but he had to hold himself back.

I could almost hear the questions running into his mind. When else would he catch the devil unguarded? How many people will fall victim to her from now on just because he let her escape?

However, the moment we got consumed by our inner thoughts, we lost against a battle of wits.

While we were focused on Lilith, both Haniel and I failed to notice that Servan had gone missing.

I realized it too late that he was no longer beside us. My brother, who was just here a second ago, disappeared like mere dust in the summer wind.

---

After that, I barely managed to contain myself.

As soon as we perceived that Servan vanished, Haniel and I desperately searched for him in the city. Since it had only been a few minutes, we wishfully thought that he still might be nearby.

However, if he was abducted by Lilith herself, then he's most likely not in the area anymore.

"I'm sorry. This is all due to my carelessness."

After finding ourselves a room for the night, Haniel and I sat face to face with each other.

His demeanor showed that he truly felt guilty for Servan's disappearance. But if there's anyone to blame, then we share the blame on this one.

Still, Haniel must be feeling more responsible than me because he's the only one capable of fighting among us and he felt inclined to protect us.

I wish he wouldn't blame himself too much.

In order to reassure him, I gently held his hands.

"They won't abduct him for no reason. I'm certain they'll be reaching out to us soon." Haniel pointed out. "Don't worry, I promise I'll take him back."

To be honest, I already expected something like this to happen. There was no way the law of this novel would let us escape our fates that easily.

However, I never thought we would encounter Lilith in Izumo. That's my own miscalculation.

As we sat in our room dejected, his words proved to be right. Soon after, a mystifying phenomenon occured. To my shock, I heard a distorted voice inside my head, one that seems exclusive for me.

If you wish to take back your sibling. Go to the Hina Forest when the clock strikes at twelve.

My eyes widened. I was stupefied on my seat.

Come alone, else I'll kill your brother, Allari.

I waited for another message from the mysterious voice, but nothing came anymore. For a moment, I was torn between telling Haniel or keeping it to myself. But then I thought, I'm not so foolish as to deal with it alone. I need his help to save Servan.

And so, I told Haniel about the strange voice.

"It's obviously a trap for me." Haniel clicked his tongue. "They know I won't let you come alone. They know I will go with you no matter what."

I nodded in agreement. That's what I thought, too. They told me to come alone, but they're expecting Haniel to accompany me. Worse, they might be planning to use me as a leverage against him.

This must be the work of Lilith. Who else would it be? It's no coincidence that she was here in Izumo.

I wrote down my suggestion and showed it to him.

What if I really come alone?

"They would probably kill you." Haniel answered bluntly. "After all, you are supposed to be the bait."

He crossed his arms and breathed a deep sigh.

"If I don't come with you, it would be pointless, and if you have no use to them, they would just kill you to agitate me." Haniel stated further.

My shoulders fell. That definitely makes sense.

"On the other hand, if I come alone, they won't entertain me and they might kill Servan on a whim." He covered his eyes with one hand.

So there's no other way but for us to come together despite the underlying risks, then.

"This is so aggravating." He admitted in a defeated tone. "The novel is forcing us to make this choice. This is simply the plot progressing itself, huh?"

In order to alleviate his frustration, I sat closely beside Haniel, who was slumped on the edge of his bed. His face slightly lit up from my gesture.

"Are you comforting me?" he queried softly.

I tapped my shoulder slightly, gesturing him to lean on me. My invitation seemed to have made him happy, judging by how he complied so fast.

"It seems we have no choice but to go together." Haniel remarked softly. "When push comes to shove, just kill me. You have my permission."

His suggestion made me flinch on my spot.

"If your safety gets compromised, don't hesitate to strike me down if it would save you and Servan."

I shook my head with gritted teeth.

"I told you, didn't I? That I'm willing to be betrayed by you." The mage held my hand. "I have given it some thought, too. They won't stop until they rip my heart out, so perhaps I should just give it up."

I hated it. I hated the way he gave up.

For someone like me who desperately clings onto my short life, I hated the way he threw his life for me. My heart was torn asunder because I knew that Haniel wasn't even that kind and selfless.

I knew he was doing it because Haniel loves me.

Genuinely, madly, and purely. I knew all of it.

And it made my heart ache in a good way.

When I think about how the original owner of this body betrayed him for reasons unknown, I feel so upset. Based on their intimate scene alone, I saw how Haniel loved and yearned for her so much.

To think that he loved me in both universe.

I didn't deserve his devotion.

After that solemn moment we shared, the clock finally struck at twelve. Haniel, who seemed to have made up his mind, stood up and faced me.

"Our priority is to get you and Servan to safety." He declared with conviction. "If it comes down to a confrontation between me and that devil, take Servan and run. Can you do that for me, Callie?"

I bit my lip and lowered my gaze to the floor.

"Callista," Haniel held my shoulders firmly. "You have to do it. Whatever happens, just focus on escaping the forest with Servan. Don't mind me."

How cruel. You're asking me to abandon you.

Before I knew it, tears were rolling down on my cheeks uncontrollably. When he saw me crying, pain immediately registered on Haniel's face.

"No, no. Don't cry." He gently embraced me into a hug. "My oath is to make you smile. What am I supposed to do if you shed tears because of me?"

Unbeknownst to me, that would be the last time.

The last time that I would hear Haniel's heart beating as he lovingly held me in his arms.

He was a man who came into my life without any warning. However, just as his arrival was unexpected, his existence was also short-lived.

Alistair taught me how to love, but Haniel taught me how to love harder. He was my scar, my sin, and my savior, who caused me a lifetime of grief.

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