The second first night…

Even while riding in the carriage, Sikar Blake kept talking about the second first night.

“Even if it’s the second first night, a first night is still thrilling, isn’t it?”

Perhaps I felt less sorrow over parting with Vika Lamberst because I was preoccupied thinking about this second first night.

“It’s the second wedding, so it’s the second first night—but for me, it feels just like a true wedding night. Of course, we’ve already had our first night.”

Since when had Sikar become so talkative?

Anyway, he looked extremely excited thinking about the first night and kept bringing it up, making me feel embarrassed. I wanted to calm him down a little.

As I was pondering what to say to soothe him, Vika suddenly came to mind.

“By the way, Sikar. How did you meet Mister Vika Lamberst?”

I wanted to distract Sikar’s thoughts, but I was also genuinely curious—since the novel never covered that story.

Sikar, who had been chattering excitedly, paused as if recalling that moment.

“Vika…”

Then, softly, as if reminiscing, he began to tell me Vika’s story.

Vika Lamberst was banished from the Dark Elf village for being a half-blood.

But it wasn’t a miserable expulsion. When they announced a trial after his biological father’s death, Vika chose to leave the village himself.

Having lived in the Dark Elf village for over a century but never making a single friend due to his half-blood status, Vika didn’t even glance back as he left.

In truth, Vika had long wanted to leave the village but couldn’t because of his father. So when his father died, Vika was already preparing to depart—only then did they hold the trial.

Though he left with a sense of relief, the outside world proved far more dangerous than Vika had imagined.

Immediately after leaving the village, Vika was scammed by a human and ended up following a false map toward the Dragon’s Gorge—

completely unaware that it was actually the nest of Ongoliant (the giant spider).

By the time Vika realized he’d taken a wrong turn and tried to retrace his steps, the entire area was already covered in spiderwebs.

Trapped as prey, Vika had to escape the nest before Ongoliant appeared.

But even as he cut through the spiderwebs, the interior of the nest was a complete labyrinth.

He hadn’t even realized it was a maze—he’d just been blindly following the map.

Still, Vika pressed forward tirelessly until he reached the end of the maze—

only to find himself at a dead end.

The only passage visible was a distant hole far above his head.

Then, a voice echoed from above.

“This isn’t it either. Where on earth is the Ancient Resurrection Scroll?!”

The grumbling, frustrated voice came from somewhere not too far away.

From that moment, Vika shouted toward the voice.

“I have the Ancient Resurrection Scroll!”

The voice responded to Vika’s shout.

“Who’s down there?!”

“Get me out of here, and I’ll give you the scroll!”

Then, above the hole, a man’s face appeared, illuminated by a torch. It was Sikar.

Sikar stared incredulously at the human who had walked into Ongoliant’s nest on his own.

“You’re telling me a fool who wandered into Ongoliant’s nest has the Ancient Resurrection Scroll? You expect me to believe that?”

Of course, Vika didn’t have any such scroll. But with his life hanging by a thread, he wasn’t about to panic just because Sikar seemed suspicious.

“Yes! I have it! I found it right here!”

“Then describe what it looks like!”

Vika lifted the parchment in his hand and declared,

“It looks just like this!”

In truth, it was the fake map he’d been scammed with, but Vika confidently pretended it was the Ancient Resurrection Scroll.

Had Sikar been able to see Vika’s memories, he might have known whether it was truly the scroll—but the distance prevented that.

Still, if Vika was lying, Sikar could make him pay the price.

“So? You’re absolutely certain that’s the real Ancient Resurrection Scroll?”

“Yes! So rescue me, and I’ll give it to you!”

“Fine. But first, you must make a pact with me.”

Until now, Vika had been confident—but now he stammered in surprise.

“Pa, pact?”

“If you make a pact with me, I’ll rescue you. And if you give me the map afterward, I’ll immediately nullify the pact. But if you’re lying, you’ll be bound to me forever by this pact.”

Vika ground his teeth and muttered under his breath,

“Damn him.”

But his voice was so quiet that to Sikar, it sounded like mere mumbling.

“What did you say? I didn’t catch that!”

“That’s none of your business. But if we make this pact, we’ll share the same fate—is that alright with you?”

“Doesn’t matter. If we share a fate, at least you won’t be able to kill me, right?”

Vika muttered again under his breath,

“Damn it.”

“What?”

“Fine! I’ll make the pact with you. Now hurry up and get me out!”

“What are you talking about? Rescue only happens after the pact is made.”

Sikar tossed the pact document toward Vika. In the dark, narrow space, the document glowed and spun slowly in place.

“Bound by this pact, you shall share fate until death parts you. Unless your hearts become one, this pact shall never be broken.”

“How did you even get hold of a pact document?”

“I stumbled upon it while searching for the Ancient Resurrection Scroll.”

Sikar shrugged as if he had nothing more to add, and I—who had been deeply engrossed in the story—felt slightly disappointed.

“Is that all the story?”

“That’s all. After I rescued him, I realized Vika didn’t have the scroll at all. I was so angry he tricked me that I’ve refused to nullify the pact ever since.”

“So in short, Mister Vika Lamberst scammed you.”

“Exactly. He completely played me.”

“But in the end, he did help you find the Ancient Resurrection Scroll, so technically, he kept his promise, right?”

“Technically, yes—but back then, he was just a fraud.”

“But why was Mister Vika Lamberst trying to go somewhere that he got scammed for a map?”

“Oh. What Vika was looking for… was the village where half-bloods live.”

“The village where half-bloods live?”

“A place for those who can’t become human, elf, or even vampire.”

I was astonished—such a village existed?

“So is Mister Vika Lamberst heading there now?”

“Most likely. He’s always wanted to go there.”

Now I understood why Vika was so eager to leave Sikar.

He had somewhere to go. A place he needed to be.

People who, though outsiders themselves, wouldn’t treat him as an outsider. Vika was hurrying toward those like himself.

I tried to imagine how Vika must have felt—heading toward a place filled with people like him, after always being treated as an outsider.

Surely his heart must have been brimming with excitement and hope.

Earlier, I’d only felt regret over Vika’s departure—but now, I only wished for him to arrive safely.

Strangely, thinking of it made my own heart swell slightly—but then, because of Sikar, that tender feeling vanished as if it had never been.

“I hope Mister Vika Lamberst finds happiness now.”

“Vika will realize soon enough—that a place filled with people like himself isn’t somewhere you can truly live.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Just imagine Vika living with people as boring and ill-tempered as himself—it’s a disaster waiting to happen.”

But Vika had already lived with someone as boring and ill-tempered as himself—Sikar—so he’d probably manage just fine there.

Actually, I thought Vika might thrive even more in that place—surrounded by people like himself.

That thought made me want to enter Vika’s world too.

“Let’s go visit Mister Vika Lamberst!”

“Where?”

“Where else? To wherever Mister Vika Lamberst is. Just as he was always in our space, we should enter his space too.”

I said this with eager eyes, but Sikar’s response was dry.

“We can’t go. Only half-bloods are allowed there—they won’t let us in.”

Somehow, I felt I understood why. They were rejected by the outside world, so they reject others in return.

I could understand that.

“Well then, no choice. We’ll just have to wait until Mister Vika Lamberst comes to us.”

Seeing my disappointed expression, Sikar seemed concerned—he glanced at me several times before speaking.

“You really want to go to where Vika is?”

“Yeah. I’m curious.”

“Then we’ll go. Since my wife wants to go, I have no choice but to take you.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Really.”

“I felt so regretful parting suddenly with Mister Vika Lamberst. Just thinking about it thrills me.”

“But there’s a condition.”

Of course. I should’ve known he wouldn’t agree so easily.

“What condition?”

“Nothing major.”

“If it’s nothing major, that’s good…”

“The condition is—we conceive a child immediately.”

He truly has a gift for making people flustered.

When I stared at him with a dumbfounded expression, Sikar just shrugged.

“It’s only natural for a married couple to have a child.”

“Who’s arguing that? It’s just—you can’t just say ‘have one immediately.’ Even if we want a child right now, it’s not like one will magically appear…”

“There are methods, so don’t worry, my wife.”

“Me…thods?”

“We’ll join as one every day. Then, even if you try not to conceive, you won’t be able to avoid it.”

I was so flustered I couldn’t even figure out what to say.

Moreover, Sikar was gazing at me with such heated intensity that I couldn’t meet his eyes at all.

Then, suddenly, I remembered something Vika had told me.

“Oh, by the way—Mister Vika Lamberst said you know why I keep having nightmares.”

Sikar’s expression, which had been burning with intensity toward me, froze stiff.

This time, it was Sikar who avoided my gaze.