Ascan’s forehead twisted, and his ragged breaths were clearly visible.

I could feel the sanity slowly fading from his golden eyes.

“Kyaaaaah! What is this!”

Someone screamed upon seeing flames suddenly manifesting in midair.

Even amidst the pain, I forced myself to stay fully alert.

I didn’t know about others, but the flames Ascan had conjured showed no sign of extinguishing. If left unchecked, the entire academic festival could descend into chaos.

Moreover, Ascan would face punishment and accountability for causing such an incident—and he would have to explain exactly where he obtained such power.

“I’ll… kill them.”

As Ascan moved his lips, white vapor rose from his mouth despite the weather not being cold.

I didn’t need anyone to tell me—I instinctively understood.

If I didn’t stop Ascan now, it would be too late.

Quickly, I cupped both hands around Ascan’s cheeks and turned his head so our eyes met.

“Ascan, Ascan!”

His golden pupils, deep as abysses, darkened ominously. Desperately, I cried out before he could launch an attack on anyone.

“Snap out of it! You can’t lose control like this!”

If Ascan lost his reason, it wouldn’t just be Reiana, Shasha, Ryuren, and Kayuna who’d be hurt. Everyone attending the festival—including me—would be in danger.

And if word of this ever reached the ears of the Karlua Empire, we might be caught by their pursuers.

But my voice seemed to reach no part of Ascan’s consciousness.

I couldn’t just stand by. My entire body felt as if it had been slashed open, threatening to collapse at any moment—but I forced my mind to work quickly.

‘How? How on earth can I divert Ascan’s gaze elsewhere?’

The situation was urgent.

If Ascan lost control and attacked Reiana’s group—or directed his flames to burn everything around us—it would be irreversible.

Despair washed over me, and I tightly shut my eyes.

Then, something suddenly surfaced in my mind.

‘My magic stone bracelet…’

I remembered the bracelet imbued with Light magic I’d used once before.

Since it was already on my wrist, I could activate it immediately if I willed it.

Without further hesitation, I raised the bracelet and shouted:

“Activate!”

Paaaaaah—!

In an instant, blinding light flooded every direction. It lasted only a brief moment, but it created a window where nothing could be seen.

Normally, Light magic was used for escape—but right now, I needed it to erase Reiana, Shasha, Ryuren, and Kayuna from Ascan’s sight.

Desperately, I pulled Ascan’s head into a tight embrace.

“Ascan, please, come to your senses.”

Ascan, who moments ago had seemed ready to slaughter everything before his eyes, fell utterly still at my touch.

After a brief pause, his arms wrapped around my waist. He asked, as if confirming:

“…Miss?”

“Yes, it’s me.”

Ascan lifted his head from my embrace and stared into my eyes. His burning gaze held anger, sorrow, and a swirl of other emotions.

“How dare they… lay hands on you…”

“Shhh, I’m fine. As long as you’re safe, that’s all that matters. Let’s go back for now.”

Just seeing the tendons bulging in Ascan’s neck told me his rage hadn’t subsided—but thankfully, his reason seemed restored.

Relief washed over me at the thought that I’d somehow halted his rampage.

The moment my guard dropped, the suppressed pain surged through my entire body.

“…Ugh!”

At my pained groan, Ascan’s brow furrowed fiercely.

Though he himself looked badly injured, Ascan abruptly lifted me into his arms and strode forward, saying:

“We must see a doctor immediately.”

“Wait, wait a moment!”

I stopped Ascan. Then, looking one by one at Reiana, Shasha, Ryuren, and Kayuna—who stood frozen, faces pale from the unexpected turn of events—I declared:

“If any of you speak a word of what happened today, I will hold you all accountable for attacking me with your supernatural abilities.”

Reiana, snapping back to her senses, retorted venomously:

“When did I ever—!”

“Deny it all you want. Let’s see who’ll believe you.”

The truth didn’t matter.

What mattered was that I was injured due to Reiana’s supernatural power—and the narrative of how it happened would be shaped entirely by my testimony.

“Krrgh!”

Reiana bit down hard on her lip, clearly furious.

Part of me wanted to punish Reiana as I’d warned her before—but since she’d witnessed Ascan’s power, silencing her was essential.

The most effective method was to exploit Reiana’s weakness and strike a deal.

Rather than immediately accusing Reiana and her group of assaulting Ascan, securing silence to ensure our safety took priority.

Ascan, who had been listening quietly, fixed Reiana with a chilling gaze and spoke:

“There’s no need.”

“What…?”

“If something like this happens again, I’ll kill them all.”

“…!”

I could only stare at Ascan in shock.

I knew Ascan had been concealing his power to evade pursuit from the Karlua Empire—but I never imagined he’d openly threaten someone like this.

Still holding me, Ascan turned his body away. Reiana vanished from my line of sight.

He looked at me with eyes glowing warmly and spoke in a voice lower than usual:

“I will never let you get hurt again.”

“Ascan…”

“No matter who it is—I won’t forgive them.”

Ascan’s golden eyes, as if forged from moonlight, focused solely on me. His gaze was so unwaveringly fixed on me that it felt strangely intimate.

Almost as if I’d just received a love confession…

It was a peculiar feeling.

Tanashia’s injury threw the entire Brellof estate into chaos.

Orland, Barnen, and countless academic festival officials who had been striving to meet her were all utterly stunned upon hearing the news.

Public attention fixated on who could have harmed Tanashia—but she offered only an absurd excuse, claiming she’d accidentally tripped and fallen.

Ascan knew why Tanashia refused to tell anyone the truth: to conceal the exposure of his abilities.

‘How could she, even in that situation…’

I couldn’t believe it.

‘Think of me?’

No, I simply couldn’t believe it.

She endured brutal assault from Reiana’s group. She’d only tensed up, fearing her body might involuntarily steel itself again—as had happened before.

Ascan had a high pain tolerance.

No matter how severely beaten or bloodied, he could endure it.

Due to past experiments, his body healed wounds quickly—so being beaten or used as a punching bag barely fazed him.

Still, his mood was profoundly foul.

His feelings for Tanashia had been exposed to Dekain, leaving him emotionally conflicted—and when Reiana’s group approached, controlling his emotions became difficult.

Yet he gritted his teeth and endured…

—Stop. Stop right now!

The sudden voice and Tanashia’s abrupt appearance paralyzed his thoughts.

When Reiana’s feeble wind slashed across Tanashia’s body, Ascan felt his sanity snap cleanly in two.

Seeing Tanashia collapse before his eyes, bleeding—uncontrollable fury surged within him.

‘How dare you… how dare you…!’

He wanted to kill them.

Everyone present.

No—in that instant, Ascan’s mind was so consumed by rage he briefly wished to burn the entire world to ashes.

What pulled him back was Tanashia’s scent.

Though the Light magic had erased his targets from sight, it was undeniably Tanashia’s presence that restored his consciousness.

When Tanashia suddenly embraced him, her scent flooded his senses—and even as his reason faded, he instantly recognized who held him.

‘It’s Miss. Miss…’

As his senses returned, he heard Tanashia’s desperate voice:

—Ascan, please, come to your senses.

He couldn’t rampage while Tanashia lay bleeding. At that moment, nothing was more urgent than treating her wounds.

Tanashia didn’t know this—but once Ascan began rampaging, there was no turning back.

Normally, he would have lost all reason and burned everything to the ground. That he’d stopped himself this time was astonishing even to him.

‘…Still, I’m grateful.’

If he’d lost control and hurt Tanashia, he wouldn’t have been able to bear it. Stopping his rampage before it was too late was a stroke of incredible fortune.

Through this incident, he realized more painfully than ever the truth of Tanashia’s earlier words—he must learn to control his power.

No—now, he wanted to heed every word Tanashia spoke, no matter what it was.

He even felt willing to offer his body again for further experiments, if it meant becoming useful to her.

‘I thought… if I could run, I should run.’

Imagining a future alongside Tanashia had felt impossible. The more he cherished her, the more he believed stepping away was the right thing to do.

But…

It was already too late.

The moment he saw Tanashia collapsing in his stead, bleeding, he abandoned that thought.

He couldn’t run.

With Tanashia here, Ascan didn’t want to take even a single step away.

He’d always believed he’d live alone forever—but now, he felt he’d finally found a place to belong.

He now had a name to call out in his final moments.

‘…Tanashia.’

Now, he too knew what it meant to miss someone, to long for them, to feel tears welling up. In his once barren heart, a sprout named Tanashia had taken root.

Suddenly, Dekain’s warning echoed again in his mind.

—There’s a saying: Don’t even glance at a tree you can’t climb. I’m warning you—it’s best not to covet what isn’t yours.

Back then, he’d had no reply. But now, he could speak.

He knew she was a tree he couldn’t climb. He knew she was a being he could never easily possess.

But he couldn’t give up. No—he resolved not to give up.

Ascan’s eyes glimmered darkly. He would no longer hesitate in his longing for Tanashia. Now, he had clearly chosen his path.

At that moment—

The door to Tanashia’s room opened, and a doctor in a white coat stepped out.

“The treatment is complete.”

Jelin, who had been anxiously waiting outside with Ascan, brightened and asked:

“Really? Is she alright now?”

Without a word, Ascan immediately entered his own room and returned carrying a small travel bag.

Jelin stared curiously at Ascan holding the bag and asked:

“Huh? What’s that for?”

Ascan didn’t answer—he walked straight into Tanashia’s room.

Jelin tried to follow, but Tanashia spotted her and gestured for her to leave—so Jelin stepped back out.

Lying on the bed, Tanashia looked up at Ascan with a puzzled expression and asked:

“What’s that? Is this because of what happened? I told you I’d help you escape when the time came. Right now is still too soon to—”

Ascan acted faster than he spoke.

He opened the bag and poured its entire contents onto Tanashia’s bed.

Clatter—

Gemstones spilled out—exactly the ones Tanashia had given Ascan earlier, meant to fund his escape.

“Why are you… returning these?”

Tanashia looked up at Ascan, even more bewildered.

Ascan stared at the bandages wrapped around Tanashia’s body. He vividly remembered the wounds on her skin—and the blood that had flowed from them.

Unconsciously clenching his fists, he spoke in a voice thick with emotion:

“I came to return them… because I no longer need them.”

“No longer need them? Why? I gave you all of this specifically for your escape funds.”

“I won’t be running away.”

At first, he’d planned to flee, fearing pursuers sent by the Karlua Empire might track him down. Since Ascan’s abilities had been inadvertently revealed several times, the Brellof estate could no longer be considered truly safe.

But nowhere in the world was perfectly safe for Ascan. Above all—he had decided to remain by Tanashia’s side.

Whatever future awaited, he would stand beside her.

“What are you talking about all of a sudden? You’re not leaving?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

Because I want you, Miss.

The words rose to his throat—but he couldn’t bring himself to say them aloud.

He didn’t know how to properly court someone—and rushing would be unwise.

To Ascan, she was the first being he’d ever desired—the first woman he wished to love and be loved by. It was still too soon to confess his heart.

“You… protected me.”

“Me? You mean back there?”

“Yes. I never expected you’d throw yourself in front of me like that.”

“Oh, that was just… an accident.”

Tanashia rubbed her nose awkwardly—a habit he now knew all too well, and found utterly endearing.

“From now on, keep me by your side—and protect me just as you did today.”

“Huh? What?”

“I’ve decided not to run. I don’t think there’s anywhere safer than right here.”

Tanashia seemed to ponder Ascan’s words deeply—then nodded, as if agreeing.

“Well… you’re not wrong.”

“Yes. So I’ll stay by your side.”

Forever.

At last, Ascan had found where he belonged.