For a while, nothing disturbed us, and I began to hope we might escape the forest unscathed.

Crash!

Suddenly, the horse galloping ahead stumbled, throwing its rider to the ground.

Upon closer inspection, ropes had been strung throughout the forest—and bells attached to them loudly announced that the trap had been triggered.

Jingle! Jingle! Jingle! Jingle!

The clamorous ringing of the bells made it clear our position had been exposed.

The men following Dekain hardened their expressions. Exchanging glances among themselves, they scattered in all directions without waiting for anyone to stop them.

“Ah….”

Their action meant only one thing:

They intended to become bait to ensure my safety.

As I stared blankly at the men disappearing into the distance, Dekain spoke in a voice lower and heavier than usual.

“They came here fully prepared. I only brought those I could trust.”

“…….”

I couldn’t utter a single word.

I couldn’t believe someone would willingly sacrifice themselves for me. It hit me again just how dire the situation truly was.

Ascan and Dekain cut down as many forest ropes as they could.

Though our movements still caused bells to ring, the decoys who had scattered earlier were now ringing bells from every direction, making it impossible to distinguish where the real threat lay.

But this tactic wouldn’t last long.

Whizzzz—

Suddenly, arrows rained down from all sides.

The Lazent soldiers hadn’t pinpointed our exact location—but it seemed they’d rather kill me outright than risk letting me escape.

Dekain realized this too; his expression turned grim.

Ascan stretched out his arm and intercepted an arrow aimed directly at me.

“Ascan!”

I cried out his name in alarm—but thankfully, Ascan’s arm had hardened into steel and suffered no injury.

Seeing Ascan’s ability, Dekain stared in disbelief.

“What… exactly is that guy?”

“It’s complicated to explain.”

Though Ascan was, in truth, the supreme human weapon engineered by the Calua Empire, I couldn’t be certain whether revealing that to Dekain was wise.

Moreover, we hardly had time for such detailed explanations.

Shielding me, Ascan murmured softly,

“First, let’s avoid the arrows.”

I nodded and dismounted as Ascan guided me, hiding behind a large nearby boulder.

Ascan, Dekain, and I exchanged grave glances.

I spoke first.

“Dekain, they seem determined to kill me if they can’t capture me. Maybe it’s better if I just walk into Lazent Empire myself.”

Dekain’s face darkened.

“Well… perhaps that’s better than dying here, as you say… but once captured, who knows what’ll happen?”

Ascan, listening quietly, nodded in agreement with Dekain.

“Even if they keep you alive for now due to the new magic stone, they’ll likely kill you eventually to cover up the fact they kidnapped you.”

I might be safe for now because they wanted something from me—but once their goal was achieved, my life wouldn’t be guaranteed.

If word got out that the Igteon Trading Company’s betrayal and Lazent Empire’s greed led them to attack me, public outrage would be inevitable.

Not to mention—once Orland, House Brellof, and the Arwen Empire learned of this, they wouldn’t stay silent.

The Lazent royal family would almost certainly extract information about the new magic stone from me—and then kill me to silence me, hiding their despicable actions.

Gazing bleakly at the arrows flying from every direction, I murmured,

“But it seems impossible to break through this barrage… Even if by some miracle we escape here, who knows what awaits us ahead….”

It would be a lie to say I wasn’t afraid—but if I didn’t make a decision, innocent Ascan and Dekain would also be endangered.

“I suppose I should…”

“There’s one way.”

Ascan cut me off.

I looked at him questioningly. He met my gaze with dark, solemn eyes and spoke in an even lower voice.

“I’ll stay here and hold off the Lazent Empire soldiers.”

“You? Alone?”

“You know my abilities.”

Of course I knew them well—the manipulation of inextinguishable flames, the hardening of his body into steel, rendering him nearly invulnerable.

But even for Ascan, this was beyond any reasonable expectation.

He wasn’t facing individuals or a small group—he was up against soldiers dispatched by the Lazent Empire. The numbers were incomparable from the start.

Moreover, the Calua Empire already knew Ascan’s whereabouts—any moment, their pursuers might arrive.

“If Calua’s pursuers show up…”

“All the better. They’ll want to capture me secretly. They won’t leave Lazent’s soldiers here untouched.”

In short, Ascan intended to become bait—luring both Calua’s pursuers and Lazent’s soldiers into confronting each other.

But after that, there was no guarantee Ascan would survive.

“No. It’s too dangerous. That’s no different from gambling your life.”

“When I weigh your life against mine, the answer is already decided.”

“Ascan!”

I shouted his name. I couldn’t bear to listen to his absurd suggestions any longer.

Yet Ascan’s expression remained utterly calm—as if this were the most natural thing to do. My heart sank.

He glanced sideways at Dekain and asked,

“You think the same, don’t you?”

Until now, Dekain had kept silent.

He might not fully understand the conversation between Ascan and me, but his sharp instincts told him the situation was clear.

“I don’t know the full extent of your power, but I’ve seen you summon fire and harden your body along the way. Honestly, if you can draw in Calua’s people too, it’s the best option.”

“For once, we agree.”

Ascan and Dekain exchanged glances and nodded.

Watching them strategize as if I weren’t even there, my entire body turned cold.

“What nonsense are you spouting? Ascan, you want me to flee using you as bait? You might die!”

Ascan looked at me and smiled faintly. That faint smile inexplicably hurt so deeply, it seared itself into my mind.

“I told you—I won’t let anyone harm even a single strand of your hair.”

“No. I won’t allow it. I can’t guarantee my life forever, but Lazent won’t kill me immediately. If we stall for time…”

“As I said before, I hate even the slightest chance you might get hurt. I can’t entrust anything more precious than my life to someone else.”

Despite my desperate pleas, Ascan didn’t budge.

Unlike my heart, pounding as if about to burst, Ascan simply reached out to gently smooth my wind-tousled hair.

“Don’t worry. I won’t die and leave you behind.”

“I absolutely forbid it.”

Ascan said nothing more. He merely glanced once at Dekain.

Dekain, uncharacteristically rigid and grim-faced, rose to his feet.

As he approached me, a dreadful premonition gripped me.

“Don’t do it! Please…!”

I tried to step back, but Dekain moved faster. The last thing I saw was him striking the back of my neck—then darkness swallowed my vision.

The final expression I saw on Ascan’s face was serene—free of resentment, sorrow, or injustice.

I hadn’t realized it before, but now I felt overwhelming affection radiating from his gaze—so deeply it made my heart ache.

As if, even in this moment, he was still expressing with his whole being that he loved me.

And so, unable to utter even a single plea for him to stay, I lost consciousness.

Dekain hoisted the unconscious Tanashia onto his shoulder and turned to Ascan.

“Guess I’m stuck playing the villain.”

It was inevitable that Tanashia, once awake, would resent him.

Ascan smiled bitterly and murmured,

“Make sure you get her out safely.”

“Even without you asking, I intended to. I’m a little jealous, you know. After today, you’ll live forever in Tanashia’s memory.”

“No need to envy me. I never planned to become just a memory.”

No calculation entered his mind. He simply refused to watch Tanashia get hurt before his eyes again.

Even if Tanashia spent her life longing for him, he didn’t want to exist only as a memory inside her.

He wanted to be someone who could share warmth with her—someone who could eat meals together, take walks, exchange conversations—live ordinary days beside her.

Soon, Dekain mounted his horse with the unconscious Tanashia and said,

“This might sound cruel, but buy us as much time to escape as you can.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Ascan nodded.

“Willingly.”

Thus, the horse carrying Dekain and Tanashia galloped away.

Ascan watched Tanashia disappear into the distance—then turned his head.

Her safety now rested entirely in his hands. He couldn’t afford to endanger her with useless sentimentality.

Whoosh—

A single flame rose around Ascan.

For now, this was the limit he could summon without losing his rationality.

“Huh.”

He took a short breath, closed his eyes, then opened them. Instantly, golden irises glowed with crimson light.

The flame in midair multiplied—two, three, four.

Along with it, he felt his rationality gradually slipping away.

The more he released his power, the stronger the instinct to destroy everything became—a sensation he’d grown familiar with through repeated experience.

‘I wanted to give her a ring as precious as the magic stone.’

Watching Tanashia happily accept the magic stone ring from Orland secretly pained him.

She’d said she wanted to give Ascan something in return because she was happy—but rather than joy, he felt bitter about his inability to give her anything worthy.

If he could, he’d gather every rare and beautiful thing in the world and offer them all to her.

But he had nothing to give. Nothing he possessed was worthy of her noble self.

Yet, despite having nothing, he had taken her into his heart.

—What’s so hard? Just say what you desire.

—May I kiss you?

The only thing he desired was Tanashia.

Since the day he was born into this world, the only being he ever longed for, ever wanted, was her.

When she kissed him in response to his lowly, greedy words, Ascan foolishly felt as if he owned the entire world.

—When someone speaks, listen. I don’t regret it. I’m just embarrassed.

When Tanashia looked at him with her flushed face, he prayed he’d be the only person in the world allowed to see that expression.

He’d even feared she might consider their brief kiss tainted.

He worried she might be angry—like Dekain—that he’d dared to overstep, touching someone he shouldn’t.

Yet, to his astonishment, Tanashia never once mentioned his lowly status as a slave.

She merely gazed at him lovingly, her face still blushing.

‘…How could I not fall in love?’

Tanashia claimed she taught him how to enjoy life—but looking back now, that was wrong.

She taught him how to live without her.

It seemed as if the entire world revolved differently around her—as if only she shimmered with radiant light.

Thus, she became his world—his everything.

Boom!

Trees in the forest ignited by Ascan’s flames burned and collapsed sideways.

His fire would never extinguish—it would reduce everything around him to ash.

‘Come to think of it, I’m lucky.’

Ascan couldn’t give Tanashia a priceless magic stone ring like Orland—but there was one thing only he could do.

For the first time, he felt grateful for this cursed power.

During countless nights in the laboratory, he’d cursed the world—why must he be trapped here, unlike ordinary people? He’d never once wanted this ability.

All those years of suffering seemed to exist solely for this moment.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Countless arrows shot toward Ascan—but none could pierce his steel-hardened body or leave even a scratch.

With a small gesture from Ascan, the flames surged higher, blazing violently.

Until Tanashia escaped safely, he had no intention of letting a single Lazent soldier survive.

‘I’m truly happy I can risk my life for you, Miss.’