Egru awakened in pain. His head throbbed as if feverish, and chills ran through his body.

Am I… still alive?

He barely managed to feel his body with a strengthless hand. Every part of him ached persistently.

Red marks remained where his skin had been scraped against the dirt. Dried blood had crusted over each tear.

Egru was lying at the same spot where he had collapsed with Gilbert. His back felt slightly damp from lying on the fresh grass.

His amber eyes gazed vacantly at the blue sky. The sun was warm as always, and cotton candy-like clouds floated peacefully.

Come to think of it…

Where had Gilbert gone? They had definitely fainted together.

Egru finally surveyed his quiet surroundings. The answer to his naturally arising question was found in the blink of an eye.

Indeed, he had only blinked once. After glancing beyond the barrier, Egru immediately stood up and dashed forward.

“!”

A sharp sensation shot up from his ankle when he stepped down forcefully.

It was pain he had forgotten in his half-awake state. The area where Gilbert had gripped him was swollen like a rotten plum.

However, there was no time to worry about minor pains.

Egru sprinted toward the outside of the barrier, panting heavily. His short legs limped across the boundary of the Bonyu barrier.

“—Did Salvanel send you to mock me?”

His hearing awakened first. His surroundings, which had been completely quiet, instantly became tumultuous.

Boom! Boom—!

The ground shook with the thunderous sound of an axe and sword blade colliding violently.

“You smell like a terrible imitation.”

Gilbert muttered ferociously.

His face was expressionless as usual, but thick veins had risen across it.

The sharp axe blade roughly struck D’Élysée’s sword. Sparks flew from the impact of steel against steel. Crackle. The red embers reflected in his crimson eyes. His red irises gleamed like gunpowder burning just before explosion.

“Fakes should be destroyed.”

“……”

“You’ve insulted someone who should never be imitated.”

At that moment, D’Élysée, who hadn’t countered with a single word, released his sword.

The hilt slid from his loosened grip. It seemed closer to an intentional disarmament, as if he no longer wished to fight.

Jump!

Egru, who hadn’t yet reached the battlefield, leaped up in shock.

Gilbert, who had raised his axe high above his head, tilted his head once. However, despite his opponent’s disarmament, he didn’t stop swinging his axe.

Jump again!

“…Move aside.”

The descending axe blade was blocked by someone who had rushed in diligently, biting their lip tightly.

Egru spread his arms and legs in an X-shape, separating Gilbert and D’Élysée. With trembling eyes, he faced Gilbert while protecting his brother behind his back.

“You’ll be chopped too.”

Despite the threatening warning, Egru only shook his head vigorously. The axe blade, still crusted with the blood of heretics, continued to target D’Élysée.

Gilbert’s expression distorted. Taking advantage of this brief conflict, Egru passionately mouthed words without sound, hoping his meaning would be conveyed.

Don’t fight. Don’t hurt him.

Please. He pleaded with beseeching eyes.

Nevertheless, Gilbert’s stance grew increasingly ferocious.

Why? Why?

Egru didn’t know that D’Élysée, standing behind him, was hiding his true nature and pretending to be a harmless lamb.

Unlike Gilbert who couldn’t see beyond the barrier, D’Élysée had noticed his brother waking up. He immediately reduced his aggressive aura and eventually even put down his sword.

The cold determination with which he had tried to dispose of Gilbert earlier had vanished completely. By the time Egru stood before D’Élysée to shield him, only a brother who wanted to appear innocent in front of his older sibling remained.

I guarantee it. He’s definitely not a heretic.

Egru, unaware that this was a detestable act, mouthed words again.

“I know. That is not a heretic.”

Gilbert answered in a low, resonant voice. The sturdy axe pointed at D’Élysée beyond Egru’s shoulder.

“That is a puppet that despises my very existence. A low-grade doll wearing human skin.”

His red eyes contorted as if cursing the heavens. The straight tip of the axe began to tremble subtly.

“For a moment, I thought… the real Hero had returned…”

Hero? Did D’Élysée’s appearance resemble Gilbert’s Hero?

Before Egru could follow that train of thought, Gilbert’s cheeks grew wet.

Egru was startled and checked the position of his black tail.

It had dropped straight down below his taut knees. It meant he was terribly disappointed.

If Gilbert had ears that moved as readily as his, they would certainly have been drooping.

Egru immediately moved past the axe and embraced Gilbert. He diligently stroked the vast expanse of his back, as if soothing a sulking child.

Fortunately, Gilbert quietly accepted the embrace. His chest, still not fully calmed, rose and fell roughly.

“Why aren’t you speaking?”

Gilbert asked. At last, the strength drained from his hand gripping the axe.

“Is your throat hurting badly?”

“……”

Instead of answering, Egru just shook his head. He prayed that his meaning—that he simply couldn’t speak right now—would be conveyed.

I need to minimize speaking in front of D’Élysée.

And also be careful not to make eye contact if possible.

Recalling past mistakes, Egru realized a crucial factor.

When I met Levian…

His act of pretending to have lost his memory was exposed the moment he opened his mouth.

At that time, his mind had gone completely blank from excessive tension. He had stuttered more than usual, and his gaze had been unstable.

Like someone obviously lying. In other words, if he engaged in conversation, he would be easily discovered.

Egru knew his acting wasn’t perfect yet.

Then at the very least…!

He needed to avoid dialogue with D’Élysée until he could contact Lady Mayfield.

He established a few guidelines regarding this.

If communication became necessary, he would ask Gilbert for help, and he would absolutely avoid situations where he had to talk one-on-one with D’Élysée. That was the first and foremost guideline.

Eventually, Gilbert calmed down, and Egru slowly backed away. Somewhat relieved to see the axe blade now pointing toward the ground, Egru felt moderately reassured.

I would be extremely heartbroken if the same thing happened to me, Gilbert. I can’t even gauge how much your tender heart has been wounded.

“……”

Still, we should hear the person’s side of the story to understand what happened. First, let’s go back into the barrier together. I also have some things to explain to Gilbert separately. About this new person, I mean, not D’Él…

“Too long. I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

Gilbert frowned with one eye. There seemed to be a limit to how well he could read the movements of Egru’s fluttering lips.

But his intention to comfort must have gotten through, as Gilbert’s furious demeanor melted away like snow.

Egru looked up at Gilbert’s gently softened eyes.

Those deep red eyes. It was at that moment that the drooping eyes that attractively framed them distorted ferociously again.

“Huh…!”

It happened in an instant. Egru drew in a sharp breath at the sudden pain.

Seizing the opportunity, D’Élysée snatched Egru by the waist and fled into the forest. Gilbert, who had narrowly failed to catch Egru, growled as he bared his fangs.

With formidable elasticity, Gilbert pounded the ground and pursued them with beast-like speed.

However, it was beyond his ability to catch up with their movement technique that utilized aura. Realizing he would ultimately fail to catch them, Gilbert panted with a fearful expression.

“That’s mine! I found him first!”

His tearful voice faintly cut across the forest.

“Don’t go…!”

Egru could only thrash about, unable to do anything. His white teeth chattered against each other.

What should I do? Without me…

Gilbert would be furious if he couldn’t get back into the World Tree!

Egru gasped for breath as he watched Gilbert recede into the distance. Breathing was difficult. The fierce wind swept across his face at lightning speed.

“I’m sorry, brother. Did I startle you?”

But it didn’t take long for Egru to realize a critical fact—that this wasn’t his only problem.

D’Élysée, who had hidden in a small cave, carefully set Egru down. After checking for any presence outside, he returned to Egru and knelt on one knee.

This is bad.

A helpless tremor ran through Egru’s amber eyes.

I promised myself not to create a situation where we’re alone…

D’Élysée caught his breath as he brushed back his disheveled bangs. His glossy platinum hair swept smoothly between his thick fingers.

“Let’s check your injuries first. This is a high-grade healing potion. Drink it quickly.”

“……”

“What are you doing? I said drink it quickly.”

Egru hesitantly accepted the healing potion and brought it to his lips. As he tilted the bottle with trembling hands, the liquid spilled. Before he could be surprised, it trickled from his lips down to his chin.

Without hesitation, D’Élysée wiped Egru’s chin with his palm. His calloused palm felt quite rough.

“By the way, brother…”

It was a voice tinged with faint eeriness.

D’Élysée asked as he wiped away the remaining traces with the back of his hand.

“Why haven’t you said a word this whole time?”

His thick thumb firmly wiped away the last of the potion clinging to Egru’s lips. At the touch, deliberately slow and overt, Egru trembled violently while still clutching the potion bottle.