Ina felt her heart pounding wildly.
The passage was narrow, barely wide enough for two to walk side by side. Although the lantern’s light dispelled the fog-like darkness, it still left just enough shadow to keep the atmosphere unsettling.
She had never been this close to him before; just a gentle breath could carry the warm scent of sun-drenched skin.
Yet mingled within was a faint, sharp fragrance of jasmine, causing Ina to wrinkle her nose in slight displeasure from time to time.
It was like someone had added strawberries to her pizza.
Ina paid no attention to her surroundings, her focus fixed solely on the man’s silhouette ahead.
Compared to years ago, nothing seemed to have changed.
The girl gently pressed her legs together.
The soft rustle of skin against fabric mingled with the light, pleasant crunch of her flat shoes against the gravel.
What Loki didn’t know was that Ina had been secretly following him for five years.
To avoid detection and to move freely, the witch had taken the form of a black cat, silently shadowing him wherever he went.
Thanks to the witch’s extraordinary talent, neither Christine nor Loki could detect this small creature lurking in the shadows.
Just being able to watch him from behind was enough to satisfy Ina.
But compared to now—when she had finally mustered the courage to face him—those five years felt like wasted time.
Honestly, Ina and Loki’s “first meeting” couldn’t even be called a proper first meeting.
At that time, the girl had just stepped halfway into her rebellious years, her head filled with ridiculous youthful fantasies, even occasionally dreaming of being whisked away by a prince on a white horse.
But she was the chieftain’s daughter.
Though still a half-grown child, she was already expected to shoulder some adult responsibilities.
After all, this world was far from gentle.
As members of the empire’s protected witch clan, they were naturally required to contribute to the great, ancient machine of the empire—through slaughter, knowledge, or reproduction—all duties that they had to fulfill throughout their long lives.
The witch clan’s sacred artifact took no fixed form; as creations of the lord of wisdom and magic, they randomly transformed into one of three forms.
A staff spear for slaughter.
A tome for teaching.
And a ring set for reproduction.
The ones Loki and Ina possessed were the third form.
The souls of the wearers would be bound together, and once united, they were destined to bear offspring with powerful souls.
Throughout imperial history, many children born to ring bearers became heroes who repelled the invasions of the Soul Sea, but there were also those who became corrupted and fell into darkness.
By the time the artifact was passed to Ina, it had taken the form of a ring set, meaning her duty was reproduction.
To avoid repeating past tragedies, the other wearer of the ring had to be carefully chosen.
A pure, kind, just, and brave boy.
Usually, this boy would be selected from the empire’s high nobility or royal family.
Ina naturally had to face such an arrangement.
For a girl just beginning to rebel, it was like facing a sickness that could drive one mad; though she tried to escape, she was always easily caught.
…But by chance, at the ceremony where she inherited the artifact and got engaged, the ring meant for the boy was stolen by a damn thief.
Over a hundred witches were dispatched to capture the culprit, but all they managed was a humiliating failure, with some even suffering PTSD, hiding indoors for years before daring to see sunlight again.
Among all the cries of despair, only Ina stared blankly at the vanishing figure who disappeared like the wind.
Even though he had become the witch clan’s sworn enemy, the girl’s immature soul had already been marked by him.
…If at that time it was mere admiration, or seeing him as a dream, then the five years following Loki’s explosion of the Hand of Truth turned into an inescapable obsession.
Everyone said Christine was a great hero…
But after curiosity and her “graduation thesis” led her to follow Loki and overhear many of his conversations with Christine, Ina knew the other deserved the title of “hero” as well.
This perfectly matched her imagination of a “dark hero.”
What? You say he took the artifact by “force” from various places? Smacked the empire and the church right across the face?
That was endurance and perseverance! A bold strategy to completely eradicate evil forces and grave crises! A moving act of self-sacrifice!
A witch who was already good at looking cool could hardly resist such a cool image, and half through self-hypnosis and half through growing feelings, she evolved into the person she was now.
“We’re about to leave the passage, Ina. We don’t fully understand the layout of this underground facility, and there could be many enemy forces inside. You must stay extremely alert.”
“…Y-yes.”
Ah, to hear such direct words from Lord Loki himself—it was pure bliss.
If Celulu were here, seeing Ina’s lovestruck expression, she would surely sneer, “Hopeless fool,” and then shamelessly flirt with Loki right in front of her.
“Is something wrong?”
Loki stopped and turned, sensing something odd about the witch’s reply.
But under the lantern’s light, Ina’s face was serious and cold, her black short hair framing sharp eyes that seemed almost fierce.
This reminded Loki of the witches he dealt with years ago.
The one who always charged forward looked just like this… she must have been the chieftain.
…Ah.
So that person was probably Ina’s mother.
It was no wonder they resembled each other; if there was any difference, it was that Ina’s hostility wasn’t directed at him.
“I mean, I understand, Loki.”
Ina added coldly.
At the same time, she secretly rejoiced.
…Almost slipped and called him “Lord Loki” just now… she could call him by name now, but she couldn’t risk pushing their relationship away over such a trivial thing.
“I’ll be careful. And please… don’t stray too far from me. Though I may not match the church’s battle machines in pure fighting power, my methods for dealing with enemies are no worse than theirs.”
Make use of your strengths and surroundings; relying on a woman in this situation wasn’t a foolish act. Being cared for like a baby by a beautiful girl was hardly a bad thing.
Loki nodded, then pushed open a heavy door.
“Then I’ll leave it to you.”
“N-no… cough cough… it’s no trouble. After all… we are partners.”
Ina turned away, letting out a light cough to hide her shyness.
“By the way, there’s something I want to ask you.”
“Oh, of course. Please, ask.”
“What exactly is your relationship with her… with Celulu?”