The charred saint, Selene, had decided to serve the Rift Lord, Actor, for the rest of her life after being saved by him.
The foundation of this decision was loyalty, pure and simple.
Selene had never harbored romantic feelings for Actor.
There was no reason for her to do so.
She was aware that such emotions would not be befitting of a loyal servant.
Believing this, Selene had convinced herself that the changes in her heart were merely due to adapting to a new dimension and the emergence of two dangerous elements: Mirien and Karne.
‘Why are they considered dangerous?’
However, Selene eventually came to a realization.
She had sworn loyalty to her lord.
She believed that following him, protecting him, and carrying out his commands were the reasons for her existence.
So then—
Why did it bother her so much when Mirien sat on her lord’s lap?
Why did it irk her when Karne claimed to be his mother?
Why did these things stir such unease in her heart?
What reason did she have to feel upset when her lord took others under his wing, trusted them, and spent time with them?
Coincidentally, Selene had learned from Mirien how to describe such emotions.
‘—Jealousy.’
Selene was confused.
She could neither deny nor suppress the turbulent emotions surging within her chest.
Never before, during her years of loyalty to Actor, had she felt this way.
‘Could it be because my lord has become mortal…?’
In truth, she had an inkling of the reason.
Unlike in the past when he was a divine being, her lord now had a human body.
This meant that he could be “possessed” by someone.
Had her subconscious, at some point, begun to desire monopolizing her now-mortal lord?
Was her current perception of the magical nuisance before her as an obstacle and a rival evidence of that?
“Hey… Selene, say something. Are you really…”
“Silence, you magical nuisance. If you utter one more word, I’ll tear that flimsy mouth of yours apart.”
“Ugh, ugh…”
Even Mirien, who would usually sneer and provoke her, could tell that Selene was not in a good state and kept her mouth shut.
Selene sank back into her thoughts.
“…”
Being by her lord’s side had always been enough.
Carrying out his commands and following his will had always been satisfying.
But now?
The moment her lord’s gaze turned elsewhere, it felt as though a needle had been driven into her chest.
This was no internal injury caused by flames.
‘This is not loyalty.’
It was something stickier, more instinctive, and devoid of reason.
Selene swallowed hard.
A searing heat enveloped her heart.
Only then could she acknowledge it.
The emotions she had been harboring were no longer those of a mere loyal servant.
‘Perhaps.’
——Perhaps, I am not serving my lord, but rather…
“Ah, here you are.”
At that moment, a familiar voice broke through her thoughts.
Normally, Selene would have immediately knelt on one knee to demonstrate her loyalty, but now she couldn’t even bring herself to turn her head in the direction of her approaching lord.
“A-Actor, maybe you should come back a little later?”
Mirien stammered.
She had noticed that the change in Selene was not a good sign.
But Actor had no way of knowing.
He smiled awkwardly and pulled out a long bottle from his coat.
“The Elixir, I finally got it.”
“…”
“Here, Selene.”
The sudden offering of a long glass bottle.
Inside the transparent bottle, a golden liquid shimmered.
It was the Elixir.
“…M-My lord.”
“It’s for you. You’ve been struggling with your injuries, haven’t you?”
It was just a bottle being handed over.
Yet, Selene’s heart raced wildly.
She had just become aware of her feelings moments ago.
Her lord’s hand was too close.
Even Selene, surrounded by flames, could feel the faint warmth of his body at this distance.
“…Th-Thank you.”
Selene forced herself to reach out and take the Elixir.
Her fingertips trembled slightly as she held the glass bottle.
She glanced up and met her lord’s eyes.
“Eek.”
The moment their eyes met, she quickly looked away.
“…Selene?”
Actor tilted his head and called her name.
This was dangerous.
He shouldn’t call her name right now.
Selene took a step back and carefully cradled the Elixir in her arms.
The golden liquid seemed to carry her lord’s warmth.
The warmth her lord had shown her was likely nothing more than mercy.
But now, Selene felt as though she could not live without Actor’s mercy.
This was far from the simple loyalty of a servant.
*
[5★ Charred Saint Selene uses 4☆ Elixir.]
[※Warning※ This item is single-use. It will disappear upon use.]
[Use 4☆ Elixir?]
[Y / N]
“The decision is mine to make.”
I placed my hand on the Y button.
Ding!
[5★ Charred Saint Selene’s status ailment 「Ancient Flames」 has been healed.]
The effects of the Elixir were remarkable.
I checked the base management screen and saw that the red arrow icon in the top left corner of Selene’s portrait had disappeared, letting out a sigh of relief.
With her status ailment gone, Selene was now in perfect condition.
“Selene, how are you feeling?”
“…I’m fine. It’s all thanks to you, my lord. I don’t know how to repay this kindness…”
Selene’s voice, which had been strained due to the flames, was now a perfect, melodious tone after drinking the Elixir.
Even Mirien, who was sitting nearby watching with interest, couldn’t help but be impressed.
“Actor, I can drink potions well too, you know.”
Mirien blurted out nonsense.
This Elixir was an incredibly rare item.
I had hoped to obtain another one to use as insurance in the upcoming battle with Asteria, but according to Jeon Taemin, creating even one bottle of this required an immense amount of effort.
I’d have to be satisfied with healing Selene’s status ailment.
“Alright. We’ve taken care of what we needed to here.”
I looked around.
One person was missing.
“Where’s Karne?”
“She said she’d scout the area. Unlike me, she can fly without using magic, so it’s more convenient for her.”
“Really? Then let’s wait until Karne gets back. There’s something I need to ask her to do.”
“What is it?”
Mirien asked.
“I’m thinking of going to Busan.”
“Busan? Where’s that?”
“It’s further south from here.”
Jeon Taemin, the leader of the Daejeon Awakened Clan, had given me information about the Busan Clan.
He said the Busan Clan was growing in power and preparing for war.
I couldn’t be sure if it was true.
Jeon Taemin might have lied to humiliate me or to use me to eliminate a competitor.
“Whatever the case, it’s worth checking out. We’ve come all the way to Daejeon, after all.”
Moreover, I was curious about the identity of the S-rank Awakened said to be in Busan.
“Let’s move for now. If we stay here, we might be discovered. Let’s get to the car we parked outside the city.”
“Okay. But I’m sitting next to Actor.”
As usual, I tried to fend off Mirien as she clung to me and started walking.
Before stepping out of the alley, I glanced back.
Selene was standing still, holding the empty Elixir bottle.
“Selene?”
“…”
“Selene, what’s wrong?”
It took calling her name twice before she seemed to snap out of it, startled and shaking her shoulders.
“…Was there something wrong with the Elixir?”
“N-No, nothing. The Elixir was… perfect.”
According to the system, the Elixir had worked perfectly.
So why was Selene acting like this?
Was she having trouble adjusting to her now uninjured state?
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yes. I’m fine.”
Selene forced an awkward smile and nodded vigorously.
Every gesture was unlike her usual self.
As I frowned, Mirien placed her hand on my cheek and forcibly turned my head.
“Actor, I’d recommend not talking to her right now.”
Mirien, still clinging to me, spoke up.
“Why?”
“Hmm… How should I put it? It’s like a doll is becoming human.”
Mirien’s cryptic explanation left me puzzled.
“Is that a thing?”
But before I could ask for clarification, Mirien turned her head away with a mischievous smile.
*
“You want me to detect the south?”
I had asked Karne, the Mother of Calamity, who had returned to the car shortly after, to use her tracking magic.
She closed her eyes and focused her senses, then opened them less than a minute later.
“Hmm. I can definitely sense a powerful calamitous force.”
“Can you tell me more about it?”
“It’s the water attribute. That’s all I can discern.”
“…Hmm.”
“Don’t worry. While it’s powerful, it’s nothing compared to us.”
“A 4-star calamity, then.”
“That’s one way to put it.”
According to Karne’s tracking, it seemed certain that there was an S-rank Awakened in Busan.
If that was the case, I needed to find out what kind of person they were and whether they were preparing for war, as Jeon Taemin had said.
It was better to assess potential threats in advance, even if it meant being cautious.
“I guess we’ll have to go to Busan after all.”
After telling Karne, I took the driver’s seat. Our destination was further south.
Through the rearview mirror, I caught Selene’s gaze as she happened to look my way.
“…”
A brief moment of eye contact.
Selene was the first to quickly turn her head away.
“Huh.”
I had thought giving her the Elixir would bring us closer, but it seemed that was just my wishful thinking.
Both Mirien and Selene.
The hearts of calamities were truly hard to understand.