## Chapter 237 – Malice (1)
Before leaving the 5th District, Aser held Clara’s hand and said sincerely,
“Clara, thank you for everything.”
“Oh, it was nothing.”
“I’ll come visit again. Stay healthy until then.”
“You too.”
After their brief conversation, Aser waved to Clara, opened a portal, and left for his own district.
The mansion, which had been so lively, became quiet in an instant, as if only a few people had disappeared.
Clara stared blankly in the direction they had vanished, muttering in a small voice.
“It’s quiet.”
“Indeed.”
It would be a lie to say she wasn’t a little sad, but she had no intention of holding them back.
Because she knew this meeting wasn’t the end.
If she cherished her feelings of longing, she would be even more deeply moved by their reunion in the future. Rather, the fact that she could look forward to that moment from now on felt like a gift to herself.
Clara smiled faintly and placed her hand on Heart’s shoulder.
“We have our own work to do.”
Heart replied in a strong voice.
“Yes, ma’am! I’ll follow you anywhere!”
“Really? Then, shall we entrust the management of this mountain to our Heart for a while? You’re capable enough to manage two districts now, aren’t you?”
“Huh?”
“Can’t you do that much for me?”
“Ha, haha… I think you’re joking too much, ma’am.”
Clara didn’t respond to Heart after that, descending the mountain with a seemingly cheerful look on her face, while Heart trailed behind her, begging her to reconsider.
●
Aser, who had returned to the 7th District in an instant, stretched and opened his mouth.
“No matter what, I feel most comfortable in our district, you know?”
“Your expression doesn’t look like it at all, though.”
“Is it that obvious?”
“Yes, very.”
Aser sighed deeply towards the floor, as if regretful, and revealed his honest feelings.
“If I get the chance later, I’d like to go again.”
“You can just go. It’s not like you’re on bad terms… Of course, to do that, the Demon Lord needs to work hard to make sure the district runs properly even if you’re away for a few days, right?”
“Ugh….”
Hilda greeted the three who had returned to the mansion after their trivial conversation.
“D, Demon Lord and Lady Charlotte…!”
Hilda, whose face was haggard, greeted them with a weary voice.
“Sorry, it must have been hard on you all this time?”
“It was hard, but I worked hard.”
Charlotte continued Hilda’s words.
“I’ll give you a vacation, so take about a week off and come back.”
Hilda’s eyes sparkled at the mention of a vacation.
“R, really?!”
“Yes, you can leave right away today, or whenever you’re comfortable.”
“Then I’ll go right away today. I think I need a little rest.”
Hilda bowed deeply, then headed towards the maid’s quarters with a bright expression, as if she had never been tired.
After she had completely disappeared, Charlotte said to Aser.
“You’ve had enough rest too, haven’t you, Demon Lord?”
Aser turned his head away instead of answering.
“Even though Hilda was acting as a proxy, she can’t handle the work perfectly. There’s probably a lot of work piled up.”
“A, I know. Stop nagging me. I just didn’t think of it because there’s a more important issue right now.”
Aser stood in front of Ryu with a worried expression.
“Are you really going to be okay?”
Ryu nodded vigorously.
“Yes, I’m fine.”
“It’s good to go to the 2nd District, but shouldn’t you rest a little before going?”
Charlotte answered instead.
“Do you think he’ll listen to that? I want to tell him to rest a little too, but I can already see in his eyes that he has no intention of doing so, right?”
Ryu nodded twice with a determined expression.
He wanted to hear the answer from Low as soon as possible about the situation that had eroded his mind. He had taken plenty of rest in the 5th District, so there was no major problem with his physical strength even if he left right away.
Besides, he hated the thought of his loved ones being put in danger because of him more than death. If there was a way to solve it, he preferred to solve it right away.
Aser, knowing that he couldn’t break his stubbornness, sighed briefly and bent his knees to match his eye level.
Her golden eyes were filled with worry. The light in those eyes soon disappeared, and instead, faith in him filled them. He was no longer just a boy she had to protect forever. Aser kissed him briefly on the lips and whispered softly.
“Come back safely. I can send you to the 2nd District with peace of mind now, even if it were any other place. It’s practically your second home, isn’t it?”
“It might become my first home, you never know.”
Aser was flustered by Charlotte’s playful words and opened his mouth.
“T, that’s not allowed!”
Then, she grabbed Ryu’s shoulders tightly again and said in a demanding tone.
“Your number one priority is always here. Got it?”
Ryu nodded as if to tell her not to worry and smiled faintly.
“Of course. I’ll be back soon, so don’t worry too much.”
Only then did Aser finally put down the burden in her heart and asked Charlotte.
“By the way, didn’t you say you were going to assign an escort? Is it someone trustworthy?”
“You don’t have to worry about that. More importantly, isn’t it about time they arrived?”
“About time they arrived?”
“While the Demon Lord was having fun with Ryu yesterday, I finished all the preparations.”
No sooner had Charlotte finished speaking than a familiar voice came from behind them.
“Hello. Am I late?”
“No, you’re right on time.”
White hair shining brightly in the sun and unique hair dyed slightly pink at the ends.
Ryu could tell at once who the person who had entered Aser’s mansion was.
“Senior Claire?”
Claire looked at Ryu’s face and nodded with a small smile on her lips.
“It’s been a while.”
After finishing her brief greeting to Ryu, Claire bowed deeply to Aser and Charlotte this time.
“I am honored to be designated as the escort for the 2nd District.”
Everyone except Charlotte, who had told Claire about this, was surprised by the situation, as they had no way of knowing about it. Ryu couldn’t hide his emotions at all and asked her back.
“Huh? Senior Claire is my escort?”
“Yes. Haven’t you heard about it?”
“I’m hearing about it for the first time today….”
“I see. If it’s a nuisance for me to go with you….”
Claire’s voice, trailing off at the end, sounded sorrowful. Ryu waved his hands in an even more surprised manner than before.
“N, no. It’s not that I don’t like it! I was just a little surprised. If Senior Claire is my escort, I’ll feel secure.”
“Is that so?”
Only after seeing her brightened expression again did Ryu let out a sigh of relief.
Aser didn’t raise any major questions about Charlotte’s choice either. Rather, after understanding the whole situation, she seemed relieved.
“If it’s Claire, I can trust her to take care of it.”
“You flatter me.”
Charlotte brushed the dust off Ryu’s head and opened her mouth.
“Come back safely. We have somewhere to go together when you’re done.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Ryu waved to the two of them and focused his mind on the necklace he had received from Low.
Soon, a portal made of black magic opened, and Ryu skillfully stepped forward, but Claire hesitated slightly. Ryu turned his head and looked at her, then asked.
“Is there a problem?”
Claire hesitated before finally speaking.
“Ah… the truth is, I’ve never been to the 2nd District before, so I’m a little excited but also nervous.”
After finishing speaking, she blushed on her face as if she was embarrassed and smiled faintly. Claire closed her eyes, took a moment to catch her breath, and then approached Ryu, as if she was ready.
“I’m ready. Let’s go.”
“Then I’ll be off.”
With that greeting, Ryu and Claire threw themselves into Low’s magic, and at the same time as the two disappeared, the portal disappeared from sight.
Claire, who had arrived in the 2nd District in the blink of an eye, blankly looked around.
A gloomy forest, a district with nothing but bare trees with all the leaves fallen off, but even that scenery felt fresh to her.
“This is….”
Soon, she remembered her duty and shook her head, shaking off her 잡념.
“Let’s go. I will protect Ryu.”
Claire walked ahead with a spirited air, but stopped abruptly in her tracks after a few steps. She scratched her head with an awkward expression, then said quietly.
“…I don’t know where Low is, so can I ask you to guide me?”
Ryu couldn’t help but burst into laughter at her unexpectedly clumsy side, which she hadn’t shown in the academy. Claire tilted her head, as if she didn’t understand, looking at Ryu, who had suddenly started laughing.
After laughing for a long time, Ryu wiped the tears from his eyes and finally opened his mouth.
“Senior Claire seems to have a lot more sides to her than I thought.”
“D, don’t tease me.”
“I’ll lead the way. Stick close and follow me.”
Claire stuck right next to Ryu and started walking at his pace.
Ryu glanced at Claire walking next to him. Her white hair and pale skin, which contrasted with her black cloak, were impressive, but that wasn’t what caught his eye. Without realizing it, Ryu kept looking at her neck, and then their eyes met, and Claire asked in a puzzled tone.
“Why have you been staring at me since earlier? Is there something on my face?”
“Ah, no. It’s not that….”
Even though he said no with his mouth, Ryu’s gaze was fixed on the strange-shaped tattoo on Claire’s neck. A black tattoo that seemed to cross her neck.
He had never seen such a tattoo before.
Claire, who had followed Ryu’s gaze, soon realized its meaning.
“Are you curious about this tattoo?”
“A little. I’ve never seen it before.”
“This, you see, is a kind of spell that is engraved on our family’s people from the moment they choose a master.”
“A spell?”
“Yes, it’ll probably be faster to see it directly.”
At that moment, when he couldn’t understand the meaning of her words, Ryu doubted his own eyes.
A sight so unreal that it felt like a dream.
He raised his gaze above Claire’s neck, which he had just been talking to with a smile, but there was nothing above it.
Her neck fell to the ground with a thud and rolled around before finally stopping after hitting Ryu’s feet.
