Chapter 114
A pungent scent of darkness exploded as Eir’s body went flying.
Rubel blankly watched her soar through the air before belatedly giving chase.
What kind of woman does this?
She wasn’t even suicidal. Yet there she was, hurling herself toward a cliff without hesitation.
At first, he was so shocked he almost laughed at the absurdity. But that fleeting amusement quickly gave way to panic—what if I lose her this time?—before solidifying into absolute certainty.
The certainty that he would catch her.
‘If I can’t catch her on ground, I’ll just catch her midair.’
With that thought, he ran. Her body arced over his head, tracing a wide parabola as it descended. Rubel counted—one, two, three—before launching himself forward.
And finally…….
“Ugh!”
At the point where more than half his torso hung over the edge, Rubel snatched Eir’s wrist. His center of gravity tipped dangerously outward, and even her slight weight—so easy to lift on solid ground—now threatened to pull him down.
Eir was stunned. Against all odds, this man had overcome the limits of a witch’s magic to catch her with nothing but his own body. How is this possible?
But beyond amazement, his recklessness baffled her.
She was too shocked to even register the pain in her nearly dislocated wrist. All she could see was his body teetering precariously at the cliff’s edge.
Afraid any struggle might send him over, Eir froze completely.
“Are you insane? Let go! You could die!”
“No.”
“You think you’ll survive if I fall? Why are you so reckless?”
He smirked, lips quirking upward.
“I’ve never walked away empty-handed from something I wanted.”
“People need to experience failure to grow.”
“That’s just a loser’s consolation.”
This crazy—
Eir mentally distanced herself from his worldview and tried pleading instead.
“L-Lord Rubel…”
She stammered his name. Even now, his face flushed with exertion radiated unshakable determination. Gritting his teeth, he strained to pull her up.
Eir felt her body lift slightly—only for his shoulders to give out, nearly dropping her again.
“You’ll dislocate your shoulder!”
“I don’t care.”
“I do! My wrist hurts like hell!”
“Endure it a little longer.”
It felt like arguing with a brick wall.
Honestly, it terrified her. The resolve—no, the madness—in his expression made one thing clear: there was only one possible outcome for them.
Together on solid ground, or together over the edge.
‘I’m going to lose my mind.’
Eir grew desperate. Anyone else would’ve questioned if this was worth it.
Sure, she understood the unresolved tension between them. But was it really a life-or-death matter?
Searching for words to make him relent, she suddenly remembered their past conversation.
‘You’re not my duty. More like… a divine trap. You’re a trap set by God.’
‘A trap?’
‘Yes. God is testing me to see if I can overcome this. Using you as the test.’
Recalling this, Eir’s expression turned solemn.
“Lord Rubel, think back. Didn’t you call me a divine trap?”
Ignoring her, he kept struggling to pull her up. But Eir knew Rubel wouldn’t dismiss anything involving God.
She pressed on.
“You said God was testing whether you could resist me, right? So prove it. Should someone like you—the Empire’s pride—really throw your life away over a divine trap?”
Wind howled below them.
Only now did Eir realize how terrifying it was to feel nothing beneath her feet. She prayed Rubel would release her before this fear consumed her completely.
But then—he smiled.
That smile made her stomach drop with primal dread.
“You’re right.”
He murmured. Eir stuttered, “W-what is?” Looking at her with the serenity of someone who’d found all answers, he held her gaze midair. Strangely, he seemed… refreshed.
“If you’re a divine trap, why avoid it? I’ll gladly fall according to God’s will.”
With that, he stopped resisting gravity. His body, no longer anchored, began sliding downward. Eir screamed as they plummeted into the abyss.
Wind roared in her ears as they tumbled uncontrollably. Terrified, Eir instinctively clung to Rubel. Despite the violent air resistance, he somehow maneuvered to embrace her tightly.
Against her will, relief flooded her—and judging by his grip, Rubel felt the same.
Finally.
She was back in his arms after that brief escape.
It was almost funny how deeply comforted he felt holding her again so soon. Burying his face in her nape, Rubel hit the ground with Eir in his arms.
The dark earth, saturated with night, yielded softly beneath them—as if welcoming them home.
***
Eir dreamed.
The same lion from before now crouched atop her like a housecat. Though easily three times her size, it lounged comfortably, watching her face with golden eyes.
It tickled her cheeks with its mane, pressed massive paws against her stomach.
Strangely, she felt no fear—just wished it would leave.
‘Go. Shouldn’t you be roaming the grasslands?’
The lion rolled onto its side, demonstrating how lions really spent their time: lazing about. It nuzzled her face, then engulfed her completely in its mane.
Eir flailed, gasping for air to no avail.
Inhale.
At first merely annoying, the lion’s affection now felt suffocating.
“Hey, I said let go—!”
She jolted awake shouting—and met azure eyes staring at her in the dark.
“What kind of dream makes someone wake up screaming?” he asked quietly.
Blinking dazedly, Eir recognized Fromm’s attic where they’d stayed on the island. Why were they back here?
Could this be an extension of the dream?
Rubel’s position—kneeling over her, trapping her like a lion—felt unnervingly similar.
“Lion…….”
“Lion? Who’s that?”
He gripped her chin, tilting her face up. Dangerously close, his eyes flashed threateningly above hers.
“You’re surprisingly easy, you know. Even Alf in Solvik was smitten, wasn’t he? Made sure all his friends knew, too.”
“What……?”
Still groggy from just waking up, Eir struggled to distinguish between reality and the dream, her words slurring and her mind not fully functioning. Rubel ignored her outstretched hand, as though she were asking for help, and pressed his lips against hers in a punishing kiss.
His lower lip was sucked in, and as he forced her lips apart, their tongues collided in a rough, passionate exchange.
Like in her dream, Eir needed to open her mouth to catch her breath, but suddenly her lips throbbed with pain, forcing her to push him away. It felt strangely similar to the time she’d been in his arms before, when her lips had been continuously kissed.
Had he really been sucking on her lips while she slept?
“Oww……”
As Eir whimpered and blinked, Rubel grinned at her green eyes, the expression on his face a sign of barely contained excitement.
“Do you know?”
He spoke again.
“I’m standing. I’ve been waiting like this—kneeling over you, just to offer myself to you as a gift.”
He bent his knees and rubbed the hard object pressing against her stomach. The sight of it, clearly defined, made Eir’s mouth fall open in surprise.
Its size was so intimidating, it was almost frightening.
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