Chapter 75
Even while sobbing uncontrollably, Ravie somehow managed to smile as she looked at Ril. At her words, Ril instinctively touched the joints of his fingers. The memory of their vow came flooding back.
Those dreamlike days spent in the cave—never leaving each other’s side for even a moment during Ravie’s estrus which had been magical. Ravie, not as the werebeast king, but as a lover, fully present with him, had been as intoxicating and dangerous as a d**g.
That was when Ril had pleaded for a vow.
Among the werebeasts, the ritual was the equivalent of marriage. It bound two souls, not just for this life but the next—an oath of eternal love. Ravie had rejected him before, burdened by her responsibility as king. So Ril had waited for this moment, when her body and soul had completely melted into his, in the throes of love and desire.
And in the blissful haze of passion, Ravie had finally surrendered to his earnest pleading. The magic of the soul-binding vow glowed gently, wrapping around their fingers like rings.
They had spoken those words with a radiant future in mind. Never could they have imagined it would become their last and only hope at the moment of tragedy. Ravie swallowed a bitter smile.
Still, I’m glad.
To love forever. To never part.
“…Wh-what are you doing? What are you…?”
Even if we’re separated now Ril, please let us love again in our next life.
And so, Ravie endured this final goodbye.
As Ril ran toward her, Ravie plunged the dagger she held straight into her own heart.
“No—!”
Guhk.
Blood surged from her throat. The dagger, soaked with the blood of the king, burned like fire as it pierced her chest. The enchanted blade swiftly drained her of life. The world turned crimson. Her body collapsed sideways, and dark red blood pooled on the dry earth.
Wuuung. Wuuung.
The blade resonated with the fresh blood of the werebeast king with a sacred mark, passed down through generations. In exchange for the king’s life, it granted a single wish. The crimson-drenched world dimmed from the edges, blackness creeping in.
With every breath, pain shredded Ravie’s delicate body like a violent storm. At the end of her fading life, Ravie made one last wish:
‘Please—let no one else be hurt.’
And then, silence fell upon her world.
Ril crawled across the ground to reach her. Her blood drenched his hands. His lungs, tight with grief, refused the air. A strangled sob escaped him. He pulled her limp body into his arms. Her warmth still lingered. Ril pressed his cheek desperately against her bloodied face.
“Ravie, Ravie. Please don’t joke like this. Th-this can’t be real. Ravie, come on…”
His teardrops fell one by one onto her face. The droplets trickled down her lashes, following the path of her earlier tears, merging with them.
“No… No… Please, Ravie…”
He cradled her in his arms and screamed in agony. But no matter how hard he cried or begged, her fading breath never returned. Her clothing, soaked through with blood, clung to her like a shroud. Ril collapsed, sobbing over her still body, calling her name until his voice broke.
A harsh wind howled. The unstable gusts knocked over trees and rolled boulders. Sensing Ravie’s vanishing life force, the spirit finally arrived. But the bond that had once tied them tightly was now faint that his tainted soul no longer connected to hers the way it used to. And the wails of the dying drowned out his perception of what had truly happened.
What he saw at the edge of the cliff was a pool of dark blood—and Ril, staggering away with Ravie in his arms.
<…What are you doing…?>
Ril couldn’t hear the spirit’s voice. He simply held Ravie closer and slowly approached the cliff’s edge. Her body still carried a trace of warmth. Her breath, though faint, was not entirely gone.
<Give her to me!>
The spirit’s furious wind lashed at Ril’s body—but he only gripped Ravie tighter. Somehow, even without hearing the voice, Ril turned his head as if in answer.
<Ghhk…>
The wrath of the dead werebeasts and the guilt of failure gnawed at the spirit’s soul, stealing even the power the gods had granted him. The wind began to fade. Even if he wanted to take Ravie from Ril, he no longer had the strength to do so.
A faint light glimmered in Ril’s empty eyes.
He looked gently down at Ravie’s face, nestled in his arms. Dirty with blood and tears—yet to him, she was the most beautiful thing in the world. Slowly, he stepped back toward the edge.
“There’s no way you’re going alone, Ravie. You’re never leaving me.”
If she was to die, it could only be by his side.
If she were to open her eyes again, it had to be in his arms.
Ril’s final step vanished into thin air.
With Ravie held close, he plunged from the cliff.
Ril embraced her final breath—and willingly surrendered himself to death, smiling as if content, throwing himself into the open jaws of oblivion.
The werebeast king was dead.
The artifact, activated by her death, fulfilled her final wish.
No one else was harmed. The humans who had attacked the werebeasts were expelled from the island by an unknown force.
And so… peace returned once again.
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