Chapter 266
Before those words were even finished, the white branches between the two exploded with a roar. Lutan had fired magic. However, the World Tree’s regenerative power was faster than the damage he inflicted.
Various vines and tree barks piled up and were restored at a noticeably rapid pace.
“Ridiculous nonsense!”
This time, it was Yoseph who shouted. He frowned first at Ryuhyeon’s absurd words.
“It’s clearly a word game or nonsense. Just ignore it and move on.”
Yoseph came close to Lutan and whispered that. However, Lutan didn’t even blink an eye. His eyes were shining as if they were blazing, and were directed at Ryuhyeon.
“If she had accepted you, you wouldn’t be in this place. Wouldn’t you agree?”
At those words, Ryuhyeon’s expression momentarily hardened, but he then laughed haha and turned around and disappeared.
“In the end, I will be the one to be with her. Go ahead and have a good fight with the tree, this bug will keep breaking things.”
Leaving only those words behind.
Lutan, without a word, attacked the World Tree that was blocking their path with a Kwa-gwang- sound!
‘He’s completely been drawn in-!’
Yoseph thought that, but said nothing. He had been well-educated by his sister from an early age and knew that his life was precious when he was in real danger.
***
Neilla was wandering through an endlessly continuing maze.
‘Left, right, right, this time left.’
She kept taking steps in the direction indicated by the patterns. The expression “wandering” was used only because she didn’t know the destination properly. She knew the direction accurately and was going.
To the most secretive place in the inner palace that rejected outsiders.
Tadak tadak. Her steps, which were slow at first, were getting faster. This was because she could immediately find the next signpost after finding a certain regularity. Her steps never stood on a wrong place even once.
Just as she was finding signposts and moving forward in a near trance, she suddenly heard a sakak sakak- sound.
‘Huh?’
Neilla stopped without realizing it. It was because it was a very familiar sound. She thought for a moment about where she had heard it, and it quickly came to mind.
‘It’s the sound of sketching on paper.’
Her hands, which hadn’t held a brush for a long time, twitched. It was a sound that tempted her as if pulling her, telling her to come quickly and draw. She swallowed hard without realizing it.
She was unfamiliar with herself, reacting like this to just the sound of drawing, not even to some delicious food.
Neilla was originally a simple and quiet person, not a greedy one. Perhaps because of her usual habits, it was only a while later that she came to her senses.
Neilla, who had been taking steps without realizing it, shook her head sharply to wake herself up. The feeling of being pulled by something other than her will was unfamiliar.
‘No, get a hold of yourself.’
She stopped her body with all her might. The sakak sakak sound had already stopped, and only the sound of a little water and mixing paints could be heard.
Guessing the location where the sound was coming from, she carefully examined the place, choosing a corner that wouldn’t be easily seen.
In that place,
‘Count Icardo…?!’
There was Count Icardo, sitting on a sofa and staring blankly at the air, and a person drawing his portrait.
It was an imperial man with strangely murky dirty-gold hair, a face with deep dark circles, but bright blue eyes burning with a determination to complete the painting. Dozens of paintings were scattered near him.
Rustle-
Neilla, who had been shocked and staring at him, made a sound without realizing it and was startled.
‘Ah, no!’
It was the sound of her skirt brushing against the wall. It was a very small sound, but the other person, perhaps with sensitive ears, immediately stopped his brushstrokes. Neilla held her skirt so that it wouldn’t make any more noise and covered her mouth.
Hoping that the man hadn’t heard this sound at all.
But contrary to her wishes, the man pulled out the chair and stood up, and clack- picked up the lamp that was next to him. His bright eyes flickered in the crimson light. The other person had a haggard impression, but his hollow eyes looked emotionless, making him feel even more frightening.
‘Please…, ah, Goddess Aiha, please protect me, please let that man just pass by…!’
Neilla closed her eyes tightly, praying earnestly in her heart.
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