/
“Hmm.”
Johannes seemed oddly cooperative during our conversation. His demeanor motivated me to continue chatting, even though his responses felt insincere. Patiently, he answered all my questions, but there was a hint of artificiality in his tone.
“Despite the fact that time-related miracles are possible, such a stone does not exist. 20 years? It is exxagerated, regardless if it’s a Time Stone.”
My mouth slightly opened in despair. Did such stones even exist? I struggled to hide my growing disappointment.
The Duke of Noavik comes from a family that has fought evil spirits for generations. He probably knows more about demons than Barbara does.
It was frustrating that there seemed to be no way to turn back time by twenty years. If I couldn’t go back before I was seven without an ancient magic circle engraved in my heart, then obtaining the Time Stone would be pointless. Johannes calmly continued his words.
“It’s not that miraculous. Most of them are minor miracles. For example, the stone I had when I was eight only returned a specific body part to a desired time.”
“
what?”
“What would you use such a stone for? If I were to return only my fingernails to when I was ten years old, they wouldn’t match my current hands. That’s usually how time stones work. People cling to the idea of miracles, but in the end, they’re mostly useless.”
My eyes, which had momentarily lost hope, began to redden. The Time Stone wasn’t useless to me.
“Once an ancient magic circle is engraved, it becomes a part of the body, so it’s impossible to get rid of it.”
The ancient magic circle was a part of my body. If I were to go back to when I was seven, it would disappear.
I didn’t need to turn back time. The Time Stone that Johannes obtained at the age of eight would suffice. The possibility of a miracle made my overwhelmed heart flutter.
“Then
”
I asked, swallowing the lump in my throat.
“I suppose the duke didn’t use that Time Stone?”
“Well
”
He murmured in a nonchalant voice.
“It’s useless.”
If Johannes hadn’t used the Time Stone, it would probably be in the treasure room of the Duchy of Noavik. Regardless of its usefulness, the Time Stone was a rare treasure.
“By the way, Duke.”
Johannes’ response wasn’t very sincere, but it had its own solidity. The conversation gradually satisfied my curiosity, leading me to ask more questions as the accumulated information fell into place.
“Why are you trying to capture the highest-level demon again this time if the Time Stone is usually useless?”
“Well.”
Johannes calmly replied.
“Perhaps because I want a miracle.”
“Why a miracle
”
“My son died a few months ago. Even if I can’t turn back time by twenty years, there might be a Time Stone that can bring him back from a few months ago.”
For a moment, I rolled my eyes. I had heard about Leo Noavik, Johannes’ eight-year-old son who had passed away.
I heard that the evil spirits that attacked Leo was powerful. Even the people of the Duchy of Noavik, who were well-versed in fighting evil spirits, claimed that higher-level evil spirits kept appearing, making it difficult to defeat them.
Around that time, the divine power dispatched from the temple failed to protect Leo, and he died after being injured several times.
“If only the temple hadn’t sent a regular dog instead of a divine beast to the north.”
Did the temple really do something like that? Why was Johannes still loyal to the temple? With many doubts in my mind, I cautiously asked.
“Do you want to save your son?”
If Johannes had returned to the duchy immediately on the day of the first attack by the evil spirit, Leo might have survived. Johannes was an excellent swordsman who could defeat evil spirits even without holy power.
However, Johannes had been busy chasing the ‘Blue Ruby’ in the capital, thinking that it was just a wound and he could recover, when he had heard about Leo’s serious injuries. This was because the evil spirits had not continued to appear in the same place.
But I had heard that the evil spirit had kept attacking Leo’s room as if it had a will of its own.
“Uhm.”
Johannes answered briefly.
“I want to save him, somehow.”
Even after Leo’s funeral, Johannes didn’t stop pursuing the ‘Blue Ruby’. He could have stayed in the north, regretting that he hadn’t spent much time with his son while chasing the Blue Ruby, but instead, he immediately returned to the capital. Vincent even scoffed, saying his son was dead and that he seemed fine.
However, it gave me a strange feeling that he had come here hoping for a miracle, just like me. It was a sense of kinship that I had never expected.
“But
 I thought you weren’t affected. Because you continued doing what you were doing.”
I nervously twisted my fingers and finally asked.
“
What does the Blue Ruby mean to you, Duke?”
Johannes was a man burdened with many difficulties. But to me, everyone seemed burdened with difficulties, so it was hard to distinguish.
However, apart from Zion, Vincent, or Barbara, I had never had such a long conversation with anyone else. Therefore, as the conversation continued, I felt a strange familiarity growing between us. Johannes wasn’t someone I liked, but under all these circumstances, it felt like I hated him for hating me.
It was a contradictory feeling. Johannes was the person I most wanted to avoid in the world, yet he was also the only person who could provide the answers I sought. When I asked what he hated, Johannes pondered for a moment before slowly responding.
“Hmm
 I hate it when my calculations aren’t clear.”
What kind of exchange had I entered into with Johannes? Feeling like I was falling deeper into a labyrinth, I decided to change the topic. Nonetheless, learning about the Time Stone was a significant gain.
“Anyway
”
Even though I didn’t ask, this time he spoke calmly first.
“
it pains me that you think that my son died while I remained relatively unscathed.”
“Ah
 sorry
”
“I hate myself for asking such questions.”
“Why?”
I asked, without thinking, as I gazed at his strikingly handsome face. Johannes looked back at me and inquired.
“Do you really want to know?”
His bright yellow eyes still lacked emotion, making it difficult to discern anything. He was someone I truly wanted to avoid, yet as our conversation progressed, my curiosity grew. Perhaps that’s why I was even more curious. Without thinking, I nodded as if possessed.
“Hmm.”
Surprisingly, Johannes hesitated for a moment, pausing briefly before speaking.
“I think it’s because Leo isn’t my biological son. I thought I cared for him deeply, but not to the point of sacrificing my own life.”

He’s not his real son?
For a moment, it felt as if I couldn’t breathe. It was something I had never heard before, something I hadn’t anticipated. Was I the only one who didn’t know about it, or had everyone else been aware while the news passed me by? Why didn’t Zion tell me?
My eyes fluttered in confusion. Johannes calmly continued speaking.
“Now, I’ve told you the truth despite your embarrassing question.”
He held me by the waist and spoke with a calm tone, as ifwe had been conversing all along.
“If you have the courage to answer my questions truthfully, dear Miss Eloise Renoir
”
I felt a chill run down my spine.
I hadn’t even told him my name today.
“But, I do hate it when my calculations are incorrect.”