âI am evil.â Dorothea said.
âIf she was evil, yes, she was. If she was good, she couldnât have messed with my mind like this.â
Dorotheaâs words were nothing more than mockery directed at him.
âI⊠I want to become a saint.â
Dorotheaâs words were nothing more or less a mockery towards him.
âYou want to become a saint? Are you going to leave like that?â
âWhy donât you want to live?â
Ethan clenched his fist and reached out to her again.
In the hand he reached out, there was a Spirit Stone.
Dorothea looked at the jewel for a moment and seemed to recognize its identity.
âIt is a spirit of light stone. If thisâŠâ
Ethan stopped talking while trying to persuade Dorothea.
âYou know it canât be, you smart.â
She calmly awakened him, who, like a fool, was about to hang on to any hope.
âYouâŠYou are the cruelest person in the world.â
Ethan shook his head. He couldnât hold back the tears flowing.
âThatâs why they call me a tyrantâŠâ
Dorothea muttered to Ethan, who lowered his head.
And before he could raise his head to look her in the face again, Dorothea went up to the execution table.
The appearance of the sinner Dorothea Milanaire made people scream even louder. The sound echoed in his mind.
Everyone was criticizing Dorothea.
Ethan was upset at the sight of the nobles, who were relieved to see it, and he was disgusted.
Dorothea, who was put to death, was infinitely humble.
Not only the sins she had to bear but also the sins of others. She stood calmly.
Rather, it was Ethan who trembled in fear. His heart was pounding, and he was sweating with anxiety and fear.
His sins were on display before all. So he did not dare to see Dorotheaâs execution.
The moment Dorothea stretched out her head to put her neck on the blade, he got up and ran.
Rejecting the opposition of other nobles and servants, he fled far and far from the execution table.
He grabbed a roadside tree and vomited up the sins of his gluttony.
âIs this how you felt when you faced Theon Freedâs death? Is this how you felt when you drank yourself dry?â
He knelt on the spot and sat down. His legs were so weak that he couldnât support his body.
A huge shout was heard in the distance, shaking the sky.
The sound of the death of the tyrant Dorothea Milanaire pounded his head.
He felt blood draining from his body. He couldnât breathe, as if he had been executed.
But then, a beam of light spewed out from the gap between the fingers he was holding tightly.
Ethan spread his palms, startled by the dazzling light that illuminated all directions.
The Spirit Stone was shining with a much more intense light than before.
âThe Milanaire are all dead.â
A voice whispering in his ear.
Standing in front of him was a strange creature shining with an incredibly bright light.
âAre you my new Contractor?â
The being asked him, so bright he could barely make out its outline.
Ethan wondered if he was dreaming in the face of an unrealistic situation.
No, it wasnât a dream. He might have gone crazy.
âMaybe itâs better to be crazy like thisâŠâ
âLux, King of the Spirit of Light, I propose a blood pact to the new Contractor.â
âThe Spirit King of Light?â
Ethan stared at the otherworldly being as if he had lost his mind.
âWill you accept my contract?â
But Ethan burst out laughing in dismay.
Lux was looking for a new Contractor after the death of the last Milanaire, Dorothea.
This was the way to announce that Dorothea Millanaire was dead.
âIf thatâs the case, then why didnât you come to Dorothea Milanaire?â
Ethan asked in a frustrated voice.
âIf youâre going to come this close so easily, youâd better come to Dorothea too.â
âIt was a bloody fate. Milanaireâs blood has already faded, and she is only the first Milanaire who cannot summon spirits.â
âSo, Dorothea was just born that way.â
Ethan was furious. By some ridiculous coincidence, Dorothea was doomed to a lifetime of misery.
If he could just kill that evil spirit right now, he wanted to do it.
However, Lux stood there expressionless and only looked at Ethan.
âI need a Contractor. I ask you, the owner of the Spirit Stone. Are you willing to make a contract?â
Then, regardless of Ethanâs anger, he spoke what he had to say.
âYou made meâŠlike this and expect a contract?â
Ethan raised the corners of his lips sullenly.
âI want to crush the elemental stone into powder right now and scatter it into the blazing flames and deep abyssal sea, but you want a contract?â
He grabbed the spirit stone tightly.
Lux then opened his mouth again, facing evil golden eyes.
âContracts are made under mutual consent. And I will pay you as much as I get.â
âThe power of the spirits.â
Ethan burst out laughing at Luxâs answer.
âI donât need that, damn it.â
Ethan clenched his teeth in anger, a twisted resentment spilling out.
âDorothea had suffered so much because of that spiritâs power. It was better that such power did not exist in the world.â
Then Lux opened his mouth again.
âThe first Contractor can borrow my powers only once. Milanaire borrowed my power to make the sunrise.â Lux added.
Contractors, through a contract, could not use as much power as a spirit, but the first Contractor was able to use the power of Lux only once.
But no such words could come to Ethanâs ears.
What does he do when the spiritâs power is so great? What does it mean making the great sun rise and set?
No matter how much the sun rises and sets, his sun is no longer in the world. He canât bring her back to lifeâŠ
A ray of light flashed across Ethanâs mind, who was clenched his teeth.
Ethanâs golden eyes, who was staring into the air, slowly came into focus.
âHow far can a wish goâŠ?â
âI can grant any wish related to my abilities.â
Then Ethanâs face lit up like a man who had found the answer.
âOkay, I will make a contract.â
âItâs a great choice, human.â
âInstead, revive Dorothea.â
Ethan raised his eyes and stared at Lux, who was shining brightly.
Lux radiated a bright light that he was blind, but he didnât care.
âDorothea? Do you speak Dorothea Milanaire?â
âYes, the victim you killed.â
âReviving a person isâŠâ
âI think itâs possible.â
Suddenly, Ethan had the easy smile heâd had when heâd been manipulating people.
That smile seemed to be drenched in madness.
Lux was silent for a moment.
âThe Dark Spirit killed Theon Fried. Because the Dark Spirit had the power of death.â
Ethan tried to keep smiling as he told Lux. It was the reason he had been alive until now.
âThen, on the other hand, the Spirit of Light, with the power of life and vitality, might be able to save people.â
The power of the dark spirits that had faded from generation to generation even killed Theon.
âSo thereâs no way the Spirit King, who can make the sun rise, canât save Dorothea, right?â
Theon Friedâs death was a process to give this realization.
Ethan smiled like a madman.
Lux looked at Ethan like that and slowly opened his mouth.
âThe power of the Dark Spirit King, Qies does not reverse time. Death follows the passage of time. But reviving someone who is already dead is against time.â
All life must die; the progression from life to death is not the same as the progression from death to life.
âSo itâs impossible?â
Ethanâs eyes gleamed in a dazzling light.
Lux said he would grant any wish, as long as it was related to his power.
Reading the madness reflected in Ethanâs eyes, Lux opened his mouth again as if he couldnât help it.
âOkay, Iâll grant your wish.â
Luxâs answer. That short word made Ethanâs heart pound.
âDorothea⊠Dorothea will live.â
And when she comes back to life, he will present a spirit of light, slowly illuminating and enlivening her darkened heart.
âI will warn you one last time, this is against time.â
âI think itâs good.â
If Dorothea could live, he would have endured anything.
Lux smiled faintly at Ethanâs determined answer.
âIt is a contract. New contractor.â
At the same time, a dazzling light enveloped him.
And when Ethan woke up again, he was in a broken wooden box in a small closet behind a dirty bar.
And at the end, he stood here.
âHow long Iâve been waiting for you, you donât know.â
Ethan whispered with a hot breath.
Dorothea looked at him with trembling eyes.
Ethan looked at Dorothea, still staring at him. He suppressed the urge to steal her lips again.
âThe smart one and the cruel oneâŠâ
She acted as if she had just realized his sincerity. No, he thought sheâd just realized it now.
Dorothea Millanaire he knew was the smartest person heâd ever met.
Thereâs no way she didnât know that Ethan Bronte was in love with her. Thereâs no way she couldnât have heard the truth heâs told her so many times.
But she loved Theon Fried and, at the same time, was afraid of breaking up with Ethan.
She could not completely push him away, even in the face of Ethanâs blatant sincerity.
So she closed her eyes and pretended not to know.
She was so clever that she carefully prepared an evasive strategy so she didnât even notice herself.
âEthan Bronte is a greedy man. Ethan Bronte to gain status and power over me.â
She cowardly turned love into a lust for power. It was nonsense, and she knew it.