MBOMEN 26

Chapter 26. The Beast of Kizel (3)
Lyla felt her mind go completely blank at his sudden question.

What is it that she truly feared? Was that even a question right now? Obviously, it was the latter.

Becoming the wife of a royal prince—it might not be exactly the same, but it would be no different from standing before the world and declaring, “I am a witch.”

She wouldn’t even be allowed to wear a hood to cover her hair. She’d be forced to wear stifling clothes she had never worn in her life and be turned into a spectacle.

“I’m not some three-eyed beast! I’m not a clown meant to perform for high-ranking nobles! Maybe that’s how you all see witches, but I’m not that! I’m a human being! A human!”

Lyla’s scream rang sharply through the quiet garden bathed in warm sunlight. It was like shards of glass, flying and cutting her ankles at random.

A tear finally fell from her tightly shut eyes. Her shoulders trembled uncontrollably, and her fists were clenched so hard her knuckles stood out stark white.

Eustar listened quietly to her sobs before gently wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

“Lyla, look at me.”

“No. Get lost. Leave me alone.”

“I can’t do that right now. Please, look at me.”

Look at him.
Lyla felt like she was losing her mind, tormented by a second voice echoing in her head.

That strange voice, which made it impossible to defy Eustar, was becoming clearer and clearer—as if taking root in her heart and growing greedily like a plant.

Her gaze slowly turned toward him. Her red, tear-filled eyes glimmered like pomegranate seeds.

Eustar spoke.

“No one will treat you that way. Even if you become my wife—even if you don’t hide your hair or your eyes—no one will be allowed to mock you. I promise. Just to remind you, in case you’ve forgotten—I am the only brother of His Majesty, the King of Searrow. There is only one person in this land who can command me.”

“And what if that one person mocks me? Then even you won’t be able to stop it, right? What if he orders me to crawl in front of others, like some beast? You won’t be able to stop that!”

“My brother isn’t like that.”

“Your brother is insane!”

Lyla screamed, trying to push Eustar away. But he didn’t budge.

“Lyla, believe me. My brother isn’t mad. I don’t know what he’s thinking, why he wants us to marry. Even if I asked, he probably wouldn’t answer. If he was going to explain, he would’ve done it earlier. But I swear—His Majesty would never humiliate you or turn you into a laughingstock. And even if he tried, I would stop him.”

Lyla stared blankly at his serious face. She could tell he meant every word.

She didn’t know why, but she knew.
Not because she wanted to believe him, but the same way you know stars will appear once the sun sets—it pierced her mind with undeniable clarity.

Eustar continued.

“But from your perspective, you probably don’t want to marry me. We’ve barely known each other for a week, and as you said before, you’re not someone who needs love. So let’s make a deal.”

Lyla didn’t want to answer. She didn’t want to hear more. But her lips moved on their own.

“What kind of deal?”

“Let’s follow my brother’s command. Marry me and become my wife. But you won’t be expected to perform any marital duties. We’ll act as a couple only when necessary. I won’t approach you privately otherwise.”

“You said you needed me.”

He nodded, as if that were obvious. A strand of his long hair brushed against her face in the wind.

“Yes, I need you. But that’s for Tentynella. It has nothing to do with us being a couple. So let’s set a time limit. Tentynella’s goal is to stop the abnormal phenomena occurring in Searrow. The Syncs didn’t always exist—they started appearing one day out of nowhere. We’re searching for the cause. Once we solve the root issue, no more Syncs will appear.”

“And then?”

“And then…”

His voice trailed off for a moment. Lyla, without realizing it, reached out to touch his cheek. Maybe it was because his lowered eyes looked so sad. Or maybe it was because of his strangely lonely smile.

Eustar continued.

“When the day comes that Tentynella is no longer needed in this country, Lyla… I’ll set you free. I’ll make sure you can go wherever you want, without persecution. If you want, I’ll give you land where no one else lives. I’ll build you a beautiful house where you can do what you love and live in peace. I’ll make sure no one can ever point fingers at you again.”

“That’s impossible.”

“No, it’s not. It’s possible.”

Lyla tried to refute him again, but her thoughts and actions didn’t align. The desperate, wailing version of herself was gone. Though she still looked confused, she was much calmer now.

—Please, Lyla. Do this for me.

Eustar spoke.

No, he didn’t.
His lips were firmly closed. They hadn’t moved at all.

Lyla suddenly pushed him away and widened her eyes in shock. But his lips were still closed, and he looked surprised by her reaction.

She asked with a trembling voice.

“What… what did you just do?”

“Me? What did I do?”

“You just… spoke into my mind! What did you do?! Are you really not a sorcerer?”

Lyla was startled, but Eustar looked even more shocked than she did. He stared at her, clearly confused by what she was saying… and then suddenly furrowed his brow.

“You read my thoughts?”

“Thoughts? I read your thoughts? Me?”

“What exactly did I say?”

Lyla gasped.

“You said… Please, do this for me. You were asking me.”

“I didn’t say that.”

“I know! You didn’t say it out loud. It was in my head…!”

“I did think it. But I never…”

Then Eustar looked at her with a dawning realization.

“You saw my core.”

Lyla didn’t understand.

“Your… core? What does that mean? You’re a living person, Eustar! Not a ghost!”

“Yes, but the core exists in both the dead and the living. It could be that your eyes and ears are starting to open to the living as well.”

“So you’re saying… I can hear people’s thoughts now? Like, permanently?”

Eustar shook his head. But his expression was more serious than ever. Lyla looked just as shaken.

To hear others’ thoughts… could such a power just awaken suddenly? And she hadn’t even wanted it!

“Right now…”

Just as he was about to say something, hurried footsteps rang out from the corridor, and a stranger came running toward them.

Lyla immediately recognized the man’s clothes—they were the same uniform Eustar had worn when she first met him.

“Lord Eustar.”

Eustar turned toward him.

“Barens, what is it?”

The man named Barens bowed his head quickly, glancing at Lyla. She noticed the surprise flash in his eyes and instinctively looked away.

“Lord Eustar, a message from Branch 2. A Grade 3 Sync has appeared around the Kizel River and Kizel Gorge. Three villages in the area have completely vanished.”

“What?! What were they doing while three villages disappeared?!”

Barens swallowed hard, looking tense.

“The creature emerging from the Sync is a beast-type monster. It’s extremely fast and cunning—we lost five agents who were dispatched to subdue it. Director Habashka has requested an urgent meeting with you.”

“Olga must be seriously stressed. Understood.”

“Shall I prepare the portal?”

Eustar nodded and began tying up his long hair.

“Do it immediately. Also, insert a temporary travel clearance under the name Lyla Krisrad.”

Lyla turned sharply to stare at him. Barens also looked confused by the unexpected command, but didn’t question it. There was no time to waste.

“Monster… you say?”

“Yes. I’ll explain briefly on the way. There’s no time.”

“In this dress?”

Lyla held up the hem of her voluminous gown. Eustar looked flustered, clearly having forgotten—but then nodded.

“It’ll be fine. There will be clothes for you to change into when we get there. Also, you won’t be fighting today. But you do need to see what it is.”

Eustar began walking quickly. Lyla hurried after him, nearly running with her skirts gathered up to avoid tripping.

“A Grade 3… is that dangerous? You said Syncs go up to Grade 5.”

“Yes, technically. But we’ve never encountered a Grade 5. Last winter, a terrifyingly powerful Sync appeared near the sorcerer district beneath the Del River. Two branches responded, but nearly half the force was lost. And that wasn’t even a Grade 5.”

“Then…”

“A Grade 3 is already quite dangerous.”

The two entered the fortress and soon arrived at the Sersthita Headquarters. It had been empty before—but now five people stood there.

Their eyes briefly turned to Lyla, but she was too overwhelmed by the urgency in the air to notice them.