HPV 12

What kind of game is this, getting so obsessed with people’s faces?! It wasn’t like this before!

Everyone here was staring at my face. Not just looking—they were all thinking I looked like an elf.

My face grew hot from the embarrassment. I’d never felt like this before.

‘If I don’t want my face to turn red…’

I turned to Banwes as though he were my last hope. He looked at me strangely.

He was the only one here not picking apart my face.

Being mistaken for an elf was a far bigger issue than being mistaken for a girl.

When it came to the latter, Paronai just got awkward and let it go, but the former would bring Bzhan devastating shock and disappointment.

I had thought Bzhan’s sense of loss would soon turn into anger, and that he’d attack me. But instead, Bzhan, dejected, climbed into the chair beside me, sat down, and hugged his knees. He suddenly became quiet and docile.

Now that everyone was here, Yurichen began to explain things again. Standing in front of us like that, he looked just like a priest leading a ceremony.

“A black dragon nesting in human territory is unprecedented. Then recently, we received a divine oracle. It said that the black dragon is possessed by a demon.”

The room fell completely silent. Whether originally human, half-blood, or raised by elves, all stiffened at the word demon.

Demons that rise from the underworld and parasitize beasts—leaving a unique mark on the beast’s skin, taking over its body slowly, draining its life force.

Family, friends, lovers—suddenly going mad overnight. A single demon could spread death like a plague. No one, not even beasts or elves, was safe.

And if a demon could control a proud, strong, fierce black dragon… how powerful must it be?

If a large army were sent in, they could end up being controlled by the demon. That’s why only a chosen few elites were to be dispatched.

“Paronai Mordhan, you must sever its neck with the sacred sword. Banwes’s body will open the way, and magic will rain down to break the black dragon’s head. Hatchlings will swarm like mad, but you need only keep your eyes on the dragon. The arrows will mark you. Once the dragon’s head is cut, I will eliminate the demon.”

It was a neat, to-the-point summary. And in fact, in the final battle, that was the standard route to clear the story.

But then a small voice broke the perfect silence.

“…What about Riarun?”

The hero, Paronai, looked back at me as he said it. Yurichen paused for a moment.

He was about to say something, but I beat him to it. I tilted my head just enough for my waist-length hair to flutter slightly.

“I’ll watch. Or maybe I’ll bolt before it even starts.”

Paronai’s expression was worth seeing after that brazen remark. He looked more confident now. I acted even more shamelessly.

“I didn’t even get a divine oracle, and you want me to do charity work for free?”

That’s when Penzey suddenly burst out laughing like thunder. He slapped the table with his fist, laughing so hard the drinks on the table spilled over, the liquid splashing. Yuri-cheon furrowed his brow.

“Yeah, Ria! That’s exactly right. Even your back as you run away will look good!”

Penzey hadn’t yet seen the power of my spirit. As for Paronai, he knew what I could do—that’s why he wanted to keep me involved.

But this was the right call. Setting aside things like villains, game storylines, or oracles…

‘If I use the power of the wood spirit, I’ll be in danger. It’s better not to use it if I can help it.’

It happened yesterday. I had finished reading the Rohin doctrine word for word, not skipping a single character, and then knelt down to pray.

And then, just a little, very little—I drew upon Rohin’s power.

‘…Ack!’

My vision turned pitch-black. When I barely managed to lift my head, I found myself collapsed on the floor. I frantically felt around my chest to check that I was still alive.

Even after the pain faded, my heart kept pounding violently. Thump, thump—it beat like an alarm blaring in my throat.

It wasn’t because I had received divine punishment from Rohin. Just using the spirit’s power brought me unbearable pain. The intensity kept increasing, and even when I didn’t use it, I felt like my skin was prickling.

‘…Hancanera.’

For the first time, the thought came to me: maybe I hadn’t escaped after all. As long as I had this power, I had never truly broken free from Hancanera.

I felt connected to Hancanera. The incarnation of Rohin. That once fresh, vibrant power now felt suffocating. I felt like I was going to throw up.

—

That evening.

Banwes checked to make sure it was dark enough outside.

As usual, he shared a room with Riarun again today. The room was stiflingly hot, but he couldn’t open the window in case the sickly kid made a fuss or got worse.

He turned toward the wretched little leech he could no longer shake off—

And without warning, Riarun was collapsed on the bed.

Alarmed, he stepped closer. Riarun’s breathing was shallow and rapid. His body was burning with fever.

“Hey.”

Banwes roughly shook his shoulder. But instead of coming to, Riarun’s head dropped limply, exposing his fragile-looking nape.

The realization that this wasn’t an ordinary illness crept up his throat like a vine.

‘If this goes wrong, the humans will think I…’

Something was off. Riarun’s body was scorching hot, trembling all over with small spasms, but not a single drop of sweat.

Banwes knew nothing about human sickness. In his panic, he at least stripped off Riarun’s outer garment. It looked like he couldn’t breathe properly.

And then—when the smooth skin of Riarun’s shoulder touched his palm—

‘This is…?’

There are things you know more clearly than what you can see. Only someone with half-monster blood like him could sense it.

Something black and foreign, writhing through the body like a snake. It had already taken hold of Riarun completely—even grasped his heart.

Ha. Banwes let out a short, dark laugh.

‘No way… Even this little brat has a demon inside? Just like the black dragon.’

He knew nothing about human illnesses. But if it was a sickness of the monsters he so despised—well, that was another story.

Hadn’t they just spoken this morning about the filthy thing that might be nesting in the black dragon?

Demons usually preyed on beasts with similar energy. That’s partly why people associated Banwes with demons.

Even so, demons always longed for bodies more beautiful and refined. Like young, fresh humans.

He had no idea how Riarun had come to allow a demon inside… but the situation was already critical. The only miracle was that he hadn’t died or gone mad yet.

Most likely, Riarun had been holding out by drawing on pure spirit power. But every time he used that power, it must’ve felt like being stabbed by a knife.

‘So that’s why he fled the cushy cult. But he couldn’t bear to live like a beggar, so he tried to use me to claw his way back up.’

But if things stayed like this, Riarun would die. He wouldn’t be able to withstand the demon’s grip. Not with that skinny body that only looked good.

Banwes looked down at the panting brat for a long while, something unreadable in his eyes.

He imagined Riarun dead. …He told himself he didn’t care. There was no connection between them.

But Riarun was his guarantor. And if the cause of death came out, Banwes might be blamed for bringing in a demon.

And what if Riarun called for help before dying? That would be even worse. Riarun might be purified, but Banwes—already disliked—would be slaughtered by those who’d love to accuse him, oracle be damned.

And so Banwes made a decision.

He had to handle this quietly. On his own terms. Without anyone knowing.

He knew a temporary way to suppress it. Entice the demon with something it liked, draw its attention away from the host—just long enough for the body to recover.

“Get up.”

Even with the harsh, commanding tone, Riarun struggled to open his eyes.

Banwes knew well that behind that fresh, leafy appearance was a rather prickly temperament—so he felt no guilt, no hesitation.

He supported Riarun’s back and head with one arm. Once he propped him up, Riarun fluttered his eyelids open slightly.

“Ah…!”

For a moment he looked confused, then a wave of searing pain seemed to wash over him, as if his body had burst and was bleeding from every inch.

“It hurts… ngh…”

His face twisted in pain, like even he didn’t understand what was happening. But even so, his gaze remained locked—focused hard on the man in front of him, brows furrowed with confusion.

Why was the man so close? Why was he staring at him so intently?

“What are y—”

The moment his soft lips parted, they were devoured by a beast.

Banwes restrained Riarun’s body with one arm, seized his small face with the other, and kissed him—stealing all his breath.