The suffocating atmosphere that Alon hadn’t fully grasped came to an end.

Seolrang, who had been grumbling about “my plan” with dissatisfaction, hesitated before stepping back out of the box.

Click—

“I’ll give you this, Master.”

Even while glancing at Yutia for approval, Seolrang handed a document to Alon.

“……Is this a gift?”

“That’s right!”

Holding the document, Alon stared at it blankly.

Should he say thank you for this, or what?

He had no clue how to react.

‘……Well, it does feel kind of like that.’

A faded memory surfaced.

A story he had once read in a community in his previous life.

‘Is this how a father feels when he receives a letter from his young daughter saying she wants to marry him?’

Of course, what Seolrang gave him wasn’t a letter, but a marriage registration form.

And it was completely filled out with their names.

If Alon simply stamped it, they might actually become a couple (?).

Well, in the end, it was the thought behind the gift that mattered, wasn’t it?

He soon nodded.

“I’ll accept it with gratitude.”

“……You can use it anytime! ……………Really.”

Seolrang, who had been perking up her ears energetically, shrank back when her eyes met Yutia’s, quietly tucking her tail.

Her childlike reaction made Alon chuckle softly.

Raising his hand, he patted Seolrang’s head a few times.

Tap—

A faint sensation suddenly brushed against his side.

“?”

When he turned his head, Yutia’s hand was awkwardly frozen mid-air.

“What’s wrong, Yutia?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

“?”

Although she was smiling, her voice carried a slight pout.

After glancing briefly at Seolrang’s head, Yutia quickly withdrew her hand and let out a small sigh.

“Ah, now that I think about it, I’d also like to give you a little gift.”

“I’ll gladly accept whatever it is.”

“Hmm— I’d love to give it to you right now, but—”

She looked around.

“It’s a bit difficult here, so you’ll have to come with me for a bit.”

“……Where exactly do I need to go?”

“Yes. Would you be free tomorrow?”

“Will it take a long time?”

“Hmm— It might?”

His schedule was tight.

After his birthday, he had planned to leave for Greynifra immediately.

‘It’d be a bit inconvenient if it takes too long.’

As Alon hesitated, Yutia added,

“It should only take about a day.”

“……In that case.”

Delaying by a day wouldn’t be a major problem.

With that, their plans were set.

Yutia glanced around at the people gathered in the room.

“Now that the sun is setting, how about we have dinner?”

“Sounds good.”

***

Dinner at the Marquis’ residence was livelier than usual.

Naturally so.

There were five more people than usual.

“Isn’t this fun!?”

[Meow~!]

“One more time!”

[Meowww~!]

Seolrang, who had been eating, suddenly started playing with Blackie.

‘Not sure if Seolrang is playing with Blackie or if Blackie is playing with Seolrang.’

Blackie had even progressed from just squeaking to letting out unfamiliar shrieks.

It seemed like the little guy was putting in effort just to keep up socially.

Next to Blackie, who was desperately mustering his nonexistent energy,

“Hmm, it’s so insignificant that it’s kind of cute.”

“Exactly. It’s cute because it’s insignificant.”

[You cursed bastards!!! I’ve told you multiple times, I am a god! A god, I tell you!!]

“But something feels a little off. Its face looks kind of lopsided. If we just even it out a little, it might look better.”

[You bastard!!!!!!!!!!]

“Hmm— I don’t mind it the way it is, though.”

“Really? I personally prefer perfect symmetry.”

[If I manifest in this world, I’ll devour you all first! Don’t underestimate the divine punishment! I will do it! I mean it! I really will!!!]

“Ah, anyway, so that thing in Raksas happened, and now it’s a huge headache.”

“I see.”

[Stop ignoring me!!!!!!!]

Radan and Deus were toying with Basiliora.

Or rather,

They weren’t so much playing together as……………

“This is delicious.”

“Mm, I agree.”

[Stop ignoring me—!!!!!!]

They were teasing him.

Meanwhile, looking to the other side,

“Hmm— Well, the Marquis is usually holed up in his study or researching magic all day, right?”

“That’s true.”

Evan, Rine, and Yutia were having a casual conversation.

“Other than that, he sometimes goes out for walks or checks out auction houses. But why do you ask?”

“Hmm— I was just curious?”

“Me too.”

Alon realized that the topic of conversation was himself.

For a moment, he considered joining in.

But in the end, he just shoved the remaining meat into his mouth.

‘Tasty.’

Juices burst in his mouth.

The rich flavor made the corners of his lips lift slightly.

No, it wasn’t because of the taste.

“Blackie, you like this, right?”

[Meowww~!]

“Let’s just even out your face a little, like this…?”

“Hmm, not bad.”

[I am a god! A god, I tell you~!!!]

“Well, the Marquis is usually alone.”

“That’s a relief, hehe.”

“That’s right.”

More than just a long time—it was practically the first time the dining hall was this noisy.

The warmth that filled the air.

It wasn’t bad at all.

No—

‘…It’s quite nice.’

Alon unconsciously touched the corners of his lips, which had curled up in a smile, as he observed the lively dining hall for a while.

***

After the noisy birthday dinner, a new morning began.

Alon saw off those who were leaving.

“Benefactor, we’ll be going now!”

“I’ll be heading out too.”

“Me too.”

“Brother, I’ll be going back now.”

Each of them bid their farewells in their own way.

Alon nodded once.

“Alright, travel safely. And thank you for the gifts. I’ll make good use of them.”

Though honestly,

‘Using them properly might cause serious trouble.’

Whether they were aware of his thoughts or not,

The four of them left the marquis’ estate with satisfied smiles.

“Hmm, shall we head out now, My Lord?”

“Let’s do that.”

Alon and Yutia also prepared to depart—to receive the gift Yutia had prepared.

“By the way, where are we going?”

Thinking back, he hadn’t even asked about their destination.

“If I tell you now, it won’t be as fun. I’ll let you know once we arrive.”

“Hmm. But from what I heard yesterday, it seemed like it was quite far. It’s already past noon.”

“It’s fine.”

“…Really? Will we make it back in a day?”

Yutia let out a vague hum and smiled knowingly.

“I’ll explain that a bit later too.”

“…A bit later?”

“Yes. Once we arrive.”

Yutia’s gift remained completely shrouded in mystery.

Alon’s curiosity grew, but he simply boarded the carriage.

Soon, the carriage carrying the two of them left the marquis’ estate and began crossing the unpaved road through the forest.

***

How long had they been traveling the rough path?

The sun, once high in the sky, slowly descended, resting on the mountain ridge.

As dusk painted one side of the sky, darkness crept in from the other.

“…The sun is beginning to set.”

“Hmm, we’ll be there soon.”

Yutia glanced out the window.

“Ah, we’ve arrived.”

She called for the coachman to stop the carriage.

“Let’s go, My Lord.”

“Is something inside?”

Yutia led Alon into the forest.

By now, a faint darkness had settled over the woods.

Yutia moved forward without hesitation.

Alon followed behind her.

Before long—

“Oh.”

Alon let out a small exclamation without meaning to.

A breathtaking sight.

The last sliver of the sun peeked from the edge of the mountain, its light barely clinging to the horizon.

The fading sunset, bidding farewell to the world, was slowly being overtaken by the deep blue of the encroaching night sky.

And beneath it, at the edge of a cliff,

Thousands of evening primroses were blooming in harmony with the arrival of night.

“What do you think, My Lord?”

“It’s not just beautiful—it’s magnificent.”

Hearing Alon’s sincere admiration, Yutia smiled, pure and radiant like the evening primroses.

She slowly walked among the flowers.

Completely blending into the sea of blooming evening primroses.

As Alon watched her—

“…?”

That familiar sense of unease surfaced once again.

Something was off.

A strange, lingering sensation.

A nagging feeling of déjà vu.

Since arriving in this world, he had never seen a landscape like this before.

And yet—

‘It feels as if I’ve seen it somewhere before.’

At that moment—

“My Lord, do you know something?”

Yutia, standing among the evening primroses, clasped her hands behind her back and posed the question.

Alon, who had been lost in thought, snapped out of his daze and responded.

“What is it?”

“Cliffs covered in evening primroses aren’t just here. There’s one over on that mountain as well. And another if you travel a few more days.”

“Do you like this kind of scenery? You must have visited quite a few places like this.”

Yutia slowly shook her head at his words.

Her silver hair shimmered under the moonlight.

“Honestly, I didn’t know about them before, nor did I like them. But now—I really do.”

“I see. Did someone show them to you?”

A soft, fleeting smile appeared on Yutia’s lips.

Her gaze fixed entirely on Alon.

“Yes, that’s right. But, My Lord—do you know why I insisted on bringing you here?”

“To be honest, I have no idea.”

Unable to grasp the cause of his inexplicable déjà vu,

Alon simply shook his head.

Meanwhile—

Yutia had already approached him.

“That’s because—”

She parted her lips slightly.

“I just wanted to be with you, My Lord.”

“…You wanted to be with me?”

“Yes. The longer the journey, the more time we get to spend together. So… I told a little lie.”

“Then the part about a gift that could only be given here…”

Her eyes curved gently, like the blooming evening primroses.

“That was a lie too.”

“…I see.”

“Aren’t you going to scold me?”

“Is there any reason to?”

“But I lied.”

“This much doesn’t really matter between us.”

Pause—

A brief moment of silence.

“…Is that so?”

“Yes.”

“That’s a relief. I was worried you’d be upset.”

“You don’t look worried at all.”

“Did you see through me? But, I couldn’t help it.”

Yutia chuckled playfully.

Then, she took out a small box from her pocket.

It wasn’t large.

Small enough to be carried around with ease.

“I wanted to give you something more memorable than what the others did.”

She extended both hands forward, the moonlight making her fingers appear almost translucent.

Alon, gazing at her hands,

“I’ll accept it.”

Carefully took the box.

“When you go back, wait a little before opening it. About a month would be best.”

“Why?”

“So you can think about it a little more.”

But she never mentioned what exactly he should be thinking about.

Alon simply stared at her.

With the vast night sky behind her, standing amidst the soft glow of blooming evening primroses, she shone with an ethereal beauty that left him momentarily dazed.

And so—

“…Alright.”

Alon could only give that response.