The Emperor slowly opened his eyes from atop the tree. His mind was still hazy, suspended between dream and reality.

[Fron, thank you for accepting me.]

As always, it was a dream of Fron.

Fron, having accepted his proposal, broke through a wall with an embarrassed laugh.

[Wahahahahahaha! Uwahahahaha! I-I'm so embarrassed! Kyaaa!]

[Thank you... Really, thank you.]

The Emperor smiled as he gently patted Fron’s shoulder.

He already knew Fron had liked him for a long time. Her hesitations—due to her position and Kiaros—were, to him, all the more lovable.

[Thank you for never forgetting me all this time. And thank you for not going to another man.]

[I just couldn’t...]

Fron replied with a trembling voice.

[Because, Your Majesty...]

[Me?]

[N-no, never mind. That was almost a disloyal thing to say.]

[Let’s not talk like that anymore, alright? Can you just tell me? Hm?]

[I still can’t say it. Never.]

[It’s an order, Fron. Come on now.]

The Emperor coaxed her with a kiss on the cheek. Fron stomped the ground, completely flustered.

[B-because, Your Majesty...]

[Hm? Me?]

Finally, Fron squeezed her eyes shut and shouted.

[Because you were just too much of a sly little fox! Seducing people like that—xx! With those syrupy eyes and sugar-coated words, coaxing and teasing—how could I not fall for that, xx!]

With Fron’s boisterous string of curses ringing in his ears, the Emperor finally woke.

He slowly blinked, fully pulled from the dream of long ago.

His body was still trembling, but at least he could move now.

“Hm?”

He sat up atop the high tree and looked toward the Grand Temple.

With a deep rumble—rururururung—the entire structure was shifting.

Like a child’s block house being rearranged into something new...

“...Damn.”

He frowned. Inside were his son—and the woman his son loved.

Kiaros had mentioned the Tower Lord and his daughter being there, but he didn’t care about that.

He still hadn’t forgotten that the Tower Lord once high-fived Fron.

“Looks like they realized they’ve been found out.”

The Emperor whistled sharply—fweeet.

A moment later, one of the giant imperial carrier birds from the south soared toward him.

“Deliver this to ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ the Southern Imperial Commander.”

He scribbled an order with a quill from his cloak—a simple command to lead forces straight to the Grand Temple.

“Once a few key people are secure, I’ll handle the rest myself.”

He planned to transform back into a dragon—and burn it all to the ground.

***

The stone stairway had completely collapsed. A light from a flare scroll glimmered above, but it was far.

Thankfully, I wasn’t hurt. Because of the man who had shielded me and rolled with me into safety.

...Kibon?

It didn’t feel real. I stared blankly at the man holding me tightly.

That familiar man with black hair... now wearing the same uniform as the people guarding the underground prison entrance.

What... what happened?

The rumbling from earlier had stopped. Kibon gently let go of me.

Not that it made much difference—there wasn’t much space. We were basically trapped in a hollow created by the falling stones.

At least air and light still came through. In the dimness, I looked at him and blurted out:

“W-wait, Kibon—are you a Modification Faction clone or something? No, then which one’s the real one!?”

Honestly, it didn’t make sense that Kibon could get here in just two days. So my suspicion was perfectly valid.

“Haa...”

Kibon sighed, rested his forehead against my shoulder briefly, then gave a faint smile.

“That’s... not the first thing I expected to hear. ‘Which one’s the real one,’ huh...”

His tone was cocky yet calm—just like the Kibon I knew.

He had saved me, so I didn’t think he was from the bad guys.

I rolled my eyes and asked, a bit unsure:

“You... are the Kibon I know, right? Then why are you here?”

“You called me...”

He whispered as he gently tucked my hair behind my ear.

“You always said, whenever you called, I should come. Did you forget?”

“Well... uhm.”

I mean... I called the dog.

Still, I had the sense not to say that out loud. As I made an awkward face, Kibon frowned and asked:

“I come all this way, risk my life to save you—and you look like you’re not even impressed?”

“No—it’s not that I’m not impressed. I just... literally want to know how you're physically here. Did you read my letter? The one where I said I was a disgusting test subject...”

“I read your very clear and concise confession report, yes...”

He cut me off coolly, his tone matter-of-fact. That alone told me—it really was my Kibon.

The calm voice, the burning gaze, the tight line of his lips like he was holding something back.

The strange heat he gave off, that unique aura—it was all exactly the Kibon I remembered.

But why the casual tone? Trying not to seem like a younger guy? Cute...

Kibon looked me in the eyes and murmured:

“There was an error in it. I came to correct it.”

His informal speech felt strange—but sexy. So I let it slide.

Dim light flickered in the distance, casting shadows over his face.

We weren’t pressed together like earlier, but the space was cramped. We were still close.

Ah.

I saw my terrified expression reflected in his jet-black eyes.

I was scared—really scared. I'd been running from this fear.

Afraid of hearing words like “disgusting” or “repulsive” from someone who knew everything about me.

“I can never forget Namia Roafi. I can’t live without Namia Roafi. I can’t let go of Namia Roafi.”

Like teaching a child, he spoke slowly and clearly, one word at a time.

Then, subtly, he intertwined his fingers with mine. His warm fingers gripped mine tightly against the cold stone floor.

“Even if Namia Roafi’s a test subject—or even something worse—it doesn’t matter. I love you too much.”

I tried to back away—but there was nowhere to go.

Tears welled up as I exhaled a shaky breath.

“Kibon... I’m scared...”

As I confessed that, a tear streamed down my cheek.

“I’m so scared of what’s ahead... This isn’t something I can fix on my own. What if I suddenly become someone dangerous to the world?”

Then Kibon, with the hand not holding mine, gently wiped my tears and gave a small smile.

“If the world is scary, then just leave the world.”

His calm, soothing voice began to comfort me.

“Then it’s just you and me, holding each other close. That’s all the world I need...”

The certainty in his comfort made even more tears pour down. Kibon cupped both my cheeks and carefully wiped them away.

“Don’t cry... When you cry, my whole world aches...”

“Hic... hic...”

“Whatever you are—it’s okay. But seeing you cry like this... hurts so much. Alright?”

I leaned my face into his hands and sniffled.

But even in the middle of that...

The emotional part was real—but the suspicious part remained.

It’s physically impossible. He appeared here in just two days, dressed like a Modification Faction guard... What if Kibon’s actually an escaped test subject?

Maybe that’s why he didn’t care that I was one.

Somehow, that made me feel a little better.

Just then, Kibon spoke—his voice tinged with slight anxiety.

“You’re not going to run away again, right? I’m worried you’ll use a teleport scroll...”

“Mm.”

Did Kiaros tell him about that teleport getaway?

I nodded. Feeling guilty about calling test subjects gross, I added:

“Whatever you are... I’m okay with it. I like you too.”

At that, Kibon’s eyes lit up.

“...Really?”

He swallowed once, leaned in, and whispered:

“No matter what I am... no matter who I am?”