The Story Is Not Over Yet - Chapter 168
Translator and Editor: Effe and Nabi
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Chapter 168
“Don’t worry. He won’t have time to see you.”
Apparently noticing her thoughts, Lane opened her mouth in a nonchalant tone. As the two first climbed into the carriage Lane had prepared, the coachman must have been told the destination in advance since it started as soon as the two of them climbed.
Despite Azela asking where they were going, Lane closed her eyes and did not speak as they went on the road for a while before they arrived in the dark mountains.
“We have to walk from here. It can be a bit hard to walk.”
Saying so, Lane pointed to her shoes, but Azela shook her head, saying that there was no problem at all.
Sneering at Azela and moving on, the devil Lane climbed the mountain with a leaping gait, like walking on clouds or leaving herself to the wind. Even though her heels were chapped and her toes blistered, Azela struggled not to lose Lane and climbed the mountain.
When they reached the top of the mountain like that, she saw a small cave between the trees that looked like a few hundred years old.
“There.”
“…Huh?”
“Zagnac is over there.”
Lane spoke briefly, pointing at the entrance to the cave.
‘Zagnac is there…’
Azela gulped.
She had climbed up on all fours because of the steep incline, so her dress was ripped in places and her face dirty. As Lane stepped first, Azela brushed off any dirt or leaves from her dress and followed along.
“It was a place where dragons hid in the past. It is the perfect place to hide away from humans.”
“….”
As they delved deeper into the cave, the atmosphere grew increasingly eerie. Azela couldn’t help but shrink her shoulders in fear while Lane continued forward without hesitation.
“Uhh…”
As they ventured deeper, an unsettling sound echoed through the cave — a mix of animal-like growls, human moans, and ghostly wails. The reverberations made the sounds seem to come from all directions, leaving Azela startled and frozen in place. She clutched Lane’s hand tightly for comfort.
Observing her reaction, Lane chuckled softly.
“Scared?”
“…What, what is that sound?”
“I guess you don’t recognize the sound.”
“Yes?”
“It’s Zagnac.”
“….!”
This… was the sound Zagnac made?
Azela looked into the void with a blank stare. Zagnac was not the kind of person who would make such a noise. He had never been in so much pain, and he had never made such a cracked voice.
“Didn’t I tell you?”
Lane said in a voice full of ridicule.
“He would be ferocious and ugly.”
Finishing her words, Lane pulled her without stopping her steps like she wanted her to feel this pain, too. Azela frowned at the groaning in the air.
After a while, Lane stopped as the groaning in the air sounded close by.
“You go alone from here.”
“….”
“You said you could handle it.”
After letting go of her hand, Lane lightly pushed her. Azela glanced back once before continuing her steps after bowing her head lightly to Lane.
“Kuhh…”
It sounded like an animal growling to defend itself. Bewitched, she was drawn by the sound and took a step. Although the sound was getting closer, Zagnac’s shape was nowhere to be seen, so Azela held her breath and walked in front of it.
“Zag… nac?”
When she called his name, purple eyes shone in the darkness. Even though only darkness was set in front of her eyes, she could feel it.
What was in front of her was Zagnac.
“…Azela.”
Zagnac, in the form of black smoke, spoke in an incomprehensible voice as he called her name. Azela stretched out her hand toward him. Then, suddenly, like snow melted by strong sunlight, the black darkness disappeared before a haggard Zagnac appeared.
“Zagnac…”
“…How are you here?”
He had changed a lot since then.
Zagnac, who had always been confident, became haggard. It looked difficult for him even to stretch out his hand. Though taken aback, Azela concealed her surprise as she took a breath before approaching him with a calm facade, pretending nothing was wrong.
“Lane took me here.”
With a steady hand, she carefully entwined her fingers with his, but to her dismay, his once warm touch had now turned cold. As their fingers intertwined, she could feel nothing that she even questioned if she was really holding his hand.
“…It’s hard to maintain a physical form because I lost my powers.”
“….!”
Lost his powers… it also meant that Zagnac was gradually disappearing.
Azela bit her lip hard and opened her mouth.
“Just eat my soul right now.”
“Azela.”
“That’s what you were supposed to do! You were supposed to eat my soul! That was our first contract.”
Even though she didn’t want to cry, the tears seemed to come out again and again when she saw his helpless figure.
Suddenly, Lane’s words came to mind. There would be nothing she could do for him even if she went to see him. He would be ferocious and ugly… and she would suffer the same thing. This was what it meant.
“I can’t do that, Azela, you know that.”
“Please, please.”
Fearing that Zagnac’s gaze would disappear from her grasp, Azela tightened it. Still, there was no feeling in her palm, like catching smoke. As she bit on her lip tightly, she couldn’t hold back the sobs that came out.
“I thought I would die while you were gone. No, it was like living death. Zagnac… you can’t disappear from me. Do you think I can live happily just because you do this and save me?”
“God’s gift to man is oblivion. It may be difficult now, but as time goes by, it will gradually become dull. One day you will be able to recall it with a smile and say, ‘Ah, this happened back then’.”
“I can’t! Don’t make decisions about my future…!”
“You can do it.”
Zagnac sternly interrupted her and reached out his hand. He gently stroked Azela’s cheek, which was shedding tears without even realizing it.
“You’ve been like that while I’m gone.”
“….!”
No, it was not.
She suffered from nightmares every night. She couldn’t sleep without alcohol, and she couldn’t survive the day without taking medicine. She did not know what she would do every day, and she despised and hated herself for living and breathing every second.
“How, how is that living? That, that’s dying, Zagnac…”
“If that’s how you lived a day, you live, Azela. You are alive and breathing right now, so you can come to find me.”
It was useless no matter what she said… he had already made up his mind. Azela clenched her fists as she looked at the faded Zagnac that seemed to disappear soon.
“Let’s go back, Zagnac.”
After lowering her head, she could only say something like this. It was not a request to live or stay by her side, but it was just a request to go back together.
However, Zagnac averted his gaze.
“Zagnac.”
As Azela pulled him in an impatient voice, nervous about his silence that meant he was not going to go back, Zagnac eventually parted his lips in a faint voice, barely audible.
“You’d be better off without me.”
“….”
“It would be better for you, Azela, to think that I am not there right now than for me to disappear after being with you.”
“How can you say that…!”
Azela cried and buried her forehead in Zagnac’s hand. In her mind, she wanted to drag him by force. If she returned empty-handed now, it felt like the next time she visited this place, Zagnac wouldn’t be here.
“Azela.”
With a faint touch, he tapped her shoulder. Although she could hear the pat, she didn’t feel any touch on her shoulder, and that made her even more depressed.
“There must be a way, I will find a way. Zagnac.”
“If you live, I’ll live with you in that life.”
[ T/N: Zagnac’s words meant didn’t literally mean ‘living,’ but more like living through her? That was the meaning I got from the sentence. ]
“Don’t say things like you’re about to collapse, please!”
“Baharf will help you a lot by your side. He’s the most human person I’ve ever seen, so you can rely on him.”
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