Chapter 37
The arm holding me tightened abruptly. With Seniel right in front of me, I could observe every detail of his reaction in sequence.
His pupils dilating within his bright red eyes, his lips stiffening, his breath stopping, even the faintly raised soft hairs that seemed to stand on end.
Watching a handsome man flustered under the full morning sunlight was unexpectedly enjoyable. He even looked a bit cute.
‘Have I lost my mind?’
Startled by the thought I had scribbled in my head, I hurriedly erased it.
I had already realized since yesterday that I wasn’t in my right mind, but it didn’t seem like sleeping alone was enough to reset my brain.
‘Maybe getting threatened by an unknown person has completely thrown me off.’
Or perhaps my sense of pity toward Seniel had grown deeper. After seriously worrying about my mental state, I decided to let it go for now.
To distract myself, I searched for a reason to act—and then realized Seniel was still holding me. I immediately poked his arm lightly.
“I think I can’t breathe very well.”
“Ah—!”
Seniel jolted up like a spring. The warm body heat that had been resting on me disappeared. I also stood up, following him.
After a good night’s sleep, my body felt light. Stretching, I glanced at Seniel, who still looked dazed. At this point, he should have been tearfully apologizing—but he remained silent.
Breaking the silence, Seniel asked me in a small voice,
“Are you hurt anywhere… or in pain?”
“No, as you can see, I’m fine.”
I exaggeratedly stretched both arms out in front of him as if to prove it. Seniel carefully examined my body.
If he was going to cry, he should just cry. He made a promise he couldn’t handle with his fragile personality. The silence that returned made me feel awkward again. To change the mood, I tapped Seniel’s arm.
“By the way, you didn’t forget you promised to get the recital tickets today, right?”
A flicker of life returned to Seniel’s previously subdued eyes. Maintaining eye contact, I smiled faintly.
“You have to take leave and go with me.”
I felt like I was selfishly stealing his leave, but in this harsh life, I wanted to indulge in at least this much stubbornness.
Seniel nodded seriously upon hearing about the forced leave cancellation. The lethargic 모습 from before was nowhere to be seen. Even a general ordered to defend a nation wouldn’t show such a sense of duty.
“I will definitely keep my promise.”
That level of commitment wasn’t necessary. It felt a bit burdensome, but since it wasn’t harmful to me, I didn’t stop him.
“If you need anything else, feel free to tell me anytime.”
When others said such things, it usually sounded like politeness. But from Seniel, it felt genuinely sincere rather than empty courtesy.
‘Anything I need… right now, what I need is to deal with the blackmailer, but I can’t ask for something like that.’
As an aside, dealing with Kid was the same.
“I’ll let you know later if I need anything. For now, it’s just the recital.”
Seniel looked slightly dejected. Still holding the hand of the delicate beauty, I got up from the bed.
Seniel was pulled up by my hand without resistance. I pointed at the clock with my finger. He let out a silly “Ah.”
Grabbing Seniel’s hand, I personally escorted him out. He was dragged along by me.
‘Maybe I shouldn’t criticize Kid.’
I didn’t really need to drag him along like this, but I seemed to have developed a habit of grabbing his hand unexpectedly and pulling him around at will—it was oddly fun.
I only let go of his hand after finally opening the door. When I waved goodbye, Seniel awkwardly raised his hand in response without realizing it.
Finding his stiff reaction amusing, I instinctively grabbed his hand again. I casually waved it left and right for him as I said goodbye.
“Take care. See you in the evening.”
Seniel’s cheeks flushed slightly in embarrassment. He couldn’t bring himself to protest, and instead returned the farewell.
“…See you in the evening.”
Maybe I had teased him too much. Receiving his timid farewell, a late sense of regret crept in.
Not long after lying back down in bed, someone knocked—knock, knock.
Visitors had never brought good news, so the sound of knocking was unwelcome.
‘Joel… is it a letter from that blackmailer?’
“Come in.”
The door opened, and the butler entered.
“Madam, a letter has arrived for you.”
Even before hearing the news, I had already seen what he was holding. I snatched the letter with fierce urgency.
“Thank you for bringing it.”
After quickly dismissing the butler with a gesture, I signaled for him to leave. I thought I heard him say something before the door closed, but it was drowned out by the sound of it shutting.
Assuming it wasn’t important, I would be called again if needed. With that casual thought, I roughly tore open the letter.
‘Ugh, perfume.’
As soon as I pulled the letter from the envelope, the overpowering scent of rose perfume pierced my nose.
With such an obvious presence, how could the sender not be identified? You could probably track a person just by following this smell.
The perfume, now more like a stench, forced me to stop reading and open the window.
Leaning against the window, I read the letter again.
“Vivi Jezline.
You don’t seem willing to listen. I expected as much, but I didn’t think you’d ignore me in less than a day. However, I will graciously overlook it this once.
Stay quiet. Very quietly.”
The vast blank space on the page showed there was no further content. Letting out a dumbfounded laugh, I muttered,
“You sent a letter just to say this?”
My grip tightened unconsciously. Clenching my fist, my body trembled.
“I’m going to deal with this bastard no matter what.”
Inside a glass greenhouse, the heat—hotter than the outside air—caused early roses to bloom.
Someone hummed a tune while gently touching the roses. Each flower they touched blossomed fully at its peak.
“There’s no one more devoted to God than me. Seniel, Kid.”
By now, the letter must have safely arrived. A satisfied smile appeared on the blackmailer’s lips. Though the greenhouse was warm enough to cause sweat, his skin remained smooth and dry.
“If it weren’t for that damn oracle, none of this would have happened.”
Despite the gentle smile on his face, his words were anything but.
“I hate oracle officials. Even after more than a hundred years since God departed, they haven’t realized it. How disgusting—interpreting nonexistent oracles however they please.”
He recalled the officials who stubbornly claimed they received divine revelations. Fakes. He clicked his tongue, cursing them.
His disdain had its reasons. A hundred years ago, oracle priests received revelations only through a sacred mirror. There were no exceptions.
Occasionally, God had truly descended and spoken directly. But since the mirror stopped reacting, God had never descended again.
The oracle priests declared it a new trial, saying it was God’s grand intention for humanity to become independent. In their efforts to continue receiving oracles, countless interpretations emerged.
Some claimed they heard God’s voice in dreams, others saw messages in clouds while looking at the sky, and some said they received revelations through reflections on water.
‘Ridiculous.’
He dismissed all of it with a weary sigh.
“When will you two return to your original places?”
Water poured gently from a watering can as he continued speaking to the roses, as if they were divine beings.
“At first… I thought you simply wanted bodies for amusement. I never imagined you had been reborn as humans.”
He recalled the final oracle:
[“To abandon or to understand.”]
It was the most heavily debated oracle. Since it didn’t specify who, where, or what, oracle priests struggled to interpret it until the end of that era.
Later, they concluded its meaning based on a story of a royal bastard who saved a declining kingdom and rebuilt it into a prosperous one.
But Joel did not agree.
That oracle was not about human affairs. It was about what God was telling them. After all, no further oracles had been delivered since then.
Then did God truly abandon them because He could not understand them?
He did not think so. God would not have turned His back on humanity. He believed the emphasis lay on the latter meaning of the oracle.
To understand. Whom? Us.
Us insignificant beings—understood, not abandoned.
“Still, all of this must be a trial. I will offer everything you desire as sacrifice, so please return to your original exalted positions, using me as the offering.”
God must not abandon them.
He smiled faintly and touched the petals again. For now, he needed to eliminate the woman who bothered him. Not immediately—but after she had served her purpose.
God existed for all humanity, not to be possessed.
A woman who could not even use divine power had no right to approach God.
His warped faith swelled within him. Leaving the greenhouse, he walked beneath the clear sky.
