~CMWDD 12~
Chapter 12
A tense atmosphere hung in the air, and Ollentia clasped her hands together, swallowing hard. Being near him—so mysterious and alluring—made her tremble more than she expected.
Seeing her stiff posture, Dimidius walked forward with heavy steps and stopped in front of her.
His steady gaze landed on her.
“Lady, what brings you here?”
It sounded genuinely curious. His voice carried a slight roughness.
Ollentia lifted her head, trying to meet the eyes behind his mask.
“I have a lot of questions myself. Why are you here alone? Do you know how startled I was?”
“Answer my question first. Have you come to realize your own power? Is that why you sought this flower?”
“What power? You know who I am by now, right? I’m Ollentia of the Armeniaica family, niece of Count Odor. Being his niece is why I can enter here.”
But it seemed that Dimidius was not satisfied with that answer.
He asked again, seriously.
“Lady, you found this flower without getting lost even once. Consider why you were able to reach here at once in such a dark forest where it’s hard to tell left from right.”
“W-wait! I don’t understand what you mean at all. This flower?”
At Ollentia’s question, Dimidius pointed with one hand to a white flower that held a cluster of light—a sunflower-like bloom.
Ollentia nodded slightly, then widened her eyes again.
“Huh? Why I could reach here in one go? I just followed the white light the flower was giving off. Isn’t it the same for Your Grace?”
It shone so brightly that getting lost in the forest was impossible. Of course, leaving now would not be easy.
After a moment, Dimidius let out a hollow laugh, as if he couldn’t believe her words.
“Haha! Nonsense. What light? Did you see a ghost?”
‘What does he mean by that?’
A chill ran through Ollentia. She wrapped her arms around her shoulders and moistened her dry lips.
“What are you talking about? It’s coming from that sunflower-like flower! Not sunlight, not moonlight, not twilight—just transparent, bright light!”
She stomped her foot as she spoke, but Dimidius remained silent, perhaps at a loss for words. The spring night felt like winter, yet fortunately, it didn’t seem he had seen the white light of the Pieta bracelet.
Dimidius adjusted his mask with one hand, then spoke in a serious tone.
“Very well. There’s no reason for you to lie, Lady.”
Ollentia stepped closer to the flower, rubbing her eyes, staring intently, blinking repeatedly—and indeed, the light was there.
She stuck out her tongue, then spoke with a slight shiver.
“Why can I see it? Is it Your Grace’s eyes that are faulty, or mine?”
Then came words that made her even more uneasy, from Dimidius.
“When I was briefed about the Illusion Flower, I wasn’t told it emitted light. Perhaps your eyes, Lady, are special.”
Special eyes… she had never heard that before. People often commented on her large, round, gentle eyes being attractive, but never that they were “special.”
‘So that means only I can see that white light. This can’t be real.’
She blinked in disbelief, and Dimidius continued.
“Of course, very few people know about the Illusion Flower. It seems to grow only in this Forbidden Forest. I, too, only recently learned of its properties.”
Continuing to talk about the Illusion Flower felt strange.
Ollentia alternated her gaze between the glowing flower and Dimidius.
“Did you come to see this flower secretly, without my uncle… no, without Count Odor knowing? This is a place forbidden to outsiders. Then you saw me find the Illusion Flower in one go?”
To her surprise, Dimidius nodded obediently.
Ollentia felt her confused thoughts gradually sorting themselves out.
‘So Your Grace came to Count Odor’s territory because of that flower…’
Then Dimidius’ sharp voice rang out.
“Whenever I wish, I can tell the Count that I entered this forest.”
It sounded as if he truly intended to do so.
Ollentia frowned.
“So… what exactly is the Illusion Flower? Why did you come all the way to Count Odor’s estate for it?”
A brief silence followed.
Dimidius moved closer to the swaying flower without answering and knelt on one knee. Even with the mask, his body line was so striking that Ollentia couldn’t help but admire him—it felt as if a god had descended to earth.
He had to look this good…
After a long moment, Dimidius finally spoke.
“Yes. I absolutely need this flower. I came to negotiate for it.”
He recalled the past for a moment.
Knock!
A knock came at the office door, and his aide Killun entered. Killun had a rough look, with a scar across the left side of his face.
His mismatched eyes held a mysterious glint.
“Your Grace, the rumors circulating in the Information Guild appear accurate. The Illusion Flower, when in full bloom, emits a strong holy power.”
Dimidius tapped his fingers on the desk.
“I see. It seems the Odor family deliberately leaked that information. Anyone with a flower full of holy power is invited to negotiate, huh.”
“Exactly. They don’t want the information to spread completely. If it leaks, the Guild won’t remain idle.”
The Church’s influence in the Bonus Empire was immense. They would want to monopolize rare flowers that exuded holy power. Count Odor could lose the valuable flower without receiving a fair price.
It was clear that the Odor family, for practicality, preferred selling to private buyers rather than an official religious organization.
Dimidius smirked.
“I’ll gladly buy it.”
Being a half-demon, Dimidius required holy power—opposite to demonic energy—to maintain his human form.
Hence, his surroundings were filled with sacred artifacts.
If he were to unleash his demonic power like during the attack five years ago, he would need more holy energy and someone skilled at controlling it.
Hoping such a situation would not occur, Dimidius took the document from Killun and leaned back in his leather chair.
He tapped his leg.
“Let’s see how they respond first.”
With a single stroke, he wrote a letter and sent it to the Odor family.
Success would be ideal, but failure wouldn’t matter—he was confident in his negotiation skills.
However, things started to get complicated after meeting Lady Ollentia Armeniaica.
He knew she had holy power but hadn’t approached her because he didn’t need it at the moment.
Yet now, to save Ollentia, he had unleashed his demonic power for the first time in five years. He needed to secure the Illusion Flower through negotiation and someone capable of using holy power freely.
The ideal candidate was right in front of him—Ollentia.
Dimidius stood, staring intently at the girl who claimed to see the flower’s light.
She wore a thin white dress, barely covering her shoulders, yet bathed in the moonlight filtering through the forest, glowing as if she herself were the moon.
Her pale platinum hair and golden eyes, like ripe apricots, added to her radiance.
Was it the Illusion Flower shining, or her?
Dimidius shook off the thought and said.
“Let’s leave here. It’s spring, but nights are cold. And you came dressed like that.”
Ollentia lit up.
“Oh my! Are you… worried about me?”
She really was impossible sometimes. That one line, and she’d mock him like this.
Dimidius found it exasperating and turned, walking into the forest. The niece of Count Odor would follow just fine.
Dimidius seemed deep in thought, exuding an overwhelming presence. Strange—both commoners and knights seemed uneasy near him, yet she remained fine.
Finally, he spoke cautiously.
“I must ask now. Do you still not know you possess holy power? If you saw white light in the Illusion Flower, that must have been a ripple of holy energy.”
Holy power…
Ollentia let out a small laugh.
“Well, what a delusion. My ancestors may have had holy power, but not me. Maybe an ordinary person like me can see its ripples, who knows?”
“You are from the Apricot Tree family, known for exorcising spirits, yes?”
“Yes… and?”
“When I held your hand, I felt it.”
‘F-felt what… exactly?’
