… On the dim path of the Voice, I followed Deculein, his stance unwavering, his steps perfectly measured and sure, with no trace of hesitation, as if nothing in this world could touch or disturb him.0

I barely spent a year around Deculein, yet I’ve spent far longer hating him with every fiber of my being. I never really got to know him, nor did I make any effort to understand him. And yet… now, I find myself curious about him.0

What could he be thinking? What feelings does he carry in his heart? Then, after a while, I realized my own emotions—I found myself feeling sad for Deculein.0

I tried to piece together fragments of his life that came to my mind—a father who never placed his trust in his son, the weight of family expectations and conflicts, and the only woman he ever loved, stolen from him by a meaningless death brought about by a letter from a demon. In the end, the ones who played a decisive role in his loss were Kagan Luna… and his daughter, me.0

Now, I understand that Deculein has every right to hate me, even to the point of despising me. The very fact that I am Kagan’s daughter gives him enough reason to loathe me.0

… Yet, he still accepted me as his protégé, understood my betrayal when I sided with Ihelm, forgave my father, and even honored Kagan Luna by listing him as a co-author on a groundbreaking thesis.0

And I… don’t know why. I really don’t. The more I come to know Deculein, the more time I spend with him, and the more the days slip by, the less I seem to understand. In the end, I feel like nothing more than a fool.0

Why did he choose me as his protégé? Why didn’t he turn his back on me?0

Therefore, I no longer resent...3