“Hey, Little Fran, and you, Ig, were you looking for me?” Verafia’s clear voice echoed through the heavy space as she tilted her head, pulling a strand of golden hair with her fingertips, a gentle smile gracing her exquisite jade face.
“Miss Vera!”
Ig raised his head suddenly, his eyes almost brimming with warm liquid. He stood up as if to rush towards her, but then remembered his current disheveled state and paused. He first tried to clear the liquid from his eyes.
“Big sister.”
Fran’s small body shot past Ig and reached the girl’s side. Verafia reached out and wiped the dust and blood from Fran’s face. “Fran, why are you injured? You can’t be pretty like this. Hmph, that person is truly detestable.”
Fran allowed the girl to fuss with her hair, lifting her small face and gazing with bright red eyes, speaking earnestly.
“Mmm, big sister, I’m alright. What just happened…”
“Young Lady.”
The black-haired boy walked up to the girl. Verafia’s eyes lit up, and she suddenly chuckled, “Hey, Ig, why are you crying?”
Ig’s face flushed as he stammered, “Th-this is just from the injuries sustained during the recent battle, Young Lady, please don’t…”
Verafia’s beautiful, bright big eyes merely gazed at him. Ig grew increasingly unsure of himself and was about to give up when the girl suddenly revealed a gentle smile. She took a step forward, her pure white, tender, small hand reaching out to gently grasp the boy’s torn palm.
As his hand was held by the girl’s exquisitely crafted, artwork-like small hand, Ig’s heart stirred. He felt the girl’s soft, jade-like, warm touch, a brilliant, flame-like yet warm current flowing into him like a gentle stream.
The wounds left by the clash of life crystals and death magic, and the deathly still black sand, rapidly dissolved like spring snow as the fire flowed.
Ig gazed at the girl, the warm sensation tracing its path. For some reason, he felt the girl’s flame was even purer, a subtle sense of illusion, as if it were the first ray of sunfire cast in the early morning…
“There! Humph, it’s good I’m here. Ig, you must take care of your body.”
Verafia broke into a bright smile, tilting her head cheerfully, and rebuked him playfully. As they were very close, Ig felt a faint touch on his face, the delicate, captivating fragrance filling his senses.
Ig fell into a trance, his eyes fixed on the girl’s beautiful face. Only when Verafia withdrew her small hand did he quickly realize his lapse in composure.
Fortunately, at this moment, Ophi, holding the ice crystal dragon spear, also walked over. Ophi carefully examined Verafia and, finding that she was indeed the familiar Flame Phoenix, her exquisite small face broke into a look of surprise.
“Just now, I thought something had happened to you too.”
“Humph, what could possibly happen to me?”
Verafia lifted her small face triumphantly, her big eyes flashing. “In the territory of this single broken skeleton, plus a fallen lich, it’s nothing for me to handle with ease.”
Seeing his Young Lady’s familiar arrogant expression return, Ig couldn’t help but smile.
At this moment, the wood elf girl following Ophi timidly poked her little head out, looking as if she had something to say. “Um, Phoenix, my Gu Gu…”
“You mean this pigeon?”
Looking at the long-eared wood elf and her pet pigeon, Verafia’s exquisite jade face seemed to recall something, and a faint smile appeared inexplicably.
However, before Ainseul could understand, the girl’s fair, tender jade fingers gently tapped the flame pigeon perched on her shoulder. The fire pigeon cooed and flapped its wings, fluttering into the wood elf’s embrace.
Ainseul had been worried, but upon examining her pet pigeon, she found that it was unharmed and seemed even livelier. She held it tightly in her arms, as if she would never let go, even if Verafia tried to snatch it away.
Seeing that Verafia was fine, the remaining adventurers showed respect to Ig and suggested leaving this godforsaken place.
—
“Young Lady.”
Ig, holding his sword, walked close beside the girl. The girl stopped her light humming, turned her pure white jade face, and gazed at him. “What is it, Ig? Do you have a question you want to ask?”
“As expected, I can’t hide anything from you.”
Ig flattered her and then told Verafia everything about pulling out the End, his eyes on the girl who seemed unconcerned and was looking around with her big eyes.
“Hmm, just this domain and the matter of the sword in your hand?”
Verafia turned her eyes back, seeing Ig still looking as if he had something to say. She stomped her small boot on the ground and suddenly blinked her eyes. “However, it seems, Ig, you still have something more to say?”
Ig pulled down the cloth wrapped around his wrist, having made up his mind. “Just now, I couldn’t feel the flame mark you left on me at all…”
“You mean this?”
Verafia blinked her big eyes, her bell-like, pleasant voice sounding like a chuckle. Her pure white small hand snatched Ig’s wrist, then gently touched it. The next moment, a cluster of golden flames slowly rose.
Seeing this familiar mark appear, Ig’s heart settled a little, and then a complex emotion, which he himself couldn’t quite clarify, welled up within him.
Ig remembered the first time he saw Verafia, the contract signing, the opulent and extraordinarily beautiful girl, and the words she spoke in a dangerous tone.
The flame on his wrist was the link between him and the girl. But to him, what did he mean in her eyes…
Verafia seemed not to notice the boy’s complex emotions. Instead, she continued to hold his wrist, looked up, and smiled charmingly at Ig.
“Although I said that with this mark on you, I could find you even if you ran to the other side of the continent, this isn’t because my power has weakened, it’s all this place’s fault.”
“This place?”
“Of course. Ig, you know, this is something left behind by the Black-winged Monarch after his fall. If it were before, I wouldn’t be afraid of him, but now I’m the crystal… This domain can naturally isolate the connection of my flame.”
Verafia said this seemingly casually, but a peculiar look appeared in Ig’s eyes.
However, before Ig could think further, the girl suddenly raised her bright golden irises again, pouted her lips, “Moreover, for this thing, I even fell into the core of this domain!”
Having said that, Verafia raised her small hand. On her slender white wrist was tied a bone fragment. Ig’s first impression was that it was ordinary, but upon activating the “Eye of Insight,” he vaguely saw dark golden markings flowing.
