Strongest Warlock - Wizard World Irregular

After their mission ended, Nicole, Lyall, and Conall returned to the Flying Ship to report their findings.

They had captured a few of Godfrey's subordinates and managed to get answers from their tight lips with a little bit of effort from Lyall.

But when they heard Merric's report about Ethan returning looking somewhat pale, they immediately thought that the young man and Hecate had fought against Godfrey without informing them.

Because of this, Nicole hurriedly went to see him to ask him what really happened.

But instead of meeting Ethan, he found Lilith standing guard on the door with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Master is resting," Lilith said. "You can't see him right now."

"Tell me what happened," Nicole replied. "Did you guys fight against Godfrey?"

"No," Lilith answered. "They just talked."

"They just talked?" Nicole frowned. "Then why did Merric say that he looked very pale."

Lilith hesitated a bit because Nicole was not the only one who was standing in front of Ethan's cabin.

"He… learned about something that made him very feel sad and guilty," Lilith said after carefully organizing her thoughts. "I can't tell you about it because it's his private matter. However, if you really want to know the truth, you should ask Master when he wakes up.

"Right now, Hecate is inside the room, looking after him. I'm sorry, but I can't let you disturb him right now."

The frown on Nicole's face deepened, but she didn't pursue the topic any longer. She knew that once morning came, Ethan would give them an explanation. With that in mind, she decided to wait until then.

Lyall was very curious about what happened to Ethan, but since Lilith was blocking the way, she decided that it wasn't worth it to stir up trouble, so she left to rest in her room.

Inside the room, Hecate sat on top of Ethan's bed and looked at the young man, who was sleeping with a pained expression on his face.

She had listened to Godfrey's story like Ethan did, and frankly, things made more sense to her now.

Even so, she only understood half of it.

Her other half was somewhere out there, waiting for her.

No.

Not waiting for only her.

But waiting for the two of them to come.

Hecate sighed softly before lying on the bed beside Ethan and hugging his body.

'Your body is colder than usual,' Hecate thought as she used the blanket to cover the two of them before once again wrapping her arms around Ethan to hold him close.

She knew that the moment Ethan opened his eyes, he would ask her some questions.

As to whether she could answer them or not, even Hecate didn't know.

A sigh escaped her lips before closing her eyes to rest. Regardless of what would happen next, she knew that the sun would rise in the morning whether she liked it or not.

Lilith, who was paying close attention to what was going on inside the room through her connection with Ethan, sighed in her heart.

"Tomorrow," Lilith muttered. "The truth will be known tomorrow."

***

When the first rays of the sun peeked over the horizon, Ethan slowly opened his eyes.

His body felt as heavy as lead as if he had undergone a great battle and fought until exhaustion.

But no such battle took place.

Even so, his body felt heavy. He believed this was a psychological reaction to the things he discovered last night.

It didn't take long for him to realize that someone else was sleeping on the bed beside him.

He glanced at the sleeping Half-Elf, whose beautiful face was familiar and unfamiliar at the same time.

Although she had a few similarities with Princess Ramona, she didn't look like her, which made him remember the words that the Princess had said in the Painting of Enlightenment.

***

"Ethan, come and find me," Princess Ramona said before looking at the sun slowly rising over the horizon. "Do you remember that story that you told me in the past? About the princess who fell asleep, waiting for her prince to wake her up?

"Come and find me. Once you do, make sure to wake me up with a kiss. Until then, I will be like that princess, sleeping, as I wait for my prince to find me."

"Where are you?" Ethan asked.

"I am very close to you," Princess Ramona replied with a smile. "Close enough to touch, close enough to hold. Illumina and I made a bet, you know? Back then, I was confident that I was going to win. But now… I'm not sure anymore.

"Thank you for the memory. I love you. But don't tell me that you love me. At least, not now. Find me first because if you don't find me soon… I will…"

"I will find you," Ethan said firmly. "I will."

"…Of course, you will," Princess Ramona sighed as her body started to turn into particles of light. "After all, you've always kept your promise to me."

"I have done my best. I'll leave the rest to you, Ethan."

***

Ethan felt as if a lump was stuck in his throat as he recalled that memory.

Although he wasn't certain, he believed that the one talking to him back then wasn't an illusion made by the painting.

No.

He truly believed that it was Princess Ramona, and she had personally asked him to find her.

Ethan slowly raised his hand and brushed back the strand of hair that covered Hecate's face.

Last night, when he kissed her, he felt something familiar and wondered what it was.

But now, he felt as if the answers he was looking for were within his reach.

Ethan gently caressed the side of Hecate's face, doing his best to keep his emotions in check.

A minute later, Hecate sleepily opened her eyes and looked at Ethan in a daze.

She stared at him for a few seconds before moving closer to bury her face on his chest and closing her eyes for the second time.

Ethan then wrapped his arms around her body and held her gently.

He would give her fifteen more minutes to sleep.

After that, he would wake her up with a kiss and fulfill the promise he made in the Painting of Enlightenment.

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