Chapter 152

Johann’s eyes, still sluggish with fever, drifted down. He flinched when he noticed the cloth wrapped around his arm.

As if he hadn’t expected to be found out.

That made me angry.

“Do demons grow new arms when they’re cut off?”

I asked sharply, almost sarcastically. He didn’t respond.

“This is from fighting Alex, isn’t it?”

Still no answer.

I tried to keep my voice steady. “Can you be healed in the demon realm?”

Johann exhaled softly and closed his eyes.

“[I don’t know. This is the first time.]”

That was the last thing I wanted to hear.

Fear crept up from my toes and settled deep in my chest. I kept my tone even as I asked again.

“When were you going to tell me?”

Johann was silent for a moment.

“After the match,” he said at last.

The room was dim—just one candle flickering nearby. When Johann turned his head, the flame cast half his face into shadow.

“Don’t worry,” he said gently.

The way he looked at me, full of concern, made it worse. It felt backwards. He was the one who needed comfort.

I lowered my gaze to the corner of the bed—then to his arm, still wrapped in the bandage.

Dread washed over me.

I whispered, “If you go back… will you be okay?”

Johann said nothing.

“I’m not a doctor,” I went on, “but… I think you’ll be okay if you return.”

Just like Asha said—his condition wasn’t a natural illness. It felt like a glitch in the system. The further he got from the demon realm, the worse he became. And no one here could help him.

The more I thought about it, the more certain I became.

If the system never recognizes him again, he’ll die.

And I—I didn’t want to see that happen.

As I wrestled with the thought, Johann shifted.

His hand—the one not blackened—reached up and gently lifted my chin.

His blue eyes met mine.

One set submerged in darkness. The other, lit by flickering candlelight. Somehow, both felt distant.

I couldn’t read him.

Not fully.

But I could tell he was reading me.

Watching, carefully, like he could hear the words I hadn’t said aloud.

I looked away, unsettled, and murmured,

“…Could you betray the Demon King?”

It was sudden. But it was real.

I didn’t know if it was wishful thinking or something deeper—intuition maybe.

But I had to know.

If Johann could choose me over the Demon King… then maybe he really was the hidden S-rank male lead.

He didn’t answer.

The silence stretched.

So thick, it felt like I couldn’t breathe.

Then, at last, in a voice so quiet I almost missed it—

“I’m sorry.”

I already knew.

“I can’t defy him.”

All the tension drained from my body.

And in that moment, I realized something else, too.

I wanted to choose Johann.

This wasn’t just instinct. It was greed.

I wanted him—regardless of logic or safety or the system.

I should’ve been relieved to have one option crossed off.

Instead, I was… disappointed.

What kind of person did that make me?

Shame stirred beneath my skin, followed by helplessness.

I swallowed it all down and said quietly, “I understand.”

“[Daisy.]”

His voice cracked.

I looked up.

“[We made a promise. If I win the competition, you’ll grant my wish. If I lose, I’ll grant yours.]”

I blinked at him.

Now?

He was talking about that now?

He smiled faintly, like he knew exactly what I was thinking.

“Were you planning to ask me to come back… as your wish?”

I didn’t reply.

He closed his eyes, still smiling.

“When we made that promise… I stopped talking about how dangerous the Four Seasons Kingdom was.”

His tone was flat. No humor left.

“After that, I never said another word about it. I prepared like it was just a trip. Something simple.”

He opened his eyes.

Darkness and candlelight flickered in them both.

“[What was so hard about it?]” he whispered. “[All you had to do was say one word—‘Go back.’]”

His voice was cold, but the fingers still resting against my jaw were gentle.

“Why didn’t you tell me, even when I asked? What was I supposed to say?”

The question landed with a weight I couldn’t escape.

Then Johann smiled again, thinly.

“What do you think my wish was?”

He didn’t wait for an answer.

He reached out, pulled me gently toward him—no force, just invitation.

His forehead came to rest against my collarbone.

He was burning up. His breath tickled my skin.

He held perfectly still. As if afraid I might push him away.

But I didn’t.

I let him stay.

I could feel everything—his fever, his pain, his hesitation.

I didn’t know what to say. I felt too many things all at once.

But then he did something unexpected.

He took my hand, placed it on the back of his head, and leaned into me.

His bare shoulder brushed mine. When my palm grazed the edge of the bandages, he flinched.

His body tensed under my touch.

That reaction—so small, so human—broke something inside me.

It reassured me.

It softened the edges of my fear.

My voice came back, quieter now.

“…What was your wish?”

“[I can’t say.]”

“What? That’s not fair. Now I’m more anxious.”

I felt his breath catch.

He didn’t laugh, but he was smiling again.

After a moment, his voice lowered even further.

“[Daisy.]”

I hummed.

Another pause.

Then—

“[Am I a burden to you?]”

I didn’t respond.

His arms wrapped around me.

Tightly.

No follow-up. No questions.

Just that silent embrace.

The candle crackled softly nearby.

My mind drifted—to the night we returned from the demon realm.

The fire outside the igloo.

The stars above.

The warmth of his voice telling me stories until morning.

That was the first time I had felt safe in this world.

Even if it wasn’t real. Even if it shouldn’t have existed.

I didn’t know how to let go.

So instead of saying anything, I threaded my fingers through his hair and held on.

I don’t know how long we stayed like that.

Eventually, Johann whispered,

“I’ll go back after the competition.”

I didn’t answer.

But he’d already read the silence between us.

Time passed.

I stopped tracking it. Let it slip away.

All the curtains were drawn. I didn’t know if it was still night or if dawn had broken.

We said nothing more.

He brushed the hair from my eyes.

And I held his hand in return.

Eventually, his breathing evened out.

I wanted to return to my room.

But his hand didn’t let go.

And before I realized it—

I was the one who fell asleep first.

CH13. System-wide Announcement