The Esper Grand Duke Wishes For Purity - Chapter 10
As Heejae’s expression twisted, the man lifted both hands to show he meant no harm.
“Calm down, Ren. All your companions have been rescued safely.”
Heejae quickly searched the man’s face. It really was identical to Ha Sehyeon’s—thick eyebrows, black eyes resembling the night sky, long and sharp eyes, well-shaped lips, and even that slightly pale white skin. Even the beauty mark by his eye was the same.
“I am truly grateful for what you did to save me yesterday. Ren, if you hadn’t found me, I might have simply vanished and gone to the Goddess’s embrace.”
The man’s gaze turned hazy as he lowered his head.
“Even if the method of that purification was corrupted… even if it was an act forbidden by the Goddess… Ren, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. You also made a great sacrifice for me. You will be forgiven.”
[Ren…?]
Heejae muttered the word, his pronunciation uncertain. The word the man kept repeating in his sentences felt strangely familiar.
The moment he realized it was his name, a shiver ran down Heejae’s spine. Heejae ran straight past the man toward the door.
“Ren—!”
Ignoring the sound of that name ringing in his ears, Heejae pushed hard against the heavy door with his shoulder and burst it open.
In the castle’s long corridor, Heejae sprinted toward the light. The staircase leading downstairs was a T-shape, just like in the movies. The corridor was as elaborately decorated as the room, but none of it mattered to Heejae now.
Nearly tumbling down, he finally reached the first-floor lobby and collapsed to his knees.
On the grand door at the innermost part of Kylus’s castle, black wood and a dragon were carved. The branches stretched to the stars in the sky, and roots dug deep into the earth, touching the souls of ancestors. In the aurora-filled night sky, a black dragon hovered.
[Under the Goddess’s Star… Why is the cover of that book here…?]
Sensing movement, Heejae turned—and there stood Ha Sehyeon, quietly standing close by.
No, this wasn’t Ha Sehyeon.
[Kylus…]
The man’s eyebrow twitched. He glanced down at Heejae with just his eyes.
“I owe you a debt, so just this once, I’ll forgive you for carelessly calling my name, bestowed by the Goddess.”
[He just called my name, right? S**t, is this really that Kylus?]
“….”
Kylus’s expression grew colder, but Heejae didn’t care, clutching his head in disbelief.
[Did I… get pulled into a book? Is this that transmigration I’ve only ever read about?]
When Espers went to the front lines to break through aGate, Guides would usually stay in the rear, waiting in a safe place to prepare guiding for when the Esper returned.
Since there wasn’t much to do while waiting, many Guides picked up hobbies you could do sitting down, and for Heejae, that was reading.
It was that habit that led him to join an Esper-Guide fan community. Outwardly, Heejae seemed very quiet, but inside the world of the written word, he was greedier and more passionate than anyone.
He slipped into the world of fanfiction without resistance. In a time when high-ranking ability users had more fans than celebrities, the book worlds spun from the real-life Esper-Guide shipping were a paradise for Heejae.
It was not just the writing skill or the thrilling pull, but also the shockingly insightful character analysis—their interpretations so sharp, Heejae often found himself in awe.
Of the many novels, Heejae’s favorite by far was <Under the Goddess’s Star>.
Some might call them perverted tales rather than love stories starring himself and Ha Sehyeon, but he couldn’t stop reading. So dirty, so ruinous, so sexy that every new update sent a fresh rush of dopamine through his veins.
It was, truly, one of Heejae’s main sources of joy in life.
Standing in the light streaming through the window, Kylus was blindingly handsome. As a character modeled on the SSS-class Esper Ha Sehyeon, his aura was overwhelming.
‘And I am Ren Snow. The other protagonist of this novel, apparently.’
Heejae now realized completely that he had entered the world of his favorite novel. There was no way not to know—he’d practically memorized every word from the first chapter to the tragic end of Part 1.
How could he deny it, in a world that perfectly matched what he’d imagined?
But.
[I transmigrated as Ren Snow…]
“Ren?”
Kylus looked down at Heejae, his expression tinged with concern.
[You… why aren’t you Ha Sehyeon?]
