“Clang! Tat-ta-ta-tang!”

Shields lifted in unison made a clattering racket. Yuhyun grabbed me and pulled me backward. I urgently motioned at Peace, who was growling.

“Stand back! Take Yerim and go!”

Peace hesitated, then seized a corner of Yerim’s clothing and yanked. Yerim tried to resist but couldn’t overcome Peace’s strength. Thanks to her bulletproof vest, she held firm—and was dragged toward Seong Hyunjae’s group.

“Ugh!”

A hunter struck by the thorns pounding on his shield let out a startled cry as the brambles pierced through—then vanished. He’d woken from the dream. Mun Hyunah, who had formed a shield line before us, turned to look at me.

“With Han in charge, they can’t use heavy weapons!”

If we got caught in this, we’d really die. We’d have to fall back. As I lifted myself to retreat, a helicopter droned overhead. Then came the whistling of shells slicing through air—and explosions rained down onto the castle’s thorny walls. The blast wave hit just after a burst of searing heat.

“It’s useless!”

A soldier on the helicopter shouted. The brambles and the ramparts were unscathed. The flame that had erupted vanished in an instant as if it had never been. Mun Hyunah clicked her tongue. The hunters holding shields gradually stepped back.

“Fall back for now.”

I nodded. But before I could turn—

Rumble—

The ground trembled as vines shot up behind us. Crack! Crash! Tearing through earth and stone, thorns instantly formed a towering wall of brambles.

“Uncle!”

Yerim’s voice came from beyond the crawling barrier. Damn that Park Hayul!

“Damn it—cover those two! Call in reinforcements by helicopter!”

Mun Hyunah swung around with her shield raised between me and Yuhyun. As if on cue, thorns began to pour in from both front and rear. A few hunters who couldn’t raise shields in time vanished, and reinforcements descended in their helicopters. One vine shot out and pierced straight through a chopper’s fuselage.

Boom!

The helicopter’s rotors shattered, and it tumbled down into the ground in flames. Then more vines writhed thicker and longer. Like whips, they lashed down, crushing shields flat—and a hunter beneath disappeared in a moment.

My mouth went dry. Hunters leaped from the chopper that had cleared the wall and surrounded us, but once the vines fully mobilized, it’d be over in seconds.

‘What do I do?’

There was no choice but to reason with Park Hayul. That bastard was aiming at Yuhyun, not me—which meant he still felt that strange affection toward me. If Yuhyun and the S-ranks around me disappeared, he’d probably quiet down. But unlike Mun Hyunah and the other hunters, Yuhyun isn’t in a dream—she could really die.

“Park Hayul!”

I shouted at the bramble wall. What should I say—start with an apology? No, that wasn’t it. This is a castle and a Sleeping Beauty trapped inside, waiting for a prince. Thud! A vine slammed into the ground and swung at the hunters, sending them tumbling with their shields.

I turned to look at Yuhyun. Then I raised my gaze back to the brambles, to the castle. Park Hayul wasn’t in there. It was Yuhyun—my sister waiting for me. Filled with emotion, sincerely:

“Hyunah, just a moment.”

“Brother, it’s dangerous!”

“Please watch over Yuhyun.”

“Brother! What are you doing!”

“He won’t hurt me.”

I took a step forward and stared at the castle. Yuhyun—

“I’ve missed you.”

I spoke toward the brambles bending down toward me. In there was my sister. My throat felt thick and heavy.

“I’ve been searching for you.”

From the moment I realized I’d left you behind.

“Not a moment passed that I didn’t think of you.”

And then—the vines stopped moving. The rain of thorns ceased.

“Open the door.”

I took another step. The hunters cleared a path. I felt my cheeks heat up with embarrassment. No, I’m not here because I wanted to see Park Hayul—it’s all an act, really!

Thud, creak. The closed gate swung open just wide enough for one person. As expected, only I was meant to enter.

“Hyun, don’t.”

Yuhyun grabbed my arm. Hyunah wore a worried expression.

“You saw he isn’t attacking. We can talk this out.”

“…But—”

“If we stall, he might lash out again. Hyunah, please watch our backs.”

“Understood. Hang in there, sir. Our exit’s blocked; there’s no other option.”

Yuhyun’s hand fell away. I promised her not to worry, then walked alone through the gate. Just before I stepped inside, I looked back.

“The brambles should have disappeared by now. I passed through them, didn’t I? Or should I chop them away myself? It’ll take me days.”

Clear those vines, Hayul. At my words, the towering brambles vanished. I could now see Peace and Yerim beyond the wall. Seong Hyunjae and Song Taewon had come to stand beside Yerim. Yerim waved both arms at me; I waved back, then turned and walked on.

‘He’s not completely uncommunicative.’

The problem is his hostility toward everyone else. Inside was a quintessentially opulent castle. A grand hall with a high ceiling and massive chandelier sparkled overhead. A sweeping curved staircase made me sigh: Where’s the elevator?

‘It’s probably on the top floor.’

I climbed without letting my guard down. At the top of the stairwell was a huge portrait displayed on the wall—my own likeness.

‘…This is mortifying.’

I was depicted in a lavish embroidered banquet suit, like an actual royal portrait. My face burned. Thank goodness I came alone. What a mistake rescuing Hayul. I hurriedly turned and climbed the stairs again.

‘Showing up out of nowhere might feel dramatic, but still….’

I’d saved him, but… ah… On the next landing was a statue—me, standing heroically with Peace behind me. Like a heroic monument or something…. I wanted to go back down and shout outside the gate, “Nobody come in here! This is all Park Hayul’s doing—my opinion wasn’t consulted!” But Peace looked cool.

I climbed again. Now I was near the very top. Stepping onto the final landing, I stared in stunned silence at the wall.

A vast tapestry. It depicted me rescuing Park Hayul, surrounded by fallen hunters. Why must doing good deeds bring such agony? Is saving people a crime? I never imagined this madman…

‘…Let’s just nuke the castle.’

It’s a dream, after all. Even presidents probably want to push the nuclear button at least once. Does this bastard really think I’m a prince? Then why kidnap me and go through all this trouble? If he appreciated the rescue, he could send me Korean beef for the holidays. Speaking of which, I didn’t get a gift at Chuseok. No New Year’s greetings either. If he helps willingly now, I’ll count it as getting all that back. I’ll send beef again for Seollal—two-star grade.

“Oh my, what are you wearing!”

A clear, high voice sounded. Startled, I spun around. Three plump, floating figures hovered in front of me.

“You must dress elegantly!”

“Yes, yes. This way, sir!”

They were like fairies from a fairy tale. They said I couldn’t enter the final room without changing clothes, so I obediently followed them. Fortunately, they handed me an ordinary modern tailcoat. At least it’s a contemporary prince’s outfit. The puffy sleeves were fine, but the skin-tight stockings… not ideal.

While I gathered my weapon, the fairies pressed a bouquet into my hands. I wanted to toss it aside and bolt. I gritted my teeth and headed for the top room. When I opened the door, sunlight poured through a large round window onto a huge bed—where Park Hayul lay sleeping. As I feared, he wasn’t in a dress. Just regular pajamas.

“Hm, Hayul.”

I forced myself to be gentle and kind. For now, I had to appease him. I stepped forward with the bouquet.

“Park Hayul.”

Why wouldn’t he wake up? I shook his shoulder lightly, but his closed eyelids remained shut. Surely not. Surely.

‘Sleeping Beauty….’

I know the fairy tale: The princess awakens when the prince kisses her with love. I looked up at the ceiling. Still, this can’t be right.

‘…Can I kiss his forehead?’

There’s zero romance here. Again, I was grateful to be alone. If Hyunah or Seong Hyunjae were here—someone would surely mock me forever. Hwangrim would be pestering him for a kiss too. Maybe Yuhyun would want one as well. He wants what I offer others.

“Um, Hayul. Can’t we do something else? Snow White kissed his forehead, right? Or Cinderella—the shoe-fitting scene? I could help with that.”

I leaned down to kiss his forehead. Park Hayul slept on, the blanket tucked neatly to his chest. He was probably only pretending to sleep—but still…

‘Wait a second.’

I paused before leaning in. If he truly couldn’t wake himself—

‘…Park Hayul took the place of Mari and fell asleep as part of her dream.’

In Hayul’s dream, Mari played the typical princess—obediently preparing to marry a stranger at her mother’s command. He kidnapped a prince, but perhaps that, too, was influenced by Park Hayul. After all, he’d kidnapped me.

In other words, this Park Hayul was playing the princess, put to sleep by Mari or another. A princess cursed by a witch cannot wake on her own; she needs her prince’s help.

I stepped back. A chill ran down my spine.

‘Despite the monsters being unable to harm us, the crescent moon kept attacking.’

There was no reason for such senseless aggression. If it were the real crescent moon, he would’ve found another way quickly. Perhaps it was all to force me to wake Park Hayul—to create that sense of crisis, to drive me to rescue him.

‘If the crescent moon hadn’t attacked, I wouldn’t have rushed here to find Park Hayul.’

Maybe it was just paranoid. But something felt off. Was it really okay to wake him now? His help and power were needed, yet still…

“…Hayul, I’m sorry, but I’ve sworn premarital chastity. Whether man or woman, I can’t kiss, link arms, or even hold hands with someone I won’t marry.”

I’d decided that earlier. For my future spouse, I must keep my vows. Though it’s unlikely we’ll marry, still.

“Since the vines move, you’re not fully asleep—shall we call the fairies for a talk? First, how about sending back the S-ranks you dislike? No one gets hurt, and they go home cleanly.”

Crash! The door flew open. The three fairies floated in.

“Kiss! Kiss!”

“You must wake the princess!”

“Come on, hurry!”

Damn it. As I tried to dodge from beside the bed, the fairies swooped in. Their round bodies grabbed my arms, clung to my back, and latched onto my legs.

“Hey! Let go!”

“Wake him!”

“Prince, hurry!”

“I’m not a prince—I’m a citizen! The Republic of Korea is a democratic republic!”

I swung the bouquet at them; petals scattered. I lurched and tumbled across the overly large bed, struggling not to roll toward Park Hayul’s face. The bouquet thumped against his cheek, and a rosebud burst, filling the air with its fragrance.

“A rose kiss for the lips!”

“How romantic!”

“This is the true rose kiss!”

The fairies gushed. …What nonsense. Amid their prattle, Park Hayul’s eyes blinked open. I’d thought he wore contacts, but his bright blue eyes stared at me.

“Brother! You came to save me—again!”

He sat up with delight, arms wide open. The fairies had vanished, and I glowered at him.

“Oh, Hayul. So this time, you’ll help me, okay?”

“Sure, brother.”

He smiled. All I needed was for him to obey…

“Let’s wipe out all the hunters!”

“…Damn it—I’m a hunter too!”

I choked down a curse. Park Hayul yawned as if he hadn’t heard me. Suppressing my rising anger, I soothed him gently.

“Don’t do that—just send them back. People shouldn’t hurt people.”

“You’re too kind, brother.”

Park Hayul rose from the bed. The sunlight pouring through the window shifted back into moonlight. I felt doomed. His blue eyes turned to me with a smile.

“Thanks for waking me.”

“…I didn’t really wake you.”

“I believed you’d come find me for sure! Defeating every danger! I’ve felt it since the moment we met!”

“…Felt what?”

Even if it was dangerous, didn’t you make those brambles yourself?

“You shone brightly in the hazy world!”

I had no idea what madness he was talking about. …Could it be because I’d regressed? Park Hayul is ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) a Transcendent’s seed—maybe unconsciously he sensed my difference.

“Guildmaster Seong shone a bit too.”

Or maybe it’s just a matter of stats. Seong Hyunjae conceals his power, but he’s stronger than a Transcendent. I’m a nurturer, a dragon slayer—my skill grades are unusually high.

“Hayul, let’s not do that—send the others back and stay with me, okay?”

“Sorry, but I can’t.”

He looked at me with unfamiliar eyes.

“I don’t know why, but from now on I have to destroy this world~.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep