"Swear to the Moon? Does it need to be this serious?"
The Black-Haired Lady raised an eyebrow at Shade, but seeing how serious he truly was, she nodded lightly.
"Fine, but answer one question first: If this is really so dangerous, why did you bring me here? If you hadn't brought me here, I wouldn't have learned about this old professor or heard your conversation."
"Because this is something that shouldn't be kept from you."
Shade answered:
"I'm not worried about you knowing my plan. I even want you to know. I won't be content with merely finding the tree your corpse turned into with Miss Daniste more than thirty years from now, then holding a cat while burning that tree alongside a weeping Miss Daniste."
"All mortals must die."
"Yes, but I need your help, Helena Carter."
Calling her by name directly was quite rude, and this was the first time Shade had done so. In the rain, he gazed at the Black-Haired Lady standing beneath the umbrella with him. His voice was slow, yet firm:
"I need you to help me in the future. I need you to stand beside Daniste and me in the future, to face the inevitable end together with us. I don't care what you think. Perhaps what I'm saying now sounds strange, but ma'am, whether you open your eyes again in the future is not for you to decide. It is for me to decide.
"After all, you said it yourself. By then, you should already be dead."
The Thirteenth Ring Sorceress had experienced far more than the young Outlander. More than one person had once spoken to her in a harsher, more unpleasant tone. She did not compromise because of Shade's words. Narrowing her eyes slightly, she met his gaze beneath the