“Stop staring already.”

At Lucarion’s weary voice, Tie hurriedly turned her head away.

But her gaze soon crept back again.

There sat Lucarion in a human form she had not seen in a long time.

Wearing Tie’s clothes — the pea-green blouse and beige suspender skirt she had brought from Korea.

“I didn’t know you could take a human form too.”

Beside them, Bale clicked his tongue.

“Good thing the kid has spare clothes. Otherwise you’d be walking around naked. Even if you’re a summon, that’s still......”

“Bale oppa! Stop.”

Tie narrowed her eyes and scolded him.

“Kkamani, I mean, Lucarion is embarrassed! Being naked isn’t something bad!”

Hearing that, Lucarion let out a deep sigh.

When he raised his gaze, he saw Pupu quietly snickering inside Tie’s pocket, clearly enjoying the situation.

A vein bulged at his temple.

Thinking about it, this had all started because of that.

Because Tie had put that strange “dog collar” on him.

Right before they set off.

While Tie had been busy packing,

“Damn it, why won’t this come off.”

Lucarion had been trying for a long time to remove the collar placed on him.

But for some reason, it would not budge.

Then Pupu, who had been watching him, said:

“Give up, lizard. You can’t break Mother’s compulsion.”

“What?”

“It seems there’s a hole not just in your heart, but in your head too. You don’t understand what you’re being told?”

Pupu lazily lay down, propping his head on his hand.

Swinging his leg, he added:

“You and I both exist because of Mother’s magic. Between us and Mother lies an insurmountable gap in power.”

‘What nonsense is he spouting.’

Of course, he had already felt something strange — as if he could not go against Tie.

But “compulsion”? “Gap in power”?

“Mother is your master. You are her subordinate. You cannot resist what she has done.”

Lucarion smirked.

“You’re saying I won’t be able to remove this collar at all?”

“Yes. Because it is Mother’s ‘compulsion.’”

He recalled something recent.

How Tie, despite his refusal, had quickly put the collar on him, persuading him to just try it once.

And that had been compulsion.

Lucarion muttered in confusion:

“I only agreed thinking I’d take it off later. If I had known it was compulsion......”

“Fool. There was no ‘reluctant agreement.’ You simply cannot resist Mother.”

Pupu sneered.

“Try until the day you die. Let’s see if that collar ever comes off.”

Only then did Lucarion realize the seriousness of the situation.

To summarize,

‘If Astie does something to me, I cannot resist it.’

It sounded absurd.

But thinking about it, it explained everything.

Why seeing Tie’s tears made him want to stop them immediately.

Why he followed her every word.

Why he always acted for her, not for himself.

“......Huh?”

He sank heavily onto the spot.

“But why do you want to take it off?”

Pupu shifted position, settling on the strap of the bag.

Lucarion glared at him.

“Would you enjoy wearing a collar like livestock?”

“Lizard. This is not a livestock leash. It is a high-level magical artifact that prevents mana leakage.”

The word “artifact” made him frown.

“Look. Your body, which used to leak mana like a broken vessel, is finally holding it.”

Lucarion’s eyes widened slightly.

It was true.

No matter how much he absorbed before, the mana had always leaked out.

Now, it remained inside him.

If he focused, he could feel it gathering around the device on his neck.

“It seems the wise Mother had planned all this in advance. Just accept it.”

“.......”

“Isn’t this better than lying around in that chamber all the time?”

At that moment, Lucarion thought perhaps it was.

If this “collar,” this device, really retained his mana,

then he could maintain a manifested form without constant absorption.

But that was a mistake.

‘This artifact doesn’t just retain the mana received from Tie.’

It even preserved the power that naturally regenerated within Lucarion’s body.

In other words, an unprecedented amount of mana was accumulating inside him.

Before, he had been able to handle any amount of it with ease.

He could cast stronger spells, reinforce his body.

But the problem was that this was happening for the first time in a very long while.

‘......I’ve forgotten, damn it.’

Lucarion had completely lost the skill to control mana.

He was sure he used to know how.

But now, for some reason, he could not.

“It’s been too long... I can’t control the mana......”

In the end, unable to handle the excess power, he unconsciously took on a human form.

Right there in the carriage.

Realizing this, Lucarion hurried into the luggage compartment.

And hid under a blanket.

“Ahahaha! Khahaha! Wahahaha—!”

Pupu, watching from the front pocket of the bag, burst into laughter.

“Haa......”

Remembering all of it, Lucarion let out another heavy sigh.

When he poked his head out of the luggage compartment,

Tie, seeing he was naked, immediately gave him her clothes.

The sleeves were a bit short, but overall they fit.

The only problem was that it was a girl’s blouse with floral embroidery and a skirt.

“Stop staring.”

“Ah, I’m not looking!”

At his words, Tie quickly turned back toward the window.

Lucarion waved a hand and leaned back.

Nearby, the voices of Astie’s companions could be heard.

“Now I understand why they say Berugon is the greatest director in history.”

“Indeed. I never imagined a summon could be stabilized to this extent.”

They were discussing the device on Lucarion’s neck.

‘And I can’t exactly shut them up.......’

He rubbed his temples, trying to calm himself.

But who was there to blame?

He was the one who had told them he was a summon.

“Lucarioon, are you okay?”

Tie asked cautiously.

He turned away with annoyance.

“I’m fine, don’t worry.”

“Listen, Enzo oppa said he’ll buy you men’s clothes in the next city.”

“......Alright.”

At his indifferent response, Tie’s brows drooped.

She immediately asked Basto to switch seats and sat next to Lucarion.

Then she leaned close to his ear and whispered softly:

“Listen... do you want to take off that collar? Is that why you’re like this?”

Lucarion looked at her reproachfully and turned away.

“No need. I’ll keep wearing it for now.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Since it’s come to this, I should at ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) least understand what it can do.”

Tie’s lips parted slightly.

Her green eyes sparkled as she said brightly:

“Lucarion, you’re so smart!”

Lucarion coughed quietly.

And just as he was about to look at Tie—

thump.

Tie’s head dropped weakly onto his shoulder.

Lucarion turned sharply.

His crimson eyes widened.

“......Astie.”

“Kiddo!”

Why hadn’t he noticed earlier.

Now it was obvious — Tie’s body was burning with fever.