Chapter 12
“You even killed the Demon King, and yet you’re going to act all timid like this?”
At the mention of the Demon King, his aura stiffened sharply, but Enya, caught up in her excitement, didn’t notice and shouted.
“Depert. The thing is, the Mongma seeks the strong. While we take ten hits each, your knight will only take one. There’s no need for us to risk ourselves by bringing fewer people and taking hundreds of hits each, right?”
If the master of the magic tower and the paladin commander were to fall, things could really get dangerous. What could heads without tails do? If luck isn’t on their side, it’s total annihilation.
However, Helios’s expression hardened sharply as he tried to interpret her words.
“You should have said so from the start.”
He slowly stood and faced Enya. Though his face was shadowed and hard to read, his green eyes glared with a sharpness like the tip of an arrow.
“So you didn’t want to fall for the Mongma’s illusions.”
“…What? That’s not…”
“The Demon King? Timid? How can you say such things so lightly? You’ve never even experienced it.”
Helios sneered, devouring her words.
“Do you know the pain of losing someone? Do you know the faces of people crumbling as they lose their children, their parents, their siblings?”
He was sure she had no way of knowing.
“Would you entrust your life to someone like yourself?”
“…”
“To the hand of someone who slaughtered all their own mentor and companions?”
He stepped closer, so near that their breaths mingled, and observed the slight tremble at the corners of her eyes and mouth as he continued his warning.
“I will not let my people get hurt because of your complacency and selfishness, not even a fraction of a thought.”
In the silence, they read the emotions in each other’s gaze. Enya saw strong contempt and anger in him. Helios, on the other hand, felt a surge of anger at her expression of pain, as if she knew all about loss.
How could she make such an innocent-looking face?
Was it those black eyes that seemed to swallow everything?
Or her weak, pale skin?
Her wounded expression only made him more confused.
He stepped back, showing his back. He ran his hand over his face to contain his emotions and took a deep breath, his back swelling and shrinking as he exhaled harshly.
“The team will be reduced to you and your senior mage, and me and two of my subordinates. I won’t compromise beyond this.”
“Then prove it.”
A cold voice fell on the back of his head. When he slowly turned, Enya faced him like ice, or freshly formed frost. The hurt expression she had just shown was nowhere to be seen. She let out a small laugh while staring at Helios’s tense face.
“I am indeed the kind of trash who only cares about my own safety. So, I absolutely don’t want to get hurt.”
Just as Helios was about to speak, she suddenly collided into him, grabbing his collar.
Bang.
It was so unexpected that his body slammed against the wall and fell forward. Her intense eyes drew near, and the scent he had caught before surged strongly.
Now he understood. Her scent was like a lake swallowing the night.
The fragrance of quietly wet grass and nameless white flowers.
All he could do was let himself be captivated by the scent and hold her waist tightly so she couldn’t move closer.
Her waist was unnervingly fragile. Any added force and it seemed it would break.
“Shut up and listen. If you prove yourself, I’ll step back willingly.”
With her deadly voice, their foreheads touched, and their eyes met so fiercely it felt like they might shatter.
“The Mongma shows stronger illusions to the strong and drains more energy. The primary targets will be you and me. I can help your subordinates with my magic, but you are fairly strong.”
“…”
“That means I cannot protect you.”
When she released her grip, he whispered, almost biting his words.
“I don’t need your help, Morghenda’s tower master.”
“That’s why I said—prove that you don’t need my help.”
Enya smiled, lips curled as she looked him up and down with a fierce gaze. Their breaths mingled.
“If you fall for the Mongma’s illusions and I get hurt, who takes responsibility, huh? If our Laila gets hurt? Then I’ll kill all of you. Isn’t that a bigger problem?”
While talking heatedly, Enya straddled Helios, her thighs pressing against his waist, revealing a bit of white skin as her clothes rode up.
He thought for a moment to grab her and shut that cursed mouth, but he only held her waist tighter. One false move and he could have been hurt instead.
Reason and common sense were drowned in his mind, leaving only the desire not to lose to this mage. He wanted to assert dominance, to seize her hidden layers that confused him, to confirm that she was nothing special.
Enya, in the same state, spoke lowly.
“Next time you come, I’ll show you the Mongma’s illusion. If you endure it, you can organize the team as you wish.”
“…Keep that promise.”
“Ah, shall I make a vow? Or maybe something stronger. That way our noble knight can rest easy.”
She wiped his collar clean and straightened her posture. Then, with her bleeding thumb, she pressed it against her neck, leaving a line of blood.
“I swear that the promises between you and I shall be kept. If not, my blood and my life will be yours.”
Magic flowed from the blood on her neck, glimmering and disappearing. It was a ritual using blood and magic. Though publicly forbidden across the continent, mages sometimes used it.
Enya slowly closed her eyes, calming and suppressing her anger.
“Two weeks from now.”
She exhaled and looked down slowly.
“Come then. I’ll give you a proper welcome.”
“I hope the welcome won’t be so shabby.”
Helios twisted his mouth in a grin.
The soft side she occasionally showed was an illusion, a trick to confuse people. It was easier to deal with the brazen side than a face that seemed like it would flicker out any moment.
Their hearts pounded as shapeless emotions collided in the air, when suddenly—
“What on earth are you doing?”
Grey’s voice cut into the space between them, sounding as if she were about to faint.
Through the open door stood Hasan, Laila, Grey, and Mari. Even they seemed unsure of what was happening.
It was understandable. In the usual chaotic mess, Helios was half lying, holding Enya’s waist, while Enya sat on his firm abdomen with her hand on his chest.
“Step, step back… step back! Commander, are you okay?”
Grey approached, panicking as if Enya had eaten Helios. But Hasan acted first. He quickly reached Enya’s side, lifted her upright, and supported her.
He casually scanned the blood on her jaw.
“You swore by your blood, didn’t you?”
“Yes. I had no choice.”
“Next time, don’t do that. It’s just a blood oath spell, but think of your body too.”
“I don’t care. I’m tired.”
Enya leaned against Hasan, turning her neck here and there. Helios straightened his sleeves before Grey could support him. Grey fussed over brushing his clothes. In carriage collisions, even if nothing seems broken, people hold the back of the neck. If both are at fault, you should appear more hurt.
“Commander… you didn’t actually bite anyone, right?”
Helios ignored Grey’s concern and gazed sharply at Hasan. Enya naturally leaned on Hasan. It looked natural, like an old couple.
But aside from the picturesque look, Hasan appeared much younger than Enya. Helios’s brows furrowed sharply as Laila quietly poked Hasan’s side.
“Introduce yourself.”
“…I’m Hasan. The tower’s second-ranked mage.”
The young noble-like Hasan seemed exhausted. He politely greeted and then turned his attention back to Enya.
“Next time, speak a little quietly. Whether with your body or words.”
“Okay. Just woke up?”
“Yes.”
“Go back to sleep. By the way, you… Grey, right?”
Enya lightly pushed Hasan aside and approached Grey.
“Yes? I am. But…”
“I see. How long have you been under your commander?”
“Ten… ten years.”
“Quite a long time.”
His black eyes, once full of sharpness, now seemed weary, almost gentle.
“Is your neck okay now?”
“Eh? Yes… um. Yes. It’s fine.”
Grey flinched in surprise at the sudden question. Enya grabbed his jaw and shook it slightly.
“You look fine. I thought you’d be half-dead with such a fussy master.”
“Hmm… well, it hurt a bit… but now it’s fine.”
When his neck had been choked, he truly thought he was dying. But after being rushed to the healing ward, the priest said it was nothing serious. Could the choking sensation have been an illusion too? Grey realized too late, while Enya smiled knowingly.
“I’m glad it’s fine.”
“Yes… well.”
“Next time, behave. At another tower, you could’ve been dragged off alive and used as a test subject.”
“Eek.”
“Of course, your master would protect you before that.”
Enya glanced at Helios playfully. It seemed friendly, but the gaze held clear anger.
“Well, off you go. See you soon, Sir Depert.”
She walked into a small room attached to her office. Helios didn’t take his eyes off them until Hasan closed the door after following Enya. Laila whispered to Mari as she watched.
