DRD 22 ❤️‍🔥

“Then it’d be better to leave early.”

But Enya leaned back into the oversized chair and spoke without taking her eyes off the documents, as if she hadn’t even heard what had just been said about Wilderness.

“It’d be best to finish the magic formulas for training within this week too. Looks like both of you will have to work hard.”

“Enya. Did you hear what I said? You’re supposed to hear how amazing you are.”

“I heard you. I said I understand.”

“You’re not angry?”

“I’m not. Why would I be angry at you two?”

“That’s a lie.”

“Does it look like I’m lying?”

Enya wasn’t lying. She had erased the anger before it could even take shape.

Laila had always pretended not to notice whenever Enya pushed her body too hard or acted as if she had no emotions, but today, her feelings overflowed.

Living together, moments like this happened from time to time—times when, even knowing Enya wouldn’t listen, she couldn’t hold back her anger.

Bang—!

Slamming the desk, Laila bit her lip and spoke.

“I really hate you when you’re like this, Enya. You know that?”

Her words, neither fully sorrow nor fully anger, burst out as she stormed out. Enya didn’t try to stop her.

A familiar yet long-unheard silence followed.

“Hasan, go. Comfort her.”

Enya was the first to break it. Hasan quietly asked,

“…Are you okay, Enya?”

“The one crying is Laila.”

“…I’ll be back soon.”

Even as he left, she didn’t spare him a single glance.

“Laila.”

Sitting on the lush grass, Laila hugged her knees and stared out at the Morgenda forest. Hasan sat beside her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She tried to shrug him off at first, but when he didn’t move, she eventually leaned into him.

“You cried a lot. You look like a baby pig.”

“What are you saying? You look like a withered lily-of-the-valley.”

Hasan smiled brightly and kissed the crown of her head. Reflected in Laila’s swollen, reddened eyes was the silent Morgenda forest, where not even the wind stirred.

“The Morgenda forest is like Enya.”

“…Why?”

“It’s clearly alive, but in reality, it’s as good as dead. If you look closely, you can’t hear anything, and you won’t see any animals or even insects.”

Wiping away the dried tear marks, she continued,

“I don’t want Enya to live because of us. I want to be Enya’s person, not just her guilt.”

Once, she had resented Enya for killing Master Mehmet and their fellow disciples—resented her enough to want her dead, even raising a blade against her.

But Enya, with a dagger piercing her shoulder, had embraced them and said:

‘If you ever become strong enough to kill me, I’ll gladly let you.’

At the time, young Laila had fully intended to do just that. But living together changed many things.

Enya was no longer an irreconcilable enemy, but their savior and another kind of family. The day Laila learned of Enya’s past, she cried and clung to her, apologizing for her harsh words. She had expected Enya to comfort her, to reconcile.

But Enya had only stood there, listening without approaching first.

After nearly wiping out the members of the Magic Tower, Enya never initiated affection again. It was more accurate to say she kept an emotional distance. Perhaps believing she had no right, she would only respond when they explicitly asked for something.

One of those things was the cheek kiss. What started as a request from young Laila, who couldn’t fall asleep easily, had continued into the present. Though it looked affectionate, to Enya it was little more than a habitual gesture without much meaning.

She did cherish Laila and Hasan, but she never tried to form a genuine person-to-person relationship. Like a Tower Master and her subordinates, she interacted just enough, always keeping a clear line.

“We need Helios. That man.”

But Helios Deferet—

he was someone who made Enya react, despite her usual lack of emotion.

Beside Helios, Enya looked like an ordinary person. She got angry, acted childish. While Enya seemed ready to devour him whole, Helios had his own peculiarities—but whatever the case, it was a good sign.

Laila wanted Enya to pour out any kind of emotion through him. She wanted Enya’s actions to come from her own feelings—not from Laila or Hasan, nor from a past she couldn’t even voice.

Hatred, anger, even simple desire—it didn’t matter. As long as she expressed something, Laila would even be willing to encourage murder if needed.

“Yeah… he’ll be the one.”

Reading Laila’s resolve, Hasan murmured quietly.

“I need to get you back too.”

“Hasan, I’m right here. What do you mean ‘get me back’?”

“You’re my family. You and I only have each other, but whenever it’s about Enya, you throw yourself in like a moth to a flame. That’s why—I’m getting you back.”

Though they shared no blood, they were family—from the orphanage to the Magic Tower. At Laila’s dissatisfied expression, Hasan’s neat eyes narrowed slightly.

“You know it too—we can’t change Enya.”

“Ugh.”

“Laila. Some things in this world just aren’t possible. Even if we understand each other, it’s like how Enya can’t understand us.”

She already knew. No matter the situation, neither she nor Hasan could ever have killed their master and comrades the way Enya did. Laila leaned back and looked at Hasan with discontent.

“Hasan, isn’t Enya precious to you?”

“She is. She’s my family too.”

“Then pay more attention to—ah.”

A sudden breeze brushed past them, cutting off her words. It was light, languid, and refreshing, gently passing between them.

There was only one person in the Morgenda Magic Tower who could create wind.

Enya—Enya Valencia.

Tears flowed again from Laila’s not-yet-dried eyes.

Unbelievable. Truly unbelievable. A laugh escaped her.

If she was going to be cold, she should just stay cold. Yet she couldn’t even say a word directly, resorting instead to such clumsy comfort through magic. In her rain-soaked ruby-like eyes, resentment and affection swirled together.

“Enya… I really hate you.”

The wind continued to wrap gently around Laila,

tickling her hair and cheeks for a long while.

The day after the reply from the Tower Master of Morgenda arrived, the holy knights gathered.

Seated around a long table, they were the knights Enya had selected, gathered to review and give opinions on the training plans she had prepared.

Grey, still carrying traces of the dawn chill, waved at Helios before even sitting down. Helios’s gaze was fixed not on people, but on empty space.

“Commander, didn’t you sleep again?”

Ever since returning from the Magic Tower, Helios had often stared into the void instead of training intensely like before. The dark circles under his eyes suggested he hadn’t slept. It was a sight Grey had often seen when they were in the west.

“Grey, sit.”

Brushing Grey’s hand aside indifferently, Helios scanned the knights seated around the table.

Based on the roster Mari had sent, Enya had chosen quite capable individuals. Not only that, the draft she sent—with training tailored to each knight’s strengths—was nothing short of excellent.

With a bit of adjustment, it would be perfect.

To finish as quickly as possible, they planned to gather any suggestions before meeting Enya.

“This is incredibly detailed. It feels like it was written by someone who’s known us for years.”

Carpe, seated next to Mari, waved the paper with a smile.

“Training to resist hallucinations—it’s uncommon, but certainly better than nothing.”

The others nodded in agreement. Carpe, the fourth-ranked knight with beautiful silver-white hair, asked casually,

“Commander, can we trust the Tower Master of Morgenda? I heard she’s overseeing everything, but isn’t she the one who killed all her fellow mages? It’s a bit…”

“She’s someone chosen by the Crown Prince.”

All eyes turned to Helios. He seemed to consider that sufficient and said nothing more.

It was obvious—if the Crown Prince had chosen her, Enya Valencia wouldn’t act recklessly. Carpe smirked.

“If the Crown Prince personally selected her, she must be quite skilled.”

With Carpe’s words as a start, the other knights began speaking one by one.

“I was honestly surprised that every training plan is different. It feels like she knows us inside out, even though she’s never met us.”

“It says there won’t be any side effects during training, but I’m not sure…”

“Oh, that should be fine. It’s a verified spell, and there was certification from another Magic Tower too. They said she’s a once-in-a-generation genius, so no need to worry.”

The room grew noisy with their discussion. Helios lightly rubbed his eyes and stood.

“…Mari, gather the opinions and report them. We’ll coordinate the detailed schedule with the Tower Master later.”

“Yes, sir.”

Grey blinked.

“Huh? Commander, where are you going?”

Ignoring him, Helios left the meeting room. Grey pouted but didn’t press further—there was no reason for the commander to explain his destination.

“Commander looked terrible today. Like he’d been dipped in boiling water and pulled out.”

As Grey grumbled, Mateus from afar retorted, “Even if he were dipped in boiling water, he’d still look more human than you.”

Grey’s eyes reddened in frustration, and Carpe, sitting across from him, tapped the table to get his attention.

“Hey, Grey. He’s been like that ever since returning from the tower. Did he fight with the Tower Master again?”

“Well, they fight every time they meet, so…”

“Did he lose this time?”

“No.”

Grey shook his head firmly.