Chapter 37
Nivellia tried several times to imitate the ball-kicking technique Rubens had shown her, but she failed every single time.
Still, she always burst into cheerful laughter at the end.
They had been running around so much that sweat was now dripping down the children’s faces.
Strands of silver hair clung messily to Nivellia’s damp skin.
“Teach me again next time!”
“Sure.”
It was time to head home.
Before leaving, Nivellia greeted Kalarov, who had come out to see them off.
“Thank you for inviting me today, mister.”
“Thank you for inviting us.”
Aref also bowed politely.
“They say kids grow up fast when you’re not looking.”
Kalarov watched the two children greeting him so properly with a pleased expression.
Aref’s change stood out the most.
He looked much healthier than when he was first brought from the orphanage, and the gloom that once lingered around him had faded significantly.
Kalarov’s gaze shifted to Aref’s hands and feet.
“Aref.”
He spoke with a smile.
“You’re going to grow quite a bit.”
“Me?”
“There’s a saying—if your hands and feet are big, you’ll grow tall and strong when you become an adult.”
At that, Aref quickly examined his hands.
‘A-Are they… big?’
Honestly, he couldn’t really tell.
But the idea of growing taller and stronger made him happy.
“Hey, you’re right! Your hands are big!”
“Looks like you’ve got good bones. Won’t you end up taller than all of us?”
“No way! Let’s compete! From now on, Aref, we’re comparing hand and foot sizes!”
Even Al and Rubens chimed in, saying his hands and feet were big.
“Where, where?”
Nivellia grabbed Aref’s hand without hesitation.
He was used to holding hands by now, but for some reason, her touch still made him self-conscious.
Her small, soft palm slowly pressed against his thin, bony hand.
There was a whole joint’s difference between their hands.
“Wow, it’s big!”
Nivellia’s eyes widened.
Aref felt pleased.
* * *
“Oh, Della.”
“Oh my, Tower Master.”
Magia, the Tower Master.
Lady Della, the owner of an information guild.
The two met on the outskirts of the imperial capital and naturally began walking together.
After all, they were heading to the same place.
The construction site of a pharmaceutical company—a joint project between the witches and the Dei Amor family.
They were planning to hold a drinking gathering there, like comrades from forty years ago.
“What’s that?”
Magia extended his hand bluntly.
Della smirked, noticing his gaze on the bundle she was carrying, and willingly handed it over.
“It’s alcohol. Since Monatos is coming, I brought two bottles of 41-year-old whiskey.”
“What about mine?”
“Of course, I also brought the fruit honey wine you like, Tower Master.”
They walked side by side.
Glowing mushrooms along the path gently guided them to their destination.
“The witches’ work.”
Magia stopped walking and examined the mushrooms closely.
“Can’t you do that, Tower Master?”
“We can’t interfere with living things. That’s something only witches can do.”
“If Nini heard that, she’d say, ‘The Tower Master can’t do anything,’ wouldn’t she?”
“That cheeky cat? She absolutely would.”
Magia looked at Della, who had grown older than him over time.
“You’ve gotten old too, kid. You’ve become ugly.”
“I heard you got spanked by Nini for saying that.”
“Hey, don’t collect that kind of information. How did you even find out?”
“Nini told me.”
“That damned cat.”
“You think she’s cute, though. Honestly, stop pretending otherwise.”
Della scolded him for saying the opposite of what he felt.
Magia snorted.
“If I’m honest, I’m the only one who suffers. Everyone leaves me behind.”
At his sincere joke, Della couldn’t respond.
“Living alone, staying young for 200 years—it’s not exactly fun. Feels like I’m trapped in time. Really awful.”
“….”
“Hey, little maid. Just ignore it. It’s the ramblings of a young old man pretending he’s drunk.”
“You haven’t even been drinking.”
“It’s pre-drunk honesty.”
Soon, the tall foundation of a building came into view.
Built with the power of a great witch, it looked sturdy enough to withstand any storm.
The bricks had already been stacked up to the second floor, and materials like glass panes were piled nearby.
“Ah, you’re here.”
Ardores pointed to a tent.
Inside, guests had already gathered, and the place was lively.
The drinking party was in full swing.
There were herbal wines brewed by witches and fine dishes prepared by the Dei Amor family’s exclusive chef.
“You bastards! You started without me?”
“You’re late—that’s your fault.”
Muniel gestured for them to sit.
The gathering quickly became noisy again.
Forty years ago, they had been young heroes on the battlefield.
Now, they were all old.
Their hair had turned white, their faces lined with wrinkles.
Some companions had passed on, unable to grow old alongside them.
But those who remained laughed and reminisced, using their past glory as their feast.
In their 모습, their once radiant youth overlapped faintly.
“Still, that cat really did something remarkable.”
Magia poured honey wine into an empty cup.
“Who would’ve thought witches would return under the sun?”
“Why don’t you try getting on Nini’s good side? Who knows—maybe my granddaughter will connect the Magic Tower and the witches.”
Ardores teased calmly.
“Hmph! I have pride as the Tower Master!”
Magia scoffed, but he was tempted.
Witches’ power was something mages deeply wanted to study.
If they could cooperate, it would bring enormous advancement.
“By the way, Lady Muniel.”
Della took something out.
“It’s the information you requested.”
“Information?”
Monatos frowned.
“You took a request, but you’re sharing it openly like this…?”
“I’m only sharing it because it’s you all.”
The noisy gathering fell silent.
In the quiet, Muniel’s gentle voice rang out clearly—
like an oracle disrupting peaceful life.
“This isn’t just my problem.”
Months ago, Muniel had asked Della for two things:
Information about the orphanage where Aref stayed.
And—
“…Pink.”
The great witch’s murmur echoed.
“Pink, right?”
“You saw that color too?”
“Very clearly.”
The day the Dei Amor family visited,
she had seen something strange surrounding their happy, peaceful family—
like a crack in glass, sharp and dangerous.
“It’s on all of you too.”
That strange presence clung to everyone here.
Especially Della.
“Is it a curse?”
Magia, now fully sober, examined Della carefully.
But nothing seemed visibly wrong.
“Something only detectable by divine power? What about you, holy knight?”
“I can’t see it.”
Ardores shook his head.
“So that’s why you gathered us—to warn us?”
Muniel smiled.
“I’ll grant you my blessing today. Receive it regularly. And…”
At her next words, everyone’s faces turned blank with shock.
* * *
Rima read the reply from the informant several times.
Each time, she tilted her head in confusion.
“Should I… consider this a relief?”
An uncertain sense of relief settled in.
She had asked for information about the madness of the Daigladis family.
The reply read:
[There are rumors that the former Duke of Daigladis was gravely injured by a monster during the Crepatna War and developed madness as an aftereffect.
There is no confirmed information that the current Duke exhibits madness. However, it has been confirmed that he frequently visits the Dei Amor family.
It is difficult to conclude that the Dei Amor family is unrelated to the Daigladis family’s madness, but there is also no clear evidence proving there is no connection…]
It was vague, but Rima extracted what she needed.
‘There’s something in the Dei Amor family.’
The madness originating from a monster wound.
The Daigladis family must have worked hard to conceal it.
And one trace of that effort—
was the Dei Amor family.
“….”
That silver hair.
That fluffy, cotton-like silver hair.
‘When you think of a Saintess… it’s silver hair.’
Rima bit her lip.
She felt uneasy.
She couldn’t forget the image of that silver-haired girl standing among the male leads.
‘Could it be… that silver hair too…?’
* * *
“Oh my, young lady…”
A maid cleaning the entrance hall suddenly stopped in surprise.
Something rolled across the freshly mopped marble floor.
It was Nivellia.
“You shouldn’t lie down like that, even if the marble floor is cool.”
“But it’s cool…”
Like a cat exhausted from heat, Nivellia sprawled out, lazily tapping the floor.
“Lie down.”
“I’m in the middle of cleaning…”
“It’s really cool…”
“…Is it that nice?”
“Yeah.”
The maid hesitated, then quietly lay down beside her.
