DOTD Chapter 26

A completely unexpected statement made me blurt out, “Huh?” in surprise.  

 

“You need to get used to that mana…”  

 

“Ah…”  

 

Adrian is highly sensitive to mana. He must have noticed the moment I absorbed the divine mana.  

 

That’s probably why he was able to suggest a solution to stop the monster.  

 

“Try learning some nature-based magic too.”  

 

Adrian brought up the topic of the divine mana attribute I possessed.  

 

“Andra is the god of fire.”  

 

As he started talking about magic and mana like he always did, I gradually began to calm down.  

 

‘Right. Just because I’ve become aware of my feelings doesn’t mean I have to act differently. I think I overreacted.’  

 

As my heart began to settle, the worries from last night seemed to melt away like snow.  

 

Let’s keep it natural. Just act like before. 

 

It’s not that hard. I nodded eagerly, listening to Adrian explain fire-based magic.  

 

“Ah, since it’s the god of fire, does that mean fire spirits might follow me too?”  

 

“It’s possible.”  

 

A small, bird-shaped fire spirit came to mind.  

 

Rowan seemed curious about how the spirit found me, so I’ll have to tell him about it later if I get the chance.  

 

It’d be nice to get closer to that cute little friend too.  

 

“Here, like this…”  

 

“Like this?”  

 

Following the arrangement of mana floating above Adrian’s palm, I tried hard to create a fireball.  

 

“This is tough…”  

 

“…”  

 

“Can you stop looking at me like that? It’s my first time trying this since I was a kid.”  

 

Geniuses like him… they just don’t understand the struggles of ordinary people.  

 

Adrian’s gaze held a mix of pity and surprise, as if he couldn’t believe I was this bad after years of practicing magic.  

 

‘Can you really look at someone you like, just like that?’  

 

Feeling my pride hurt, I grumbled internally while manipulating the mana.  

 

Then, a small red and yellow spark appeared on my hand.  

 

‘See? I can do this much, at least.’

 

Perhaps because I was in a rush, the calm flow of mana suddenly turned explosive.  

 

“Ugh…!”  

 

The tiny ember on my hand grew to the size of a human head in an instant.  

 

The brief moment felt like it was passing in slow motion.  

 

And just before the enlarged flame could touch me, a large hand imbued with white frost enveloped it.

 

Even though it felt slow to me, he had blocked it at an incredibly fast speed.  

 

“Gasp!”  

 

Adrian’s arm moved, and the cloak that followed him rippled, obscuring my vision.  

 

Losing my balance and stumbling backward, Adrian caught me. Instinctively, I grabbed onto his cloak like a lifeline and held on tight.  

 

“Ugh.”  

 

The steam from the collision of fire and ice filled the room.  

 

Even through the hazy vision, I could see my hand gripping the crumpled cloak so tightly that my knuckles turned white.  

 

Adrian’s hand gently wrapped around my clenched fist and softly stroked it.  

 

“Relax.”  

 

A whisper echoed right next to my ear.  

 

The calm I thought I had regained earlier must have been a lie, as heat rushed to my face uncontrollably.  

 

I let out a small breath and released the cloak, but Adrian didn’t let go of my hand.  

 

Instead, he held my hand open and lightly brushed my palm. It seemed like he was checking to see if I had been hurt by the aftermath of the magic.  

 

His thumb, carrying a cold energy, pressed firmly here and there on my palm.  

 

Every time his fingers touched me, my body twitched. I didn’t want to react like this, but every small, subtle movement…  

 

‘It’s driving me crazy!’  

 

I tightly shut my eyes.  

 

Thinking I could handle him as naturally as before was a miscalculation.  

 

“I-I’m… not hurt. I’m fine!”  

 

I quickly pulled my hand away and created some distance between us.  

 

When Adrian tried to close the gap again, I panicked and pushed him away.  

 

“I-I think my condition isn’t great yet! Teach me magic another time! Okay, bye!”  

 

Using the momentum of the push, I ushered him all the way out of the room.  

 

With a calm expression, Adrian stood there dumbfounded, and I closed the door right in front of his face.  

 

Slam!

  

And just like that, Adrian was kicked out for the second day in a row…  

 

“Sigh…”  

 

I grabbed my head in frustration again.  

 

How do I act like before? How did I used to treat him?  

 

Lost in confusion, I paced around the room, continuing to agonize over it.  

 

I must have been at it for a while. I didn’t know how much time had passed, but when I looked out the window, it felt like quite a bit of time had gone by.  

 

Knock, knock—

 

A neat knocking sound cut through the room.

 

The events of the morning flashed through my mind like déjà vu, startling me.  

 

‘Could it be Adrian again…?’  

 

Expecting him, I cautiously opened the door and glanced down.  

 

“Yzmel?”  

 

It wasn’t Adrian, but the person standing there wasn’t exactly a welcome sight either.  

 

Yzmel had a look on his face as if he were an unwelcome guest, even though he was the one who had come to see me.  

 

“Can I come in?”  

 

“…Why?”  

 

“I want to talk.”  

 

What is it with him and having so much to say?  

 

It seems like every time I meet Yzmel, he’s full of questions and things he wants to discuss.  

 

“Hmm… fine.”  

 

Yzmel entered after my permission but didn’t sit down on a chair. Instead, he awkwardly stood in the middle of the room.  

 

“Are you just going to stand there like that?”  

 

“Yes.”  

 

“…Alright.”  

 

I followed suit and stood awkwardly in front of him.  

 

“You said you don’t like me. So why do you keep wanting to talk?”  

 

“That’s not it…!”  

 

Yzmel flared up for a moment, but then cleared his throat and lowered his gaze.  

 

“If you want to talk about this, I can’t say more.”  

 

After all, it’s Adrian, whom you adore so much, who told me not to. I pointed to the earring as I spoke.  

 

Yzmel glanced in that direction, his brow furrowed with concern, and then he opened his mouth.  

 

“I really can’t bring myself to admit it, but…”  

 

“That again?”  

 

“Listen. …Regardless of whether I can admit it or not, you know I don’t trust you, right?”  

 

I knew. He had been suspicious of me from the start, and he remained suspicious.  

 

That suspicion never really went away.  

 

In short, he was wary of me.  

 

“So?”  

 

“Just answer one thing honestly. Then I’ll let my guard down around you.”  

 

He shrugged with a look that said, ‘Let’s hear it.’

 

Seeing my gesture, Yzmel hesitated for a moment before asking in a quieter voice than before.  

 

“What’s your relationship with… the Emperor of the Usher Empire?”  

 

“…”  

 

My words caught in my throat as if something were blocking them.  

 

As I stood there with my mouth slightly open, Yzmel pressed on.  

 

“That name you kept calling when you woke up, Louis… That’s Louis Usher, the Emperor of the Empire… right?”  

 

I had a feeling Yzmel had already guessed as much.  

 

‘But maybe it’s because he’s still young.’

 

I didn’t expect him to ask about it like this.  

 

“What are you going to do if I’m actually an imperial spy?”  

 

“Y-you’re not actually a spy… are you?!”  

 

“That’s why I’m saying it!”  

 

I shouted back at the panicked Yzmel and let out a hollow laugh, feeling exasperated.  

 

The kid acts all smart, but it seems like it’s just a facade.  

 

“So?”  

 

“…We were friends.”  

 

The past tense in that sentence stung a little. 

 

I tried to suppress that sting deep inside.  

 

“Don’t lie to me.”  

 

“You’re really unnecessarily suspicious. Why would I lie about something like this?”  

 

“You expect me to believe you’re friends with the Emperor? But you’re not a spy? That’s even harder to believe than you being Adrian’s friend.”  

 

“Of course, I’m talking about the past. Now… we’re nothing to each other.”  

 

“Does that make sense?”  

 

“Why wouldn’t it?”  

 

“So, you’re friends with Adrian and also friends with the Emperor? Does that mean Adrian and the Emperor are friends too?”  

 

At his sarcastic remark, I nodded.  

 

“Yeah. They were.”  

 

“…What?”  

 

When I casually confirmed it, Yzmel’s expression twisted strangely.  

 

“You’re sharp.”  

 

“Ugh… stop joking around!”  

 

He snorted and then shouted angrily.  

 

I stared at Yzmel for a moment before quickly grabbing his collar.  

 

“Ugh! What are you doing…!”  

 

Flustered, he tried to shake off my hand.  

 

“Hey.”  

 

“What kind of behavior is this! This could be considered an attack…!”  

 

I brushed off my hand and flicked something off Yzmel’s clothes.  

 

“…What’s this?”  

 

“What’s…!”  

 

Yzmel’s eyes widened as he looked at what I had knocked off.  

 

It was something about the length of a finger joint, wriggling on the floor like a caterpillar.  

 

When I stepped on it, it crumbled into dust and disappeared.  

 

“This is…”  

 

Yzmel and I muttered almost simultaneously.  

 

“An eavesdropping spell…”  

 

Eavesdropping magic.  

 

Of course, it’s illegal, but it’s not easy to catch and punish someone for it.  

 

It can be cast with very weak mana, and it’s hard to detect.  

 

Moreover, even if it’s discovered, it’s often designed to make it difficult to identify the user.  

 

Of course, it has its drawbacks too.  

 

For one, its range and duration are extremely limited.

 

‘That means the culprit is nearby.’

 

What was I even saying? The relationship between me, Louis, and Adrian…

 

“Ahh…”

 

‘I’m screwed! This is information that could easily be misused depending on who hears it.’

 

Who would have thought Yzmel would have something attach like that to his collar? I have no idea who did it, but it’s highly likely that it’s someone inside the Magic Tower.

 

‘So even the Magic Tower isn’t entirely peaceful.’

 

There was a reason Yzmel was being so cautious with every word he said.

 

But why did he suddenly lose his temper today…

 

Yzmel’s expression had hardened.

 

“Do you know who it is?”

 

“Yes. Roughly…”

 

He seemed to be reflecting on what he had just said.

 

I also took a moment to think carefully before speaking.

 

“About what I said earlier… Would it be worse for Adrian, or worse for me?”

 

“Probably you. The Tower Master wouldn’t be in danger over something like that.”

 

“Damn it…”

 

“See, who told you to run your mouth so carelessly?”

 

“If your mouth is going to flap, at least speak properly. If you hadn’t asked, I wouldn’t have said anything.”

 

“That’s true.”

 

“Right? So…”

 

“I’m not going to apologize. I didn’t expect things to turn out like this, either.”

 

“…”

 

‘This bastard…’

 

I rarely ever feel this way, but vulgar words were rising to the tip of my tongue.

 

I wish I could just give him one good smack. Furthermore, I want to see him cry and apologize.

 

“You really bring out the sadist hidden deep within me.”

 

“…What do you mean by that?”

 

“Nothing.”

 

Anyway, I feel wronged.

 

It was Yzmel who suddenly brought up Louis, and it was Yzmel who came here with an eavesdropping spell dangling around.

 

‘In the end, it’s all because of this arrogant brat!’