TDAA Ch 48

Siol turned his body to escape the sunlight stinging him through his eyelids. Not feeling the warmth he expected to be beside him, he lifted his heavy eyelids to check the spot. He was alone in the bed. He was sure Eorzen’s chest had been right in front of him when he’d woken up in the middle of the night…. The empty bed felt far too wide.

As he blankly stared at the empty space, a thud echoed.

Come to think of it, isn’t it too bright? What time is it?

Siol shot up and looked out the window. He didn’t know the exact time, but it was clearly well past morning.

“I overslept?!”

Lately, he had been suffering from insomnia, if anything; he hadn’t slept this soundly in ages.

Siol practically rolled out of bed, washed his face in the basin in the corner, and wiped it with a towel. The entire time, a clattering and banging sound could be heard from the next room. It didn’t sound like construction, more like furniture being moved or a major cleaning session.

Grabbing the doorknob, Siol paused and let out a low groan as he looked down at his clothes. He was still in the pajamas he had changed into yesterday. Whether due to prying eyes or the cold, it was not appropriate attire for going outside the room.

After a moment of hesitation, Siol just turned the doorknob.

He had to go to the underground laboratory to find other clothes anyway. Although his room had burned quite a bit yesterday, it was mostly near the fireplace; the area with Siol’s bed and wardrobe wasn’t that severely damaged. His clothes would surely be fine. I’ll hurry down to the lab, find my clothes, and change.

Besides, this was no time to hesitate over his attire. He had to meet Ladie quickly to talk about Nanthiel and discuss what to do next.

I shouldn’t have listened when Eorzen insisted I sleep yesterday. How bewildered Ladie must have been when she woke up this morning and heard about last night’s events.

As he hurried out of the room, the clamorous noise grew louder.

“No, I think this pattern would suit it better than that one.”

“Practicality is more important than patterns! It needs to be warm and fluffy.”

“Still, a room should make one feel at ease, Luber. It was too bleak last time.”

“Well, of course, that’s true, but….”

What are Luber and Ronia so busy with this morning?

He wasn’t sure, but they seemed very busy in any case, so Siol decided not to disturb them.

No, actually, he felt it would become a hassle if he were caught going to the basement in this state, so Siol practically fled, dashing quickly to the stairs.

The fact that Luber, who would usually notice his footsteps and come running, was quiet seemed to indicate he was too preoccupied with something important.

On the stairs, servants were carrying a large desk up. Encountering them on his way down, Siol pressed himself flat against the wall so as not to obstruct the servants carrying the heavy desk. And after the servants had passed by with grunts and groans, he came face-to-face with an unexpected person.

It was Lord Meric.

“Master Siol, what is the meaning of this appearance.”

“Ah…. Hahaha…. Lord Meric.”

As Siol awkwardly laughed, avoiding his gaze, Lord Meric frowned sharply, then took off his cloak and draped it over Siol’s shoulders. Siol, who had been shivering from the unexpectedly cold hallway, gathered the fur cloak to wrap himself and smiled shyly.

“Thank you. I don’t know if you’ve heard, but the underground laboratory burned down yesterday. So I slept somewhere else.”

“I’ve heard that Nanthiel attacked. Her Highness the Princess has just gone down to the basement to hear a more detailed account from the Blue Dragon.”

“Oh, already? Then I’ll head to the basement right away, too.”

“Even if you’re going, wouldn’t it be better to be properly dressed?”

Lord Meric said, scanning Siol from head to toe with a disapproving expression.

“All my clothes are in the basement.”

“Ronia could….”

“I, I need to meet Ladie quickly. Thank you for the cloak. I’ll come by your office later to return it!”

Siol quickly bid Lord Meric farewell before he could be nagged any further and ran down to the basement. He heard a clicking of a tongue, but Meric didn’t bother to follow him and continue his lecture.

Soot stains were scattered here and there on the walls leading down to the basement. He was carefully descending the stairs and had just reached the area near the laboratory at the end of the hall. He heard the voices of Ladie and Eorzen in conversation.

“To think he could stir up such a commotion, and we didn’t notice a thing….”

“The Witch’s methods are the very definition of stealth, so it can’t be helped.”

“Is there no way to detect them before being attacked?”

“There’s no other way but to keep a close watch on the Witch at all times.”

Siol stopped and glanced down at his heel. To Siol, who had been wondering how Nanthiel had found the Witch’s mark that emitted no magic, Nanthiel had said that he had followed the strong scent of blood.

If all the sorcery the Witch performed was like that, then detecting his plans beforehand would be next to impossible. Thinking that far, Siol tilted his head. In that case, did that mean Eorzen had figured out what was happening by happening to see just a single rat scuttling at his feet…. Just how much had he been tormented by the Witch in the past to have developed the intuition to deduce the mark from such a tiny clue?

Siol felt a pang of pity for Eorzen and let out an involuntary low groan.

“Siol?”

Startled by the call, Siol hurried to the laboratory door and peeked his head in.

“Um…. Hello. Hi, Ladie.”

At Siol’s greeting, the two of them smiled gently and returned the greeting.

“Good morning.”

“Hello, Master Siol.”

As Siol stepped inside the laboratory, Ladie glanced at Eorzen with a rather perplexed expression.

It was a natural reaction, given that the two, who hadn’t even acknowledged or run into each other for a week, were suddenly greeting each other warmly, and on top of that, Eorzen was using formal language with Siol.

At a loss for what excuse to make, Siol just cleared his throat awkwardly, Ahem, ahem, when Eorzen approached.

“To come out in your pajamas. It must be colder here in the basement.”

Eorzen frowned, then took Lord Meric’s cloak from Siol and draped his own jacket over him instead. It looked like a light jacket, but it was actually warmer than the cloak. It seemed to have been magically treated. Siol took back the cloak that Eorzen had taken and offered an awkward word of thanks.

“Um. Thank you.”

“Have you eaten?”

“No. Right now, talking to Ladie about Nanthiel is more important than that….”

Siol subtly turned his back on the clueless Eorzen and looked at Ladie. Ladie still had a look of incomprehension on her face. He felt he needed to quickly bring up another topic to divert her attention.

“Ladie, I woke up too late, didn’t I? About… yesterday’s business with Nanthiel.”

“Ah. I’ve heard the gist of it. I’m glad you weren’t hurt, Master Siol. But why did you come all the way here in your pajamas? I know Luber might, but Ronia isn’t the type to let you out in that state.”

Staring blankly, wondering what she meant, Ladie narrowed her eyes and asked.

“Don’t tell me you came down without even checking your new room?”

“New room?”

“You can’t keep living in a place like this, can you? I told Ronia and Luber to prepare a new room for you….”

“Ah. I saw, I saw. That was my room? I just came down because Luber and Ronia seemed busy arguing about some pattern and fluffiness.”

It seemed the chaotic scene he had seen before coming down was his new room. Luber and Ronia had been having a very intense debate about how to furnish the room. They don’t have to go to all that trouble for me.

At Siol’s flustered tone, Ladie smiled as if she understood. Then she took a step closer to Siol and spoke.

“Master Siol. First, I must apologize. I failed to protect you properly.”

“What? Why are you apologizing? Nanthiel was my responsibility in the first place. If anything, the mansion caught fire because of me….”

“From the moment you took my hand, your safety became my responsibility. And this mansion is under Lord Meric’s jurisdiction, and Lord Meric is under my jurisdiction. The Blue Dragon here has said that there is no way to prevent the Witch’s schemes beforehand, but frankly, it wounds my pride to be beaten so easily like this.”

Ladie’s eyes were burning with a quiet rage.

Nanthiel had already invaded this land twice. One time he nearly wiped out the knights, and the other time he nearly took Siol’s life, and the fact that she had failed to respond properly either time was infuriating and mortifying.

The source of Ladie’s power was her bloodline, but she had no intention of becoming a fool who relied solely on the power of her blood. If I cannot be a knight who fights on the front lines, then I will become a commander who reads the entire board to contend with the enemy. Thus, I will become a queen who protects her allies and achieves victory with minimal casualties. That was what she had resolved, yet why had she been unable to view the situation calmly this time?

It was only a few days ago that Ladie had finally realized that her words of consideration to Siol had been of no help at all. Her kind words—that since they were walking the same path, doing whatever he wanted would be helpful—were nothing more than a pretentious shirking of responsibility. She should have actively offered her opinion on what tasks Siol needed to perform to gain recognition from the people. The result of leaving Siol to navigate the situation on his own was this current mess.

In this domain, the only person who could wield mystical powers to stand against the Witch was Siol. And Ladie, as the one who brought him to this land, should have illuminated the path he needed to take. But she had failed to do so. In the end, this catastrophe occurred because she, the commander, had failed to present the path forward.

And in that time, Siol, by his own strength, had earned the recognition of everyone, including the Meric domain, and was standing this firmly. Even though she had done nothing to help.

“It is late, but from now on, I will respond properly.”

Ladie had experienced numerous failures since coming to this land. It was only natural. How could a naive girl who grew up in the royal palace and then spent a dozen years as a maid suddenly become a perfect royal just because she was called a princess again? But despite her many failures, Ladie did not give up and moved forward, little by little. Because she believed that if she kept moving forward like this, she might eventually become a great monarch—no, she was determined that she would become one.

“Will you give me a chance to make up for it?”

Ladie asked, looking back at Siol.

“What? Why are you asking me for permission? And Nanthiel came to torment me in the first place, so you’re the one who got caught up in this because of me.”

“I knew he would come someday. Nanthiel is that man’s hands and feet. The responsibility is mine for not having found a countermeasure nonetheless.”

Ladie stated flatly, then once again made her request to Siol, who was hesitating, unsure of what to say.

“Please give me a chance, Master Siol.”

“…I will. I’ll give you not just one, but as many as you need.”

“Thank you.”

It seemed like she would keep asking if he didn’t answer, so Siol reluctantly agreed. But to Siol, Ladie was a companion to whom he could give hundreds of chances without needing this kind of Q&A. Even if she failed a few hundred times, as long as she didn’t give up on herself, Siol was willing to stay by her side.

Of course, this included the selfish motive of wanting to be with the Blue Dragon after everything was over.

Having received Siol’s permission, Ladie turned to face Eorzen. Ladie, who a moment ago had the face of a young girl in the grip of anger and guilt, had in an instant transformed to have the face of a monarch.

“Therefore, Blue Dragon, I would like to have a more detailed discussion on how to improve the pact we made last time.”

“I was thinking the same thing, Princess.”

The two shook hands.

Isn’t this place a bit too shabby for two figures representing the Land of Beasts and the Land of Humans to be holding a conference? As Siol was thinking this blankly, he let out a sigh of relief without realizing it.

And then he was flustered. Relief? About what?

No, it was obviously relief regarding the Nanthiel problem. Only then could Siol vividly feel the burden he had been carrying about Nanthiel all this time. The weight he hadn’t felt while shouldering it alone became clear only after he began to carry it with the two of them.

No, this won’t do. Siol reined in his relieved self.

Nanthiel had always been the Witch’s son, but because Siol had taken him in and protected him, he had turned into an even more terrifying monster. So, he too had a share of the responsibility. Just because Ladie and Eorzen had joined hands to deal with Nanthiel, he couldn’t just pass it all off to them and step back.

Moreover, he had even told Eorzen he would protect him; pushing it off like this would be putting the cart before the horse.

Siol abruptly grabbed the hands that Eorzen and Ladie were shaking.

“Me, me too! I’ll join you…!”

Having jumped in without thinking in his haste, Siol belatedly realized his position. It might not have been a place for a mere alchemist to interfere.

A chill ran down his spine, and just as he was about to step back unconsciously, Eorzen’s other hand covered his.

“Of course, we need your help, Siol.”

“…What?”

As Siol replied blankly, Ladie, who was beside them, said cheerfully.

“Of course. How could we possibly deal with Nanthiel without you, Master Siol? In terms of the origin of their arts, alchemists might be the closest beings to witches. The person who can best read Nanthiel’s thoughts is probably you, Master Siol, isn’t it?”

Hearing those words, Siol’s cheeks flushed red. He hadn’t been told to stay out of the Nanthiel issue, so why had he acted so desperately? He was ashamed of his hasty thoughts and actions.

Perhaps he had been a little… jealous.

Siol gently pulled his hand away and cleared his throat. Ahem, ahem. The gazes of the two gathered on him.

“Ladie, actually, there’s something I learned while fighting Nanthiel yesterday. I hurried down because I wanted to tell you about it quickly….”

Siol looked at Ladie as if seeking permission. Since he was currently affiliated with Ladie, he felt it was right to ask for her permission when speaking of important matters in a place where Eorzen was also present.

As if in response, Ladie nodded.

Siol laid out everything that had happened when he met Nanthiel. From Nanthiel initially having no memory, the information he tricked out of him, to the crow dying and the shadow that flowed out of it being absorbed by Nanthiel, restoring his memory, and the dead Nanthiel vanishing as a shadow.

“My uncle’s goal isn’t just the throne, you say?”

Ladie stared at the floor for a moment, lost in thought, then roughly rubbed her face.

“Alright. Let’s move on to the next topic. Whatever my uncle’s goal is, the task I must accomplish remains unchanged. Of course, we must be more cautious and carefully investigate what he is aiming for from now on, but there’s no point in worrying about it without any other information. I’ll speak to Lord Meric and have him gather information.”

If he had a goal other than the throne, she thought they could surely find clues by digging through the records from his time as a prince. Lord Meric would certainly be able to use his connections to gather stories. He had, after all, once lived in the capital as a close friend of the former king.

Siol nodded and moved on to the subject of Nanthiel.

“According to Sir Eorzen, the Witch needs an altar to use high-level sorcery. Nanthiel probably has at least four or five spare bodies stored in an altar of enormous scale.”

Nanthiel wasn’t the type to so easily discard a life and flee just because he had one or two lives left. He must have more bodies than that.

“However, right after he’s revived, he doesn’t have the memories from while he was active in the other body.”

“He doesn’t… have his memories?”

“That’s right. I told you that when Nanthiel dies, his corpse turns into a shadow and disappears. The memories are clearly contained within that shadow. When the shadow returns to a body, the memories return as well.”

“……”

“But I said he has multiple bodies. It’s clear that the shadow has an instinct to return to a body, but it didn’t seem to have the ability to judge for itself that it should return to the newly awakened body. So, there must be some kind of spell at the altar that attracts and stores the shadow so it doesn’t return to one of the sleeping bodies.”

“So he absorbs the shadow with an awakened body to absorb the memories as well.”

“Correct. So, if we could just trap the shadow somewhere, it would surely… it would surely become a compass pointing to the Witch’s altar.”

Several conditions had to be met before this method could be implemented. First, they had to kill Nanthiel once again, and before they met him next time, they had to create a tool capable of trapping a shadow. He had no idea what kind of materials he would need to create a tool that could trap a non-physical entity like a shadow. He needed time to research.

Eorzen, who had been listening to the story, spoke in an impressed tone.

“Although I said I would have Asios find the altar, honestly, I couldn’t guarantee when we would find it. We would have had to search this entire continent without any clues. But if we have a compass, surely….”

“I don’t know when I’ll be able to complete it. In fact, I don’t even have a clue how to trap a shadow yet. It will also take a fair amount of time for Nanthiel to be resurrected. But….”

Siol recalled the last words Nanthiel had thrown at him before he vanished.

“He said he would make me regret it, so he’ll definitely be plotting something to target me. If we aim for that moment….”

Ladie gasped and grabbed Siol’s arm.

“What do you mean by that? Nanthiel said he’d make you regret it?”

“Yeah. It’s understandable, I guess. Since I killed him twice.”

When he replied nonchalantly, Ladie looked at Siol with a reproachful expression for a moment before shaking her head vigorously.

“It seems we’ll have to increase Master Siol’s guard. Luber isn’t very reliable in that area….”

“We’ll take care of that.”

“…What did you say?”

Without paying any mind to Ladie, who asked again without hiding her bewilderment, Eorzen pulled Siol to his side and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“We will take responsibility for Siol’s safety. Siol is one of our wolves.”

After making that declaration, Eorzen leaned his head toward Siol and said.

“Siol, that tool to trap the shadow, I would like to research it with you.”

“Uh…. Research… an alchemical tool?”

“Yes. I’ve been interested in alchemical tools for a long time.”

“For a long time? Didn’t you lose your memory?”

“My memory loss is only for the past year or so; I was interested long before that.”

Siol looked up at Eorzen with a doubtful expression. During their time in the Land of Beasts, he had never once gotten the impression that Eorzen was interested in alchemy. Of course, he had been very interested in finding ways to counter alchemy, such as fetching Burdril from afar, but he was not at all on the side of wanting to research it. If he had been interested, he wouldn’t have just sat there reading documents while Siol was working on this and that with Burdril.

But to bring this up, he would have to talk about their time together in the Land of Beasts, which would render all the lies he had told up until now null and void.

“…It’s fine, but… are you really interested?”

“Of course. I am especially interested in methods that combine alchemy and magic.”

Eorzen’s words, as if he had deliberately considered and presented a research topic that would perfectly suit Siol’s tastes, made his heart pound. The moment he heard it, Siol was so enchanted by the charming proposal that he was completely captivated. The combination of magic and alchemy!

Siol was about to nod his head when his eyes met Ladie’s, who was staring at him from across the room with a look of utter disbelief.

Her face seemed to ask, Didn’t you say no?

Siol’s expression asked back, What? but he understood immediately before even hearing an answer. She was definitely talking about the matter of Eorzen’s partner.

Siol felt terribly wronged. No is no, and what am I supposed to do if Eorzen is interested in combining magic and alchemy?

When he shook his head, as if to say, It’s not like that, Ladie rubbed her forehead a few times as if she had a headache, then said abruptly.

“Master Siol. I’m washing my hands of ‘that matter.’ You’re on your own.”

“No, Ladie….”

“Sir Eorzen, let’s discuss our future response later. As for the matter of the guard… please follow Master Siol’s wishes. Well then, I’ll be going.”

He really wanted to make excuses and say it wasn’t true, but it was a bit awkward to talk about being under such a misunderstanding in front of Eorzen. While Siol was looking back and forth between them, not knowing what to do, Ladie sighed, waved her hand dismissively, and left.

It’s really not like that.

“Don’t worry, Siol. I will take responsibility for your safety.”

No, that’s not what Ladie and I were talking about at the end….

Unable to even make an excuse, Siol hesitated for a moment before simply nodding his head.

It was better to be misunderstood in a different way than to reveal Ladie’s misunderstanding.

Unaware of Siol’s complex feelings, Eorzen simply looked at him with a seemingly pleased expression. Siol, who had been troubled for a moment by thoughts of the partner, felt as if all his worries and anxieties were fading away as he faced that expression.

I know. In reality, the worry, jealousy, and depression weren’t disappearing, just being postponed.

All those emotions were being pressed down and packed into a box, and later, when the real partner appeared, they might burst out all at once, like an explosion, and swallow Siol whole.

But he didn’t want to waste time with such sad thoughts in front of Eorzen.

In fact, the box would be eagerly awaiting the day it would burst open, ready at any moment, regardless of whether Siol was feeling depressed right now or not. So, let’s be greedy.

Siol smiled brightly at Eorzen.

Don’t question this inexplicable happiness, don’t try to identify the nature of this joy that feels like it could pop like a soap bubble at any moment, just be grateful for the good fortune and enjoy the situation.

“Sir Eorzen, if you haven’t eaten yet….”

“Shall we eat together?”

“Yes…!”

If I greedily use the Blue Dragon’s strangeness to the fullest, enjoy myself, and build up happy memories, then when the box bursts, I can endure and hold on by embracing the memories in my arms…. If I do that, I’ll surely be able to get back on my feet more easily.

To do that, he had to make more memories with Eorzen.

“Just a moment, I need to change my clothes….”

It’s a bad thing to do, but it can’t be helped. Even if it’s selfish, it can’t be helped.

Siol pushed aside his guilt and hurried to the wardrobe. As he had thought, only the surface of the wardrobe was a little scorched; the inside was perfectly fine. The clothes smelled a bit burnt, but thankfully, they seemed wearable for today in a pinch. He would have to ask Ronia to do some laundry for the other clothes. He wouldn’t be going out, so it would be fine to dress a little lightly.

Feeling uncomfortable making Eorzen wait, Siol just grabbed the shirt and pants on the very top. Just then, a loud bang came from above, and the ceiling and walls rumbled. It didn’t seem to have happened directly above; it looked like Luber and Ronia had probably knocked over some furniture while decorating the room.

As he flinched and raised his gaze to the ceiling, the beam suddenly caught his eye.

“…I wonder if it’s safe.”

“What is, may I ask?”

Siol jumped, startled. Eorzen had approached right behind him without him noticing.

“A, a harvest mouse used to live with me in my room. Ah. A harvest mouse is a small mouse, about the size of a pinky finger. It’s completely different from Nanthiel’s sewer rats. It was small, cute, meek, and nice.”

“You must have been fond of that harvest mouse.”

“Yes. When I first came here, I think I was a little less lonely thanks to it.”

“You were lonely.”

Having revealed his inner thoughts without realizing it, Siol waved his hands in a fluster.

“No, not that severely. It’s just, since I came to a new place, it’s impossible not to be lonely at all.”

Eorzen was looking at him with somber eyes. Siol tried his best to calm his flustered heart and pointed up at the beam.

“It lived up there. Some days it was there, and some days it wasn’t. The tiny thing would scurry around busily, and when I was sitting in front of the fireplace, blankly soaking up the warmth, it would come near me. At first, it would watch me from a close but untouchable distance, but after a little while, it started climbing onto my hand. Then, when I slept, it would sleep next to my pillow….”

“And so.”

“What?”

“And so, was it a comfort to you?”

Siol stared blankly up at Eorzen. Asking if that tiny harvest mouse was a comfort.

“…Yes. Very much so.”

“I’m glad.”

“…I hope it’s safe. I’m worried because of the fire yesterday.”

“It will be fine.”

The tone was filled with great conviction. When Siol gave him an overtly skeptical look, he chuckled and continued.

“There were a lot of rats last night, weren’t there? I spread my mana to check, so as not to miss a single one, but there were no rats as small as a pinky finger. So, Siol, your harvest mouse did not die here yesterday.”

“Really… is that really true?”

“But with the basement in this state, it probably won’t come back.”

Siol nodded and looked around. The basement was burnt and sooty here and there and in bad shape. Animals are naturally sensitive to fire, so Siol also agreed with the opinion that the tiny harvest mouse would not return here. He might never see that harvest mouse again.

But he felt better instead.

“As long as it’s alive, that’s enough. I hope it finds a better place to sleep next time, not a gloomy basement like this.”

“It will. It will find its mate, too.”

“Haha. That would be nice. Cute baby mice will be born.”

Siol imagined how small the babies of that tiny little mouse would be and burst out laughing.

“Um. So, could you turn around now so I can change?”

As Siol shyly held up his clothes, Eorzen turned around without another word. However, he didn’t move to another spot. It was a little embarrassing to change with him right behind. But feeling a bit sorry to ask the person who had already turned around to move away again, Siol just changed his clothes.

As he carefully took off his pajama shirt and pants, he felt Eorzen’s back seem to twitch. But when Siol, who had also frozen for a moment, watched him quietly, there was no movement. Siol thought he had imagined it and finished changing.

“I’m done.”

“Then would you have a seat for a moment?”

“Here, now?”

Eorzen gestured to the bed. Siol, who had expected to go for a meal right away, did as he was told in a state of confusion. He wondered if there was something else he wanted to talk about, but Eorzen knelt on one knee in front of Siol and began to take off his shoes.

Horrified, Siol tried to pull his foot back but was caught again by Eorzen. Siol, on the verge of tears, protested.

“No, why, again, why?!”

“I said I would erase the Witch’s mark, did I not?”

“You did… but you said you needed to prepare, didn’t you?”

“The duration and number of uses of the Witch’s sorcery differ depending on how many sacrifices were offered. With the life of a single rat, it’s two weeks at most. And since Nanthiel used the mark as a target to move here once, the spell was activated, so the duration will be even shorter than that.”

Having taken off his sock as well, Eorzen lifted Siol’s foot and checked the mole near his Achilles tendon.

“Look. It’s gotten a bit fainter, hasn’t it? Since the spell has weakened, I can now erase it without harming you.”

“Th-then won’t it disappear on its own if I just leave it?”

“I don’t want to leave it, just in case. It would be a problem if Nanthiel were to wake up earlier than expected.”

Eorzen paused for a moment and looked up at Siol.

“Especially if, from now on, Nanthiel is going to be targeting you.”

At the unconcealed, reproaching gaze, Siol stiffened for a moment before letting out a deep sigh. Eorzen, who knew that the sigh was a sign of permission, began to seriously erase the Witch’s mark from Siol.

Eorzen’s mana concentrated on the mark near the Achilles tendon and seeped in.

“Ah…!”

Siol, on the verge of letting out a moan, grabbed Eorzen’s shoulder and held his breath. His foot—no, not just his foot, but he felt a tingling, ticklish sensation all the way up to his stomach.

“W-wait a minute. Ah. Ahh…!”

Flustered, Siol tried to make him stop, but a moan escaped him unintentionally, and he covered his own mouth, startled at himself. Even so, he couldn’t stop a groaning sound from leaking out from deep inside his stomach.

“This feels… strange…!”

“You just have to bear with it for a little while. It’s just the contaminated mana that has seeped out from the mark spreading into your body, causing a slight sting.”

It was more than a slight sting. No, if it had been a stinging pain, it wouldn’t have been this disconcerting.

Siol just clenched his lips shut and clung to Eorzen’s shoulder.

Right now, he felt he could pinpoint where the Witch’s mark was without even looking. Because amidst the sensation of being licked all over his body, only that one spot was stinging.

“Sir Eorzen, please…!”

“It’s done.”

Suddenly, as if by magic, all the strange sensations stopped.

Siol, panting like a runner who had just finished a marathon, met the eyes of Eorzen, who had just raised his head. Since Siol was still clinging to Eorzen’s shoulder, their faces were almost touching.

“I….”

Just as Eorzen was about to say something, Siol shot up from his seat. He couldn’t bear the embarrassment. Eorzen had only been trying to remove the Witch’s mark, but he had been lost in his own lewd fantasies, whispering moans in his ear and panting. Wasn’t this practically harassment?

Siol had always thought of himself as someone with a low sex drive, but strangely, whenever he was with Eorzen, he would sometimes fall into erotic fantasies and become a person without discretion.

Eorzen, watching Siol hastily put on his socks and shoes in a state of confusion, let out a low chuckle. Siol heard the laugh but couldn’t even bring himself to ask why he was laughing.

“……”

When he glared sullenly, Eorzen, still smiling, held out his hand.

“Shall we go then.”

As their hands met, Siol, whose heart had softened to a surprising degree, just ended up smiling sheepishly. Come to think of it, it wasn’t really something to be upset about. There had just been a small incident during the process of removing the Witch’s mark, and it wasn’t a situation where Eorzen had been teasing him.

Holding the hand Eorzen offered, Siol suddenly felt a wave of sentimentality and looked around the room.

This room was the place Siol had stayed in ever since he came to the Meric domain. At first, he had chosen it as a place to shut himself away, but then Luber started coming to hide, and with Luber’s help, he began to go out and explore the domain, he researched firewood for the domain, earned Lord Meric’s recognition, and suddenly developed homesickness and did something embarrassing….

It hadn’t been long, but so many things had happened.

And throughout all that time, this space had been just a laboratory to Siol.

A laboratory, not a room. Trapped in a feeling of being adrift and alone, Siol had researched, eaten, slept, and rested here. But now, he had a premonition that things might be a little different.

The room that Luber and Ronia were painstakingly decorating felt like it could become a room for Siol as well.

It was probably because the people he had missed so much he’d become homesick were now by his side.

One regrettable point was that he had to halt his research on the sun for the time being. It was just getting interesting. But a problem of much higher priority had arisen, so he had to deal with that first.

Feeling a sense of regret, Siol approached the fireplace. The pattern on the fireplace, as if expressing the blazing heat of the sun, was clear, without a single speck of soot.

Siol stared intently at the pattern, then unconsciously took a few steps toward it.

“Aack…!”

“Siol!”

As Siol, who was walking while looking only at the fireplace, nearly tripped on a hole in the carpet and fell, Eorzen swiftly lifted him into his arms.

“You must be careful. You don’t seem well, so it would be best to go up and eat right away.”

“No, just a moment….”

Siol shook his head, looking dazed. His gaze was no longer on the fireplace but on the burnt hole in the carpet below it. Beneath the thick carpet that had been on the floor since Siol first came to this room, a white line was drawn. It wasn’t just in one place. Lines could be seen under the burnt carpet in various spots.

The moment he discovered the lines, which might have otherwise looked like mere scratches from the basement’s construction, Siol felt a strange intuition. It was a tension akin to an urgency that he had to check what was underneath right now.

Holding Siol tightly as he tried to hastily break free from his embrace, Eorzen called his name.

“Siol.”

“Yes, yes?”

“What shall I do for you?”

“…What?”

Eorzen met the bewildered Siol’s gaze and whispered. His tone was as if giving a command, yet his attitude was polite. So Siol, as if following an order, unconsciously asked Eorzen to do something he would normally have tried to do himself.

“Please… remove that carpet.”

“Willingly, if you wish.”

The carpet, stuck fast to the floor, was quite thick, but when Eorzen picked it up, it tore with a ripping sound, Rrrrip, like a single layer of cloth. Even considering that it had holes in it from yesterday’s fire, it was an unbelievably brutish display of grip strength. Siol, who had only ever been lightly lifted and held in those hands, was a little surprised. Eorzen’s long, delicate fingers didn’t look like they could accomplish such a feat. He was once again reminded of how amazing dragons were.

The combination of lines revealed from under the ripped-up carpet was a square-shaped magic circle. No, to be precise, it was closer to the traces of a magic circle that had dried up from not having drunk mana for a long time.

Siol reached out his hand as if possessed.

“Siol!”

The moment his fingertips touched it, the magic circle began to greedily crave Siol’s mana.

Siol almost pitched forward. Barely managing to hold his ground, he began to push his own mana into the magic circle, and the near-extortionist greed subsided a little.

How much mana will it take to satisfy this magic circle? Can I handle it with my mana?

Just as Siol was thinking such worries, Eorzen wrapped an arm around his shoulder. At that moment, Siol felt a sensation as if his very existence was expanding infinitely. It wasn’t that his body was actually swelling, but that the limits of his mana were broadening, the boundaries of his mana crumbling. He was now sharing mana with Eorzen, whose arm was around his shoulder.

How is this possible?

The rational resistance that this was a physically impossible phenomenon clashed with the sensation he was currently feeling. But that too was only for a moment. Siol was seized by a strange sensation, not only of sharing mana with the Blue Dragon, but as if they had been a single living creature from the very beginning.

Thus, Siol, having become one with Eorzen, filled the hungry stomach of the greedy magic circle. When he had finally poured in about half of all his mana, the magic circle began to open its eyes.

A fierce wind burst forth from the magic circle, pushing Siol and Eorzen back.

Siol flinched and looked up at Eorzen. Eorzen was supporting his back to keep him from falling, so he could still feel his warmth, but the sensation of their mana being connected had vanished.

A strange sense of loss tinged Siol’s chest with a chill. Before he had a chance to explore the identity of that sense of loss, something incredible happened.

KA-BOOM!

With a rough sound, a large chair fell down onto the magic circle. Seated on the chair was a bewildered-looking Lord Meric. In his hands were documents and a pen. It was a scene that clearly showed he had been sitting in his office working when the chair was summoned, bringing him along with it.

However, Siol was so captivated by the amazing sight unfolding before his eyes that he had no leisure to pay attention to Lord Meric.

As the ornate chair, engraved with a sun, was positioned on the magic circle, the pattern on the fireplace, which seemed to personify the heat of the sun, overlapped perfectly with it. The blazing shape on the fireplace had been a half-form all along, and it was only when the Lord’s chair was brought down here by the magic circle that it became a complete sun.

“The sun….”

The sun was shining. Following that, the image of blazing crimson flames shone, and that light extended to the walls. The light that spread out in all directions raced across the walls, ceiling, and floor. Wherever the light touched, the surface of the walls crumbled and scattered into dust.

It was an amazing sight, and at the same time, an ingenious idea that Siol could never have imagined. While the control room is in use, the mana running over the magic circle breaks the surface of the walls and floor to reveal its form, but when not in use, the self-repair spell cast on the building with the sun fills in the wall surfaces. This was perfect security to deliver the spell completely only to those who were qualified.

Siol watched, mesmerized, as the space that had been nothing more than a gloomy basement was destroyed by the light and revealed its true form. The glowing lines wrapped around the walls of the entire room like vines, then sent out smaller stems to fill the space more delicately.

“Amazing….”

A magic circle that used all the surrounding walls, ceiling, and floor. This kind of three-dimensional magic circle was a high-level method that Siol was encountering for the first time. The magic circles on each surface were connected to the magic circles on all sides, and at the same time, resonated with the magic circles facing them to amplify their effect to the extreme.

He had thought the magic circle was greedily absorbing mana, but seeing its scale, it was surprising that it was satisfied with just that amount. If he had been unlucky, Siol could have become a shriveled-up mummy.

No, without even considering luck, if the Blue Dragon had not been by his side, that’s what would have happened. Siol unconsciously gripped the sleeve of the Blue Dragon’s clothes tightly. In response, the tips of Eorzen’s fingers gently brushed against Siol’s wrist. As Siol flinched and shrank back, Eorzen’s hand slid down and intertwined their fingers.

Siol lowered his gaze and stared blankly at Eorzen’s fingers that had slipped between his own, then squeezed back with force.

“Master Siol! What is going on?”

It was then that Ladie ran into the room, panting.

Startled, Siol snatched his hand away from Eorzen’s.

Fortunately, Ladie was so taken by the astonishing sight inside the laboratory that she didn’t notice Siol, who had frozen stiff with shock.

“A strange light just swept through the entire mansion. So I came down, and… wait. Lord Meric? How did the Lord get here…?”