Chapter 116
“…I know.”
The place where he’d first met Ikelid was right here, the Blood Forest. As soon as the Dark Age ended, Ikelid went to the Pinon Forest with Cassius and built the Thousand Tower, then shoved him inside even though he hadn’t reached maturity. After that, he monitored and suppressed him until the dimensional barrier was restored.
It couldn’t be helped. There were more than enough reasons. Dragons had been the cause of the massacre, and they were the only ones who could save this world.
But sometimes, Cassius wondered.
His parents, who resented the kin who tore through the dimensional barrier and left, and the thousand dragons who chose to remain on this land. In that tragic past where they had to give up their lives to create the magic circle to restore the dimensional barrier, why did his young self have to be sacrificed as well?
Here, beneath the Pinon Forest, a thousand dragons slept. Their bodies had turned to ash and vanished as they constructed the massive magic circle, but their hearts alone remained, hardened into jewels, still sustaining that magic. The barrier spell that sealed the torn dimensional shield, the magic that ended the Dark Age, wasn’t accomplished by human hands. It was cast by the thousand dragons who remained on this land to end the war. And at the center of that magic circle was Cassius, his body.
– Your physical condition is okay, right? How’s the luck potion?
“…It’s almost been a month anyway, so it’s fine.”
– Seems like the effect’s still working? I told you to properly relieve your desires. When I checked last time, you were doing fine. Why are you still like this?
“If you’re going to talk like that, cut the connection.”
– Ah, wait. Wait.
Cassius couldn’t stray far from the Thousand Tower. If he stayed away from the sacrificial domain sustaining the magic circle for too long, the spell would collapse. Therefore, until the world fully recovered, Cassius was trapped here, enduring a ghostlike passage of time.
With a thousand dragon hearts, including his parents’, piled beneath him, and a tower built atop them. All alone.
– I’ve been sleeping a bit longer lately.
“So what about it?”
– I think my lifespan’s almost over.
Cassius’s eyes widened deliberately.
“Are you dying?”
– Probably. Soon.
As he said that, Ikelid sounded light, without regret or lingering attachment. But as if something still weighed on him, he continued in a lowered voice.
At that moment, a young man’s voice came from outside the window.
“Eki! I’m here!”
Cassius’s shoulders stiffened. He shifted his gaze to the clock. It was the time promised for the final inspection. But the association’s messenger seemed to be someone Eki knew.
It couldn’t be that guy from before, could it.
Babel, was it. The one who’d pestered Eki and gotten caught by him, then been miserably chased off.
But that guy had been separately reported to the association and reassigned to some remote mountain village worse than the Pinon Forest. He shouldn’t be able to come here anymore.
“I’ll cut this for now. Something came up.”
– What? Wait, I might die soon, you know? That’s why I wanted to tell you—
Click. Cassius turned off the gramophone and stood up.
His mind was sticky with memories of the distant past, deep regret, and tangled worries, but fearing Eki might be harmed, he ran toward the entrance as fast as he could.
But what he saw before his eyes was a well-groomed young man hugging Eki. Cassius’s mouth fell open blankly.
“Hey! Giyote! How did you get here? Don’t tell me you were dispatched nearby too?”
“No, I got a full assignment. I’ll probably be posted around here, following Milla.”
“Really? For real?!”
Eki hugged the man called Giyote once more and bounced around in excitement.
“What is this? Still, you’re not a messenger, right? Did you come to see me?”
“No, it’s not that… huh.”
Cassius’s and Giyote’s gazes met.
Clueless, Eki was smiling brightly as she smacked her friend’s shoulder. Then, noticing her close friend was sweating profusely and looking strange, she tilted her head and turned around.
This time, Eki’s and Cassius’s eyes collided. Startled, Eki quickly shoved Giyote away.
“Ugh.”
He fell backward and landed on his butt, but Eki paid no attention and ran straight to her master.
“I, um.”
“…Who is this.”
“Ah, his name’s Giyote. He’s my friend. You’ve heard of him before, right?”
Chapter 117
Milla and Giyote. He knew them all too well.
With a chilling expression, Cassius slowly put the pipe stem to his lips. While he drew deeply on the pipe and exhaled, no one opened their mouth.
Only after a beat did Eki explain.
“He came instead of the messenger. Like when Milla came last time, he—”
“I see.”
He knew Eki had many friends. And he could guess that among them, there were plenty of friends who were ‘men’ too. Still, he’d had no chance to confirm it with his own eyes, so it had only felt like an uncertain presence that didn’t quite register.
But now that he was facing it like this, his insides boiled with irritation. So much that it nearly blew away the conversation he’d just had with Ikelid.
“We’re not like that. We’re just friends.”
“You don’t have to make excuses.”
“No, it’s really not like that…”
He could snort and chase off Babel, who had clung to Eki so obviously, but he couldn’t do that to Giyote. The reason was simple. Shockingly, even to his own dragon eyes that prided themselves on aesthetic judgment, Giyote was handsome.
Bluish hair. Double eyelids framing gentle, round eyes. A high nose bridge and well-kept lips. No matter who looked, it was a face that would likely be fairly loved by women.
Of course, it wasn’t on the level of his own looks that Eki praised so highly, but…
No, what was he even thinking.
A wave of fatigue surged up, and Cassius rubbed his temples. Giyote, reading the room, bowed deeply and greeted him.
“Archmage, it’s my first time meeting you. My name is Giyote.”
“Get out as soon as the inspection is over.”
“Ah, yes.”
Giyote only scratched his head awkwardly, but Eki instead jumped and thumped Cassius on the upper arm.
“Why would you say that.”
“What did I say.”
“I told you he’s my friend.”
“I’m sure he is.”
You even hugged him.
When Cassius’s twisted expression showed no sign of easing, Eki glanced at Giyote and tugged on Cassius’s sleeve. One of Cassius’s shoulders dipped, and Eki rose onto her toes and whispered to him.
“This is a real secret, but Milla and Giyote are dating.”
“…What?”
“You can’t tell anyone. They’re association civil servants, so they’re dating in secret.”
The irritation that had been digging through his insides cooled at once. Cassius had learned someone else’s romance that he didn’t particularly want to know, but understanding what kind of intention Eki had in telling him, he nodded as if staying calm.
Seeing his raised eyebrows settle, Eki smiled softly. She poked Cassius in the side.
“You were jealous, right?”
“I wasn’t.”
“Oh, come on. You totally were.”
“…You’re the one who hugged some other man for no reason.”
“Ah, no. Other man? What kind of old-fashioned phrasing is that.”
“……”
Cassius’s face darkened, as someone who had actually lived for several centuries. Realizing she’d misspoken, Eki tried to lighten his mood, but Cassius strode up onto the spiral staircase.
“Master! Where are you going!”
“To prepare the items… that guy can come too.”
“Ah, right. Yes! Giyote, wait a bit!”
“Uh…”
Eki’s face brightened at once as she chased after Cassius. Left behind as an awkward bystander, Giyote scratched the back of his head and watched them.
‘She said I’d see something interesting if I went to the Thousand Dog Tower.’
Milla had been right. Even without knowing Eki’s full situation, Giyote could tell that a strange affection had taken root between the two of them.
❖ ❖ ❖
“Finally!”
Unable to contain her boiling joy, Eki threw her arms around Cassius at her side.
“All the association orders are done!”
“E-Eki!”
Cassius flustered and tried to pull her off, but Eki didn’t care. She clasped both his hands and spun around and around as if dancing.
“We’re free now! We can go back to peaceful everyday life again!”
“Wait, let go. You’re spinning me too!”
“So what! It’s nice, isn’t it!”
The staff from the Gailard Association that Giyote had brought were carrying all sorts of parchment, potion bottles, and thick books. In the meantime, Eki and Cassius stood in the laboratory, enjoying happiness found after a long, long ordeal.
“Master, can’t we rest tomorrow? Let’s take a day off together!”
“I don’t have any such ‘day off’ like that.”
“Just rest once while we can. I’ll bring fun board games.”
“…Board games?”
Eki told him about various games she’d played with her friends. Cassius didn’t show much interest, but he looked at her quietly and formed a faint smile.
Then, as Eki chattered on, she lifted her head, and their eyes met squarely. Eki blinked. Cassius belatedly flinched and avoided her gaze. But Eki softly took hold of Cassius’s cheek and smiled gently.
“Master.”
Between their chests, now pressed together, the sound of a heartbeat echoed, whose it was, he couldn’t tell. Cassius’s pupils slowly widened. Their breaths tangled.
Just as he unconsciously grabbed Eki’s shoulder.
“Eki, the inspection’s almost finished, so maybe—”
Giyote peeked his face through the gap of the open laboratory door.
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