Chapter 41
“Ah—”
Eki fell helplessly into Cassius’s arms. She was light, like a dandelion seed drifting on the wind.
Even though he had pulled her in so suddenly, she didn’t resist in the slightest. The way she simply accepted his touch made Cassius’s brows knit tightly together. In contrast, the cheeks hidden in the dark flushed a vivid red.
“…Stay like this for a bit. I’ll let go once I’ve checked the magic circle.”
Eki only nodded without a word. Her short hair brushed against his chest, tickling him faintly. Ever since the luck potion mishap, she had gotten into the habit of wearing a sleeveless shirt with an outer robe on top, but for some reason it felt as though her red hair were touching his bare skin directly.
Cassius tried to regain focus, forcing his mind back to the spell.
As he examined the mana circuits carved into the inside of the wardrobe door, just over the top of her head, Eki murmured suddenly.
“Master, you smell nice.”
…Damn it.
“Stop saying things like that.”
“I can’t help it. Oh, it’s because of the potion. I don’t want to say it, it just comes out.”
“I know.”
That was the problem.
Ikelid might be a two-faced, black-hearted snake of a man, but his potion-making skill was exceptional. If he said it was an truth potion, then that meant Eki was laying her heart bare with not a shred of deceit.
The problem was that every single thing coming out of her mouth happened to grate on Cassius’s nerves.
“Be honest. You secretly use expensive soap, don’t you?”
“I don’t.”
“Then why do you smell so good?”
“Stop sniffing me. What are you, a dog?”
“Master, you’re always so mean…”
“That’s because you always start it!”
Cassius growled but quickly shut his mouth.
If he kept arguing, he would only end up being dragged around by a pupil hundreds of years his junior.
He pressed his lips together, sweating in the sweltering air, and buried his gaze back in the magic circle.
Just then, Eki let out a long sigh. Her breath naturally brushed against the back of his neck. Cassius shut his eyes tight and gave one last warning.
“I told you to stop breathing so close…”
“Ah, but how can I not breathe!”
“Then do it more quietly.”
“I’m already breathing as quietly as I can! You’re the one sighing loudly this whole time!”
“My sighs don’t reach you, do they?”
“…Are you saying it bothers you that my breath touches your skin?”
Cassius froze.
He looked down at her in surprise.
She was pressed up against him from the legs all the way to the chest, staring up with wide, innocent eyes.
He had seen those round eyes for years, but lately they seemed to unsettle him more than ever.
Cassius swallowed hard before replying stiffly.
“It’s just… hot.”
“Oh, that’s true. My clothes are all damp with sweat now.”
“You don’t need to say that.”
“Sorry, it wasn’t on purpose.”
Eki shrugged lightly and began breathing in tiny, careful sips, just as he wanted.
She looked like a scolded child trying not to make a sound, and for some reason, that made Cassius feel oddly uncomfortable.
She was always like that.
She’d act like she feared nothing, running wild even before the archmage himself, but the moment he genuinely raised his voice, she would bow her head and obey immediately.
That behavior was sly… yet somehow pitiful. It softened Cassius’s ever-cold temper, just a little.
Of course, he didn’t show it outwardly.
“Master, you smell like sweat too.”
Cassius’s idle thoughts vanished at her blunt remark.
His face turned red, and he snapped irritably.
“Then plug your nose. Should I erase the scent with magic?”
“N-No, that’s not what I meant…”
Thanks to the potion, there was no hesitation in Eki’s words.
Eki leaned her cheek against his chest as if rubbing it lightly, then she whispered softly.
“It’s strange, but even your natural scent smells nice. Are dragons usually like that?”
“……”
Cassius’s brain could no longer process the magic circle before him.
He froze, exhaling unevenly through clenched teeth.
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