A box.
Even for the Guardian of Light, who had lived for an eternity, it was something unfamiliar. And that made it all the more fascinating.
“Oh, right. What are the side effects? I don’t mind as long as they’re not life-threatening, but I should at least know.”
“This power is special. The more you use it, the more residue it leaves in your body.
Of course, it gradually purifies, so normal people are fine. But you’re… a little different.”
“I’m a normal person, though?”
Adelia asked back with a puzzled look.
The Guardian snorted in disbelief.
“Normal, my paw. Your body and soul don’t match in color, so the energy can’t circulate properly.
The core of the power is the heart, and the residue builds up in the body first.
But your body has a small capacity. Once it fills up, it normally starts building up in the soul—but for you, that doesn’t work.”
“So… I shouldn’t use too much power at once?”
“Right. If you don’t pace it to match the purification speed,
you might collapse, cough up blood, or feel sick something like that.
But if you rest a bit, you’ll recover. It’ll just hurt a little.”
At those words, Adelia frowned and glared at the wolf with narrowed, annoyed eyes.
“Ha… You could’ve told me that sooner.”
“If I told you earlier, would you have not made the contract?”
“No. Living longer with a bit of pain is still better than dying without the white magic power.”
Adelia smiled brightly, as if she had never glared at him, and shrugged her shoulders.
The Guardian of Light let out a small huff, maybe because he had gotten used to her quickly changing expressions.
“I figured you’d say that. Still, be careful. You’re weaker than anyone I’ve ever met.
Your body was already fragile, so even after recovering, you’re still just at the level of a normal person.”
“I thought having white magic power would be enough… but I guess not.”
“So that’s what you call it these days—white magic power.
It’s not all-powerful. It’s not divine or anything.”
“Well, still. At least I won’t suddenly go into cardiac arrest. That’s enough for me.”
As long as I don’t die, that’s fine.
Having already experienced death, Adelia was calm about it.
The Guardian of Light, knowing her situation, didn’t ask further.
Instead, he brought up something else.
“One last thing. If you give me a name, the contract will be complete.”
“A name…?”
Adelia repeated with a puzzled look.
In the original story, the Guardian of Light was someone who gave power and then took it back. There was never any mention of asking for a name.
“You’re a slightly unstable being, so I’ll specially make you my master. You’ll be able to call me anytime, and I can help you if you’re in danger. Since we’ll be connected, I’ll also be able to sense your condition.”
“If that’s the case, then it doesn’t sound bad. A name, huh… What would suit you?”
Adelia carefully thought over what name might be fitting.
Thankfully, she knew many words with good meanings.
“Then… Kai. I’ll call you Kai.”
“Nice. In the divine language, that means ‘sea.’ I like it. From now on, you’re my master.”
Kai shrank down to about Adelia’s waist height.
He still looked like a large wolf, but the way he rubbed against her legs made him seem more like a puppy.
Adelia placed her hand on Kai’s head.
His soft silver fur brushed gently through her fingers.
“Then… can I take a few of these gold coins with me?”
“Well… a few should be fine.”
Kai moved aside, looking a bit reluctant.
Adelia thought for a moment and then put a few gold coins into her bag.
Seeing the now heavier bag gave her a sense of comfort.
Now a white mage and the master of the Guardian of Light, Adelia casually walked out of the cave with Kai.
Unlike before, she no longer felt cold, and her steps didn’t feel heavy.
It felt like she had taken her very first step toward survival and that made her feel good.
“So, where are you going now? Back to the house you lived in?”
Kai asked as he walked lazily beside her.
Adelia shook her head.
“No, there’s somewhere I need to stop by first.”
“Where?”
“Hmm… to rescue Slave No. 1.”
At those chilling words, Kai flinched mid-step.
The words didn’t suit the bright smile on her face at all.
Having seen her memories, Kai had a rough idea of Adelia’s plans, so he simply nodded without saying more.
‘Another pitiful human will be added to the list.’
He thought, already worrying about the life of someone he hadn’t even met.
About three years passed, and Adelia welcomed the spring of her twentieth year.
A lot had happened during that time, but she was still the count’s daughter.
“It’s about time….”
As always, Adelia was seated at her desk from early morning, flipping through documents as she muttered to herself.
Her eyes moved quickly over the papers, but her gaze kept drifting toward the door.
Just when her eyes began to ache from glancing away so often, she sensed a presence near the door.
“My lady, a letter has arrived from the townhouse.”
“…Come in.”
The door opened, and the butler entered.
Since it wasn’t the person she’d been waiting for, Adelia’s expression was far from pleased.
The butler walked over with steady steps and handed her an envelope.
“It’s from the Count, isn’t it?”
Adelia picked up the letter with a wrinkled expression, as if she were handling garbage.
Careful not to touch it more than necessary, she opened the envelope. Inside were a short letter and an invitation.
She read the letter first.
It was clearly not written in the Count’s handwriting—definitely the work of his secretary.
The content was simple: The imperial family had sent an invitation, so she was to come down to the townhouse.
Also, she was told to start acting more proper, as discussions about her engagement with Count Carla were underway.
‘Unbelievable.’
Adelia let the letter fall onto her desk with a thud.
It felt like a waste that such beautiful stationery had been used for such nonsense.
Clicking her tongue a couple of times, she offered a small moment of pity for the letter paper.
This trash wasn’t the letter she’d been waiting for.
What she had been anticipating was the invitation—the very one that came along with the letter.
It was exactly what one would expect from the imperial family: the edges were gilded, and fine pearl dust sparkled all over it.
But despite its fancy appearance, the content was simple.
“A ball to select the Crown Princess, huh….”
It’s finally here.
Her eyes curved into a soft crescent as she looked down at the invitation with a smile.
The joy of finally holding the long-awaited invitation in her hands left Adelia no time to hide her excitement.
“You’ll be heading to the townhouse for the first time in a while, I suppose,” the butler said with a genteel chuckle, putting on airs.
He assumed she was pleased at the thought of reuniting with her family after so long.
Mistaking her good mood, the butler continued chattering pointlessly.
“It must be an important banquet if the Count sent the message personally.
It’ll be your first, won’t it? And for it to be at the Imperial Palace of all places, how extraordinary…”
“If you’ve said everything, you can go now. You’re busy, aren’t you? I wouldn’t want to take up your valuable time,”
Adelia said with a soft smile, gently tucking her hair behind her ear.
She looked like a kind girl, full of concern for others—
but it was clearly a dismissal.
The butler, either too oblivious or too stubborn, didn’t move.
Instead, he licked his dry lips and cautiously brought up another matter.
“Haha, about that gold bar from before… When might I be allowed to use it…”
As he awkwardly spoke, Adelia let out a deep sigh.
“I told you five years, didn’t I?
You borrow money equal to the bar’s value, and then pay it back by selling the bar after five years.
I’m pretty sure I explained that more than ten times.”
