#67
They had discovered that Isabella Marsien was suspicious. It should be seen that the prince had informed them.
Her actions, the flow of mana, that instinctive sense of unease that Ersen felt with his body. If it hadn’t been for that, they wouldn’t have reached this clue. In the end, the prince had used himself as bait to draw out the truth.
They would need to observe her continuously going forward.
The Marsien family was a house that had long-standing ties with the imperial family. The fact that such a person could skillfully use fear magic was dangerous and suspicious enough by itself. Contrary to appearances, she was the type who moved by logic rather than emotion.
‘The deeper we dig, the stronger the connection to the half-demons seems than expected.’
If she were simply a noble who had undergone a mana mutation, traces should have been revealed by now. The fact that concealment was still possible meant there was someone or some organization behind her. If the half-demons were the masterminds, it was no longer a political issue between nobles but a matter of survival.
But that was the harvest they had gained.
Skyle organized it that way. At least the results of this operation were clear. They had clarified the target of their suspicions, and the flow around her was gradually being revealed.
What had the prince gained?
He always extracted information using his own body as collateral. It was always the prince who got hurt, and he who paid the price. Skyle hoped that what he gained wasn’t just information. No, perhaps there was even a little salvation.
“I heard you caused quite a stir within the half-demons.”
His words contained some humor, but his eyes were serious. Though he spoke as if joking, if you looked inside, there was clear sincerity. He definitely wanted to hear the full story of that operation.
However, the half-demons currently showed no notable changes.
On the surface, they were quiet as if nothing had happened. But that was more dangerous. When it seemed like there was no change, that’s when change was progressing well. Skyle was watching that ominous quiet.
At least on the surface.
And in such a situation, making more reckless moves wasn’t good. Now was the time to observe, wait, and calculate the next move.
Sending Marcus as a spy was premature. Rather than that, it was better to dig into the prince’s side, who had said someone ‘took the bait.’
That phrase still lingered in his mind. The prince had definitely said someone ‘took the bait.’ If so, this current quiet might be preparing for the next bite.
Yes. So there were justifiable reasons for visiting Ersen this often, several times a day…….
He told himself that and looked at the prince’s face once more. His breathing was stable, and his eyes were peaceful. But the fatigue and wounds hidden within still hadn’t disappeared.
“Should I understand that there won’t be any more injuries?”
As if he had no great interest in what the prince wanted to achieve and was just being kind to him.
Skyle often showed such an attitude. Someone who would help if needed but wouldn’t ask for compensation. Someone who stayed by his side unconditionally yet never revealed his own emotions. Such harmlessness was the very trap Ersen should be most wary of. People who turned kindness into a weapon usually weren’t aware of it, making them more dangerous.
To such a response, the prince—who had become strangely calm lately, seeming like a time bomb in some ways—hesitated for a moment.
His appearance of being unable to continue speaking and pausing was somehow unfamiliar. Usually he was someone who reacted quickly whether joking or serious. But today’s Ersen seemed to be chewing over something internally and checking it again. That wasn’t the attitude of someone in high spirits.
Then he gazed quietly at somewhere in empty space and muttered.
His gaze was directed not toward the window or people, but toward some hollow point. As if the past had surfaced in that spot, his eyes shook very briefly.
“Mm. For now, that’s true.”
His tone was loose as usual, and his shoulders were relaxed. But there was some coldness in that answer. Skyle immediately noticed. The implications contained in the phrase ‘for now.’
“There’s a next time then.”
Skyle’s voice was calm, but inwardly he was steadying his breath. The fact that he couldn’t predict where this conversation would flow rather made him sharp. He always kept in mind that Ersen’s words could be jokes or could be serious.
“Of course!”
His grinning response was no different from before.
Rather, it had the atmosphere of a child about to play some childhood prank. His eyes were smiling, and the corners of his mouth rose sharply. The attitude of trying to hide something behind his playful expression remained the same.
But those strangely calming moments kept arousing inexplicable anxiety.
Some might call such calmness maturity. But what Skyle felt was something darker than that. Submersion, resignation, or prior resolve. The expression that only someone who anticipated everything could make kept overlapping.
‘Why do I feel anxiety when looking at you?’
He asked himself, but there was no precise answer. It was intuition and experience. Countless instincts accumulated through numerous battlefields were reacting to this person now.
As long as he didn’t die, they could force him to use nullification through the mana contract.
Just by Ersen’s existence, that contract remained alive. If the prince just endured to the end, they were still in a valid ‘transaction’ relationship. Rationally speaking, that alone was sufficient. But that was a judgment that could be made with the head, and this current anxiety wasn’t controlled by the head.
He had been hearing that Theodore’s condition had stabilized quite a lot. Even after experiencing such an incident, the prince had somehow gathered fresh blood and was resolving Theodore’s curse.
That was close to miraculous. It was an achievement that could be justified by itself. Results that others would praise or revere if they knew. Ersen was achieving such results without a single word.
He was quite a faithful partner.
Whatever he was instructed to do, he executed it immediately and bore reckless amounts of trouble. If emotions weren’t entangled, this might have been the most perfect combination.
That also meant, conversely, that there was no need to do anything more for such a partner.
Emotions beyond the contract were unnecessary. Protection, interest, and all other emotional involvement were only hindrances. Until now, Skyle had always maintained his position in such a way. Coordination that didn’t cross the line with any target. That was his strength.
They only needed to do as much as they had contracted.
Anything beyond that was emotion, and emotion bred uncertainty. However…….
But despite his suspicions and wariness about Ersen over the past few days, Skyle was paying more attention to him than he had thought.
That was an undeniable fact. His tone remained polite, and his actions were no different from usual. But his gaze toward Ersen was gradually becoming more careful. Not in a way that sought to harm him, but in a way that sought not to lose him.
He knew it himself, yet couldn’t stop.
That was the problem. He should have stopped before emotions crossed the line. But they had already gotten too close. By the time he became aware of it, he had reached a position difficult to return from.
‘Because he’s the only being with nullification.’
At first, it was certainly because of that. It was calculation. A cold choice. But as time passed, that reason became blurred, and rather, any emotion was justified thanks to that reason.
So despite that peculiar constitution, everyone was taking risks to care for Ersen.
Skyle was acting as if it were instinct, and so were others. Allies, and even enemies were lenient toward him alone. As if everyone knew he was both ‘hope’ and ‘danger’ but pretended not to know.
The hesitation that had briefly clouded his refined face once again disappeared wearing the name of ‘necessity.’
The conflicts he showed never lasted long from the beginning. Even hesitation cast for just a few seconds was immediately organized into conclusions. And those conclusions were always the same—”Because it must be done.” Thus Skyle convinced himself again and moved.
“I will definitely accompany you on the next operation. Whatever you do, don’t do it alone.”
“Accompany? The Archduke?”
Ersen’s eyes widened.
What appeared in his eyes for a moment was bewilderment rather than confusion. Since it was an emotion he didn’t encounter often, that expression was somewhat clumsy and therefore more honest. The corners of his mouth were frozen half-open, and only one eyebrow was slightly raised. He was someone who left a short gap between understanding with his head and accepting with his heart.
He also seemed troubled.
Probably, he hadn’t expected someone would step forward to invade his plans in the form of accompaniment. When bait took the form of strange stubbornness and self-destruction trying to shoulder all dangers alone, there weren’t many who would stop it. But there were few who would try to counter it head-on through the method of accompaniment like now.
But before the prince could utter words of refusal, Skyle skillfully made the first move.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
