Kung.
He might be mistaken, but at that moment, Theo heard his own heart falling. Ellenoa’s eyes flashed with affection as she confessed to him. No matter how insensitive he was, he couldn’t ignore this situation. His heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would pop out of his ribs.
Theo forgot to breathe as he looked at her.
Ellenoa, me?
It would be a lie if he said that he hadn’t expected it. In retrospect, there were many reasons why Ellenoa would like him. He hadn’t stepped back when fighting against one of the Seven Sins, Pride. She’d been able to tell how scary it was, despite having no experience with combat. Ellenoa wouldn’t have spoken a word of resentment if he had abandoned her on the spot.
However, Theo had fought against that nightmare of a monster. She hadn’t seen all of it. As soon as the battle began, she’d been blown away to a safe place by Theo’s magic and only seen the battlefield later with Veronica. When Ellenoa saw the aftermath of the battle, she had felt more desperate than ever before.
Theo’s bloody back had been revealed under his torn clothes. He had gritted his teeth and endured the terrible pain. The one soaked in his own blood, her hero…
Theo had been far from being the winner, and he’d grimaced heavily.
The boy who had been injured and covered in blood…
Why? As she held onto the bloody body, Ellenoa had thought he was lovely. He’d jumped into a fight which couldn’t be won, just to protect her.
[From that day onwards…]
It had started from that moment.
[I have been longing for you.]
Theo heard Ellenoa’s sincere voice. However, it wasn’t said aloud. She spoke through the telepathic connection which had formed between them during Mitra’s awakening. It showed Ellenoa’s strong heart and soul.
… Honestly, I’m glad.?
Theo accepted it honestly. He was glad about her confession.
The fact that someone like Ellenoa loved him, regardless of his surname. She was so cute that he wanted to pull her into his arms. Wouldn’t it be good if it was her? Apart from their nations’ interests, what would it be like if he lived together with Ellenoa?
“I…” The moment that Theo was about to impulsively reply…
Shh.?
Ellenoa shook her head slightly while placing a finger to her lips.
[Please don’t be in a hurry.]
Her clear eyes had already noticed Theo’s worries. She saw the responsibility and burdens he carried, as well as his affection for her.
As she inwardly rejoiced, Ellenoa spoke in a calm voice.
[It was my own choice to become a woman. I don’t want Theo to feel burdened or responsible. If you want to be with me just because of those feelings, I will refuse from my side.]
“That…”
They were words which he couldn’t easily deny. Theo closed his mouth as Ellenoa smiled gently.
[One day, if you decide to accept me, please tell me in a place where we are alone. I don’t want to decide my marriage in a place like this.]
“Ah.” Theo swallowed hard as he remembered the crowd around them.
They were engrossed in Ellenoa’s appearance, but it wouldn’t be strange if they protested how long this exchange lasted. Theo didn’t know why, but Kurt III was watching them with strange eyes and didn’t show any signs of urging them on. Thus, Theo walked out a few beats later than Ellenoa. This wasn’t the time to share personal stories.
Theo calmed his heart as he gazed at Ellenoa shining under the lights. Despite her words about responsibilities or burdens, he couldn’t help unconsciously sketching out his life with her.
***
On the other hand, a beauty leaned against a table and complained under her breath as she raised her cup, “Ah, this is hard. It’s bigger than I thou-”
.
It was Red Tower Master Veronica. She was so notorious in the North and Central continents that there wasn’t a single person at her table. It wouldn’t be beneficial if they said the wrong thing to her and suffered massive damage. That said, there was one other person at her table today. The Princess of Blue Tower was dressed in blue robes, accentuating her silver hair.
Sylvia didn’t understand Veronica’s words and asked, “What do you mean?”
“You don’t understand? It means we’ve both fallen behind,” Veronica replied casually as she filled her cup again.
However, the question in Sylvia’s eyes didn’t disappear, so Veronica explained with a grumble, “Do you know about the gender of high elves?”
“Yes, it depends on their decision.”
“No, it isn’t that simple. A pureblood Arv can change their gender at will, but the high elves are different. A decision on their gender is a promise of a lifetime. It’s even worse because she changed before hearing the other person’s answer.” Veronica stopped speaking and drank from the glass irritably.
The high elves were just fragments of the Arv. Unlike the Arv who could switch their gender as desired, the high elves couldn’t change once they decided on their gender. In other words, after deciding to be female, they couldn’t return to a neutral or decide on a male form if the other person didn’t accept their hearts.
Most people would sympathize, but not Veronica.
“She’s cunning.” Veronica put down her empty cup. “You and I both know the kid has a heavy sense of responsibility. He won’t back down or give up, even if things get difficult. He definitely won’t forget someone suffering because of him, right?”
“… Yes, definitely.”
“Well, that is his charm, but… will the kid be able to easily refuse the high elf’s courtship?”
No.
Cold air started to fall away from Sylvia’s body as she realized the implication. It was only for a moment, but it pushed away Veronica’s warm heat around the table. Sylvia was one of the most talented magicians in the world, as a genius on the road to become the next Tower Master. If Veronica hadn’t been at the table, every bottle in the area would’ve frozen over. The two remained silent as they watched Theo and Ellenoa.
It was Sylvia who broke the unpleasant silence first. “Then Tower Master, will you step back?”
“No way.” Veronica’s eyes sparkled at the provocative remark. “I can’t do anything today, but I’m going to move strategically. You know the saying. If you want to hold onto something for a long time, you should obtain support?”
“You mean…”
“It seems like we have the same idea.”
The gazes of the two beauties moved from the podium toward Dennis Miller, who was applauding his son’s splendid appearance. Since Kurt III had assigned Theo as Ellenoa’s personal partner, there was nothing the two beauties could do. They thought hard and got up from their seats.
As they walked in the same direction, Sylvia whispered, “Will this really help? It looks pretty difficult.”
“Huh?” Veronica turned her head and looked at the crowd, who were swarming Ellenoa and Theo. Veronica’s eyebrows twitched, but then shrugged. “It won’t give us trouble. Isn’t that right?”
“… I don’t agree. This alone might not help.”
“Kik, okay. Let me ask you something? Then what now?” 𝓫𝓭𝓸𝓋𝓁．𝓬𝓸𝓂
Fire and ice, the two contrasting colors and atmospheres walked shoulder-to-shoulder. The crowd parted as the two beauties headed toward the table where the Miller family were seated.
Meltor Palace’s banquet had just begun.
***
At that time, Manavil’s checkpoints were in full swing because of the massive crowd. Despite the reduced number of shifts, the fatigue had continued to accumulate. However, the guards kept their eyes open with the physical strength they had trained from day one.
One of the guards questioned a visitor, “Did you come from Austen?”
“Yes.”
“What is your objective in Manavil?”
“The drought is getting worse these days… I came to look for water artifacts.”
“Ah, I see.”
The great drought of Austen was known in the north. The nightmare of the whole kingdom drying up was commonly referred to as the anger of the desert god. In fact, when the guard saw that the visitor’s skin was dry and cracking, he pitied the visitor.
“If you look at the stores in the east, you might find what you are looking for. The artifact stores in the center are expensive, and they don’t sell daily necessities.”
“Ohh! I really appreciate it.”
“It isn’t a big deal. You can pass.”
The visitor from Austen thanked the guard and entered the capital with a wobbly gait. The guard watched him, but fortunately, the visitor didn’t fall. The guard briefly mourned for the Austen people suffering from the drought, then moved to the next person in line.
There were too many things for one person to remember. However, the visitor was a little unusual. He walked through Mavavil’s front gate, headed into an alley, and stripped off his loose robes.
“… This place should be fine. I will turn off the ability,” a voice spoke.
Three more people appeared around the visitor. No, they were originally there. The visitor’s ability simply hid their existence. It was an Aura Ability, a miracle which even surpassed magic in certain areas. Clearly, one of the visitors was a swordmaster.
“Fortunately, we managed to enter. The famous checkpoints of Manavil are nothing before Captain’s ability.”
“No, that isn’t it.” The sword master called Captain shook his head.
“We didn’t go unnoticed because of that. If it hadn’t been for the Annual Magic Contest, it would’ve been a lot harder. This is truly the kingdom that can compete with the Andras Empire.”
The swordmaster was a master of illusion, but he still remembered that awful feeling when he passed into Manavil. He had sensed the terrifying spells that permeated the air, as well as the runes written on the walls and gates.
The method of deceiving the checkpoint without using any trickery was effective. If he’d tried to cross the walls, he would certainly have become a victim. As the atmosphere grew tense, someone opened their mouth, “T-Then how will we move from now on? If we move around the city, we might be discovered.”
“Find the high elf.”
At the captain’s decisive answer, his subordinate murmured, “Really?”
“We definitely snuck into Manavil and did some bad things before, but we just have to beg for mercy before negotiating with Meltor.”
“Captain, begging is a little…”
“No, we have to beg,” Captain Mujak, one of the prides of Austen, declared in a firm voice.
The four of them had come to the capital of Meltor to beg for help. Of course, they didn’t want to, but it was necessary.
“Negotiating with Meltor is secondary. As long as we can receive the high elf’s help, I’m willing to feed my pride to a dog.”
“C-Captain…!”
“We will confess our sins and beg for mercy on this matter. If you have any pride, leave it here! You are Janissaries who devote your lives to the kingdom and the Sultan!”
The eyes of the Janissaries trembled at their Captain’s loud voice. They were a little confused, but the patriotism and loyalty engraved deeply into their hearts overcame their confusion.
The three Janissaries nodded and replied, ““For the desert sun!””
“Good! For our kingdom, let’s go!”
Soon after, four uninvited people slipped out of the back alley and mixed in with the crowds of Manavil. Only time would tell whether they would achieve their goals in the kingdom’s capital.