Chapter 093……………………………….
At the moment when the mysterious explosion occurred.
Sierra and Ashur were inside a herbal shop.
Boom—!
“Ahhh!”
Startled by the loud noise coming from outside, the two turned to look at each other.
Now’s the time.
A few days earlier, they had made an agreement with Kadiya and her group.
Everything was ready now, so they had asked them to create distractions around the city—just enough to draw attention without causing casualties.
Though I didn’t expect it to be this loud.
Perhaps things hadn’t gone as smoothly as planned.
When they stepped outside the shop, people were already murmuring nervously while staring at the black smoke rising not far away.
One of Sierra’s escort knights approached from behind.
“Lady Kleshad, this place is dangerous. Please return to the mansion.”
“Just a moment. There’s somewhere I need to stop by first.”
“I was ordered to ensure that if danger arises during an outing, you are to return to the mansion immediately.”
The knight, wearing a stiff expression, stepped closer as if he might forcibly drag her away if she refused.
Of course he would.
Even if it seemed like they gave her freedom and treated her with respect, in the end she was no different from Ashur—essentially a prisoner.
“Fine. Then move aside.”
Either way, they still had to walk some distance to reach the carriage.
The alley where the herbal shop stood was too crowded for a carriage to enter.
Ever since the sound of the explosion, Sierra had quietly begun releasing her suppression device.
So that no one would notice.
The two of them walked through the crowd just as they normally would.
And when they passed through the most crowded part of the street—
They vanished instantly from the sight of the watchers following behind them.
Without a sound.
Without even a trace of their forms.
“What? What just happened?!”
Two mages and five knights had clearly been surrounding them from front and back, yet not a single person saw the moment they disappeared.
Only the robes they had been wearing fell to the ground where they had been standing.
Clink—
A mage who picked up what seemed to be Sierra and Ashur’s robes felt a chill run down his spine.
Two bracelets.
They were the magic suppression cuffs Sierra had been wearing.
“This is bad! Sierra Kleshad’s suppressor has been removed!”
“What?! Split up and find that woman immediately! You—go report this to Duke Estevan at once! Hurry!”
“Yes, sir!”
If Sierra regained the ability to freely use magic, this number of people would not be enough to stop her.
* * *
“We have to find them quickly!”
Amid the chaos, someone was watching them from a hidden corner of the street as they hurriedly scattered.
A perfectly ordinary-looking man and woman.
They were Sierra and Ashur, using disguise magic.
“Ashur, hang on a little longer. Once we reach somewhere safe, I’ll remove the suppressor right away.”
“Okay.”
After glancing around, Ashur took Sierra’s hand.
“For now, we should look frightened.”
“Right.”
The two began moving as if they were fleeing.
“Hey, you two!”
But for some reason—
A mage called out to them.
“Stop right there.”
Mages might be treated as mere servants by nobles, but to commoners they were figures of authority.
Ignoring such an order in this situation wasn’t something an ordinary commoner could do.
Pretending to be scared was better than trying to run.
“Is… is there something you need…?”
Sierra forced a frightened expression onto her face and bowed her head deeply.
Her body trembled naturally with tension.
Ashur currently had a mana suppressor on him, which made his presence faint.
They must not notice the suppressor.
Glancing sideways, she saw Ashur also lowering his head just like her.
From where she stood, she could see the suppressor wrapped around his neck beneath his collar.
“Raise your head.”
Sierra squeezed her eyes shut.
The longer the mage’s gaze lingered across her face, the harder it became to breathe normally.
After examining her for a long time, the mage finally spoke again.
“…That’s enough. Just someone who looks similar.”
They hadn’t copied anyone’s appearance exactly in case it caused trouble.
But because she had only altered her features slightly, she must still resemble her original self.
Letting out a breath, Sierra touched her freckled face and slowly stepped back.
“…Th-thank you, sir.”
Fortunately, the mage let them go without suspicion.
Sierra immediately headed toward Owen’s mansion.
On the way, she saw the place where a fire had broken out.
It was the very warehouse where they had rescued the victim of dark magic just two days earlier.
Did I tell Kadiya about that place too?
The thought briefly crossed her mind, but she hurried onward.
However, the hideout they arrived at was silent.
The door wasn’t even locked, as if they had left in a hurry.
“What… happened? Kadiya? Rohita? Where is everyone?”
“There’s no sign of anyone. …No, wait. One person.”
Ashur strode toward a room.
Creak—
Inside, the man they had rescued from the warehouse two days earlier lay weakly on the bed.
He couldn’t even properly open his eyes and kept muttering.
“No… stop. I don’t want to kill anyone… I hate this. Why me? Why? Why? Why do I have to do this? Stop… stop… don’t…”
The longer his nightmare-like muttering continued, the more Sierra’s expression hardened.
When they had rescued him from the warehouse, she hadn’t had time to examine him closely.
Now she saw that not only was his face pale, his body was skeletal and covered with deep wounds that had missed their chance for treatment.
“Adrian… what on earth did you do to him?”
Fortunately, it seemed that Alex and Theo had already been here.
All the abnormal magic circles had already been dismantled.
Around the bed were scattered traces of someone attempting to decipher the magic circles.
While Sierra silently healed the man, Ashur looked around and returned.
“There’s really no one here.”
“Then the explosion must not have been Kadiya’s doing. This is bad… everything’s going off track.”
By then, the man had fallen into a peaceful sleep.
“Ashur, come here first. I’ll remove your suppressor. And we should inscribe a communication magic circle in advance.”
Click—
The suppressor that had bound Ashur’s neck and arms for so long fell to the floor.
Freed from the restraint, Ashur looked noticeably more comfortable.
He rotated his wrist and then quietly stared at her.
Even though he was only looking at her, his presence felt overwhelmingly strong.
“Um… there’s one more thing. Like Alex and Theo did at the Magic Tower… I’ll carve a magic circle that lets us transmit words through thoughts.”
Sierra inscribed the communication magic circle beneath his ear, where his pulse beat.
Ashur’s quiet breathing brushed past her ear.
“…Now try sending a thought, Ashur.”
— “I love you. I love you, I love you… Sierra. So much.”
His low voice echoed deep inside her mind.
“Ugh.”
Startled, Sierra instinctively covered her ears and glared at him.
Ashur’s lips were tightly closed, yet the look in his eyes made Sierra’s face flush instantly.
Ashur grasped the hands she had raised to her ears.
“W-wait, suddenly like th—mmph.”
He pressed his lips against hers without warning.
Like someone parched for a long time, he desperately bit and licked at her soft lips.
The heat of their reunion after so long made something surge up inside Sierra.
“Haah… Ashur.”
Tears she hadn’t realized were there slipped down.
Only then did Sierra come to her senses.
She gently pushed Ashur away.
“Ashur… I think we need to find our friends first.”
“…Right. I lost my restraint.”
Sierra stared blankly as he wiped his glistening lips.
Then she lowered her head shyly and added,
“Um… when we return to the sanctuary later… our house might already be finished, right?”
“…That could be.”
“Yeah. I’m looking forward to it, aren’t you?”
Seeing Sierra smile brightly, Ashur narrowed his eyes slightly, as if looking at something dazzling.
Touch—
“Ah, Ashur!”
“It’s just for a moment. Now, you carve your magic circle too. I’ll watch.”
Standing her in front of a mirror, Ashur spoke calmly.
“Ugh, honestly… just wait.”
Watching from behind as she carved the magic circle, Ashur checked it at the end.
“It’s drawn properly.”
Even as he said that, his gaze never left her neck.
In the mirror, Ashur’s eyes still burned with heat.
Feeling as though the fire might spread from there, Sierra quickly covered her neck with her hand.
— “All done!”
Seeing that, Ashur let out a low laugh.
