Episode 10
What if, as she approached, the sealing circle suddenly grabbed Helix and pulled him in?
What if the mana stones weren’t enough?
‘It will work.’
Her gaze trembled as she watched Helix’s back moving farther and farther away with heavy footsteps.
She feared those broad shoulders and long legs might turn back into a statue.
‘Will it…?’
She worried his long silver hair—and his gray eyes that subtly smiled when looking at her—might harden like glasswork.
Thud.
A mana stone pillar struck the floor of the sealing circle, producing a heavy sound.
‘Will it?’
Gulp.
She perked up her ears and focused her eyes intensely.
Her palms grew sweaty.
At that moment, Lea’s body shook.
Vooooom—.
Light burst upward explosively from the floor of the sealing circle, and a cluster of light wrapped around the mana stones.
She could feel the vibration that began from the ground travel along the walls and ceiling, extending out of the cave.
“…It worked, right? It worked, didn’t it?”
Lea asked Helix.
Her voice trembled at the end without her realizing it.
The woman who remained composed even when talking about her own health now wore an openly anxious expression.
Helix couldn’t take his eyes off Lea.
His heart pounded loudly.
“…Yes.”
“Then Helix, you’re not going into there, right?”
“….”
He looked at her and slowly nodded.
“Ah….”
Lea collapsed onto the ground.
The tension suddenly released, leaving her dizzy.
“The floor is cold.”
Helix spread his cloak and sat down beside her.
Lea quickly plopped onto the cloak and, letting out a sigh, looked at the sealing circle.
“…It’s fine.”
“It seems to be working properly.”
A bitter expression crossed Helix’s face.
“Was I imprisoned just for something that could have been solved like this?”
Lea glanced at him.
Not knowing what had happened or why he had been imprisoned, she found it hard to offer comforting words.
‘But I shouldn’t just stay silent here.’
After a moment of grumbling internally, she spoke.
“Still, we don’t know how long that barrier will last. The capacity is different.”
“…Is that the difference?”
“Do you really think that’s all there is?”
Lea smiled playfully.
“Honestly, I think even the person who made this place… no, even the dragon wouldn’t have known to do it this way. I just had a truly genius leap of insight.”
Helix let out a small laugh without realizing it.
“I’ll admit that.”
“Hmmph. Whose disciple is this genius? I’m starting to fear my hidden talent.”
As Lea proudly boasted, he poured cold water on her.
“If you exercise a bit more, that talent might bloom further.”
“Wait, no. That’s not it.”
Seeing Lea shake her head seriously, Helix ended up laughing out loud.
‘Ah, light…!’
Lea, exposed defenselessly to his smiling face, stiffened and turned her head away.
“Anyway, it’s better since we’re thinking and acting together, right?”
“Much better.”
“Right? If the contract holder hadn’t listened and had acted alone by breaking the contract, things would have been bad.”
Pressured by her gaze demanding he reflect, Helix nodded as if surrendering.
“You’re right. I have nothing to say.”
“Of course. So from now on, Helix, you’re not allowed to make decisions on your own.”
Helix almost kept nodding without realizing, then regained his senses.
“…From now on?”
“During the entire contract period. You said you’d follow what I said earlier, didn’t you?”
“That…”
He had meant that he would follow her method regarding the sealing circle.
Yet somehow, the words wouldn’t come out of his mouth.
He didn’t want to say no.
“…Alright.”
Helix said.
“I’ll follow your words.”
Was this what it felt like to say something that made him happy without any sense of being forced?
Mulling over his own words with a strange feeling, Lea spoke again.
“And during the contract period, you’re not allowed to go off somewhere and sacrifice yourself and leave me behind.”
“I won’t leave you behind.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? That you’ll tell me before you go?”
“That’s right.”
“Sigh.”
Lea wrinkled her nose and laughed.
“You really are consistent, contract holder.”
Helix slowly closed and opened his eyes.
Every one of her movements was so vivid and clear.
The slight head shake as if saying it was hopeless, the way she wrinkled her nose, the playful curve of her lips, and her bright blue eyes sparkling as they looked at him…
Thud.
His heartbeat.
Thud. Thud.
It echoed in his ears like a drum.
Even Lea’s voice, as she gestured with one finger and chattered on, felt distant.
“…This won’t do. Let’s… take a break… once a day.”
“Alright.”
Helix agreed flatly.
Outwardly he looked fine, but only on the surface.
Half out of his mind, he nodded mechanically.
“Let’s do it your way.”
After answering, Helix belatedly asked:
“…But what is a ‘break’?”
❀ ❀ ❀
At the royal palace overlooking the capital of Peyron, an emergency meeting was held.
The reason only the king, the prime minister, and the crown prince were present was one thing: the sudden heavy snowfall in the northern region.
This year, abnormal phenomena in the north had been unusually frequent.
Frequent monster appearances.
Early autumn snowstorms.
All unprecedented events.
“The anomalies are concentrated only in the Hel Mountains.”
At Crown Prince Patrick’s report, the expressions of the prime minister and the king turned grave.
The Hel Mountains, located at the northernmost edge of the Peyron Kingdom, were a sacred range protecting the kingdom from the corrupted lands to the north.
To think such anomalies were repeatedly occurring there—what on earth was happening?
“I will personally go to the Hel Mountains.”
“You, the prince, yourself?”
“Yes.”
Prince Patrick’s eyes were serious.
“I plan to lead a monster subjugation unit while secretly investigating the cause of the anomalies.”
He added that if he publicly declared he was going to hunt monsters, public opinion would improve and help calm the sentiments in the north.
The prime minister agreed.
“Your Highness is correct. The nobles will likely think you’re simply trying to gain merit, and won’t suspect that you’re conducting an investigation.”
That made sense.
By deceiving pro-imperial nobles, investigating the border and anomalies, highlighting the achievements of the relatively weak Prince Patrick, and emphasizing the royal family’s benevolence, they could stabilize public sentiment.
It seemed like a plan with only benefits, but the king hesitated.
‘If the prince were to be put in danger…’
He was the only heir. The Grand Duke Kalos could harm the prince where no one could see.
After much thought, the king spoke.
“…However, for that plan to succeed, protection must be thorough. There should be a small, elite covert unit that can avoid exposing the investigation.”
As if he had been waiting, the prince spoke.
“I happen to know a suitable person.”
“A suitable person? Who is it?”
❀ ❀ ❀
Although Helkan was covered in sudden heavy snowfall, the Piart estate remained peaceful, aside from the knights struggling to clear the snow.
Lea devoted herself to daily magic training.
‘But is this magic class… or rehabilitation training?’
She pondered while circling Mount Hel.
Perhaps Helix wanted to train her as a battle mage.
So he was having her train in both magic and physical conditioning in the Hel Mountains, pushing her through hardcore training?
“Huff… huff…”
After walking around the mountain ridge once, Lea caught her breath.
“Helix, huff… honestly… tell me… this is battle mage… huff… training, right?”
Helix handed her water and said bluntly:
“It’s to build a human-level physique. Do you think I expect combat skills from your athletic ability, Lea?”
“Ahh… brutal honesty…”
Helping her steady herself, he added casually:
“Still, your stamina seems to be improving. Your mana flow has strengthened as well.”
“Then why can’t I cast magic?”
She sighed, and Helix replied:
“There’s no need to rush. Just as a flower blooms when the bud matures, it will blossom at the right time.”
“Really? I guess so?”
She shouldn’t be impatient.
Lea stretched her body and turned to Helix.
“Anyway, today’s schedule is over, right? Thanks again today.”
“…Good work.”
A light closing exchange.
He was tense.
Because of the daily “compliment time” that always came at the end of the schedule.
“Helix, did I say you’re handsome?”
“Yes.”
“You did? Then I’ll say it again. You really are the epitome of a cold, handsome man.”
“…”
“Is it just your face? Earlier you used warm mana to keep me from getting cold, right? I don’t know how you can be so considerate and thoughtful.”
“…Hmm.”
Helix groaned.
“…Do we have to do this every day?”
“We agreed to it, didn’t we?”
Why had he agreed without properly listening back then?
Helix regretted it, but it was too late.
“I think that was a mistake.”
“What are you talking about? We still lack trust as contract holders.”
Lea’s argument was this:
This daily compliment time was meant to build trust and deepen understanding.
If they kept praising each other, they would naturally grow closer and become more aware of each other’s good qualities.
Of course, she had another hidden motive.
‘Since I’ve got this rare lifeline of health, I can’t have him going around sacrificing himself all the time.’
His tendency to step forward so readily was concerning.
It was clear he was accustomed to self-sacrifice and didn’t value himself enough.
‘If this continues, he’ll try to sacrifice himself again someday.’
She wasn’t about to let her contract holder and magic teacher go that easily.
‘I need to bombard Helix with compliments so he learns to value himself.’
Lea made up her mind.
‘Build his self-esteem, help him adapt to this world socially…’
And keep him tied to her as a contract partner for a long, long time.
“….”
Helix looked at Lea, who was inwardly determined.
She probably didn’t realize it, but he could see right through her intentions.
‘She’s trying to stabilize my emotions so I won’t sacrifice myself.’
But he pretended not to notice.
Even if her intentions were obvious, he appreciated that she was doing it for his sake.
‘Still, I didn’t expect it to be this embarrassing.’
Every time Lea looked at him and said “you’re handsome” with a clear expression, he felt flustered.
“…Do people openly compliment each other’s appearance like this these days?”
“Not in social circles. But it’s fine between us, right? It’s compliment time.”
It wasn’t fine.
Not fine at all!
Helix silently screamed and wiped his face.
Embarrassed, awkward, wanting to run away.
At times, it seemed like it would be better if his whole body briefly turned into stone.
While he was suffering, Lea looked up at him and said…
