Chapter 11
How on earth did things end up like this?
I was stuck between Hereis and Noah, completely unable to do anything.
“Brother, let me introduce you again. This is my magic teacher, Hereis.”
Even after my introduction, Hereis kept his mouth shut.
‘Herein! What are you doing? This is the part where you say hello!’
Was I asking too much from a genius wizard who’d been sealed away for 500 years and completely lacked social skills?
Terrified of the silence, I hurried to move on with Noah’s introduction.
“Herein, this is—”
“Herein? So you two are close enough to use nicknames now?”
When I saw Noah’s hand subtly moving toward his sword, I panicked and quickly changed how I addressed him.
“Hereis! This is Noah Winter, my older brother and the young duke.”
Has he lost his mind? Why is he reaching for his sword?! Is he planning to cut Hereis down with that?!
‘…Actually, that sounds like him.’
Noah was absolutely the type to do that.
I frantically jabbed Hereis in the side.
‘Say hello! Say hello, now!’
Finally, after my desperate urging, Hereis responded.
“My name is Hereis. A pleasure, young duke.”
“Noah Winter. Teacher.”
“You can speak comfortably with me.”
“Then I won’t hold back.”
And then silence again. The two men continued their endless staring contest.
“Sienna, you said you called for Hereis. How exactly did you meet him?”
“I, uh, heard rumors! They said there was a famous wizard! I thought maybe he’d know something about my illness, so I called for him!”
“Rumors? You went looking for someone based on such vague information? What if it had been a scam?”
Noah’s eyes narrowed into slits. He clearly thought I had fallen for a scam.
“I-I wouldn’t fall for a scam…”
Actually, I had. And in the most spectacular way possible.
Hereis seemed amused by how flustered I was, the corner of his mouth curling up as he watched me.
“Sis. The young duke seems to doubt me. Should I show him something?”
“Sis? Who gave you permission to use her nickname?”
His previously warm voice turned icy cold in an instant.
It was on a whole different level compared to when I called Hereis by his nickname.
“Answer me. Why are you using Sienna’s nickname?”
I looked at Hereis nervously.
‘Please, just give a normal answer—!’
Noticing my anxious gaze, Hereis looked at me and smiled sweetly.
“Because I like it.”
The air froze over as if doused in ice water.
All of it was because of the murderous aura pouring off Noah.
“…What?”
“I said, I like Sienna’s nickname.”
You—You lunatic!
Hereis smirked at me as I stared in shock.
‘Hereis, you idiot! Stop provoking Noah!’
I screamed silently and quickly grabbed Noah’s hand.
Then I hurriedly did as Hereis had taught me and let mana flow.
“Can you feel it? This is my mana. Amazing, right?”
My plan was to distract him by showing him I actually had magical talent.
Fortunately, it worked. Noah’s eyes widened slightly in disbelief.
“…It’s true.”
“See? And that crazy—uh, I mean Hereis—is an excellent teacher.”
I glared at Hereis, signaling him to do something impressive.
Flames suddenly erupted from Hereis’s palm.
Without a staff or even a chant, the fire burned brightly. Noah looked visibly surprised.
“Will this suffice as proof, young duke?”
Hereis clenched his fist to extinguish the fire and shrugged.
“No. There’s still more I need to confirm.”
And so began Noah’s barrage of questions.
“Where are you from?”
“A small village called Vester.”
“Your status…?”
“A commoner.”
Hereis apparently had no intention of revealing his surname, claiming to be a commoner instead.
Not a bad move.
‘If it’s Noah, he’ll definitely have people investigate Hereis.’
Without a surname, it’d be much harder to track him down.
“How old are you?”
“Twenty-four.”
“I checked and you’re not affiliated with the Mage Tower. Are you with any guild?”
“No. I only serve Sissi—”
“You should call her ‘Lady,’ Hereis.”
At Noah’s curt and rigid words, Hereis’s smile vanished, replaced by clear annoyance.
“…Since I am employed by the lady, that makes her my master.”
So far, everything Hereis had said was true. Twisted cleverly, yes—but still true.
So Noah couldn’t find anything immediately suspicious.
He just didn’t seem convinced.
“Sienna. Why did you hire this man?”
“Brother, about that—I have something to tell you.”
I pressed down on my pounding heart and spoke calmly.
“I found a cure. I even know the name of the disease I have.”
“…What?”
Noah shot up halfway from his seat, eyes wide.
“Is that true?”
“You asked why I hired Hereis, right? He’s the one who discovered both the disease’s name and the cure. That’s why I brought him here.”
I explained everything—about Death’s Breath, the Thousand-Year Herb, and the apothecary.
As the story went on, Noah’s expression shifted from shock to astonishment, then to joy, relief, and finally suspicion again.
The moment I finished, Noah immediately turned to Hereis with sharp eyes.
“Hereis. The doctors and the high priest said they’d never seen this illness before. How did you recognize it?”
“Because I’ve seen someone else with the same disease as the lady.”
At those words, Noah urgently asked,
“Did that person survive?”
“Yes. They were treated quickly and regained full health.”
Only then did Noah’s face relax in relief.
“Brother. Don’t worry. I can really live!”
I shouted joyfully, and Noah, who had been staring at me intently, lowered his head.
“Thank goodness.”
His voice trembled slightly, carrying all his emotions. It made me feel like crying, too.
“You don’t need to worry anymore. Once we find the apothecary, everything will be fine.”
“…Yes. It should be.”
Composing himself, Noah raised his head.
“You’ve already started searching for the apothecary, right?”
“Yes, I told the butler. He’s looking for them right now.”
“I’ll search as well.”
Whether it was because he’d gotten what he wanted about Hereis—or because of the apothecary—Noah stood up quickly.
The sharp aura that had felt like it could slice through everything softened.
“You haven’t told Father yet, have you?”
“No, not yet.”
“I thought so. This is the kind of news you should’ve told him first.”
“I figured I’d tell him when he gets back soon…”
“I’ll tell him myself. You just rest.”
As he turned the doorknob, Noah glanced back at Hereis and added,
“Good. At least you didn’t approach her with… impure intentions.”
Then, with a wry remark about Hereis being a bit too playful, he left.
“Impure…?”
Only then did I understand what he meant, and I exploded.
“Brother! Are you crazy?! There are things you just don’t say!”
To think he’d assume something like that between Hereis and me—I was so embarrassed my face burned.
“Still, don’t stick too close to him. If I catch you getting too cozy, you’ll regret it.”
“Brother, stop it already!”
What was wrong with everyone today?!
I shoved Noah out the door and buried my face in my hands. I couldn’t lift my head from sheer mortification.
“Sorry… You got dragged into a misunderstanding because of me.”
Hereis tilted his head and pushed down on mine with his hand. The weight felt deliberately heavy, like he was teasing me.
“He’s not an ordinary man either.”
“I didn’t think he’d go that far. He wasn’t even like that with Rio.”
“Rio? Who’s that?”
“Someone. A ridiculously annoying jerk.”
I shoved Hereis’s hand away and shut my mouth.
There was no need for him to know about my embarrassing past.
I thought everything with Noah had blown over without a problem.
But that was just wishful thinking.
“Brother. Are you seriously going to keep doing this?”
Noah showed up every single day during magic lessons, watching us like a hawk.
“Would you like it if someone watched you during sword practice?”
“Watched? I’m observing quite openly.”
“Exactly! You’re so open about it that you’re disrupting the lessons!”
“Sienna. As your brother, I’m simply supervising the class.”
I smacked my forehead repeatedly at his shameless answer.
