Chapter 76
The next day, Ethan and I were up early, moving busily from the break of dawn.
Unlike me—who suffered terribly from being a heavy sleeper—Ethan looked completely clear-eyed, not a trace of drowsiness on his face.
…Seriously irritating.
How could a person be perfect in every way except for having such an awful personality?
Honestly… if he weren’t such a bad-tempered mad dog, he could’ve pushed Julius aside and taken the male lead position himself.
“You’re spacing out again.”
“H-Huh?!”
Startled by Ethan suddenly stepping into my space, I reflexively took a step back.
Ethan frowned, his refined brows knitting together as he glared at me. I laughed awkwardly, “Haha—,” and quickly avoided his gaze.
“C-Come on! Let’s get moving! We don’t have time for this!”
I urged him on unnecessarily, even giving him a push on the back. He yielded easily to my touch.
Which made sense—today just happened to be the day Theodore would be away from the Mage Tower.
In other words, it was the perfect opportunity to explore it.
Still… even so, isn’t this a bit much? Didn’t he change way too suddenly?
I shot Ethan a sideways glance, narrowing my eyes.
I had been the one to suggest looking for the mana stone first, but I hadn’t expected him to be this proactive.
His attitude had flipped overnight, like a coin turning over, and it left me more than a little unsettled.
Still, I chose not to point it out.
Until that promise is fulfilled, you can’t run away from me. Even if it’s just for show, I need my fiancée by my side.
More than anything, I didn’t want to drag up the dangerous atmosphere from that night.
Maybe it’s better if Ethan acts like nothing happened.
Because that night’s version of Ethan… I had no idea how to face him.
I stopped walking and stared at Ethan’s back.
Had he sensed my gaze?
The man who had been strolling along suddenly turned around and looked straight at me.
“Eunice?”
“Y-Yes?”
In the next moment, Ethan closed the distance in a single step.
“You’ve been deep in thought for a while now. What is it?”
…You. I’ve been thinking about you.
But of course, I couldn’t say that out loud. I just shook my head quickly.
“It’s nothing. Let’s check somewhere else. Before Theodore comes back.”
“This is the last place.”
“What?”
“There’s nowhere else left to search. We’ve combed through most of the Mage Tower, and still nothing.”
Now that he mentioned it, we really had checked every place where a mana stone might reasonably be hidden.
And yet, we hadn’t even sensed the faintest trace of its mana.
Standing in front of me, Ethan let out a low hum, deep in thought.
“Did the tower master ever tell you anything about it?”
“Hmmm. I only heard that it exists. I’ve never actually seen it.”
“Who told you that?”
“…Theodore.”
“What?”
Ethan narrowed his eyes slightly and gave me a sideways look.
At his silent demand for an explanation, I obediently gave him the answer he wanted.
“Theodore said he’d show me the mana stone sometimes. But then…”
“But?”
“…I told him no. Said it was too much trouble.”
Before I could even finish speaking, Ethan let out a sigh full of disbelief.
This time, it was my fault, so I kept my mouth shut.
After pondering for a moment, Ethan suddenly turned away from me.
“Ethan? Where are you going?”
“To find the mana stone.”
“But… we’ve already looked everywhere.”
“There’s one place left.”
“…You don’t mean the place I’m thinking of, do you?”
“Probably.”
At his short reply, a chill ran down my spine.
“Isn’t that a little dangerous?”
I really didn’t want to die just because we were searching for a mana stone.
I protested weakly, but Ethan remained firm.
“If not now, we’ll never be able to go there.”
“But that’s exactly why it’s dangerous!”
“It’s dangerous, but it’s something that has to be done. Isn’t that what you want too?”
“Huh?”
“Finding the mana stone, breaking my curse, and freeing yourself from my grasp.”
“That doesn’t mean I’m okay with watching you put yourself in danger.”
“……”
Ethan, who had been ready to argue back, suddenly fell silent.
Not missing the opportunity, I gently pressed my case.
“Think about it carefully, Ethan. That place isn’t nearly as humane as you think.”
“I never expected humane treatment to begin with.”
“The moment you open that door, you have to worry about when you might die.”
“That’s already true, even now. So it doesn’t matter.”
“An arrow could suddenly fly out. I even heard rumors about someone almost dying when a meteor fell from nowhere.”
“Oh? That’s quite a story.”
“Right? That place is the most dangerous area in the Mage Tower.”
By this point, I was sure I’d convinced him.
“But you’re forgetting one thing.”
“…What?”
“You said it yourself. That I’m the most dangerous mad dog in the Empire.”
“…That part is true.”
I didn’t bother denying it.
Ethan chuckled softly, as if amused by the thought.
“Then what are you worried about?”
He spoke lightly as he ruffled my hair.
“You said you wouldn’t just stand by and watch me get hurt, didn’t you?”
“……”
“That goes for me too.”
With a resolute voice, Ethan grabbed my wrist and pulled me toward him.
“We’re going to the tower master’s space.”
With every step forward, the surroundings grew darker.
As we entered the shadowy area, the air felt heavier, almost stale.
What made my anxiety spike even more was the overwhelming magical power flowing from deep within.
Through the narrow gap of the massive door blocking our path, I could clearly see red mana leaking out.
Theodore warned me to be careful of red mana, and yet he leaves something this dangerous running loose in his own space? What is he thinking?!
Grumbling internally, I lightly grabbed the collar of Ethan’s clothes as he walked ahead.
Feeling my touch, Ethan tilted his head slightly and let out a low laugh.
“Why are you clinging to me like that? You look like it’s your first time here.”
“…It is my first time coming without Theodore.”
“Who said you’re alone?”
“Huh?”
“You keep calling me a mad dog—don’t tell me you actually think I’m a completely deranged bastard.”
“…Where else would you find such a reliable deranged bastard?”
I tightened my grip on his collar and looked up at him.
I hadn’t said it just to flatter him, but he didn’t seem displeased.
“…Still, can’t we come back another time? Or better yet, ask Theodore directly.”
“I don’t want to create unnecessary trouble.”
“I’d rather deal with a little trouble and live a peaceful life.”
“Who said I’d let you die?”
“…When you put it like that, I don’t really have a comeback.”
As I answered vaguely, Ethan reached out without hesitation and opened the door.
The moment red mana surged out, I instinctively shrank back.
But that was all.
“…This is more normal than I expected?”
Letting go of Ethan’s collar, I stepped into Theodore’s office.
“Wait.”
“Ethan?”
“I’ll go in first.”
Pulling my hand back, Ethan stepped ahead of me.
I followed closely behind him.
Contrary to my fears—that arrows would shoot out the moment the door opened—the office was surprisingly peaceful.
“Huh. It’s almost scarier how quiet it is.”
Mages often said that Theodore’s office was filled with malicious traps whenever its owner was away.
But unlike the rumors, there was nothing particularly threatening inside.
There were traces of suspicious magic scattered throughout the room, but they were obvious traps that wouldn’t activate unless touched.
Ethan looked around with a puzzled expression.
“It seems the dangerous traps you mentioned don’t react to you.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“Exactly what it sounds like. It looks like the owner designated certain people so the traps wouldn’t activate for them.”
“Oh… then Theodore must have…”
I’d cursed that damn tower master so many times, and yet here he was, touching my heart again.
Finally feeling at ease, I walked more lightly.
“So that means we can look around freely now.”
With that, Ethan and I searched every corner of Theodore’s office.
Hoping that what we wanted would finally appear.
“…It’s not here.”
“Yeah. I don’t see it either.”
The mana stone we’d been desperately searching for was nowhere to be found.
Just where had he hidden the damn thing? We’d turned the Mage Tower upside down, and still nothing.
“It’s not here! Nowhere, Ethan!”
“…This is troublesome.”
Ethan frowned, running a hand through his hair in frustration.
After one last look around, he muttered a curse and turned toward the door.
“For now, let’s head back. Even if it’s a hassle, borrowing the tower master’s help seems like the best option.”
“Okay. Then for today—”
I turned toward Ethan as I replied.
But I couldn’t reach him.
Flaaash—!
“A—Aah!”
Before I could even approach him, a dangerous energy surged around me.
It wasn’t hard to recognize it as the red mana hidden somewhere within the office.
Realizing too late what was happening, Ethan spun around in alarm.
“Eunice—!”
Hearing the panic in his voice, the reality of the danger finally hit me.
Why… why is this happening?
I hadn’t touched anything. Why now?
Before I could understand what was happening, the red mana spiraled violently and swallowed me whole.
“Ethan…!”
Even as my vision blurred, I could see Ethan running toward me.
And behind him—
