Chapter 62
Elshnain’s eyes widened at the warm, moist sensation.
“Wait, wait. In the original, it was just a kiss…!”
Could it be because the time she had been unable to meet Arwen was getting longer?
Startled, Elshnain instinctively tried to pull back, but his lips gently pressed against hers again.
“Sorry.”
He whispered softly, then kissed her once more.
This time, his movements were much more careful than before.
It was as if he were brushing against delicate glass, moving cautiously across her lips.
He pressed lightly on the part that was trying to slip away, then released it.
“My goodness.”
She had prided herself on having some experience in romance in her past life.
So she had thought a kiss like this was nothing.
“Have I been too ascetic for too long?”
Why did this shy, tentative kiss feel so overwhelmingly stimulating?
She caught her own hands, which had instinctively tried to clutch his shoulders, and thought carefully.
In the original story, the event ended at just a kiss, so pushing him away now wouldn’t really be a problem.
But she couldn’t bring herself to do it.
“It’s too desperate.”
His hands, slightly trembling as if pleading with her not to run away, cupping her cheeks.
The careful, hesitant look in his eyes, the way his long eyelashes fluttered in response—
That helplessness froze her in place.
And… the intense thrill rising in her chest paralyzed her thoughts.
Eventually, he pulled away after what felt like a long while.
He slowly opened his eyes and stepped back.
Both of his cheeks were flushed, like ripe peaches.
Elshnain exhaled in shallow, excited breaths.
Kilian lightly brushed her lips with his thumb, then stuck out his tongue to lick it, laughing softly.
“Why… why?”
Blinking, Elshnain asked without thinking, as she usually would, and Kilian answered in a low voice, his eyes curved like half-moons.
“No matter how much of a dream this is… you’re just too lovable.”
“Uh…?”
He smiled softly, a gentle smile she had never seen before.
“You… you. My lake, my spirit, my everything.”
“…?”
Huh?
“Elshnain, I like you so much.”
“Uh… uh… r-really?”
Elshnain asked in a daze, then slowly opened her eyes wide.
“What? Did you just say…?”
Snap!
As soon as he said those words, cracks began to form around them.
Light seeped into the previously dark space, and the entire area collapsed.
“Are you awake?”
Elshnain blinked several times. Her vision was blurry. Squinting to focus, she heard a hesitant voice beside her.
“Ah, your body feels a bit heavy, doesn’t it? That’s a side effect of sleep magic. I’m usually an offensive-type magician, so defensive magic like this doesn’t suit me well.”
Sleep magic?
Elshnain blinked again. She saw someone where the voice came from—a man wearing a black butterfly mask.
“‘Do you know the way!’”
Suddenly, Elshnain sat up straight, hurriedly touching her mask. It was intact.
“Where’s Kilian?”
Turning her head quickly, she saw the man pointing to a bed. Kilian was lying there calmly.
The room was filled with more beds.
Now she realized this must be the infirmary section of the cruise ship.
“Uh… do you know this person?”
The man looked at her with eyes like a child caught in wrongdoing.
“Yes. He’s with our group. Did you cast sleep magic on my companions too?”
Although both had been under Manipul’s mental control, the man claimed to have used sleep magic.
“Hmm. You’re not planning to hand me over to the guards… are you?”
“We’ll see.”
What had she done to deserve this reaction?
Elshnain narrowed her eyes.
“One of your companions is under another spell besides sleep magic.”
“Another spell? What kind of spell?”
“Ahem. There’s a bit of a story… You came to the office to buy a necklace, and by accident, I cast a spell I was experimenting with at the time…”
“An experimental spell?”
“Yes. It’s a spell that follows the caster’s commands temporarily.”
The man fiddled with his hands nervously, speaking in a small voice.
“I thought it was fortunate since there was also a Manipul demonstration… ahem, ahem.”
Here’s what he explained:
The person meant to act in the Manipul demonstration suddenly disappeared, and no one came forward to help, so he, wandering for a target, inadvertently cast the spell on Kilian, who had been distracted by the necklace.
“…You do realize this is a violation of human rights, right?”
“Cries! I’ve committed a grave sin!”
Suddenly, the man fell to his knees in front of her, rubbing his hands frantically.
“I have hundreds of young magician trainees under me to feed. If I get caught, they’ll all starve! Recently, even the well-paying jobs disappeared, and they’re starving! Sob, sob.”
“That’s your problem.”
Ignoring him like he was a freshly harvested radish, Elshnain pondered for a moment.
“Kilian, as his guardian, wouldn’t have fallen for such a simple spell.”
Then this man must either be the demon she suspected or someone related to him.
“All the sobbing and excuses now must be lies.”
Or he could genuinely be an unrelated con artist.
“Sob, sob. Life’s so hard that I have to do odd jobs outside the Tower… please consider my situation, won’t you?”
“…Fine. Fine, stop it.”
Whatever his true identity, she could do nothing to him for now.
“I’ll just mark him as a person of interest.”
“Really? You’ll let this go?”
“Yes. But there’s a condition.”
“…What condition?”
Elshnain asked calmly, looking directly at him.
“Promise to do me one favor later.”
The man, expecting her to dismiss it, froze mid-action. Then he slowly brushed his lips, squinting his eyes as he smiled.
“A promise…?”
“Yes.”
“I usually don’t make promises…”
“Oh? Then I’ll have to contact the guards…”
“No, no! Ah, a promise is nothing! I was once called ‘Mr. Promise’! Ha! I’ll promise, I promise!”
“Good. Then I need to know who you are and where you live to ask a favor.”
His squinted eyes widened slightly, showing embarrassment.
“That is…”
“How can I ask a favor if I don’t even know who you are?”
He scratched the back of his head.
“That’s true.”
He pulled a small card from his robe. It was a business card.
Purple with a luxurious silver frame.
‘Master of the Tower, Hades.’
Elshnain’s eyes widened as she read the inscription.
‘Master of the Tower?’
All her previous theories crumbled.
Master of the Tower…
More importantly:
“Why is the Master of the Tower working a part-time job here…?”
Just then, Kilian stirred in his bed, letting out a weak groan.
“Ah! Your companion is waking! I have urgent business, so I’ll be leaving!”
Hades, the Tower Master, looked at Kilian in surprise, jumped up, and vanished in a flash of sound before Elshnain could stop him.
It was the same seamless magic she had seen before.
‘Kilian must be scary to him…’
Apparently, he thought he’d be severely punished if Kilian found out.
Elshnain, still stunned, went to Kilian’s bed.
She watched his crimson eyes slowly open.
“…Kilian?”
She called him gently.
‘You, give yourself to me.’
The memories of his mind world just moments ago flashed through her head.
Her cheeks flushed, and she looked down.
“How are you feeling? Are you okay?”
“…Elshnain?”
“Yes, it’s me. Do you remember before you lost consciousness?”
Elshnain asked carefully, and Kilian slowly sat up and spoke.
