Episode 10
Enya clawed at her hair, gasping for breath.
Her eyes burned with fury, as if they might burst from their sockets.
“You… insane bastard!”
Every single one of them had fallen—
the horses, the lesser knights, all of them completely ensnared.
And yet—
Helios alone had not succumbed to even a fragment of the illusion.
Worse, he moved through the Magic Tower as though it were his own home.
He gathered divine power at his feet and drove it into the ground like a spear, purifying only the magic along his path and stabilizing the space.
Because of that, while the tower writhed and twisted chaotically, the area around him remained eerily calm.
And now—
He was calmly making his way up to Enya’s chamber.
The tower was Enya’s.
Just like her body.
It was an extension of her very being.
To have him forcefully carve through it—
It wasn’t just unpleasant.
It was humiliating.
Who do you think I am…!
Her pride—already tattered—reared its head again as her reason frayed.
Her teeth ground together in frustration.
And then—
Thud.
Thud.
Thud—
Click.
The door opened.
Light poured in.
Radiant.
Blinding.
The title Knight of Radiance—she had never expected to witness its meaning so vividly.
His body, wrapped in divine power like armor, shone so brightly she could barely look at him.
From within that light, his deep voice rang out.
“Tower Master of Morgenda.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the light receded.
And only then did she see—
Marie and Gray, slung over his shoulders.
They looked like drunkards, completely out of it.
No wonder his shoulders looked so broad.
Just before he entered, Enya had hastily seated herself, adopting the most relaxed posture she could manage.
She refused to lose the psychological battle over something like this.
She smiled sweetly.
“It seems the journey here was quite exhausting. You look terribly weary.”
“I wouldn’t say that.”
Helios looked anything but tired.
With a casual motion, he shook the unconscious knights off his shoulders—as if discarding a cloak.
They hit the floor with a dull thud, still mumbling nonsense about Ogedai and “dear” this and that, unable to escape the illusion.
Ignoring them, Helios dragged a chair over and sat across from Enya.
Not a single change in his breathing.
Not a flicker in his expression.
“I wasn’t told there was a dream demon in the tower.”
Enya’s face twisted in irritation at being likened to one.
Helios leisurely crossed his long legs, watching her reaction with clear amusement.
His green eyes curved lazily, like a well-fed predator.
“If this is your level, this subjugation might be easier than expected.”
“Wha— ‘this level,’ my ass…”
Enya failed to maintain her composure and scoffed.
“Funny you say that when your subordinates look even worse. Guess they take after their master.”
A vein twitched sharply at Helios’s temple.
Frankly, he had no rebuttal.
It wasn’t that his subordinates were incompetent—
it was that Enya was overwhelmingly strong.
But that didn’t matter.
He would simply train them harder.
“Using my sister like that. Are you unaware of the crime of insulting royalty?”
“Insult? Do you have proof?”
“I don’t know what you’ve been eating to be this childish.”
“Then blame the ones who fell for something so childish.”
Sparks seemed to crackle between their gazes.
Enya, already pushed to her limit, ground her teeth as she searched for a way to overturn this.
Meanwhile, Helios was quietly surprised.
Even after he had torn through the tower with divine power—
Her skin remained unblemished.
Clear. Untouched.
For a fleeting moment, he even had the absurd thought—
It would feel soft if I touched it.
“Would you care for some tea?”
The cheerful voice shattered the tension.
“I suppose introductions are overdue. I’m Laila, the head mage of the Morgenda Tower.”
She had soft pink hair like cherry blossoms, and eyes as vivid as flame.
Laila placed the tea down as both of them turned toward her.
“Idle chatter is fine, but don’t you have something more important to discuss?”
At her blunt remark, both of them stiffened awkwardly.
“Lady Enya, even if you were testing their abilities, that was excessive.”
“Ah—well… yes, that was… for assessment…”
Before Enya could finish fumbling through her excuse, Laila placed a hand over her chest and bowed slightly to Helios.
“Sir Defert, I apologize on behalf of my mistress. We met briefly at the banquet—do you recall?”
A lie.
She hadn’t greeted him at all.
She had been far too busy drinking and charming nobles into buying her “products.”
But Helios had likely met dozens of people that night—he wouldn’t remember.
As he seemed to hesitate, Laila smoothly continued.
“It’s an honor to meet you again. Would you like some refreshments? We have freshly baked desserts.”
“…Tea is sufficient.”
He looked slightly uncomfortable.
Laila quickly judged that he wasn’t as vicious as Enya had described.
“Then I’ll leave you two to your discussion. Lady Enya, please move those poor knights to my room.”
“Mm. Alright.”
Like a gentle storm, Laila came and went without lingering.
Their eyes met again.
“…You have a surprisingly reasonable subordinate.”
“…Well, yes.”
It felt like cold water had been poured over them.
At the same time, they both realized—
They had been childish.
And there was work to be done.
Enya let out a long breath and gave a small, tired smile.
With a flick of her fingers, vines crept out from beneath the fallen knights, wrapping around them and dragging them below the floor.
Helios moved as if to stop her, but—
“They’re going to Laila’s room. Relax.”
“….”
“I went too far. Even if it was meant to assess your capabilities.”
Of course—
She hadn’t cared about their capabilities at all.
Why would she need to test the man who had slain the Demon King?
She simply couldn’t admit—
That she had used enough magic to swallow a small nation
just to see him strung up in his underclothes, helpless and humiliated.
Still, after that clash, her mind had cooled.
Her goal wasn’t Helios.
It was to complete the subjugation—and claim her reward.
“Sir Helios. May I call you that?”
Resting her chin on one hand, she tapped the desk lightly with the other.
Her fingers moved one by one, like a gentle wave.
His gaze followed them.
“I didn’t expect your subordinates to fall so easily. My apologies.”
His eyes moved—from her fingers, to her wrist, to her neck, to her face.
Then—
She suddenly extended her hand.
“Let’s call a truce.”
He didn’t react.
She wiggled her hand playfully.
“It’s not like I like you either. You annoy me. I really, really hate you.”
“….”
“But we’ve got work to do, don’t we? No need to waste energy glaring and biting each other.”
“….”
“What? Don’t tell me you want a more heartfelt apology.”
Her smile didn’t falter.
Her black eyes, clear as a night sky, rested gently on him.
“I’m not asking you to apologize either. So be satisfied with this.”
“I’ve done nothing wrong to you.”
“Oh? Are you sure about that?”
She said it with absolute certainty.
Helios couldn’t understand her.
A woman who would never apologize—
now offering a truce first.
Smiling like someone accustomed to endurance.
As if that kind of smile was the only one she knew.
It didn’t suit someone who had killed her own master to seize the tower.
It irritated him.
Twisted something deep in his chest.
He almost asked.
Did you really kill your master?
If you did… how do you live with it now?
But—
Ogedai’s voice echoed in his mind.
“In terms of skill, she’s strong enough to kill her own master. Personally? She’s disgusting.”
“Sir Helios?”
Enya’s voice overlapped with the memory, pulling him back.
“Come on. A truce.”
She was right.
A truce was necessary.
There was no need to dwell on the past.
No need to understand her.
And Ogedai’s judgment couldn’t be wrong.
“Hurry up. My arm’s getting tired.”
Enya waved her hand impatiently.
Helios turned his head away with a frown—then let out a breath.
And took her hand.
Not just her fingertips—
His large hand closed around hers fully.
Their palms fit together perfectly.
When she tightened her grip, he responded in kind.
Her hand, which had seemed so powerful when wielding magic—
Now felt small enough to be swallowed by his.
He stared at their joined hands.
“You listen well. For such a naughty child.”
“Just… haah. Close your mouth.”
“That’ll be hard. We still have things to do.”
She pulled her hand away lightly.
Watching it, he thought—
Her hand was still dull.
Still weak.
“Now then—shall we get back to business?”
Just like that smile.
