So……

“You’re saying you’re Whitey…?”

“Yes, Merri.”

They were repeating the same conversation for the third time now.

Despite Merrien blinking in disbelief, Duke Hartez answered patiently and gently.

Even using the nickname ‘Merri.’

‘No way, Whitey can’t be human.’

Merrien clenched her fists, losing focus, but that didn’t help her calm down.

Her finger joints trembled with tension. Finally, unable to hold back, her angry voice burst out.

“You, what did you really do with Whitey……”

“I heard about how you’d be kidnapped and killed by the Tower Master.”

But she couldn’t stay angry at Duke Hartez’s words as he casually rested his chin on his hand.

Far from angry, Merrien, now intimidated, fidgeted nervously with her fingers.

“I also heard about how you’d return to reality or whatever once you filled your healing quota.”

“S-stop.”

“And how healing certain people would actually lower your healing quota, preventing you from returning.”

“Yes, I get it now that you’re Whitey, Your Grace!”

Merrien finally admitted, slapping her forehead. Everything he had recited were things she had only babbled to Whitey.

‘Of course, I didn’t know Whitey was human!’

There was no deceiver, only the deceived.

As Merrien’s face turned bright red and she pressed her lips shut, he smiled.

“Then stop being formal and call me ‘Ariel.’ We’re friends after all.”

“……What?”

‘Your Grace, this is moving too fast.’

There wasn’t even time for embarrassment.

She looked up at him in bewilderment, but his expression remained unchanged.

“If you really hate it, you can keep calling me Whitey.”

Faced with Ariel’s utterly casual behavior, Merrien shook off all the tangled thoughts in her head.

‘This person is definitely not normal.’

Her instincts told her that seeing the madness behind those eyes armed with innocence, who knows what would happen if she didn’t call him ‘Ariel.’

“Alright, Ariel.”

“Good, Merri.”

Ariel responded immediately to her quick reply.

No matter how she looked at him, he bore no resemblance to the tiny, fluffy Whitey who had been dying, coughing up dark red blood.

‘Haah….. Is this right?’

Suddenly dazed, Merrien carelessly brushed back her scattered hair.

Clearly, many things had happened rapidly, but she felt she understood none of it.

Well, might as well ask questions now. With that thought, she straightened her posture.

Of course, there were many things to ask, but she decided to question systematically.

“So why were you transformed into Whitey, no, a dog at first…?”

When Merrien hastily corrected herself from being formal, Ariel sat on the edge of the bed and opened his mouth, seemingly having expected this.

Though it seemed like a situation to be tense about, he showed no such signs. He was completely relaxed and composed.

“As you can see, my body’s in terrible condition. Transforming into a small animal helps me maintain it somewhat.”

“Ah.”

As he spoke while lightly tapping his body, Merrien finally nodded.

Since he could transform into an animal, he must be a mage.

“Back then, I went to ask you to heal me. But you disappeared, and I collapsed.”

“That’s….. sorry. But still! You could have told me you were human!”

She apologized immediately.

But feeling wronged for having firmly believed Whitey was an animal until now, her complaints also spilled out.

Of course, this was a needless protest.

Ariel rolled his eyes as if thinking about something, then pulled up one corner of his mouth.

“You hugged and kissed me. Should I have suddenly transformed into a human then?”

“……”

Merrien, now speechless, pressed her lips together before hastily changing the subject.

“S-so why did you bring me here?”

Ariel’s face lit up, clearly pleased they were finally addressing the main issue.

“Merri, I have a proposal for you.”

“What is it?”

“Stay at the Hartez mansion and heal me.”

“……Huh?”

Merrien asked again, doubting her ears at the sudden strange suggestion.

But Ariel maintained a calm expression, apparently not joking.

“Until my body is completely healed, I’ll guarantee you delicious food and safety. It’ll be much better than life at the temple.”

Merrien’s eyes immediately sparkled with interest.

“You can’t heal commoners there anyway, so you can’t fill your healing quota.”

‘Right, he knows everything about my healing quota too.’

It really hit home that she had spilled everything to him thinking he was just Whitey.

Beyond being convinced, her body slumped with the gloomy realization that she had to accept the man before her was Whitey.

Watching Merrien’s expression, Ariel drove in the final nail.

“Or would you rather receive marriage proposals from counts twenty years older than you?”

“……”

“Isn’t it better to stay here, heal me, and comfortably fill your healing quota?”

That soft, gentle voice was like the devil’s whisper she’d only heard about.

Merrien’s already wavering gaze turned to Ariel’s eyes. His empty blue eyes were now filled with her reflection.

“Once you heal me, I promise I’ll make the Tower Master kneel before you.”

“!!!”

Everything he’d listed so far was already almost enough to convince her, but Merrien couldn’t help her jaw dropping.

She wasn’t sure, but one thing was certain: the Tower Master was currently the strongest person.

At least, that’s what she’d heard from the temple people.

‘……Of course, since he’s the villain.’

But how could this frail man make the villain kneel?

Even as Whitey, he had collapsed coughing blood twice in front of her.

No matter that he was Duke Hartez, despite his relaxed attitude, it was hard to believe.

Soon, Merrien crossed her arms and asked seriously.

“So you’re saying you’re stronger than the Tower Master? How can I believe that?”

It was an issue that had to be addressed for the contract. Ariel didn’t even seem surprised, apparently thinking it was a natural question.

“Hold out your hand.”

“……?”

After a moment of puzzlement at the sudden request, she cautiously extended her hand, and he pointed his index finger and shot out magical power.

Suddenly, wind swirled around, making Merrien’s hair flutter about.

“……!”

Merrien’s eyes widened as much as they could.

His action was clearly very light and simple.

But the level of magical power that briefly touched her was completely different from the ‘famous throughout the Empire’ noble-born mages who had visited the temple.

Unlike Ariel, their magical power was barely a handful, almost embarrassing to compare.

As she stood there dumbfounded, Ariel continued speaking without losing his composure.

“The Tower Master’s nothing special. If you want, I’ll make a contract with ‘Death Magic’ promising not to kill you.”

“……”

Honestly, it might be just bluster.

No matter how powerful a mage he might be, how could he defeat the Tower Master, who was literally the Master of the Tower?

Still, wouldn’t it be better to believe Ariel’s words than trembling in fear at the temple, cleaning chamber pots while waiting for marriage proposals from old counts?

‘And he knows everything about me anyway.’

Merrien bit her lip and nodded. “Alright. I’ll stay.”