Local recommendations really are best for sightseeing.

“Wow! Look over there Helix.”

The mountain transitioning from early fall to autumn was beautiful in itself, and wild autumn flowers covered the slopes in white patches everywhere.

Helix turned his gaze from the flower field Leah pointed at to her.

The autumn sunlight filtering through thinning leaves sparkled on her bright face as she chattered about not knowing the north could be this pretty.

Watching her made his heart beat faster and his mood sink.

‘Why do I feel like this…’

Helix pondered this unidentifiable emotion while looking at Leah.

He’d felt strange ever since seeing how popular she was earlier.

‘And my heart’s been racing since last night.’

His heart had started beating rapidly when Leah stepped in front of the stake, and hadn’t stopped since.

‘Maybe it’s from the shock. I don’t understand why this is happening.’

Helix placed his hand over his heart and furrowed his brow.

He vividly remembered how Leah had appeared, standing with her back to the burning stake.

The platinum blonde hair waving in the flames.

Blue eyes blazing with pure anger.

Though her lips were tightly pressed to hide her fear, their edges trembled slightly.

‘Even now…’

Her profile as she admired the wildflowers, the shadows of leaves falling across her face, even the fallen leaf stuck in her hair.

Each detail felt like it was being slowly and clearly etched into his eyes.

Helix pondered.

‘Is this a side effect of the seal breaking?’

Come to think of it, he’d felt the same rapid heartbeat and symptoms when reinforcing the barrier at Azura’s lair last time.

‘What strange symptoms.’

Just as he was frowning at these utterly incomprehensible symptoms.

“Helix, what’s wrong?”

Helix smoothed his expression at Leah’s question.

“It’s nothing.”

“It doesn’t seem like nothing! Your expression’s not good, and you’ve been quiet for a while.”

Seeing her worried eyes, he hid his strange symptoms.

“…Seeing how popular you are reminded me of when I worked as a guardian.”

“Ah? I guess as a guardian you must have dealt with lots of bad guys.”

Leah nodded.

“You must have been really popular.”

“Not at all.”

Helix said firmly.

“Not at all? Why?”

Leah couldn’t understand.

“You’re fair, strong against the strong and gentle with the weak, have great character, are considerate, and even look like a male god?”

“That’s not what being a guardian is about. It’s a job that earns resentment more easily than popularity.”

Bitterness tinged Helix’s voice as he replied.

“From what you’re saying it sounds like an apostle of justice, but getting resented – that can’t be all there is to it.”

“You see clearly.”

“What exactly is a guardian’s position? What do they do?”

Controlling mana, protecting order and the weak – it sounded righteous but was somehow vague.

After thinking for a moment, Helix spoke.

“A guardian’s main mission is…”

“Yes? The mission is?”

“…To stop rampaging Dragons and great mages.”

What?

***

Helix explained.

Young Dragons who only think of themselves, Dragons who lived alone in their lairs so long they lost all social skills, crazy Dragons who played shapeshifting games until they could only shout about their 999th past life.

Great mages who went mad from researching in magic towers, great mages who got discarded after being lapdogs to the powerful and burned down cities in revenge, great mages who became true murderers after massacres during wartime.

“In the age of magic, these were the greatest enemies of world peace.”

Leah nodded with a pale face.

“Well this is unexpected but… it makes… sense…”

She held her forehead.

“As a mage, I need to manage my character and mental state well.”

“You’ll do more than fine, Leah.”

He continued his explanation.

When those with too much power like Dragons or great mages went berserk, the damage was massive – some kingdoms were destroyed, mountains collapsed, rivers dried up.

The Dragonlord, leader of the Dragons, and the Tower Master, head of the magic tower, agonized over a solution.

“At this rate, either all magic would be treated as dark magic or the world would end.”

“That’s right.”

“So they decided to create beings who could control those who went berserk.”

“And those were the guardians?”

“Yes.”

Helix nodded and continued.

“They chose guardians from among elves, the race most sensitive to mana and fairest, gave them mana control abilities and entrusted them with the mission.”

Leah’s eyes went round.

“Helix, so you are an elf…”

“No.”

“You’re not?”

But he looks exactly like an elf king?

Helix gave a bitter smile at Leah’s look.

“When the elves were preparing to migrate to another continent, they chose a guardian from humans for the first time.”

“And that was you?”

“Yes.”

He added.

“The elf masters took and trained me.”

It was a heavier duty than expected.

Having power over others’ lives while wielding godlike powers.

“So that’s why you always said like a habit that you had to be fair…”

“One must be fair. Must minimize damage. Must judge to avoid wronging anyone if possible.”

She could understand now why Helix had always said he was a guardian.

She recalled their first meeting too.

‘Who sent you?’

‘Has war broken out outside?’

Now she understood his suspicious gaze and tone back then.

“Since you handle mana, other mages must have asked for help too. The powerful must have been annoying.”

“Yes.”

Though Helix’s reply was short, Leah thought his expressionless face looked dark.

‘It must have been harder than I thought.’

A life of wielding great power alone while always having to guard against being used.

Help someone and they ask for more help, ignore them for the greater good and earn resentment, while those stripped of power would curse him.

It must have been hard to make friends or family when people would target his weaknesses to use him.

“The elves weren’t very considerate.”

“…Considerate?”

Leah grumbled.

“I mean, they at least had fellow elves to share guardian duties with, but what about you left all alone?”

Helix looked down at Leah.

“…That’s the first time I’ve heard such words.”

“Really? Weren’t you resentful?”

“I’ve never resented it. Someone had to do it.”

Leah found herself feeling a distance as she looked at him.

‘No, what is this personality…’

It wouldn’t be surprising if a halo appeared behind him right now.

“I guess it takes someone with your level of character to be a guardian.”

Helix looked down at Leah’s round crown as she shook her head vigorously.

Swoosh.

He unconsciously reached out to remove a red fallen leaf stuck in her hair.

“You’re a good person too, Leah.”

Leah blinked up at Helix.

“It feels a bit unreal getting such praise from someone with ultimate character…”

“I only stated facts.”

She smiled happily at his blunt praise.

“Well, I am pretty on the outside and awesome on the inside.”

“…That is true.”

Helix agreed in a somewhat choked voice.

It was so like Helix to reluctantly acknowledge it and move on that Leah turned her head with a laugh.

“Haha, you’re so rigid as always… Huh?”

Leah blinked.

“What’s that? A flower?”

A blue mass that didn’t match the autumn mountain covered in dry colors came into view.

“Helix, look at that. Over there toward the mountain peak. Is that a flower? A fruit?”

“It’s a Tigone flower.”

Helix said, narrowing his eyes.

“It’s a rare flower said to bloom once every hundred years, and we’re seeing it here.”

“How lucky. Since it’s blooming, will it bear fruit?”

“Sometimes it does.”

Leah’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.

“If it’s fruit that only appears every hundred years, it must be good for you even if it doesn’t taste good, right?”

“Not necessarily.”

He explained.

“Tigone flowers are originally purple. Blooming blue means there’s a source of contamination nearby.”

“Contamination…?”

“If it flowed from the contaminated lands beyond the mountains in the north, it means the Hel Mountains’ barrier is weakening…”

Helix said with a slightly stiff face.

“I need to check that area. Leah, you go down first.”

***

Meanwhile, as Leah and Helix were walking, the priest who had followed them was hiding nearby, waiting for his chance.

‘The lady and that guy should be coming soon.’

The priest was getting impatient.

He needed to take care of Janet first while she was alone, but the clearing where she was was too open.

‘Should I just go out and drag her here?’

That’s when.

Janet headed toward the stream where he was hiding, carrying a water bottle.

‘Now!’

The priest leaped out from the bushes by the stream and swung his knife at Janet.

“Kyaah!”

Janet barely avoided the blade as she fell from his clumsy attack.

“Y-you insolent thing!”

The priest was adjusting his grip on the knife when he turned his head at the sound of footsteps.

“Janet!”

Leah was running over, having heard the scream.

“Don’t come closer!”

He swung the knife awkwardly in the air.

“If you come closer, I’ll kill this wench first!”

“My lady, it’s dangerous! Don’t come!”

“You be quiet! Before I slice up that face!”

Leah stopped in her tracks.

“Yes, that’s right, be good and listen…”

She extended her arm from where she stood.

“Fireball!”

Whoosh.

The fireball grazed the priest’s shoulder.

Janet cried out in surprise.

“F-fireball?”

The priest who took the fire to his shoulder gasped for breath.

“Huk… Wi-wi-witch!”

Whoosh!

Holding a fireball in one hand, Leah retorted.

“Don’t you know any other words?”

The priest’s face turned red at Leah’s mockery. He pointed his knife at her.

“Think you’ll be safe after treating a priest like this? I’ll tell the church that the Piert family’s lady is a witch!”

“Oh, really?”

Leah asked leisurely.

“Then shall I tell everyone across the kingdom? That a demon wearing a priest’s disguise who lusts after pretty women is leading witch hunts.”

“Wh-what?”

“Since he’s a demon, he even attacked a noble lady, completely insane. How about we call this demon Lustius the Ugly?”

The priest’s face turned ashen at the mockery.

“Y-you… You crazy witch!”