Instinct roared in her head.

Leah glanced sideways at Helix’s profile. His good qualities suddenly caught her eye anew.

His face, his personality, his body – there wasn’t a single part of him that wasn’t handsome.

Moreover, while pretending not to, he always gave in to her and prioritized her.

In short, a man with no reason not to catch!

Her blue eyes glinted like a cat spotting its prey.

‘I have to catch him firmly. I need to tie him tightly to my side!’

Of course, she’d have to ask Helix’s opinion too.

Thinking about it carefully, while he did care for the weak as a guardian, he was definitely not someone who was kind to everyone.

‘But with me, he gives endlessly, always pays attention, and is gentle, right?’

Though she wasn’t sure if he felt the same way, it was certain that Helix didn’t dislike her. He seemed to like her as a person too.

‘Well, there’s the contract… and he likes me as a person.’

She could create plenty of opportunities while spending time together. Leah made up her mind.

‘I have to seduce him!’

***

While she was burning with determination, Helix was puzzled by Leah’s intense gaze.

‘I don’t know why she’s acting like this… but it’s good.’

He had worried she might become dejected after being embarrassed at not being able to dance properly at the festival, but thankfully that wasn’t the case.

He glanced at her furtively.

She looked pretty in the country-style dress she had prepared for the festival. Though she didn’t look like a country girl at all.

‘More elaborate dresses suit Leah better.’

The same went for the location. The capital would suit her better and be more familiar than the northern countryside.

“Helix, why?”

“It’s nothing.”

“Are you looking because I’m pretty? I know you like me.”

For a moment, Helix almost choked on air.

“…What are you saying.”

“I’m pretty, right? Helix, don’t you like me?”

He flinched.

“No, I mean, it’s not that I don’t like you…”

“Mm. I like you too, Helix.”

Helix couldn’t gather his thoughts.

“…Is this a new compliment time?”

“I still have lots more compliments. Ah, you’re just so handsome.”

Her unnecessarily pretty smile as she said this left him even more speechless. He hurriedly changed the subject.

“Leah, shall we return to the capital?”

“The capital?”

Helix explained earnestly.

He said the Master had told him it would be better to be near his base of operations to search for dragon traces. He suggested that since Leah was healthy now, she could exert influence from the capital, and with the Ducal Family behind her, it would be advantageous in many ways.

“Hmm.”

Leah also fell into deep thought.

‘In the capital, there are so many things I want to do with Helix.’

Dark intentions rose like smoke.

The capital had quite a lot of entertainment. As befitting Lady Piert, she could throw money around to feed him delicious food, take him to nice places, dress him in stylish clothes…

‘I think I can seduce him in more various ways!’

Her heart swelled with anticipation.

And as Helix said, the capital was indeed more advantageous for activities.

Since her health depended on Helix and magic anyway, there was no need to insist on recuperating in the north.

“It all sounds good except for the magic school.”

“The doctor and Karai are already doing well, so how about leaving those two in charge?”

“True, if I look in too often or add more people, it could expose us to Count Trow’s side. It might be better to leave it to those two and receive regular reports.”

Helix nodded at Leah’s words.

“As you said, with so many people watching you, it will be harder to keep secrets this way. If we really need help, how about requesting cooperation from Louise and Lord Dylan?”

“That’s not a bad idea.”

Having finished her calculations, Leah raised her head decisively. Her blue eyes sparkled as she looked at Helix.

“Good! Helix really is reliable in so many ways.”

“…Aren’t the compliments a bit excessive today?”

Tch, how sharp.

Leah grumbled inwardly. Still, she didn’t dislike how sensitively he reacted to her actions.

“The compliments are just frequent. Think of before as practice.”

“…Practice?”

“Yes. Now it’s the real thing.”

Leah smiled brightly.

“I’m not holding back anymore, I’ll compliment you whenever I want to. When I look at Helix and think ‘Ah, he’s cool,’ I’m just going to say it.”

Helix stiffened in confusion.

“W-why?”

She let out a deep sigh and touched her chest.

“Because you’re too cool and handsome and caring, I can’t hold it in. They say holding these things in makes you sick.”

“…Isn’t it anger that makes you sick when you hold it in?”

***

Throughout watching the festival, looking around the herb garden, and checking on the magic school, Helix was bombarded with Leah’s compliments.

While Leah acted decisively when working or around others, when they were alone she would compliment him at any time. As a bonus, she would look at him with sparkling blue eyes and smile prettily. Helix was completely defenseless against this.

‘Leah, walk this way. That side is dangerous because of the slope.’

‘How does Helix manage to be so aware of surroundings while always taking good care of me too? Being this capable and caring, how can I not fall for you?’

Storm of compliments was basic whenever he took care of her.

‘Helix, why are you staring at me so intently? Is it because I’m pretty? You like me, don’t you?’

‘…What are you saying?’

‘No? But I like you. Oh my, you’re still so handsome no matter how long I look.’

Whenever he quietly looked at her, she would notice and quickly attack before slipping away, leaving him drained.

“…Leah, rest well then.”

When they returned to the Piert villa, Helix quickly bid Leah goodbye. Unexpectedly, Leah waved her hand lightly as she responded.

“Okay. You rest too, Helix.”

For some reason his feet wouldn’t move, and he watched until Leah disappeared from view.

It felt like she might suddenly turn her head and call out “Helix!” and run back. If he asked why she came back, she would probably chatter that she didn’t want to part yet.

But Leah just looked back once and waved big before disappearing into her room. Helix, who had been waving back, froze in that position.

“…Why do I feel like this?”

There was an empty feeling around his chest.

When he returned to his room alone, the Master came to see him after hearing of his return.

“I came to see you, Guardian, before departing.”

The Master said he would leave for the capital, as he couldn’t leave the dark guild empty for long.

“I’ll see you soon in the capital then. Please come visit as soon as you arrive. We will go first…”

As he was about to discuss various matters requiring cooperation, he noticed Helix’s mind was elsewhere.

“Guardian, do you have something troubling you?”

“…”

Could this even be called a trouble?

Until now, his concerns had been about guardian duties – justice, protection, dragons’ whereabouts and revenge.

‘Those might actually be easier.’

Helix spoke with difficulty.

“There’s someone I’m helping…”

“Is that person trying to use you selfishly again, forgetting your kindness?”

“No. The opposite.”

“The opposite?”

The Master was puzzled. Helix chose his words carefully.

“…Their expressions of gratitude are so intense it’s troubling.”

“Is it burdensome? Then you could stop helping.”

“When I watch them, I can’t help but reach out.”

“Hmm. Then couldn’t you just not watch?”

“…”

Helix fell silent.

It was correct. It was a rational conclusion.

But he absolutely couldn’t do that.

Knock knock.

“Sir, the coachman is asking if he needs to wait longer, what should we do?”

A servant knocked to inform that preparations for departure were complete. The Master stood up, saying he would go right away.

“Still, I’m somewhat relieved.”

“About what?”

“When I heard you had saved our youngest, I felt many emotions. I was worried about what you might be like after so much time had passed…”

The Master’s voice grew softer.

“You’ve changed.”

“Have I?”

“Yes. For the better. Perhaps thanks to Lady Leah?”

When Leah’s name came up, Helix reflexively smiled gently.

The Master froze in surprise. So he knew how to smile.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

The Master blinked several times and shook his head.

“…It’s the first time I’ve seen you smile, Guardian.”

“Is it?”

***

Meanwhile, in Rizel, the southern port city of the Kingdom of Peiren.

“Hurry! The tide’s going out soon!”

“Throw the rope this way!”

In one part of the busy port, a group that appeared to be nobility disembarked from a ship.

It was a tall young man with black hair and an elderly scholar. The black-haired man glanced around.

“So this is Peiren’s largest port.”

“Yes. It’s no exaggeration to say all the products of southern Peiren gather here.”

In the bustling downtown, merchants from the Oken Empire and Free City Alliance were negotiating. The port was constantly busy unloading cargo from across the sea and loading goods to be sent.

“Hmm.”

The black-haired man seemed to lose interest and turned his gaze away from the port.

Tall stature and well-balanced physique.

With his soft facial features contrasting with distinct black hair and eyes, he was a handsome man who seemed approachable yet somehow difficult.

The man pulled up his lips in what seemed like mockery.

“So this is their largest port… A scale befitting a small country on the frontier.”

“It would be difficult to expect the Empire’s standards, wouldn’t it?”

“Yet their talent surpasses the Empire’s. A mage appears in this small country when all the Imperial magic scholars tried so hard but couldn’t create one.”

At the man’s criticism, the elderly man, Viscount Paipers, could say nothing. The head of the Imperial magic scholars was burning inside.

‘If I lose Prince Archaik’s trust over this matter…’

Archaik Oken.

He was the first prince of the Oken Empire and a strong candidate for Crown Prince.

Despite being the eldest, he had always been excluded from the succession due to lacking maternal family power, but he began rising rapidly a few years ago.

It started when rumors spread that he possessed the Dragon’s Golden Eyes.