“That’s not going to happen.”

Helix firmly declared it impossible.

If a riot broke out now, the mob would smash shop windows and loot stores along their path. They might reach Count Trow’s residence, but the cunning Count and Lord Trow would have already fled. Then the mob would drag out well-dressed servants, haul them around while pelting them with stones, and damage any noble mansion or shop that caught their eye.

Leah shuddered at his detailed description, born from long experience.

“…I need to do something. Helix, can you amplify my voice and presence like you did at the trial?”

“Why ask something so obvious?”

He gently scolded her while placing his hand on her back. Mana warmed her body, filling her trembling form with heat and courage. She opened her mouth.

“Honorable citizens of Peiren!”

Leah shouted loudly, “Today we’ve uncovered yet another evil deed by the Trow family. Having nearly burned to death in their fire myself, I deeply understand your anger. But everyone!”

The crowd’s attention turned to her, drawn by the sudden display of dignity and majesty in her voice.

“Remember their wickedness! Who am I? I am Leah Piert, the fire mage. Does it make sense that someone like me would nearly die in a fire? Yet the Trow villains almost succeeded. That’s how dangerous they are!”

Leah looked down at the crowd from her slightly elevated position on the bridge.

“Honorable citizens of Peiren, you mustn’t go alone! Follow someone who can help and guide you! Follow Sword Master Ruyan Piert!”

“Ruyan Piert!”

“Ruyan Piert! Sword Master!”

People began chanting Ruyan’s name. Ruyan’s surprised eyes met Leah’s in midair. No further explanation was needed; they understood each other’s intentions.

Whoosh!

A blue sword energy rose from the riverbank. Leah shouted energetically.

“Let’s go! Let’s hang Count Trow!”

“Hang Count Trow!”

“Hang him!”

Among the crowd’s echoing cries, the Sword Master’s voice added strength.

“Let’s go!”

The people, who had resembled a herd of lemmings about to run wild, all craned their necks to see the owner of the sword energy. Blue flames rose from the tip of his sword.

“Follow me!”

Ruyan shouted, swinging his sword energy in a circle. With his bright blue beam, he pointed toward Count Trow’s mansion.

“Let’s capture those Trow bastards!”

“Yaaah!”

***

While Ruyan led the people to tear apart Count Trow’s residence, Leah was returning home with Helix.

“Phew. What a chaotic day.”

Leah sighed, riding on Helix’s back.

“You worked hard.”

Helix walked along the riverbank carrying her. When she noticed they were heading toward the ducal residence, Leah asked:

“Hm? Aren’t we going to the laboratory?”

“Let’s rest properly today.”

At Helix’s words, she rested her chin on his shoulder and nodded.

“Too much happened today…”

“Yes. So let’s rest well, and tomorrow we’ll eat something delicious that you like.”

“Everything you suggest is just to give me energy.”

Leah giggled and rubbed her cheek against the nape of Helix’s neck. Helix straightened his upper body, trying not to hunch his neck.

“…What if I drop you?”

“You wouldn’t drop me over something this small. Especially now that your Guardian powers have returned so strongly.”

She shook her head.

“Whenever you mentioned your Guardian powers being sealed, I wondered what could possibly be sealed when you already seemed so capable. But now that they’ve returned—wow!”

Leah shuddered.

Unaware that Helix had momentarily frozen, she was so absorbed in her story that she patted his shoulders and back.

“I thought I was getting a mana shower! It felt like my blood vessels were being washed out with mana.”

“…I’m glad it felt that way.”

Helix hitched Leah up and held her tightly.

“The Imperial Prince won’t be able to interfere with you anymore.”

At his uncharacteristically grim voice, Leah hugged his neck reassuringly.

“Of course. With you around, I’m invincible now.”

“I wish you would yield to me sometimes.”

“But I am. I’m yielding a lot. I’m falling head over heels for you.”

She pressed herself against Helix and kissed his ear. Smack. The sound echoed loudly in his ear, making Helix feel like the world was splitting in half.

‘…Or is that the sound of my heart breaking?’

Unaware of his thoughts, Leah continued:

“It’s not just good for me, right?”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s not just me who’s happy that your seal is broken, right?”

She asked with a concerned voice.

“You’ve always wanted to regain your Guardian powers. Why are you only talking about me?”

Helix was momentarily silent. His chest felt like it was filled with the cream puffs Leah loved.

Dragon’s Holy Maiden. Whether things were going according to Azura’s plan or not.

‘What does any of that matter?’

All of Azura’s venomous dragon language curses that had clawed at his heart during his sealed time, even the most painful words “you are a failed Guardian”—

In this sweet wave, they all melted away meaninglessly.

“…Because nothing matters without you.”

Helix said, “You don’t know how different I am now from who I was before meeting you.”

In the past, he had nothing but “life as a Guardian.”

He didn’t realize it then, but now Helix could describe how he had lived: a lonely, stubborn existence wrapped in hollow honor.

And Leah had taught him.

How to soothe wounds. How to find joy in simple things. How to share his heart with someone precious.

“You showed me what it means to truly want to protect someone dear to me.”

The sincerity he heard alongside Helix’s heartbeat was too powerful and weighty. Leah buried her face in his neck and held her breath.

“The half-Guardian no longer exists.”

Helix continued softly.

“You, Leah, made me a complete Guardian.”

***

That night, lying in her bed at the ducal residence, Leah recalled Helix’s words.

‘Aaaahhhh.’

She flailed internally. After burying her face in her pillow and thrashing about for a while, she exhausted herself and lay flat on her back.

“…”

Sleep wouldn’t come.

Whether she wrapped herself in the soft blanket and lay on her side, or tossed and turned before lying straight to stare at the flowing lace decorations of the canopy.

Helix’s voice kept echoing in her ears.

‘You, Leah.’

‘Because nothing matters without you.’

His soft voice saying she had made him a complete Guardian.

Each time that voice stirred in her mind, her heart beat faster. It was pounding so hard that she felt she couldn’t fall asleep.

‘This won’t do. I’m going to a nice dessert café with Helix tomorrow.’

Leah forced herself to close her eyes and quietly stretched her body.

Crackle. Crackle.

As the room grew quiet, the sound of burning logs in the fireplace seemed louder. The occasional hissing of flames rising was also clearly audible.

Fire.

Suddenly feeling a chill, she rubbed her arms.

“Huh?”

It felt like flames were erupting from her arm. Leah pulled her hand away in surprise.

There was nothing on her pale arm except goosebumps, but her startled heart wouldn’t calm down.

Fire. The fire that had engulfed her body.

“…”

Leah swallowed.

She recalled what had happened while she was unconscious.

Archaik Oken’s madness and his whispers, burning with desire as he subdued her struggles to escape, scratched at her memory.

‘…Disappear along with what you’ve seen.’

‘I will destroy you with what I gave you!’

Remembering his voice made her entire body tremble like she was having a seizure.

‘I’m scared.’

She clasped her trembling hands together.

Though she had bravely dealt with Count Trow’s subordinates right after waking from Archaik’s bondage, the fear of nearly dying at the Imperial Prince’s hands hadn’t completely faded.

‘Archaik Oken…’

She felt scared and angry. Both the afternoon’s events when she was at his mercy, and her current trembling state.

She bit her lip, clasping her hands tighter.

‘I can’t just keep trembling like this.’

Leah threw off her blanket and jumped up.

***

At a lakeside near the capital of Peiren, in the middle of the night.

Splash!

Someone who had been fluttering through the air fell noisily into the lake.

“Whoa.”

Leah quickly surfaced and looked around.

“I hope no one saw that.”

She had intended to land slowly after surveying the area, but her inexperienced flight magic had resulted in her falling into the lake.

“Brr, it’s cold.”

Shivering, Leah swam to the deserted lakeshore.

The secluded lake surrounded by forest was a hidden gem located upstream of the Pei River that crossed the capital.

‘This is where my second brother used to come to train alone.’

It was also a place he occasionally brought the sickly Leah for fresh air.

‘Back then, it took quite a while by carriage. Flying here with magic was quicker than I expected. I’ll practice secretly here and fly back before morning.’

With that thought, Leah pulled out her magic wand from her bosom.

She drew a circle around herself.

“Fire!”

There was no response.

“Huh?”

Confused, Leah looked down at herself and then around again.

She had expected flames to rise and dry her soaking wet body, but there was no fire, not even a reaction from mana. Leah raised her magic wand again.

“Fire!”

Again, nothing happened.

“Fire! Fire! Fireball! Firewall! Firestorm!”

After shouting all kinds of fire magic to no avail, Leah threw away her wand and raised both hands, shouting:

“Hellfire!”

Squawk!

Only a migratory bird startled by her outburst flew up from the lakeshore.

“…”

Everything was very quiet and peaceful.

“…I knew this would happen.”

Helix’s voice came from behind her.

“Huh? Helix?”

Leah turned around in surprise.

“How did you know I was here?”