A peaceful afternoon.

Leah dozed off briefly in a hammock hanging in the shade of a tree.

The hot summer sunlight filtered through the dense leaves, becoming gentle rays that fell upon her, while the breeze blew pleasantly. Through the gentle swaying of the hammock, she could hear chattering voices from a distance.

“Jo, you said just one more bite. Hand over the spoon.”

“She’s enjoying it so much, can’t she have a little more?”

“No, sister. This is cold and causes stomachaches if you eat too much. Jo is young, so we need to be extra careful.”

Louise must have brought Jo with her.

She thought, half-drunk with sleep. She remembered Janet asking if she could invite Louise and Jo to taste the ice cream, saying it was delicious.

‘They must have planned to come today.’

No wonder Janet’s face had been glowing with excitement since morning. Leah smiled to herself and thought of Rikeil.

‘Big brother likes cold things too.’

But since he doesn’t particularly enjoy sweet things, would he dislike ice cream?

‘We’ve decided to open an ice cream shop in the capital, so big brother will probably taste it. If he likes it, I should send the machine and recipe to the ducal residence.’

As sleep gradually faded, she slowly blinked while still lying down.

One, two beams of light shone through the green shade cast by the leaves. As she tried to count the third beam, silver hair appeared beneath it. The long strands gleamed white in the sunlight.

Leah’s eyes curved into crescents.

“Helix.”

He approached as she reached out her hand while still lying down. His large hand gently stroked her forehead.

“Sleep well?”

“Yes.”

Answering languidly, Leah grabbed Helix’s arm and pulled herself up.

“Hey, Helix.”

She asked.

“Is there anyone you want to bring delicious things to?”

“She’s right in front of me.”

Leah couldn’t help but smile broadly.

“Then, besides me?”

“No one.”

His answer was decisive, sharp as an ice blade.

“Hmm… I suppose that makes sense. You were imprisoned for so long.”

“Even before I was imprisoned, there was no one I wanted to feed delicious things to like I do with you.”

Though his words were blunt, they made her heart flutter. She patted his arm approvingly.

“Please continue to do so in the future. Think of me first when you see something delicious. Promise.”

“I promise.”

“Aren’t you going to ask if I’ll think of you first?”

“I can just take care of it myself, so why worry?”

Leah looked up at him with renewed appreciation.

“Whose lover could be this dependable?”

“Whose indeed.”

Helix lightly kissed the top of her head.

“But why ask such a question suddenly?”

“Ah, well… I was just thinking about various things.”

Leah told him about Janet inviting Louise and Jo to eat ice cream.

“It made me wonder if I should have offered it to my family first.”

“Your situation is different from Janet’s. The capital is quite far from here.”

He added.

“Besides, the Piert ducal residence isn’t lacking in delicious food, so it’s natural that you didn’t think that far.”

“Yes. Now that you mention it, I suppose that’s true.”

Her expression lightened as she continued.

“But even setting myself aside, what about our mages? None of them mentioned wanting to share ice cream with people outside the tower. Isn’t that strange?”

“……”

Helix stroked his chin with a somewhat ambiguous expression.

Leah continued.

“Especially the magic school children—they’re still young. They were sold by slave traders, but they must miss their families and siblings. Come to think of it, none of them mentioned anything like that.”

“…If they wanted to meet them, they would have done so already.”

His tone suggested he knew something. She tilted her head.

“Really? Could they have secretly met their families without telling me?”

“Whether they went secretly or asked for your permission first,”

He continued.

“If it had been a good experience, they would have boasted about it like children do. They would have asked if they could invite their families to the tower to share ice cream.”

“……”

“Leah.”

Helix gave her a smile. It was a bitter one.

“Do you remember what I told you before? That many mages tend to have twisted personalities.”

“I remember. You said it was because they were often tormented and discriminated against since childhood, being called possessed or cursed.”

Leah took a deep breath.

“But I thought that was from the old days when magic was first discovered…”

“It might be even worse now. People can’t even begin to imagine what mages are.”

Her brows furrowed involuntarily at his words. She felt deeply upset.

His statement made sense, which made her even angrier and more dejected. People could sometimes be incredibly cruel to those different from themselves.

She couldn’t even begin to imagine how deep the wounds of the magic school children might be.

“What did they do wrong?”

She murmured.

Images of small bodies collapsed in huts came to mind. They were so young, sold by their parents for a few coins. They had been destined to die as sacrifices for human experiments.

“What is this? First they sell and try to kill powerless children as they please, and now they reject them because they have power that people don’t understand? Aren’t they just doing whatever they want?”

Leah clenched her fists.

“Isn’t that right, Helix? We helped them a bit, but look how hard they worked to survive and become mages! The least people could do is praise them!”

Her blue eyes sparked, nearly emitting light. Watching her, Helix’s Adam’s apple bobbed.

Did Leah know?

That when she was this angry, she shone mesmerizingly.

That she burned so brightly he wanted to offer her his everything.

“Helix, let’s check something.”

“What do you mean?”

Leah said.

“I think we need to find out how the people of Helkan and the children’s hometowns feel about mages.”

***

They decided to disguise themselves and explore downtown Helkan first.

“Knight Dylan agreed to look into the children’s home villages.”

“That’s a good decision. Rural villages with few visitors would be better handled that way.”

People glanced at the two whispering figures as they passed by.

“Why are they wearing cloaks in this season?”

“Aren’t they from the Magic Tower? I’m telling you, they’re suspicious.”

“……”

Helix and Leah looked at each other, embarrassed. They had apparently disguised themselves too carelessly, thinking only of how they used to walk around in autumn.

He took her hand.

“Let’s buy new clothes first.”

“Clothes?”

Helix led Leah into the market.

It was approaching evening, with the sun stretching low. More people were coming out to shop and browse to escape the heat, and merchants who had been listlessly watching their stalls began diligently displaying their goods.

Helix skillfully navigated through these shops and found his destination.

She asked, slightly surprised, “Have you been here before?”

“No.”

“Then how did you find your way so well?”

“Markets in small towns are all quite similar. Leah, how about that outfit over there? I think it would suit you well.”

In the direction he pointed hung summer festival clothing. They were outfits worn by country commoner girls during festivals.

Leah changed into the clothes he had selected and came out.

“How do I look?”

She looked fresh and youthful in a white blouse, blue skirt, black vest, and a blue headscarf over her hair braided into a single plait. Helix’s face brightened before quickly becoming concerned.

“…You’re so pretty that you might stand out too much.”

“You’re one to talk!”

She poked him, now also dressed in young men’s festival attire.

His noticeable long silver hair was hidden under a hat, but his physique and face couldn’t be concealed even in an ordinary white shirt and vest.

The shop owner smiled and said, “You two are such a handsome couple that you can’t help drawing attention.”

“My lover is indeed very beautiful.”

“Hoho. You have every right to boast.”

Leah stared at the smooth-talking Helix like he was a stranger.

Who are you?

Unfazed by her sharp glance, he continued talking to the shop owner.

“I think my lover should have a bag to carry. What’s selling best these days?”

“As it happens, I have a bag that matches your outfit perfectly. How about this one? It has forget-me-nots embroidered with blue thread…”

Having broken the ice, Helix was unstoppable.

How’s business? What’s the mood among customers? Any complaints about outsiders coming and going?

His skill at casually dropping questions and drawing out information was remarkable.

“…Huh? Whoa?”

Leah was busy trying to close her gaping mouth beside him.

Eventually, they left with shoes, a muffler, and socks as well. She gaped at him carrying their packages.

“Wow… wow…”

“What’s wrong? Did we buy too much?”

“No, it’s a good deal since you got all the information we needed while buying these things. That was well done, but wow…”

Leah looked up at Helix.

“Who is this capable investigator?”

He smiled slightly at her amazement. His face remained calm.

“I’ve done this kind of investigation many times.”

“Really? I thought you were hunting mad archmages and dragons.”

“They often disguised themselves as ordinary people.”

Goodness. She thought she knew Helix well by now, but she hadn’t expected this twist. Shaking her head, she suddenly asked:

“If you’re such an excellent investigator, why did you get so lost at the secret club?”

“…I didn’t know people engaged in such nighttime activities.”

The memory must have been quite shocking, as Helix’s face turned pale.

“S-sorry.”

She mumbled, feeling bad for bringing it up.

“If we ever need to investigate again, I definitely shouldn’t send you to such places.”

“What do you mean, you shouldn’t send me?”

He became serious.

“Obviously, you shouldn’t go either.”

“Wouldn’t it be fine if I went…”

Leah, who had been speaking playfully without much thought, flinched when she saw Helix’s expression.

“No, I won’t go. Absolutely not.”

“……”

“What’s with that suspicious look? I really won’t go!”