Despite their bickering, the two continued exploring the market to gauge the atmosphere.

The streets grew increasingly crowded with people eager to enjoy the long summer evening. Small taverns selling watered-down wine extended long awnings in front of their shops, while beer houses rolled out empty barrels to serve as outdoor tables.

“Helix, look over there. It seems people drink standing up at that place.”

“Shall we have a drink before heading back?”

“Absolutely. No question about it.”

Leah and Helix settled at one of the barrel tables in front of a beer house. A server promptly brought them cold beers.

Gulp. Leah reached for her beer mug almost entranced.

“Ahh, so refreshing.”

She gulped down her beer and sighed with appreciation like a seasoned drinker, beer foam clinging to the corners of her mouth.

Sitting across from her, Helix clicked his tongue with an amused smile.

“Be either rough or dainty—pick one.”

“I can be both and still be pretty, so it’s fine.”

Helix shook his head.

“Don’t talk like that in front of anyone but me. You’ll get criticized.”

“You don’t criticize me. I know you’re thinking I’m right deep down.”

“…Is it that obvious?”

Leah pointed to her eyes.

“It’s written all over your face.”

“What does it say?”

“It says you’re completely smitten with Leah Piert.”

“Haha.”

He laughed out loud, seemingly resigned to her teasing. His smile was completely unguarded, making her eyes widen.

So Helix could laugh like this too.

With his usually cool, restrained face relaxed, he looked like a handsome, fresh-faced young man. The festival clothing he wore enhanced this impression even more.

“…You’re really handsome.”

Her cheeks flushed hot at the sincere words that had escaped without thought. Helix, who had been laughing, suddenly froze.

Gulp.

An indistinguishable sound echoed between them.

Tap. Tap-tap.

Long fingers drummed audibly across the wooden barrel table. A slightly damp, cool hand covered Leah’s hand that was holding the beer mug.

Her hand gripping the cold beer mug was chilly, and Helix’s large hand covering it was cool as well. The summer air transitioning from evening to night became a breeze that fluttered her thin blouse and skirt.

Yet why was she breaking into a light sweat on her back?

Why were her face and neck so hot?

“You’re truly beautiful too.”

“Get a room!”

No sooner had Helix’s sweet words fallen than a loud bang came from the next table.

“What’s wrong with the world these days?”

“You’re ruining the taste of my drink! Innkeeper, bring more beer! I need to get completely drunk!”

***

“Helkan definitely has an unsettled atmosphere.”

Summer night.

After having a beer each, they walked hand in hand back to the Magic Tower.

The path leading from the tower management office to the twin towers glowed dimly even at night from the luminous stones embedded along the way.

A cool night breeze blew, and somewhere the sounds of night birds and insects could be heard.

Leah regretted that this path, which they had all to themselves, was growing shorter with each step. She swung their joined hands slowly as they walked.

“Did you hear those drunk people earlier? They were complaining that the Magic Tower only disrupts the north, and they couldn’t understand why it was built here of all places.”

“There were quite a few people who thought the opposite too.”

Helix said calmly.

“Since the north hasn’t had a lord until now, they’re hoping the Magic Tower will manage the northern region.”

“True, this place used to have no visitors at all, but now trading company people come and go. The downtown felt more vibrant than before. The shops looked cleaner too.”

“It did seem that way.”

“Right? Even the beer at the place we went to tasted better than I expected. Let’s go there together again sometime.”

“……”

Helix, who she expected would readily agree, gave no response. She tilted her head curiously and looked at him.

“What’s wrong? Didn’t you like that place?”

“The beer wasn’t good.”

“Huh? I thought it was decent.”

“Those men drinking were staring at you too much.”

His voice was low and sullen, but his eyes were blazing. Leah gently ran her hand up Helix’s arm and linked it with his.

“Nobody would dare approach me anyway, right? You’re too intimidating.”

“…Just looking at you makes me feel like you’re wearing away.”

“I’m not wearing away.”

She pressed closer to his arm and looked up at him.

“No matter how much those guys stare, one look from you makes me feel fresh again.”

Helix’s gaze softened.

His heart, which had been sticky with jealousy, felt like it was drying up fluffy and light along with her words.

He slipped his hand under her headscarf, gently cradling her slender neck and small head, pulling her closer to him.

“It seems you’re a super-duper-duper-archmage to me.”

Helix whispered like a sigh.

“One word from you changes my world.”

“And you’re an incredible guardian to me too.”

Leah burrowed into his embrace as she replied.

“With just one word or action from you, my energy surges or completely drains away.”

“When have I recently drained your energy… Oh.”

Helix, who had been puzzled, stopped mid-sentence as realization dawned.

After a moment of silence, he spoke in a low voice.

“Come to think of it, I think I can be a bad guardian tonight.”

“Huh?”

Helix suddenly scooped her up into his arms.

“Since we don’t have a busy schedule tomorrow, it should be fine if your energy is drained tonight.”

“You were a bad guardian yesterday too! And the day before!”

Leah squirmed at being suddenly carried like a princess, but he remained steadfast.

“A guardian can’t always be merciful when dealing with an archmage.”

“That’s not how it works!”

***

Meanwhile, inside Azura’s treasure vault.

Among the mountains of treasures, one item sparkled particularly brightly.

It was a red ruby necklace.

“Huaaah…”

The necklace emitted light, and a small spirit with red eyes popped out, opening its mouth. The necklace’s spirit, yawning widely in apparent boredom, looked around and perked up its ears.

“Why aren’t they coming?”

The spirit, awakened after a long time, waited with sparkling eyes for the couple who had awakened it to approach, but they apparently hadn’t noticed either the glowing necklace or the spirit.

“Didn’t they see me?”

The spirit tilted its head, asking itself.

“Well, they probably didn’t. They were only looking at each other, barely paying attention to these treasures.”

Indeed, a ruby necklace glowing in the corner of the treasure vault would hardly catch the attention of such passionate lovers. Disappointed, the spirit circled around inside the treasure vault.

“It’s rare to find lovers who love each other enough to wake me up.”

Their intense love for each other had allowed the love spirit to emerge from the necklace after a long time.

The spirit murmured, “I need to meet them and grant their wish.”

The love spirit created long ago by the Archmage Ander.

It usually slept inside the necklace, awakening only by the love of truly devoted couples to grant their wishes before returning to the necklace.

However, the spirit could only grant wishes related to love.

‘Please make this person love only me forever.’

‘I wish their feelings would never change.’

‘I wish they loved me a little more than I love them…’

The spirit enjoyed granting lovers’ wishes.

Though anxious and trembling in love, couples would worry about their partner’s reactions and go through heaven and hell. Seeing this, the spirit would think, ‘Goodness, why do humans make such a fuss?’ while feeling a ticklish sensation in its own heart.

“That’s the joy of being a love spirit. Yes.”

What other pleasure could there be for a spirit trapped in a necklace? After sighing briefly, the love spirit shook its head and fluttered up.

Its red eyes sparkled.

“I wonder what wishes these lovers might have?”

***

The day after exploring Helkan, Leah received a report from Knight Dylan about public opinion in the rural north.

The atmosphere in the countryside wasn’t much different from Helkan.

Half felt hopeful about having the Magic Tower as something to rely on, while the other half complained that it would only disrupt the north.

Leah sighed dejectedly.

“There really aren’t many people who genuinely like mages or the Magic Tower.”

Helix tried to comfort her.

“Isn’t half quite a lot?”

“Even that half is just hoping for some benefit, not actually liking mages themselves.”

“Leah, that seems natural to me. People haven’t had any experience with magic or mages yet.”

“You’re right, Helix.”

She nodded in agreement despite her gloom.

“So what should we do?”

Leah shared various ideas.

“Should we open an affordable ice cream shop in Helkan?”

“Trying to win people over with food seems like an approach tailored to you.”

“That’s not true! Food usually works well! I won you over with cookies, didn’t I?”

“No,” he corrected.

“You won me over by saving me, smiling, praising me, and saying only nice things.”

“…Come to think of it, that’s true.”

Leah grinned and gave Helix a playful smile.

“It was worth falling for, right?”

“Who wouldn’t fall?”

He smiled as he gently pinched her nose.

His gray eyes caught the light, gleaming silver as they gazed at her. Leah’s ears turned red under his incredibly affectionate gaze.

She playfully poked his cheek and whispered teasingly.

“You’ve fallen head over heels for me, haven’t you?”

“I’m completely submerged. Never coming up for air.”

Leah smiled with satisfaction.

“A wise decision. I believe in treating caught fish even better.”

“Now that’s truly wise.”

He looked at her with a smile.

He knew that Leah always gave her best to people.

‘While I love that about her…’

Sometimes when she was distracted by caring for others, she felt distant to him. Like when she fell asleep exhausted from worrying about the mages or the northern people.

“Leah.”

Helix lay beside her at an angle, playing with her hair. He couldn’t sleep.

“…I don’t understand why you try so hard.”

The Magic Tower was only recently established.

The reappearance of mages, the revival of the dragon race, and the construction of the Magic Tower had all happened within the short span of less than a year.

He thought it natural that the northern people would be wary and suspicious.

“We could proceed slowly as we have been doing, so why the rush?”

Helix stroked her platinum blonde hair wrapped around his long fingers.

Though their bodies were so close, he felt frustrated at being unable to read her mind.

“Do you want to develop the north?”

He recalled Helkan’s shabby market, hardly different from markets several hundred years ago.

“Or are you feeling lonely at the Magic Tower and want to immerse yourself in work?”

While she was now enjoying time with Helix at the tower, Leah had once been a prominent figure in the capital’s social circles, called Peirlily.

The barren north, far from family and without noble ladies her age for tea parties, might feel stifling to her.

Helix murmured with complex emotions.