Chapter 7.4

Allen did everything he could. To orchestrate a coincidental and natural, almost fateful meeting between Sylvester and Marianne, he staked out a nearby alley near Marianne’s house from the crack of dawn. He even fought over territory with a cat guarding the alley.  

Though he failed to create the fateful meeting he had envisioned… in the end, the two spent beautiful moments volunteering at an orphanage. All thanks to his efforts.  

“Now that I know our hearts are aligned….”  

Sylvester, his face devoid of any trace of a smile, muttered something again.  

‘He’s terrifying.’  

Allen had mentioned earlier that Sylvester’s strangeness began weeks ago. But it reached its peak just a few days ago.  

Seated in a comfortable chair in his office, Sylvester stared into the air. He gazed at something beyond the wall or the window, smiling faintly, then suddenly hardened his expression, muttered to himself, smiled again… and sighed. And then repeated the cycle.  

Occasionally, a faint breeze would blow through the office. The breeze carried a strong floral scent. It wasn’t even spring. The first time Allen felt this spring-like breeze, he had asked Sylvester if he was losing control of his magic. After all, exceptionally powerful mages sometimes struggled to contain their own magic. But Sylvester’s response was entirely unexpected.  

“Ever since I met Marianne, the wind keeps talking to me. It never spoke to me before.”  

Allen, recalling how truly powerful magic was said to possess something akin to a spirit, asked:  

“What does it say?”  

“It says it misses Marianne.”  

Wasn’t that just what you wanted to say, Marquis? 

Unable to voice this thought, Allen swallowed his words.  

“Why?”  

Allen simply asked again.  

“It says it’s grateful for being cherished by her.”  

That was Sylvester’s answer.  

‘He must really want to see Librarian Marianne again today.’  

Feeling the now-familiar floral breeze, Allen thought to himself.  

“When is the right time to propose… after how long of dating?”  

For a moment, Allen thought he had misheard nonsense conjured by his imagination.  

“……Propose?”  

“…….”  

“…….”  

“Is there a problem?”  

Sylvester asked back with an indifferent expression. Allen knew that face. It was the kind of face that spelled trouble if one dared to say there was a problem.  

“No, no problem at all. None whatsoever.”  

Allen smiled and continued.  

“Typically… nobles meet through family introductions and decide whether to proceed with marriage within about a week. For the rare couples who marry for love, they seem to get engaged or married after one or two months of dating.”  

“I’m not asking about nobles.”  

“Then who?”  

“I have to match Marianne.”  

Sylvester looked at Allen as if asking why he’d even bother asking such a thing. Allen was slightly surprised. It was shocking enough that Sylvester was considering marrying a woman with nothing to her name. But it was even more surprising that he wanted to adjust everything to her.  

‘Marquis… so you are capable of being considerate.’  

With slight exaggeration, Allen felt like a parent watching their grown child.  

“For ordinary people, there’s no standard dating period. Everyone’s different. But I’d say it usually takes about a year to decide on marriage.”  

A year? 

Sylvester looked utterly shocked at Allen’s words.  

“But….”  

After a moment of hesitation, Allen spoke again.  

“Have you gotten your family’s approval?”

Emotions are short-lived, but worries are long. Allen thought of Sylvester’s father, the Duke. Despite having such an outstanding son, the Duke was a stubborn Grand Mage. 

Sylvester rarely disobeyed his father, Eirn. For the proud Sylvester to bow down first to Eirn, it was clear how much the Duke valued appearances. 

He was someone who cared deeply about others’ opinions. There was no way he would accept Marianne as a daughter-in-law of the Amadeus family.

“I did ask for permission.”  

Sylvester brushed back his platinum hair that had been covering his forehead.  

“This is the result.”  

Allen fell silent at the sight of the vivid red scar engraved on Sylvester’s forehead. Thanks to healing magic, it had mostly healed, but it looked like a deep wound caused by something thrown or slashed at him.  

“I don’t plan to ask for permission anymore.”  

Sylvester spoke briefly. The image of his father’s face from a few days ago flashed in his mind. Specifically, the face of his father, who had flown into a rage when Sylvester declared that his relationship with Marianne was not something casual and that he intended to spend his life with her.  

When Sylvester had said he was only there to inform him and didn’t need his permission, everything in the study had come flying at him.  

“He told me never to show my face again.”  

“And, so?”  

“I agreed.”  

Whoa. Allen was surprised once again. What kind of person was this Marianne (though, of course, she was kind, gentle, and too good for Sylvester) that Sylvester would even be willing to sever ties with his difficult father?  

“I’ll just pass down my marquisate to my children instead of the Amadeus family title.”  

“Uh… Marquis, you do know that if a noble marries a commoner, their children can’t inherit titles or property, right?”  

Sylvester smiled faintly at Allen’s words.  

“That won’t do. I’ve worked so hard to accumulate my wealth. How could I not pass it on to my children?”  

“Well, that’s just the law.”  

“As long as I can change the law before I die, that’s enough. I’ll push my close friend to make it happen.”  

Ah. That one and only close friend of the Marquis… the Emperor. 

Allen chuckled to himself.  

“If that doesn’t work, I’ll just bury my wealth somewhere underground. I’ll tell them to dig it up after I die. Or… maybe I should start learning dark magic now and use it to hide my wealth.”  

It was absurd talk. But Allen thought that if it were Sylvester, he might actually pull it off.  

With a deep sigh, Allen opened his mouth again.  

“Starting today, I’ll study marriage customs in this empire with you, Marquis.”  

Despite his sigh, Allen felt a little excited. Thinking about the extra pay he might receive for this additional task made him happy. As for the happiness of the Marquis and the librarian, well, he figured they’d handle that themselves.  

It was a peaceful moment in the office.  

* * *  

At the same time, the mages of Research Division 3 were engaged in a staring contest with old books. They had been poring over dusty tomes for three or four days straight.  

They took turns coughing so much they could’ve formed a “Coughing Choir” and entered a singing competition. They also took turns clutching their aching backs and pulling at their hair in frustration.  

“Let’s never go out drinking again. We’ve already made this vow, but let’s keep reminding ourselves.”  

“That’s a good idea.”  

“What is alcohol, anyway? I’ve already forgotten what that word means.”  

“And let’s stop tormenting the Commander.”  

“Let’s live good, honest lives.”  

“…Can we still torment him with things other than magic?”  

“…That depends on the situation.”  

The mages exchanged words in low voices, almost like chanting a spell.  

“Still, the Commander has been much less unpleasant lately.”  

Erina murmured, and the mages nodded in agreement. Sylvester had softened. Whether it was due to the influence of Marianne, the woman he loved, or simply the nature of love itself, they didn’t know. But one thing was certain: Sylvester, who had fallen in love, was making the mages’ work environment much more pleasant.  

“When you think about it, it’s a bit unfortunate. Once the magic is undone… his personality will go back to how it was, won’t it?”  

The young mage Shubi spoke hesitantly, gauging the reactions around him.  

“True. He looks genuinely happy these days.”  

“That’s why we need to break the Commander’s magic for him.”  

Peter, who had been diligently writing something on a piece of paper, suddenly looked up and spoke.  

“So he can find true love.”  

“What are you talking about…?”  

“I don’t think this magic brought the two of them together by chance. When many coincidences overlap, it becomes fate, doesn’t it? Once the magic is undone, I’ll take on the role of the magic and help the two of them.”  

“How will you help them?”  

“So they can find true love.”  

Repeating himself, Peter held up the paper in front of him.  

“I think I’ve found a way to break the magic.”  

With dark circles under his eyes, Peter smiled.  

Peter, who had uncovered the secret of the magic, went to the library to meet Marianne at her departure time. Since Sylvester had an evening meeting with the Knight Order Commanders, there was no need to worry about running into him.  

In the quiet library of the early night, Peter sat on a bench under a streetlamp and shared the solution he had discovered with Marianne. After hearing Peter’s explanation, Marianne remained silent for a long time. But soon, as if understanding, she slowly nodded.  

“So, under the moonlit night at Siln Lake, sharing a kiss there will break the spell?”  

“Yes, along with this magic stone I’m giving you.”  

Marianne looked at the red magic stone in her hand as Peter explained.  

“After that, when the next full moon rises, the magic will be undone.”  

“……”  

“This time, I’m sure of it. I swear on my honor as the top entrant and top graduate of Arvid Academy, the empire’s best educational institution.”  

“I trust you, Mage.”  

Marianne nodded.  

“Did this solution also come from the mages of old who created the spell?”  

“…No. I mixed various theories together to come up with it myself.”  

“A kiss under the moonlit night at Siln Lake. It’s a very beautiful and tender solution.”  

Marianne spoke.  

‘And also, a very cruel solution.’  

She thought to herself.  

The cold late-autumn wind tore through Marianne’s heart and disappeared.